Diptyque: Eau Duelle Review

Another instalment of the Diptyque diaries, this is a scent I've had a bit of strange relationship with. As someone who's a little obsessed with vanilla, I remember smelling this and at first being put off by the pepper in this blend, yet oddly enamored with the mature and sweet vanilla notes here. While Diptyque has only recently become a brand I've taken any notice in (despite its ubiquitous nature), Eau Duelle was certainly one of the first and only scents I'd wanted to seek out to try again because of the vanilla. I also wanted to note, I always find a lot of inconsistencies regarding the accurate descriptions of the notes in the scents themselves - something I noticed with TF fragrances firstly, but also seems to appear with Diptyque as well. Due to this, I've tried to go with the best, most detailed list of notes offered by a retailer. 

Eau Duelle - an ode to vanilla, evoking the ancient spice route bringing character yet gentleness with white vanilla and frankincense. Bourbon Vanilla, Elemi resin, Cardamom, Juniper, Olibanum, Pink Pepper, Black Tea, Ambergris, Bergamot, Saffron, Musk. 

Having a mixture of notes that I'd be a little wary off, Eau Duelle is the epitome of my indecisiveness - on any given day, I sometimes feel compelled to love this, yet other days has me feeling like I need to scrape off my skin. For one, rich, aromatic vanilla paired with cardamom, black tea and bergamot is usually an absolute winner for me, yet the addition of pink pepper, ambergris and musk teeters on a bit of a precipice for me, depending on what notes my skin decides to pull on that day. 

The opening of this is a punch of pepper, a fragrant crackling of both black and pink pepper, paired with a smear of rich, dark amber, with the lightest touch of vanilla essence running through. When my skin is kind to me, post dry down allows the pepper to fade into more of a slightly textured, tannic tea note, with a light dusting of pepper and incense ash on top of sweetened vanilla extract. At certain points, this scent reminds me a lot of Estate Vanilla (Solstice Scents) with an upscale, vignette filter, with a lot more depth and nuance to it from the addition of the musk, spices and resin. 

Although the rest of the wear of this scent is relatively straight forward with the vanilla, with a gauzy veil of pepper, white musk and a whiff of incense floating over the rich vanilla. Interestingly, I have compared the EDP and EDT, the latter being a little stronger on the pepper, and the former being a little stronger on the vanilla. Personally, I prefer the EDP, but I also find this leans a little unisex depending on the notes that your skin amps, but I honestly find this scent to be nigh unwearable in hotter weather, as the musk and ambergris absolutely blossoms in the heat, and is both a little too heavy and heady, and goes a little too 'sweaty' for my taste. However, colder weather lets the vanilla shine far more, and the spices and tea add a gorgeous coziness to it.  

As I mentioned before, I have a complex relationship with this scent. Although there are moments that I've loved this scent so much I wish I'd full sized it, I wore it on a particularly humid and hot day, and the minimal shifts in the scent definitely gave me pause for thought, especially with the musk and pepper combination growing a little nauseating for me. I don't think I'll pick this one up anytime soon, but I think of this as a little bit of a lost love - if I could change it, I might still be in love with it, but I can't, so I might just keep my distance this time.