Looking for a Gardenia scent

[marietta]

During the dry-down Chintamani-Dhupa is practically a gardenia soliflore.

[kmasden]

this will probably sound silly, but my gardenia love is based on a give away creme perfume about 30 years ago from United Airlines when i flew as a child to hawaii...so for me, bpal like dreamland have that same scent and feel that i associate with gardenia...course now i know enough to figure that it probably wasn't a really good gardenia, especially since none of the one's y'all mentioned seem gardenia-ish to me, but for the record...dreamland and even asphodel feel very "gardenia" to me!

[Browneyes]

Just writing to add much love to the Sacred Whore It's the only lush, heady "tropical" floral that has worked on me so far. (I love smelling jasmine etc. on the plant, in the tea etc. and I love magnolias, and any other sweet and hot smelling flowers like gardenias, but I didn't have any luck with those kinds of BPAL blends until I met Sacred Whore)

Although I think I may just have to try out Euphrosyne now.

[mspixieears]

I heart muchly Euphrosyne - I read recs here touting it to be the truest gardenia in the BPAL catalogue and it truly is! I do like Thaleia too.

 

Sadly, I did not get the gardenia vibe from Le Serpent Qui Danse and Sacred Whore of Babylon.

 

You might like Pele but that is more creamy muguet, I think (to my nose it is - it smells exactly like Philosophy's Amazing Grace which does have a fair bit of gardenia and smaller bit of jasmine in it).

[polesiren]

Is there a BPAL scent you could recommend that is absolutely gardenia-based?

 

It's fine if it's a blend too as long as that note is obvious...

 

Full-blown,over the top,and goregous?

 

I am craving it for Spring...

 

Thanks so much!

[tartchef]

The Lady Of Shalott & Euphrosyne come to mind, in terms of GC offerings, but my money's on the retail-only Mad Kate: Honeycomb, red currant, freesia, vanilla, rose geranium, thyme, and gardenia. Gardenia's the last note listed, but is definitely the dominant scent on my skin. Judging by the reviews, a lot of folks get the currant & honeycomb first, though, so it might be worth tracking down a decant before committing to a big bottle... Check out this older gardenia thread, too...

[polesiren]

Thanks so much!

 

I couldn't find this thread when I looked but was nicely directed here!

 

Making a list and cannot wait to try a few of these!

[agnusdei]

In addition to all the other lovely recommendations in this thread, you might want to try The Ecstasy of St. Theresa (Frankincense, iris, white gardenia, Roman chamomile, amber, and agarwood). On me it's a very creamy gardenia with a touch of wood, resin, & chamomile in the background- quite yummy!

 

(Thanks for bringing this topic up btw, for some reason I missed seeing the old one and I'm always on the lookout for more gardenia recs. )

[polesiren]

Thanks so much,adding it to my list...

It just "seems right" for the Spring fashions I'm seeing now...

That and tuberose...uber-feminine,heady,and glam!

 

I wore "Fracas"(a very sweet gardenia scent...) for a long time years ago but now,of course,I have BPAL,LOL!

 

I have a gardenia shrub outside my studio but it was so rainy here last year,it never bloomed...hoping for heaven this Summer though!

[mspixieears]

If you can find it, Swan Maiden is one that screams gardenia to me, it's wonderful.

[ivyandpeony]

There are tons of recs for Euphrosyne and I will throw my cap in the ring for her, too. Gardenia, jasmine, tea rose, and vanilla - they're all so lovely together and the other notes complement the gardenia wonderfully, playing up its sweetness.

 

I also get some gorgeous gardenia from Eternal (which also contains stephanotis, cyclamen, heliotrope, and white rose) - it's a beautiful sweet, simple floral.

 

Mad Kate, from the retail exclusive Salon series, was Mad Gardenia on me (not a bad thing in my book). If you don't have a retailer near you, shelldoo here on the forum is an official retailer and can help you out.

 

I am hoping to move my gardenia bushes this spring - they do bloom, but I don't think they get enough sun to be truly happy. They've gotten much taller and spindlier than they should be and they don't bloom as profusely as my sister's do (hers are in a much sunnier spot in her yard). They smell so incredible when they're in bloom! I will bring just one or two blossoms in and they scent the entire downstairs.

[running.in.squares]

My favorite smell in the world is the gardenia flower. I love floral perfumes, but not many have a strong note of gardenia...any recommendations?

[ChaosKitty]

My favorite smell in the world is the gardenia flower. I love floral perfumes, but not many have a strong note of gardenia...any recommendations?

 

Tissue is almost all gardenia, so is Marae. Both are LE's, however, and I seldom see them on the swap/sale threads. From the GC, Eternal is very beautiful, but I don't remember how strong the gardenia note was.

[Blood onmy hands]

I love gardenia <3 I get a pretty strong, creamy gardenia from Eternal. Also:

 

*Sacred Whore of Babylon (Excolo) - Doesn't really list any notes, but I get creamy gardenia, soft spices, and something like honeyed almond-vanilla from this. Super pretty.

*The Sluggard (Mad Tea Party) - "Pious frankincense, angelic gardenia, unsoiled pear, and staunch ho wood conflict with prickly, overgrown thistle, idle labdanum, and lethargic lavender." Is mostly creamy gardenia and hints of sweet pear on me.

 

And these are my favorites for LE gardenia blends:

*The Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair - "Gilded amber, tiare, golden sandalwood, vanilla, cardamom, and tagetes."

*Tiki Queen - "Monoi de Tahiti, vanilla, white coconut, tuberose, ylang ylang, white musk, red hibiscus, and neroli."

[rhetoricians]

Never mind, it was carnation. Derp.

Edited June 4, 2011 by rhetoricians

[Blood onmy hands]

For carnation, I'd recommend Maiden (Ars Amatoria) for a fresh Valentine's Day carnation sort of smell.

 

And Hod is my favorite carnation, though it's LE, and it's more of a dry, sugared carnation smell.

 

You might also want to try:

Clemence (Carnaval Diabolique) - "Patchouli, Kashmiri tea, cardamom, black pepper, carnation, and clove." Spicy, carnation tea sort of scent.

 

High-Strung Daisies (Mad Tea Party) - "Daisy, pink carnation, pink pepper, and sugar." I can pick out a bit of dry, sugary carnation from it, but it's more like clean linen, pink bubblegum, cotton candy, and wildflowers on my skin.

 

Scherezade from Bewitching Brews. It doesn't list carnation at all, but it gives off a very incensey carnation scent on my skin.

[SophieCedar]

Hi! Gardenia is my favorite smell as well. These are the ones I've liked the most.

 

Gaoler's Daughter: even though this is an LE and made a few years ago, this is my favorite gardenia scent. It pops up on the sales page occasionally.

The Lady of Shallot: strongest gardenia I've found but there is an aquatic that sticks out on my skin.

Euphrosyne: I loved this way more than I thought I would! Tea rose is not my friend but this turned out to be a sweet gardenia floral blend. This one makes me really happy!

Highwayman is a ballsy scent (vetivert!) but has a prominent warm gardenia.

Tavern of Hell: slightly competitive with the tobacco flower but totally there! White gardenia is a little cleaner and dry of course, but still there.

Tis the Voice of the Lobster: throwing this in there for the hell of it.. this is mostly blackberry and watermelon on my skin however I was really surprised how much I could smell the gardenia through the fruit!

 

Regarding Eternal: I found the other green florals overpowered the gardenia on my skin.

 

Best of luck!!

[Joyleaf_]

So I took a gander at the threads here to make sure I was starting a duplicate topic and came up empty. Mods, I apologize if I goofed.

Its the time of year for me where the gardenias have started blooming and I love it. I'd also love to smell like gardenia, and I am having trouble finding a bpal blend that satisfies. Any thoughts?

[LizziesLuck]

There is a gardenia thread here

 

I am not a gardenia fan (don't dislike it either) so I only have one blend containing it, and that is Pepper. It's a bright, sweet, citrusy spicey floral on me. Wild English roses, French gardenia, vanilla, honey, golden ginger, blood orange, tuberose, bergamot, and geranium.

 

Have you tried Miss Spink? A grand, over-the-top tuberose gardenia.

 

 

Or maybe hunt down Venus Cloacina A magnificent white gardenia in full bloom, gilded by frankincense, sheer musk, and vanilla orchid.

[Upstart Crow]

Cascading Blossoms and The Head from this last Lupercalia thread are all gardenia, all the time on me. I love them!

[ellocentipede]

These are all great recommendations. I'd also like to add Tissue and Sweet Life to the list.

[Christine Daae]

My two absolute favorite gardenias are GC!

 

Euphrosyne (Gardenia, tea rose, vanilla and jasmine) Beautiful sweetened white floral with a very prominent creamy gardenia scent!

Eternal (Stephanotis, cyclamen, heliotrope, white rose and gardenia) Stunning, classic white floral with a beautiful gardenia note.

 

Looking through the gardenia tag on the Lab's site, I also love Lullaby (Moonflower and iris root with French lavender, tuberose, white sandalwood, night-blooming gardenia, vanilla orchid, and moss) but find it more moonflower and lavender with undertones of night-blooming white flowers, and I adore The Snow at Dawn (Snow afire with the morning’s first rays of orange blossom, neroli, and rose gardenia) and think it's a gorgeous gardenia & orange blossom scent but I think the orange blossom stands out a bit more.

[grashopper8]

Miss Spink would be my first recommendation, because it's still available for purchase.

 

As for LE, my favorite is Marae from 2008. "Vanilla orchid, Monoi tiare, gardenia, and light incense."

[VetchVesper]

I love gardenia, b/ often BPAL's doesn't quite smell like the real deal to me. Cascading Blossoms and Le Revenant are two exceptions. Both are beautiful.

[Joyleaf_]

Thanks guys! Ive tried a couple of the suggestions and its totally possible that my skin eats up gardenia, because when its in a blend, I tend to amp the other notes much more heavily. Ill need to hunt down some of the more LE scents to find what I am looking for, methinks.