Heya Posse Peeps! Carillon pour un ange is Andy Tauer’s lily of the valley extravaganza. He tells us that lily of the valley was the note that made him want to be a perfumer. After years of trials he gave is this magical offering…
Carillon pour un ange by Tauer Perfumes 2010
Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Lilac, Lily-of-the-valley, Rose, Ylang-ylang
Heart: Jasmine, Leather, Lily-of-the-valley
Base: Ambergris, Woods, Moss
Carillon pour un ange is an enigma. One of the things I really love about Andy’s work is that it’s often hard to pin down. Here is no exception. Though we are told the scent is arranged around a lily of the valley it’s not the lily of the valley of our mothers bathroom freshener or Diorissimo.
Sharp, sweet, sugared flowers open. They are piquant and spicy, like cutting chili with your head in a bouquet of flowers that very quickly turn cool and aloof. All warmth dissipates and climate controlled florists, green and crisp and sappy takes over. Is this lily of the valley? Lilac? Rose? Could it be parts of each amalgamated to created a new super flower?
Softly, gently the cool recedes and a little creamy breath of jasmine? ylang? wanders in winsomely and changes the map of Carillon pour un ange again. A shapeshifter that never lets your nostrils rest because the moment you think you have an inkling of what’s going on it all changes and takes your breath away again.
I reckon the heart is different every time I wear Carillon pour un ange. Today I’m getting a spicy rose, creamy white flower and what my nose is telling me should be vetiver, papyrus or grass drying in the cool morning sun of early spring. Beneath it all is that lily of the valley? Yes, no? I give up.
Today I will just let myself enjoy the rest of the ride. You have not smelled anything like this before. Undeniably a Tauer but so different. Do yourself a favour.
Further reading: Non Blonde and Personalise
Andy has been busty blending a new batch that is available now.
Tauer Perfumes Discovery Set has US$32/5 x 1.5ml
Tauer Perfumes has US$126/50ml
Men’s Biz in Australia is now carrying Tauer Perfumes but are awaiting the new batch of Carillon pour un ange.
Which Andy Tauer fragrance speaks to you?
Portia xx
Sounds lovely! Your description makes me think of Patou’s Joy — not that they smell alike, but that they’re more of a conceptual idea of a flower rather than a solliflore.
I love Carillon. To me, it does smell of LOTV – picked, along with moss and dirt clinging to it, after the rain. One of Andy’s best!
I actually do have a decant of this that I have not worn yet. I’m thinking that I will wear it tomorrow, if I don’t become a wimp and just wear Liu or no 19.
Hey Eldarwen,
Wear it. Just a little test amount on your hand, see how it goes.
Portia xxx
Yum, Portia! This was always one of my fave Tauers, so thanks for bringing it to mind again. Now to find my little bit of it. There’s so much to choose from out in the perfume world, that sometimes scents we love get pushed back in the drawer and forgotten about, through no fault of their own. You are so good about reminding us of great, older stuff!
Hey there Ann,
Good luck in the hunt. My perfume samples get all pushed to the back of the box too, even the ones I adore. The down side of being lucky enough to have too much.
Happy to be the reminder guy, so much becomes forgotten in the rush for new.
Portia xx
Oh, I so love Carillon! It’s probably my favorite Tauer, an underappreciated gem of the line. I find it breathtakingly beautiful. Thank you for the review.
I’ve tried almost all of the Tauers and my other favorites are LDDM, Incense Rose and Une Rose Chypree.
Hey Leta,
It doesn’t seem to get the love that so many other Tauer fragrances get. Hard to understand once you’ve worn it but I wonder if people come looking for a Diorissimo experience and are unpleasantly surprised? Also, people might be worried that it will be more of same.
Taurus are almost always a happy surprise for me.
Portia xx
Great review! I have never tried this now now I will ?? Of course I love LDDM, but the Tauer that has a sweet spot for me is Le Maroc Pour Elle- it was just pure magic when I smelled it, soft sweet incense and dry Arabian air and spice – it was transporting! It’s super diva sexy which is always a bonus!
Hi there Cyndi,
Le Maroc Pour Elle is great. I have a buddy who swans around in it smelling amazing. I bet you wear it beautifully too.
Portia xx
I really liked your take on this, Portia! To me this perfume didn’t have a lot to do with lily of the valley, but I remember a note of dried grass and different slightly dusty, green notes. Andy seems to include somehing a little spicy in a lot of his creations, so complex.
Hi Ingeborg,
Thank you.
Yes, the LOTV seems to be sublimated, that spice gets me going every time. LOVE IT
Portia xx
This Perfume is so amazing! I really guess one 🙂
Good article Portia, thanks for sharing.
From Brazil,
Thanks Unhas.
Hope to see you around a lot.
Portia xx
Hi Portia, this was one of the few Andy Tauer’s samples I managed to try. He does not ship to my country :-/ I could never tell the composition was build around lily-of-the-valley. It was just a powerful flower fragrance…but then a note emerged that I often smell in Andy’s perfumes and I don’t know what it is – it just smells like gasoline to me. I felt it in Noontide Petals too. I wish I knew what it was because it’s very weird.
What a shame Tauer doesn’t ship to you Neva. We know the feeling in Australia but recently we got a retailer to import, bit more expensive but tOTALLY worth it.
Portia xx
Well, of course L’air du desert Marocain is otherworldly. I also loved Zeta, totally different, and now discontinued (sob!). I haven’t explored lily of the valley so this definitely merits a sample. Thanks for the heads up.
Hey there Patchgirl,
Zeta did something very weird on my skin. The Tauer base usually goes perfectly with my chemistry but Zeta was not right.
I think the gas smell is from tuberose, but could be way off the mark.
Portia xx