Dulce Diablo

My initial reaction to Dulce Diablo was very close to what Nativelocal describes below in that I had incredibly high expectations, which to begin with fell a bit flat. The opening blast and the scent from the atomizer are completely breathtaking. Just phenomenal! As it dries down, I initially got disappointed as, on my skin, the apricots stole the show entirely with the booze and chocolate receding. I left the decant for a few weeks and recently revisited it, and I don’t know if my nose changed, if the decant changed, or if I just appreciate it more now, but I very quickly fell thoroughly in love with it on second sampling and have now ordered a bottle. Somehow the chocolate lingers much longer now, and I get both apricot and chocolate on the drydown - although as usual with most boozy fragrances, the rum still recedes after the opening. The chocolate (and even booziness) portion of the fragrance seems to last considerably longer on clothes than on skin, so I like it better when applied to skin and clothes in concert. This scent is ridiculously unique though and well-worth a bottle, in my opinion. I don’t know that I fully agree with the strong performance reviews by default, because if sprayed lightly (on me), it has rather mediocre performance, although if I somewhat overspray/go liberal on the trigger, then it appears to perform much, much better. (borderline beastly, and certainly fully satisfactory),

I honestly don't get the hate. This is a great perfume. I understand we don't have the same taste but we are here to appreciate the art (i hope so) even if it is not our style. I like strong, long lasting flagrances so I don't even bother with light, a few hours or so perfumes. In my opinion this is a good sillage and long lasting. I feel it on myself all day and on clothes one day after. I don't like sweet perfumes and I don't feel this is sweet. Maybe in my mind it's the difference between the sweetness of syrup and the sweetness of fruit. For dulce diablo it's the second. I feel easily the notes of chocolate, apricot, Brandy (but not the boozy type) with a bit of flower and something vegetal like moss. For me these notes stay until the end. The vanilla and tonka bean are mixed within, I don't feel them separately. I don't normally like patchouli but this is chocolate so i love it. I don't like musk and I don't feel it here. I do like spicy and spices in general but I wouldn't have said it was spicy before reading other people's comments. Is it pricey? Yes, especially if you are in Europe. I still really really love it and I want to buy it (for now I have a 10ml sample which is long lasting). I can use it day and night and in all seasons but especially winter (it is my go to ski fragrance). I love it as a woman, I would also like it on a man. Very unisex for me.

The opening is a blockbuster. It stunned me, in the best way. What I got was a really high quality, artisan made chocolate covered cherry cordial bon bon drenched in liquor and enrobed in rich dark chocolate. It projected like a beast. I couldn’t get enough. It’s very unique and distinctive and rich and luscious. Which is too bad for me, because on my skin at least that opening was fleeting. It dried down to a much milder booze like aroma, a brown one like a high quality scotch. Maybe the scotch is being served with a little plate of nibbles, such as dried fruit, cocoa dusted nuts, a creamy slice of sweet and spicy cake. But they are at arms length away and faint. This part of the fragrance journey lasted a good long time although it’s projection was only moderate. I would be tempted to buy this just for that opening but I’d probably have to keep respraying in order to smell it and that would be a very expensive habit. Since I’m about to buy Baraonda I don’t need another liquor perfume in my collection but if they come out with an intense version where the opening lasts longer I’ll be first in line. Getting hit with that chocolate cherry hammer is a pretty amazing experience. I recommend it. Buy a sample and see. Addendum- I can’t stop thinking about this one. I may have to buy it after all.

I'm a little confused by all the uproar over this fragrance because, although it is beautiful, after the tootsie roll opening, this turns into something incredibly familiar... 7 Virtues Vanilla Woods! Minus the pear, plus the apricot, plus a dusting of cocoa powder. I'm shocked no one else has compared the two. I've read all these reviews saying how unique it is and how they've never smelled another fragrance like it, but to me it smells a lot like so many other Vanilla Woods-esque fragrances that are already out, i.e. Midnight Shimmer, Crystal Love, Jimmy Choo's Vanilla Love. I even asked my husband what it reminded him of and he said the same thing: Vanilla Woods! I do love the apricot though and it also has this... Idk how to describe it.. kind of lipstick-y, Chapstick-y, I guess you would say waxy note, that I find really addicting. I'm guessing I might get a lot of people disagreeing with me since no one else has mentioned DD smelling like Vanilla Woods, which is fine. This is just what my personal nose (and my husband's) noticed.

Wow... Believe the hype! This is indeed a 10/10 Holy Grail Gourmand! But! My love for Dulce Diablo is doubled as an absolutely beautiful cognac scent, too. I'm always seeking the next best cognac & all the explosive gourmand deliciousness here is just a bonus on top of what could've passed for a fantastic cognac without it. That said, I love everything about this & wouldn't change a thing. The "wow factor" is major & after the big opening it dries down to such a pleasant scent I could see literally just about anyone wearing it. The persistent apricot really keeps this one satisfyingly yummy! Dulce Diablo instantly jumps to the top of my list as one of my best & most-reached-for bottles in my collection, as well as one of the best releases of 2022. Same goes for Doza, which is a bit of a game changer. Both are truly epic, luxurious & indulgent scents. Get your nose on both for sure. Bravo to Claude Dir for some true stunners!