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Diptyque x Olympia Le-Tan Rosaviola Candle

February 2, 2016

This spring Diptyque and French fashion designed Olympia Le-Tan have partnered to launch a special limited-edition candle for Valentine’s Day called Rosaviola ($35-$67). Each spring I look forward to the new rose-themed candles for the fun packaging designs and this year’s is the best one yet. Everything about this launch is beautiful, feminine and romantic from the pink boxes, pink glass jar, canvas print sticker label, fun illustrations to the Diptyque emojis. There are the cutest little match cases that have a magnetic enclosure – inside the matches are covered with the Diptyque x Olympia Le-Tan prints. I found mine at the boutique at South Coast Plaza, check your local boutique to see if they still have any left.

There are several items in the Valentine’s Day collection, several of the items have already sold out at a few places. I had to search quite a few retailers to find the mini candle – I think this is the first year they have offered the limited-edition rose as a small version.

Rosaviola Candle ($67 for 6.5 oz/190 g)
Rosaviola Candle Mini ($35 for 2.4 oz/70 g – still available online at Space NK)
Rosaviola Scented Oval ($50)
Rosaviola Solid Perfume ($50 – seems to be sold out everywhere online)

In addition, there are some Eau Rose items that have been repromoted but come with the Olympia Le-Tan packaging. I picked up multiples of the candles in both sizes. It smells of sweet roses and violets with really good throw. It’s a girly scent that I’ve been absolutely smitten with. It’s not too girly that it bothers my husband, but I don’t think he would choose to burn it in his office (he likes Mousses and Cuir).

The packaging this year is a frosted baby pink glass jar with an embroidered canvas label that has the letters of Rosaviola embroidered in shades of pink, red and purple. There’s also a little canvas lip-shaped print on the candle itself. The canvas appears to be solid and the adhesive is pretty strong. That being said, if you recycle the candles and rinse the remnants of wax out with warm water and soap, you will need to be careful not to get the canvas wet to keep it pristine.

A look at the box – I die for the prints inside!

Inside the boutiques the Olympia Le-Tan prints covered the windows with the cutest stickers:

A look at the regular standard size versus the mini. The mini ones have sold out everywhere I looked in store, but you might be able to track one down. It appears to have sold out online everywhere except Space NK. I would say hands down if you’re debating which size to purchase, get the standard regular size. The mini is cute and nice to have, but in this case I think you will fall in love with the scent and the larger size will last longer (burn time is listed as approximately 60 hours while the small one is 20 hours, I haven’t actually timed the burn time on any candle though).

A look at the past few years of spring launches from Diptyque, I’m still crying over the fact that I missed out on Rose Duet years ago. Rosamundi was launched a few times, shown below is the 2014 launch. Last year’s version for 2015 was Rosafolia. This year the spring 2016 version is Rosaviola.

Bottom line, the collection is well worth a look. I can’t get over how incredibly cute the packaging is. I wish Diptyque sold the matches as I would haven’t hesitated to purchase them to give out as gifts for my girl friends this Valentine’s Day.

It’s nothing but pure love for this one. I know Diptyque candles come with a hefty price tag, but in my experience they are worth every penny. This one is an absolute must whether it’s to gift to a loved one or to treat yourself. You can recycle the jars after they finish burning for a wide variety of uses (brush holders, pen holders, flower vases etc.).

Bottom line love and I don’t think you should miss this one.

You can find the Diptyque Rosaviola candle at all Diptyque retailers now. It is limited-edition so I suggest you order sooner than later. The limited-edition ones always sell out each year. You can find it online at Diptyque, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Barneys New York, Net-A-Porter, Space NK, Selfridges and Harrods.

Have you checked out the new candle from Diptyque yet? If not, what’s your favorite one?

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Diptyque Holiday Gift Guide

Diptyque Advent Calendar Reveal Part 3

December 25, 2015

Today is the last reveal of the 2015 Diptyque Advent Calendar contents from Days 19 through 25. Several of you have mentioned you were surprised that Baies hadn’t made an appearance yet, but Diptyque saved the best for last and on Day 25 they calendar reveals a small Baies Candle. For those who missed the previous posts you can see Part 1 and Part 2. The Diptyque Advent Calendar was launched this year in extremely limited quantities. Being the die-hard fan that I am I tracked one down even though it was extremely spendy at $390. To recap on all the contents, it contains:

15 (1.2 oz) mini candles in Ambre, Feu de Bois, Santal, Genevrier,
Opoponax, Vanille, Cypres, Noiseter, 34, Oud, Geranium Rosa, Pomander,
Figuier, Rose, Benjoin
1 (2.4 oz) small candle in Baies
6 (0.34 fl oz) perfumes in Oud, Florabellio, Do Son, Tam Dao, Philosykos, 34
1 (15 ml) mini Precious Oil
1 (15 ml) mini Rich Body Butter

The 15 baby sized candles are ones that are typically the ones with gift with purchases or in holiday sets like the 5 Piece Set (still available at Barney’s New York) or the 10 Piece Set (Nordstrom Exclusive).

Size comparisons reposted here for reference:

This week from Day 19 to 25 the contents revealed candles in Roses, Baies, 34, Noisetter, Pomander and Benjoin and one fragrance Tam Dao. I’ve owned all the candles in the full size with the exception of Pomander.

Out of all the Diptyque candles I’ve tried (I haven’t tried them all, but I’ve tried quite a few), there are only two that I am not crazy about Benjoin and Feu de Bois. If you’re new to Diptyque or don’t have a store near you to smell the scents in person, I think the 10-Piece Set or this Advent Calendar is the best way to try the most without having to splurge on the full sizes which range from $32 to $60. Buying the individual smaller sizes at $32 each is more economical than splurging on the $60 standard size, however not all the scents are available in the small size.

In hindsight, I think the calendar was a luxurious splurge and I am really happy I was able to track one down however, given the fact that I’ve already tried most of the scents (candles and fragrances) I can’t say that it was something that allowed me to discover lots of new items – although there are quite a few that I hadn’t repurchased in a while so it was a nice way for me to rediscover some items. I did try two new body products that I hadn’t tried before which was nice. I will use them up to the end as they are minis but probably will not repurchase in the full size (still a fan of the Diptyque Shower Gel though).

In the end, did I think it was worth it? Yes it was worth it to me – the presentation is beautiful and it was really fun to open up a new item every day this past month. Do I think it was a good value? I do think it’s the best set yet as a way to try a little bit of everything from Diptyque, but in terms of value or savings, I don’t think I could say this was a good deal. Will I be tracking one down next year? I don’t know – it depends on the contents. I think it would have been nice if they included a sneak peek of upcoming launches for the next year, but I do understand some brands don’t launch items or information ahead of time.

As with the other reveals, I have one last giveaway for the year. One lucky winner will receive a $100 e-gift card to Nordstrom – enter via Rafflecopter below. It’s open internationally but you must be 18 years or older to enter. The giveaway runs today through 1/1/2016 and winner will be selected randomly through the Rafflecopter widget and contact by me via e-mail. All Terms and Conditions are listed through the widget as well.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

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Diptyque Holiday Gift Guide

Diptyque Advent Calendar Reveal Part 2

December 18, 2015

I have a quick post today revealing the contents of the 2015 Diptyque Advent Calendar for Days 8 through 18. I’ve been good on this one and have opened one each day although I’ve been tempted to cheat and open all the days at once (I already did it for one other beauty calendar, lol). In case you missed Part 1 of the series, the Diptyque Advent Calendar retailed for $390 and sold out at lightening speed. I was lucky to find one even though I was waitlisted. Full contents listed in Part 1.

I haven’t burned all the scents yet, there is one in this week’s reveal that I actually haven’t tried yet which is Cypres. I keep sticking to my favorites Baies, Cuir, Figuier, Noisetter but this sampler set provides a nice way for me to branch out and try other scents.

There are two mini body products this week and I think I have finally found one product from Diptyque that I’m not head over heels in love with. The Rich Body Butter is indeed very rich and moisturizing but I’m not a fan of the scent. It’s very floral with notes of Byzantine rose and Turkish delight. I am really picky with rose scents and I find there is a fine line between a good soft floral and floral overload. If you like rose scents you will probably like the Body Butter. For me it’s too strong.

The other body product is the Precious Oil for Bath and Body. I will need to test this one more, I haven’t tried it in the bath yet, but on dry skin it’s emollient without being greasy. It is scented but it’s a fresh citrus scent (thank goodness it’s not floral). I’m not sure that I would wear this one with perfume as I think it would interfere with other fragrances. If you’ve tried this let me know what you think.

There are three fragrance minis in 34, Do Son and Oud Palao. I’ve tried all three in minis before and I’m not a fan of the Oud – it’s too masculine and heavy in my opinion, but I have a few close friends who are fans of Oud so I’m regifting it to one of them. I really like Do Son and 34 – I’ve accumulated several minis from previous gift with purchases so I’ve never bought the full size even though the bottles are so gorgeous.

As promised with my last reveal, I’m doing another giveaway. This time it’s a $50 e-Gift Card to Nordstrom. It’s open internationally but you must be 18 years or older to qualify. Simply enter through the widget below. Deadline to enter is 12/21/2015 at 11:45 PM PST. Winner will be selected randomly via the Rafflecopter widget, announced on the widget and contacted by e-mail (from me) within 5 days after giveaway entry period ends. If you’re a selected winner and a non-US resident, you may opt to receive $50 USD via Paypal instead.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

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Diptyque Fragrance Gift Guide Home / Interiors

Diptyque Advent Calendar – Holiday 2015

December 8, 2015

Beauty Advent Calendars have been around for years in Europe, the ones launched in the UK have been on my radar for many holidays and much to my dismay the good ones have never been available in the US. This year, Diptyque launched an Advent Calendar which sold out at lightening speed. By the time I called my local store they had sold through all the ones they received, but they put my name on a waitlist. I was thrilled to find they were able to find one for me and will be doing a reveal of the contents each week.

The Diptyque Advent Calendar this year is priced at a jaw-dropping $390, but the set is quite impressive. It contains a mix of 25 mini-sized Diptyque items including candles, fragrance and body products. A huge part of me cannot believe that I splurged so much on a single beauty set, but another part is giddy with excitement. The Advent Calendar comes in a beautiful large box and black bow. It’s taken a lot of self control for me to not open all the little doors at once time. They did list all the contents online, it contains:

15 (1.2 oz) mini candles in Ambre, Feu de Bois, Santal, Genevrier, Opoponax, Vanille, Cypres, Noiseter, 34, Oud, Geranium Rosa, Pomander, Figuier, Rose, Benjoin
1 (2.4 oz) small candle in Baies
6 (0.34 fl oz) perfumes in Oud, Florabellio, Do Son, Tam Dao, Philosykos, 34
1 (15 ml) mini Precious Oil
1 (15 ml) mini Rich Body Butter

Here’s a look at the box with two items for scale:

A look inside the box, each day has a little perforated door to open:

Contents of Days 1 through 7:

Breaking down the price of the set versus individual items is a bit of a challenge since the minis aren’t usually sold separately. At $390 this Advent Calendar is the ultimate splurge. This is for the person who is a Diptyque lover, or for someone who wants to try a little bit of everything in mini-sizes. For a few reference points:

The 5 Piece Set is $75 and 10 Piece Set is $130. Both contain the baby candles that are also in the Advent Calendar, so the price per candle is either $13 or $15
The Eau de Parfume Set is $115 for 5 mini fragrances, although the size of each is 0.25 oz while the ones in the Advent Calendar are 0.34 oz
The 2.4 oz Baies is priced individually at $32

If you find this confusing, don’t worry, I did too, but bottom line is there doesn’t appear to be any price break by purchasing the calendar. Since it’s sold out and probably very difficult to find at this point, I would recommend the 10 Piece Candle Set as the next best alternative for someone who wants to experience as much Diptyque as possible for the best price.

Even though this Advent Calendar cost an arm and a leg (and then some) I do think it’s extra special. It has minis of candles and scents that you can’t usually buy separately at such a small trial size. I’m anxious to try them all over the next few months. I think it’s fun that they included so many different fragrances to try as well.

For fun, I’m going to be doing a few giveaways in the next few weeks. I’ll have a new giveaway with each weekly reveal. Ideally I wanted to giveaway a gift card to Diptyque so the winner could pick their own items, but their website doesn’t appear to sell them, so the next best thing is one to Nordstrom. For this one, I’m giving away 1 $100 e-gift card to Nordstrom. It’s open internationally, but you must be 18 years or older to enter. If you’re a selected winner via the Rafflecopter widget and are located outside of the US, you can opt to receive $100 via Paypal. Entries will be collected through the widget – you can comment below in the blogger comments, but note valid entries are through the widget only.

Terms and conditions are listed in the widget below – selected winner will be chosen randomly via the Rafflecopter widget and announced below. I will e-mail the winner directly. Entries will be collected through 12/12/2015 11:59 PM PST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

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Diptyque Fragrance Home / Interiors

Diptyque Winter Holiday Collection 2015

December 7, 2015

Diptyque Candles Holiday © 2015 The Beauty Look Book

This holiday Diptyque launched three limited-edition scented candles in Sapin, Liquidambar and Oliban. The packaging is breathtaking and the special designs this year are the best ones to date. Diptyque partnered with painter Julien Colombier who lives and works in Paris to create this year’s holiday candle designs. As with previous holiday launches, there are several options in sizes and sets for the holiday scents. The price of these are slightly higher than the standard clear glass jar candles, but this is usually the case with any special-edition release. The options this year:

All 3 individually in the Small Size 2.4 oz / 30 hour burn time – $35

All 3 individually in the Standard Size 6.5 oz / 60 hour burn time – $70

Boxed Trio of Small Candles 2.4 oz x 3 – $100

If you are near one of the Diptyque boutiques, I highly recommend you visit one this time of year. The visual displays during Christmas are my favorite – everything is so beautifully put together and very festive. I stopped by the one at South Coast Plaza a couple weeks ago and every time I visit, I never want to leave.

Out of the three, my favorites are tied with Sapin and Liquidambar. I’m a huge fan of all the Diptyque pine scents. I started collecting a few years ago – as you can see below the packaging gets better and better every year. Below shown is Pine Bark (2013 edition), Résine (2014 edition) and Sapin (2015 launch). For inquiring minds, yes I bought backups each year and miraculously still had one of each kept in the original box. Out of all the holiday scents out there, I think Diptyque makes the best pine ones each year. Comparing the three, I do find the notes similar between the seasons. Pine Bark is the perfect mix of pine needles and bark, it’s earthy. Last year’s Résine is more green and smells more like the pine. This year’s Sapin is sweeter with noticeable citrus – the description says it has mandarin in it and it gives this an interesting sweet twist. Throw is very good on this one.

Diptyque Pine Bark, Résine and Sapin Candles © The Beauty Look Book

Liquidambar is another really good one. The packaging is simply stunning. This one is described as “liquid amber is spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon, then cloaked in the scent of muscovado sugar.” Compared to the regular Ambre candle, the Liquidambar is sweeter, not as spicy and has less of an incense feel. The sugar and cinnamon of the holiday candle makes for a festive but warm feel. Throw is really good on this one as well.

Oliban is described as having ” sweet oriental vapors of incense and woody accents set against fresh notes and balmy tones.” It definitely has that balmy feel, almost like a misty ocean-like scent. There is wood and incense mixed in. It has a refreshing feel. This one has the weakest throw of the three. It does give the room a clean subtle lift, but compared to the other two, it’s more on the subtle side. Shown below next to the Oiseaux Photophore (boutique exclusive, also reviewed here).

One more look at the displays at the South Coast Plaza boutique:

Once again Diptyque has launched a beautiful collection for holiday that’s not to be missed. I’m always eager to see the special edition packaging with every launch and the designs get better and better every year.

Being the Diptyque fan that I am, I bought the Holiday Trio along with the full size options in each of the three scents. Before the season is over I will be backing up the Liquidambar and Sapin for our home. For holiday there are a number of other nice sets that have regular candles which include:

5 Piece Mini Set $75
10 Piece Mini Set $130
Photophore + Feu de Bois $160
Photophore + Baies $160
Photophore + Choice of Candle (available at boutiques, price range depending on candle you pick)
Eau de Parfum Discovery Set (has 5 perfumes) $115
Advent Calendar $390 (sold out, but stay tuned for a post on this later today)

My husband asked me to buy him a few of the 5 Piece Mini Sets + several wick trimmers to give out as business gifts. I’ve posted comparisons before but in case you missed it, here’s a quick look at the size comparisons. The mini sets have the smallest candles that you can’t buy individually (at least note yet) and are usually the ones given in gift with purchases.

You can find Diptyque at a number of retailers now. I am really happy to see they’ve expanded over the past few years. My favorite place to shop for Diptyque is the South Coast Plaza store even though it’s a bit of a drive for me to get there. They have the best customer service and visiting the store is always a treat. The lovely people who work at the boutiques are also very knowledgeable about all the products in the line which is always nice if you have questions or need recommendations. Not to mention everything is always wrapped up beautifully if you have gifts to give. You can also find Diptyque online at Diptyque, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Space NK, Barneys New York and Net-A-Porter.

Have you checked out the holiday offerings at Diptyque this year?

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Diptyque Fragrance Home / Interiors

Diptyque Fall 2015: Oud, La Prouveresse and Oiseaux Photophore

October 26, 2015

When it comes to home fragrance, I’m a Diptyque lover at heart and the new releases for fall are beautiful. I stopped by a Diptyque Boutique a few weeks ago to check out the new fragrances, perfumes and photophores. There are a number of new perfumes that have been released as part of the 34 Collection (three are boutique exclusives in beautiful glass bottles). I picked up the new Oud Candle ($60), La Proveresse in the porcelain marbled jar ($85) and the Oiseaux Photophore ($160, boutique exclusive). These days I’m thrilled to see Diptyque available at more and more retailers, but if you want an exceptional experience I recommend you visit one of the free-standing boutiques. I’ve been to five different ones in San Francisco, Larchmont, Beverly Hills, South Coast Plaza and Paris – each one has been such a treat to visit. Someday I hope to visit all the stores.

Up first is the Oud Candle ($60 for 6.5 oz/ 190 g). This one falls into the woody category of scents. It’s described as, “mysterious, woody, slightly animal composition enhanced by incense, patchouli and sandalwood.” It is indeed woody with a smoky feel, to me it smells like a warmer more inviting version of Feu de Bois. I have been burning Oud for a few days off and on with other scents and I’m smitten. It’s on the masculine side so I don’t think it will be for everyone.

My current favorite is the La Prouveresse Candle ($85 for 7.3 oz/220 g). This one is more expensive than other standard sized candles but it is slightly larger in size for product. It’s also available in the Pillar Form as a Diptyque online and boutique exclusive. The La Prouveresse is part of the 34 Collection inspired by the first Diptyque store on 34 Boulevard Saint Germain in Paris. (See snippets of my visit in June in my Paris Beauty Shopping Guide.) This comes in a porcelain container pot crafted entirely by hand using the “terre mêlée” (mixed clay) technique and each piece is entirely unique. Last year Diptyque released Le Redouté (still available for purchase, reviewed here). I am hoping the fact they released another version this year means that they will release a new one each fall. I have the three 34 candles shown side by side:

34 Candle ($80) as launched to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Diptyque, this is cased in a white matte porcelain container with the 34 embossed on the front. Out of the three, this is the most light feeling in terms of mood, it has extremely good throw, it has a fresh green feel. The 34 candle is described as being fresh, green with spicy accords, notes of damp mosses, crumpled blackcurrant leaves, sun-dried fig leaves. It smells very natural and raw.
Le Redouté ($85) is the spicy one. It has the most holiday-like feel with cinnamon, clove, orange, roses, cedar and amber. It’s quite complex and for me I only feel like I’m in the mood to burn it during the holiday season. I still have about 1/4 of mine left over from last year that I haven’t burned off.
La Prouveresse ($85) is my favorite of the three. It’s the perfect mix of feminine and masculine. If you find Feu de Bois or Oud too masculine, the La Prouveresse is softer with more green notes. This has a mix of fig tree, cypress and cedarwood. It has an earthy feel. It usually takes me forever to burn an entire candle but I’ve been burning this non-stop and am already 3/4 finished with it.

Last but not least is the Oiseaux Photophore ($160). This is beautiful decorative item to display candles and each Diptyque Photophore is a work of art. These are exclusive to the boutiques but during the holidays there are sometimes sets released at other retailers for the clear glass photophores (see one of them here). There are three new photophores in this year’s 34 collection. According to Diptyque:

“This photophore features an openwork metal design created by the French illustration and graphic design duo Anamorphée, who have developed this unique decorative piece whilst remaining true to diptyque’s graphic heritage. Inspired by the painted wooden birds found in the window of 34 boulevard Saint Germain during the 1960’s, the two creators imagined the feathers and beaks of a colony of mockingbirds, the contours of which can be made out when the candle is lit. It has its own unique wooden base.”

Measurements are: height 4.7 inches / 12.5 cm – base diameter 4.3 inches / 11.5 cm, it will fit the Diptyque Pillar Candles, a full sized Diptyque Candle, Byredo, Jo Malone and Henri Bendel (the new Cashmere Candle sounds amazing!!).

Overall I’m really happy with the three new Diptyque additions to my home. I suspect I will be repurchasing La Prouveresse soon, it makes the home smell amazing. A couple other new things that I’ve seen pop up that might be of interest include the introduction of Vanille in the mini size (review on this one here). Benjoin was an online exclusive last year and they’ve re-introduced it to all retailers (review on this one here). You can find the fall releases in stores and online at Diptyque retailers now. Certain items like the Photophores and special edition perfumes are exclusive to the Diptyque Boutiques.

Have you checked out the Diptyque fall releases yet? Or have you picked
up anything else for home fragrance lately? I’m always happy for
recommendations.

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Diptyque

Diptyque South Coast Plaza + SEVI Towel Event, Saturday July 11

July 10, 2015

This Saturday July 11th from 1 to 4 pm, there will be a summer event at Diptyque South Coast Plaza. They’ve teamed up with SEVI Towel to host a Trunk Show featuring showcase SEVI’s Turkish Beach Towels and fresh summer scents from the Diptyque Les Eaux Collection. There will be Sugarfina treats, Teavana teas served, along with wine and champagne. At the event you’ll be able to meet SEVI’s founder Jennifer Soliman (you can read her story on the Tory Burch Blog).

There will be a Diptyque gift with purchase available and a step up. With any $150 purchase you will receive:

A canvas Diptyque Tote

One mini candle

One sampler fragrance set

A Sugarfina $10 gift card

With a $200 purchase you will get both candles and fragrance sampler sets (while supplies last).

Below, a sneak peek of the SEVI Linen Turkish Towels and the gift in the middle. SEVI will be launching a brand new towel at the store as well. I haven’t seen it yet in person but she’s posted a sneak peek on her instagram @sevitowel.

I was lucky to get a first hand sneak peek of one the SEVI Linen Towels – it has a lightweight soft and fluid texture. I wish I had this for my Europe trip. It rolls up into a compact roll and makes the perfect coverup for the beach.