Diptyque • Tam Dao • Fragrances

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*TOP REVIEWER* zeynepd on 5/9/2013 11:24:00 AM more reviews by zeynepd

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red   Eyes: Hazel    

I love the smell of sandalwood but most sandalwood fragrances smell too figgy on me. Unfortunately Tam Dao is no exception. After a raw, robust and realistic start, it quickly mellows to a creamy figginess as if I layered it with Philosykos:) It's not too sweet or cloying but not exactly what I'm looking for in a sandalwood fragrance, either.

Medium sillage and good lasting power of 6-7 hours on my skin.

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moomooknickers on 1/17/2013 7:59:00 PM more reviews by moomooknickers

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Hazel    

Based on reviews here I purchased a sample vial to try out. I agree that a moderate dab or single spray finds this scent only lasting 2 hours and only noticeable to you. Be generous and perhaps dab on underclothing so that your body heat will make it last longer. It's green and resiny, grassy fresh with a touch of deeply flavoured manuka honey. Slightly industrial so unisex. Gives you butterflies in the stomach once it opens up. Great for all weather but more suited to sunny days. I'm glad I tried it. I normally wear fresh florals so this was a little bit of a deeper, cooler and sharper change.

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debrsl on 11/29/2012 4:41:00 PM more reviews by debrsl

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I'm getting soft, creamy, wood, but wow. Like zero sillage. Obviously, I'd need to use more or this is indeed a wood for summertime wear.

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ShiverWithAntici on 10/7/2012 2:15:00 PM more reviews by ShiverWithAntici

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This starts out with a sharp, green note, and shortly after dries down to a delicious, creamy sandalwood. It's a very pleasant, easy to wear, unisex fragrance, but has virtually no sillage. I have yet to find a Diptyque fragrance that projects well. Their longevity is decent, but most people won't notice the fragrance you're wearing unless they bury their faces in your neck ;)

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CobraRose on 7/22/2012 4:19:00 AM more reviews by CobraRose

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

Gorgeous. Raw-wood opening, with an almost-rosey green aspect that's faintly reminiscent of L'Ombre dans l'Eau. Melts into creamy, mellow wood, rich but not heavy. Wonderful stuff.

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*TOP REVIEWER* ltgee on 11/29/2011 5:16:00 PM more reviews by ltgee

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

to bitter and spicy for me. i sprayed over it with eau duelle and it gave it some creaminess. lasting power is amazing though. i love sandalwood but this is not for me.

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lallen08 on 10/1/2011 10:24:00 AM more reviews by lallen08

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

Far and away my favorite sandalwood to date. I have the lotion and the EdP. It's long lasting and smells fresh and sophisticated. Not a masculine.

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*TOP REVIEWER* amlang on 8/24/2011 11:39:00 AM more reviews by amlang

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

Warm-weather sandalwood. Sometimes I get a whiff of a little citrus in its middle notes, but for the most part, this is a simple, linear woodsy scent. It’s light or sheer enough to handle extreme heat. Very calming.

Bois des Iles is richer. Aomassai is both darker and sweeter. But sometimes the simplicity and relative sheerness of Diptyque scents are refreshing, a welcome break when you feel weighed down and don't want to analyze much of anything.

Medium sillage, excellent longevity.

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missmostyn on 7/9/2011 6:43:00 PM more reviews by missmostyn

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

Sandalwood is my favorite scent, and from reviews and recommendations, Tam Dao promised to be just that.

At first spritz, Tam Dao opens as a very, very dry cedarwood or pine, almost too dry...and then it settles into a creamy sandalwood...but this is only short-lived...and then the scent is gone altogether.

The Sandalwood part is great, almost worth the dry cedar and constant reapplication, but it just seems like too much work for something that I could probably find in another perfume.

UPDATE: I enentually moved on to other scents yet kept my bottle in my bathroom cabinet. When my brother was in town visiting he tried it and liked it so much I let him keep it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* WentworthRoth on 5/12/2011 11:03:00 AM more reviews by WentworthRoth

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

Notes: rosewood, cypress, ambergris and sandalwood.

As I apply this fragrance, I see vanilla and citrus, but on my skin the fragrance opens with bitter and woodsy notes. I see resinous cypress with a smidgen of citrus and vanilla to soften the wood's roughest edges. The resulting accord is dry and airy - very pleasant to wear. However, roughly half an hour after application, sandalwood emerges and radically transforms the character of the composition. The wood’s creamy quality takes centre-stage emphasised by ambergris – which is also responsible for the initial vanilla impression – , whereas cypress adds a bitter-green touch that sandalwood normally lacks. Once this transformation is complete, the fragrance stays this way until it fades. Lasts for 6 hours on my skin.

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love4animals on 3/27/2011 10:36:00 AM more reviews by love4animals

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Olive   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Very natural smelling perfume. I get mostly cedar with a bit of spicyness. Its a dry scent, no sweetness at all. It gets a little musky and soapy as it dries down on me. Overall its well done. I wont be needing a full bottle, but I enjoyed the sample. Its kind of aromatherapeutic. And for this reason, I would rather spend my money on a bottle of cedarwood essential oil.

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Tamahawk on 11/11/2010 11:45:00 PM more reviews by Tamahawk

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Wavy   Eyes: Green    

This is my HG #1. I first spritzed myself with this in a Blue Mercury store in Baltimore. I was initially horrified by the strong, sharp cedar smell. However, about fifteen minutes, I was wondering what smelled so good. It was me! It had dried down to a softer, creamier woodsy smell. It kind of has this mysterious, mystical feeling to it. And, I love that it is French and not easy to come by here in the US. No one (at least in WV) smells like this! It is unisex, but I think smells more womanly than manly... Absolutely seductive! LOVE IT!

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*TOP REVIEWER* lemonlye on 6/6/2010 1:08:00 PM more reviews by lemonlye

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

I usually love woodsy scents, but this isn't quite working on me. It's got some note that won't settle onto my skin right, and smells a bit too sharp and acrid for the first few hours--is that the cypress? Or is this particular sandalwood not cutting it for me? The drydown is lovely; the cedar and sandalwood do work for me there. But I wouldn't want to go through the initial unpleasantness for that.

This fragrance does carry a feel of Eastern mysticism, so depending on your associations, that could be either soothing or disturbing. I personally find it interesting and rousing in mood, but just not entirely blended right for my chemistry. I do love love love Philosykos (and must review that soon), so I know Diptyque can hit it out of the park for me sometimes!

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*TOP REVIEWER* proximitythe53rd on 3/28/2010 9:27:00 PM more reviews by proximitythe53rd

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Tam Dao is a really lovely sandalwood fragrance. It is probably the first thing that I would suggest to someone looking for an authentic smelling sandalwood fragrance for a relatively reasonable price. In the opening, I smell cedar more than sandalwood, but not to the extent that it's overpowering or drowns the rest of the scent. The cypress adds a great dimension, providing one of my favorite parts of the composition. Once the top notes have had some time to settle, Tam Dao really does become mostly a sandalwood fragrance, and it meshes with your skin, like all good sandalwood does, to make a really nice deep woody skin scent, which is slightly dusty, and a bit natural and complex. If you've applied lightly, it will really smell like it's part of you, if you've applied more heavily, it will retain more of the character of the opening. Tam Dao has its own sweetness, but it's a gentle sort. This is mostly the creamy melds-with-skin aspect of sandalwood that people search for.



The first times I tried Tam Dao I was just so happy that I had found a sandalwood fragrance that I like and which I through really did smell of sandalwood. But since I was so excited about that, I didn't think about other things that matter when deciding what you really think of a fragrance - after more exposure, I think that while I'd like to keep a good decant of Tam Dao, I don't really have to have the whole bottle. Great Sandalwood though it is, in terms of being a composition, and being a fragrance to enjoy, it won't hold my interest the way some more complex creations can. It's not particularly multi-dimensional, or imagination capturing. And, though it's a good rendition of sandalwood, it still can't have the really living active changes and quirks of personality that real sandalwood oil goes through on the skin.
Then again, if money was no object, or if a bottle fell into my lap, I doubt it would be neglected! This would be a great fragrance for keeping a meditative self in the midst of a stressful world. It's so easy to wear, that I think anyone, anywhere could choose it for any occasion.

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haddison on 2/26/2010 8:02:00 PM more reviews by haddison

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

Serene and calming. A contemplative fragrance. Great if you are doing serious studying or writing. Also nice to ease you into sleep. Sandalwood and other woody notes, dry and soothing.

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malika on 2/4/2010 4:14:00 PM more reviews by malika

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Dark   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This is my fave winter scent and I get lots of compliments. It smells of sandalwood and is very aromatic. Smells strong intially but has a soft but striking dry down. Love it!

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jennifer42 on 8/27/2009 2:34:00 PM more reviews by jennifer42

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Liked this one right away. Fig leaf and creamy sandalwood, hint of cedar. It's green but not too sharp (very unusual for me) and woody without amber or musk. It has enough creaminess and sweetness to keep it light, fresh, and not too masculine. Comforting--not in the cozy cashmere sweater and vanilla way, but in the "this is who I am and I'm OK with it" way, it's quietly different and stays close to the skin.

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lipsticknut on 6/5/2009 12:49:00 AM more reviews by lipsticknut

Age: Unknown   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I usually love woody scents, especially sandalwood. But, man, this smelled exactly like just-cut lumber on me (with a turpentine or varnish note to boot). Not what I want to smell like. This was unpleasantly sharp and I didn't get any hint of the soft, spicy, nutty earthiness that I love about sandalwood.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Melloney on 5/28/2009 1:43:00 PM more reviews by Melloney

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Other   Eyes: Blue    

An incense fragrance well done. If you don't like Costes ,10 Corso Como ,this one may be for you.

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ahurvitz2 on 5/6/2009 7:30:00 PM more reviews by ahurvitz2

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This is one of my favorites. I wonder why, so many have characterized this as calming? That is not a bad attribute to have. A scent that leaves its wearer feeling more relaxed, happier, tranquil.

And yet it seems that most agree that this does not last very long. But when it first goes on, the calming air takes over, just briefly.....

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