Gardenia

I smelled the gardenia, I smelled the green notes, because maybe that is what I was looking for,but the other flowery notes such as peony and orchid want to take over and make it a sweet, nauseating, femmenine disappointment. Smells expensive, its strong as its EDP. I will try to use it as a layering note with a more masculine note on top. The flowery notes like lily, peony, orchid make this..well not gardenia, they want to take over the throne of the gardenia chair and its green note cape and make it a nauseating pink princess who wants to paint the walls pink..those notes destroy what could be an elegant mature, green white flower perfume. I like flowers mixed with strong manly notes and in the end this is what I'll do, not sure this will work, I may try jovans tropical gardenia instead. The gardenia is there and the green note to make it stand, but those other flowers want to take over, and they do, making it a sick, flowery vomit of flowers. This may work for girls and very femm women who wear pink bodycon dresses, dont over spray or aim too close, its too strong, it will be overkill. Disappointment i'm afraid for me aleast, sorry.Love true gardenias and the green notes of its leaves, they are white, ethereal, strong, almost masculine and pure. I hope this helps, its a very well made perfume, just may not be what I was looking for, it made me want musk, cedar, leather, tobacco and other masculine notes so badly. Too much sweet flowery, pink colors make me sick, and nauseous, its just not my gender or my sexual preference, I tried. I grow gardenias in my gardens... Update- I slept on it and smelled again, the gardenia and green note are there ever present, let the other flowers serve her sweetness and serve the queen indeed. I layer it with musk cologne and the result is a glorious queen gardenia with her musk king and her pink servant girls in the background...This perfume is wonderful, elegant, deep, tender and comforting, one word defines it and its beauty, I will keep it...glorious gardenia. RIP Liz Taylor, the beauty queen herself, a woman of style, elegance, beauty. She also helped fund a lot of aids related causes and for that, I am honored to wear her perfume. I love it, I think its a 10/10, and amazingly perfect for gardenia lovers... The green leaves notes are incredibly fresh and so noticeable, it should be number two in the notes, the gardenia is sweet and always prominent. It's an amazing gem, with a kind price tag, this will always be in my closet. Fragrances require time to decipher and experience, do not be hasty to judge.

***Updated review from purchase date 10/13/25*** Elizabeth Taylor's Gardenia is an incredible, smooth "Candied Gardenia" fragrance! As Id stated before, I purchased my bottle on 10/13 and while it was very nice then, it initially smelled quite synthetic and seemed a bit weak. Well just a week later the over-all scent had totally improved as well as the performance. Well NOW a couple months later this fragrance has become so rich, and almost buttery, creamy and dare I say a "Realistic" white floral-gardenia scent, and the performance is now AMAZE-BALLZ lasting around 8 hours (if not more) on skin with this gorgeous smooth sillage and after 2 months it lasts (FOR DAYS) on clothes. Its a linear scent, but whatcha get is so very beautiful that I don't mind that at all. Also, while straight up Gardenia fragrances are mostly considered a dna of yester-year, this fragrance feels somewhat youthful and even modern to me because it is NOT AT ALL a screechy or "Old Fashioned" Gardenia and actually now smells a tiny bit indolic and rich which is what makes it smell somewhat natural. Liz T's-Gardenia scent has ZERO sharp edges and has a smooth, clean, "semi-sweet, again almost "Candied vibe" which imo even makes this scent a bit playful/youthful. Id emagine that if ever a Gardenia flavored hard candy were produced, it would smell/taste something like Elizabeth Taylor's Gardenia for sure and I feel that if I smelled this on a young lady it would be super interesting, unique and very appropriate indeed. For me as a guy, Gardenia does lean quite feminine, but Im enjoying it so much that I dont really care! Id tottaly rock this with a few light spritzes and this would make for a great after-shower and/or bedtime scent, or even a bed/pillow scent and since its so linear I think would be great for.layering. Anyways folks, if ya do end up grabbing a bottle of Gardenia, DO NOT judge it after the first few spritzes bc the Maturation process really does a beautiful number on this scent in THEE BEST OF WAYS. A stellar 8 outta 10 fragrance within its genre (Feminine Classic-ish white florals), plus its Crazy-Affordable at around $18 at your local Ross! Thanks to whomever took the time to read my review! CHEERS!

Tropical-Subtropical, Green & Humid Gardenia Soliflore... I’ve come back to this one to discover a truly an amazing, realistic fresh & bright gardenia. This takes a bit of time to macerate as other reviewers have mentioned. When I first sprayed this, it smelt like a very strong powdery tuberose of a certain era, and I quickly forgot about it. However, once it macerates for awhile, a fresh cut, green & humid, bewitching gardenia emerges, with voluminous milky-white petals, soft-spicy undertones, balmy beachy banana and its characteristic mushroom nuances. There's a timelessness here, despite the initial vintage vibes before maceration, and it's hard to believe it was released in 2003; I would have placed her further back or more recent for some reason I can't pinpoint. It's not as powdery as I expected, and has a certain humid balminess that ranges from subtropical green garden to tropical sun-soaked paradise. However, there's a simplicity here that I could see Keira Knightly pulling this off in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). It's a love for me. Enjoy! Update 06/21/25: Sprayed this on today, and it's so good. It reminds me of walking past gardens in the park on a humid summer day. Fresh floral gardenia with green, balmy, creamy, powdery and faint strawberry tones that sometimes happen with gardenia. This is a pretty natural gardenia, so there's also a touch of nuttiness, musky-mushroom nuances & a sunscreen hint as well. Love it still. Update 07/16/25: Have been wearing this as a layering scent over the past week or so, to bring out either the green, fruity (faint strawberry) or creamy aspects of gardenia. Here's a list of my favourite double or double/triple successful combos to date: Gardenia ET + Green Tea Elizabeth Arden (Suhaesa recommended) Gardenia ET + Dolce Dolce&Gabbana (Suhaesa recommended) Gardenia ET + Green Tea Elizabeth Arden + Khair Pistachio Paris Corner Gardenia ET + Valentina Donna Rosa Verde Valentino + Khair Pistachio Paris Corner Gardenia ET + Red Jeans Versace Gardenia ET + Strawberry Cheesecake Bodycology Gardenia ET + Embrace Green Tea & Pear Blossom Vera Wang I'll update if I come across any more really good ones. Enjoy!

Elizabeth Taylor's Gardenia smells like a thriving old conservatory, with a sharp, lemony, just-bloomed, honeyed-flower scent that gradually resolves to a more creamy-vanilla after the white floral top notes pipe down a bit. Another Fragrantica reviewer nailed down the fragrance: like Prell, a real 1940s formulation of a gardenia scent. The gardenia has always struck me as a very 1940s flower; I always think of Billie Holiday and Rita Hayworth. I happen to love the gardenia, as a visual object and as a fragrance, and that's why I chose to wear gardenias in my hair on my wedding day, even with the knowledge that the blossoms would start wilting within a few hours out of water. With its very wet, very green quality, Taylor's Gardenia smells more like lily-of-the-valley, or maybe gardenias that have only recently blossomed, open but not quite ripe. After the EDP has been on the skin for an hour or so, the bright green-floral notes fade appreciably, and the musk and carnation notes get more distinct. (I don't see vanilla listed as an ingredient, but I definitely pick up on some vanilla and possibly sandalwood.) At that point it seems to me more like a skin scent than the punchy sillage that asserts itself within the first 45 minutes of application. I would be leery of wearing this perfume in a social setting, especially in close quarters--definitely not for office wear, at least not in any significant quantity. It seems like the kind of perfume that could give a susceptible someone a sick headache. I think of this scent as a palate cleanser, a foretaste of summer in the doldrums of February, just like a trip to a greenhouse in winter. I don't like to wear the same scent day after day; I'll probably switch back to L'Heure Bleue next week. Besides coming inside a pretty casket-shaped, emerald-green bottle that always makes me think of the evil queen in Snow White, Taylor's Gardenia is especially nice on hair or a silk scarf--it smells very fresh and soapy, with its distinct associations of Prell. I think it might be nice on sheets as well, especially in the spring and summer months.

Elizabeth Taylor’s “Gardenia” is a juicy, succulent, high-pitched fragrance that feels somewhat „jungle“. Having never smelt a real gardenia, I feel unable to judge how realistic this reiteration is, however, what I can say from comparison with other gardenia fragrances I know is that this reads less of a classic white floral and is more of a sweet-green fragrance than I had expected. To my nose, this fragrance transits between three stages: In the first stage, which lasts about an hour, I get a loud, juicy, green fragrance that has a strong lily of the valley note. In the second stage, it calms down and gets a buttery texture similar to that of a tuberose. And in the third stage, you are left with a surprisingly wearable high soprano, sweet white floral. Speaking of the general impression, I find this gardenia a bit synthetic, but not in a bad way. It shares a slight resemblance with Cacharel‘s „Eden“ in that both have that 1990s shampoo-vibe, although I find “Gardenia” much more tolerable. Yet, this is not a classy perfume I would wear on a date or in a business setting, but a fun mood-lifting and very camp fragrance that has its own purposes. In this regard, it is not dissimilar to “Diamonds and Emeralds”, although I think the latter is more complex and therefore more interesting. As for age- and gender based recommendations, to me, this feels shrill but in a weird way ageless: it can be worn by party granny in Palm Beach just as well as by a teenager after P.E. . If we talk about gender, all I will say that this feels extremely queer. And also, cheap in a good and playful way. Honestly, if I ever went to an ESC or an “I’m a Celebrity” party, this would be my choice. And this is also what I recommend this fragrance as: a loud, fun party fragrance. Everybody needs something like that as well. ———- Update 2023: I have now had ample opportunities to smell real gardenias, which led me to appreciate this fragrance from another side as well. This really does smell like a realistic gardenia in very humid weather. Wonderful! ———— TL;DR: Succulent, green jungle gardenia.

Within the opening sequence of Gardenia, I'm stricken by an unanticipated sweet element encased within it's soapiness that I did not expect! Were I to personify it (I'm fond of doing this with perfumes), I would say it feels elegant (much moreso than the affordable price I payed for it would hint toward), but entirely approachable and kind hearted. This is not cold, austere or dry. Not at all. I immediately feel soothed in it's presence. Good. Very, very good. This is what I need in life. As a couple of hours pass, the creamy, nearly coconutty angles become steadily more apparent. I suspected to get along with this because I adore some other gardenia-laden perfumes, but admittedly this is going even better than anticipated. I was hoping that this wouldn't blast down the street in my stead, and it doesn't (at least not while modestly sprayed) because I already own Alien as my nuclear white floral option, and I don't want/need another. It's far from that level of intensity, but...does remain stubbornly present on the skin. Again, very, very good. I need this kind of thing in my life. What really surprises me though, is how this nearly turns into a tuberose as it dries further and further. This is absolutely no criticism, because I'm a tuberose lover as well...but it's plush, a little waxy, sweet...ang again, verging on coconutty. The lines between the two florals are sometimes thinner than we realize, as is the case here. In the right air, from a distance, it would pass as tuberose. I'm trying this in November, which is the stark opposite time of year that this evokes to me. This is 100% (IMO) a late March-early April morning. I've hoped to find this for a couple of years now, but figured I would someday. Someday arrived today, and I'm very grateful. You don't need to drop major coin to smell incredibly beautiful, I applaud this cheapy!

I used to have gardenia bushes in my yard, and gardenias have a very strong, very specific scent that is so thick it’s like a lotion that invades the nose and coats the olfactory bulb. But it’s an unmistakable smell with a lot of facets. It’s sweet, it’s a tad bit sour, it’s milky, it’s lotiony, it’s green, it’s comforting, it’s beautiful, it’s kind of overwhelming, and it’s unforgettable. The smell of real gardenias can be physically overwhelming in any real quantity, so it’s not just the perfume. It’s gardenias. Elizabeth Taylor supposedly turned down all of the essays that were brought to her for this perfume and finally, instead of having a fit, she walked out to her yard, clipped a gardenia from her garden, smiled warmly, and told the gentlemen, “Come back when it smells like this.” Well, this perfume smells exactly like the gardenias that I grew in my yard. After reading the reviews, I was prepared for all the many adjectives that have been used to describe this perfume. All I smell is real gardenias, as in the precise, nuanced, singular smell of gardenias. I can even say that after feeling so sad about the reformulation of Fracas, I take comfort in the authenticity of this gardenia perfume. The closest perfume I can think of that approximates this (except ET Gardenia is 50 times less loud and doesn’t have the vanilla) is Saks Fifth Avenue for Her by Bond No. 9. I tend to prefer the much softer Gardenia by Elizabeth Taylor because there’s no vanilla. The extended dry down veers a little bit toward peachy lactonic notes, which are very nice. This fragrance performs from spray on to dry down like some of the great waxy lactonic floral classics. This fragrance truly deserves its place among some of the Elizabeth Taylor fragrances that have become enduring classics.

Probably the most real gardenia perfume I’ve smelled. I’ve smelled many candles that are supposed to smell like gardenia. The one that smells slightly like real gardenia flowers is by Bath & Body Works. I also have Sand & Sable by Coty, which is supposed to smell like Jovan Island Gardenia, but to me smells almost nothing like real gardenia. It reminds me of White Shoulders which has gardenia, but they both smell pretty chemically. I got Sand & Sable because White Shoulders reminded me of Prell shampoo and Sand & Sable is supposed to smell even more like Prell shampoo. I’ve also smelled gardenia diffuser oil, which just smelled like a cheap lemon verbena dusting powder. I have a gardenia plant and I know what these amazing flowers smell like. To me Elizabeth Taylor Gardenia smells like gardenias that are maybe four days old and are turning yellow and brown. When they’re white they smell more sweet and sort of coconuty. It’s not a bad smell, it’s just different and more green smelling. It’s difficult to extract oils from gardenias, so not many perfumes actually smell like genuine gardenia flowers. Laboratories mix different scents to make something that smells the most like gardenia. Overall it’s a good green gardenia scent, but I just wish it was less fresh and more sweet. It last a while but isn’t overly strong. I love Elizabeth Taylor perfumes, and the bottle is gorgeous!

Absolutely lovely fragrance. It's a very fresh, green, feminine, demure, and creamy white floral without being boring. If you love white florals and want to smell pretty on a budget, then this is an absolute winner. I don't think this fragrance smells "old lady-ish" either; it's one of those fragrances that feels like it will never seem outdated. I enjoy gardenia as a fragrance note when it's done right. When gardenia goes wrong in a perfume, it has the tendency to smell like cheese to me. The gardenia in this, though, smells clean and sweet. I would classify this as a "gardenia done right" perfume. The gardenia, on my skin, eventually turns into something that reminds me of sunscreen (which isn't a bad thing at all; I quite enjoy the smell of most sunscreens). I get "spending a sunny day tending to the garden while wearing sunscreen" vibes with this perfume after a few hours of wearing it. It's pretty and comforting all at the same time, and it invokes Spring and Summer for me. It also makes the perfume more versatile. This could easily be pulled off in casual settings. I got this for 13 bucks. $13! With that price point, I got a very pretty smelling perfume with one of the most gorgeous bottles in my perfume collection. Totally worth it.

This was a total blind buy because at this point, I trust the house of Elizabeth Taylor implicitly. I know that even if the scent profile isn't my usual, the high quality will be there. Let me tell you folks, I am completely BLOWN AWAY. The bottle is a stunning, sculptural, emerald-green glass flower that looks like something you’d find on a vanity in a 1940s film noir. It feels substantial, heavy, and expensive in the hand. I am genuinely proud to display this beauty. It puts bottles 15 times the price to utter shame. The fragrance itself is the polar opposite of what I usually go for (heavy, resinous Oriental). It's fresh, dewy, and incredibly green. I mean this literally: it smells like a garden after an early summer rainstorm. It's like wet petals and humid air. It is absolutely LOVELY. And somehow it just keeps getting better the more it warms up. I am truly floored by how good this is. It smells natural, lush, and expensive. Dare I say, it is now one of my absolute favorites. EDIT: If you think you've sprayed enough of this stuff to be offensive, you're about 4 sprays away from perfection. Don't be bashful with it. Thank me later.

I love this fragrance! It's a fruity, creamy gardenia. It's not overbearing or cloying, but very smooth and clean, bordering on soapy but in a very good way. There's no powder at all, and I don't get the musk. Starts as a very green and fruity gardenia then dries down to a beautifuly creamy and sweet gardenia and lily of the valley. Overall, a very green white floral. There's nothing synthetic or metallic as others have said, at least not to my nose. Nor is it cheap smelling. It's luscious and beautiful. I only wish it were stronger and lasted longer. It doesn't last very long on me or my clothes. I'm hoping that after it sits for a while it will get stronger, as others have said. I've put it away in a cool, dark place to let it macerate for a few months. I've read that spraying a few pumps once a week will help the process. I was skeptical about buying this, it's so inexpensive, but it doesn't smell cheap at all! If you like white florals and gardenia, you should have this one, definitely. Crossing my fingers that macerating will help the strength and longevity.

I'm a forever fan of this fragrance, and it always shocks me to read comments that say it doesn't actually smell like gardenias. Someone else below mentioned that real gardenias often have that milky, sour edge to it and I think that's why I love this fragrance so much. It smells REAL. It definitely has a powdery, green base to carry it along...but it's as if someone picked a giant gardenia and you stuck your whole face in it. In the very best way, of course. I have probably gone through...20 bottles of this in my life and will never be without it. It's a simple, classic, easy go-to that is fantastic in the spring and summer and especially at night. I do wear it in the fall before the temps drop too much. But most often I spray this just before bed because I always drift off with a smile on my face. Some may say it's too singular or simple, but for someone with a wide variety of scents (and many of them complex), I always come back to it like a security blanket.

I purchased this last year and barely touched it for months. Having been to my local gardens and getting a big, creamy whiff of gardenia, I came home with a temptation for this. As I've said on my review for Chanel's Gardenia, the two smell so very much alike. The major difference being price and longevity. This lasts so much longer and has a slightly more chemical smell. This doesn't hurt the scent at all though. Its neither buttery nor creamy, but is green and softly sharp. Far from my favourite Elizabeth Taylor scents, but definitely my favourite Gardenia scent that I've smelt. I love Elizabeth Taylor and truly believe that this is a valuable addition to her collection of parfums and a lovely addition to any floral perfume lover's collection. Definitely smells expensive, as all of her scents do. I'm genuinely glad we have all of these beautiful fragrances to remember her by. She was a beautiful, intelligent woman.

Therapy in a bottle! One spray will tingle your senses and immediately lift your spirits! This was an edgy blind buy, but it worked out well for me. This fragrance is luxurious and exudes class. It projects extremely well and lasts for a great deal of time. I totally recommend Gardenia and it will remain a staple in my fragrance collection. ************************************************************************************************************ I decided to wear this again today, 1/27/23--I just had to chime in. I work in a high school. As I was walking pass a few students, I heard a young man say: "It smells nice, like a nice old lady." LOL! I'll take that compliment with pride! Liz Taylor's Gardenia rocks! My husband likes it too. Also, I bought a bottle of this as a Christmas gift for a co-worker. I was nervous about it because I don't think it is a safe blind buy. She told me the other day that she loves it.

it's a shame that this scent doesn't last as long as other perfumes in Elizabeth Taylor's collection, because it's downright therapeutic to me. It's undoubtedly "old-school" and that fact might make people fear it a little, but gardenias are my favorite fragrance, regardless of what reputation they may have. It's not a "sweet" gardenia like Pacifica's Gardenia perfume, it instead almost evokes the feeling of a natural gardenia preserved in fresh-scented paraffin wax. It has that wonderful unique gardenia quality where you can imagine the petals tickling your nose as you smell it, like a"3D" scent. I've been spraying it on me before I sleep because it's gentle, and to my nose at least, very natural. It's clean and takes me back to memories of the butterfly greenhouse at my city's zoo, or perhaps even memories of the botanical garden. This is a perfect tribute to my favorite flower, I only wish it lasted forever.

I blind-bought it without high expectations, and i am so positively surprised - it is such a beauty! Reading the descriptions that it isn't creamy, but rather green, fresh and simple, I was almost sure i will not like it much. But i guess there are so many factors influencing our perception of a smell of a perfume. It is not very green to me, and (fortunately) rather creamy! Yes, it can be quite sharp and heady, especially if oversprayed, but it also has that buttery quality that i like. I agree with those comparing it to Estee Lauder Tuberose Gardenia. They are quite similar. I never smelled Chanel, but there are other good comparisons here already. Definitely worth trying for white floral lovers Small edit: The box is very pretty for a cheapie. I think it is prettier in real life than it is in the picture! I don't detect peony, and orchid is barely there, but carnation is very detectable in the drydown.

I blind bought this fragrance after seeing the beautiful bottle and reviews without being sure I'd love the notes, but I must say I'm pleasantly surprised. It's a very fresh and feminine scent, a bit mature and dated for sure but still very wearable for younger women. I get lily of the valley and green notes the strongest, and the grandma-vibe wore down quite quickly. It's got a sweetness to it that typically I wouldn't like but this one smells very natural and mature and is complemented beautifully by the rest of the notes. All I see when I smell this perfume is a lush garden with a light breeze next to a pond. Another reviewer said this smelt like Arwen from Lord of the Rings, and I completely agree. It's classic, familiar, and comforting. It smells like elegance and regality, yet modest and grounded. It smells like Evermore by Taylor Swift. The perfect innocent spring scent.

I reviewed Elizabeth Taylor's Gardenia nearly 2 years ago and I loved her then, but now that she's been macerating for 2 years, I have to write a new one to announce: "She's GORGEOUS!!" She's bright, juicy, and sparkling, which confuses me because there isn't a single note in the composition that would make her smell this way, so it must simply be a masterful blend. She's also creamy, like the milk that comes from the stems of white florals. There is almost a champagne quality to her. She was cloying and screechy when I first got her, but after 2 years, she's calmed down and smoothed out. I'm no expert, but this is absolutely one of the best pure florals I've smelt, even down to the green. I sprayed her about 10 minutes ago and I'm breathing in so deeply that my red blood cells are thanking me.

I'm not a big fan of ET perfumes. But, this is lovely from start to finish Starts with an initial blast ( not too strong) of Lily of the Valley. Then blends into a very cheerful wet (like it just rained in spring in the the flower garden) green scent with gardenia, peony a bit of rose. As Gradually Goes on to a lovely (surprisingly authentic) creamy gardenia. Which holds for a while as then a nice soft Amber base joins in. For the most part this is streamline, soliflore fragrance. With little nuances along the way. But a fragrance doesn't always have to be a complex one to be nice or enjoyable. If I had to select a perfume that ET's "Gardenia" reminds me of the most. (REMINDS me, and smells SIMILAR to. Not smells EXACTLY the same) I would say it reminds me Aerin"s Rattan Gardenia.

sitting on a balcony with far-flung friends inhaling the delicate fumes of the flowering garden; bold, buttery, fragrant florals so naturalistically potent that i cannot help but spray it all over myself every time i think of it. behind the knees before bed, the back of the neck after breakfast, on my wrists after a shower, or on my décolletage before an evening walk. this scent haunts the foyers and boudoirs of my inner life, lingers on the pages of books i happened to have open when i was reminded how long it had been since i last sprayed it, and wafts around me in a delicate flowering aura like indian summer. for eighteen dollars, my devotion to this scent far outweighs its cost. seek this one out without delay, dear reader <3