WHAT I SMELL:  Gardenia opens with a mix of heady florals with thick and rich rather brown sugared ylang-ylang.  This is everything I love in a floral, so deep and rich that when you draw the scent in, it coats the back of your throat.    The florals are low to the ground and feel weighted as if the flowers crushed under your feet.  An earthy raw dirt component adds a realness that makes the perfume even more inviting.  After around 15 minutes there are peaks of a lighter flower that start to come through as if they are able to make their way through the crushed dirt.  The florals are lighter, but no less intoxicating as they’re mixed with a delicious and exuberant vanilla.  The fragrance seems to experience a rebirth with this 2nd wave of florals which bursts out with golden energy.  But Gardenia manages to contain itself as the burst levels to more of a golden warm haze.  The fragrance is now feminine, seductive and alluring.  It calls you in and you can’t let go of its beauty.  After an hour, there’s a slight woody greenish quality that makes it way in making it less feminine, but more unisex.  In the end, you’re left with a subtle warm gardenia fragrance that is creamy,  comforting, classic and incredibly peaceful in its beauty.

From Robert Piguet Parfums:

Soft, flowery Ylang Ylang embraces the sweet and bold fleur de lis for a bold, sparkling beginning. The sensuous white gardenia scintillates the heart as it grows richer and more complex with black leather, Madagascar Vanilla, and cashmeran warming to a sultry base.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  The perfect gay wedding fragrance; floral and handsome without being too feminine.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE GARDENIA:  embracing, divine, magnificent

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT GARDENIA:  AustralianPerfumeJunkies, Now Smell This

BOTTOM LINE:  I don’t really get any gardenia from the perfume until the fragrance begins to work its way into the drydown.  But throughout the fragrance’s development, the florals are intoxicating, beautiful and just the right cup of tea for this lover of white floral fragrances.  Gardenia softens to a whisper and some might want it to project a bit more, but to me, it radiates perfectly as a glowing floral forcefield.

• Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
• Scent: Floral
• Nose:  Aurelien Guichard
• Classification: Feminine to Unisex
• Expense: $175 for 100ml Eau de Parfum