By Steve Johnson
Steve Johnson is a writer, actor, DJ and stage producer based in northern New England. His love for perfume began the first time he sampled Guerlain's L'Instant Pour Homme.
Diptyque’s latest, 34 Boulevard St. Germain, isn’t so much of a new fragrance as it is a fragrant blast of romantic, sleepy travel. It is the scent of waking up in a luxe hotel, in fresh sheets, with the promise of the soft drape of a robe from the spa waiting for you. It is light, very citrusy, with a airy spine of powdery brightness which rests on a subtle, grounding hint of spice in the base notes. The kind of spice that would accompany the crepes that room service just wheeled in while you were in bed, rubbing your eyes.
The notes are blended in such a way that they weave in an out of each other, with no particular aspect taking too much of a leading role before another takes it’s place. Or, put another way, you can’t identity the citrus without appreciating the powdery aspect which can’t be understood unless you get the spiciness as contrast. Yet the entire scent comes off as very light, approachable, and somehow adult and proper at the same time. This is a fragrance that exudes an upbringing and manners, but not so much so that you’d have to sit up straighter to wear it.
Image source, style.com.
Now I want crepes. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteNow I want crepes and to try this scent. Thanks, and welcome ot PST!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very peaceful scent and I'll try to find a sample!
ReplyDelete-Marla
I got this perfume by chance, not looking for it or planning to use. So when I tested it recently I didn't expect much - and completely unexpectedly I loved how it smelled on my skin.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I wouldn't refuse crepesas well...
Welcome to PST Steve, what an enticing review! I am with everyone else, all I can think of is having crepes.... ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh, you just created an instant lemming. And here I was promising myself that my LuckyScent extravaganza was over for the month. (one does have to ration)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful perfume and that is what it is. A perfume.
ReplyDeleteYou can try and to smell each note by itself, and you may succeed in smelling a few but they are so well blended that it smells like a perfume. Aromatic, fragrant perfume.
Perfect for when you want to smell good without needing to select which genre you prefer for that particular time.