Fragrance Review #11: Diptyque Eau Duelle

 

Diptyque launched Eau Duelle in 2010 and is available in both eau de toilette and eau de parfum formulations. I own the eau de parfum because I feel it pays better homage to the richness and booziness of this fragrance. 

Notes (Diptyque doesn’t detail the tier that these notes fall in, so I just have a list of the notes):

• Cardamom, Asian Cyprus, Elemi, Juniper, Saffron, Calamus, Black Tea, Black African Olibanum, First Vanilla, Bourbon Vanilla, White Musk

I’m not even going to attempt to break down all of these notes, but I will describe what I smell when I wear Eau Duelle. This is one of my favorite fragrances of all time, so there may be some fangirling.

At its heart, Eau Duelle is a spicy, amber-vanilla fragrance. This is a vanilla scent for adults, not for teenagers seeking to smell like a cupcake. This fragrance is intoxicating, smooth, intense, exotic and resinous. There is a touch of sweetness, that again, doesn’t make the wearer smell like a dessert, but harkens a bit to something more natural, perhaps even a touch animalic, as if the wearer’s body chemistry is producing this sweetness. Couple this with the earthiness of the Cyprus, saffron, and black tea and the scent will remind you of a dried vanilla bean pod that that’s laying in a bed of dried spices and incense. There is something slightly sticky about this fragrance - when I smell it I get this image of sap on a tree trunk that is slowly oozing from the tree at a glacial pace, so slowly in back that the sap is hardening and forming sweet globs of crystalized sap on the trunk. If you touch it, your fingers will have a slightly sticky residue that lingers on you finger tips. 

This is a sophisticated, mature vanilla that is slightly familiar, but different enough to turn heads and make people inquire about what you’re wearing. Eau Duelle is warm and inviting, a little spicy, a little earthy, a little animalic, and just interesting. It’s so difficult to describe this vanilla because it’s got so much going on beneath the surface, but it’s subtle.

Wear Time & Sillage: This has great wear time (for the eau de parfum - I can’t speak for the eau de toilette). A couple of sprays and I can smell it on myself all day. As do most of Diptyque’s fragrances, Eau Duelle sits close to the body, which is what makes is lean more on the sexy side. Walking past someone, they will catch a whiff of your fragrance, but just enough of a hint to make them want to get a little closer. Eau Duelle is the type of scent you spray just at the base of the neck, where the skin is warm and inviting and may be come intense in the wearer becomes flushed. It can be appropriate for any setting, just adjust the amount of times you spray to make it appropriate for the office or a date night out. 

Season: This is a scent that really shines in the winter - the slight spiciness and the rich booziness reminds me of the holiday season. This could easily get cloying in the heat and humidity, but on a crisp winter night? *chef’s kiss*

Recommended For: This is definitely a unisex fragrance, so people who prefer inviting, interesting vanilla scents with depth will really enjoy Eau Duelle. If you are looking for a vanilla that is an upgrade from the cliche vanillas that smell like baked goods (no harm in those…) then look no further. This is a cozy scent, the leans a little mysterious, so if you like fragrances that make you smell a bit coy or cryptic, then this is for you. When I smell of Eau Duelle, I think of a restaurant in Manhattan, on a cold winter night. The wearer is sitting at the bar wearing a minimalist, yet tastefully curated long black outfit, while sipping on something the color of amber, in a slightly smoke filled room. It’s just exquisite. I will always have a bottle of this in my collection. 

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