Soliflore Gardenia

This is the real deal - my reference gardenia. Upon application, I am almost taken aback by the strong smell of melted butter!! You see the phrase "buttery" to describe many white florals, particularly gardenia and tuberose, but this is beyond that! Of course, it's an oil so I think that contributes to the richness. This quickly calms down, and another aspect of real gardenia starts to emerge - a mushroomy earthiness. If this is starting to sound more like dinner than a perfume, fear not. It all comes together, creating the most realistic gardenia ever captured in a bottle. Pretty enough to wear on its own, I find that it also works well to amplify and round out the gardenia in other fragrances. I have a few that I've purchased that turned out smelling rather cheap and artificial, but a dab of this as a base helps to elevate the quality, making some I had written off (Tous Gold, for one) very wearable and quite nice! A dab or two rub together in my palms and brushed through my hair is another lovely way to wear this oil. I am now interested in purchasing the tuberose oil. I often find it difficult to distinguish one from another, since tuberose is so often used to recreate the smell of gardenia, and I am hoping I can train my nose to be able to differentiate between them. Given Dame's sampling program, I think I will order others as well in order to increase my awareness of other notes as well. This is a wonderful house, and I love that I can support a company with good ethics and not have to sacrifice quality in return. Bravo, JD!

The beauty and depth of a gardenia blossom all wrapped into one vial. Its almost as if Mr. Dame slowly extracted the juice of the flower drop by drop. Developing into a marvelous masterpiece. I love gardenia and have tried every kind possible. But something is usually amiss. Not here. This is the aroma of a day of leisure walking in a garden. A flower tucked behind your ear. A soft breezy dress that carries the scent of your perfume. Not a care in the world. That is what SOLIFLORE Gardenia is to me. It is everything I hoped it would be and so much more. Words can not express my happiness with my experience ordering Mr. Dame's perfumes and his customer service. I ordered this on a Monday hoping to receive it for my "New Year's Perfume". I received it within TWO DAYS...that Wednesday! My package was wrapped as if receiving a special gift from a friend. Each perfume individually wrapped for my sheer delight! Included was a kind note and picture from Mr. Dame himself. Not only did I get to experience the wonderful Perfume oils I purchased, but an array of samples. I can not forget to mention a discount code for a future purchase also. Absolute superb perfumer that I have the greatest reverence for!

A true gardenia. I think this is one of the most difficult things to pull off in perfumary. Ive gone thru the list of gardenia perfumes -past and present. In most of them I wished the gardenia lasted longer. Well here is pure unadulterated, not combined with anything else gardenia. When it settles down its gorgeous. I wish sillage was a little greater but its obvious Mr Dame perfers lower sillage scents. I implore him that there are some femme fatales left that love using it as a weapon. I love layering this to add more gardenia influence to other fragrances I have. Its super versatile. I have to disagree with the below reviewer calling this a demeter. That is unfair. This is much better quality and longjevity than any demeter. Dusita really isnt in the running here as that gardenia was combined with tuberose and other notes to a completely different vision. I will say however, in regards to that gardenia note those two are infact the same. This is a Soliflore, and done well as an essay to the facets of the natural essence itself. Top 5 gardenias. My only quibble is I wish the opening was softened. That blue cheese note hits you like a truck!

I am trying this from an oil version sample. I have to begin by saying that this was a gift with purchase, overall my first mini shopping experience at Dame took me by surprise in the most unusual and memorable way, they are amazing generous and so kind people there....thank you Now about Gardenia. I wasn’t particularly excited about trying this, I have a good load of gardenia cantered perfumes, and they are all loud, heavy sweet and mostly always they leave me with a headache. Not this one! It’s incredibly beautiful and I could say playful, i’s so adorable I can’t stop sniffing myself! On me it has a certain spicy ness, it remind me of Big Red chewing gum, as if there is a bit of cinnamon and a bit of sugar mixed in. The gardenia here is beautiful, fresh, moist and even a bit oily, and thank God, it is not mixed with any of the other things that one finds elsewhere ( no tuberose, no ylang, no coconut, no soapy notes ) I love it so much ! it becomes a bit sweeter and a bit dusty in the dry down, for me this Gardenia is the first of its kind and one scent I need to own in full size, one day. I Love it!!!

Here's another fanboy for Dame Soliflore Gardenia. I like florals, but finding a masculine or unisex non-powdery white floral is difficult. Layering a soliflore to green fragrances has turned out to be my ticket, and the Dame Gardenia has turned out to be an excellent find. I find this Gardenia to be subdued - meaning not bright or candied - but rather late-in-bloom, with a little bit of dust on it. Perhaps it is on the slightest verge of being a little waxy. This combination of impressions makes the Dame Gardenia an excellent unisex white floral by which to add new interest to a fragrance, without giving offense to those of more conservative olfactory sensibilities. I have the perfume oil, which I put into an a small sprayer. One shot in the middle of the chest gave me at least 5 hours of good, solid gardenia fragrance. As for the House of Dame, you just can't ask for better. Jeffrey is responsive to emails, and his liberal supply of samples is much appreciated. If you are a fan of stunning, eye-popping fashion photography, you must visit his website. Simply beautiful.

First Impression: This is everything I wanted Kai to smell like. This smells like sniffing a flower on a bush, stalk or whatever flowers grow off of. It’s so airy and light. Kai in comparison is very sharp and much stronger. Kai is not sweet on my skin at all. It’s closer to being a non sweet Dior Pure Poison or the gardenia portion of Estée Lauder Private Collection Tuberose and Gardenia than being similar to Dame Gardenia. Dame’s Gardenia is softly sweet. It’s so pretty. It smells so real. There is nothing sharp to it at all. I can’t really explain what I’m smelling but realistic flower. I guess I’ll say it smells like gardenia but it’s been awhile since I’ve sniffed a gardenia plant in person. I can say that Dame’s ginger lily smells just like and I mean just like a bouquet of stargazer lilies. I’m in love with that at first sniff also. Based off of that, I’m going to assume hit the nail on the head with this one. Either way I’m going to purchase a bottle.

Growing up down in Louisiana, I used to smell this fragrance when the bush in our yard would bloom. Such a beautiful fragrance! Then when I moved away, I never thought I'd be able to smell it again because I could never find anyone who had the skill and the artistry to duplicate it. That is, until I came across this one. If you're looking for straight up bottled gardenia, right off the bush, then look no further. This is an exact duplicate of a real gardenia flower - nothing added, nothing omitted. It's just simply mind-blowing how they could get that heavenly fragrance into this bottle.

I'm trying the alcohol formula from a sample, so daubed on. First time I tried this scent a few years ago, I didn't really like it. But today in Haiti, it's hot and humid and this just seemed like the right scent to wear. I've tried many gardenia scents in the past, and they often have a plastic note to them, which I believe is in the actual flower, but it's off-putting to me. This one really smells like a fresh green crisp flower. It's not cloying at all in this horrid humidity. I still say Dame is the champion when it comes to soliflors!

Swoon worthy...how can such a seemingly simple perfume be so deep and complex at the same time? This is a beautiful fully realized gardenia flower, rich and powerful, but not too sweet. It lingers for hours. In the fabulous movie from 1984 Amadeus, Mozart answers the Emperor's comment on his opera of "Too many notes" with this: :There is just enough, no more, no less." Beauty beyond most. Love to have this as a lotion or a creme. Now to try Jeffrey Dame's other soliflore offerings. 5 Stars

This is a gardenia masterpiece. It gives you each and every facet of that gardenia as it unfolds, the green, the center, the petals, all of it. It is like burying your nose into a gardenia plucked from a bush and inhaling. It lasts hours and hours. The sillage is moderate so it does not overpower. I have never smelled a true gardenia fragrance that was even close to a real gardenia, and this is the real deal. I can't say anything more, it is beyond the pale perfect.

My aunt has been blind from birth and consequently, her other senses have become considerably heightened. Her sense of smell is especially fine tuned. When she tried my mom's spray bottle of Soliflore Gardenia, she exclaimed, "Oh my goodness I LOVE THIS. It smells exactly like a real bouquet of gardenias in bloom." Coming from my aunt, that's probably the highest praise this fragrance can garner. If she approves, it's NOT hype. It's real.

Update: Last week I got a rare chance to smell a real gardenia blossom, in a vase at the check-out stand of a local restaurant. I might have held up the line up just a bit taking in several good sniffs. Dame's Soliflore Gardenia smells pretty close to me! Lately in the growing heat and humidity I've thoroughly enjoyed layering this over the Black Flower Mexican Vanilla, to enhance the gardenia element. Great stuff.

I've smelled many "gardenia" fragrances, and although some have been beautiful, this is the only one that actually smells like a blooming gardenia. Is it exact? No, but darn close. I absolutely love it. Like several of Dame's soliflores, it has a harsh, chemically, unpleasant opening, but it doesn't last more than a couple of minutes, and the payoff is hours of gorgeousness.

Ultimate Gardenia Perfume, truly ..the best of them all. Its the real deal! photorealistic, creamy, sweet and heady, so luscious and tropical...and with staying power!. I am in bliss wearing this, I never want to be without it. Please Gardenia lovers, try this!

Absolutely beautiful! The most realistic gardenia perfume I've ever tried. It smells amazing and it's not too heady nor too green, just right. Thankfully it is not too overpowering either. Lovely!

This is a beautiful, pure Western gardenia scent. It's the kind that makes people look around wanting to see the fresh blooms! Exquisite.

Smells just like a real gardenia. I’ve never smelt anything like this except directly on the gardenia bushes in my yard. It’s magical.

A rich and riveting gardenia, I'm reveling in it this summer. And it even lasts for hours. Just beautiful!

I bought this on a whim and I'm so glad I did. Just simple, fully expressed gardenia. Beautiful!

I was so happy to receive this sample from Mr. Dame because I am always looking for gardenia scents for my mother as she adores gardenias. The problem is I seldom like gardenia scents as they are so heady and very synthetic smelling and sweet and I just plain don't like them. We had a large gardenia shrub outside our front door when I was a child and when in full bloom the smell was so delightful. Soliflore gardenia is like smelling those newly bloomed gardenias. This is a true gardenia. Regal, elegant, unmistakable. I will be sending one out to mom shortly. Update...I ordered SFG for my mother and she looves it! While she loves Gardenia scents she doesn't alway swoon over them! I have bought her numerous scents Annick Goutal Gardenia Passion (she likes) Marc Jacobs (Liked for a bit then gave her headaches) Jo Malone (just no) and I ventured and bought her Fracas (she said thank you but my sister told me she hated it and it's not a top note Gardenia before anyone gets mad at me but I try to expand horizons). Background on my mother....she wore Paloma Picasso as her signature through the 80's when I was a girl and into the 90's until they discontinued selling it at the most high end place to buy clothing, cosmetics, fragrances and skin care at the time where we lived. She became lost. SO she started trying all sorts of stuff. She loved gardenia so that helped. She was never an Opium or other strong scent wearer of the time although one could off Paloma Picasso as a strong one. Anyhow she progressed and I don't think has found her signature since then. We found Annick Goutal Gardenia Passion on a cruise and she has really likes it more than anything. I feel from her response Dame Sol Gardenia is making her quite happy! Thank you Mr. Dame!

So far I have Dame's soliflore wisteria, gardenia, rose de mai. All three are quite realistic, but I feel in each that a certain element of the smell has been dialed up just a tad louder than it would be IRL. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but can be surprising on first smell. In the wisteria it's the clove-iness, in the rose de mai it's almost a dirt note (could be misinterpreting this one). In the gardenia it's the sense of creamy fattiness, like a butter smell. Because of this, I almost didn't like this gardenia roll-on at first because the butter bothered me a bit. I'm not sure if my brain just got used to it or if my hormonal cycle plays a role in my perception or what, but after a couple weeks I've come to really like this perfume. The butteriness isn't standing out to me like it did originally. Smells do tend to grow on me, so this is nothing new, especially if I had exact expectations of what the fragrance would smell like before I got it, which of course one does when buying a photorealistic soliflore. Your expectations can make it hard to just appreciate the smell as it is at first. Anyway, it's a lovely gardenia and will definitely make you think of the flower. No stems or leaves in these soliflores, just the flower itself.

I am a dude with a massively elevated natural testosterone level, so these prominent floral fragrances fit my style much like a glove fits a foot. Regardless, I found this soliflore offering from Dame to be a no-nonsense, straight-forward, very natural gardenia scent backed with just a smidgen of that Dame DNA. Dame Gardenia is a bit oily on my skin, so rest assured there is a thick, heavy, concentration of gardenia essential oils as one can easily smell them. While this fragrance features gardenia, backed by gardenia, and wrapped in a blanket of gardenia, I detect a mild aromatic fresh-spiciness along with a slight earthiness (patchouli?) to this perfume. I am not sure what else is in the blend, but it's mostly all about Gardenia. Performance is a solid in that Soliflore Gardenia lasts an honest 8+ hours on my skin, and it projects moderately leaving a nice personal scent bubble. If you're a Gardenia lover then you'll want to give this one a try because this Dame offering is very natural fragrance right up your scent wheelhouse. Since I don't love prominent gardenia fragrances, I'll stick to Dame Perfumery Lime, Gardenia & Benzoin, which I find to be a stunner when applied to a woman's sexy skin.

Alright, I have both the roller and the spray. Roller: The immediate scent is Coconuts and a strawberry kind of fruitiness, which has an oily scent. The sillage is good but its much lighter than the spray. Very soft and clean, a bit sweet. Doesn't last as long but is a good travel size perfume for re-application. Spray: The spray smells a bit like alcohol for the first 5 minutes on the skin, it also has a strange butter scent, almost dirty, animalistic, that fades after a while. The projection is good as well and the scent lasts forever. It is very Photorealistic, probably the best I've had. It is less creamy than other Gardenia scents but I think it captures the peppery powdery scent that so many miss. Very good, signature worthy ❤️

Review based on the spray. Pros: (1) the middle and dry down capture the unique scent of a fresh, live gardenia blossom. Very close to the real thing. (2) Not terribly expensive. (3) Excellent online purchase experience/customer service. Cons: (1) strong slightly rancid buttered popcorn smell in the opening might take some to get used to. (2) Smells better from a distance than up close. (3) Compared to my all time favorite gardenia, Elie Saab Essences No. 2, this is less complex and not as rich and unctuous, less full bodied. Recommend without reservation for hardcore gardenia fans.

This isn't as great or realistic as people make it.. What it lacks the most is the creaminess of real gardenia flowers; "narcotic" is how I'd describe the flower, but this one isn't. It's crazy that someone would compare this to Melodie De L`Amour (Dusita) when in reality it's closer to Demeter; however, yes it is a lot better than others in the same price range.

- I'm sampling the perfume oil and it's glorious. This is a divine buttery gardenia. It smells ripe and fruity to my nose. Freshens and sharpens as it dries down. I love it. It's very, very lovely and absolutely captures the smell of real Gardenia as much as a recreation can. For Gardenia lovers! 🤗

Does it smell like gardenia? I'd say so, yes. A potent, creamy white floral with a slight spicy touch and green undertones. Gets zestier through the first hour or so of drydown, before eventually becoming a clean soapy skin scent. Strong initial projection fades over 3-4hr, longevity 8-10hr.

a very nice realistic gardenia. if you like gardenia then this is for you. it really is gardenia. i would say nice in spring paired with a floral skirt. a great casual fragrance. maybe too floral for business professional. i think more casual fragrance. very nice though and very realistic.

This is a nice gardenia. Very authentic gardenia. Good solid choice if you want a very realistic fleshy gardenia. However, I actually find Olivine better, it is just a bit more creamy and smooth, and teeny bit sweeter.

Doesn't smell like the freshly bloomed flowers, but rather overripe ones that are turning yellow and starting to wilt, with heavy lactonic undertone. It is still realistic in a sense though, and at an unbearable price!

So very authentic. Like burying my face in a freshly-picked bouquet. Fantastic! I am so excited to try all this perfumer's Soliflores.

The gardenia is barely there at all; I can hardly smell it over the oil. It's the only one that's a little vial instead of a spray. To me the gardenia smells kind of halfway between jasmine and tuberose, with a honeysuckle polleny sweetness. It's a heavier, darker floral than I expected. It's sweeter profiled than a cold white floral. A little soapy. It doesn't feel photorealistic, just kind of a vague but pleasant sweet floweriness under 20 layers of Gaussian Blur. After a bit it turns into coconut-- whoooa. And the coconut is kind of "off". At 1h it stinks, but at 3ish hrs it's back to the original flowers

71st I have mixed feelings about this one. Somewhere in the middle, it becomes the perfect Gardenia compared to the rest out there. If or when you catch a breeze of that perfection, it's perfect! However, you have to get through the opening of harsh mothballs and waves of buttery butter and sour/rancid(vomity) butter smells. And these stay throughout the life of this. It would be super if Dame tweeked the formula and found better ways to represent the menthol and creamy aspects of the gardenia flower. 7/10

very dry bitter synthetic pukey gardenia that reminds me a bit of Easter Lily without the beauty; this smells like sniffing the pollen in the stamen of a flower; it smells better from far away but just don't stick your nose in it

Thank you so much, Elena, for generously sending me a 10 mL rollerball of this perfume oil. I have wanted to try this scent for so long! This is such a good easy summer scent to just throw on. It's fresh, fruity in a ripe way, almost overripe, but still clean. I've loved wearing it after a shower and just feeling the soft floral waft around me all day - brought back memories of this May in Florida with gardenia bushes blooming all around. The gardenia here has mentholated aspects, banana facets, fleshy floral aspects that you can tear your teeth into. It's a little sweet, a little creamy, but before you can sink too far into the cream, you're brought back by bracing menthol freshness. It's interesting without being off-putting to those around you. This has all the aspects of gardenia, even something slightly smoky. You can describe a gardenia simply as a "white flower" - or you can describe it like this - add in all the colors and flavors that people don't notice when they smell the flower, but when they are not included, don't recall the real thing. I can't wait to try the rest of the soliflore line - it seems like such a great place to get to know single floral notes without getting bored, and without spending too much coin.

I am a gardenia lover beyond any other flower. I grow several varieties in my yard, but concentrate on the species with the largest flowers especially the Cape Jessamine with its' intense fragrance. Since insects can't see white flowers, gardenias put out huge quantities of indoles so that pollinators can find them. It is this that creates the magnificent smell and has an almost narcotic effect. Just smelling a bouquet gives me a high. Every year in May I fill my house with bowls of gardenias and the smell is incredible. Unfortunately natural gardenia cannot be distilled, which is why it has been a quest to find a perfume that actually smells like a real one. Most miss the mark and end up smelling either too synthetic, too star jasmine or orange blossom like, or add other notes to distract you from the problem. Until now. Soliflore Gardenia actually smells like a real gardenia. This is high praise coming from someone who spends a month a year smelling the real flower. I have many other gardenia perfumes, but this is the one that I am going to wear from now on. Bravo to Dame Perfumery Scottsdale! You seem to have accomplished the impossible! I am really impressed!

If you love gardenias-this is for you! My husband is a perfume hater but a gardenia lover. I asked him to sniff my wrist without telling him what I was testing and he immediately said "Gardenias"! That, my friends, is a minor miracle! This guy usually scrunches up his nose and says something like "Soapy" or "Alcohol". Never once has he been able to identify a note I was wearing. That is how good this soliflore is. It starts off very soft and pretty-just like a freshly picked gardenia. As it warms up on your skin, it gets stronger and stronger. I love this oil! I've only been wearing it for a few hours so I cannot speak to longevity but I wouldn't be a bit surprised if I can still smell it hours from now. The other reviewers are right on the money-this soliflore is awesome! Equally awesome were the several samples and 5 ml. bottle of Musk Oil that was included for free with my order! What a deal! I can't wait to try Jeffrey Dames other soliflores! The price of $35 for a 10 ml. roll on is excellent-so don't delay if you want to smell like Billy Holiday! Mr. Dame is currently working on new scents and I foresee great things for his house!

Dame’s creation (originally offered in oil form, but also available as Eau de Toilette) is often regarded in the fragrance community as being the most ‘photorealistic’, or true to the flower scent. It was a bit difficult to grab a bottle of the EDT outside of the USA, but not impossible. The opening left me somewhat baffled, especially after the trouble of getting a bottle. You are initially hit with a bit of a confusing, somewhat synthetic smelling cloud. However, my woes quickly disappeared because after 10-15 minutes, Soliflore Gardenia slowly settles and softens into one of the best gardenia recreations I have ever smelled. It magically manages to capture every facet of the flower in a balanced way, without ever smelling like a gardenia inspired perfume. Projection is not strong, but longevity is good. This is more than enough to satisfy the craving of smelling real gardenias over the non-blooming cooler months of the year. With the last blooms wilting away on my bushes outside, this came at a great time to do a last wrist to flower comparison – and I think it’s the one I’ve been searching for. Gardenia can be recreated!

This juice is rather astonishing. I went through a gardenia sampling spurt a couple months ago and, just as all above have reported, there are some lovely ones out there, but none that *actually* smell like a real gardenia blossom fresh on the bush. Yes, yes, of course it's not a flower that can be distilled directly, so all else out there seems a bit like it's hunting for the right note via triangulation. Not this one. Jeffrey Dame sent me a sample pack of all these new soliflores (there's not a bad one in the bunch, btw) and I dabbed on a little of the gardenia before bed last night. It's big and green and chewy and waxy and, above all, verging on fetid as all authentically gardenia, gardenia, GARDENIA do. Instensely so. Delirium-inducingly so. It's so pure and lovely that it seems almost sacrilege to layer it with these other soliflores, but, really, I'm not sure I can resist the effusive excess of adding the Narcissus and Tuberose oils from this collection to this one--because if I'm gonna go white flowers, I'm headed directly for the nuclear option.

It makes me happy to see the huge number of positive reviews of the fragrance because I really like the work that Jeffrey Dame of Dame Perfumery is doing and have enjoyed several of his Soliflore series (if pressed, I'd probably pick Mimosa or Wisteria as favorites). Unfortunately, this fragrance really, REALLY didn't work for me. I'm sure it's a skin chemistry/nose issue, but on my skin this scent was nothing but blue cheese and paint thinner! (You can imagine how shocking such a combination would be, when you're expecting gardenia!) I hate to be the lone voice of dissent in a chorus of otherwise rapturous reviews, but I'm leaving this review just in case others have the same experience. Fortunately, Dame Perfumery's scents are reasonably priced and Mr. Dame is generous with samples so if you're unsure about how it will perform on your skin, I'd recommend testing it first. Hopefully you'll experience what everyone else has!

Oh man, some months ago I was at the weed dispensary and as I was getting my ID out, I dropped my precious pocket rollerball bottle of Dame Perfumery: Soliflore Gardenia there in the shop. It splattered on their hard terrazzo floor. I was so heartbroken and was very apologetic about the mess. The staff said not to worry and were nice about it. A few weeks later I came in and, again, apologized for my mishap from before, and the girl at check-in asked the name of the perfume because apparently it perfumed the shop for a week and the entire staff now all want it, lol. I'm going to replace the Gardenia, and I'm also going to get the Rose. I've been craving a good rose scent that isn't adulterated with a lot of other stuff, but that will last longer than a rose absolute oil. I've tried a sample of Dame's other rose offering "Desert Rose" and liked it very much, but I'm getting into this whole soliflore thing.

What a perfect gardenia soliflore! Rich, luscious, heady, but not too heavy! The amount of indole is balanced well with freshness so it doesn't venture into "white floral overdose" territory for me, which usually includes a mega migraine.. This is a perfect spring perfume, truly joyous, as is sticking ones face straight into a fresh boquet! Highly recommended for gardenia lovers, although I prefer my florals a little less literal, there is unmistakable quality and craftsmanship here. I'm looking forward to testing more offerings from Jeffrey Dame based on the quality factor, I'm sure I'll fall in love with a few! As a side note, I used ONE spray from a spray sample, and was nearly overwhelmed! This is some seriously strong juice, please be advised! (And enjoy!)

I used to own Kai. Something in the spray formulation (I still have the rollerball) was very off-putting, and even the rollerball has a slight bit of that same off-putting note. Too much green and menthol, perhaps, and it ran slightly aquatic in a way that doesn't work on me. However, Dame Perfumery puts that one to shame. It starts off with this creamy, somewhat animalic gardenia that progresses to a greener, more herbal, indolic gardenia. This is a most awesome gardenia scent. For the most part, I prefer tuberose-gardenia combos, but I think I will consider getting a bottle of this, because it's so perfect. For niche of this quality, it's quite affordable, so anytime I get any of these, I buy the perfume spray and the rollerball oil at the same time.

I love heavenly gardenia and was ready to love this one. I got the oil roller-ball version. It did smell a bit like gardenia but there was a very unusual note in it (indole?). It reminded me of gasoline or old mothballs. Too strong and would not go away. Gardenia was somewhere there under the pressure of this strong chemical note. Maybe the spray bottle doesn't have it. I am not sure. I received some small testers with my purchase. The honeysuckle oil was fantastic. None of the other perfumes from the brand smelled like mothballs like gardenia did. So my search for the perfect gardenia soliflore continues.

Dame Perfumery created the most realistic gardenia scent I've ever tried (and I tried many!). It has all the facets of the real flower smell - floral and creamy, and bitter mushroomy and fresh greenish - just like in real life! It's delicate and gentle from far, but gains that intoxicating character and depth if smelled from close. It's a must-try if you're into this flower or white florals, and an absolute must-have for gardenia perfumes collectors (like me). The bottle I own is a 10ml oil roll-on (gets absorbed in seconds, sillage&longevity are remarkable!)

Due to being in oil form, this gardenia is quite strong. If you've never smelled a gardenia-dominant fragrance before, you may recognize its heavy scent from some of the strong white floral perfumes of the 90s and 80s. Whatever Dame uses for their oil base, it has an an oily scent of its own. I don't know if this is true of all oil-based perfumes, because Dame is the only maker of perfume oils that I have tried so far. I do feel like this is a high-quality scent that starts out very strong but fades off between 2 and 3 hours after application.

After the initial harsh, gasoline blast, this is an ok soliflore gardenia fragrance. The turpentine scent is just a bit stronger here than in other gardenia perfumes I own, which is why this is a gardenia closer to the end of its life than in full bloom. Also, I know I am extra sensitive to this but I do notice that "natural" indie perfumer plasticy note in here- not as much as in Sarah Horowitz's Perfect Gardenia, which I'm also wearing now, but it's there. Forever Florals Hawaiian Gardenia is still the Queen of Gardenias for me.

There's a vinegar-y something in the opening, but holy moly when this dries down is it the most realistic Cape Jessamine I've ever smelled. This is something that instantly takes me to the South in the spring, and unlike other Gardenias, it doesn't turn rotten and waxy on my skin. That said, I get the weird note people are talking about, but to me, it adds the slight bitterness to the green that makes it smell real and not fake to me.

I can smell the gardenia. The problem is there is something else that is very off putting in there to. Its stronger in the top but it stays even on dry down. I dont know what it is or how to even describe it. Its def not a smell I want on me though. Also, The gardenia I did smell was very much like Jovan Island Gardenia($10 at walmart) but only much more faint.

This takes me back to my childhood playing in my mums flower garden here in Florida. The best dam gardenia soliflore i have ever smelled. This is on point, it totally captures the essence of the flowers. It's kinda sweet,very deep, white floraly goodness! My mother would totally approve this. As do i. Would be a great scent to layer with dame's musk.