Perfume Diary: Diptyque Philosykos Perfume Oil

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Good evening!

I hope you all had a great weekend! I've been a bit busy, going from store to store, trying to find a dress for our wedding reception next weekend and to buy last minute gifts for relatives that I haven't seen in years. I'm unwinding now and wanted to review one of my favorite fragrances Diptyque Philosykos. Philosykos is arguably the most popular fragrance by Diptyque and comes in EdT, EdP, solid perfume and perfumed oil, as well as a body lotion. Since the EdP and EdT develop differently on me, today I'm reviewing just the Philosykos Perfumed Oil Roll On.

I made the mistake of stopping at the Diptyque boutique in San Francisco and after smelling Philosykos in its oil form, I couldn't leave without buying it. This is my first fragrance in oil form and I gotta say, it's an intriguing delivery method. Whereas spray on fragrances sort of envelop me and project outward, the oil seems to sink in and is a much more intimate release of scent. I also think that with the oil, my natural scent merges into the development of fragrance much better than the EdT and EdP versions.

Philosykos starts out very fresh and green, but quite unlike the two other green Diptyque fragrances I've reviewed so far (L'Eau de L'Eau here and L'Ombre dans L'Eau here) which were more astringent to me, more herbaceous, bordering on medicinal. Though I'm not partial to figs in general, I once lived with a mature fig tree in the backyard and it feels like every part of the fig tree shines in Philosykos. Sturdy large leaves that withstand the sweltering August heat, delicate leaf stems, branches laden with more delicate figs than you could ever hope to eat. Coconut goes perfectly well with the sweet fig fruit, it's milky and gives this fragrance a soft creamy feel. Milky is not a quality I look for in a scent as this sort of thing usually sours all too quickly and easily, no one wants to smell like a spoiled dairy product. The woody notes and clean green entrance of Philosykos keeps it fresh and clean, far from anything curdled.

Though far from gourmand, Philosykos certainly has something perfectly ripe and delicious about it. I feel like both green figs and the fully ripened fruit both play a part in this scent, the light cedar note ties both in perfectly. On a cool rainy day the creaminess warms you, on a hot humid day this scent matches your languid demeanor.

So again, regarding the oil; while it permeates and releases fragrance well, it's not as long lasting as I would like. I definitely notice more scent transfer with the oil though, I'll catch whiffs of it on bedding and things that brushed against my application points. I like to dab on the wrist, ear and the nape of neck, sort of in my hair.

Longevity: 4-6 hours
Sillage: mild, but in an intimate kind of way

I adore this scent; I love how it smells, I love how it makes me feel and I like smelling it on me.

Diptyque Philosykos Perfume Oil in the Roll On is $55. Available online at Nordstrom.

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