JD Rugir de Gardenia

I am very thankful to dame for giving me a sample of this with my order. At first I mistook this for soliflore Gardenia but checked it again after realizing this was not just Gardenia. The opening like many have pointed out is strong and borderline unappealing but quickly goes away into something more wearable. The strawberry is not there for me, I smell the Gardenia pretty quickly but that only lasts about an hour, the real note that comes through on my skin is the musk. The musk and the violet leaf are very strong to me, this gives an older style of perfume, something from the 50s or 60s, very white floral aldehyde, kind of soapy. As @SuzzaneS suggests, maybe I need to let my sample sit for a moment to really get a better grasp, I do like it but i think its missing something for me that might come with aging.

You all need to revisit your bottle! I bought this bottle when it was released. I spoke with Mr Dame as I do off and on. At the time, he told me to pause on the review. So I did and went on my merry way reviewing other perfumes. Tonight I was looking through my collection and saw Rugir. I pulled off the cap to smell it.. and OMG did it benefit from aging! Gone was that off plastic smell and the biggest, most creamy gardenia smacked my face! It was beautiful!! Nuances of strawberry, coconut wove in and out as it progressed. A green freshness underpinned the gardenia. Tolu and sandalwood creeped up from the base. Is it in its season in fall? (Maybe?) Did aging help? (Yes!) Im not sure what witchcraft happened sitting on my shelf but it is a late blooming beauty! 😍😍 Bottle reviewed

I got a sample of this very early, when there were only sample to purchase not full bottles. I enjoyed wearing it. It is a very pretty gardenia solifore that is tickled by strawberry and coconut. The coconut is slight not overwhelming. When I wore it I noticed the strawberry more. I went to buy a full bottle when they were available, but it was all sold out. If you like musky, creamy gardenia perfumes (and I own a few LOL) But want a new take on that type of fragrance this is a good way to go. The strawberry note really makes this perfume different, but it is still familiar. Very pretty, feminine gardenia that you will reach for over and over if you are a gardenia lover. Jeffery Dames Femme line is my favorite of all of his lines, vintage style w/ a 21st century execution.

As always from JD/Dame perfumery, lovely. I do not get coconut distinctly, and this is not *tropical* white flowers. But it is smooth, and creamy (I'm guessing that's the coconut), floral, and incredibly well blended. Slightly retro in that it isn't sugary sweet, or super simplistic. There are gently swirled layers here. It is soft and easy to wear. I keep getting hints of flowers, a spring garden over a creamy base of sandalwood (and SOFT sandalwood, no sharp edges). Haven't had it long enough to comment on performance but I have Duality and Singularity (others from this line) and both of them last a full 12 hours (though they're punchier fragrances so this may fade faster.) Well worth the price.

I received a generous 5ml sample (thank you, Jeffrey!) and am not disappointed. This does smell vintage, but not outdated. Reminds me of a lot of Mahora, with the jasmine, ylang ylang, and sandalwood, but with strawberry, orange blossom and gardenia rather than orange, neroli and tuberose. Like Mahora, this is reminiscent of a '90s powerhouse fragrance. I usually don't like strawberry in perfumes, as it often smells too synthetic for me, but here it fits well with the theme. This is my first time smelling anything from this house and I will be checking out more from JD/Dame Perfumery!