NOONTIDE Petals – Tauer

Noontide Petals is the new release from Tauer Perfumes. I actually tried this back in December 2012 when visiting Andy Tauer’s, but I was off my tits on cherry schnapps so had practically no recollection of it. Very keen to get my nose on it again… here’s my sample! YAY.

First spray… Miriam is that you? The same blinding aldehyde bomb up top opens Noontide Petals, that tinge of bergamot (maybe a bit of lemon in here?), a gigantic Chanel-like soapiness with the heart thoroughly hidden below the thick, white layer. The citrus may be a little heavier, but when I sampled Noontide Petals again, I literally struggled to differentiate them – totally confused as to where to start reviewing this one. So I decided to spray Miriam on my other hand to compare…

Holy shit you guys are completely different what the hell?! No joke… I have loved Miriam since I first laid my nose on it, and wear it extremely regularly. I feel like I know that perfume back to front, but this little comparison has opened my eyes to new nuances of Miriam… which I will discuss later

BACK TO NOONTIDE… This soapy, lemon-y, aldehyde bomb gets gradually more floral – a rose being the lead, followed by a honeyed ylang ylang, bringing to mind the honeyed, white floral aldehyde bomb of Chanel No.22 (mmmm!). Obviously I friggin’ love it!  I get little hints of orchid? – which at times seems to dominate the florals. The rose isn’t at all a big, red, exotic-thing like in Incense Rose or Un Rose Chypree… it’s a fresh, yellow smelling blossom that you need sunglasses to see (aldehydes still sticking like glitter over this!). Gorgeous, summery and classy, with an underlying Tauer-touch ready to come out later.

The leading floral bouquet (like Miriam), smells alien, blended to an almost unidentifiable, lactonic consistency that smells  futurisitc (the genious being how perfect it is with a swarm of “old-fashioned” soapy aldehydes on top of it). The citrus manages to penetrate it, this lemon lasting much longer than expected… mixed with the lactonic notes of the white florals (a slightly oily tuberose accord? a-la Loretta?), it smells almost like a magnolia. Ok so I’m listing florals galore… I go back to my point about the alien aroma of it… these modern, Tauer aldehydic-florals are truly unlike any other – not at all as straightforward as what you’ve smelt before.
I get just a touch of the jasmine, squeaky-clean and traditional – bringing to mind the honeyed-aldehydic-jasmine of First by Van Cleef and Arpels… but still, this “orchid” vibe is what I can’t get out my head – tainted with the rose. I think Tauer has invented some hybrid floral…

Accompanying artwork for Noontide Petals by Andy Tauer.

The drydown gets sweeter as a slightly powdery vanilla leads into a subtle smoke of frankincense, and woods (very dry sandalwood and what smells like a similar rosewood note to Pentachord White). The frankincense turns just a touch metallic and keeps the glistening quality from the opening through to the very end of Noontide Petals. I also get a subtle medicinal note, it smells like a combination of geranium (although it’s a bit late for that?) and a kind of hyper-clean laundry musk, tainted with something resinous… yeh I really can’t get my head around dissecting this
So, how does it differ from Miriam? Well… spraying these side by side, I suddenly got a huge, almond-biscotti vibe from Miriam… can’t say I’ve ever smelt that in here before… Miriam suddenly has become even more alien to me: the citrus more muted than I thought, the greenery more herbal but spoiled (in a good way!) by this abstract gourmand accord. I get heliotrope and lilac… two things I have never smelt in Miriam before… and a much more resinous, heavy and dense drydown finishes Miriam – slathered with powder and a greater violet/iris dominating floral accord. Suddenly Miriam smells like I’ve never smelt it before, yet when I tried Noontide (before comparing), I would’ve sworn they were the same thing. I now love my Miriam even more <3 Tauer you cheeky minx! Getting me all confused.

SO: Noontide? Awesome. I gotta say, Miriam is the love of my life, but this is almost like Miriam in Spring (perfect timing for the release) – a much lighter (not a bad thing), easier to wear (not a bad thing) – aldehyde-heavy floral that smells fresh, modern, yet timeless. I’m thrilled Andy has put a fragrance like this in his line up (it must suck a little bit making something as glorious as Miriam and having it under a name not your own!). But yes… get your nose on this one <3 Another absolute beauty.

NOONTIDE Petals 50ml EDT Tauer – http://www.tauerperfumes.com (not yet released)

Video: The 3 Roses of Tauer Perfumes

Une Rose Vermeille – Tauer

Rose and raspberries! MMMMMM! A combination I fell head over heels for in Secret Garden (Aftelier). Une Rose Vermeille opens with a tart lemon aldehyde accord that smells like opening a box of cheescake, the plastic wrapping and all. This plastic accord dominates up top for a few, glorious minutes – sweetened with citrus fruits and the underlying raspberry, which from a distance is already filling the air.

Unexpectedly, I smell a slightly camphorous, medicinal accord of lavender and a hint of clove, maybe even a touch of bay. Once you pick these up, it’s easy to see how Une Rose Veremille fits in with the other two fragrances in the Homages trio – they all possess a bitter green edge referencing perfumes of the past. I always considered URV the more playful and modern of the bunch, but its herbal undercurrent and classic aldehyde opening douse it in a maturity that smells like the younger (although technically older) sister to the future Miriam (Tableau De Parfums).

The sweetness of Une Rose Vermeille resembles that of a sleek, shiny jam. It scents a cloud around you of absolute delicious, playful fruitiness – but fascinating up close when this almost seems to disappear with a slightly metallic, oily rose/jasmine/carnation? combo and a hint of a resinous base smothers the skin. The rose, whilst I say is oily and metallic – is undoubtably modern and fresh, with a bite of pepper and a texture that is both young and soft, but has sharp edges.
Some violet comes in, adding a hint of fragrant powder until it practically takes the lead with the rose. The violet never smells dated or old fashioned (it never does to me anyway!) due to the crisp, culinary herbal accord still going strong close to the skin.

At times, the sandalwood takes on a slightly gourmand edge, like a Lutens’ use where it subtly resembles bakery – although I’m thinking more almond biscotti than buttered croissants. But this is extremely quiet underneath a large dose of Tauer ambergris and vanilla – a beautiful combo that keeps the fun in Une Rose Vermeille and its subtly complicated construction upfront and long-lasting. It’s during this drydown (despite the vanilla), that Une Rose Vermeille matures even more, losing its jammy sweetness but staining the woods underneath with a sour red laquer. A hint of now almost bitter powder clings to the skin and Une Rose Vermeille ages before your eyes/nose. I can never tell which stage of the fragrance is more beautiful, but up until it vanishes, I am left choked at how perfect it is.

Une Rose Vermeille 30ml EDP Tauer – 95.60 Euros www.tauerperfumes.com

SMELLYTHOUGHTS’ 1 Year Anniversary + Freddie’s Best of 2012

Hello!
Ok, I’m gonna crack straight on with this.

First of all: Happy New Year
Now that’s out the way – here’s what I loved and discovered in 2012.

My Favourite 3 Fragrances in 2012:

Haute Claire (far too closely followed by Secret Garden) by Aftelier Perfumes. Both of these fragrances are a tie for me, completely different, but absolutely beautiful. The richest, most naturally grand florals I have smelt – truly beautiful, wearable and classic – timeless fragrances that will be with me for a long time. Outstanding!

Rubj EDP by Vero Profumo is simply awesome. A sexy, volumptuous floral with an unexpected, almost tropical/sour “fresh” slice of green passionfruit smothering it. Mouthwatering, huge, and an absolute necessity. Exceptional.

Miriam by Tableau De Parfums is a modern classic. It combines so many elements of fragrances I love into something seamless – the aldehydic resins of La Myrrhe, the aldehydic white floral/incense combo of No.22, various fragmented particles of classic Tauer’s such as the bay of Un Rose Chypree, the violet/iris of Pentachord White… I can go on… but it is its own being – Miriam is gorgeous.

Most Unexpected Beauty:

M/Mink by Byredo completely took me by surprise. After months of thinking I hated it (after trying it only twice on paper) – I found it’s evolution on the skin absolutely captivating. Whilst I still struggle to wear it, when I finally accept that it’s a beeswax/incense/patchouli and not the fishy atrocity that my mind conjurs up – I love it.

New Talent:

Mangetic Scent is an awesome line. Indigo was one of my sampling highlights of the year and I can’t wait to get my hands on a full bottle. The packaging is beautiful, the fragrances are truly brilliant and I can’t wait to see what this guy comes out with next

Best Marketing and Packaging:

In all honesty, O’Driu is pretty pompous and poncy (a little cringeworthy at times)… but judging the brand through it’s products, marketing and advertising – it owns. Not only have they kicked off massively solely from threads on Basenotes, the gorgeous sample packages were handed out extremely generously, and the packaging is fantastic. I love the boxes stuffed with feathers and hessian, the advertising images are beautiful, the bottles are solid (although a bit wierd, when you buy 50ml, you get 50ml in a 100ml bottle…), and I like the atomizers (but wouldn’t use it – evapouration and all that shit). All in all, kudos to you O’Driu.

Oh and just in the category of advertising, Lady Gaga’s Fame commercial was brilliant (there, I said it)… as we all know, the fragrance was piss poor.

Sad To See Go:

Eau D’Epices got discontinued this year – which gave me a little heartache… but it’ll be back next year I believe so no big deal I guess it’s removal from the market re-trigged my admiration for this challenging composition. I will get it when it returns!

A list of other fragrances I loved in 2012:

Iris Silver Mist
Sepia
Bosque
Chypre Rouge
Musc Maori
Putain Des Palaces
Ambra Nera
CDG EDP 2011
Bolt Of Lightning/Fermes Tes Yeux/Jarling
Tawaf

Ok so you might be wondering where all the hate is here? In all honesty – there’s too many to write about and compile into neat categories, so I’m just gonna real some off and get the dirty stuff over with…

Crap of the year:

Seville A L’Aube (loved smelling the ingredients that went in it… didn’t like ‘em all together…)
Serge Noire/L’Eau/L’Eau Froide/Nuit De Cellophane (obvious reasons)
BEX (the write ups that started the trouble)
Sentifique (words can’t describe these fragrances… so I won’t try) 
Jean-Claude Ellena’s Dreary Diary (and most of his work)
Seven Veils (I still re-live the nightmare of when it hit my skin)
Jovoy (the line, not the shop)
Blah blah blah – I have a terrible memory and the list could go on forever, trust me. That’ll do for now

So yes – every bloggers doing these in far more detail so there’s my little two cents. Thanks for the support everyone <3<3<3

Freddie x

Oh, and some perfect music… just because

Youtube Video: Favourite Incense Fragrances

x

Youtube Video: Top 3 Leathers

Pentachord Verdant – Tauer

Pentachord Verdant opens with a sweet snap of greenery – sweet like caramelized brown sugar that quickly brings forth a bitter, earthy vetiver. Relatively transparent almost instantly, Verdant glistens as though drenched in water – but not at all “thin”.
As the vetiver becomes more prominent and the “brown sugar” retreats, the sweetness is kept in the foreground by a candied mint note that gives the otherwise warm, rooty vetiver a cool feel – although I’d describe it as “refreshing” I don’t want that to be off-putting (as it would to me when I read that), but I can’t help it, it is a fresh, rejuvenating splash of fragrant juice.

A leafiness I guess comes from the listed “tobacco” – although it is unlike any other tobacco scent I have tried. The sweet, slightly smoky aroma that intermingles with the vetiver seems to give it an almost mineralic support – an earthiness that is given lift by its clever lack of weight.
A resinous base provides most of its depth, whether it is a hint of sweet amber (sorry for the overuse of the word sweet) or a hint of cool, smoky incense – it supports the mint, vetiver and crushed leaf notes very delicately, never overwhelming the heart of Verdant.

There is little development in Pentachord Verdant, it’s relatively linear – similarly to Pentachord White, but lasts nicely on the skin whilst remaining quite close. It is a very unusual fresh/green scent, and a great take on a mint/vetiver fragrance in a similar distortion to Dirty by Lush – where Dirty adds a stale/herbal/mineralic accord that’s incredibly potent, Verdant sweetens it with a bundle of earthy notes so that the mint adjusts the temperature rather than being the overriding smell - which often happens with mint.

Eventually when the mint evaporates, the vetiver becomes even more prominent, bringing with it a subtle tomato leaf aroma, much more subdued and easy to wear than say – Memory Of Kindness by CB I Hate Perfume. What remains until the end is this green leaf notes, the beautifully clear vetiver, a sweet resinous, subtely smoky base with a dry hit of cedar wood. Beautiful transparent perfumery – Ellena should learn a lesson from Tauer, this is how it’s done well.

Tauer Pentachord Verdant 50ml – 103.80 Euros tauerperfumes.com

Incense Extreme – Tauer

Incense Extreme opens with loud, peppery frankincense, that somehow feels beautifully translucent. Whether it is just the frankincense alone, or a crack of black pepper – the initial spice is very prominent, paired with a wonderful green herbal note of coriander (which is indiscernible close up, but heavenly clear from a distance).

The scent of the air around you (and the sillage coming from your skin) after spraying Incense Extreme is wonderful. It is sweet and herbal, with the coriander leading above the sheer incense – it smells almost floral, with a potent hit of anise. Whether it is a true anise note, or maybe fennel?, there is a clear, green, slightly vegetal aroma which is really nice.

The frankincense is the leading player, soon to be joined by a raw, dry cedar wood. The whole composition whilst being loud and notably ”Tauer”, feels light and spacious on the skin, allowing each note to shine individually. This isn’t something that I’m used to as his creations tend to have a far greater density – but this more ethereal construction whilst retaining high volume is very impressive – and really lovely to wear.

A warm amber gets stronger and stronger as time goes on, up to a point where it joins hands with the incense and helps melt the fragrance into your skin. The fennel-type note that I got at the start is pulled throughout the entire fragrance for me, and the cedar wood’s sharp edges are completely smoothed out. With all these intense notes it sounds like Incense Extreme is a fragrance of jagged edges and intensity (similar to the opening of L’Air Du Desert Marocain with its infamous tar note), but it’s not at all, it’s extremely well-rounded and feels about as smooth as a frankincense (I’ll say it -) soliflore can be.

The drydown is relatively linear, getting lighter as time goes on but lives on the skin for hours as you’d expect. It’s a lovely fragrance that I don’t personally feel like I need to own (as I love this Tauer incense/amber blended with his gorgeous rose (Incense Rose) or that addictive campfire smoke (Lonestar Memories)) – but it is certainly a great introduction to the Tauer line – probably more so than L’Air Du Desert Marocain which everyone seems to discover first. I also prefer the density of the others in the Tauer line, having said that (and I had to make this cliche comparison), I’d prefer to wear this any day over the translucent incense that is Avignon. Whilst Incense Extreme and Avignon tell completely different stories and are pretty different presentations of incense, I find that IE holds it’s personality throughout it’s drydown, which is more than I can say for the short life of Avignon.

Anyway – all in all, a lovely fragrance, and something I’d recommend highly as a first step into the Tauer line.

Incense Extreme 50ml EDP Tauer - £92 Les Senteurs

Pentachord White – Tauer

White from the Tauer Pentachord line left me speechless. I only tried it last week from a generous sample sent from a Basenoter (aren’t they lovely people?!), and it is the only one from the line I never gave a passing sniff.
No, White isn’t particularly complicated, but it strikes a chord with me that I absolutely adore.

The opening is an exquisite mix of iris and violet. The iris is powdery, slightly dated, paired in equal intensity with a delicate, sweet violet – yes it’s old-fashioned, and smells slightly like soiled parma violet candies, but it’s extremely familiar and comfortable on my skin.

The interesting aspect of White is when out of nowhere (within a couple of minutes), an unusual, extremely dry smoky wood that I initially mistook for cedar, seeps its way into the dusting of florals. The listed rosewood is similar in scent, with an equally dry, masculine edge – and is almost identical to the use of cedar in Profumi Del Forte’s Versilia Vintage Ambra Mediterranea. The Profumi Del Forte’s cedar wood was far too intense, and paired with the bitter herbal notes and creamy amber – turned into something of a monster on my skin and I hated it. However, Tauer’s use is a little more restrained, and whilst it introduces what I consider an extremely challenging element into a classical violet coloured floral composition, it gives White an instantly recognizable and complicated personality.

The rich vanilla which begins to envelop the florals with a sweet translucency, provides depth and support to the powder, pulling it into the base and never allowing the hot, dry rosewood to overpower their delicacy. A hint of Tauer’s signature ambergris (devoid of the amber and incense that make up the famous Tauer-ade), slips over the entire composition, adding a salty, musky element. The ambergris is potent, and helps to really throw this fragrance off the skin and around you – it’s enveloping, slightly overwhelming and addictive with wonderful lasting power and a linear drydown.

These 5 synthetic notes stand alone to make White, but in no way does the fragrance feel empty – it is minimalism done perfectly, and a hugely exciting change from Tauer’s genius Classics line, almost Comme Des Garcons-esque. In honesty, it’s salty ambergris, smoky wood and powdery sweet floral duo becomes such a distinctive and challenging quintuple that I currently don’t feel ready to wear it, but I hope to one day.
I really enjoy this, and it is one of the biggest surprises I have sniffed recently.  Highly recommended!

White Pentachord Tauer 50ml - £115 Les Senteurs

Carillon Pour Un Ange – Tauer

It’s been ages since I’ve written a Tauer review, and normally they are filled with my love for his work.
So here are my thoughts on Carillon Pour Un Ange…

Carillon Pour Un Ange or CPUA, opens with the most pungent, fresh sap of cut grass and bay leaf. Devoid of the spicy rose that makes up Une Rose Chypree, CPUA gives way to a delicate white floral note that must be the lily of the valley that this fragrance is said to be all about.

The greenery never disappears, and if you don’t like the opening, it trails through the heart and base, taming only slightly, with a pungent metallic edge making this a whole lot less delicate than you would expect. There is a spiciness to this that comes from the green herbal notes, no bay leaf is listed but I’m sure that is what it is, along with something like coriander and green cardamom. To be honest, I don’t like this herbal accord, and the greenery dominates the fragrance far too much for me. Having said that, I can thoroughly appreciate the artistry gone into this opening, and whilst at times it does turn my stomach, the intensity is magnificent but balanced.

I have no experience with lily of the valley, I have never smelt the plant, so maybe this won’t be the most accurate review to trust, but knowing Tauer – this fragrance is about far more than the small flower alone.
A very green rose is present, a whole new kind than that anyone familiar with Tauer’s other work will recognize – instead it is almost unopened, with the scent of its leaves and stem more prominent than the heart of the flower itself. The lily remains delicate, yet recognizable, and similarly to the rose, is paired with the scent of its surrounding roots, earth and leaves.

Along with this florals, is the continuation of the green opening, settling slightly to a fresh hay, almost barnyard like aroma. It has that piquant sweetness, with a mellow warm feel that borders on slightly soiled and dirty. This dirtiness however is completely counterbalanced by the bracing freshness of the green stems, leaves and metallic lily.

The other florals listed jasmine and ylang, are present, but subtle players. The almost transparent rose dew comes in and out of the foreground, along with the lily of the valley which never comes to the surface and stays there.
As the heart dries, the base of ambergris comes forward along with the merest touch of bitter green leather. The ethereal aquatic nature of ambergris works perfectly in this composition, and unlike Tauer’s other works where his use of it provides excellent warmth and a smooth embrace, here it remains cool, a salty marine touch. Bitter oakmoss and sharp wood notes add to the green intensity, which whilst an excellent support, are a little too much for me – exaggerating the aspects of the opening that I don’t enjoy.

Carillon Pour Un Ange is without a doubt a fascinating fragrance. It is complicated, busy and a wonderful take on a damp, spring floral. Unfortunately for me, there is a note in here which doesn’t sit well with me, I think it is the bay leaf, which I have trouble with in all fragrances. Unlike Une Rose Chypree where I learnt to appreciate the pairing of florals with culinary green herbal notes (the warmth of the fragrance made this easier), the cool almost soggy notes in this are too far out of my comfort zone.

I would without a doubt recommend this if you seem captivated by the notes list, but as with all Tauer fragrances, don’t expect something easy and straightforward. Personally, I’m a much greater fan of his Classics line (Orange Star, Incense Rose, Lonestar Memories etc…), his warm spices and exotic landscapes have captivated me unlike any other fragrances have before, but his execution of the Homages whilst outstanding in their own right, are not for me – but a perfumista’s “Must Sniff” none the less.

Carillon Pour Un Ange 30ml EDP Tauer - £99.00 Les Senteurs