Have you ever experienced a fragrance you’ve had to actually warm up to? One that you wrinkle up your nose at the first time you take a sniff but give it a few minutes and you feel like its the best thing you’ve worn all week? I was like that with Volutes.
Volutes was a new scent released by Diptyque late last year and its taken me a while to warm up to it, as you can tell. It is a rather interesting sort of scent, as is the name (which is a real word btw not made up 😛 ) ‘Volutes’ as a noun and adjective refers to a coil or the scroll-like swirls that adorn columns. It also refers to whorls, swirls and tendrils usually seen with burning incense or tobacco. Granted, the latter is not very popular these days, but it forms the back story for Diptyque’s Volutes fragrance.
The scent is inspired by a transatlantic journey taken by one of the 3 founders, Yves Coueslant from Marseilles to Saigon. There were exotic ports of call at Port Said, Djibouti and Singapore and Volutes draws inspiration from scents experienced during this journey – woodiness of panelled salons, spiciness of the exotic middle and far east, citrus notes of the mediterranean, floral notes of the exotic perfumes, and the distinct tobacco scent of cigarettes. All these meld into a heady, woody, spicy warm scent, evocative of an age of elegance and of exotic travels. It feeds the wanderlust in my soul and since I love travelling so much, the story appeals to me.
The scent however, took some time.
The opening note of Volutes is of a spritz of citrus fruits underlaid with a rather strong spiciness. On my skin, it smells initially, like wintergreen which is the scent you smell in muscle relaxant ointments. A sharp, spicy scent. I didn’t like it 🙁
It isn’t very strong so after a while when the edge of the sharp scent was gone, I had forgotten about it. Until later that day when I found myself thinking that there was a lovely warm, woody, spicy scent in the air. It enveloped me and made me feel very comfortable. It was then that I realised that it I was still wearing Volutes, but the scent had mellowed dramatically on my skin.
I might even say that it has a rather masculine edge to it. The spiciness often found in male fragrances, yet grounded, with a bit of a tobacco that brings with it a smoky feel to the scent. I personally take quite well to masculine spicy scents so this was one that eventually sat well with me.
On a separate occasion, I took time to notice the scent develop and noticed that along the way from sharp spicy citrus to mellow warm spicy tobacco, it takes on a powdery floral of iris. Fortunately for me, this powdery scent does not last very long on me before it settles to the scent I prefer.
From a scent point of view, I’d say this is one that is hard to like off hand. If you like something citrusy, you will like the opening note but you may wrinkle your nose at how it it goes after that. Someone I know doesn’t like this at all, because it smells too manly to her. It isn’t a male perfume (Diptyque does not differentiate between male and female scents) and is meant to be able to be worn by both, but I can imagine that most women will not go for this one because its just that bit too spicy.
With Volutes, the bottle takes on a rounder sihouette. If you see some of the regular Diptyque scents, the bottles have a rather more stiff edge to them. As befits the name Volutes, the bottle is rounded transparent glass with a clear back. From the front (Picture 1 above), you see the name of the scent overlying the swirls and whorls from a steamer ship. Look from the back and you get a line drawing of the city that you approach, or leave, and the swirls of the sea. I like this little hidden treat.
It took me a while to figure out if I’d like or hate Volutes but I have decided that I like it. Once I get past the initial note. So, I have to make sure that I spray it on well before I intend to leave the house, and allow the scent to develop as I go through the day. Happily, it lasts well enough into the day despite being the EdT and I get to end the day on a warm, spicy, comforting note.
In our warmer climate, I think most will pass over this one in favour of something more refreshing and light. In cooler weather, I can imagine that this will take better, because it seems to almost warm you up. I suppose I’m in the minority when it comes to scents, which is why I never believe in fragrance reviews. Scent is far too personal for anyone to judge if they’d like it, based on how it smells on someone else, or how someone else perceives the scent. But if you think that warm, spicy, woody tobacco is a smell that may appeal to you, then do take a sniff at Volutes for something a little more interesting than the norm 🙂
Have you tried Volutes and is it a scent that appeals to you? Do you have a favourite Diptyque scent?
As I said, Volutes is a scent that appeals to me because I like warm spicy scents but the opening note does make my nose wrinkle a bit. I tell myself it’ll be gone soon and that I’d love it after that which I do, but some days, its just too much getting past that top note. Am still looking for a Diptyque scent that doesn’t make my nose wrinkle at the top note and which I will love all the way through. Taking suggestions before I head to the store so share! 😀
Paris B
Diptyque Volutes EdT Price: RM295/50ml; RM379/100ml Availability: Diptyque store at Fashion Avenue Pavilion KL, Ken’s Apothecary Bangsar Village 2, Ken’s Apothecary Empire Shopping Gallery, Isetan KLCC
I’ve been hearing lots about Diptyque… but I tend to like subtle floral scents more. I’m not very adventurous. Something too sweet gives me a headache, and when it’s too strong, woody and musky, I feel old >.< Don't know about spicy scents though. I still have lots to learn about scents!
If you like floral scents better then Diptyque may not catch your fancy except maybe the rose one. Their scents tend to be stronger with a hint of masculinity primarily I think, because it is meant to be used by both men and women 🙂 I have sort of figured out what I like in scents – nothing too floral, nothing too sweet and definitely nothing that makes me smell of food 😛
The bottle itself does look manly though. I do like spicy perfume but not sure if i would like this.
With niche fragrances, I find it a bit hard to pin point if it’ll appeal to everyone, because its just so different from the commercial scents we’re used to!
I’m not a fan of citrus either, but how it develops sounds EXACTLY like fragrances I do love! I love more masculine scents and I often steal my hubby’s Tom Fords! Will have to smell this one! Thanks Paris!
You and I are so similar, Tracy, its scary! I mean, scary-nice not scary-scary 😀 If you can get past that top note, I think you might like it too. Tom Ford smells a LOT stronger next to this one and definitely more masculine, but this is a nice masculine-but-not-quite scent and in cool weather like yours, I think it’d be amazing!
my favorite scent ever is diptyque eau rose. 🙂 I really wanted to like volutes and while i really appreciate the complexity of it, it is just not right for me. it is strong, and i don’t know, it just isn’t me. bf didn’t like it 🙁
anyway, i love this new bottle shape – i believe they redesigned all the packaging to this. I have a few other diptyque scents that i’m playing with too! do son, l’eau de tarocco, l’eau de hesperides, (my best friend got them from the diptyque sample sale for me!!) I got a sample vial of that new 34 one recently too, but haven’t tried it yet!! YAY DIPTYQUE! ps i’m obsessed with the rose duet candle
I don’t blame you for not liking it Joyce 🙂 I think Volutes isn’t an easily likeable scent to be perfectly honest. You have to really like that deep, musky, spicy, woody sort of scents to like it. I personally didn’t take to Eau Rose but that’s primarily because I’m not really a fan of rose scents to start. Its great that you managed to get some samples – samples are definitely the best way to figure out if you like a scent or not because its so complex and can smell so different on everyone! Gah! Fragrances are hard 😛
Hey Paris, another great review as usual! 🙂
I was wondering if you have tried or simply taken a whiff of the Diptyque L’Eau du Trente-Quatre perfume? If you have, what are your thoughts about it?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Neesha, glad you found it useful (even if I felt I was just rambling along LOL I’m not good with describing fragrances!) I have taken a sniff at the new 34 L’Eau scent and it has a nice fresh opening but on my skin dries down a little musky. I like it but I’ll try it out for a bit more before I tell you about it k? 🙂
Haha, I found your rambling interesting to read! Sure, take your time trying it out 🙂 Thanks!
I tried to like Diptyque scents, meaning that I was in their shop some times but Ive never found any which I would like enough. Just not for me I guess.
I think their scents are harder to like than say Jo Malone, because I personally find they tend to be a bit masculine generally. The most feminine scent is Eau Roses, to me. So its definitely not something everyone will like 🙂
oh Paris! Love this post!
Funny how you take this with the story behind. Last Christmas I bought my first ever bottle of Diptyque perfume. It’s the Do Son. I picked it simply I love the story behind it! (That’s right, without smelling it, cos I purchased that online!)
And doesn’t the bottle sit so nicely on the dressing table. Beautiful design!
I’m glad you enjoyed this Tammy! 😀 I remember Do Son smells quite interesting and oriental. When I first went to the Diptyque counter, there was a SA who was Vietnamese and when he was telling me about the fragrances they had, he was so excited about Do Son because its the name of a town in Vietnam and not too far from where he used to live! I thought that was so cute (and so was he) I was tempted to get it too LOL! 😛
This is to-date the best perfume review you’ve written. I love it! I’ve not personally tried Diptyque but I think I will today at my lunch break today. I’m in the market for a new winter scent having used a floral-leather scent for the past 4 or 5 years. I do think it’s time for a change.
Interesting that you and I both are not a fan of the iris note. 😀 I tried the L’eau d’Hiver by Jean-Claude Ellena (my favourite perfumer ever ever ever in the entire frigging universe EVAR!) for Frederic Malle. I was so shattered the dry down to iris reminded me of J&J baby powder. I walked away, a broken woman :'(
Thanks!! Its so hard to talk about perfume because its so individual and it really is one of those things you have to smell in you to know if you’ll like it. I’m generally not a fan of floral scents.i don’t like jasmine either if its too strong and if the scent of iris is that of baby powder then its not for me either! 😛