Last week I posted about a creamy white floral perfume comprising tuberose and jasmine notes. I can think of many favourite scents featuring/starring both of those white florals. But it’s another heady white floral that I struggle with mightily. I’ve never found one gardenia-dominant perfume I would wish for.
Perhaps, subconsciously in a narrow-minded way, I associate gardenia fragrances with being too feminine. But I don’t think so, as one might associate jasmine and tuberose with femininity, and I never have an issue with those particular florals. It must just be the way the note is conveyed in perfumery. It’s a hard note to nail, and none are particularly to my liking.
I’ve tried many of the “usual suspects” regarding gardenia fragrances. I didn’t get on with the two Tom Fords due to the overdose of musk, tuberose, and honey notes. Velvet Gardenia became too medicinal and overly sweet. And despite the name, Venetian Bergamot’s fresh opening burns away, leaving a soapy, musky mess behind. The musk in this Tom Ford made it screechy and unbearable. Casablanca Lily suffers the same fate as Velvet Gardenia – too sweet due to an overdose of honey. La Panthere and its woody, earthy gardenia notes bring the Narciso Rodriguez in the white cube to mind. But I’m unconvinced that gardenia is the main protagonist. It’s the best of these four, though.
I like most of Gardénia Antigua by Armani Prive, but the dry down leaves me cold. Armani lists ambergris in the base. I say it’s Ambroxan – artificial and offputting. Elie Saab’s range always hits the mark for me, but not Essence No. 2 Gardenia. And again, it’s the synthetic woody base. I’ll need to revisit Narciso, but I recall a sharpness in the far dry down. The biggest disappointment, though, is Chanel’s Gardenia. The dry down lacked character, and the perfume lacked gardenia.
Here are four I think I’ve yet to try. Three are from brands I know and respect. Santa Maria Novella and Tauer rarely disappoint me, and their Gardenia and Sotto La Luna Gardenia intrigue me. I don’t know if Une Voix Noire from Serge Lutens is still in production, but I’ll seek out a sample if it is. Those bell jars are costly, however. And finally, the note pyramid of Isabey’s Sir Gallahad seems like a winner with potential tobacco and woody facets. Somewhere, I’m sure I have a sample of this. I need to locate it.
Although a gardenia perfume remains elusive, I love the flowers and their accompanying scent. Fortunately, gardenia flowers grow well in the heat and humidity here in Queensland. I had quite a few growing in my garden earlier in the year. Their fresh spicy tropical creamy scent is most noticeable in the evening around dusk. Here are a few more photos of my gardenias.
I’ve got enough fragrances anyway. But it would be nice to round out the collection with a gardenia scent. I’m looking for a more animalic, rough, and ready gardenia rather than a soapy one. For now, though, I’ll stick to my good old garden variety gardenias. What’s a note you struggle with? Do you have any suggestions for a gardenia scent? What are your favourites?
Note: All photos are my own.