I bought a decant of Orphéon by Diptyque, and I’m not ashamed to say I was influenced.
There’s a local shop that sells Diptyque candles for $200.00 and it caused an existential tremor within me. I didn’t think candles could cost that much and even if they did, I didn’t think I’d be in a position to come across one. It seemed out of my realm of sense (and in all fairness, it’s US$76.00 on the official website).
So I thought to myself, I really need to try this.
The Sounds of Orphéon
Oh. This person must go to very different jazz clubs.
I ask that you macerate this fragrance specifically because on the first spritz, the smell is harsh and excessively sharp. I’m editing this post almost two weeks later and I’ll leave in the part where I say: “The alcohol is piercing and I couldn’t want to smell it”.
Orphéon is clean but not very original. In the first hour or so, I smell like Dove or some other affordable soap. I don’t inherently dislike that but I don’t want to pay Diptyque prices for supermarket soap scents.
About 4 hours in, I notice it is more subdued. The dry-down shows a pleasant powdery and woody smell, mixed with the lingering floral. It’s a shame that it takes so long to get here because its lost a fair bit of projection.
It’s okay but I’m not impressed by it; it’s very basic. I’m envious of others who vouch for its longevity, because I do think it would be interesting to layer with. Though I wouldn’t buy a full bottle just for that reason. I’m overall less interested in the brand now but still happy to sniff a sample should it come my way.