I often have a hard time starting a review of a Tauer perfume. Andy Tauer's creations speak to me on such an emotional and personal level that makes it difficult to talk about notes and development. I feel these perfumes and live in them more than I wear the scents.
Zeta, the newest perfume to join the Tauer collection is summer. An ideal and picturesque one-- full of soft light and gossamer air that carries the scents of delicate white blossoms, cold water with thin slices of lemons and oranges floating in them, crisp vintage white linens on tables and beds and the promise of romance if you just go out there and try.
Linden flowers smell and look so very delicate and the quality of the stuff Andy Tauer bottled here is amazing- it's so easy to go terribly wrong, loud synthetic and harsh with floral notes- but Zeta is the real thing, shaped by a sensitive artist and it lets you know it from the very first whiff. I smell honey as soon as I put Zeta on my skin. A light-colored and very gentle honey, but it's there (don't be scared, though. This is most definitely not Miel de Bois). I can almost mentally separate the little white flowers that come next- a pile of linden and a pile of orange blossoms. But then I'd want to draw them back into one heap and roll in them not very gracefully. Then again, we can just wear Zeta and avoid the embarrassment of this animalic behavior, right?
Zeta mellows down a little over time. It becomes both particles and waves. It hangs closer to the skin than any of the other Tauer perfumes and is different enough from them that I'd advise even non-Tauerheads to give it a try. There is a smooth wood and orris accord there that is a bit more cerebral than the pagan bacchanal of rolling and dancing amidst the blooming trees, but is equally enjoyable.
If you know someone who gets married this summer, give her or him a sample as a suggestion for a wedding scent/wedding shower gift. While I can't help thinking of Zeta in feminine terms and as a bridal perfume, I have no doubt that men who aren't afraid of flowers can pull it off. Especially those who liked the aesthetics of Tauer's Carillon Pour un Ange.
Now to the giveaway: I have three samples of Zeta to give away. To enter the draw please leave a comment and tell me which (if any) Tauer Perfumes you've already tried. Did you like them? Why (or why not)?
Zeta by Tauer Perfumes ($150, 50 ml) is now available from luckyscent.com (they also sell samples). The three samples for the giveaway were sent to me by the perfumer, as was the sample I tested and already used up. The full bottle I ordered from Luckyscent should be here on Friday afternoon, and believe me, that's not a moment too soon.
Notes: Lemon, bergamot, sweet orange, ylang, orange blossom absolute, neroli, linden blossom, rose, orris, sandalwood, vanilla.
Top photo by Regina Relang from theformofbeauty.tumblr.com
Linden Blossom photo by Katrin Shumakov
