Andy Tauer Orange Star Review

In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.

I said, "Is it good, friend?"
"It is bitter - bitter," he answered;
"But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart."

In the desert by Stephen Crane

This was one of my favourite poems as a teenager, which probably tells you more than you'd care to know about the teenage me (with apologies once again to my parents for all the tiresomeness).  Wearing Andy Tauer's Orange Star brought memories of this poem rushing back.

I was lucky enough to win Orange Star from a draw on the excellent Persolaise blog http://persolaise.blogspot.com run in conjunction with the UK Tauer stockist, Scent and Sensibility www.scent-and-sensibility.co.uk.

On my skin, Orange Star is so green that it is almost bitter, but I like it. It has an intensely green and savoury note in the drydown on my skin, and I can't think how it does it from the listed notes; on my skin it almost smells like a vetiver/orris note, and reminds me of the similar chord in Maison Martin Margiela Untitled or Ormonde Jayne Orris Noir. I suppose it might be from the lemongrass mixing with some of the other listed notes, but it's quite curious. This isn't an aspect of the fragrance that I've read in other reviews of Orange Star, so I'd be interested to know if anyone else has experienced it.

I get the mandarin and clementine citrus hit in the opening, followed by a soapiness (presumably from the aldehyde in the formula) which mellows into the floral heart. The base of the fragrance is warm and spicy with the ambergris, vanilla and tonka, but still has the bitter green note that I can't quite put my finger on.

On my skin this isn't a clear and sparkly citrus, nor is it the orange popsicle that an orange/vanilla combination might evoke. There's citrus, but it's complex and interesting, and I like it all the more because it's a little bit dark and the evolution of it on my skin is unexpected. The longevity is also extremely good and I'd recommend testing to check if you like this before spraying liberally; one or two squirts give me a full twelve or more hours of fragrance. After a full day the bitter note has faded substantially, but the warm and resinous amber base remains, still with a breath of clementine.

Orange Star also recently won the FIFI UK award for the best niche perfume of 2010.