A year of Diptyque candles, recycle projects and decor experiments:
Some links, resources and posts I’ve written this past year you might find useful:
This holiday Diptyque has released three limited-edition scents in special packaging: Pine Bark, Orange Chai and Indian Incense. Each scent comes in two sizes which are slightly more expensive than the regular clear jars. The 2.4 oz/70 g candles are $32 each and the 6.5 oz/190 g candles are $68 each. The jars are made of colored glass – the larger sizes have a metallic sheen to the outside. The packaging is a work of art. The label designs and the boxes have intricate designs that are simply stunning. It’s taken me a while to burn each one long enough to do a review. I first purchased the small size of each scent since I was unsure of how I would like them. I went back after a few burns and purchased the regular size of Pine Bark and Orange Chai.
Indian Incense is described as featuring a “mysterious, dark, floral scent with notes of rose, carnation, incense and myrrh.” It’s one of the darker scents of the three but not too dark or heavy. The strength of this one is very good. I purchased the smaller size and the scent filled the entire room within a few minutes. It’s a spicy floral but not too incense-y which is right inline with my fragrance preferences.
Orange Chai was the one I was most excited about. It’s exactly like orange scented tea. Think the cinnamon teas, but orange scented instead. This one is described as a “mellow blend of orange, quince and a mix of Indian spices.” It has an almost creamy finish to it. I’ve never smelled anything like it. It’s a very unique scent. The strength of this one is also quite strong. I like it but can only take this one in small doses. It can be a bit sweet-smelling.
Pine Bark surprised me. I’ve never been a huge fan of pine scents but this has completely changed my outlook on green scents. For those familiar with Jo Malone’s Pine and Eucalyptus, the Diptyque is similar but a little less sharp. The Jo Malone is slightly more smoky smelling. Both are equally amazing. The Diptyque Pine Bark is described as “a clean, woody, smoky fragrance that combines notes of pine and cedar with hinoki, a Japanese cypress.” I will need to buy a few extras to stock up throughout the year. This one is by far my favorite.
Regular 6.5 oz Pine Bark vs. 1.2 oz Feu de Bois from the 10 piece set (review here)
Out of the three, I would say Pine Bark is the only one I would pick if I had to pick just one. The holiday packaging is absolutely gorgeous. Have you tried any of the Diptyque holiday candles yet? Do you have any other favorite seasonal candles that are new this year?
Pine Bark, Orange Chai and Indian Incense are all limited-edition. Priced from $32 to $68 depending on size. For size reference comparisons, see this post. I purchased all of mine from Nordstrom.
With all the different candle variations and holiday set offerings, a few have found it a bit challenging to make sense of the different Diptyque candle sizes (myself included). A few have asked for a breakdown comparison of the various Diptyque candles. I’ve pulled the three sizes for the regular clear glass candles to show you today and photographed some ideas for how to re-use the jars after they finish burning. For the standard clear jars with white and black sticker labels, there are three sizes: mini 1.2 oz, small 2.4 oz and regular 6.5 oz.
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Mini Size is 1.2 oz/35 g
- 2″ height
- 12-hour burn time
- these aren’t sold individually – Diptyque sometimes gives these away
in promotional gift with purchases, right now they are available in
various holiday sets such as the 10 Piece Set $130 at Nordstrom and 5 Piece Sets for $75 at SpaceNK and Barneys - the 10 piece $130 set breaks down to a cost of $10.83/oz
- after burning the emptied baby candles will fit large paperclips, I haven’t found any other ideas of what to store in them yet
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Small Size is 2.4 oz/70 g
- 2 3/4″ height
- 30 hour burn time
- retail for $28 each or sometimes combined into trios for $84 here
- not all scents are available in the small size, free standing boutiques and DiptyqueParis.com have a larger selection for the small sizes individually compared to department stores
- the small sizes at $28 each break down to a cost of $11.76/oz
- recycle ideas include storing Q-tips
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Regular Size is 6.5 oz/190 g
- 3 1/2″ height
- 60 hours burn time
- retail for $60 each (special edition jars are sometimes a bit more expensive)
- cost breakdown is $9.23/oz
- recycle ideas are endless for storing pens, brushes, makeup pencils, chubby sticks, mascaras, flowers, scissors etc.
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A few more size comparisons side by side:
One more shot of the baby mini 1.2 oz:
For more Diptyque reference and styling ideas:
- See my features of the boutiques in San Francisco and South Coast Plaza
- Home accents here, here and here
- How to clean the jars and remove excess wax without breaking the glass or ruining the stickers here
I hope this helps clarify the different sizes and options! I know it can be hard to tell the differences online for those who don’t have access to Diptyque easily. I’m really thrilled they released the baby mini sizes in sets this year for the holiday. They make a good introduction into the brand allowing anyone to try a variety of scents for at a more affordable price rather than buying each one individually to test them out.
Diptyque has some wonderful holiday offerings this year. There are a number of gorgeous sets along with three new holiday scents (review to come soon). This year Nordstrom has an impressive exclusive 10 Piece Set ($130 for 10 candles). The set contains Diptyque’s iconic scents from the line’s 50-year history that includes two signature scents created each decade. Each candle is in the set comes in the baby size usually only found in gift-with-purchase events (I’ve never seen the baby sizes sold for sale individually). The candles are 1.2 oz each with approximately 12 hour burn time. While the set is expensive, it makes a stunning luxurious gift for the holidays. Sometimes you can’t really tell if you’ll like a scent until you burn it. This set offers a way to sample a wide range of scents without having to buy the full sizes.
The ten scents in the set include: Thé, Cannelle, Roses, Jasmin, Baies, Tubereuse, Figuier, Feu de Bois, Ambre and Patchouli.
There is a beautiful handout included with a timeline highlighting each scent featured in the set.
I haven’t had a chance to try each candle yet (I’ve been busy burning the three holiday ones). It will most likely take me weeks to try each one to see if I like them enough to buy individually. I will however provide an overview of the scents.
I’ve purchased all the floral scents individually in the past.
- Baies is a floral scent (one of their best sellers) which is a mixed bouquet of roses and blackcurrant leaves
- Jasmin is a soft jasmin scent (smells like the real thing)
- Roses smells like soft roses without being too harsh or floral
- Tubereuse smells like the tubereuse flower
- Patchouli is the best Patchouli scent I’ve smelled, it’s not too herbal or woody, it’s a warm earthy scent that seems to have a slight hint of soft vanilla
- Figuier is a warm fig-wood scent, it’s a fresh fig and one of my favorites in the line
- Feu de Bois is a smoky firewood scent with a hint (very slight) of blackberry
- Ambre is a warm incense-like scent with a mix of wvetiver and patchouli,
enhanced with radiant anise seed, insolent spices, mysterious incense,
cistus and tonka bean, it’s not my favorite but I will have to burn to really tell - Cannelle has a mix of warm, dry, spicy, and aromatic bark from the East, it has a fresh scent
- Thé is a dark strong tea smelling scent with a herbal feel
Overall a lovely and impressive set. It would make the ultimate gift for fragrance aficionados. You can always break down the set and use the baby candles as add-ons or stocking stuffers for the holiday as well. I’m enamored with the whole boxes set and can’t wait to try each in the upcoming months. Diptyque candles are among my favorite, although priced at the high end for scented candles worth every penny. It’s something you have to try to really see what the fuss is about. Once you try these there is no going back to other brands (although I still adore lower priced candles from Henri Bendel and still love Jo Malone and Fresh for higher end candles).
Here’s a quick comparison of the sizes of the candles in this set. (I’ll call them the baby size.) The baby sizes in this set are also sometimes found in gift with purchases which is the 1.2 oz size. The small size is the 2.4 oz ($28 each). Regular sized candles are 6.5 oz ($60 each). More detailed comparison to come in a follow up post.
The 10 piece set is exclusive to Nordstrom and Nordstrom.com (limited for the holidays). You can’t beat free shipping and beautiful packaging. If you have a Nordstrom near you with Diptyque, you may want to call the fragrance department to check if they have any upcoming events. I received a mailer for their yearly customer appreciation night. There are usually events in early December at stores and they often have gift with purchases so it will be a good time to take advantage of the gift offerings if you have a list of items you’ve been saving up for. In my experience minimum buys tend to be around $100 to $150ish.
Have you purchased any Diptyque sets this year? Diptyque fans – what are your favorite scents?
Or rather photo of the night. I took this photo quickly this morning before I left for work but didn’t have enough time to upload before running out the door. I finished two more candles recently in Musc and Infini so I have two more flower/pen/brush holders. I’ve also finished up several Drybar products and Molton Brown shower gels. What have you used up lately?
While in San Francisco both my husband and I fell in love with the solid perfumes at the Diptyque Boutique on Maiden Lane. His favorite for me was L’Ombre dans l’Eau while I preferred the Eau Duelle. I spent several weeks thinking about the options before deciding on the L’Ombre dans l’Eau ($48 for 3.6 g). This scent is the companion to the Baies Candle. It’s described as a “mixture of crumpled blackcurrant leaves and rose petals.” L’Ombre dans l’Eau is a unisex scent that is fresh and green and floral with a hint of blackcurrant all mixed into one. It’s one of those scents I feel is perfect for fall.
The solid perfume comes in a heavy weight oval compact. There is a tiny grey pouch to store it in which protects the packaging. It’s beautiful to look at and I love how easy it is to carry with you in your purse or small clutch. The lasting power is medium. It’s quite strong when you first apply but fades very slowly throughout the day. Most Diptyque fragrances in the liquid form fade very quickly on me. I find the solid perfumes to last a bit longer on me.
Ingredients:
The L’Ombre dans l’Eau Solid Perfume is almost identical to the Eau de Toilette version, but there are noticeable differences. They basically dry down to the same scent, however I prefer the Solid Perfume version which is more earthy and natural smelling. The latter is a bit greener and fruitier which is still nice but a bit synthetic smelling. The only other scent I’ve tried that I can think to compare it to is Jo Malone’s Blackberry and Bay which is significantly sweeter with berry notes. Comparing the two side by side, the Jo Malone makes the Diptyque smell slightly musky. They layer quite nicely together although I prefer to wear them separately since I prefer subtle scents.
L’Ombre dans l’Eau Solid Perfume
Overall love. I’m normally not a fan of strong florals but the more scents I explore, the more I find that I like scents that have some kind of floral blended into them. L’Ombre dans l’Eau Solid Perfume is a perfect everyday rose/blackcurrant scent. It’s not overpowering so I don’t feel self conscious wearing it to work. It’s a nice feel-good kind of scent. It’s also a huge plus that my husband likes it on me. If you can try in person I highly recommend testing it. I still have my eye on Eau Duelle but will hold off for now.
L’Ombre Dans l’Eau comes in a wide variety of other formulas and options. I absolutely love the convenience and compact size of the Solid Perfume. It also comes in an Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum, Roller Ball Oil, Shower Gel, Lotion and Soap. The scent is one of their best sellers.
The Solid Perfume in L’Ombre dans l’Eau retails for $48. You can find it at all Diptyque locations and online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Barneys and Diptyque.com.
Diptyque | Maiden Lane, San Francisco
I took a much-needed mini vacation this month with my husband. We spent a week in San Francisco visiting family and friends. I’ve been a die-hard Diptyque fan so the Diptyque Store on Maiden Lane was on my list of must-see places. The store featured the new Diptyque Electric Diffuser (quite impressive) which will accomodate a small selection of scents in 34 boulevard st germain, Figuier, Baies, Amber and Feu de Bois. Both my husband and I were seriously tempted.
The Maiden Lane boutique is a small intimate store. It has a warm slightly rustic-library feel with the wood shelves and decor. The store is split into an upper and lower level creating a home-like feel. The combination of all the scents was so incredible. I wished I could take the entire store and transport it into my own home. I learned so much from the Diptyque staff on each of the different categories of scents – they were incredibly friendly and patient with all our questions as we asked about each candle. I’ve since developed quite a long wish list of items to try in the future. Due to our traveling situation I limited myself to 2 items (since we didn’t want to check any luggage) and purchased two of the Boutique Exclusives in Mousses (forest-moss) and Tilleul (linden tree). If you have a chance to visit one of the boutiques I highly recommend it. The store Diptyque reps are incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. The stores themselves are decorated so beautifully – I felt inspired to up the game in our own house decoration-wise with subtle candle accents.
Mini 2.4 oz candles shown below all lined up ($28 each):
Boutique accessories (photophores are store exclusives):
My picks Mousses and Tilleul
Have you been to a Diptyque Boutique? I normally purchase my candles from Nordstrom or Barneys but fell completely in love with the Diptyque store. What are your favorite Diptyque items?