Confessions of a Garden Gnome

So this scent. . this scent is on the top of my wish list currently. I have a sample which I'm cherishing and sparingly spritzing. It opens with a sharp green sour grassy but oh so fresh note. At first I thought it was masculine. . But I guess it's just that very first hit of the bergamot and pepper, but so smooth. Then comes the lily of the Valley.. which isn't a flower I normally love. . But it's the essential pretty note that makes this divine and ethereal. Definitely unisex in my opinion. I get transported to a lush green garden that's just been showered with rain, and that earthy grassy aroma is sharp and magical, every now and again, the wind catches the lily of the Valley, and also a hint of ambergris. It's unusual, so fresh, and so juicy. It also makes me think of drinking a glass of sparkling lime and floral tonic. . Plus the bottle design is class! Anyway, I'm not a poet. . So I'll come back down to earth again. Lovely scent. . Wish it was available in the UK. There'll be a very big hole in my perfume collection (and my heart) until I can get a bottle. I don't want to risk it being shipped over seas so I'll just have to wait. . . She says sobbing. . *UPDATE* finally own this magical scent! I bought it from Neroli (perfume shop online in Hungry. Very pleased with the service and shipping and also prices from here. Definitely Recommended). I have uploaded a video review on YouTube if anyone is interested in further insight into this scent. It was my first video so excuse the quality and nervous editing. Video by 'Rose and Jones'

I find this perfume profoundly beautiful. It is complex in its composition. When first applied I smell the spring. Brittle branches suddenly burst with buds and blossoms. (Pink pepper, bergamot, yuzu and coriander). In the heart, flowers give off their luscious summer aromas, (Rose, Lily, muguet, Violet leaf, Mango). Finally in the dry-down, woods and musks play to the harsh beauty of autumn becoming winter - dead leaves and bare branches (White musk, Amber, Virginian cedarwood, Birch, Ambergris). New, Melbourne-based brand, Fort and Manlé has created a delightful perfume here, which has a mood and a story all of its own. Sold in extrait de parfum concentration, it won't disappoint in terms of sillage and longevity. The company is to be congratulated for having started a new niche line in Australia which has world-class (and pleasantly restrained) packaging. Genre: Floral woody musk. Longevity: 12 hours+ Sillage: moderate - not overbearing. *disclosure: I have received samples of this product, but as ever, I only write reviews of products that I love and can wholeheartedly recommend. Edited version of a blog posted on thescentgentblog, February 10, 2017.

The name of the bottle is EXACTLY what this smells like. The story of a garden gnome - what he witnesses throughout the seasons, the years, as flowers bloom, the leaves fall, and the weather changes. It's brilliant. I was a little turned off by the intial stage of pure green spring (unoriginal), but this drydown is complex and beautiful. I'm keen to try this one, and Zoologist's Elephant and Dragonfly on the same day. I think Confessions of a Garden Gnome stays safely in the garden, whereas Zoologist's scents are a little wilder. Which is exactly what you'd expect with the names! But a garden has a million secrets and stories, the closer you look...Perhaps I need all three, depending on which path I'd like to take on a day...

One of the most gorgeous fragrances I have ever come across. It's not your typical lily-of-the-valley, i don't think you'd guess just by smelling it without looking at the notes. The top does come across a little bit like cigarettes, but don't let that throw you off. Because it completely disappears in a matter of minutes and dries down to this gorgeous dewy natural and slightly green smelling flowers. It feels like a surreal and mystical forest, one that an older more elegant tinkerbell might live in. All the notes blend very well together so no one stands out more than another, it's hard to guess the notes. All in all, a pure work of art, a masterpiece in a bottle.

Green floral amazing perfume. Average performance but very nice smell. Flowery, Green, creamy, delicate and very powdery. With a gorgeous Lilly of the ballet un first place and a Woody/musky background. It is unisex and weareable under Hot temperaturas. Suitable for every situación, always that you want some discreción. For everyday use.between the BEST scents of the brand. It is an extrait but very soft and subtle! Scent: 8.5 Longevity: 7 Sillage: 6 Quality/price: 5 Versatility: 9 Originality: 8 Global: 8.5 Longevity: 7

The story with this fragrance, and frankly the most remarkable act, is the journey of seasons a garden gnome witnesses in the garden. This fragrance delivers on this in spades. Remarkable. A green, fresh and floral scent that takes you to this magical garden world. Autumn, spring, winter, and summer. All wrapped up in one evolving fragrance. Longevity is 12 hrs at least. Rasei Fort is an artist and a giant in modern Australian culture. A national treasure. Bravo. 10/10

One of the most elegant and enchanting fragrances I have ever smelled, I got my nose on this back in 2020 which truly opened my eyes to the art of perfumery. It’s captivating and alluring, makes you feel you’re lost in an enchanted forest in Narnia. Unfortunately it’s been discontinued, I highly recommend this one if you can find it. I must say it’s the best from this amazing house!

Walking in a small forest,in the spring, after the rain ... be serene, joyful, some gnome can be glimpsed in the woods, the sun is shy, it's a beautiful happy day! This scent reminds me of all this, it is an artistic and picturesque scent...to have absolutely, Beautiful,i really like it!! Sillage: 7./10 Longevity: 7.5 / 10 Scent: 9./10 Overall: 9./10

Pink Pepper, Coriander, Bergamot, Rose, Lily, Violet Leaf, Mango, Musk, Cedar, Ambergris and Birch Four Seasons Captured in the bottle 😍 An artistic interpretation of a life of a garden gnome. A gorgeous and lovely fragrance. Definitely bottle worthy. "The garden is all we know and here we shall remain"

If Balenciaga’s Florabotanica and Dior’s The Cachemire had a gnome baby, this is what it would smell like and I love it. It is not just a scent, it’s a teleportation to a magical garden. This sounds insane as I write this but I can’t explain it any other way.

this is art one of the best things i have had the pleasure owning in my life.

I was lucky enough to grow up living in places with gardens large enough for a boy and his siblings to have hours of imagined adventure; and memories that hide in your subconscious until something teases them out. In this case the Fort and Manle's Confessions of a Garden Gnome has penetrated my mind through my nose. In a single wearing, you get sensations of sunny late winters where stepping from shade to sunshine warms your skin by several degrees. It opens with a singing violet leaf that stays in a high register guiding you through the seasons. You get white floral early spring bouquets and already you get a sense of the chameleonic nature of the fragrance. When florals subside it's time for the ambergris, musk and amber to take over and represent the cooler months of the year. The birch here is more dry bark than tar, and you can almost smell the carpet of wet fallen leaves that is laid on the brick pavement. If this was a painting it would be a Monet study of the same thing at different times of the year. One of the best things i have smelled.

Confessions of a Garden Gnome, a curious name, aptly suggests the garden itself, and the fragrance effectively conjures ideas of the garden and vegetation, its scent profile dominated by the floral trio of lily-of-the-valley, violet, and rose, to my nose. The pink pepper factors in significantly for most of the life of the fragrance, as well, giving way to a dry down of cedar and white musk, prominently, so smooth and soft. It's fresh, and mainly floral, yet also a little sweet and woody. An agreeable, unisex option, better suited for warmer rather than colder weather, as it does have somewhat of a fresh, daresay clean vibe, even. Unsurprisingly, due to note composition, it's a less significant performer than Charlatan and (certainly) Amber Absolutely, and so, at the same pricing of 230AUD / 178USD for 50ml, it's a tougher sell than those. Still, I think many might enjoy it quite a bit. It's surely worth of a try at least. 7 out of 10

Confessions of a Garden Gnome, now that is a funny name for a fragrance and it does paint a great picture of how this creation is supposed to smell like. It opens up with loads of violet leaf, giving it an aquatic presence, then comes the white florals (lily and lily-of-the-valley), there is also a presence of grass (could be linden blossom) and some skankyness going on, could be the ambergris. Due to it's very green, dew-y characteristic, CoaGB reminds me of The Soft Lawn by Imaginary Authors. Both fragrances are fleeting, they have average longevity of 5-6 hours with modest projection. If I had to choose, I would go with The Soft Lawn, since it is cheaper and does not put me off if smelled up close.

Wow, this is art. A photorealistic representation of a garden- wet dirt, clover, grass, and honeysuckle that eventually shifts to a sweet and simple freesia on my skin. Just beautiful, and may very well be fbw. Also I am head over heels for the art nouveau bottles from this house. The attention paid to every detail is just stunning. Edit: Apparently this perfume is supposed to represent all four seasons, which is quite an ambitious goal, but on me it unfortunately doesn’t pan out. I’m happy with the spring and summer, though it really would be impressive if I got the full cycle.

Starts off smelling like lily-of-the-valley and cigarettes. Dries down to smell like a wet, dewy lily-of-the-valley.

It’s with a heavy heart but I’d have to report that this might have been reformulated. I’ve just received my bottle from an official Fort and Manle US stockist and, though, still very much related, it’s significantly different. It’s surprising that no one has highlighted Coriander leaves, aka Cilantro, which dominates the opening. If you don’t like the smell of cilantro, you might not like this. This beautiful fragrance pretty much revolves around Cilantro, Lily of the Valley, Rose, Musk and this vibrant greenness. The dry down turns into light smoke-like woodiness that remains deliciously green with a hint of sweetness. Sadly, the mid/dry down is where most of the reformulation seems to be more apparent. In the new bottle, everything from my old sample seems toned down. Everything is now folded under a strong rose-musk smell. That incredible greenness that runs through the entire life of this perfume is very much toned down like it’s no longer a green fragrance. This has been tagged as white floral first then green. That is true for the new bottle. But for my old sample, I would tag it as green first then floral. The brand’s website do have a disclaimer that due to the “nature of natural materials”, it may smell different from batch to batch. Sigh. Had I known how the reformulation smelt, I would NOT have purchased it. :( UPDATE: I’ve been advised by the brand that the Mango accord may have changed. They’ve recommended to let the perfume sit for a month then inform them. Crossing my fingers! UPDATE 2: After several months, the scent didn’t really change. It remained a floral-indole-musk-dominated perfume with almost none of the semi-sweet greenness that I fell for. 🙁

Underwhelming floral musk with gourmandish facets, and perhaps reformulated. The scent opens with citrus and pepper and moves to a firm heart of mango, lily and violet before settling into a powdery synthetic musk dominated base with hints of woody amber. The female leaning scent has moderate sillage and longevity. Overall, nothing to particularly swoon about, especially this version, where I dont seem to notice much green at all. Its all a sweet fruity floral musk. Enjoy!

There's a definite spicy-herbal note, which I like very much, but I think I was hoping for something a bit different. It's not ozonic on my skin at all, more like green plants and soil, and some heavy, intoxicating flowers. It's quite sensual, makes me wonder what is the nature of this garden gnome's confession.

People before me did a good job of being "pretty descriptive" about this. I won't. This is not fit for a man, unless you are a *snaps fingers* type of man. It gives off a floral vibe more than anything else, and an older lady smell at that. Not even attractive to me. A pass for me and probably all guys but, give it a "try" sample or something before buying.