Jardins de Bagatelle

Bagatelle is a luminous woody floral. Radiant because of the neroli and citrus oils that Guerlain does so well, woody curtesy of cedar and vetiver, and floral, well floral because. The opening is one of the most glorious citrus openings I've ever encountered in a fragrance. Mostly because of the neroli that seems to cut the sweetness that is typical in such a heavy floral composition. There's a nanosecond of Fracas, a nanosecond of Herrera classic and then they both leave so that Bagatelle can show its true colors. A tuberose rich heart, with gardenia noticeable too, orange blossom and magnolia, which lends its unmistakeable sweetness, in the same way it sweetens up Mito by Vero Kern. As hard as it is to believe, the heart feels anything but cloying. It doesn't have the buttery feel of Fracas, nor the come hither excess of Poison, but instead it showcases the white florals in a sort of cologne way. When launched, Bagatelle was conceived as a bright and sparkling edt, so even though it's diffusive and long lasting, the aldehydes along with the citrus showcase the more innocent side of this garden. It's powerful alright, but with a joie de vivre. The woody drydown is lovely, as my skin tends to showcase the vetiver, along with a delicate but not clean musk. Many guys who love big white florals, but are kind of hesitant to use something like the aforementioned ones, have a good chance of liking Bagatelle as is decidedly woodier without losing the narcotic effect that tuberose and the like have. In a way, it doesn't feel Guerlain-ish. There's a big departure from the earlier scents of the house, but when you smell the entire evolution of the fragrance, you notice that even though the heavy nature of an 80's white floral has not been reduced, as that would be both impossible and sinful, the airyness of the whole composition screams elegance. It feels like the lemon meringue airyness that would later appear in Shalimar Legere. Take the 80's and infuse some table manners, and you get Jardins de Bagatelle. Guerlain can't do cheap and trashy even if they wanted to. Instead, they bring their answer to the fashionable powerhouses of the decade, in this 1983 creation that somehow remained hidden among the Samsaras, the Shalimars and the Mitsoukos, passing mostly unnoticed as my 2007 bottle, bought in the busiest department store of Madrid in 2015, shows. It has its fans, but I don't think there are too many. I just hope it doesn't get axed in favor of more gourmands. The new packaging is a good decision, if it means it's staying, but I'm not sure how that one smells. Don't give up the chance to give it a try next time you see it. It's an under the radar Guerlain that has a lot to offer.

OMG! I smelled this yesterday and today from an old sample from the '80s while clearing my old stash of samples and mini and I had such a good feeling from it that I was almost brought to tears! I'm a little bit obsessed with perfumes, I know... Almost all my old stuff from the '80s were too old and evaporated or ruined, even if I kept them sealed and in a dark place. I sent all to trash. Jardins de Bagatelle was as pure and fresh as it was. And what an incredible, lovely, intense yet balanced floral it is! When Guerlain did not waterdown its perfumes and didn't change raw material for less quality perfumes smelled like this! I didn't try the new version because this is one of the Guerlains that totally disappeared from Italian market. Only one official small counter in Milan still carries a few oldies. The beautiful one brand shop was closed many years ago. Now only newest Guerlains are barely kept in perfume stores and 90% of SA don't even know that Guerlain made perfumes called Jardins de Bagatelle, L'Heure Bleue, Nahema... Jardins de Bagatelle is an absolute must-try for any floral lover, especially for tuberose, but it is much more than plain tuberose. It's like walking in a sunny garden full of big thick white flowers and feeling completely enveloped in their perfume. This is a masterpiece! It lasted all night on my skin till the morning after and only dabbed 2 drops! Dabbing is probably the best whey to enjoy these old Guerlains. I agree with those who think that spraying brings out more aldehydes. I love the initial very gentle burst of bergamot always together with flowers. I love the fact the flowers stays on my skin throught the whole evolution of the scent. The drydown is not merely your usual stiff sandalwood (chemical) plus some vanillin thrown for good measure. Flowers are there till the ned and they seem to chant! JdB is a happy scent with a knowing attitude. Not a soft, faint, girlish floral, not even a grand dame in old velvet. JdB is happy, strong and full of secret sensuality which is not dependent on sexy clichè, rather a personal attitude out of schemes.

The first time I sniffed it, back in the late Eighties, I was a teenager (but a very styled one with clear fragrance ideas/tastes in mind!) and this was the novelty perfume worn by this very rich and elegant socialite of my area. I was babysitting her little girl for the summer and could appreciate this perfume she was wearing daily.. she really made a statement, and it was so popular on her with everybody complimenting her, that I recall she was offering to her friends those lovely bath/lotion/fragrance sets of JdB. I loved that fragrance.... For the hype that surrounded it at that time but also for its uniqueness and the sheer beauty of it. To me Jardins de Bagatelle represents the fragrance of summer, for a woman of style that has a defined personality and is at the time sophisticated, elegant and not understated: the tuberose here is bold -but not scary like in Fracas. When I grew older I started using it and went though many bottles of this lovely, classy scent. I discovered that I love white flowers with this perfume. I also discovered that men loved it a lot. I always got tons of compliments about this perfume... I guess it represents a classical but joyful femininity... and people are attracted by that. I got into JdB again after years of forgetting it for unknown reasons. I realised how much I missed that fragrance... mostly the drydown. The drydown is the best part of it: so lovely, cosy, warm and feminine and close to your skin... makes me feel really good. Incredible staying power, distinctive sillage and projection. I own a couple of vintage bottles (the rectangular tall ones) and a couple of the newest bee ones, in edp. The vintage formula is more concentrated and creamier, heavier on the cedar and patchouli. The newer editions are a little more airy but I enjoy them all the same. Longevity is stellar even in the new formulation. JDB reminds me of those years, a long time ago... and of the girl I wanted to be. Which is the girl I am... I love this perfume.

Its beautiful. Review for the new bee bottle. I suspect this was even more beautiful in the past. Want to try a vintage at some point, But even the new formulation is beautiful. You have to wait for an hour though! As a typical Guerlain it opens up in layers and the last layer is the best one. I don’t know how they have done it in this case as the post 1h on skin is actually lighter and brighter, more nature like, than the first spray to first 30min. But this is absolutely lovely, very real flower like but with just enough synthetics to have staying power and structure. White floral (jasmine, tuberose, fainter lily of the valley), yellow floral (I get daffodil on this one), no metallic for me, just a tiny bit of sweetness. Its very elegant, loveliness with intelligence. I love their ability to mix so many notes and flowers and yet make them work perfectly together. This kind of layering and detail keeps the fragrance always interesting and your brain and subconsciousness does not get bored even with long wear of the same scent. There is a quality of purity and light and beauty to this scent. I think of a beautiful lady, dressed in a simple but elegant white dress, wandering through gardens, taking in the beauty, summer afternoon light falling on the leaves through the glass ceiling, afternoon tea. This is for a woman who chooses a perfume to please her own senses, not to make an impression or attract a mate. The latter two follow from the first attribute. Edit for a vintage version: so wonderful and quite unique, not in a loud sense but as in that it has notes which have been structured in a way that doesn't seem so common in the fragrance market, especially today. Incredible staying power without ever turning dull, I can smell it on my wrist a good 18h later. There is a certain richness and delicateness in equal balance in this one, like in a beautiful bouquet of flowers from an artisan florist.

Hello from Decodawn. It's wild & windy weather in February 2022, I hope you are all staying safe. This is my review of Jardins de Bagatelle. Firstly, Jean Paul Guerlain fragrances are to be admired because each original bottle tells a story in the design & also liquid content. I own the original tall rectangular vintage edt. In the early 80s, it was all about the abundance of flowers. Romance & nothing was 'too much'. With all Guerlain fragrances patience is required for a true olfactory experience. They are not cheap grab spritz and go. They are very expensive luxury products and need handling with awe and delicacy. Jean Paul Guerlain was inspired after visiting the Chateau de Bagatelle Abbeville, France with its abundant Rose gardens & created this wonderful ode to joy for perfumistas. Many have listed the notes etc my take on this fragrance is voluptuous, well blended, rich & sensual. A loud opening, happy & joyful heart, with a sexy musky honey dry down. Obviously the Guerlainard is very prominent in the dry down. It is not similar to other fragrances it is not cold like Chanel I personally find Chanel a cold fragrance house very clinical and clean. Guerlain is all blood, sweat & tears and history and passion. I would recommend buying a small vintage sample on ebay for about £15-£20 to experience this classic fragrance. Then to save up your pennies and invest in a large rectangular bottle of the edt the edp is gorgeous but incredibly expensive. The new launch last year 2021 is a pale imitation of what was a floral powerhouse mainly due to the restrictions of ingredients. As someone once said this is a Happy, joyful fragrance and one to be loved & treasured. I absolutely love it. Masterpiece. Enjoy x 🙏❤💕