Olène Diptyque 1988

I had smelled Olène some years earlier and i remembered it as a particularly intoxicating white floral so i was very looking forward to smell it again; when i did in my last visit to the Diptyque store in Paris, i had the same exact feeling of wonder and i celebrated the reunion with this vernal goddess by getting myself one bottle that i don´t really need because i already have perfume for an average lifespan.
The opening of Olène is to me, one of the most beautiful and perfect i´ve ever smelled. Serve the illustration on the label (now in the back of the flaÇon) as a promise of the content: Flora holding a cornucopia of flowers, therefore spring-like, seductive and lush as very few other fragances, Olène does to narcissus what Guerlain´s Mahora does to tuberose.
Olène is indeed a very narcissus centered fragance, could i dare to say a soliflore? I speak with Oléne-tinged fingertips on the keyboard and the nose on a helpful "bridal-crown" narcissus that grows on a lil pot just at my side (yeah,im literally twisting my head to sniff and type at the same time just for the sake of being truthful) so contrarily to other opinions, im convinced when i say the note of narcissus is dominant.
The glorious opening, though, is much sunnier and sweeter than narcissus itself, thanks to what it seems to be a honeyed spanish broom-like accord (wisteria indeed? pseudoacacia? fabaceae after all) and i think thats the key of the right-away climax of Olène. Wisteria sweetens but also enhances the tonic herbaceous side of narcissus, that almost reminds to a slightly astringent green tea. As the fragance develops,looses the sunbeams holy nimbus, but not its beauty. It turns more sober, falsely melancholic just because its eyes look better that way, a subtle flirty smile; narcissus takes the center, closely assisted by jasmine and gardenia without dilluting the unique ambiguous, voluptuous character of narcissus. A nostalgic honeysuckle pulls in the other direction of jasmine: greener, more yellow, tad honey and pear-like. Olène stays quite linear, closer and closer to the skin until is just a whisper.
My only problem with Olène is precisely its longevity. I dont mind it becomes my skin scent (i wish!) but it should stay longer. Fades too fast to take it seriously. A looser hand with the narcissus absolute and this would be a classic. Diptyque really needs to launch an eau de parfum concentration version as they did with other iconic fragances.

Olene by Diptyque is a very natural interpretation of jasmine. It smells just like a jasmine bush in full bloom with the green stem and leaves included. I do love the way Diptyque does their white florals as they incorporate the whole garden and not just the flowers themselves.

Olene is the perfect Spring-time fragrance as it is both fresh and energising. It has an almost vintage charm about it, like something I would expect to smell on a wealthy lady born in the early 1900's at an English tea party. Matching this fragrance to a literary character, I would choose Diana Barry from Anne of Green Gables.

I stumbled upon Olene as a common recommendation for a wedding day scent. For a Spring wedding in a garden type setting, yes this would indeed be perfect. I don't wear many jasmine based soliflores, but for my own wedding I'd be happy to make the exception.

Olene's composition is a little linear, being predominantly jasmine from start to finish. Wisteria, honeysuckle and daffodil sweeten the scent only slightly, never to overpower the ultra-dominant jasmine accord.

I will need to wear Diptyque's Olene a few more times to fully assess how it wears on my skin so I can decide whether or not it makes the wedding day cut. So far I am impressed by both its scent and bold projection. It's definitely one of the better niche white florals on the market today.

You know, it's not easy to review perfumes sometimes... I get lost in the description and everything, and I don't always find the right words, but this one is just such a natural, peaceful smell for me. It's like standing in a summer garden full of beautiful flowers. I can't really describe it any better than that (but of course I'll try)!

Diptyque - Olène is inspired by gardens in the city of Venice, where jasmine grows along walled gardens. Personally, this strikes me more as a garden surrounded by nature, not buildings. The notes work together in such harmony that it feels like you're really there! Jasmine is the main note, but green, and supported by more "green" notes, but also some very intense florals (which I'm not good at describing), like Narcissus, Wisteria, Honeysuckle etc. But like I said, this just reminds me of sitting or standing in a garden absolutely full of all the heady, intoxicating flowers you can think of. It's very floral, but also green and sheer, and I have no problem wearing it in summer or in winter.

I think if you are someone who likes very natural smelling floral notes, or enjoy the smell of being in a garden, and working with plants, then you may fall in love with this one. How they managed to put all this in one bottle I have no idea... but it smells wonderful! Really lovely.

A couple of great perfume critics rated this highly, and for good reason—it is a photorealistic version of jasmine, with all its facets. I bought two Diptyques at the same time, Olene and L'Papier, the latter because of the hype. Olene is the one I kept. It is green, fresh, woody, dewy, and light, a quality I find myself appreciating more and more in my fragrance journey. It is not syrupy, sticky, sweet, cloying, or heady, nor does it give off a synthetic quality. In other words, it is not a white floral bomb of the past, nor does it fit in with the trendier market of today. It is in a league of its own. The fragrance I might compare it to most (in my more limited experience) is Jasmin de Pays by Perris Monte Carlo.

Trotting through my favorites, some of which I haven't worn for a while, I put this on yesterday. To me the strongest note is Jasmine, made deeply alluring by Narcissus, Wisteria and Honeysuckle in delightful accompaniment. On first sniff this is compelling and it remains so as it softens over time. I wish it lasted longer, but 3-4 hours of heaven is pretty good. I bought this early on during a Jasmine Sniff Fest and my nose has grown smarter over the past couple of years. I can now compare it to narcotic Jasmine others: Rodin Olio Lusso and Kiss My Name by Ramon Monegal, for example. Olène more than holds its own.