Fleur de Peau Diptyque 2018 Eau de Parfum

Am I this or am I not? You can fall in love with a fragrance or dismiss it immediately. With Fleur de Peau, I didn’t fall in love right away. The initial notes are a bit off-putting. I didn’t see the lipstick-like quality on myself immediately and rather dismissed it as outdated. But once you free yourself from that association, the lipstick note reveals something noble. The middle phase of the fragrance is very soapy and pure, almost innocent and a bit too soft. That’s why I don’t quite like the middle part as much. However, as the nice saleswoman told me: "The women who initially spray Fleur de Peau always come back when the scent has dried on the skin." What can I say, this scent that lingers on the skin is magical. The base note is characterized by ambrette seed and musk, and is dust-dry. These dry fragrance notes convey the feeling of dried ingredients that have been processed into a powder like in a pharmacy and then transformed into a pure tincture.

So let my association influence you a bit: You’re just strolling through the old town of Vienna, somewhat aimlessly, and then you discover this small, inconspicuous pharmacy with Art Deco elements. You are in an old wood-paneled pharmacy, with dozens of shelves and cabinets. You actually need nothing, but somehow you feel dissatisfied. You’re curious and just wanted to take a look inside. You feel a bit out of place. Your hair isn’t right, and you’ve worn your outfit too many times. It’s one of those days when you don’t feel particularly special. This old pharmacy still makes tinctures entirely by hand. The quiet pharmacist, who immediately knows what you need, hands you a bottle that looks rather unremarkable. The bottle is minimalist and heavy. When you spray the tincture, you feel the historical story of the pharmacy, and then the old story merges with the modern. You are right in the middle, the focal point of this metamorphosis. The tincture is against the feeling of uniformity and dissatisfaction. Suddenly, you are immersed in luxury, and your problems fade a bit into the background. You yourself undergo a small metamorphosis. The outfit suddenly appears elegant, with vintage charm. Your hair no longer looks messy, but casual and effortless. You leave the pharmacy with the bottle. Now you stroll through the old town of Vienna, and you don’t even mind that you just spent €165 on this tincture, because you feel special.