I kept hearing everyone rave about Diptyque candles online, so last Saturday I dragged myself to their fancy Paris store near Saint-Germain. Didn’t know where to even start with all those fancy bottles staring at me.
The Store Smackdown
First thing that hit me was how tiny the place was – crammed like a fancy sardine can. Black and white tiles everywhere, walls covered in those artsy oval stickers. Some French guy in an apron asked if I needed help. Told him straight: “I know nothing about perfume but want your most famous smells.”
Sniff Test Marathon
He pulled four glass jars from the shelf without blinking:
- First one – Baies: Shoved the stick under my nose. Boom! Like crushing blackberries in grandma’s garden with green leaves mixed in. Sticky sweet but not candy-sweet. Sales guy said this is their superstar.
- Second whiff – Philosykos: Told me “think Greek vacation.” Got woodiness first, then suddenly creamy coconut? But the dude laughed when I said coconut – “Nah mate, that’s FIG tree! Leaves, bark, the whole damn tree.” Mind blown.
- Third bottle – Do Son: Flowery bomb alert! Like walking through wet tuberose bushes at sunset. Felt fancy but heavy. Sales dude whispered it’s named after some Vietnamese beach town.
- Last one – Eau Des Sens: Orange blossoms smacking you in the face but clean. Like peeling oranges in a fancy hotel bathroom. Weirdly addictive.
The Messy Decision
Kept sniffing my own arms like a maniac after he sprayed testers everywhere. Philosykos stuck to my skin weirdly nice – kept smelling my wrist every 10 minutes. Almost bought Baies cause it’s famous, but that fig tree smell wouldn’t leave me alone. In the end grabbed a small Philosykos bottle sweating bullets about the price tag.
Biggest surprise? The sales guy said you can LAYER these scents. Sprayed Baies on my left arm and Philosykos on my right, then crossed my arms. Suddenly smelled like berry jam smeared on tree bark. Wild stuff.
Walking Out Broke But Smarter
Left the store feeling lighter in the wallet but heavier in the brain. Learned that even perfume snobs get confused sometimes (that fig/coconut mix up haunts me). Next weekend? Probably going back to test that layering trick with Do Son and orange blossom. Maybe I’ll actually understand the hype then.
