Fragrantica reviews Tagetes homme & Tagetes femme

Scented Snippets: EnVoyage Perfumes Tagetes Homme and Femme

12/29/12 13:51:55

By: Ida Meister

Consider the humble marigold, also known as tagetes. There is a treasure trove of lore and legend surrounding this simple ancient blossom which is beloved in many cultures.

Is it the Nepalese “hundred leafed flower” worn in garlands at weddings and for purposes of worship, emblematic of eternal life and transformation? Gold of the Virgin Mary? The pre-Hispanic Mexican flower of the dead? One of the Ukraine’s oldest national symbols, celebrated in song and story? Or is it a botanical pest, a perennial plant which grows and spreads and takes over the garden?

There are French, African, Indian, South American marigolds—ones who smell/taste minty, anisic, lemony.  Shelley Waddington, the nose behind the perfumes, utilizes Indian marigold in her latest perfume duet. One fragrant voice sings in an intentionally virile articulation while its beloved intones in a rounder and more fleshy timbre. Male and female she created them; one chooses that which fits with glovelike surety.  

TAGETES HOMME:
Indian marigold, French violet leaf, American Southwestern sage
Amber resin, green heartwood, Canadian cedar, Singapore patchouli
Dark amber, myrrh, olibanum, Spanish labdanum, vetiver

Tagetes Homme opens with a moist green herbal quality which feels tonic and joyful. The undergrowth, however, soon makes its presence known: it is alive, extravagantly woody and sings of earth, soil and shadow.  What was once moist now begins to feel drier underfoot and more secretive. I feel that the overlap between heart and base is significant, as this fragrance is deeply resinous and base-laden [a quality I readily enjoy]. It is tenacious and clings to the skin for hours [bear in mind that my sample is a vial, so I can only imagine what effect a spritz might have]. I see all genders enjoying the complex mystery of this perfume—but for men who will only wear woody, this is an excellent choice.  


TAGETES FEMME:
Indian marigold, Italian bergamot, blackcurrant buds
Tunisian orange blossom, vanilla, white sage, rose absolute
Modern fruity musks, sandalwood, resins, tonka, patchouli
 
Tagetes Femme is sunny and sparkling with the tang that cassis imparts so graciously. There is a lovely playful character which leads to a fleshy, voluptuous floral heart, round and sensuous. The seraglio would be an apt description.   


Indian marigolds  

The sense is of dressing in sari and not salwar kameez; our luscious heart nestles itself among overstuffed silken cushions of sweet resins blended with a judicious caress of patchouli. Fruity musks enhance the theme begun by the topnotes, resembling an A-B-A structure of composition. This lends a satisfying completeness and cohesiveness to the fragrance. There are no rough edges, astringency, raspiness to be found: all is well and substantively beautiful, curvaceous and finely honed.   
Tagetes Homme and Femme provide a yin/yang experience and a great deal of contemplative and sensual pleasure. It is in the drydown where all the elements commingle and reveal their true loveliness.

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