I’ve been a long-time Diptyque lover and many of you have seen that their candles and fragrances are a huge part of my everyday life. This post has been highly requested as many of you ask me for recommendations on a regular basis. I think fragrance shopping can be overwhelming if you’re new to the line or don’t have in person access to smell their products. When I first discovered Diptyque it was hard to find – only a few stores carried it and they were at least a 2 hour drive away from where I lived. Sometimes it took me several trips that happened over a few months before I could decide to splurge on one. You know the drill – sometimes you have to smell something and think about it before deciding whether or not to buy a scent whether it’s perfume or for the home. In the past 5 years they’ve expanded their offerings to more retailers which I’m thrilled about and have also opened up quite a few new free standing boutiques. I thought it was time I did a roundup of my favorites and a mini guide on the brand in case you’re new to the line and want some ideas of where to start exploring.
For me fragrance is seasonal and home scents are no exception. I’ve tried to include non-seasonal launches that will work for right now (spring to summer). Diptyque occasionally launches limited-edition seasonal options typically in the spring with a rose-theme (the latest one was Rosaviola) and also options during the holiday.
In terms of home fragrance brands in general, my favorite lines of the moment include Diptyque, Henri Bendel and Byredo. I do enjoy items from Malin + Goetz, Cire Trudon, Le Labo and Jo Malone as well – but my most-burned candles are hands down from Diptyque. Fragrance preference is so personal and for me Diptyque remains at the top of my list for adding a special touch to the home. I find the scents to be beautiful and love how well designed the packaging is. I love the way they burn and how the scents can lift one’s mood. I truly think they are worth the splurge.
Standard Candles and Size Options
Up first is a breakdown of the standard scent options and sizes. Shown below from left to right are the standard options you can buy individually.
Colored Glass Candles $90 for 10.2 oz
Estimated Burn Time 90 hours
Available in Baies, Figuier,
Tubereuse, Ambre, Feu de Bois
Tubereuse, Ambre, Feu de Bois
Standard Glass Jars $62 for 6.5 oz
Estimated Burn Time 60 hours
Available in the widest range of scents in the line
Large Scented Outdoor Candles $290 for 51.2 oz
(shown repurposed as a flower pot)
Estimated Burn Time 190 hours
Available in Baies, Figuier,
Tubereuse, Feu de Bois
Tubereuse, Feu de Bois
Mini $32 for 3.2 oz
Estimated Burn Time 20 hours
Available in a smaller selection of 15 scents
Standard scents are split into categories like Fruity, Woody, Spicy, Herbal, and Floral. Most of the scents can be easily found at a wide range of retailers. You can also find the Collection 34 options at most retailers too. These come in a slightly different jar that is a matte porcelain jar currently available in 3 options (all shown in this post here, also priced slightly higher than the standard options).
For the standard options my top four picks include:
- La Prouveresse (from Collection 34) – pulls on the masculine side with notes of fig, cypress and cedarwood with an earthy and raw feel
- Feuille de Lavande – strong lavender with an earthy feel
- Baies (black colored version c/o) – mix of blackcurrant and rose
- Figuier – the best warm fig I’ve ever tried
Boutique Exclusives are scents that are exclusive to Diptyque stores and their website. In my experience their website frequently goes out of stock on a number of these options but they do restock frequently. Stores tend to have more stock compared to their website and although I find ordering online is what I prefer, their boutique have excellent customer service. My top picks on the boutique exclusives include:
- Cuir – leather and birch bark with a very clean feel
- Aubepine – hawthorn, powdery floral that has an almond feel
- Tilleul – sweet linden scent with a hint of lime, floral fresh and green
- Tomas Maier Palm Beach – mix of citrus and floral, with noticeable hints of jasmine, iris and sea salt with a green touch
Also shown below is a pair of the Wick Trimmers which I’ve found invaluable in trimming and catching burnt wicks. They can be found at all Diptyque retailers.
Photophores are decorative accessories and come in several options. For the most part these are exclusive to the boutiques. Here’s a quick snapshot I took of the glass options lined up in Printemps when I visited Paris last year. They are on the pricey side but they make beautiful decorative accents for the home. In recent holiday seasons they’ve started offering the Large Photophore + Baies or Large Photophore + Feu de Bois as a set (one with straight lines) at multiple retailers.
Perfumes from the line are tricky for me. I adore the way many of them smell but there’s something with my body chemistry that doesn’t work the best with Diptyque perfumes. Others work well as a home fragrance like fig or vanilla but aren’t scents I feel comfortable wearing. Three that I really love:
- L’Ombre Dans L’Eau is the Baies equivalent in perfume form. It’s a heavier blackcurrant kind of scent that I think is perfect for special occasions. For me it’s not one I can wear everyday although my husband really likes it on me. (I have this one in a couple of the mini vials.)
- Eau de Sens (c/o) is the newest fragrance from Diptyque. It’s the best orange blossom I’ve found that works with my chemistry. Most turn too sweet or have a bitter dry down, this is just perfect as an in between kind of scent. It has orange blossom, bitter orange, juniper berries, angelica and patchouli.
- Florabellio (c/o) was last spring’s launch and to this day it’s one of the most unique scents I own. It’s description makes me think it would be the last scent I would ever wear as it has a mix of apple blossoms, apricot, fennel, sea salt, coffee and toasted sesame. It’s sweet and summery.
Room Sprays – I just did a post on the two new ones Gingembre and Fleur D’Oranger (c/o) here so I won’t repeat the review. Figuier and Baies reviewed here. I think they are all really good so I can’t pick a favorite but I would say right now it’s a tie between Baies and Gingembre. Thoughts on the difference between the candles and room sprays in both review posts linked above. (Note the lavender one isn’t available in the US.)
Frequently asked questions:
- Where is the best place to buy Diptyque?
- You can find these at a wide range of retailers. My preference is to shop in the free-standing stores/boutiques because they have the best customer service in my experience and also have the widest selection. Since I don’t have one near me though I also order online from Nordstrom and Space NK.
- Do these ever go on sale?
- I’ve never seen them go on sale, although they do offer occasional gift with purchase minis, these are unfortunately hard to find. Check Nordstrom during their Double or Triple Points Events, Neiman Marcus during their Incircle or Beauty Weeks, individual free standing stores often have promotions too.
- I’m going to be buying my first Diptyque candle? Which one should I start with?
- Oooh, tough one! I would say that it really depends on what kinds of scents you like but the three I’ve gifted the most frequently include Baies, Figuier and Roses – I don’t think you could go wrong with any of these. You might want to consider the Mini Candle Trio to start. Some retailers still have the 10 Piece Holiday Candle set from the holiday season too.
- How long does a candle last?
- For me a standard candle can lasts months – I don’t know why but it takes me forever to finish burning a candle! Notes on burn time near the top of the post next to each sizing. I haven’t actually timed the burn time from start to finish though.
- Are there any tips on how to care for candles?
- Yes, lots of tips in my Candle Care Tips post – be sure to trim the wicks after each burn, also note the timing of the first burn is important to make sure you avoid tunneling.
- The sides of my candle start burning and turn black with the residual burn, is this normal?
- Sometimes wicks can migrate so you need to push them back to the center if they start to move. Be sure you trim the wicks before you burn – having long wicks can make them smoke and burn the sides.
- Is the wick trimmer worth the price?
- Yes I do think it is. You can use regular scissors or nail clippers or anything sharp to cut the wick too – but it is nice to have a dedicated tool so the wick doesn’t smudge other things you have. The beveled tip also makes it nice to catch the trimmed portion.
- Is there a difference between shopping at a retailer like Nordstrom or Space NK vs shopping at the individual stores?
- Yes – individual stores have exclusives, offer beautiful gift wrapping and often have promotions that larger retailers don’t. In my experience the staff at Diptyque stores are very knowledgeable, friendly and I’ve never felt pressure to buy. I’ve done a few stories on boutiques including South Coast Plaza (Costa Mesa), Maiden Lane (San Francisco), Larchmont (Los Angeles), 34 Boulevard Saint Germain (Paris).
- What about their body products? Any thoughts on those?
- I really love their Revitalizing Shower Gel for Hair and Body (reviewed here) but it’s so pricey I haven’t been able to bring myself to keep replenishing.
- Best way to clean out residual wax once the burn is finished?
- There are a number of different ways to remove remaining wax. I have a tutorial in my Diptyque Candle Jars Recycled post. My favorite way is to use warm water and dish soap in repeated steps to soften the wax and help clean the edges. Although others recommend freezing or boiling, I wouldn’t recommend those methods which I find can make the glass prone to cracking or can damage the sticker labels.
- What do you do with all the empties?
- I recycle or repurpose most of them! You can use them to store pens, makeup brushes, beauty minis, roller-ball perfumes, q-tips, etc.
I hope you found this round up guide on Diptyque helpful! I’ve been a fan for years and still haven’t tried every scent they have. For me everytime I visit a boutique I learn something new. I’ve tried a lot more than I’ve featured in the recommendations above but as a starting point I wanted to share the ones that were my absolute favorites. I get asked on a weekly basis what my top picks are and I think there is so much to explore and preferences depend on the season, but if I were to narrow down my top five favorites right now, they would include Baies, Figuier, Cuir, Gingembre Room Spray and Tomas Maier Palm Beach.
You can find Diptyque at a wide range of retailers these days. I’m always thrilled when I find they’ve expanded their distribution because it makes it easier for me to find. Available at Nordstrom, Space NK (special TBLB promo code valid through May 1st), Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York, Net-A-Porter and Diptyque.
Some items featured include press samples indicated with “c/o.”
Most items featured purchased by me.
So timely! I just got an email from them today offering a mini candle and 3 fragrance samples! ($150 purchase; code spring) I *love* their satin oil from the skin care line and the Volutes perfume has been my go to for a little while now. Guess it's a sign to try some more 🙂
Yay! Hope you ordered some goodies!!
La Prouveresse sounds perfect for spring!
I so love this product especially the Feuille de Lavande. I love lavander scent for they are relaxing.
Great post. I need a spring/summer candle. The shower gel is lovely and lathers so well.
Thanks, Tanja
these all look fantastic (and I'm sure they smell too) but 90$ per candle seems too much…. anyway, the photos are marvelous, thank you for sharing!
xxx
made-make-up.blogspot.com
After reading about Baies on your blog (and finally smelling it in the NYC Club Monaco), I'm excited to finally take the plunge and purchase one! I also purchased Oribe creme and Bumble and Bumble Surf foam spray and used the Space NK code! Thanks Sabrina!
Hi Sabrina,
Beautiful post with beautifully composed images (per usual)! I am always excited to see how you photograph your items – you always, ALWAYS do such a lovely job! Brava!
I am curious, if you could curate your own Diptyque candle, what color glass, wax and fragrance (from their current collection) would you choose?
Like you, Diptyque is my favorite candle brand, though, to be fair, I am open to trying new ones out. Currently I have Frederic Malle and 12.29 burning in addition to Diptyque, and find them equally pleasing. While I have quite a few of the larger outdoor candles and the large colored glass candles, I find the classic standard glass ones the most preferable personally.
I also wanted to add for your readers on the other coast 🙂 I find that purchasing Diptyque candles at Barneys or SAKS can yield better results in that they are more likely to include more generous samples – especially if you go and establish a bit of a relationship with the SA's there (like maybe making one trip to decide on a scent and test out fragrances, they will probably send you home with some samples without your having made a purchase) and then the second time you come (if you do) and purchase they will likely load you up with many samples. I went, recently, looking for a particular scent, they did not have it, but they made me a huge fragrance sample (it was a large perfume bottle, quite lovely, actually) for me. I was stunned. Never in any of the Diptyque boutiques here (specifically NYC) have I ever received that type of service, let alone Paris! I won't deny that the boutiques do a far superior job gift wrapping, but I prefer to shop at BNY and S5A.
As for sales, here in NYC, Diptyque hosts sample sales that has nearly all of their candles (in every iteration), body and bath products. Prices are usually at 50% off, but all the popular scents like Baies is sold out on press night (the day before the sale opens to the public) and there are people waiting from 6am for a 9-10am entry…it is serious.
That said, if you are wanting to go on vacation, I would strongly suggest making a trip to NYC next end of Feb early March for the Diptyque sample sale – you can load up on all the Revitalizing Gel for Hair and Body you want 🙂 and hit up the art fairs in the city at the same time.
I am really surprised the west coast boutiques don't hold their own sample sale out there, too. Their Huile Precieuse is nice, too, as a fellow Caudalie Divine Oil fan, I like that one as well.
Cheers!
x
ps-Love the way you arrange your flowers – always so pretty and well done!
Hi! I'm a long time reader and actually first tried Diptyque candles and products based on your blog posts. The brand is my hands down favorite brand of candles. Such excellent quality and I find that they last a long time if you burn and care for them as directed. I love their perfumes and body products as well. Beautiful post!
Hi Sabrina! Have you or know anyone who has tried Burberry candles? Thanks!
Hi!! Thanks for the amazing intro/review, it just makes me want to dish out even more money! I got the 10x35g Diptyque mini set from Nordstrom a while ago, which was such a great way for to try out some of the best scents from their line – really recommend for first timers! Anyway, I think I'm not a "mainstream" person because my fave scent from Dip is Cypres! Although it's already warm in spring now, I still really, really enjoy the leafy-earthy-foresty atmosphere! I also got the 190g Rosaviola recently which unfortunately smells kind of … well not bad per se but also not was I was expecting. Smells a bit like rose and makeup mixed together, but I can't really describe what it is exactly. Hmm.. Maybe I can try to light it together with another scent to kinda "even" it out??