If you are a hardcore Diptyque candle fan like me, then you may already be burning La Madeleine. For everyone else out there I’m going to tell you about this new, scented, porcelain-jar, candle from the famous Parisian perfumer. I first heard about this candle a couple of months in a sneak pre-release post on social media.
Since then I have been periodically checking online for the release. I am excited about new Diptyque candles in general (though not as much the annual holiday trio scents, which are re-imagined annually but carry forward a consistent concept). But I am also a lover of sweet smells in particular. Knowing how rare it is for Diptyque to make any sort of gourmand-ish or very sweet smelling candle or perfume, I was eager and curious to know how Diptyque would pull it off.
A side note: I have majorly curtailed my spending on beauty and candles lately, but this Diptyque candle was going to be mine, gosh darn it, no matter what. And yes, it is a splurge, even if you have not tightened your belt like I have ($85 for 7.5 oz). (Hence the less frequent posts here.)
This candle oozes luxury, from the “34 Collection” signature double box to the hand dipped porcelain jar. This can hardly be mistaken for a mass produced “Yankee” candle.
La Madeleine is described as: “A light, plump, buttery, lemon-scented Madeline, like those Proust evoked so vividly.” Whether or not you have read anything by Proust, and even if you have never had a Madeline cookie, it is easy to conjure up how it would smell.
Yet even with the website description I was imagining that there would be some sort of grounding, contrasting scent, maybe floral or spicy, to keep the candle from being cloying. But I was wrong. Surprisingly this is a straight-forward gourmand candle with no other elements of floral, spicy, or earthy notes. If there is actually a lemon note, I don’t pick it up at all for some reason. To me that means it is a bit one dimensional and too sweet, so I like to burn it side by side with Feu de Bois (reviewed here)… I can’t help thinking that a sharp floral note would have been great in La Madeleine.
As it stands, Diptyque has only a few options that even approach gourmand. La Madeleine is the newest addition, and then there is Oyèdo (reviewed here) (which I find as sweet as candy), and Vanille (which is more woody than sweet, in truth).
So, yes, it is appropriate to fill that gaping void for real, gourmand, scents. However, I still prefer Vanilla to La Madeleine. And I repeat: I wish Diptyque had made La Madeleine a little bit more sharp than sweet. Perhaps there is still hope on the horizon for a better Diptyque gourmand candle: part of this year’s holiday trio is “Épices et Délices” Candle (Delicious spices), which is described as “Warm gingerbread notes mingle with tasty honey laced in hints of star anise.” Sound good?
What do you think about Diptyque and gourmand scents in general?
Take care
-JGG