I stalled for months before daring to try Carillon Pour Un Ange. What do you do when one of your most favorite perfumers in the universe comes up with a perfume that's focused on a note you usually dislike and then adds another note that tends to dislike you? Lily-of-the-valley and lilac are gorgeous in theory but lethal when I try to wear them. Hence- I was worried, which explains why I spent months pretending Carillon Pour Un Ange didn't exist. But I loved the other three 2010 Tauer Perfumes releases so much, I had to deal.
I approached Carillon Pour Un Ange armed with a scent strip, just in case. But even that first careful spritz made it clear this was not going to be a Diorissimo experience. I mean, even if we ignore the versions from the last decade or so and even go with real vintage, Diorissimo and I don't agree with each other. I get the idea when smelling vintage and can definitely appreciate the artistry of Edmond Roudnitska, but the muguet note in his creation (as well as in many others) was not meant for me. At least when I plan to smell good.
Andy Tauer's creation didn't shriek when I sniffed it (or when it smelled me). Instead, for the first time in probably forever I got the full ethereal effect of a delicate floral perfume. I saw the colors and felt the texture of the petals, saw the beauty of an early spring morning when everything is green, new and full of hope. I had to wear Carillon on my skin, and that's when I got the full picture.
While this perfume does not immediately announce the Tauer signature incense base (I can usually pick it out even before removing the cap of a bottle), it is still there in the form of the familiar ambergris note. And as always, it has a love affair with my skin- I get nuances of wood and dry grass. Carillon Pour Un Ange is still green, floral and possesses a gossamer quality, but when I spray it under my clothes or when I go to bed wearing it and pull the blankets over my head it pulls me into its world.
As hopeful and uplifting as Carillon opens, it also has a bittersweet quality. You know well that spring ends, the sweetness fades away as do beauty and love. I don't mean to go all pseudo-deep and faux-philosophical, this is a perfume review on the net, after all. But the depth of emotion here and the pensive quality Andy Tauer managed to bottle here are breathtakingly beautiful in the most unexpected way.
If you look at customer's comments about Carillon Pour Un Ange on Luckyscent website you see either horrified one star reviews or 5 star endorsements. There's no middle ground which doesn't surprise me. This isn't a dainty harmless little floral scents or an afterthought with a matching lotion from Crabtree & Evelyn. Carillon is a work of art that will move you- either to love it or scrub it in the nearest sink. In any case, this is a perfume that should be sampled whether you're a long time Tauer fan, foe or new to the scene. You might discover something new about yourself, about perfumery or about the talented composer behind this work of art.
Carillon Pour Un Ange ($75, 15 ml, the same format and packaging as Une Rose Chypree) is in limited distribution until March and only available from Luckyscent and tauerperfumes.com. After the official full launch it will be available from other Tauer retailers around the world.
Art: Enchantment by Pino
