Eau Rihla
Diptyque (2021)

This feels like they took the raspberry and saffron idea from Tuscan Leather and blended it with certain elements of Ombré Leather. That said, this isn’t a clone of either, so it shouldn’t be mistaken for them. My main issue is the leather itself. It doesn’t feel well balanced. Ombré Leather comes across as more rounded and complete. And Tuscan Leather comes off silky smooth. Leather is subjective, of course, but to my nose this one feels more synthetic. The leather note is a bit too sharp, and while that may be intentional to convey ruggedness, it ends up smelling slightly cheap to me.

The bottle, with its gold label, looks quite elegant, but the scent itself is underwhelming. Performance is solid with all-day longevity, and I’d wear this in the fall. Overall, it feels like a redundant release and there are plenty of leather fragrances that do this style better.

There are a few preliminaries to discussing a perfume like this. First of all the brand is a business and not an art house or anything of the such. Secondly they know who there audience is, they market directly towards them and that is that. There is nothing wrong with this but it needs to be said if the person reading this decides to go to their local mall and buy a bottle.

It's not a bad perfume, if you're looking for a dirtier raspberry masc stuff that's been radiating out from Tom Ford's sphere of influence lately and you want it rather linear with an overt nod towards what is perceived as Middle Eastern sensibilities then this may be for you

It is a little pricey and should be got second hand unless one desires the 'at the counter' purchasing experience

Other than that yeah the scent is reflected by the bottle and vibe in my opinion. A smokey but sweet drier sort of pungent desert opulence thing.

I don't love it, I don't wear my sample much after the first few tries but it's just not my bag. If it IS your bad then go ahead and enjoy!

This reminds me of the smell of the raspberry jelly filling one would get in a Lu Pims chocolate biscuit, smothered in suederal and safraleine a la Tuscan Leather. Do I like that?

Hell no.

Sure it's sweet and memorable, but memorable in a way that I really want to forget it but won't because its so horrid. This is also INDELIBLE, like a permanent market. I wish I had Lava soap to get this bilge of my skin. Apparently time-tested, decades-old Diptyque now rides tired trends. Duly noted.