Lys du Desert

I knew nothing about the back story or concept creation of this fragrance when I reviewed Lys du Desert. I always test fragrances blind - literally - usually wearing a first class Qantas mask. I don't want to be influenced by marketing hype, hue, bottle, brand, story etc. I like to rely solely on my nose and the story it tells me. First impressions - I was transported to the Middle East, rather than to an LA desert. Top notes are edible and moreish. Praline and almond halva, cherry cough syrup and vanilla. I also get turkish delight dusted with powder tempered by something warm and dry ---cedar! Very different from other reviewer's impressions. I love bergamot, but I wasn't get this note loud and clearly. It was lost in my memories of Moroccan dinner parties. Perhaps masquerading as orange blossom water, hence the halva connection above. But don't get me wrong - this is not a fruity, gourmand, sweet fragrance at all. Lys du Desert is dry, warm and woody with a hint of floral. It is not big and bold, but more a wall-flower fragrance (actually desert flower), which intrigues me as I want to smell more. As the scent opens up, the journey is gentle and follows a linear path. As it wears on, a musty silk underwear drawer smell I associate with grandma comes through (amber and powder) as does the dry cedar. I find this cozy and comforting. On my skin, Lys du Desert doesn’t last long. On the tester card, possibly 48 hours. Which is a bummer. Under normal circumstances I would advise against purchasing a scent that lacks longevity. But as I liked the opening so much, I let this rule fly out the window and bought a bottle anyway. Perfume spraydown: Arid, dusty and softly spoken. Like a silent cowgirl on the range. This fragrance has all the makings of a 9/10. But because of poor longevity and the fact I need to top this baby up every couple of hours, it’s a 6.5/10 from me.

Just to crystallize exactly what is going on here, Lys du Desert is a culmination of two fragrances for me and was probably created with their popularity in mind. I'm a keen lover of dance music, specifically Drum n Bass and this sort of thing reminds me of the remix culture in dance music. The art of refreshing or more aptly in this case, sometimes an artist has two tracks that adhere to a very particular sound. Then then make a mash up of these two tracks which then becomes its own entity. This is exactly what has happened here. hmmmmm...I wonder if you can tell from the name? Yes it's ...L'air du Desert Marocain crossed with another Tauer perfume L'eau D'epices. This mixture effectively creates the smell of Creed Royal English Leather or Knize Ten. And I've only just (this minute as I write this) noticed the perfumer responsible is Andy Tauer....How silly of me for not realizing! Kind of destroys the idea that Luckyscent really worked hard to create a perfume to 'Represent LA'. I know a lot of these briefs are meaningless when you like the fragrance (and I do) but I kinda enjoy the romantic idea that perfumery is art and as such the artists actually try to give their craft some meaning. Quite simply the top notes are a spicy waft of creamy warm spices of LDDM then it turns into the sweet ambergris of L'eau D'epices. Then the drydown sort of seesaws between them becoming an exact mixture of those two elements, heavy intoxicating amber then slightly floral and light breeziness. I'll be honest...It's wonderful. I wasn't quite convinced by L'eau epices but this reigns that accord back a little and becomes more like Tauers other creations. Real quality, Good subtle sillage, strong but not intrusive and expected longevity. If you like Tauer and the two aforementioned scents then you can't go wrong with this one.

Lys Du Desert is amazing! It is shocking how much it actually smells like the desert. I can't speak for the smell of Maghreb, but I did live in SoCal awhile and this reminds me of walks in the dusty hills behind Pasadena with the yuccas and powdery yellow clouds poufing up from the ground around every step in the incredible heat. I haven't been back in awhile and on first whiff of this stuff it transported me right back there. I would have never remembered this smell if it wasn't for smelling Lys Du Desert. Smells of dry hot sweetness, of plants so hearty to bake in the heat you smell them like a sage smudge burning. Then there is a muskiness in there, the smell of your own skin baking in the sun as sweat drips down your neck, yet it is all so beautiful. Those incredible few plants that can live there despite the heat, you can smell that and you can smell the blaze of the sun and you can smell yourself in it all. I have the other Decennials but this one is so incredible for me that I just can't get past it to enjoy the others. Fantastic stuff!

This is yet another masterpiece from the Tauer line. It reminds me of my favorite Tauer, No. 2 but it is a warm, buttery version. I am gravitating towards the cedar freshness but there is something vanilla-like that keeps it contained. This fragrance would be worn when I put on my "glad rags" and step out for a night on the town. Well since a night on the town is out of the question, I will enjoy this when trying to make a good first impression, to lull myself to sleep, or to work proudly sporting my thoughts on my sleeve, "Eat your hearts out!" Thank you to my secret swap pal for gifting me a large decant of this fabulous beauty. This is yet another one of Tauer's Finest!

-Come on, it's getting late. -Gimme a couple of minutes. I wanna savour this dazzling mixture a little longer. -What dazzling mixture? -The one created by sand, sunscreen, iodine, sweat and brine... -Are you nuts? It's been a week since we've returned from the island! We're in the middle of the city! -Then why do I smell it? -Because I'm wearing it! Most Greeks and everyone who has spent a single summer day in a crowded Greek beach, will know exactly what I'm talking about...