My grandparents are pretty cool people. They’re the old people that are engaged and get out and do more stuff than I do. I’ve talked about my grandmother before in reviews mentioning her bluntness and glamour. I get my love of baking, fondness for black clothing and rhinestones and my love of red lipstick from her. I don’t think I’ve talked about my grandfather before. He’s in his 80’s and still rides his motorcycle around and when I say around, I mean he packs up the saddle bags and drives to the coast, driving thousands of miles. He has always been a hobbyist. His barn was filled with old Volkswagens, Triumphs, ultralite airplanes, antique motorcycles and bicycles with motors on them. As a kid, my cousins and I would go there and goof around with the tools, pretend we were flying to Europe like Amelia Earhart or riding a motorcycle across the Southwest “Easy Rider” style. I will always remember the smells of the barns and hanger. Lonestar Memories bottles these memories for me. Lonestar Memories doesn’t smell of my grandfather but it reminds me of him more than any other perfume.
Lonestar Memories opens up unusually but that’s its charm. It’s tarry and leathery, like Grandpa’s Pine Tar Soap. And it’s industrial. It reminds me of soldering wires and grandpa’s barn. And there’s something that reminds me of original Lysol or even the original Listerine. I think this Lysol association for me is a spicy geranium leaf note that verges on antiseptic. It’s smoky stuff; the birchtar isn’t subtle. With time, the soldering industrial smells mellow and I get aged cedar planks with a floral-herbal edge with a prevalent jasmine. I notice it much more than I thought I would. It’s an interesting mix with resins and cedar. The dry-down is a creamy, sweet tonka blend with dry, grassy vetiver.
*After finishing this review and adding my “round-up”, I noticed that Lonestar Memories reminds a lot of of my dear perfume bloggers of special men in their life. This appears to be a very nostalgic perfume for women. I know that it is for me.
Notes listed include geranium, carrot seed, clary sage, birchtar, cistus, jasmine, cedar wood, myrrh, tonka, vetiver, and sandalwood. Launch date 2006. PERFUMER – Andy Tauer
Give Lonestar Memories a try if you like leather scents. Or if you like perfumes like Tauer L’Air du Desert Marocain, Dior Leather Oud, Sonoma Scent Studio Fireside Intense, Slumberhouse Jeke and/or Justice Bodan Perfume. Lonestar Memories is unisex. But, I think it’s more masculine than feminine.
Projection and longevity are above average.
The 1.7 oz retails for $125 at Luckyscent and MIN New York. Samples are also available for purchase.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – A rugged, adventurous blend of smoky birchtar and leather with herbs. I imagine that this is a polarizing fragrance because of the smoke, industrial elements and the perfumer’s rather “aggressive” style. I think it’s one of Tauer’s best (close tie with L’Air du Desert Marocain). I remember when I first smelled Lonestar Memories and I thought, “This is what niche perfumery is all about”.
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What a GREAT story about your grandparents. I just think that it is amazing what a bottle of perfume can do. It unlocks doors in the mind and takes us on journeys along roads we never expected to travel. Lonestar Memories sounds like a journey I would like to take. Thanks so much for bringing this perfume to my attention.
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When I first smelled this, it was so familiar and it really did take me on a journey. Like I said, I sniffed this and thought, “this is what niche perfume is about”. It was unlike any other perfume I’ve ever smelled and it told a story. In my case, it was an autobiography but I know that it has the power to tell any story. And even if this isn’t exactly easy to wear, it does what I think niche perfume has the freedom to do – take a risk.
It’s a beautiful story to accompany a beautiful perfume. Lonestar Memories is one of a few Tauer’s perfumes that behaves very nicely on my skin and I’ve just bought a 15 ml bottle of it from the Discovery Set.
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Oh, I’ve forgotten about that Discovery Set.
I think hubs wants to get a bottle of this for himself. And am I’ll for that 🙂
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