Scentzilla!

Tauer Perfumes are creations from Andy Tauer, and thus far he has rolled out two scents for the public. The one I shall write about today is his Le Maroc Pour Elle.

I was a little nervous when he kindly offered to send me samples, out of fear that I might not like them for whatever reason. Ah, but I needn’t have worried at all.

As that first wide break of sunshine opens up the day, so Le Maroc Pour Elle begins on my skin. Gently roused from a slightly medicinal-herbal start, jasmine and rose awaken and stretch as the notes orient themselves upon my skin.

The scent begins to warm on me, and I notice an allusion of roses on a midsummer morning, coalescing with the smell of a particularly juicy orange’s peel left abandoned on a breakfast plate. Smoothly, a warm woodiness and dry amber rise up as well. The wood and amber never overpower the lighter notes, but rather, they inform the florals. This gives the perfume a sexy knowing feel. I seem to pick up on a trace of something that is sand-like, too, but I am scared that it may have been suggested to me by the name-place of the perfume rather than the perfume itself. Still, it seems noticable.

The roses here are deep, rich, and I found myself nodding in agreement when I read Luca Turin’s mention of Bal a Versailles in his recent post about Le Maroc. While they do not smell alike, both share a quality of circularity. A note suggests it will fade off into the distance only to reappear as it makes another lap around the track. In Le Maroc’s case, this is how I perceive rose occuring. And this particular eau de toilette has staying power to show this trait off well.

The fullness of rose, paired with amber that alludes to incense, inspires me to think not of Morocco, but of La Virgen de Guadalupe and her legend of roses. (I suppose I might be more a child of the Americas than I had realized.) To an irreligious person like myself, the myth surrounding her is just that. A myth. Yet in the culture of Mexico and portions of the U.S., this myth possesses immeasurable importance. One cannot escape seeing her icons, nor the candles and incense offered up to honor her. It is certainly not unusual to see her power invoked in makeshift shrines during the holidays, or by the sides of roads after tragic accidents. My mental association with the Virgin of Guadalupe lends this perfume a slightly mysterious surreal air for me.

Le Maroc is classified “pour elle,” and while it is indeed feminine, it’s certainly not weak. Sensual, vibrant, and composed of strength, it is not the smell of a little girl, or some flirty teenager. It is womanly. And I like that. It’s nice to find a rose scent that matches up to the level of a full grown woman.

Tauer Perfumes can be found at www.lemaroc.ch

Top image is of Salvadore Dali’s “Meditative Rose.” Second image is of Rene Magritte’s “Le Tombeau des Luteurs.” Third is a fleur-de-me. Bottom photograph is entitled “Day of the Dead Altar,” used with permission of Patrice Wynne, San Miguel Designs. Visit the website at: www.sanmigueldesigns.com.