L'Air du Desert Marocain
by Tauer

herbal opening notes which reminds me of balms used in india..those ayurvedic ones which treats both with its vapors and warm healing qualities...for other references, think Amber Sultan or Spirit of the tiger...though they dont smell similar..but, they sure do are first kissing cousins. i enjoy such scents and it somehow blends well with the kind of weather we have here.
L'Air also implements the "scratchy" use of cedar oil, as witnessed in Guerlains Masterpiece, Heritage EdT(Vintage), in that L'Air has this dry, gritty, heat wave kinda accord. The basenotes is lightly creamy smooth with the herbal accord still presnt with a warm base of incense and amber. one of the best from the House of Tauer. i'd strongly recommend L'Air along with Incense rose, Vetiver Dance and Incense Extreme.
and ohh, it's 10/10 in the sillge/longevity department. 2 sprays should last for more than 24hrs.

A very peculiar opening indeed for this one. I can pick out vetiver, ambergris and in particular cedar, but I can't quite understand why the overall result is a damp rag that has become a little mildewy. No matter, as within 15 minutes L'Air du Desert Marocain has completely transformed and is radiating out the most wonderful dry cedar and incense aroma. The incense does catch the back of the throat a little but not so much as to be turned off it. That said there is no escaping the smell of the incense, I feel like I'm surrounded by a cloud of invisible smoke when wearing this. L'Air du Desert Marocain is also spicy but not fresh and vibrant spices. Instead the spices are stale and woody, like a bag of Garam Masala that's well beyond it's use-by date. The result in summation is a fragrance that smells ancient and mystical.

The top notes have a sweet, creamy-citrus quality that segues into a more interesting drydown of frankincense, cedar and amber. A more vanillic quality is apparent deep in the base, but in general this remains a simple, dry amber once the sweetness of the top notes departs.

I think L'Air is a fragrance that gains tremendously from subtle use. A heavy application and this can be unpleasantly blunt and tarry, with a rather off-smelling citrus at the start, but applied sparingly and the effect is much more pleasing and refined.

If I was going to spring for a niche amber this wouldn't be it, but it's very wearable and rightly popular.

Living in the driest state in Australia I am used to the desert. The desert here is a huge open space that somehow crushes in on one, squeezing the moisture and energy out of every living thing that is not tough enough and ready for its onslaught.

LDDM represents a different kind of desert: a desert in which one is enveloped by smells and sensations that caress rather than crush.

From its opening to its end LDDM is captivating rather than confronting, and calming rather than exhausting.

The spices are dry without being desiccated; the petitgrain adds a wonderful twist; the incense is soft and slightly smoky (like in Incense Rose); and the cedar and amber are dry and slightly honeyed.

When I wear LDDM I find myself entranced by the place it conjures in my mind, and this is reflected in a calm satisfaction as I go about my day.

What a beautiful and unique fragrance. Smells mature without smelling "old" and has an air of adventure that makes me think of the middle east. It smells kind of dry, spicy, dusty and incensey (I smell lots of frankincense) but the base is moist and thick, composed of amber, vanilla and vetiver. This is definitely another fragrance that words cannot do justice in describing - you simply have to try it yourself.

If you want to try to guess what L'air du desert smells like before trying it, check out Andy Tauer's website and read the listing - it smells almost exactly how he describes it, both in imagery and ingredients.

I see LdDM being worn by someone who is rugged and mature in personality. Completely unisex, although I find it better suited to a man. A final word of warning is that LdDM is rather potent and lasts forever, so take it easy on the trigger for this one.

A modern masterpiece.

9/10

Isn't the experience of scent subjective? This was to me an instant flashback to visiting the Honda Motorcycle Dealership on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, in 1984 when my roommate worked there. The thick miasma was rubbery, oily, smoky, nasty, mysterious, high testosterone and quite intimidating.

Nice weird little memory of a long forgotten place but I can't imagine wanting to smell like that unless I was faking it to infiltrate Dykes on Bikes so I could be in the Gay Freedom Day Parade.

TPG gave this 5 stars, so it's me who is wrong, clearly!