Diptyque launches Eau Duelle for autumn

Yesterday, I attended the launch of Diptyque’s latest fragrance, Eau Duelle, at the beautiful One Marylebone, and what a launch it was!

Listen up beauty brands, Diptyque have to key to a perfect event – an exquisite venue, attentive hosts, healthy drinks and canapés and time to peruse the fragrance ingredients in peace.

The latest addition to Diptyque’s fragrance collection, Eau Duelle combines both feminine and masculine scents and reinvents itself quite dramatically after many hours.

Diptyque created a stunning display of Eau Duelle’s ingredients, all presented inside glass jars, wooden trinkets and on Asian black slate plates, like an old curiosity shop of travel artefacts, where you could explore, taste and prob everything yourself.

The first note to hit you is gin and tonic with juniper – clean, fresh and invigorating – followed by fresh cypress and elemi.  As the fragrance settles, it develops a smoky, peppery aroma, which is down to fragrant pink peppercorns and black tea from Ceylon.

The middle notes of Eau Duelle consist of cold spices such as cardamon and saffron, Calamus grass from India, bergamot, black frankincense, vetiver and leathery Asian cypriol.

The fragrance finishes with a sweet, warming blend of sweet, epicurean Firnat vanilla and the richer bourbon vanilla that brings depth and mystery.

Diptyque have searched the world over to find the most exotic, luxurious ingredients for this scent and its opulent fragrance evokes the heady aromas of Middle Eastern spice markets, dusky evenings in India and the sweet flavours of a patisserie.

Diptyque referenced the nomadic, global traveller aspect of the perfume with sepia prints of Indian palaces, old fashioned suitcases and Asian ornaments.

They also paid homage to the monochrome aesthetic of the maison with a blend of white vanilla and black frankincense.

As you may already know, I have a slight obsession with spiced oriental fragrances, and I absolutely love the way that Eau Duelle combines two opposing ideas – fresh, summery gin and tonic and peppery smoked scents.

Eau Duelle will come in 50ml/100ml eau de toilette in Diptyque’s trademark clear bottle with Middle Eastern illustration and as a solid perfume in a beautiful, travel-sized black case.

Diptyque Eau Duelle will be available from September 2010 and can be purchased online or at Space.NK Fragrance