When I think of recent Tauer Perfumes launches (Eau d’Épices and Une Rose Vermeille), I think of Lady Gaga’s costumes and all things “radioactive.” These attention-seeking perfumes, with the half-life of uranium-235, are bombshells: once applied to skin and clothes their effects last (almost) forever — through showers, baths, heavy-duty laundry cycles, and dry-cleanings. The scents wear ME, and during the course of a day, they wear me out (I get tired of their non-stop blare). Yet, I couldn’t resist trying Carillon pour un ange*, Andy Tauer’s homage to lily of the valley (one of my favorite flower scents). How would Tauer create such a delicate aroma?
Carillon pour un ange’s list of notes includes lilac, rose, ylang-ylang, green lily of the valley accord, jasmine, leather, ambergris, moss and woods. Carillon pour un ange starts off with a tropical-smelling, floral accord that reminds me of plumeria (probably a mix of rose and strong, sweet lilac) — with some added “greens.” There is a certain old-fashioned, creamy aspect to the opening; I detected a familiar scent from my past, and it took me awhile to “get” it: Jergens® lotion! (Since I haven’t smelled Jergens body lotion in at least ten years, I can’t vouch for the accuracy of this comparison with today’s Jergens formula…or should I say formulas …there are at least 15 moisturizers in the current line!)
During mid-development, Carillon pour un ange smells like one of my favorite fragrance combos: Eau d’Hermès layered with Diptyque Mimosa room spray — yep, I wear it with pride and no (apparent) bad side-effects.
When sniffed up close, Carillon pour un ange offers up a cumin note (and perhaps a touch of “cedar”) — this spicy-woody accord is needed to prevent a “mugging” of the wearer by floral notes. Cumin becomes more apparent during the dry-down…along with a touch of leather and “lipstick” ylang-ylang (a “cosmetics” scent). The fragrance wears down to a floral-amber-talc accord, with only a hint of muskiness.
To my nose, Carillon pour un ange is 100 percent in the “feminine” fragrance camp; its strong, liquory-sweet florals dominate all spice, wood, leather and musk notes. If you love “retro”, va-va-voom floral perfumes with pizzazz, do give Carillon pour un ange a try (this “ange” is displaying some cleavage…perhaps un ange déchu?**)
Carillon pour un ange doesn’t remind me of lily of the valley; other perfumes come closer to replicating that flower’s aroma (Diorissimo and even Coty Muguet des Bois). Lily of the valley is a scent best smelled on the stem, its fleeting perfume all the more special for the short time it blooms in the garden.
Tauer Perfumes Carillon pour un ange has excellent lasting power and sillage (a single spray or drop is all that’s needed). This Tauer perfume didn’t bring to mind Lady Gaga, but it made me imagine another type of “bombshell”: Jean Harlow, between takes, in her flower-strewn Hollywood dressing room, circa 1933.
Carillon pour un ange is available in 15 ml Eau de Parfum, $75. It is expected to move into the Tauer Perfumes 30 ml (see image here, at right) bottle early next year. For buying information, see the listing for Tauer Perfumes under Perfume Houses.
*chimes for an angel
**fallen angel
Note: Jean Harlow image via Wikimedia Commons.
Wow, Kevin! Interesting review! Like you I tend to be overpowered by Tauer fragrances, and unlike you I am not crazy about lily of the valley. However, you got me with “plumeria” and “Jergen’s lotion” (how many of you associate Jergen’s with your mothers?). I am curious enough about this one to try it.
Oops – Jergens, not Jergen’s.
Haunani: the “Jergens” shouted loud and clear to me…wonder if others know the older version.
Oh, I love that original old Jergins smell – my granny used to wear it, and it always reminds me of her.
And I hate it…
… but luckily did not get any Jergens accord out of CPuA.
I don’t care for it, either, Mals, and luckily I don’t get it in Carillon either. But I thought they did still make it? Maybe just not in that original stinky formula.
It’s a good thing they don’t make it anymore then 😉
Anns: it was popular
Mmmm, I love Carillon, Kevin. Femme, yes, but I like it too!
I love the fact that two or three drops on my neck last pretty much all day and that I can appreciate the sillage for hours. The scent envelopes me and I love how green yet floral and deep it is. The base is phenomenal (though I don’t think I detect the cumin).
This isn’t one I can wear all the time, since it is such a floral powerhouse, but it may be my favorite Tauer so far. I think it’s just stunning… and just a spray sample lasts a long time since this is so powerful.
So it’s green, too? And the base does sound great!
Don’t get the wrong idea — not sharp, grassy-fresh green, but there’s something from the moss and the “Tauerade” — at least to my nose — that makes this feel much less heavy than just a spicy-woody floral.
Hi Joe – yes, I got the “green” part too. It reminds me of the green in Amoureuse, although otherwise different.
I agree: the green is very reminiscent of the smashy green note in Amoureuse.
That sounds appealing!!!
I would describe it as having a brightness about it. It’s got depth, but it radiates this golden light. I think it’s the lotv– it’s sort of a backup singer, but the kind of backup singer that is actually carrying the rest of the band.
I like that earthy-woody drydown very, very much.
Strong enough for a man, made for a woman! 😉
I’ll second everything you said. I really, really love this. And yes, it certainly does last. Up until I tried Ubar the other day, I would have said it was the only thing that lasted through a shower and into the next day. I’ve learned not to spray whatever I wear the next day on the same place on my body, or I get some interesting cross-pollinating of scents.
I get that amazing persistence with Une Rose Chypree and Maroc Pour Elle…. I try very hard not to get any fragrance on my clothes or hair!
Anns: WHERE, pray tell, do you put your perfumes?!
Pssh. On wrists and base of neck, of course. Dabbed, of course… the way my mama showed me in 1972.
🙂
Kevin – ha, there’s lots of skin to choose from. I prefer right behind my earlobes and my wrists.
Kevin – ha, there’s lots of skin to choose from. I prefer right behind my earlobes and my wrists. Oh, and I’m a dabber so it’s easier to control. I put a spritz on the wrist and dab away from that puddle.
Yep, it lasts. Even on ME. Incidentally, I kept the capped vial in my purse for a few days about a month ago, and the purse continues to waft CPuA,
It wasn’t even open and it did that? That’s kind of impressive.
Miss K: “Impressive”, or obnoxious? There’s a fine line between the two!
It was IMPRESSIVE, I tell you… IMPRESSIVE. That is ADMIRATION you hear in my voice.
Miss K: I have a jacket that is FULL of, what did Joe say?, “Tauerade”…having tried the three new Tauers in one week. That jacket may be a loss!
Joe: those carillons are chiming TOO loudly for me!
Kevin! I sampled this fragrance a few weeks ago, and I remember saying to my husband, “It reminds me of something I’ve smelled before, but not necessarily a perfume… more like some body product from the drugstore, but I can’t remember remember specifically which one.” Amazing!
Thanks for the review. 🙂
Jessica: you’re welcome!
Great review, this is one of the few Tauers that I feel comfortable wearing – though either I don’t get the cumin aspect or don’t recognize it as such.
I love lily of the valley and lily and think that Carillion Pour Un Ange and Donna Karan Gold are my favorite (or most wearable) representations of the two.
Ruth: I just don’t “get” lily of the valley in Carillon…the “cumin” is noticeable if you put your nose next to skin. I never smelled that note “on the air.”
Wow Kevin, I wish I had smelled what you smelled in Carillon.
I’m afraid to even share with you and the others the reaction I had to this fragrance.
My hubby and I were at the ScentBar a few months ago and I sampled the Carillon and I had to immediately wash it off of my skin because it smelled like raw crab meat on an algae/moss covered rock in a tidepool. Ugh. Weird???
~Dawn
Dawn, not that I would encourage to you to revisit something so traumatizing, but I have to say that I hated it when I first tried it. I don’t know what possessed me to try it again, but I’m glad I did. However, my first reaction was just that it reminded me of SJP Covet, and I didn’t see any point in it’s existence– I don’t think I sat with it long enough to give it a chance. But if I had gotten the high tide accord I think I would have stayed far, far away. 🙁
Dawnkana, that actually sounds like a nice smell, to me. :->
Dawn: never be afraid to share! HA! Now…if you’re talking ice-cold crab(shells) , sea salt, seaweed and ocean spray…if only that was bottled! I”m only “sort of” kidding.
Right!
I was surprised how much I liked CPUA – after the first 10 minutes or so. I do love the super fresh green floral accord he gets in there that is the “lily”. And it certainly did last quite a while without being as big as some of the other Tauers. As with most Tauers (except L’Air dd Marocain and Maroc p Elle), I get this weird “fried plantain” accord. I have no idea what this is, but it makes me want to go eat some fried food, lol. But after that dissipated, I got this wonderfully well blended white flowers fragrance. The chewy green floral part reminded me of the same in Delrae’s Amoureuse, although they are entirely different fragrances. I look forward to testing it again in the spring to see how I feel about it then.
Anns: I’ve sometimes gotten a “harsh” short-lived chemical aroma in certain Tauers…and “fried” could describe it (not the food being cooked, but the oil itself)
Yes, the oil itself. Anyone who’s ever worked at a fryer knows it, or near a restaurant with a poor vent, etc…… For some reason it just reminds me of the smell of these fried plantains I got at a Cuban restaurant in Portland once…. Go figure.
I don’t remember it smelling like Jergens, and I CLEARLY remember the smell of that. I will have to spritz myself when I get home. I had a bit of an allergy attack when I first tried it for some reason. I like most Tauers, this included., though I doubt I’d wear it out. 🙂
Oh, come on! Wear it out! Skeerdy-cat.
It’s great for any situations where you don’t want anyone to sit too close to you! Like on the bus, or at a theater!
or the train! I’m one of those peeps, that needs their space!
HA! We’ll see.
I came across this as a gift from a PPP, I was excited to try it’s golden elixir , it was was the color of the summer sun.
I loved your review Kevin but …this scent was- Awww heeeeeeeelllllllll NO on my skin.;)
I was very sad about it but found it a loving home with another wonderful PPP. 🙂
Only URC has my heart from the Tauer line.<3
Another gorgeous day outside to wear it no?
I am in love with this weather, Indian summer indeed!
T: THANK YOU!!! 😉
Muuuuah! Twas nothing my dear KittyCat<3
Tamara; Lone Star is my Tauer of choice…and great to wear in our NW weather today.
I am a huge Tauer-ite…but this is the only one I have yet to sample. If you (or anyone else out there!) needs to find a good home for Carillon…please let me know!
Hi Jepster, email me and I can at least send you a sample.
Daisyloo82 AT gmail dot com
I have a lot of issues with Tauer fragrances as well. I adore l’Air du Desert but everything else that I’ve tried from that range (still haven’t tested Eau d’Epices and Rose Vermeille) have been so wrong on me….until I tried Carillon. The lovely Daisy sent me a sample with a warning so I dabbed with extreme prejudice 😉 I love it! I agree that it isn’t very lily of the valley…I get more lily than Diorissimo here, but it is so interesting and well blended. I would deduct marks for that strange smell of celery I get in the drydown which I’ll try to blame on cumin, although am not sure if it is that.
Thanks for the delightful review!
lovethescents: you’re welcome.
well, I’m practically laying here prostrate in my despair and yearning over not having tried AT Eau d’Épices yet….but with extreme effort, I’ve roused myself enough to get a spritz of Carillon pour un ange for the purpose of sniffing and thinking while reading your review….lovely review by the way.
I don’t know about this “jergens” note….my mom always used Vaseline Intensive Care hand lotion (I feel so left out!). I’m not sure I get a hand lotion or cosmetic note anywhere…mostly an initial blast of stems and crushed leaves …then hot cinnamon juice poured over a pot of lily of the valley….I know, you’re thinking “why would someone pour hot cinnamon juice on a pot of lily of the valley ?” and then you’re thinking ” Hot cinnamon juice? what is that? do you think she mixes it up from a concentrate?” hmm curious. 😉
Ahh, dear DD, I have your back with the Tauer Ed’E – now don’t spoil my fun and sample it before I have a chance to get it to you! LOL
hahahaha….you’ve just barely stopped my headlong rush to Luckyscent ….I’ll wait. 🙂
Yeah, not sure about that “hot cinammon juice.”
For some reason, I predict you won’t be wowed by Eau d’Epices. I don’t know why I think that — I haven’t tried it myself, but I’m not excited about it either. I guess I’ve heard it compared to Orange Star enough that I’m imagining you scrunching up your face and saying, “GACCKKKKK! MOTOR OIL SPRINKLED WITH CARDAMOM!”
awww, shucks…..Orange Star? oy. great gobs of greasy garage Batman! But it’s AT, so I gotta try it, ya know?
However, I’ll heed your warning and have some Tide , a coarse rag, swimmer’s nostril plugs, and some dark chocolate waiting by the kitchen sink…..like an emergency scrubber survival kit….. shoulda had one of those on hand for Secretions Gagnifique….
Oh, Daisy, I love the idea of the emergency scrubber survival kit, LOL! We all need one 🙂
the dark chocolate is, of course, to get you through the emotional trauma involved in a scrubber type incident….it’s an essential element of the kit, in my opinion. 😉
Daisy: I can only assume you’ve been cooking again and without realizing it dropped a jar of powdered cinnamon in your pocket. CINNAMON?
mumble, mumble ….where’s that darn ground cinnamon gotten to again? sneaky thing keeps going on walkabout….
No, really! I get wafts of this hot cinnamon oil….like the stuff we bought at the old corner drug store (this is sooo Andy Griffith, Mayberry type) but there was this little corner store called “Doug’s” ran by Doug himself, who was not a moment less than 187 years old, and it sold a bit of everything! Everyone called it a “drugstore” but it seems to me the only drugs they sold were Bayer Aspirin, Luden’s Cough drops and certain “intestinal distress” remedies…. but it had a gas pump outside and one of those flip top cooler/freezers where you could buy a popsicle or nutty cone for about 25¢….I digress….Doug’s also had a marvelous candy counter behind glass and you’d tell him how many Atomic Fireballs and Jawbreakers you wanted and he’d put them in a little paper bag so you could destroy your teeth all the way home….I’ve digressed again! ….they also had little bottles of candy flavorings/oils and Carillon has a note that reminds me of the cinnamon one—my brothers always put wooden toothpicks in it to soak and then walked around with a flavored toothpick sticking out of their mouths. (seems rather unsafe to me!)
Daisy: VERY unsafe…but doesn’t cinnamon oil have antiseptic properties…if they gouged a gum or pierced a tongue at least there would be no infection. HA! And cinnamon-scented blood is a whole ‘nuther perfume brief, ain’t it? (As Andy Griffith would say)
I think you’re right about the antiseptic quality, Kevin. Rapple would know….
It’s good to know that if they tripped and somehow managed to jam a toothpick into an eyeball that they would be avoiding a nasty infection….to go with their nasty eye puncture. And as everyone born in the 60’s knows—the worst possible outcome of any accident is “putting your eye out”
Those cinnamon-oil toothpicks were popular with the boys in my middle school…
I’ve always been surprised that there weren’t more injuries involved in that whole toothpick thing from when we were kids. **shuddering**
I remember panicking when I accidentally got a toothpick stuck sideways in my mouth. I thought I would pierce my cheeks before I got it turned around again.
OWWWW!
Daisy – I get hot cinnamon oil in URC & Incense Rose… I know what you mean.
There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll give this a try. Andy and I are about 50-50 on whether he works for me or not. Those that work, work beautifully. Those that don’t…well, you folks have said it all.
I love LOTV. It’s my birth flower as a May baby and I wore Coty’s Muguet des Bois as a tween. I have a clump of LOTV in my garden that has traveled with me all over the USA as I’ve moved, always being replanted in my current pied a terre. It’s my little piece of home.
Strangely enough, I wore a Muguet scent today (Muguet de Bonheur – Caron) as my own personal attempt to keep fall at bay. At least three people have passed my office today and said “you smell like spring”. MIssion accomplished! 🙂
Teri: yes, lily of the valley always makes me think of springtime…a happy scent.
What a cool review Kevin! The last three Tauers I’ve tried have been dismal on me [OS, URV & Ed’E], but hope springs eternal and I look forward to trying this. I SO want to find an adult version of the Coty MdB that I wore ages ago. Actually, this doesn’t sound like it will do that, but I do look forward to a sniff anyway.
RusticD: my crystal ball says Carillon won’t replace MdB…but who knows?
What an interesting review, Kevin! I’m behind on testing the latest Tauers, and frankly I was going to skip this one as the LOTV chems usually read quite screechy on my skin. However, Jergens got my attention! Yes, that and Bellodgia were the scents of Mom. And I’m glad it doesn’t have the lasting power of the half life of uranium as I have scent glue skin anyway!
Rappleyea: it as the lasting power of Paris Hilton…longer than expected, longer than desired! (speaking for myself, of course!)
Hmm…. maybe I’ll get my Jergens fix then from a nice cuddly almond scent.
Nice review! I was kind of despairing after trying and not particularly enjoying Orange Star, Eau d’Epices or Une Rose Vermeil (my poor sweatshirt has been washed many times now). This made up for all of them. I do get LotV from it – maybe because I am fairly sensitive to it. What I love about it is the rather unexpectedness of the leather. I have worn it once to bed and once to work and will enjoy wearing it again, I’m sure. Had I not just spritzed myself with some Mahora I received today from an ebay win, I would put some on to refresh my memory. I did not find it as loud as Tauers usually are – more along the level of Reverie or Lonestar.
I did find it loud, but not with the usual exceptional warmth of a typical Tauer; instead it’s cool and therefore not Too Much on me. Of course, I’m dabbing, and that might make a big difference.
I liked that leather note too.
Tama, Mals… I think Tauers do best when dabbed. They need a lot of control b/c they are so rich. I enjoy them much more when they are on quiet.
I pretty much spray everything, but have learned to spray very lightly!
I adore this scent and for the past several weeks have worn a smidge at the end of the day — some days, it’s my scent of the day (but I’m far too fickle to just have one scent a day). I’m so pleased that NST has finally reviewed this gem. Reading the other posts, I find it interesting that so many people find Tauer’s to be loud except for this one. For me, this one is quite loud – my car smelled for several days after I had sprayed 4 times – whereas I’m always re-spraying LADM and Incense Rose…oh, well, maybe it’s just me…
No, you’re right – it’s loud. Dabbed very carefully, it is persistent but not overpowering. I’m not a Big Sillage fan, so please pardon my momentary horror – you sprayed it four times?! Or did you mean one spritz on four separate occasions?
As I mentioned upstairs, I had a CAPPED vial in my purse for a few days last month, and my purse still smells like CPuA. It radiates (except in the lovely drydown).
Oh, no, I SPRAYED four times — I was at Scent Bar and sprayed twice. I loved it so much that I put on two more sprays before I left and got in the car. The car smelled for days and I’m quite sure I was stinking all day – but such a nice stink 🙂
Whooooooooweee! You must have a HIGH tolerance, KRL.
And especially since you say you can keep re-spraying L’Air du Desert, also! One tiny spritz of that lasts me ALL day, and I have scent-eating skin and enjoy my sillage. You go!
Great review, Kevin. I thought CPUA did a good job of capturing the etherial beauty of the lily itself, the sunny warmth of first spring days as well as the earthiness of the soil and surrounding greenery of moss and other plants. And the sillage was stunning. I sprayed once on my wrist and Mr. Ab Scent could smell it in the air five hours later when he came home from work.
I don’t know if it is my fave Tauer (I seem to be one of the odd ones out who loves Orange Star) and much like the recently tried Une Rose Vermeille, I had to think on it a while and went back and forth a lot. But I recognize the talent and creativity Andy puts into each fragrance and love how un-mass market each of his perfumes smell. They don’t feel quite as overly polished and tweaked, which is not a bad thing in my opinion.
Great job Kevin! You know, it’s too bad that you couldn’t remember which Jergen’s lotion it was. I will have to smell this because I use the original Jergens with that wonderful cherry- almond scent, where you get the nip of the cherry in the opening and after a minute or two, the creamy almond. was that what you had picked up?
Dolly: it was definitely the OLD style Jergens…none of the new stuff.
Carillon pour une ange is what I always hoped Diorissimo would be… Lily of the valley with lovely green notes and a leather and wood base notes… I’ve been wearing it the last 2 days, and I love it. (and love Orange Star and Rose Vermeille as well)
Diorissimo on the other hand gives me a massive headache and, like Giorgio Beverly Hills, killer heartburn.
Funny how individual body chemistry can make such a difference… The first time I tried Lonestar Memories, I was seriously anemic and had massive vitamin defficiencies — and it smelled like a tire store to me. However, once my body was back in balance, it smelled gorgeous…