Orphéon Diptyque 2021 Eau de Parfum

Orpheon is a very potent clean- fragrance, the type of fragrance that doesn’t annoy anybody near you and has well-blended and natural ingredients as components. For me, this smells like taking a bath infused with provensal soap, juniper berry , jasmin, and then laying on some clean cotton sheets. It has a strong sillage and also a very distinct lingering power in a room- the cloud remains even one hour after the person has left the room ( I experienced this before only with Bacarrat Rouge) . It does have a certain vintage feel to it, but it’s a rather “clean girl in the South of France in 1960 ” than an “grandma” type of vintage. Orpheon should get more attention that it does at the moment, for sure !

Orpheon is Fleur de Peau's younger, cheeky brother. They share a similar cocooning effect on the skin but Orpheon is somehow fresher, almost... crisp? Melancholic like a fall afternoon walk after the rain. Old, modern, both and neither at the same time - a beauty that transcends time. Simply dreamy. Fabric softener but make it Dyptique.

I don't know why but I always imagine Orpheon being worn by a girl in her late 20s to early 30s strolling through the streets of Seongsu (or Yeonnam, Sinsa - honestly, any hip neighborhood in Seoul would do). She strictly wears minimal monochrome looks paired with eclectic accessories - an issey miyake asymmetric pleated shirt, a perfectly glossy hime haircut or big square glasses to frame her face, a collection of funky charms on her bag. Art book in one hand, half empty cup of iced coffee in the other (no sugar, duh). Exuding coolness at every step but, weirdly enough, it never looks like she's trying too hard. Effortless. Like it's second nature. I don't know if I'd rather have her or be her. Ughhhh

Wow I love this perfume. It’s strong without being overbearing, it’s clean, fresh, and a little sensual.

The opening starts off very masculine with the blast of juniper berries. But then once the jasmine and the other notes come in, it helps to soften the overall vibe of the scent a bit and make it completely unisex. It never turns very sweet on my skin, but does develop a beautiful warms from the Tonka bean. The cedar adds a stunning touch of wood, making the scent very well rounded. It’s addictive, harmonious, and perfect composed - which makes its name ever more suitable. I wore it yesterday to work and right after I sprayed it on myself, my boyfriend took the bottle and sprayed himself too. We walked out my place smelling so beautiful.

Like I said before, it’s quite strong with really amazing performance. Stays on the skin for 10+ hours easy, and projects for about 4-5 hours, but in a very subtle way. If Fleur de Peau didn’t work out for you, definitely give this one a go. It’s a beautiful way to do “skin scent” that would smell nice on literally anyone. This will probably be in my collection forever.

(Warning: I had a lot of controversial reactions towards this scent, so a lot of editing below, sorry for the inconvenience :-(.)

So I went to a shop where they sell niche brands and they were so generous to give me two samples: One of Orphéon Eau de Parfum and one of Fleur de Peau Eau de Parfum.
And now I remember: a co-worker in a former job smelled amazing and when I asked her what she was wearing, she only said: 'Don't know if you are familiair with Diptyque?' she didn't seem to be willing to reveal the name of the scent (don't know why), but I'm now sure it was one of these. And - seeing the year of production - it must have been Fleur de Peau. But they share some similarities.
Now about Orpheon...Ofcourse I read the background story and in the opening I can relate to that a bit: Modern Jazz improvisations in a bar can come to mind, but after drydown the scent becomes the opposite of the opening. Opening is abstract, aromatic, herbal...
The drydown however is beautyful, blushing skin asif the Jazz-singer sings a more mellow song near closing time, wearing powder and lipstick. Drinks and smoke still linger, but in the background.
It smells clean...or...I don't think 'clean' is the best impression, it's 'skin but better' as from a healthy body after a workout (which does not represent me at all, but I find it very attractive to imagine it would - lol), not that musky kind of 'clean'.
Very lovely.
It did cut through a rather chilly wind when I biked home, wearing it on my wrist and I got very pleasant wafts during the ride.
I will try Fleur de Peau tomorow, sprayed some on my hand and I think it goes more quickly to that 'skin-stage', a bit less sweet, more powdery (in a good way) and also soapy, but a bit more vintage-y soapy. I may like that even better, but I surely will get either one of these beauty's as a full bottle!

Edit: First I thought I liked Fleur de Peau more, but after trying both samples and especially remembering my initial positive (understatement) reaction towards Orpheon, I decided to buy Orpheon, Fleur de Peau is also beautyful, but turned out to be a bit too musky and, in my case, this can be headache inducing. I also find Fleur de Peau a bit more linear and very persistent on clothes and I found it good on skin, but not so much on clothing.

Edit II: I'm having one problem with this scent: It just won't leave my skin, I need to wash maybe 6 times to get it out of my system and clothes I need to wash two or three times. So I only wear this when I'm sure I'll be wearing it the next day too. A good thing for those who want to wear this as a signature maybe, but not so much for people who frequently want to wear different perfumes.

Edit III: I bought Fleur de Peau too, now that the weather is warmer and it is easyer to spray on skin, avoiding cloths, both are lovely for separate reasons, despite some similarities.

Edit IV: So sorry for all the editing, but....this scent is so very different with each wear that I just can't take the risk of spraying it any more. It's like russian roulette actually...and...my boyfriend, who doesn't care much about what I wear, really hates this...Fortunately he does like Fleur de Peau which I also love much more in the end...

I received Orpheon in a travel spray set. I wanted the rest of the set and this one was just along for the ride. On paper, it's nothing like what I'd choose. Even sniffing the bottle, it's not my style. However, once I tried it on, I was smitten. I'm still confused why I love it so much. I typically hate powdery, clean scents, but this hits the spot for me. It's actually the only one of the whole set I ended up buying in a full bottle size. It's a very cozy, almost fresh laundry smell. Luckily it doesn't go soapy on me. Based on the PR for it, I expected more of a night-out, sexy, smoky perfume. What I got was a day in, reading a book, and snuggling type of perfume. I'm pleasantly surprised and now I'm wondering what other fragrances I've missed out on due to not liking the notes.