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dima71 – :
This is one of the the stunning, majestic reasons I comb through eBay for vintage scent. Oakmoss! This, along with vintage Vent Vert, Miss Dior, and Givenchy 3. Four scents completely ruined and undone by the sanctions on allergens, never the same again, and despite the amount of oakmoss I’m wearing, I’m as healthy as a horse. No-one near me has had their nose explode, or come out in hives. In fact I’ve had compliments such as, ‘where can I get it?’
Scent is such a small pleasure, in a world of cruelty and incomprehensible events. Why a beautiful formula such as this had to be ruined, is beyond me, when we tolerate air pollution killing thousands, and our oceans are full of plastic. But a miniscule amount of oakmoss…. oh, no! – It’s pathetic. Anyway, I love this, for all the reasons given by others. x
adassappy – :
Summary: holy, holy, holy dirty, dark, classy, leathery oakmoss. Complex and full of notes that come and go in harmony. This is just AMAZING in the formulation I own. I am speechless.
Beautiful to the point of almost making me cry in awe, velvety, well-rounded, meditative but as if inner strength had a scent. Very good.
Very long lasting (at least 13 hours and still going strong and beautiful). In later hours goes more resinous and incense-y, reminding me of old style Opium, though much darker, more meditative.
—-
I received this in a generous giveaway and Oh My God! I am so lucky 🙂
I had been recommended this fragrance several times, and those people were ABSOLUTELY right. I love this. From the address on the bottle, this one is from before 1990-91. And it’s beautiful!
The formulation I own starts sharp, pungent, almost a mixture of green, oakmoss, leather and animalic, almost vaguely fecal notes (in a good way). Amazing and not at all anything I can find in current fragrances. Reminds me of Niki de Saint Phalle, but even sharper, darker.
It quickly goes very well-rounded, elegant and classy, but still strong. Balsamic, warm, full of strong oakmoss but also a lovely orchestra of notes that come and go. Sometimes cinnamon, sometimes something I read as leather, sometimes a rich sweet-ish patchouly, sometimes dry and masculine notes, sometimes almost powdery but in a deeply sensual way and not at all like violets, more as a powdery woody scent. Sometimes almost almost oriental but not quite.
As it dries down it reminds me of the dark resinous incense of Opium (old formulation), but where Opium is carnal and spicy and juicy in a reddish orange dark way, this one is meditative, incense-y, bewitching, dark green mixed with blue-black incense smoke.
I don’t find it too old-fashioned to be worn comfortably, but it does not match in any way the current scents. I am lucky that in this formulation the aldehydes do not predominate and instead other notes I love have the opportunity to shine.
It makes me feel strong but warm, ready to take over the world but feeling comforted all the same. I really love it and want to try it at Winter.
ko-brus-n – :
(PSA: this is a vintage perfume review.) I’ve been thinking about the complex history of Dioressence for a few years now, because confusion over different versions of a perfume makes me go slightly bonkers, and with Dioressence, it’s very difficult to know if you and another perfume fan are talking about the same thing. Dioressence was launched in 1969 as a spa scent along the lines of Matchabelli’s Abano. (The pale aqua blue mosaic patterned packaging is even similar.) There is an oft-told myth that Guy Robert came up with Dioressence after handling, in promiscuous succession, a lump of ambergris and a bar of Miss Dior soap. Then, Dioressence was relaunched in 1979, with reported tweaking by Max Gavarry, although it is also said that Gavarry was involved in the 1969 launch. The pale aqua packaging was replaced with a darker blue mosaic design. Some say that the 1969 version of Dioressence was more animalic than the 1979 (remember that seminal lump of ambergris!) but I have to disagree respectfully and say that I do not believe any significant reformulation occurred in 1979. I have vintage Dioressence parfum, bath oil, and EDT from the dark blue, post 1979 era, bath oil from the 1969 pale blue era, and a sample of the vintage PDT in the pale blue bottle, kindly sent to me by Tale of the Rose, and they are the same composition.
After that, things get murkier, and there is a evidence of substantial reformulation in recent years. Since I focus on vintages, I don’t have much to say about the newer bottles, but I’ve read that Dioressence EDT was still good into the 1990’s. On her blog, Elena Vosnaki states that Dioressence was “thinned beyond all recognition”in the early 2000’s, and In 2011 Fragrantica’s Sergey Borisov asked Francois Demachy to account for Dior’s terrible reformulations of its classics and Demachy stated outright, “As for modern Dioressence, I do not like it either, and I am working on it right now” (quoted by Victoria Frolova in Bois de Jasmin). Has Dioressence improved lately? Somehow, I doubt it, but if you know otherwise, please do share.
wladxan – :
I remember when Dioressence came out because we carried it in my family’s shop. We first carried it in bath products. When I inquired to our Dior representative if there was a perfume, EDT or cologne to match, he said it was being marketed first as a bath line but that fragrance would be coming soon. Seemed odd to me and it was hard to sell as a stand alone instead of an add to a fragrance purchase. We did sell it though based solely on the Dior name and the packaging. The fragrance did arrive a few months later and I can only surmise that some last minute tweaks were required to get it spray ready.
PretsBeamskar – :
Today my Dioressence arrived. It is the same version as in the picture with a blue box. I was so lucky to find it in a shop just for 50 euros. I just couldn´t believe my eyes. The beginning is really sharp and spicy but I like it. Later there are fine noble floral notes, like smelling floral bouquet and I love it. The drydown is musky, mossy, velvety and I adore it. I don´t care what other people think about it but I´ll be proud to wear it. I have also tried a new version and I must say that I liked it too, but this is stronger and deeper. Simply a masterpiece in my collection.
Feawsneak – :
Dioressence is such a soothing, sensual, effortlessly feminine fragrance to me. Although I only need to go in very light handed with applying it, as it is a big, commanding oriental chypre and initially a sillage beast.
The drydown is less fierce and an absolute dream on my skin – graceful not screechy patchouli, softest ylang yang and soothing powdery notes, beautifully blended. Longevity is awesome.
Pure class.
lady.gluka-zluka – :
An elegantly warm, powdery, mossy chypre. Very spiced amber and patchouli heavy, stunning if applied with a light hand. Beautiful soft vanilla musk dry down.
olegxxx – :
Dioressence is such a beautiful, elegant, sweet, feminine, restive and relaxing perfume. I adore it!! It’s so soothing, and comforting, and always makes me feel happy and content. It’s superb.
prizrak05 – :
A classic but not for me. It has that specific vibe of last century to it that I don’t like in perfumes.
Projection and lasting is so good tho.
Лунтик5 – :
Dioressence is so beautiful. Silky soft, dry woody, floral. Absolute dream of a perfume. Classic, classy, refined, utterly feminine and smooth. Perfect. Perfect divine colour too.
Arskii – :
Lovely, classic, comforting fragrance that always makes me feel pretty and elegant. I am not a vintage hunter/gatherer so the last of my decant will be my farewell to this beauty. Lovers of the classics would no doubt adore it’s warm, soft floral muskiness.
paravoznik – :
Fragrance Review For Dioressence
By Dior
Top Notes
Aldehydes Orange Fruit Notes Patchouli Green Leaves Bergamot
Middle Notes
Carnation Tuberose Cinnamon Violet Orris Jasmine Ylang Ylang Rose Geranium
Base Notes
Musk Patchouli Benzoin Vanilla Oak Moss Vetiver Styrax
Dioressence is an aldehydic floral chypre from ’79 when these type of scents were still holding their own and still as beloved as Chanel No. 19 Aliage by Estee Lauder and when green was good. In the 70’s the end of the world was predicted as a natural climate change disaster due to heavy pollution in the air and the deterioration of the ozone later. Saving Mother Earth was a movement in itself. The fragrance starts off with aldehydes so if you’re familiar with old time aldehydes then this shouldn’t be a problem. I love aldehydes and love it in my perfumes.
The nose is caressed by green smells: patchouli leaves, shrubs, green leaves, grass, vetiver, oak moss and something like, well, like perfumed swamp water. It sounds crazy and like it would not smell good. But it does! The color of the liquid and the packaging is dead-on. It’s a beautiful green floral a greenhouse scent. It’s clean and fresh, a spring time breeze. It’s not too far from resembling Vent Vert by Balmain.
Violets, carnations, roses, geraniums, ylang, jasmine and tuberose. Flowers for days. Beautiful flowers. This is a garden, probably the same little garden in Diorissimo except bigger and without lily of the valley. As I said before to me it’s more like walking into a greenhouse or a very attractive swamp LOL
The dry down is benzoin, rich, incensed and smoky, dark, mysteries, nocturnal. The patchouli takes over at one point and keep in mind there’s patchouli as a top note which is extremely rare and then it reappears in the dry down. So this is a patchouli.
Beautiful and very classic chypre.
APOLON75 – :
2013–I’ve seen some discussions online about the merits and pathologies of vintage perfume collecting. I’m live-and-let-live on this one. If it feels good, do it. But how far will you go for vintage? Me, not far. Of course my consolation prize is all of contemporary perfumery, so I’m not panicking.
But sometimes you can’t say no, yes? I’ve come across an old/new bottle of Dioressence edt from the ‘90s-‘00s. Dioressence the Tease, the Trap. Purported to have made the progression from old school, animalic grande dame to complete rubbish. To believe the stories, the vintage is the Grail, and the later reformulations weren’t worth pissing on.
So what vintage had I found? Fuck if I know, but it’s interesting. It’s not the monster that I suspect the original formulation was. But is it trash? Not at all. It’s a powdery, spicy oriental-chypre that’s built for human scale. Prim and upright but also tart and musky. More than a bit sweaty, actually. Dioressence has that come-hither yet stand-offish quality that old-school powdery perfumes conveyed so well.
2016— I’ve just found a wrapped and sealed bottle of pre-1980 Dioressence eau de toilette. This is the original version, composed by Guy Robert. It existed in its original formulation from 1969 to 1979 when it was reformulated by Max Gavarry. The bottle I found in 2013 was Gavarry’s.
Gavarry’s reformulation resembles the Robert original in that are both powdery, woody-floral chyprientals in a perfume-genre multi-culti sort of way. Gavarry’s started with a tart, funk-and-powder dynamic and spiciness in lieu of the animalic quality of the original but the drydown failed to keep up. It was tame in comparison to raspy balsamic drydowns found in other ‘70s-style oriental/chypre hybrids like Rochas Mystère and Lancome Magie Noire (both 1978) and Lancome’s Sikkim (1971.) Though both models of Dioressence cover a lot of the same territory, the evolution of the Robert version favors the classic oakmoss/amber drydown of a chypre and therefore seems more coherent. Its path is more logical than Gavarry’s which has its finger in a few too many pies.
From the perspective of 2016 both versions seem dated, but in 1979 I imagine the ‘new model’ read as more contemporary than the original Dioressence. As animal-sourced materials were fell out of favor, rich, spicy notes were used to give perfumes depth and richness. The Gavarry reboot fits in with the Cinnabar/Opium/Ispahan spiced-eggnog perfumes of the late ’70s. The original Dioressence was based at least to some extent on Miss Dior, a floral-animalic chypre from 1947, and would have seemed unstylish and outdated by 1979. Gavarry’s version made sense for its time, but from the angle of 2016, the original has the glamour of the coveted mid-century chypres. The Gavarry is like a ‘70s movie sequel by comparison. Less authenticky.
Dior continued to change Dioressence over the years, the name being the only continuity to the original. Quite unfortunately, Dioressence’s lasting contribution of perfume history is that it started Dior’s trend of continual, unacknowledged reformulation. Look no further than the bottomless pit of Dior Homme and Miss Dior Chérie reformulations. Actually, look further. The unambitious reformulations of Dior’s classics like Diorissimo, Diorling and Diorama—‘Les Créatures de Monsieur Dior’ I believe they’re called—are the logical and regrettable outcome of the repeated tinkering with Dioressence over the years.
Gdifikols – :
God, what a perfume!! A beautiful supremely made chypre- an irresistible blend of oakmoss, florals and animalic furry musk!
Poet Federico Garcia Lorca:
Green, how I want you green.
Green wind. Green branches.
The ship out on the sea
and the horse on the mountain.
With the shade around her waist
she dreams on her balcony,
green flesh, her hair green,
with eyes of cold silver.
Green, how I want you green.
Under the gypsy moon,
all things are watching her
and she cannot see them.
I have bottle of the vintage it was sealed and some of the liquid have evaporated, the liquid may have degraded but it is still a beautiful perfume. I am looking for more bottles to hoard. I just love the history of this perfume, of Guy Roberts rubbing his hands on a black block of ambergris to smell the oily, salty-musky scent before creating this masterpiece, Roberts then had to go take a flight so he washes his hands with a cheap dupe of Dior soap. (Perfumeshrine)
Alekc0210 – :
My hubby chose this for me, from a large variety of other fragrances. Oh dear this is amazing, if this is weak I wonder how the vintage could have smelled. Amazing green emerald, perfect for rainy days. Develops delicious on skin.
bygaryjate – :
the new version smells COMPLETELY different, the old one had loads of real ambergris and oakmoss, whille the new version has patchouly and cinnamon.
kpw024JeomiWogkig – :
Since the 80s this was my signature perfume. I have noticed in the last 5-10 years however, that Dioressence seems to be different and doesn’t have the depth and complexity of fragrance that I became accustomed to. Dioressence now doesn’t seem to have much sillage and there seems to be less of the patchouli component. Has anyone else noticed a difference as well?
saro1980saro – :
J’adore les Diors avec DIOR dans leur nom: Diorling, Diorama, Dioressence…Comme les deux précédents celui-ci est tout simplement divin. Pas étonnant puisqu’il y a été crée par Guy Robert. Un chypre oriental avec cette merveilleuse note de géranium qui lui donne toute son originalité.
nerakkina – :
I bought a small bottle for my mom just because it was vintage. It reminds me of a perfume she used back in the days when I was a kid. It is a very floral, musky and classy scent for the mature lady. A perfect present for her.
Scent: 9/10
Longevity: -/-
Projection: 7/10
adidasss – :
Dioressence was my signature fragrance in late 80’s. Loved, loved, loved it. I quit wearing it after a relationship broke up. However, a couple of years ago, I bought a bottle from the Dior website, and it is not what I remember it to be. It is still a beautiful chypre, but something is missing and it does not last as long. I find it odd some think it smells old lady, I think it screams, sex tiger. Definitely not appropriate for today’s office wear. [sigh] We’ve become too PC, in my opinion. Ah, what I wouldn’t give to go back to the conglomerate mix of perfumes of the 80s.
Gorgonzolla – :
I managed to find a vintage bottle of pure parfum on eBay from a seller in Armenia. Lovely. As gorgeous and complex as I remember from the 80’s. Very unique. Smells like the inside of a very expensive purse and it “sparkles”. For cool, sunny autumn days and special evenings. A real stunner. Go for the vintage if you can find it.
Gomsapoca – :
Having just bought a bottle of Dioressence edt at Saks after sniffing all the Dior perfumes, a few of which I’m familiar with, this one, which I didn’t know, must be a less provocative fragrance from the vintage one Barbara Herman thinks would have suited Endora, the grandmother witch from Bewitched or Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson. I find it more like the original Miss Dior, sweet and confectionary, but with a spicier depth. It’s a warm, sophisticated fragrance that is probably less in-your-face than the original Dioressence, although I guess I would have liked the original too.
jokercp – :
The Dior fairy has smiled upon me lately, and I have received vintage samples of several Dior perfumes, including Dioressence, which I’ve been lusting after for quite some time.
The very first thing I noticed was that the juice itself was a different consistency than I’m used to: it was oily. Most perfumes, regardless of what else is in them, have enough alcohol to make them quite volitile, so that they sparkle for a moment and then are gone, invisible. Not Dioressence. I swept the opening of the little vial across my wrist, spread the juice out with the wand, and waited, but there it remained, gleaming on my skin. As a result, I now have the best smelling mouse pad in the state.
The first day I tried it my allergies must have been raising holy hell, because I thought all the top notes had gone. The next day I must have done a better job with my meds (azelastine hydrochloride is a fickle mistress), because I could smell every glorious minute.
The opening was full of leather and a little citrusy, musky and animalic, so powerful it made my poor beleagured sinuses bulge and my eyes widen. I could smell aldehydes that reminded me forcefully of Miss Dior (I have that in vintage, too).
The evolution was both resinous and musky and almost like civet, just a little bit of civet, and some vetiver, and by bedtime-it’s an all day perfume-I smelled a strong powder, by no means a fluffy ladylike powder, but an immense, incensy green powerhouse.
Perfumes sometimes seem like a series of ingredients someone has combined, tasty together like a good stir-fry, but with the constituent members retaining all of their own characteristics. A good perfume plays the notes off of each other and combines them into something that is greater than the sum of its parts. A great perfume enables its notes to interact with one another in such a way that, as in good wine, they change one another and change with one another to create something that does not and cannot occur in nature.
Dioressence, in its vintage form, is a great perfume.
MartinaBrkla – :
Hi
Has anyone got a bottle to swap
gaga777 – :
A true masterpiece.
I once read that it associates with the rain in Versailles. I do agree.
Guy Robert was a genius. One of the most sublime scents I’ve had.
Andryhha – :
I’ve seen some discussions online among perfumer writers about the merits and pathologies of vintage perfume collecting. I’m kinda live and let live on this one. If it feels good do it. If you accept that well-kept perfumes can last quite a while, then what’s the harm in having a little vintage? I’ve had pretty good luck, myself. I found a bottle of Miss Dior eau de toilette from the late 70s, early 1980s on eBay once. For whatever reason, no one bid on it and I bought it for $8. It was in its original packaging, sealed and in perfect condition. I have a couple of 1960-1970s bottles of Lanvin Arpège that I bought for sentimental reasons. As to be expected, the top notes are faded, but they are all sensational.
But how far will you go for vintage? Me, not far. Of course my consolation prize is all of contemporary perfumery, so I’m not panicking.
But sometimes you can’t say no, yes? I just came across a sealed boxed bottle of Dioressence of indeterminate vintage, but probably late 90s early millennium. Dioressence the Tease, the Trap. Known to have made the progression from old school, animalic grande dame to complete rubbish. To believe the stories, the vintage is the Grail, and the later reformulations weren’t worth pissing on.
So what vintage had I found? Fuck if I know, but it’s interesting. It’s not the monster that I suspect the original formulation was. But is it trash? No, actually. It’s a powdery, sweaty chypre, that’s built for human scale. The topnotes are definitive grandma perfume * and have that come-hither-yet-stand-offishness that only an old-school powdery perfume can convey. The powder is the key. Up top it’s prim and upright. By drydown, it folds into a muskiness, making a tartness that smells like perspiration. In the end, it’s something like the drydown of Chanel Pour Monsieur sprayed on after a long run. MMmmm…
* No jibe here, and no irony. I just value grandma differently, I suppose. Grandma, who wore all the ‘perfumey’ ‘powdery’ nose-scrunching perfumes back in the day, knew better than we do. Credit where it’s due. I applaud grandma.
pipihta – :
Darn it! Great perfume makes me feel glamorous no matter what I’m looking like. I’m wearing the same t-shirt and camouflauge cargo pants I’ve been working in for the past three days, but I’ve just spritzed on vintage Dioressence EDT and with the lock of hair that keeps falling over my eye, I feel like some kind of 1950’s femme fatale, smelling of dusty, rosey florals and spicy sweetness underlined with a subtle note of skank on this 90 degree + day in Washington, DC. It doesn’t get any better than this.
Evirtyvat – :
I have just received my bottle of vintage Dioressence. I have some already but I am a greedy collector and wanted a bigger bottle. This is not a perfume I wear very often and smelling it now I have no idea why that is because it’s wonderful.
It reminds me in some respects of old Miss Dior which I suppose is unsurprising.
Lovely this is not a juicy perfume it’s woody notes, dry and earthy with a terrific oakmossy component, because I love that note so much. This is another classic that is prefectly balanced and completely addictive. It’s a classy perfume, well rounded and smooth a silk.
келиот – :
Have not worn this for a long time, but it was and still is one of my favorites. You feel as though you are surrounded in total lushness. I find the woody earthy notes really calming and pleasant. I would say this is a classic and worth purchasing the real thing. No knock-offs please!
Lakesh – :
Just bought a bottle from Saks 5th Avenue, Dioressence is exclusively sold by them so if you’re buying it anywhere else, it’s probably a knock-off or old. Hadn’t purchased it for many years, but it still smells just as great as I remember. Wondering if the other reviewers with negative comments are actually buying the knock off or old stock. Buyer beware, you should buy from a department store or who knows what you’re getting! I put some on this morning and can still smell the intoxicating,spicy dry down. Got caught by one of my kids smelling my forearm,they think I’m weird. They just don’t understand!
amerikangirl – :
I´m a man, and have always loved this fragrance. It reminds me of classy, confident, well-resolved women. I read that some consider this a possibly unisex fragrance, and decided to make a somewhat risky and weird test: in a hot day, at 3 p.m., I put one spray on my right arm.
Initially fruits and green notes opened the simphony: wow! After 20-30 minutes floral and speciated notes dominated, and it became so predominanttly feminine that I almost washed my skin. But I waited and, after 3-4 hours,the woody and earthy base notes evoluted to a soft, warm and almost (I said almost!) masculine drydown.
I think the impressions if I tested it in a cold day would be very different. I´ll certainly try it in the winter.
A beautifully constructed fragrance, clealy feminine for me. Use it, Ladies, with parcimony and wisdom, and men will, at the same time, love and respect you.
ASINS – :
This is a rich, deep, sage-emerald green. Not chartreuse in the spring time, not a holiday pine green–but a woody, warm green. I can certainly smell the oakmoss, as well as the aldehydes (more strongly at the beginning, fading after a bit) and the vetiver. This is a perfume for the oakmoss-lover, the strong and sophisticated woman who wants a “woody” perfume that isn’t oriental. Longevity on me is only about 3 hours.
Gavreliz – :
Amazing deep rich green scent,
Quite suitable as a unisex scent too, I am a 20 year male and I would feel great and confident wearing this exquisite scent, which I am hoping to purchase in the future
FLHenryella – :
I have a small decant of vintage EDT. This is beautiful. Trying to describe the way it smells doesn’t do justice. It’s for the confident, the risk takers, the mona lisa’s of today. Wearing it in the fall on a breezy day is like heaven. Green powdery ribbons of spice mingling with the chilly air.
Renniran – :
Let me begin by setting the context, a naughty minx sent me some vintage Esprit de Parfum. Pow! This is NOT what I expected! It opens as if Opium’s spices & smoke were grafted onto a thick chypre base! I almost thought it was a different version of Opium until the spices quelled, and the green began to show. I’m getting clove, carnation, orris, oakmoss, geranium, cinnamon, ylang ylang, jasmine, the flowers just now dare to show their presence, after the spices sit down and settle, all the while I keep getting halo whiffs of deep, deep green. Deep, chartreuse forest green that will open up for hours. At this phase the spices, florals, & base balance at a perfect pitch, its the absolute moment of intense sensation. Bitter cold & perfect sunshine, the line between pleasure & pain, the perfectly balanced umami, or the chord sung so beautifully it brings a tear to your eye. Intensity. In the most delicious kind of way. If the reward that follows is as beautiful as the opening & heart I’m in for a short & hot love affair! For surely it will be a rare chance for me to be in the presence of such mastery again. You naughty, naughty girl! (Thank you soo much) this really is a rare treat to try in this format. I think when I try to purchase it it will have to be the esprit de parfum. Anything else will leave me unsatisfied. Until then.. I bid you Adieu my dear..
Update: I just received my Esprit De Parfum! I’m ecstatic! I feel so lucky! Finding this rare liquid gold feels like hitting the lottery!!
Chypre lovers should try this in any form available before its gone forever!
Buterbrodik – :
I’ve been wearing Dioressence since 1973 when it was in a small solid turquoise/sky blue bottle. I try to like other frangrances, but keep returning to this one. People always comment on how beautiful it smells. Men especially love it. They still comment on it after 10 hours of wearing.
It’s like snuggling into something sensual,soft and magical. Like a soft, mauve angora shawl. Evokes a mixture of confident earth goddess and enticing gypsy dancer.
I’m sure the scent has recently been changed. I still love it, but it’s not the same. Please dont ever discontinue it.
It is absolutely unique.
sashajorik51 – :
A chypre charm…
It was not I who choose,
this one choose me.
gelverearpego – :
Elder sister of Miss Dior Originale
paugly – :
Another of Guy Robert’s works that kidnaps my senses. What an incredible composition. It has most on it of what I enjoy: personallity, complexity, evolution, it is unusual and with a strong character, contains a wonderful array of my favourite flower notes perfectly blended and a sweet spicy earthy end. If you’re not for safe scents, if you admire scents to open new olfactory directions in your tastes and you haven’t meet this one yet, you should give it a try of course on your skin, it develops poorer on paper. And if you can find a vintage at good price, lucky you, you’ll be enchanted by Mr. Robert.
mLenter – :
I agree with Itsatruth. The perfume is not as beautiful as the first few batches. Was very very disappointed with a bottle I was given in I think it was back in 2009. I have been wearing Dioressence since the beginning when I first smelt it on my sister. She has long gone moved on to other scents and although I too have bought other scents DIORESSENCE is still MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE to go to perfume and I will continue to buy new ‘releases’ in the hope they may get that original formula back. I know …. easier said than done. My partner recently bought me a new bottle (Feb 2013) which I have yet to open. Fingers crossed. I hope they never stop making it!
akvalangcom – :
TS Eliot was wrong you know, it’s not always April that is the cruellest month, it is whichever season that brings sorrow with it.
Dioressence is a terribly sad smell, the smell, in fact, of sorrow.
In the vintage formulation a vertical door of heavy as lead oakmoss serves as an opening.
Aldehydes, unspecified green notes and a slight citrus seek to sanitise and lighten this dark accord but do nothing to soothe its awesome presence.
The interior of the fragrance remains determined by this entrance too, and whilst there are floral elements within: geranium most noticeably, rose, carnation and some structural jasmine, the whole effect remains resolutely patchouli , grassy green and solemn.
The spices, resins and hint of musk that seem to come to the fore for a moment in dry down fade to pianissimo much sooner than the principal notes are done with their song.
The overall effect is magisterial and silencingly beautiful.
Others of course will hear the spring chorus singing nature’s melody in the meadows by the way and are in their way are quite right too.
Dioressence is a substantial enough work to allow many readings.
*************
Sorrow does not discriminate between men and women and nor does the springtime, then why should this scent?
Reva1994 – :
Bought a new bottle of Dioressence (2011) and am terribly disappointed with this weak powdery new version. It has actually lost the ‘essence’ of the original fragrance which was fantastic and original. To call this Dioressence is a lie. It should be called Dioressence No 2 because it is #$%!
Pitbull13 – :
I found a little vial of this at my favorite ‘fume consignment shop EVER (where I used to live in Barnesville, GA). They were always wheeling & dealing in that store from their “bigger fish to fry” business of all sorts of collectibles, antiques & junk. They bought up estate sales & storage units for auction & resold all these things in their shop. On the end of a long counter they always had a big basket catch-all for the various fragrances. I would go in there & always buy up all I could. They sold the little vials for 25 cents sometimes just to get rid of them. I was a very frequent customer & the folks in there just always let me have them, practically giving them away since fragrances were not their “push”. And it was in that store that I found my first Guerlain treasures, all sortsof other brands, some foreign, some I have yet to discover the name…and this one little vial of green Dioressence. It was my first Dior ever & I have been searching for an affordable bottle of it ever since.
I have never tried Vent Vert but I immediately fell in love with the green notes, aldehydes & (always my faves) OAKMOSS, PATCHOULI & BENZOIN. Dioressence is incredibly sparkling with it’s abundance of greens. I have up to this date thought it to be one of the most beautiful chypres (again my fave) that was ever made.
A true masterpiece so incredibly beautiful, as if the very soul of Mother Nature in all her glory of verdancy is captured into a bottle. A must try for every bu