White Gardenia Petals

Simply put, this is a beautiful perfume! The opening is fresh, green, and citrusy – the bergamot leading the composition to a heart of gardenia and other white florals in supporting roles. The gardenia here is sanitized of all carnality and well-blended with a green note of lily of the valley. This merger gives it an pure, ethereal, and yet somewhat soapy character, making it a perfect floral for warmer environments. When tested in colder weather, the soapy green astringent aspects are more pronounced. Unlike the note pyramid suggestion, I get no coconut, ylang ylang, amber, or woods from this. The heart notes fade without drying down to any anchoring base notes. The name “White Gardenia Petals” is perhaps a bit of a misnomer as it probably should’ve been named “White Petals” instead. Lasting power is up to 3 hours and the projection is absolutely nil. Those of you who are looking for a white floral to wear in close quarters, this is a great nominee for your collection. It could also make a great entry for someone who’s looking to dip their toes into the world of white florals. I also have Belcam’s Royal Blooms perfume, which is supposed to be the dupe for this beauty and here are my impressions: The dupe is a much linear version of the original. The top notes are erased and the heart phase, while similar to the original, is all about a nondescript floral note that tries to mimic the gardenia/LoTV blend. Don’t get me wrong. It is a very pleasant rendition but it is also much less aromatic and complex than the original. I also detected a base note of white musk in it; which ironically makes it cheaper smelling but with much superior longevity than the original. As it is available for under $10, I’d snap up a bottle if you’d like an affordable and yet complex perfume that can also be used as a decent body spray. Unfortunately, White Gardenia Petals is no longer produced and Illuminum brand website seems to have been turned off. The rumors on the internet suggest that this was Kate Middleton’s wedding perfume. If it is true, I can see why she chose this particular perfume given the wedding symbolism of gardenia and the furtive hint of the brand’s name at the obscure but powerful faction that is the foundation of the royal family: “Illuminum”. A quick search on the web suggests that in real life, the Duchess actually smells like roses.

It's a super clean, white floral fragrance, a bit powdery and with a hint of sweetness (nothing sickly, just a lightly sweet floral). It's innocent; in fact, it has a slight quality that takes me back to a children's fragrance (in a good way, of course). This is a casual, simple scent, but that certainly doesn't make it a bad one. It could easily appeal to most people, regardless of their personal tastes; it's not a fragrance that would annoy or put anyone off. In my opinion, while it's marketed as unisex, for me, it leans slightly more feminine. It's a fragrance for daytime wear, and I find it quite versatile for any season, but if I had to picture it, I'd say a sunny, breezy day. I can completely understand why Kate Middleton chose this fragrance for her wedding. I believe this scent perfectly embodies her simplicity – a classic, no-fuss aroma. And I like that she broke the idea that, because they're royalty, they'd go for the most extravagant, or demand opulence, or even want to smell "expensive." I think it was an excellent choice. Regardless of whether one might question if it's a suitable perfume for a wedding, it speaks volumes about Kate as a person, and that makes me admire her even more.

I ordered it as soon as I found out Princess Kate wore it on that beautiful wedding day, and because I loved the white floral notes in a simple yet refined composition, crafted by Boadi nonetheless. Feeling lucky to have received it since the waiting lists are growing! First wearing I'm enjoying very much, it is not a strong gardenia nor coconut scent as you might expect, but it seems it was perfect for the occasion. It's a light airy clean floral where nuances of lily and jasmine combine to form an abstract suggestion of the gardenia petal, and little hints of coconut appear here and there, but ever so gracefully, over a light linen and lace base. To me it is soft and delightful, like a fine fresh bouquet, yet without any sharp lily or rose, and stays lovely for some time. My fiance enjoyed it, and I can see how it's a perfume fit for a modern princess! Edited to add: Indeed some different batches happened, my mom gave me a mini spray tester of this and it was very strong sweet gardenia, whereas my bottle is pretty close to White Linen. That still was one of the most beautiful weddings so I'm happy to have a bottle to remind me =-)

How anyone can dislike such a simple and natural perfume such as this enchanting masterpiece beggars belief. For this is the best Gardenia fragrance I have ever owned. Having just the right amount of sweetness, when first applied, the scent is wide awake and pretty sharp, however, if you allow it to sleep you are giving the fragrance the opportunity to find you as opposed to you sticking your nose in it. Furthermore, the comment referring to the cheapness of the bottle beats me - perhaps they have not actually physically held the bottle, which is absolutely high quality and simplistic in design, thus equates perfectly to it's contents. Needless to mention, if Kate chose this perfume over many others pushed up to her royal (& loyal hopefully) nose no doubt - then I would say that the duchess is indeed a refined lady with exquisite taste!

Well ladies and gents, All I can say is if this is too synthetic for some taste then I am at the opposite end of the spectrum. I sprayed this about 2 hours ago, have been indoors since then. Thought it was nice, nothing special. Then I had to take the dogs out. Oh my word. Perhaps I have been smelling the wrong sort of gardenia. But on me, in the fresh air, this is delicious. Even my husband commented on how lovely it smelled on me. So all I can say is that for someone who is on a Gardenia quest......this hits the spot. ****By the way the very fact that this was worn by someone on their wedding day to a member of the Royal Family completely put me off trying it until today.I'm so glad I did because it is lovely (on me anyway).