Thursday, September 2, 2010

Tauer Perfumes - Carillon pour un ange

Death and lilies

I'm really sorry to have to write this. It's terribly disappointing, I do love several Tauer Perfumes, but Carillon pour un ange just doesn't work for me.

When I heard that Andy Tauer has created a lily of the valley perfume, I was excited. He tells a lovely story on Fragrantica of how his mother wore Diorissimo, the queen of lily of the valley perfumes. Mine did too. I love the rich smell of those little white bells that bloom in shady places around my home in May.

But I don't smell lily of the valley in Cpua. At first, I just smell something wrong. It's green vegetation on top and some citrus but underneath it's damp and dark.

Then I do smell lily, a very strong lily, but not lily of the valley. I smell regular lilies and leather. It's a pungent but dark smell, like hearing a very high loud note played at the same time as a very low note. The leather has an almost earthy smell of soil and roots and, well, dead leaves.

As with Tauer's other perfumes, you can tell the Cpua uses quality materials. This is a strong Eau de Parfum, and has considerable sillage. My husband complained about me leaving this one all over the his keyboard. He could still smell it hours after I had left.

I admit, have never liked the smell of lilies. I'm afraid I associate them with funerals, so perhaps that's why I can't get the idea of dying flowers out of my head. The drydown is quieter and adds moss and wood to the leather and the lilies.

House: Tauer Perfumes
Nose: Andy Tauer
Notes:
Head: rose, ylang, lilac
Heart: lily of the valley, jasmine, leather.
Base: ambergris, moss and woods.

Photo: ericarhiannon

6 comments:

  1. I might like CpuA. It sounds like the "scent hallucination" I got from CB I Hate Perfume Russian Caravan Tea: lily of the valley and leather (which are not notes in the scent).

    I'm not going to run out and try it though as I am still traumatized by my first Tauer experience with the oh-so-urinous Incense Rosé.

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  2. Can I have your sample then? ;)
    I want to try all the latest AT creations, from Orange Star onward - I haven't smelled anything after Une Rose Chypree and I feel I'm missing out on some good stuff.

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  3. JoanElaine: You should try it, you might like it. I loved Incense Rose (bought a FB) and this definitely isn't that.

    Ines: Yep, you can if you want it. Email me (look way down at the bottom of the page.)

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  4. I am pretty sure this wouldn't be my cup of tea either - I like my lilies fairly sanitised, and preferably swathed in some combo of vanilla, sandalwood, ylang ylang and musk. Though I can handle the odd spice in there too.

    I love Tauer's LADDM but literally nothing else from the line. In this case "dead leaves" tells me all I need to know...

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  5. I haven't tried this one. Perhaps it was the "hype" that led to the disappointment. Sometimes I avoid, all "background" info on a fragrance because I get disappointed by the actual juice even it is decent. I like my fragrances to fit with their background story.
    I like lily of the valley scents. I admit that I want them to be feminine, flirty, like early spring. I think I'd like this one. We have little wild lilies (smell stronger than lily of the valley) growing here in Feb. They mix with the damp rainforests, moss, leaves, mushrooms on decaying hardwoods. I've always wanted a fragrance like that.
    I don't associate lilies with funerals but many, many people do!

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  6. Flittersniffer: I'm with you on the sanitized lilies!

    EauMG: Your description of the lilies around your place is beautiful. You should try this, it might be exactly what you need.

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