Andy Tauer is a Swiss perfumer who will make you see God through scent. Or for those of us who are atheists, he will simply make you swoon. His lavender creation, Reverie au Jardin, is the one scent I would bring with me if my house were on fire and I had to pick only 1 to save. It is the scent that turned me on to lavender and Andy Tauer, who I am convinced will go down in history alongside Jean Claude Ellena and Olivia Giacobetti as one of the greatest noses ever born. I've owned this scent for quite a while now, but have hesitated to put into words here how I feel about it. It really is that special. I guess I should start with what Tauer intended in this creation. He says, on his website, that he wanted to capture lavender "in all its facets ranging from herbaceous, spicy green notes to sweet, clean flowers and woody, vibrant chords…A perfume that melts into the skin, and makes me dream of green lands and twinkling stars." Well, I think he certainly accomplishes that. There is something about Reverie au jardin that makes me think of a wet garden at night. The lavender buds are laden with dew, the day was warm, and a thunderstorm just passed by to cool off the land. You see? That's what I'm talking about. How many other fragrances can you think off that evoke that kind of specific landscape? It's more than just a compilation of notes, this one. It's a state of mind. And lest you think I wax hyperbolic, take a gander at what the official notes are: high altitude mountain lavender from France, galbanum and fir balm with bergamot and rose absolute, frankincense from India and ambrette seeds, orris, vetiver, tonka beans, oakmoss, vanilla and ambergris, sandalwood and cedar wood.
Intrigued? You should be. You can purchase Tauer fragrances at www.luckyscent.com, or at Andy's website, linked above. And you should. This is the one and only instance I will ever say this about a perfume: he doesn't charge enough for these masterpieces. I would pay out the yin yang to smell like this, but thanks to Tauer's generosity, I don't have to.
There. I just hope I did it justice.
Whenever I sniff an Andy Tauer, I am amazed at how gifted he is at transporting me to the place that inspired the scent, just through one whiff. Le Maroc pour elle takes me to Morocco (though I've never actually been there) just as I would imagine it to be: a rich floriental, the top notes are sweet rose and jasmine, quickly followed by a wallop of cedar. I'm in a Moorish courtyard, surrounded by flowers, but there's a wind intruding upon my oasis, bringing dusty desert air. I also get the faintest whiff of citrus and sandalwood as the scent dries down.
This is one of those scents that I really wish came in candle form. I can't really wear it on my skin, because it's not exactly "me"-too much rose, and too much spicy cedar. It has a more mature feel than I prefer to wear. However, I would love to make my apartment smell like Morocco-it's much cheaper than a plane ticket, after all!
