Vetiver Dance by Tauer, 2008

LOVE AT FIRST SNIFF! As most reviewers have mentioned, this is NOT a pure vetiver scent. It's a warmed-up complex Tauer riff on vetiver. Herbs and spices on top, animalic notes and tonka in the base. The closest reference I have in concept (not smell) is Antaeus (herbs + woods + castoreum). There are elements of Tauer's signature sweet resinous base, in this case, wtih the ambergris amplified, giving the drydown a smilar effect (not smell) as Antaeus' use of castoreum. Like Antaeus, it will get animalic/urinous/sweaty. And there is a LOT of ambergris. This is the highlight of Vetiver Dance -- I personally love this type of fragrance that can combine with body chemistry to straddle the clean/dirty line. I find that at the end of the day, these scents often smell better to me than scents that "go off" -- because they have lost their top notes, and their bases smell stale if not refreshed. At day's end, Vetiver Dance feels "lived-in", not "worn-out" -- it just gets better! For me the BLEND is what this scent is all about -- far into the drydown, I can still catch the vetiver, but it melts with resins, sweat, a salty note (like in Duc de Vervins), something anise-y (like Rive Gauche)... Vetiver Dance won't appeal to vetiver purists, or fans of current "leaner", "transparent" Duchaufour/Ellena/Giacobetti-style scents (some of which I admire, but don't wear). It's more like a Roudnitska, Flechier. or most notably, a Bernard Chant Aramis/Estee Lauder creation. (Devin is one of my favorites). I think Vetiver Dance is very much inspired by an older aesthetic -- heavily blended, animalic, abstract, man-made, NON-naturalistic, very old-school French. It's like Perfume that announces itself with a capital P, not trying to reference anything else. If you're looking for a "picture" of vetiver, this is not for you. It will be delightful if the idea of "dancing" with vetiver appeals to you -- pursuing it, playing hide-and-seek with it, and ultimately melding with it.

For what it's worth, this is the first time I've ever given a positive rating to a fragrance that has garnered predominantly Negs and Neutrals. This opens up with an intriguing blend of clary sage, a little dry citrus, and vetiver. I was not sure I loved it, but I certainly liked it and kept smelling it over and over. After about 20 minutes, it became slightly floral and possibly deepened its "on the sweet side" of vetiver. I happened to go for a walk in the woods with my dog shortly after spraying my sample on. The woods are not fully blown verdant yet but there are olfactory hints of nature preparing to burst forth with shoots, buds and blossoms. My dog weighs 10 lbs and is fluffy and beautiful and approachable, but is no lightweight. She will attack marauding raccoons when dogs 7 times her size hang back. Vetiver Dance somehow encompassed my walk perfectly. It's fresh, relaxing, welcoming...but intriguing and filled with captivating contradictions. And it lasted over 12 hours. The only reason I'm not buying a bottle right away is that I feel obligated to try the samples of Incense Extreme, Eau D'Epices, and L'Air Du Desert Morocain. Sounds weird given the raves I've read about these, but that's how spectacular this Dance is.