Top Notes 
Green notes
Citrus notes
Heart Notes 
Jasmine
Lily of the valley
Base Notes 
Musk
01/10/2013
Sherapop
1239 Reviews
Sherapop
Helpful Review
5
A light and watery, gentle gardenia
I saved GARDENIA PETALE for last in my journey through the Van Cleef & Arpels Collection Extraordinaire, in part because gardenia perfumes vary so much, from sharp, shrill and aggressive to smooth, buttery, and creamy. It's not that I thought that this particular rendition would fall into the former category, but I guess that I'm never really sure what to expect from gardenia perfumes. I found, for example, Chanel's to be a bit hard to take.
Another reason why gardenia is never something I rush to try is simply that it has been done so many times, and already by so many so well: MARC JACOBS and KAI being two of my favorites. So how is this recent contender in the congested category of gardenia soliflores?
GARDENIA PETALE does manage to offer a new take on the gardenia, it seems to me. I find this composition to be neither sharp, shrill, and aggressive, nor smooth, buttery, and creamy! Instead, GARDENIA PETALE seems very light and aqueous to me, like gardenia petals floating gently in a sparkling pool of water out in the wilderness somewhere. It's a very nice presentation of gardenia, and I also detect quite a bit of greenish lily of the valley here, as though some tiny bells and leaves were sprinkled among the floating gardenia petals.
Well done, Van Cleef & Arpels!
Another reason why gardenia is never something I rush to try is simply that it has been done so many times, and already by so many so well: MARC JACOBS and KAI being two of my favorites. So how is this recent contender in the congested category of gardenia soliflores?
GARDENIA PETALE does manage to offer a new take on the gardenia, it seems to me. I find this composition to be neither sharp, shrill, and aggressive, nor smooth, buttery, and creamy! Instead, GARDENIA PETALE seems very light and aqueous to me, like gardenia petals floating gently in a sparkling pool of water out in the wilderness somewhere. It's a very nice presentation of gardenia, and I also detect quite a bit of greenish lily of the valley here, as though some tiny bells and leaves were sprinkled among the floating gardenia petals.
Well done, Van Cleef & Arpels!
Jazzy76
