Sniff Fest - Gardenias

Thought I'd sneak in this short sniff fest while I'm pondering my challenging Guerlain one. In search of the loveliest gardenias, I've so far collected these. Are they the potential best? Any additions?

Amouage
Honour Woman

Bvlgari
Jasmin Noir (Eau de Parfum)

Creed
Fleurs de Gardenia (2006)

Estēe Lauder
Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia

Guerlain
Cruel Gardénia

IFF
Secret Smelling 2016 - Dominique Ropion

Isabey
Gardénia / Le Gardénia

Jar Parfums
Jardenia

Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs

Roja Parfums
Gardenia (2016) (Parfum)

Serge Lutens
Une voix noire

Tom Ford
Velvet Gardenia

Tuvaché
Jungle Gardenia

Also if I can find them:

Penhaligon’s Gardenia
Chanel Gardenia
Annick Gourtal Gardenia Passion
Annick Goutal Un Matin d’Orage
Dana Classic Gardenia
Isabey Panouage
Jovan Island Gardenia
Yves Rocher Pur de Desir de Gardenia
Elizabeth Taylor Gardenia
Versace Crystal Noir
Miss Dior Cherie L’Eau
Michael Kors Very Hollywood
Van Clef & Arpels …Gardenia Petale 
Michele Bergman Black Gardenia
Marc Jacobs Marc Jacob
Roberto Cavali Edp
by Killian voulez vous coucher avec moi
Amouage ceil woman
L de Luin EdP

Creed
Fleurs de Gardenia

Penhaligon's
Gardenia

Puredistance
Opardu (after a few hours)

Les Parfums de Rosine
Rose d'Été

Avon
Rare Diamonds (light, cold flowers)

Histoires de Parfums
Vert Pivoine (fresh, cold, young, with pale flowers)

Ramon Monegal
Cotton Musk (milk + flowers)

Torre de Tuscany
Corpi Caldi (shower gel + flowers)

YOSH
Whiteflowers oil (so sad base, so joyless, sober base..., still wonderful fragrance)

Thanks, Tar! I ordered some from Aedes, which means waiting, waiting.

The JAR one is great indeed but the best one in my opinion is Bogue profumo, Gardelia

I sure wish it were available, but thanks for mentioning this brand I haven't explored. I'm scooping up Maai blind. Will resume this thread shortly.

GARDENIA



Is one of the big white florals. With its luxurious but slightly vegetal air, it holds the middle ground between those usually inducing a swoon (Jasmine, Tuberose and Orange Blossom) and those sometimes causing a retch (Narcissus, Hyacinth, Lily of the Valley). If i were to rank them in terms of their potential to exude swampiness, it would be: Narcissus, Hyacinth, Lily of the Valley, Gardenia, Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Tuberose. Wow, wonder if there's a fragrance with all seven? Doing an Advanced Search…apparently just one, Chiari Boni. Let's detour and have a sniff of the sample I obtained.

Chiara Boni
Diana de Silva Cosmetiques - Milano, Italy

Milan and I have lots of history. I've visited at least three times, setting parts of two novels there. I visited The Galleria there, the first one ever—built in 1875. I broke my foot there, causing an ambulance to take me, a tourist, to an emergency room where I was x-rayed and put in a temporary cast, free of charge. Anybody listening, USA?? I didn't have to risk losing my house. The same free care would have happened in London or Paris, had I been there. Okay, right, we're smelling perfume.

Chiara Boni is a light, lovely thing, the indoles tamed by woods in the base, and by musk, amber and benzoin. The enigmatic top contains green notes, fruity ones, orange blossom and bergamot. That's where the Gardenia is. It lingers through the wonderful drydown. The other florals are in the heart, including ylang-ylang. This scent is subtly floral, subtly sweet and doesn't offend the nose or standers-by. Released in the 90's Chiara Boni perfumes seem discontinued, though I note a number of knock-out Chiara Boni gowns over at Saks, Neimans and such. Back to Gardenia.

Indigenous to China and Japan, now most prevalent in the tropics and subtropics of Asia, Africa, Madgascar, and Australia, Gardenia is the flower of Rubiaceae, an evergreen plant in the coffee family. Of its hundreds of varieties, the most popular is Gardenia Jasminoides (so named because of its resemblance to jasmine). It's also called Gardenia grandiflora.

Here are some Gardenia facts. In the Chinese herbal pharmacopeia, Gardenia fruit (Zhi Zi) is widely used. Gardenias were named after an 18th century physician, botanist and zoologist named Alexander Garden, who actually made no contribution regarding the flower itself. It was an honor reluctantly bestowed on him by Carl Linneaus (Swedish guy who developed the biological classification system we use). Gardenias became Billie Holliday's signature by accident when a curling iron burned her hair one night. A friend rushed to a local florist and brought back Gardenias. Gardenia is the national flower of Pakistan. Okay, that's enough.

Among the 45 samples I've slowly collected for months and months and months, are some of the oldest Gardenia perfumes in our database, particularly the entrancing Jungle Gardenia by Tuvache (at least I hope that's what I have). Another standout is the mesmerizing Gardelia by Bogue, of which only 50 were made. No, I haven't swung $950 for a bottle. I have only a tiny sample. The mere act of slightly cracking the vial's top released such a joyous smell it caused moaning. More on this later.

First, re-smelling pure Gardenia from my Perfumery Notes kit as an olfactory reference. [Note to self: don't let hubby tighten perfume notes bottle caps.] Ah, gardenia. You vegetal treasure. This is surely the grandiflora, found in gardens and, if I'm not mistaken, my high school prom wrist corsage. It is captivating. It is dignified. Will keep it handy to comparison sniff.

Now to discover which perfumers put Gardenia to the most intoxicating use.

Back soon.

My favorite gardenia is Jovan Island Gardenia. It's the closest thing to the gardenias in my nan's yard that I can find. I also love the Gardenia note in Tom Ford's Black Orchid and The Elizabeth Taylor Gardenia is a nice green gardenia. Elizabeth Taylor Diamonds and Emeralds has a lovely, creamy gardenia in the dry down. I still haven't unpacked most of my perfumes but if you PM me with your address and a list of any samples you want from my collection I'll mail them as soon as I get them unpacked. Gardenia is one of my favorite notes on me so I have many scents with that note. Check the different folders in my collection and I'll send you samples of anything you want.

Here's a lovely excerpt from a poem by Eileen M Ghali entitled "The Scent of Your Feelings,"

The fragrance of gardenia
When you are tender, sweet
Gentle and serene
Tranquility showing through
In the gardenia scent of you

Where to start with the sniffs? Alphabetical order seems uninspired. I think I'll begin with what I expect are the reigning queens of the solifore, Gardenia. Decided to listen to Billie Holliday as I sniff.

Jungle Gardenia
Tuvaché

If this is the jungle, I'm going. What a beauty, redolent with oakmoss, musk and other florals supporting the main gardenia note. It is sultry and deep and mesmerizing. On ebay I bought what I thought was a small bottle, but when it arrived the name Tuvaché was nowhere on the label, thank you very much. Anybody recognize the bottle?



So I rustled up a sample from one of the good sample houses. How to conjure 1932, the year Jungle Gardenia was designed? That's when the Lindbergh baby was kidnapped, when Amelia Earhart flew the Atlantic, when the DOW bottomed in the Great Depression, and the Bonus Army marched on Washington, D.C. hungry WWI vets demanding the money they'd been promised. FDR was elected to the first of his four terms that year (he died during the last one) and helped end the depression and feed everyone.

Prohibition was still underway so we're talking Speakeasies. That's surely one of the places where Jungle Gardenia would have been found, wafting from the neck of a lady vamping next to a guy in a top hat. Likely her gown, low-cut fore and aft, had thin straps that crossed in an X on her back—high fashion, suggestive, but still ladylike. No woman whose husband was in the Bonus Army could afford to wear this.

Who designed this legendary perfume? American playwright, Bernardine de Tuvaché (originally Bernardine Angus), who in her travels became fascinated by perfume oils she encountered, having developed an interest in her youth. At one time her fragrances sold for up to $100 (just just over $1,000 in today's terms, like the next perfume to be reviewed. Because she didn't like that perfumes were "being marketed with a 'sexy' angle," Tuvaché went for gorgeously sedate in this perfume and little projection which to me means no civet and such or, believe me, men would have been throwing themselves at the feet of a woman who wore this.

Gardelia
Bogue
I am not buying this fragrance, I am not buying it.

Only 50 bottles exist. They are numbered. They each cost $950. At the merest whiff as I cracked the vial, I started moaning and had to restrain myself from grabbing my laptop and plucking down the requested 900 and a half Benjamins. Pay the man, I thought. He deserves it. It might inspire him to make another one like this. Let me try to share the bliss my nose felt. Gardelia dares what Jungle Gardenia would not. Civet. It makes the flowers purr. It has gardenia, primarily of course, but is joined by a court of florals divine, mixed with a dab of cognac. Never would have thought of that. The brilliant perfumer, Antonio Gordoni, has turned flowers into an olfactory inebriant. I am not buying this perfume. Or maybe I will. Let's see. We're not going to need to fix the roof, the HVAC's in good shape, we don't need new cars, shucks, I shouldn't have made that donation to my alma mater! (slapping self back to sanity). Once having smelled this mesmerizing perfume, it's theoretically possible to live without it, I think. Here's how. When your decant runs out, you can buy another one and stay supplied with Gardelia that way. However, if you're enslaved by a beautiful perfume, if you adore its bottle and just want to own it for goodness sake, and if you don't need your roof fixed this year, go ahead. But don't buy the last bottle! Okay? Please, please! Just in case money unexpectedly falls from the sky, or I lose my mind.
Jardenia
JAR

OMG! Why did I ever decide to do this sniff fest? Here's what happened when I applied some to my wrist. Eyes closed automatically. Jardenia bent me over backward in my desk chair like a crazy person, nose to wrist, sniffing in ecstacy. Phooey, phooey darn. Can you even buy this thing anymore? It's got a quirky note I love! What is it? The notes aren't listed. Isn't that a felony? Gardenia, of course, but nutmeg? No, Osthmanthus? No. Cistus? Orris? Okay, this is going to make me sniff my entire perfumery notes kit. Quickly checked, it might be Orris. An internet search? Somebody on fragrantica says "blue cheese." Nope. Jardenia is a perfume that makes me deeply regret not having become a perfumista sooner. Only now do I learn that JAR stands for Joel Arthur Rosenthal, son of a Bronx postal worker and a biology teacher, who graduated Harvard and went to Paris where he ultimately became a jeweler extraordinaire then a genius perfumer who in the mid 80's (when, oh fig, I was in Paris every 5 seconds!) took the world of scent by storm from his small shop on 14 Rue de Castiglione? Seriously into privacy and doing exactly as he pleases, JAR said in a rare interview, “Other people’s ideas of reality don’t get in my way...I’d rather fail my way than succeed the way you told me.” My sentiments exactly! He created only 7(?) unique fragrances for which he didn't release the notes. My mind will never discover if it's orris butter, but my nose will. I'll keep sniffing until I know. Hmm. Wonder if it's datura?

My guess is that these are the gardenia solifore elite, each glorious, two of them vintage. My favorite is JAR's Jardenia. But of course I could be completely wrong. Next post, I'll begin stepping through the remaining 44 scents in alpha order. To whit:
Amouage
Ciel Woman • 
Honour Woman (Eau de Parfum) • 

Annick Goutal
Gardénia Passion • 
Un Matin d'Orage • 

aroma M
Camellia • 

Arquiste
Boutonnière No. 7 • 

Bvlgari
Jasmin Noir (Eau de Parfum) • 

Chanel
Gardénia (1925) • 
Les Exclusifs de Chanel - Gardénia (2007) (Eau de Toilette) • 

Chiara Boni
Chiara Boni (Eau de Toilette) • 

Creed
Fleurs de Gardenia (2006) • 
Fleurs de Gardenia (2012) • 

Dana
Classic Gardenia • 

Dior
Miss Dior Chérie (Eau de Parfum) • 

Elizabeth Taylor
Gardenia • 

Estēe Lauder
Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia • 

Guerlain
Cruel Gardénia • 

House of Matriarch
Bohemian Black • 

IFF
Secret Smelling 2016 - Dominique Ropion • 

Illuminum
White Gardenia Petals • 

Isabey
Gardénia / Le Gardénia • 
Perle de Gardenia • 

Jar Parfums
Jardenia • 

Jōvan
Island Gardenia • 

Jovoy
Gardez-Moi (2013) • 

Kilian
Voulez-vous coucher avec Moi • 

Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian • 

Lubin
L de Lubin (Eau de Toilette) • 

M. Micallef
Gardenia / N°41 • 

Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs • 

Memo
Ilha do Mel • 

Michael Kors
Very Hollywood • 

Penhaligon's
Gardenia • 

Pierre Guillaume
Gardenia Grand Soir • 

Puredistance
Opardu • 

Ramón Monegal
Cotton Musk • 

Robert Piguet
Pacific Collection - Gardénia • 

Roja Parfums
Danger (Parfum) • 
Gardenia (2016) (Parfum) • 
Scandal (Eau de Parfum) • 

Salvador Dali
Dali Wild • 

Serge Lutens
Une voix noire • 

Tauer Perfumes
Sotto la Luna - Gardenia • 

Tom Ford
Velvet Gardenia • 

Tuvaché
Jungle Gardenia • 

Van Cleef & Arpels
Collection Extraordinaire - Gardénia Pétale • 

Yves Rocher
Pur Désir de Gardenia • 

Thanks, Briarthorn. I found ET's Diamonds and Emerald's at a great price and it's on the way. I took a quick glance at your collection and don't think I saw a gardenia I don't have, but see my list below. Back to the sniffing.

Those first three perfumes are just haunting me. All day I've thought of them, so I've collected them photographically. They are, to me, mind-boggling gardenia fragrances: Jungle Gardenia by Tuvache, Jardenia by JAR and Bogue's Gardelia. Each is an exciting feast for a perfumista's nose. Gardelia is classified as unisex and with its cognac note might appeal to perfumistos as well, especially those seeking scent intoxicants. Further research and I see JAR really doesn't want his scents analyzed, but emotionally experienced, which is exactly what happened during my test of it. Even so, I'm eager to find the time to hunt for the amazing note that makes his Jardenia sing.


Untl then, forging ahead alphabetically.

Amouage
Ciel Woman

Gardenia is muted in this lovely perfume, lightened by cyclamen next to it in the top and peach in the heart. For me, water lily in the heart is not consistently lovely and now and then changes the flower-water feel of this fragrance to a little bit of flower-swamp, but not fatally.

Honour Woman (Eau de Parfum)

The other Amouage fragrance with a detectable note of gardenia is more beautiful, IMO. Warm spices, carnation, tuberose, and leather in the base, leave no hint of wateriness, but take this in the oriental direction. I wouldn't seek either of them out for a gardenia fix, though.

Annick Goutal
Gardénia Passion

This one has a heady gardenia, accompanied by only three other white florals and oakmoss. It is less complex, but features gardenia in a way that approaches the three stars pictured above. Of this group, it's the standout.

To be continued …

OMG, you saved me. Bogue Gardelia is completely sold out at LuckyScent. Not that I'm sure I really wanted to be saved. Not all of me, anyway. You see, I have two sides, er, actually several:

Author: A person can't just go downstairs...boooring! Fear coiled within, they must inch down, feet cat-like, barely breathing at the sound of a delivery truck. What has arrived? The non-propylene-glycol-containing deodorant she ordered, or, at last, Bogue Gardelia?

Mad Budgeter: Why do things cost so much? There ought to be a law. I could make that dress, that soap, that gourmet meal myself! China? We're going? Let me find the best deal. [Husband yelling]: Just book Tauck. [She] Oh. Now, logically, Bogue Gardelia should not cost $950. It's gone??? Shrieeek!!

Tiptoeing in. Ahem.

Annick Goutal (continuing)
Un Matin d'Orage

Another wow perfume aspiring to the stars, but misplaced here because … wait, the sample card says: "A sensuous and voluptuous perfume evoking the scent of gardenia a few hours after the storm." Well, okay, though per our notes list Goutal manages to accomplish this without actually using gardenia. Interesting, though, that, yes, the champaca, jasmine and magnolia combine with lively ginger and nutmeg a tad of lemon and shiso leaf, whatever that is to..sniffing…well, yes, evoke gardenia. This is a well-done fragrance, fresh, delightful, even exciting. It makes me realize why I own one of her fragrances.

aroma M
Camellia

A really lovely fragrance. Gardenia is detectable among the beautiful other florals underpinned by a mild Frankincense. No blasts of passion here. Gently but persistently it seduces. It has an appealing sort of oiliness, too, not only in texture but in smell. It's the kind of quality scent a lady wears. Must look this one up. Oh, of course. aroma M is a niche house producing all-natural perfumes and perfume oils, inspired by Maria McElroy's travels in and love of Japan and all things Geisha. The website calls it a "cult parfumerie." Well, let me just take a moment and sign up for this cult. Ordering all 19 perfume samples. Kudos to you, Maria McElroy, for creating beautiful scents a perfumista's nose can worship.

Arquiste
Boutonnière No. 7

Beautiful. Now, I can't swear there isn't a tinge of something synthetic in this fragrance because my nose is in hound-dog mode, cautiously sniffing. No sneezing so far. No closed nostrils. Okay, it's safe to smell. I think it must be aromachemicals (if quality ones) that keep this from smelling as delicious as the notes make it sound. Bergamot, oakmoss, gardenia, broom, lavender, mandarin, vetiver? I ought to be head over heels, but the notes coalesce in a muted way, not rising to their potential glory. It's okay, mind you, but not so good it compels me to investigave this house. Think Boutonnière, yes, that somehow got in for a short time with the moth balls.

Bvlgari
Jasmin Noir (Eau de Parfum)

Ah, an old stand-by. Bvlgari, in some of its newer scents, has fully entered the synthetic badlands. I can't wear any of its Omnias and breathe at the same time. Jasmin Noir, an old favorite, though flirting with aromachemicals, is still wearable and breathable. It does have gardenia in its top but Jasmine stars from the heart with an enticing almond. Nothing I'd go to for a Gardenia fix, but I do wear this sophisticated almondy-Jasmine now and then.

More to come.

by Kilian
Voulez-vous coucher avec Moi

Per the card, it combines the "voluptuousness of the gardenia from Brasil with the eroticism of the Sandalwood from Sri Lanka." Let me state first thing, it sure does. Yummy is the word that comes to mind for this gardenia as in: so natural, fresh and entrancing I want to eat it. But don't be misled. This is no gourmand. After all, the name translates to: Would you like to sleep with me? Answer: yes! Well, not you, with whoever took me out to dinner while I was wearing this, ordered champagne before the meal and a good cognac afterward. [which person would be hubby]. Only $185 for 50 ml of this joy? Now that's a bargain.

Chanel (Les Exclusifs)
Gardénia

Though not challenging the three stars, this is a sophisticated and admirable gardenia, the main note enhanced by green leaf in the top, coconut and fruits in the middle and a vanilla base. I can vaguely smell the coconut, but what kind of fruits these are, heaven knows. Never mind, the result is quite worthwhile for lovers of Chanel.
.
.

Creed
Fleurs de Gardenia (2006)
Fleurs de Gardenia (2012)

No idea which year my sample is from, but this is a pleasant scent, if not my favorite Creed. At the moment that would be Royal Princess Oud, no Fantasia de Fleurs, no Love in Black, no Love in White … well, I just love the Creed I'm with (except Aventus for Her, but maybe one day it will grow on me)

More to come ...

Dana
Classic Gardenia

Having liked all things Dana so far in my perfumista career, I expect to like this as well and I do. It's a perfectly adequte gardenia scent, nothing fancy, in fact the notes are simply fruits, gardenia, woods. There's a little synthetic something in it, but nothing to repel a nose.

Elizabeth Taylor
Gardenia

Quite a nice Gardenia, but swiftly my nose is twitching on the verge of a sneeze. Okay, no sneeze, just twitching, I really like the white orchid and lily of the valley in this because they lend richness. For a bargain basement price, It's a good gardenia pick, if a little stuffy for the nose.

Estēe Lauder
Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia

Well, it has a greater floral complexity than most, though the beautiful gardenia stars. I love the slightly boozy bourbon vanilla note in the base, the rosewood and white lily. It's distinctive, really, says, "i am gardenia," in white gloves. It's my fave of this group.

More to come.

Guerlain
Cruel Gardénia

I have an FB of this beauty, but wouldn't recommend it without serious testing because it vanishes into my skin. Moments after application, I can hardly tell I put on perfume. Could just be me, but I thought I'd better warn you. Is it beautiful? Absolutely. A little powdery but seductive and intoxicating. Having smelled it, I couldn't leave the store without it.

IFF
Secret Smelling 2016 - Dominique Ropion

Curious, I bought the kit. What will the place responsible for our aromachemicals showcase as its best? Ropion lists gardenia, ylang-ylang, and Cosmofruit® as its notes. Well, it's a lovely, stuffy fragrance. Breathe deeply with mostly natural perfumes and we're rewarded by a delectable unfolding. No unfolding here. It's like being locked in a room full of gardenias but no circulation of air. Try to take a deep breath and the air is cut off entirely and I start to choke. [Had to wash this off].
.
.

Illuminum
White Gardenia Petals

I don't know this house, so look forward to my first test. Wow, the top note is wonderful, approaching the gardenia stars. The scent evolves a bit, but not terrifically far and is very simple. Bergamot and Cassis in the top help create the wow. Jasmine and Ylang-ylang are in the heart with White Gardenia. Woods in the base. Ah, this is the fragrance Kate Middleton wore to her wedding. No animalics or resins allowed for a future queen, apparently. It's light and refined while also being interesting. However, after a while I do detect something less than natural, though it doesn't asphyxiate. It just tempers the splendor we would have smelled if this had been formulated, say, 50 years ago. Apparently, the perfume industry is habituating young noses to aromachemicals so they don't realize that a rose by any other name, if synthetic, isn't as sweet. I couldn't wear this all day.

By default, Cruel Gardenia is my fave here. More later.

Isabey
Gardénia/Le Gardénia

The gardenia note here is swamped by the other florals and what's left is a reasonably pleasant soup. Heavy base notes (Ambergris, Musk, Sandalwood), mute the florals even more, making this is okay, fairly ordinary perfume but nothing to write home about. I'll stick around for the drydown…it's pleasant, not distinctive, but okay. Not a go-to for a gardenia fix though.

Perle de Gardenia

Some stuffiness even in this muted gardenia by Isabey, which for me is a surprise. Let me test the only FB I have of theirs, La Route d'Emeraude. Could that be slightly gaseous, too, and my nose only recently become aware of synthetics? Darned if it isn't. Come to think of it, I never think of wearing La Route d'Emeraude and now I know why. Aromachemicals. A revelation.

Jōvan
Island Gardenia

A refreshing and very nice gardenia fragrance, created too long ago for much in the way of chemicals, though something there makes me want to stop smelling after a while. The notes aren't listed, but I smell perhaps white lily adding sophistication.

Jovoy
Gardez-Moi (2013)

Early on I did a sniff-fest of Jovoy and enjoyed most of their offerings. No exception here. Gardenia is detectable in this complex scent. Pepper in the top, I think, makes me want to sneeze a but this is a lovely scent, redolent with Oakmoss and Mimosa, among other things. I notice all-natural or mostly natural compositions seem to fly up my nose, making me want to sniff and sniff. This halts midway, my nose not adoring something in it.

More to come.

Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian

The first note is sweet, almost candy-like. The synthetics in it are noticeable enough I wouldn't wear it, even if I liked sugar sweet fragrances. Like Gardez-Moi the beauty halts midway—not stifling, but not allowing a deep breath, either.

Lubin
L de Lubin (Eau de Toilette)

Apparently I have a reformulation. It's reasonably well done, but nothing to cause a perfumista to open her purse when greater scents exist. Gardenia is detectable throughout but not vividly so.

M. Micallef
Gardenia / N°41

For me, there's always been something off-putting in M. Micallef perfumes, a sharp note that disturbs rather than seduces the nose. It makes me not want to linger long for analysis. It's not that it closes my nostrils, but more that it overpowers.

Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs

Ah, air. At least more of it, or maybe it's that appealing aquatic note. This softy beauty flies up my nose, letting me enjoy its fresh florals, woods, musk and a detectable gardenia. Of this group, it's my fave.

Further About Bogue Gardelia

MadBudgeter: Unexpected checks arrive in the mail? Interesting. Not $950 worth, but is this a sign?
Hubby (later smiling rather than casting thunderbolts): You bought it didn't you.
Me, evasive: What makes you say that?
Hubby: I can tell. Do you want me to contribute?
MadBudgeter: No, I'll just eat frozen meals for a while.
Hubby: I just sent you some money, now when does it arrive?
Me: I'm waiting for the order confirmation. Next morning: Back to cart to check. It's still there?? Shrieek! (MadBudgeter, how could you deceive my finger into thinking it had hit submit!)
Me: Submit!
Author: Thus goes the story of a passionate purchase by one woman in one town, on a blue planet in space. Managing eagerness for its arrival, said woman douses herself in the previously purchased mossy animalic floral bliss of Bogue's Maai.

Memo
Ilha do Mel

I remember first smelling this at a perfume counter, liking it, then realizing I had no need to buy it because I already had outstanding white florals, particularly Ramon Monegal's "Kiss My Name". With Mandarin, Juniper and Hyacinth, Memo's top creates an off-beat gateway to the garden of white florals. Vetiver in the vanilla/musk base keeps things from being as sweet as they might. Gardenia isn''t a star here but it's detectable. A nice scent for those who want a non-standard white floral. It's a little spicey though.

Michael Kors
Very Hollywood

I usually like much of what Michael Kors produces and this fresh, fruity scent is no exception. While not as alluring as my go-to fruity floral, Amethyst by Lalique, this is a quality scent, well-blended and appealing in spite of its fanciful name.

Parfumerie Générale
Gardenia Grand Soir

This is a decidedly green perfume with the gardenia not appealing enough to overcome the sense of being in a not very flowery field. Unlike the previous perfume these notes don't feel all that natural, either, though I can still breathe while smelling it. It settles better than it begins.

Penhaligon's
Gardenia

Penhaligon hasn't worked for me so far, and this one is no exception. Unlike the preceding three, something stuffy wafts up through the appealing sounding notes and cuts off my oxygen. No more sniffing for a while.

Very Hollywood is my favorite of this group. More to come.

One more group for today:

Puredistance
Opardu

It's been a while since I tried this one and the first time I was underwhelmed. Like children in the old days, though, maybe novice noses shouldn't be allowed to speak? Sniffing. Okay, I was right. My nose detects an undercurrent of gasoline from whatever aromechical(s) this perfume uses. The notes list mentions a bunch of florals, heliotrope and cedarwood, but the black gaseous ooze from dinosaurs is in there somewhere too. Gasp.

Ramón Monegal
Cotton Musk

First, before I sniff this one, let me grab a small cloth and put it on the floor so I'll be ready to kneel in worship should the need arise. (Just kidding). Ramón Monegal, as you might know, had more or less resurrected his family's perfume business, Myrugia, which once scented the Spanish throne (well, those who sat on it). Now from his own house he is walking on perfumed water. His "Kiss My Name" transports me whenever I wear it. His Agar Musk does the same when I smell it on my husband. Cotton Musk? Let's see. Okay, for me it's a tad too odd for worship. Nothing really coalesces, but it's nice to be able to breathe again as I sniff. I do suspect this fragrance might incorporate a higher grade of dinosaur ooze, too, just a tad. Think about it, does the idea of cotton and musk really work? I forgive you, Ramón Monegal. You made Kiss My Name.

Robert Piguet
Gardenia

At last. A bright and lovely top note, something beautiful closing my eyes from the heart. What's in this dream? Per our database—Top: Gardenia, lily, Ylang-ylang. Middle: vanilla (that's all). Base: Black leather, cashmeran, spiced woods. Swoon, swoon, swoon! Where's that prayer rug? The Piguet is easily my favorite in this group. [Hubby just smelled it and says on a gauge from church lady to wild child, this is a quarter tank. I think that means he likes it]

Roja Parfums
Gardenia (2016) (Parfum)

Another misstep by a master, IMO. Roja Dove created the greatest perfume I've smelled to date, a perfume called Roja and/or (Haute Luxe). $3,500 for 100 ml, if you please. I swung for the £190 Discovery Atomizer on his site. To this scent I bow (though of course I can't wait to put Gardelia or Jardenia on one hand and Haute Luxe on the other to see if the king still reigns). For now, genuflecting briefly to Haute Luxe prior to retesting Gardenia. Dear Roja, surely you were temporarily anosmic from a cold. Or perhaps it's me and my knee-jerk reaction to the wicked stepsisters if badly managed (hyacinth, lily of the valley, narcissus). Nope, they're not in the listed notes, which of course doesn't mean they're not in the perfume. To me, this Gardenia doesn't smell like gardenia (maybe flowers in the swamp) or like anything I want to wear. The notes sound great, but they just don't come out lovely. OTOH, those who prefer a little shifting dankness in their florals might like this.

Scandal

Overlooked this one. With a Bergamot top, rose, freesia and big white florals in the heart, this fragrance is in the mold of the orientals, missing only amber in the base. Iris, musk and Sandalwood do the job though, making Scandal a classic swooner in which Gardenia holds its own.

Salvador Dali
Dali Wild

I either did a Dali sniff fest once, or bought and smelled everything from this label, they're so affordable now. The initial spray produces a fresh and refreshing mist that puts my nose in gobble mode. Have to go to my perfumery kit to remind myself what Yuzu smells like and what in the world is Okoumé? Looking it up. Oh, it's a wood, known to cause respiratory irritation. Not in me. It's joined in the bottom by mahogany and zebrano wood (zebra wood). Hubby's made lovely things out of it, including an exquisite Bible stand, commissioned by a friend. And Yuzu? Sniffing. Oh, yes, it's that sharp and slightly camphorous citrus from Japan/Korea. Combined with a faint gardenia and tuberose in the top, it's delightful. With a heart of indoles and musk, Dali Wild is a winner. Gotta wear it more.

Serge Lutens
Une voix noire

Hands fold before the Serge, almost any Serge. I adore them and him. With notes of only Gardenia, rum and tobacco, I expect a splendid assault. Here goes: well, Gardenia's hanging in there against the other two. This must be his tribute to Billie Holliday. Of course, it's named A Black Voice. This is a heck of a bold, dark perfume, really, just right for a jazz bar and Paris is full of them.

Of these, I like Dali Wild the most.

To be continued...

Tauer Perfumes
Sotto la Luna - Gardenia

Like M. Micallef, Tauer is another house I've never been able to warm to because of a disturbing something in all its designs that closes my nose. No success in analyzing this perfume because of the inability to breathe while smelling it.

Tom Ford
Velvet Gardenia

I love the citric note (orange) that immediately wafts up from this inviting Tom Ford. Beeswax and honey in the base add yumminess while Labdanum sweeps me off my feet. This is a quirky gardenia that a gal could do far worse then be round wearing. A fave in this group.
Van Cleef & Arpels
Collection Extraordinaire - Gardénia Pétale

This is a simply entrancing Gardenia, unspecified green and citric notes in the top, Jasmine and Lily-of-the-valley in the bottom. I shouldn't be surprised. VC&A's First is one of the great perfumes of all time, IMO. I could sniff this Gardenia all day. Another fave in the group.

Yves Rocher
Pur Désir de Gardenia

I couldn't find this beauty except as a cream/paste. According to Perfume Intelligence, it was released in 2003 and the company, "established by Yves Rocher; in 1959 - basing its growth on the idea of 'beauty from plants' and selling by mail order ." Their website advertises: "our products take care of your skin, and the planet." Never tried them. Just ordered a few samples. Bottom line: does this appealing scent rival the Gardenia greats? It once may have, but it's really hard to tell from this paste alone.

Except for Kai, arriving Monday, this is all the gardenias I have. Well, there's Bohemian Black by House of Matriarch with its Colombian gardenia and Tahitian tiaré, but to me they are overpowered by the fantastic rest.

So other than Kai, which I suspect will be a fave, next up is a beauty contest of what, to me, are the 14 Gardenia babes from this sniff fest.
Camelia by aroma M
Dali Wild by Salvador Dali
Gardelia by Bogue
Gardénia by Chanel
Gardenia by Robert Piquet
Gardénia Passion by Annick Goutal
Gardénia Pétale by Van Cleef & Arpels
Jardenia by JAR
Jungle Gardenia by Tuvache
Tuberose Gardenia by Estee Lauder
Un Matin d'Orage by Annick Goutal
Velvel Gardenia by Tom Ford
Very Hollywood by Michael Kors
Voulez-vous coucher avec Moi by Kilian

Resniffing them is going to be like having a gourmet dinner.

Gaye Straza
Kai

What do Mary J. Blige, Cate Blanchett, Khloe Kardashian and Cher have in common? Their names are listed on the Kai website's page of "devotees" along with 78 other celebrities who adore this scent that Gaye Straza developed for herself in the 1990's, working with a boutique perfume house. Later she sold it in her Malibu boutique before developing a full line of Kai-scented beauty products. From the website I gather the primary note is gardenia, wrapped in jasmine and exotics like plumeria and pikake that grow all over the Hawaiian islands where Gaye grew up. Soon after applying it, I understand the page of devotees. This is a light and beautiful floral that doesn't vanish into the skin. Even if you're not a celebrity, you might turn heads wearing it. It's captivating in spite of becoming a little soapy as it dries. It certainly belongs in the gardenia beauty contest.

Dear Perfume Enthusiasts

It is my duty to report a murder for which an investigation is underway. At exactly 9:54 am on May 27, the dead body of MadBudgeter was found, a calculator gripped in one hand and from the cold, dead fingers of her other hand, a trail of perfume was detected. It wound its way inexorably up to ScentFan's desk, where a bottle of Gardelia reigns, unashamedly. Who could have done this delightful (excuse me, dastardly) deed? What's more, other darlings (accomplices) swiftly joined the haughty queen…Louis Vuittons, both Kais, aroma Ms. Will the wonders (transgressions) never cease? Searching the premises for clues, we learn the body disappeared; no trace of MadBudgeter is left. Outside a window we see the shadowy figure of ScentSir (ScentFan's hubby), bending suspiciously over a shovel. Oh well, c'est la vie.

On to the final beauty contest. How compare 14 scents? Oh wait. Now it's 16. carefully, of course. ScentFan identifies the spots. 1) back of hand 2) thumb bottom 3) back of wrist 4) down two inches 6) down another two 7) inside wrist down a final two inches. A daunting program, yes, requiring both nasal stamina and whiff acuity.

Feeling up to the task, she begins.
*Camelia by aroma M - Lovely and light. Gardenia nestles agreeably among the other florals.
Dali Wild - Still a favorite with its quirky yuzu
*Gardelia by Bogue - Gardenia takes a minute to develop but when it does, it's haunting
*Gardenia by Chanel - a pretty gardenia
Gardenia by Robert Piguet - a sweet, spicy gardenia in comparison to the others because of the vanilla heart and "spiced woods" in the base.
Gardénia Passion by Annick Goutal - another odd one comparable to Dali Wild in quirkiness. Must be the tuberose and oakmoss in the base.
Gardénia Pétale by Van Cleef & Arpels - It's quite light in comparison with the others
*Japanese Spring Woman by NadiaZ - This is a more substantial scent that I like very much. Without being offensive, resin (African myrrh) and an animalic (Hyraceum) add depth to which the florals (gardenial and hyacinth) stand up.

That does it for my left arm and the first half. Will take a break and resniff. Okay, after further consideration, I would personally wear again only the four marked with an asterisk. 
The others are interesting but not compelling, IMO.

Right arm:

*Jardenia by JAR - Well, you know, it has a little of the quirkiness of Dali Wild, but far more lovelinesss. Next time I'm in New York I'm going to Bergdorf's to find out if they still sell it. A standout. By the way, I've been sniffing my perfumery notes kit and so far my guess is that Jardenia probably has osthmanthus, petitgrain and opoponax in it, the latter being the "blue cheese" note.
*Jungle Gardenia by Tuvache - Never did a right hand smell so lovely.
*Kai by Gaye Straza - Well, Kai holds its own even among these luminaries. It's more — what? — aquatic maybe, but it's great.
Tuberose Gardenia by Estee Lauder - This strong Turberose and Gardenia mix is really lovely.
Un Matin d'Orage by Annick Goutal - It's okay on resniff, but in comparison with the others it's not a strong gardenia note.
Velvel Gardenia by Tom Ford - Not impressive compared with the rest.
Very Hollywood by Michael Kors - Really like its fresh, fruity appeal. Raspberry is stronger than the gardenia note though.
Voulez-vous coucher avec Moi by Kilian - There ought to be a law, but since there isn't we get to enjoy this sexy fragrance. It has Petalia, a synthetic floral, but all else must be natural or of high quality because this doesn't bother my nose.

So, joining the stars—Gardelia, Jardenia and Jungle Gardenia — if at a slightly lesser level, are Camellia by aroma M, Gardenia by Chanel, Japanese Spring Woman by Nadia Z, and Kai. Hmmm, a bottle of Japanese Spring Woman goes for in excess of $7k.

[Do I see a figure appear outside, shovel in hand, vigorously digging up MadBudgeter? Can't have that. There's a 1.8 ml roll-on for $40. Better go tell him.]

Hope you enjoyed the sniff fest.

the new oil from Narciso Rodriguez "Musc" is a pretty nice musky gardenia, you can directly feel the "fatty" and wet flower with some mushrooms facets.