L’Air du Désert Marocain Noir

10/10 for me. this is by far the best of the three, but it most closely resembles the original, it's a smoother and richer version of the original, the development and evolution goes on for hours, some have called it dark, cold leather, I disagree there is plenty of warmth and light. and a touch of sweetness that never gets cloying. tranquil, contemplative masterpiece.

I love Andy’s perfumes, but at $340 for 50ml (equating to $680 for a full 100ml bottle), I think he’s finally reached the “need to pass on this one” price point, at least for me. Glad it’s not a “limited edition”, so discounts may be possible in the future. Thanks to MiniMMM for the tariff explanation...such a shame and a mess my country has gotten itself into!

This is my reductive assessment qua comparison - the three variants of the desert theme have different foci. L’Air du Desert Marocain is cedar, Au Coeur is patchouli, and Noir is labdanum. These differences are especially apparent when you smell them side by side.

Like the original 02 LdDM but heavier, with a noticeable amber base and a slightly animalic edge. Not as fresh and sparkling. But stronger and lasts longer.

@joyjoy Greater than 90% of the price increase is because of tariffs. That's what's going on here. And you know who to thank for that. And it's not Biden.

It’s what LDDM was meant to be in all its glory!!

A blast of herbs sandwiched between dry woods and fresh spices, with an ambery undertone. An evocative desert bazaar unmistakably like the original, where this differs is a more intense amber accord and strong animalic top note. That note has the woody and camphorous funk of oud at first but reveals itself as more of a dry, rough leather once the opening settles. Warm, dry, aromatic, leathery. Like Andy Tauer made an oopsie batch of LDDM splashed with Lonestar Memories. Strong projection for 3-4hr, longevity 16hr+. More similar to the original than Au Coeur du Desert, which pushes the amber in a more balsamic syrupy sweet direction. This just smells like a leathery LDDM with the woods and amber ticked up half a notch. While neither of its older siblings are performance slouches, this is the longest-lasting of the trio.

This is a very powerful fragrance. The spices are intense and immediately noticeable, with a slightly anxious licorice-like or anise note that gives it character. At first, it felt too strong and masculine for my taste, but as it dries down, the softer, sweeter side comes through — I believe from the amber. Since I’m a lover of strong perfumes, it started to grow on me, and now I find it quite wearable, even feminine in a bold way, despite its overall spicy, masculine profile. The price might be a little on the high side, but the quality is truly excellent.

L’Air du Désert Marocain remains the true point of innovation — a refined balance of dry desert air, warm resins, and radiant transparency. Its strength lies in restraint and harmony. Noir approaches the composition from a darker angle, adding depth and weight. While this brings a more intense character, it inevitably softens the airy elegance and subtle luminosity that defined the original. The result is not inferior, but different — denser, more shadowed, and less ethereal than the masterpiece that came first.

Transportative. I've not tried any of the others in this line, but this is everything I hoped it would be from the name. Dry yet resinous, vibes of frankincense and myrrh, airy incense and spice. High quality ingredients, masterful blending and this extrait is long lasting on skin. Exotic and mesmerizing.

So clearly any take/flanker/alt version of Tauer's fantastic apotheosis L'air du desert Marocain is going to garner both praise and ridicule, either from beloved fans, hungry for more of what they love, or equally unhappy with the changes, it's unlikely people who weren't fans of LDDM are going to like this noir given the basis will be very similar but new fans could be enamoured all over again, 20 odd years after the original and clearly there's commercial reasons behind rebooting your best seller! (I assume it is) So...the 'Noir' aspect seems like a trope at first but when you think about it, this moniker is actually more fitting in this context, like the desert by night is actually a thing and contrasting the day one is an inspired idea. Smelling it though and I'm slightly disappointed. Sorry guys, sorry Andy. To me the contrast doesn't appeal, however I have to say the changes do 'work' with the existing gubbins of LDDM. The additions here are not me simply saying he's slapped something onto an existing base because it does have the feel of a reworked formula. Crudely speaking Noir adds a camphorous nature to proceedings. An opening which is bitter, green and yeah...really camphorous, could be from camphor itself or other sources like resins? High end frankincense can have this, many plants...patchouli, again labdanum, there's petitgrain listed in the notes, that could be a factor? Also I find amyris and sandalwood can have it too, most of this stuff already exists in the formula so either a shift in dosing or different naturals being used but something is deliberately giving this effect and it's a shame I don't like it. Camphor to me while interesting has an association, mothballs, menthol, stagnant water, eucalyptus, medicinal dressings, unsettling, bleak nature. Like I said though, I get why Andy has expanded into this region, it complements the creamy, dry spices and desert woody, resinous thing of LDDM. Many people like this effect and good luck to them, I just can't get onboard.

You can immediately make out the citrus biased spices, followed afterwards by a strong labdanum sensation that’s backed with ambery, woody, patchouli-esque sensation, in that order of intensity. Arguably, it’s just a smoother, a bit more intense version of LDDM, but with a hint of tart citrus on top of the profile as described before. I wouldn’t say it’s much different from LDDM, but it’s actually about the same or marginally more/less complex depending on how you look at it (also IMO, not any less complex than Au Coeur du Désert). It doesn’t fare far as a flanker/dupe of Magnetic Blend 1, but I don’t expect Andy Tauer to go into this realm with the intent of this perfume. Though, I’m not understanding why this isn’t significantly different from LDDM in a meaningful way other than intensity, in which case this could have been the main release. It’s a nicely done frag, as the profile stays the same throughout as I had described earlier, but it’s not particularly worth a FB for me.

Just tried this. It is not a huge departure from the OG, as Andy said, it's deeper, there's more emphasis on the Labdanum and it smells VERY strong (not that the OG needed to be stronger). I find it strange that Andy said there was more citrus in this, because to my nose is the opposite compared to the OG. This one is spicier and heavier. I kind wished it was a bit more different, since we already have au coeur du desert, so this feels a bit redundant. All in all, for almost double the price, I'll stick with the OG, is one of the best perfumes of all time.

a spicy citrus backed by jasmine and leather accords with an animalic woody base, honestly i dont personally like it very much but it isnt bad, a bit spicy and ambery for me decent performance and sillage but nothing crazy

Very similar to Au Coeur du Désert. Genuinely having a hard time telling the difference.

ONE MORE TIME WITH FILLING ★★☆☆☆ The last time I was here, I ordered Andy's famous Desert Air Macarons, but they were so dry they got stuck in my throat, LOL! (Read my review!) So when I heard that they made a new version with filling, I knew I had to come back and try it! The place was pretty packed and I had to wait about 40 minutes for a server to take my order. No biggie, I was armed with patience! He assured me I was in for a treat, but wouldn't tell me anything more. He returned presently, carrying a pentagonal plate made of thick blue glass. In its center was a single glossy black macaron filled with some sort of sticky black goo that looked and smelled like shoe polish. I eyed it hesitantly and took a bite ... then spat it out immediately! ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING!!! Bewildered, I asked the server what was in the filling and he calmly replied that it was black pudding made from Cleopatra's rehydrated menstrual blood. WTF!? At first I thought he was joking, but no ... Apparently, it's this incredibly rare and precious ingredient that Andy found at the Souk El Had in Agadir. Well, IT'S NOT AN UPGRADE! Oh, and the best part? The price is 13,95 € per macaron or 225 € for the whole box! That's camel-shit crazy!!! HORRIBLE experience! I feel violated! (I still gave them two stars because the macaron itself was actually pretty decent, I only hated the filling.) 🎵 Igorrr - Downgrade Desert

@castingshadows87 Did you do a side-by-side comparison? On skin? Was the blood fresh? 😄 Let's try your suggestion now! I just happen to have a piece of palo santo lying around ... *sniff, sniff* It smells softer, creamier, less pungent (camphoraceous) ... it's also simpler: no herbal or mineral facets, no stuffy spices and no dark ambery underbelly. I wish Noir smelled like this! 😔 By the way, why is it an 8.5/10, when you've had nothing but praise for it? Where did it lose those points? 🤨

No this does not smell like period blood. Nor does it smell like a designer fragrance. In fact this doesn’t even smell mainstream. Instead most of those around me have commented this smells like Palo Santo wood. Like the actual wood when smelled from afar. To my nose I’m immediately greeted with a sort of medicinal patchouli, slightly camphorated, with tendrils of smoked spices and citrus kissed woods. Is there modern elements here? Absolutely. This feels much more quality than buying something like a Roja or Xerjoff and still has the hallmarks of the indie artisan charm Tauer is known for. At $289 it’s expensive yes but honestly most fragrances are these days. As LDDMNoir dries down you get an incredible patchouli driven amber with spicy woods and gentle sweetness. This is devoid of any off notes. Overall the projection is uncanny. Two small sprays fills a room. 12 hours later I can still smell the fragrance radiating from my forearm and chest where I sprayed. Overall this is a modern take on LDDM and the darker aspects of the woods reads like true to form unlit palo Santo for the first several hours. The gentle sweetness in the base is never cloying and the synth ambergris accord is used expertly. The whole fragrance is well blended. This is a 8.5/10 for me. Overall it’s a crowd pleaser in the right crowd aka people within alternative spaces. Office workers might not enjoy it but I don’t mingle in that sort of environment.

It’s a transformer of a fragrance, I can def say that much..During the first 20 min, I mistaked the sweet lemon listed & thought orange before looking here, & Thought at first Ugh!! He’s mixing a blue fragrance with it kinda like Amouage did with Silver Oud when they done King Blue...But it dissapeared & about an hour and half later it’s didn’t feel that way any longer on me, The incense seems stronger kind of taking away from that resinous amber. The leather is there, But instead of Lonestar Memories that I own & know very well, Which is just sweet resinous smoky amber & If contains any incense, It’s Very little Vs This thing here being high on the churchy incense with leather & sort of animalic tinge..I wouldn’t have thought leather animalics & incense would work that well, But Andy is a genius & It does. I actually like it , But will stick to my Lonestar Memories & would get other similar ones from the house over this one on account of more incense along with the other notes added in this one making this a step back with this here

Oh Andy, I dont know how he does it. Such a raw talent it takes to continuously make masterfully blended complex and beautiful perfumes on a regular basis. Blasted with bright incense, bergamot and petitgrain, labdanum, carraway, patchouli, vetiver, texas cedar and pine, enveloped by cumin, cinnamon and cardamom, and rounded out by sweet vanillin this is a true masterpiece. Whatever you liked about the original is still here, still dry, lightly smoked and subtly animalic but rounded in a more palatable way to the masses , and I mean that in no negative sense what so ever. This is genuine skilled perfumery to the max, and it lasts and lasts as it grips your skin and never lets go. 9/10 Go Andy!