Tempo Diptyque 2018

Tempo is foremost a patchouli fragrance on my skin, albeit an exceptionally gentle one at that. Upon spraying, the spicy, medicinal and woody aspects of patchouli are there, but they feel so soft and tender that I start to imagine a baby patchouli if there ever was one. The creamy and gently powdered cacao nuance also makes an appearance, which further stretches the innocent feeling of this patchouli.

Although I love patchouli in general, I very often gravitate towards those more earthy, darker, bitter chocolate type of interpretations of this fantastically complex note. And when the patchouli is stripped clean and appears bright in mood, I tend to find them too sweet for my taste. Thanks to the overall gentleness of Tempo, I didn't find its sweetness unbearable to me, but not far though.

Thankfully, the sage and maté soon come to rescue, subduing the fruity sweetness of pink pepper with their herbal and slightly bitter aroma. Tempo then remains this occasionally medicinal and woody-cacao, but mostly herbal patchouli skin scent until the end. Although the fragrance is not dense, it projects moderately. The longevity is around 8 hours on me.

I personally don't care much about Tempo because of my own preferences regarding patchouli in perfumery. However, being one of the most mild patchouli fragrances that I smelt, Tempo might be a quite friendly start point to further explore patchouli, or an unobtrusive patchouli for daily routine thanks to it retaining the quiet elegance of modern Diptyque fragrances.

Tempo conjures an atmosphere of dolorous elegance, patchouli’s murky woods and dusky loam, with a wraithlike metallic chill and an herbal shiver of something green and strange simmering underneath. It carries a disquieting heaviness, the shape of a feeling impossible to give voice to; like having to climb into bed with someone and tell them they’re dead. It also reminds me of this passage from Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, "No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within… and whatever walked there, walked alone." This is a patchouli that has walked the long shadows of Hill House, has become lost in the thick, unspoken secrets of its notorious halls, and suffered its mad face in the growing darkness. This is a twisted, haunted patchouli that has seen some shit, but all the edges of that unnerving terror have been blurred by the creeping of moss, the settling of dust, and the softness of time and memory, of unreality and dream.

My relationship with patchouli is a love/hate one. Sometimes I can absolutely adore it and marvel at the earthiness or chocolate notes it might expose.

Of course I needed to test Tempo. Its earthiness called to me. I sprayed on quite a load and couldn’t smell a whole lot. At first. Then it started radiating and radiating. It’s one that picks up speed after a half an hour or so.

Nose to skin there’s some wet earth detected but it’s overpowered by thick, pushy herbal notes. I’d say it’s absinthe or anise but those notes aren’t listed.

It’s not a perfume I particularly hate but it just gets on my nerves after a while, So no more Tempo for me.

I will NEVER get rid of this fragrance. I'm crazy of mate and patchouli combination. They work together perfectly. Lime and herbs add a little bit of freshness to this earthy composition. Tempo has a great sillage, I feel it on myself with every move and people feel it too! Every perfume lover should try this.

One of my favorite perfumes of all time. It's unisex, leaning masculine, but wearing it as a woman feels decadent and sophisticated. It's spicy, warm, herbal, and the patchouli makes it just a little bit dirty (not in a bad way ;)
It melts into the skin like a dream, and has incredible longevity. The projection is moderate - definitely a 2 or 3 spritzer. One of the first perfumes I ever bought with my own money. If there is any Diptyque fragrance I recommend its this one.