L'Ombre dans L'Eau
Eau de Toilette, Diptyque (1983)

The original L'Ombre Dans L'Eau EDT has a green radiance from blackcurrant leaves, which at times is reminiscent even to tomato leaves. It reads the line between verdant aromatic and crunchy vegetal, and this is underpinned by a dewy petals rose accord.

In its heart, I recall enjoying cups of Twinings blackcurrant tea (God it's so good) as these facets mellow a bit and allow for a somewhat vanillic, earthy muskiness to flesh out the experience. However, the verdant nature persists into the dry down, even as it is rendered close to the skin. The rose here is delicious and saturated, as unisex as rose accords come, and for those who avoid any powdery qualities in a scent, they'll be happy to know there's nary a tiny puff of powder to be detected here. There are hints of bitter and sour that delight my nose and remind me of fresh lovage or angelica in a garden.

An impressive release from the 80s, this remains captivating and contemporary today. I am all about the EDT—while the EDP is enjoyable, the brighter, resonant watercolor qualities of the original are traded for a thick oil impasto quality to the accords.

Not so sure about this one. I have a blackcurrant bush in my yard. The "blackcurrant leaves" note is nothing like the smell of the leaves on my blackcurrant bush. This is more like a bunch of random minced leaves with rose on a woody base. A bit harsh in its vegetal ways. More of an experimental perfume to my taste. Try it if you'd like to be adventurous.

A sparkly opening that is green, zesty and sweet. It has the effect of a cooling orange and blackberry drink that is mouthwatering and you pour it over a pile of freshly picked pink rose petals and they fill the air with a sweet rose aroma. Two hours in the sparkle is lost and the smell is of a sugary rose with fruity tones.

L'Ombre dans L'Eau (1983) is seemingly a reverse of The Perfume Workshop's Tea Rose (1972), where it puts a lush, fresh rose note in the back rather than in front of the fragrance. Both scents are ultimately defined by their rose accord, but while the older Tea Rose calms into leaves, stems, and earth of the rose plant, L'Ombre dans L'Eau starts off with the ancillary elements of the rose garden first then ends with the rose itself. This backwards approach to constructing a note pyramid for a rose scent, with the rose in the base rather than in the top and/or middle, catches people off guard plenty and gives many a negative review from folks who buy things based on the top notes before getting home to let a sample develop on skin. I understand, and nobody is faulting them for making that call, as it's essentially a "haha gotcha" for anyone not truly enamored with rose, but in my case, makes the scent more appealing. I love rose, it's no secret, and I don't really care who a rose scent is marketed towards, I just love the flower, so having the rose as the payoff for a drydown rather than the overture before it makes L'Ombre dans L'Eau and instant win for me. Serge Kalouguine, responsible for over a half-dozen of Diptyque's early works, was brought to bear on L'Ombre dans L'Eau, and his ability to flesh out such a lively garden scent is impressive here. Diptyque itself has always been a more down-to-earth niche label, much like L'Artisan Parfumeur or Lush, focused more on the creative distinction of the niche category than the price point or status factor. Not that I'm trying to say there's such thing as an "honest niche" sub-genre, but if there was, Diptyque comes pretty close to it.

L'Ombre dans L'Eau opens with a blackcurrant bud and petitgrain, and this fruity dry start is what wows most people in the beginning. The scent takes a crisp, dry, semi-sweet trip through an English Garden at this point, drawing parallels to Tea Rose, and I wouldn't be surprised if galbanum is present here, because it's very green. This green fruity accord will also scare off most guys not secure about their masculinity. If you need musky, woodsy, assertive leather scents or fougères comprised of clean lavender or chemical aquatic notes, this is as far from your comfort zone as possible. I could see L'Ombre dans L'Eau being a big hit in the Middle East too with it's rose, if not for it's decidedly "Western" lack of precious woods like sandal or oud, and absolutely nothing heady. Blackcurrant bud makes an appearance next, as does a hint of cedar before the Bulgarian rose shows it's face last, cradled in just a smidge of fixative musk to hold it on skin. Again like Tea Rose, this isn't musky or unnaturally sweet, and you're getting just plumes of lush rose after this dries, but L'Ombre dans L'Eau doesn't have the nuclear sillage of Tea Rose either, so don't be afraid to lay it on a little heavier. There is both an eau de toilette and an eau de parfum of this, but so far as my testing indicates, the difference is the richness of the fruit and woody elements in the EdP, and I rather like my rose to stand as naked as possible, so the EdT is the winner for me.

L'Ombre dans L'Eau is one of the older fragrances outside of shop exclusives like L'Autre (1973) and L'Eau Trois (1975), so it's a few clicks away from what modern Diptyque is all about, and it's simplicity shows it's age. L'Ombre dans L'Eau doesn't quite fit it's translation of "Shadow in the Water" because there really isn't anything dark or mysterious about such a bright fruity green rose, but I guess we'll never really know why it has that name. The EdT will come home for just a few dollars more than the average Chanel, and although the sillage isn't the greatest, longevity is really nice, especially with that rose being the end point of the journey. I'd call this a casual fragrance for a rose fan, as it's not intense, not rich, heavy, or full of oriental spice and woods like other rose takes, but just errs shy of being a soliflore thanks to that sweet blackcurrant and galbanum mix. Spring through summer in the backyard, or anytime before bed, out with friends, or just a day spent lounging around in lieu of an actual garden to tend all sounds like ideal situations to wear L'Ombre dans L'Eau. I wouldn't take this out for nightlife nor really make use of it in a romantic setting because it's just too innocent, and too pure of a scent for those kind of predilections in my mind. This does veer ever so slightly more feminine to my nose, but I'd still wear it regardless. If I had any complaint at all, it would just be that the stuff just doesn't seem to feel very personal to me, and could almost be part of a Diptyque candle line rather than a personal fragrance, but they already have plenty of rose candles, so I guess that is that. Good, but simple!

Very good. It opens with a fig-leaf-like bitterness, and some grapefruit, and softens to a white rose.
Sillage is ok, but it doesn't last this way long enough.

The Wedding BY Kasimir Malevich 1907