Diptyque Florabellio Eau de Toilette

I am an avid collector of Diptyque candles (aren't we all) but have next to no experience with the stand alone fragrances. What better scent to start with than Diptyque Florabellio Eau de Toilette? Think of Diptyque Florabellio as a cross over fragrance (the Taylor Swift of the perfume world - yes I went there); a medley of sweet and bitter notes - all it took was one quick test and I was hooked on the spot.

Diptyque Florabellio Eau de Toilette is a complex fragrance and one of the few scents I have ever owned that has the ability to stir up old memories. It has been created to mimic an outside trail leading off to a body of water, be it the ocean, a lake or a stream - think freshly rain soaked soil, a certain saltiness and wild blossoming flowers. It doesn't remind me of sun soaked summers spent in Spain, rather it conjures images of the British coastal line - a rugged sea, a certain chill in the air and being engulfed in a warm, fluffy sweatshirt. In a nutshell comforting, familiar and slightly aquatic. The ability to invoke such memories is nothing short of sorcery - I guess that is the magic of fragrance and Diptyque are undoubtedly King.

In a bid to spare your from my further aroma musings let us look at the scent composition: top notes of sea salt and fennel mingle with Apple Blossom petals and Osmanthus blossom. The comforting and oh so familiar warm note that you sense once Florabellio has dried down, is unconventionally roasted coffee beans coupled with toasted sesame seeds. It should not work and yet it does, think of it as ying and yang combination, fire and water - polar opposites by any other name. On one hand you have the sweet and soft notes, the other deep, salty and interesting nuances. Each time I try out Florabellio it translates differently on the skin, forever new and exciting with each wear.

As I mentioned above this is a complex blend of varied notes, it doesn't truly slot into one fragrance category - at a push I'd list it as an aquatic based floral that veers a touch warm. Diptyque Florabellio Eau de Toilette is ideal for any season or occasion for that matter as it is not overpowering yet is dynamic; it wears well on my skin comfortably up to eight hours (despite being an EDT), before fading and leaving behind a somewhat powdery trail. 

If you want a new light floral fragrance that sidesteps the norm and rests on the right side of quirky, Diptyque Florabellio Eau de Toilette is the one you have been waiting for. It truly is a case of smelling is believing with this. I recommend hot footing it to your local Space.NK and testing it out for yourself. Nothing I or anyone could write about this beautiful scent fusion could do it the justice it deserves - goodness knows I tried (490 words and counting ha!).

Diptyque Florabellio Eau de Toilette £58-£78 and is exclusive to Space.NK within the UK - link.

This post contains a press sample.