Andy Tauer L'air du Desert Marocain

L'air du Desert Marocain (let's call it L'air for the purpose of brevity) seems to be one of Andy Tauer's best-loved and most talked-about perfumes. I love the bottle label, pictured left, and although I don't mind Andy's new bottles and packaging, I have great fondness for his slightly retro and charming old labels.

The notes include coriander, petitgrain, lemon, bergamot, jasmine, cistus, bourbon geranium, cedarwood, vetivier, vanilla, patchouli and ambergris. On my skin the opening is quite dry and dusty. I certainly don't experience the citrus notes. Rather, there is a sweet resinous and spicy note, almost waxy, like polish. There is an astringency, for want of a better word, which paired with the floral jasmine and drier, spicy geranium creates an incense-y feel to L'air. Another word that comes to mind is bracing, although not in the sense of cold. To me the bracing feel is more the sensation of being out in the great outdoors in air that is so pure and fresh (but not cold) that it is uplifting.

In the heart I start to detect the woody notes of cedar and patchouli, with cistus, and if you are familiar with the so-called Tauerade, this is when it starts to make its presence known. L'air to me is a bit like Lonestar Memories without the campfire smoke. It strengthens and becomes heavier, although never cloying. It is actually quite sweet, with the vanilla, but like a lot of good perfumes, balances this with the stronger resinous notes, with a bit of vetiver to brighten it. Although frankincense is not listed, L'air to me wears like an incense perfume, at least in feel. The base is seriously long-lasting and if you've any experience of Tauer perfumes, you will know this first-hand. It just goes on and on. However in this case it isn't a negative. While some perfumes overstay their welcome, L'air manages to evolve over a long period of time without becoming too intrusive or cloying. I should mention that two sprays is more than enough to last you from morning till night, easily. 

I must admit that L'air is not my favourite Tauer perfume, but it is still very good and as I said earlier, very well received, and deservedly so.