Diptyque - Philosykos Perfume Oil, roll-on Eau de Toilette (perfume review)

I remember the first time I smelled Philosykos. I had ventured with my young baby to Blue Mercury to sniff the Diptyque candles and perfumes, and was curious about Philosykos because I'd read so many positive reviews. I didn't spray it on a tester, but I sniffed the bottle (the EdT, I believe) and smirked, turning my face away. Blegh. I left Blue Mercury thinking the candles were overrated, and only liking Eau Rose and Eau Duelle of the perfumes.

Fast forward a month or so. I went to Nordstrom to purchase the Eau Rose roll-on and things completely changed. Nordstrom had almost 20 Diptyque candles and this time they ALL smelled amazing! Given this new revelation I decided to retry many of the scents, including the famous fig scent Philosykos. The Philosykos roll-on perfume oil became my first perfume purchase since getting really interested in perfumes. According to the website, this perfume oil is an Eau de Toilette. 

The roll-on comes with a nice soft travel case. The container appears black, but is actually translucent so you can tell how much perfume oil remains if you look at the dispenser in front of a light.

Perfumer Olivia Giacobetti did a marvelous job recreating a true-to-life fig scent. Philosykos embodies more than simply the fig fruit, which would be elementary and boring. Philosykos encompasses the entire experience of the fig tree - the large rough leaves, the milky sap of the branches, the mealy pulp of the unripened fruit and finally the jammy sweetness of a plump and fully ripened fig. I enjoy this olfactory experience as it reminds me of our own fig trees, and is immensely wearable.

Though fig trees often yield two crops - in early and late summer - Philosykos feels to me like the late summer crop. While definitely a fresh and fairly light scent, this perfume doesn't have the brightness I would associate with spring or early summer. Instead, the dewy green opening is married to a warm milky accord that gives the fragrance a certain fullness without being heavy or overwhelming. It feels like a tree-filled park freshly drenched in a warm summer rain. 

After the rich opening, the fragrance softens and really warms up on the skin. The green notes fall back and a wood note surfaces amidst the milkiness, wrapped in a tender, slightly soapy sweetness. This is how the fragrance lingers on my skin until it fades to oblivion. Delightful and warm - a very comfortable everyday scent.

I'm not sure about the spray EdT (or EdP) but the sillage of the roll-on is on the weaker side. This is perfect for me as I'm pretty sensitive to scent and don't need to broadcast loudly. The longevity is only 3-4 hours, but frequent reapplication is a breeze with a roll-on. 

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I've been shoving my wrist in my husband Clint's nose ever since I got into this perfume frenzy, so I thought it might be fun to hear his characterizations of the scents as well. From here on out, they'll be referred to as Clint's 3. (I'll be honest, I was pretty surprised by how well he did for Philosykos!)

Clint's 3:  grass, wood, fresh

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My rating of Philosykos: 

1  -  - -  -  2  -  -  -  -  3  -  -  -  -  (4)  -  -  -  -  5

   Nausea/Gagging         Meh        Decent        Great         Olfactory Elation     

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Philosykos as described by the Diptyque website:

Family: Woody

Close your eyes and discover all the delights of the fig tree. Fresh leaf, green fruit, bark, and its milky sap are all intensified with a touch of white cedar.

Notes: Fig leaves and wood, White Cedar

Perfumer: Olivia Giacobetti

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I'm finding that I'm really loving milky scents. They have an inherent lushness about them and are not sharp or overwhelming to my sensitive nose. I'll definitely have to seek out more scents that possess this character and welcome any recommendations!

Have you tried Philosykos? What are your favorite fig scents?

Histoires de Parfums - Vert Pivoine (perfume review)

Being new to the wonderful world of perfume, I sought to grow my sample base as quickly as possible. I found that one of the easiest and cheapest ways to do that was to buy sample packs offered by perfume houses. I started with the 10 piece L'Artisan Parfumeur sampler (awesome!) and quickly followed that with a Histoires de Parfums sampler. 

The L'Artisan sampler comes packaged with 10 pre-selected scents, but the Histoires de Parfums sample program allows you to choose any 6 of their scents for 20 USD. Each sample is 0.07 oz, or just over 2 ml. Since I'm pretty clueless when it comes to perfumes, I chose my 6 based off of the descriptions and what I thought I might like note-wise. I also checked out their reviews on Luckyscent. I received the samples about 2 weeks after ordering them and have chosen not to re-read the descriptions prior to sampling to avoid influencing my perceptions of each scent.

The glass vial samples came packaged in a little paper box with paperwork describing the scents.  The kit was mailed in a small bubble envelope.

I've read that perfumes can behave differently when sprayed or dabbed on, so I started by transferring all 6 scents into plastic atomizers. After the transfer, one of the first HdP scents I tried was Vert Pivoine - which translates to Green Peony. I'm no perfumista, so bear with me here as I try to describe my experience.

Photo from Histoires de Parfums Press Downloads

I applied approximately one and a half sprays on my left wrist/forearm. Before I could give Vert Pivoine a chance to dry and then sniff, I was bombarded with a very green (as advertised in the name) opening. The scent was distinctly recognizable but it took me a minute or so to place it - and unfortunately it wasn't peony. To be fair I'm not actually sure what Peony smells like, so maybe I'm wrong. Nonetheless, for me Vert Pivoine opened up with pickles. Not a mere suggestion of pickles dancing amidst a bouquet of beautiful flowers - peonies if you will - but straight up, 100% pickles. More specifically, these were not the vinegary Vlassic jar pickles (which I would have preferred), but the deli pickles you get quartered on the side of your deli sandwich or on a Chicago hot dog. I've never liked these pickles. 

That being said, the pickle opening did have a certain effervescent energy to it. Perhaps the refreshing essence of cucumber was shining through? In fact, my 5 month old son promptly awoke from his nap - filled with an unusual vigor - the moment I sat down beside him post-spritz. (This is probably another ping against the fragrance in my book...)

After 5 minutes or so, the screaming pickles faded down to... well... pickle perfume. I'm not really sure how to describe it. Vert Pivoine definitely had a classic (dare I say "old-lady") perfume-y base above which floated the distinct and enduring pickle. It must be something in my chemistry, because I simply can't imagine that peonies smell like deli pickles, and if they DO, I can't imagine that anyone would want to smell like them.

About two hours later the pickle may have faded away completely. I did feel as though I was still smelling it, but I'm not sure if it was really there or if my brain was stuck on pickle. At this point however, Vert Pivoine was becoming unpleasantly sharp - the kind of sharp that clings to the inside of your nose and burns. Not unlike the ammonia in cat pee. Of course it didn't smell like cat pee, but that's what it felt like in my nose. Pungent and headache inducing. I wondered if babies get headaches and worried that I was subjecting my poor Walden to a headache as well.

By the three hour mark I could bear the torture no longer and tried washing it off with tea tree oil hand soap and then again with lavender hand soap. While I couldn't get all of the fragrance off of my wrist I did mute the scent enough for my headache to go away. A sniff of the wrist still imparted a faint pickle scent and at that point I was tempted to go to the store and buy some pickles (the Vlassic kind, which I do enjoy).

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My rating of Vert Pivoine:  1.5

1  -  -X-  -  2  -  -  -  -  3  -  -  -  -  4  -  -  -  -  5

 Nausea/Gagging           Meh       Decent       Great         Olfactory Elation 

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Vert Pivoine as described in the Histoires de Parfums Press Kit:
fresh floral; fem.

Peony is considered as the queen of flowers in China, expressing elegance and wealth. Its colored roundness and exquisitely fresh floral vapor trail is an ode to femininity.

Top Note: Peony, Ivy Leaves, Rose water

Heart Note: Peony, Rose, Mimosa, Gardenia, Rose Berry

Base Note: Peony, Cedar, Sandal, Musk 

Perfumer: Gerald Ghislain

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The reviews of Vert Pivoine on Luckyscent make it sound oh-so-floral, but unfortunately I didn't get any florals - except perhaps in the old-lady perfume scent in the drydown. (I'm not sure what notes comprise the old-lady perfume scent.) I can agree, however, that the scent was green, fresh (pickles are fresh, right?), and on the revitalizing side. I may have to give this one another go in the very distant future to see if anything changes. I'd love to experience this as a fresh and feminine floral.

Have you tried Vert Pivoine? If so, I'd love to hear your take on it!