Tuesday, December 02, 2008

The Two Faced Perfume: Vetiver Dance- Andy Tauer (and samples giveaway)


Vetiver Dance is not what it seems.

Some vetivers are rich and lush. Think about the chocolate and jungle greens in the velvet that is Vetiver Oriental (Serge Lutens). Then there are the cold, crisp ones like Encre Noir (Lalique), Vetiver Extraordinare (Malle) and the wonderfully bitter and astringent Route de Vetiver (MPG). Guerlain Vetiver is crisp and dry, but oddly warm, and the same can be said about Lubin's Le Vetiver, though its opening is a lot more interesting than the drydown.

Andy Tauer's Vetiver Dance is all of the above or none of the above, depending on what your skin and your nose make of it.

I fisrt tried it several months ago, when the weather was still very warm and unforgiving. While the very first try of a minuscule amount was very Taueresque and promising, a full wearing on a hot day nearly killed the fragrance for me. There's a very strong lily of the valley note that jumped at me right away, suffocating the top notes completely. It surprised me, because a similar LOTV treatment in the mythological Hyacinth And The Mechanic was lush wonderful. Then again, I only tried it in those bitter cold days of late winter when one is willing to sell her soul for any promise of spring.

The thick LOTV made it hard to focus on the other notes, even though the perfume's development was interesting even then. There were all the loved companions to the vetiver: an herbal note, a bitter crispness, the return of the promised grapefruit peel. I liked the late drydown, with its hint of dry Tauerade: ambergris, cedar wood, tonka and cistus are signature notes. But the mean and green was still somewhere there. It didn't look promising.

As the weather became cooler I tried Vetiver Dance again and again and again, discovering it does much better when allowed to bloom outside. I found sweetness in the top and middle notes and an incredible dry vetiver later on. There's a point after about two hours on the skin, when the perfume changes direction right under your nose. Literally. It becomes something else entirely. While I've learned to appreciate the artistry of the first phase (face?) of the fragrance, what I would have loved is a bottle containing only the second one.

Vetiver Dance is incredibly strong and potent. It lasts all day even when applied lightly, which is probably the right way to go given its strength. My guess is that it's a challenging scent only if you have muguet issues (I can't stand Diorissimo), and even then it's worth a try because it smells like nothing else. The amazingly rich drydown alone is worth the experience, even if you decide the whole thing is too much.

Thanks to Andy's generosity, I have some samples to give away, so please leave a comment if you're interested. I'll do a kitten-assisted draw next week and announce the winners.

Vetiver Dance is available in the USA from both Luckyscent (Scent Bar) in L.A. and Aedes in NYC. Bottles and samples can also be purchased directly from Tauer Perfumes in Switzerland. My samples were free.

Image: Organic Forming No. 3 by
Heidi Vaught

32 comments:

  1. I have wished to try this scent from the first time I heard about it, so please enter me in the draw!
    Lily of the valley and vetiver must be a delicious combination! (diorissimo gives me lovely memories from childhood)

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  2. I hate LOTV and love, love, love Vetiver Dance. A more aptly named perfume I haven't encountered as yet - it really does dance, whirling, enticing, changing directions, whispering, leading you on. I love the combination of grapefruit freshness and the woody, earthy vetiver - it's like a walk in the wintry woods, with a will o'the wisp or sprite whispering of adventures just around the bend. I have a bottle, so no need to include me in the draw.

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  3. Oh, please enter me in the draw. The fragrance sounds so intriguing and delish! Merci beaucoup!

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  4. Please include me! I bought LDDM and IR on your recommendation and they are my favorite frags in the whole world.

    Sarah from Virginia

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  5. Enter me in the draw, please!
    Lavinia :-)

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  6. Please please please!

    Lauren C.

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  7. Please include me in the draw.

    Thanks,
    Suzanne

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  8. sounds wonderful! Include me please!

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  9. I'd love to try it-I have a deep adoration for perfume, but a budget that allows nothing of high quality.

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  10. Hm, this sounds like an interesting scent so I would love to be in the draw. I always find myself in the unenviable position of wanting to try out scents like these, but not having the budget to shell out on something unless I know I'm going to love it. Such is life as a student. ~Amanda B

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  11. Would love to win the samples!
    kathemc(at)gmail(dot)com

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  12. i would love to win this !! thanks

    [email protected]

    email!!

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  13. I love Andy Tauer perfumes and have yet to try vetiver Dance., so please enter me

    Nattygold

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  14. Wow, so detailed description of the fragrance..it just heated up my curiosity;-).

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  15. This sounds like a very complex fragrance which makes it very interesting to me.

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  16. I have been trying to get my paws on a sample of this (without paying, first!) and would love to try again! I love Andy and vetiver, so what could be better? ;-) Please include me in the drawing!

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  17. Although I've been reading your blog forever, I've always been too intimidated to comment. I'm just a girl that loves perfume! I also love your blog! I really want to try this after reading your update and the great comments. Please include me in the drawing!

    Thanks-

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  18. This one seems very interesting to me! Vetiver richness is the way to go, please count me in the draw also :)

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  19. Here's to gettin' pawed in the best way possible! ;]
    I'm all for a good dousing of LOTV amidst a whirlwind of Vetiver. Contrary to most, I love LOTV and have yet to really like vetiver; so this sounds like a great fragrance to start an affair with.
    Thanks to Andy for supplying the samples, and thanks to you, Gaia, for offering the drawing! :]

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  20. I'd like to try my luck as well. I love Andy's perfumes and haven't had a chance to sample Vetiver Dance yet. I was thinking "Vetiver is not for me" but your review made me curious.
    Thanks.
    IE

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  21. I'm just beginning to fall in love with vetiver.
    Please enter me too.
    Thanks!

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  22. Me too, please!

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  23. Put me in the draw too, please!

    -Rachel Lee

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  24. Oh, please put my name in the hat, I love everything Andy does and I have not tried this yet!

    (I love LOTV with a passion, so I think I would not have to wait for the drydown to appreciate this. :-D)

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  25. Another vetiver loveh here-can your kitten be bribed?

    Sincerely,

    Carole

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  26. Since I am a new fragrance addict, I haven't yet tried any vetiver. I would so love to try it, and wish you would enter me in the draw.
    Vetiver dance sounds great and I am sure I will love it. Thanks for the nice review.

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  27. Since I am a new fragrance addict, I haven't yet tried any vetiver. I would so love to try it, and wish you would enter me in the draw.
    Vetiver dance sounds great and I am sure I will love it. Thanks for the nice review.

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  28. here's my entrance! :D

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  29. Yes!! Please include me in the draw. I love lily of the valley.

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