Tar

The 1st time I tried Tar, I was completely blown away - a spell was cast and I was immediately smitten! I was compelled to write that mini review and buy a bottle all on the same day of first smelling that sample vial. Now, about a year on - I'm still totally in love with it; It's a dark & complex take on gourmand - sweet, herbal, boozy, woody, smoky, smooth but also rough & spiky.... There's just so much beautiful chaos going on adding to its magic. Trying to dissect it and only talking about the notes wont do it justice, Tar is an enchanting gothic fairy tale bottled, I imagine its what Hansel & Gretal - and all of the less fortunate children before them breathed in whilst peeking through & kicking at the Witches window, the heavenly intoxicating scent, welcoming them inside with an almost suffocatingly toasty-warm hypnotic embrace. Inside the candied cabin is a bubbling cauldron overflowing with a delicious bittersweet sticky potion, a river of thick black nectar oozing over the sides and encapsulating the smooth hot metal, shiny dark globules dripping onto the dancing flames below. Each crackle with the slow dripping beat, every sizzle and bubbling pop, harmonise in a sweet lullaby, a sirens song drawing you closer with promises to quench all of your desires 'just come inside child, fill your gut and rest your weary head'. You know someone is lurking, you know you probably shouldn't go near - you see the violent splashes of the dark delicious poison jumping from the cauldron ready to capture & smoother you - but the smell! Oh dear lord, that smell! - unlike anything you've smelt before, the smokey wafts entices with whispered promises of filling your empty stomach and making you fat; It's cast its spell and you cant resist, there's no escaping now

Breaking down what notes I smell feels like an irrelevant task given the whole of the perfume is so gorgeous. BUT It's so light despite having notes that generally read as heavy- such as wood, coffee, caramel. The aldehydes give it some kind of whooshing tunnel effect, not like a suction of air but more of a long-winded blast of air. The forced air churns out each note one after another in succession, in a constant cycle, in each sniff. So it's like, so fast and it smells like one actual thing and not a bunch of individual things. It's so hard to describe, I hope I'm making sense. The pineapple pulls the smoke up to the top and rounds it all off, like how a whiff of gasoline feels good to inhale. The anis and liqorice are there just strong enough that you're vividly sensing the color of the tar, blackness. I'm just so impressed. Such a gorgeous interpretation of what hot tar on asphalt smells like. But also how it's a viscous liquid or unstable sticky solid. Reminds me of a 4th of July I walked a parade on hot asphalt and it was stuck all over my red sequined heels.

I've said it before but I will wear almost anything by Miguel Matos because every sniff is a tiny olfactory story. I know you may think I'm crazy for describing Tar with its licorice, smoke and coffee notes as a summer scent, but hear me out. The tar in this scent is not asphalt but the heat of a beautiful gothic summer. I get anise, sweet bergamot, lavender and dusty-musty oregano. It's a grown up Wednesday Addams slinking through Provence and Santorini in a wide-brimmed hat and rumpled black linen. I imagine her sitting in cafes with maroon-smudged lips, taking in the beauty around her with seeming impassivity, but what is really deep meditation. A special scent worth wearing for your own enjoyment and reflection. ❤

Dear Fragrantica Friends, Just tried “Tar” for the first time today. This perfume somehow triggered a forgotten memory about my grandfather’s liquor cabinet. He had a big varnished palisander cabinet in his study. Inside he would keep precious liquorous wines and all sorts of sweet drinks. If I close my eyes now I can almost see him opening it and pouring some anisette into a small crystal glass. And smiling. Beautiful scent... I’m not sure if will be able to wear it but I imagine thay in the right context this can be explosive... Miguel’s talent is out of this world.

I mostly get a creamy, caramelised anise with some licorice- and it's fucking beautiful & intoxicating! I definitely need to get myself a full bottle

The black pieces are just decoration, like small pieces of solid tar :) But they are innofensive beads.

I have finally got my hands on this. The notes and the story sounded so alluring that it was worth a blind-buy (also, thank you, Miguel, for the recommendation). The fragrance is, indeed, very dark; but, unlike the real tar the smell of which can be oxygen-depriving when combined with a hot and humid climate, it has this addictive – almost narcotic – sweet and boozy nuance produced by licorice, star anise, rum, tonka bean, and caramel. Unquestionable these take the centerstage of the experience! What a miraculous mixture! This evokes the images of a campfire. Imagine holding black licorice against the hungry flames. Imagine how the flames are melting the black substance, turning it from a solid into a viscous liquid state. The scent is invigorating and warming. The whole setting is surrounded by woods and wild herbs and flowers (yes, the lavender and oregano are noticeable in the background). When the sweetness dies down, tobacco and patchouli make an appearance, while maintaining the smoky sensation. It's crazy how these seemingly incompatible notes can work so well together. Another great offering from Miguel Matos which does not disappoint in its performance. Bravo!

I LOVE TAR! I am finding it curiously addictive, and it lasts forever on my skin, which can often eat perfume! The shiny black caramelized Licorice is what seems to spread itself around me all day. Here are the rich and surprising notes, from the MM website. Top Notes: Licorice, Rosewood, Bergamot, Pineapple, Aldehydes, Anise Middle Notes: Smoke, Lily of the Valley, Cinnamon, Ylang Ylang, Oregano, Lavender, Rum Base Notes: Patchouli, Musk, Tobacco, Tonka Bean, Caramel, Coffee, Oud, Animalic Notes, Opoponax Honestly I can't pick any of them out, except for the Licorice and Anice, but it is clear that they are augmented, amplified and metamorphosed by the florals, herbe, spices, and fruit (!) in this extremely unusual and delicious composition. Look at all those base notes! This is my kind of black perfume, bravo!

Is this still in production? I was reading somewhere it is discontinued. I am really curious to try it out.

What are these black pieces inside the bottle?