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!

I received a free sample of this through an offer on Fragrantica from Dame Perfumery. Have you ever come across a piece of art (visual, olfactory, or otherwise) that is maddeningly familiar, and yet -- yet! -- you aren't *quite* able to place it? That's this perfume (and I mean that in a good way). This smells *so* much like the 1980s that I *feel* like I should be able to identify a similar composition -- but I cannot put my finger on what, exactly, it smells similar *to.* To me, this perfume is the olfactory version of "The Most Mysterious Song On the Internet" (in fact, the moment I sprayed this on, that song became lodged in my head on repeat for several days, and now that I've sampled it again, the song is back... if you don't know about this song, feel free to check it out, and thank -- or curse -- me later), which somehow manages to sound, hauntingly, like *every* song I heard in the 1980s and yet, not exactly like *any* of them (is it Joy Division or Depeche Mode? No, it's neither, but it's catchy, and it *feels* like something I should know). There's an elusive, yet beguiling, character to both the perfume and the song; they share that aspect of vintage familiarity and concurrent "newness." I *want* to say that I can place it, but it evades all attempts at being pinned down. This perfume *may* be tapping into my memories of Sand & Sable (but only because of the gardenia note -- everything else about RdG is different... I smelled the nozzle of my vintage S&S bottles out of curiosity, and nope... these two scents have little but the gardenia in common). Maybe that's what seems so familiar? RdG has the feel of a retro floral, but it maintains a thoroughly modern sensibility. (I doubt you'd be banned from wearing *this* at a restaurant, as was the case with Giorgio back in the day -- it doesn't project too intensely, nor does it choke anyone who may be sitting next to you.) The first time I sprayed it, (a single spray on my wrists), it lasted about 2 hours. During today's wear, I spritzed more generously, and it's lingering in the 3-6 hour range. I can still detect it, but it's not something I would classify as "beast mode" or overwhelming. It's a fragrance with 1980s style and 21st century sensibility. I get a hint of strawberry (artifical, but that's not a bad thing in this case, as it fits with the aesthetic), a bit of coconut, and some ylang ylang... a hint of musk lingers in the base. Mostly, though... a gardenia blossoms freely. It's creamy, yet green and luscious and alive. The person who wears this has probably spent at least one night of her life sleeping with a head full of hard, plastic curlers (though she'd never let you know it) to achieve that effortless, bouncy mane of perfect curls in preparation for her big night out on the town. She's somewhat free-spirited, but she's still choosy and self-reliant. While I wish this would last longer on my skin, I really can't complain; if sprayed on clothes, it'll stick rather nicely. (Plus, at $42 for 50ml, well... let's just say that I have sprayed *plenty* of perfumes that cost a *lot* more and dissipate more quickly than RdG. I find the price reasonable for the quality and performance of the scent.) As spring is fast approaching in my corner of the world, I am looking at my fragrance collection and lamenting the fact that I seem to have fewer options for "warmer" weather than I do for "colder" months... and honestly, I could see this perfume becoming part of my "spring" rotation.

Jeffrey Dame does it again, somehow managing to make high quality, artisanal perfumes at unbelievable prices. This one needs a short amount of time to settle down, along with a light touch, as the opening comes off a little like plastic on me. But once it eases into the mid notes, a buttery, creamy gardenia emerges, supported by jasmine and a touch of ylang and coconut for a slight tropical feel. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to spritz lightly - one or two on the wrists is enough. I just received my full bottle and made the mistake of spraying rather generously, and it's not foing the fragrance any favors. I really have a hard time detecting the rest. Having tried a sample, I've worn it from beginning to end, and to me it just softens into a less intense white floral. I will need to experiment more. This is now the 6th bottle I own from his collections. I have such admiration for his commitment to making beautiful, yet affordable, fragrances, the attention he pays to detail, and how he is so responsive to customer service questions. This isn't for everyone. You really need to appreciate gardenia and other white florals to enjoy it. But to me, it's a modern, classical style fragrance, with great projection and sillage, as well as excellent longevity.

Beautiful and feminine gardenia-sandalwood perfume. If there's strawberry in it it's very well blended because I mostly smell woody white flowers and some sweetness. It's the country side garden "version" of white flowers and not the Mediterranean one (if that makes sense). It's not your typical tropical/vacation white flowers perfume. I cannot really smell the coconut note. Actually the lily-of-the-valley note is more prominent to my nose. It's alluring, has a slight retro feeling and last all day on my skin. Actually this a beast ... do not spray too heavily. You've been warned. 2 sprays are more than enough. After some experimentation I agree with the perfumer that it has a retro-80's vibe. It's bold and you will be noticed wearing this one. I received a sample from JD perfumery with my purchase. A perfume not even on Fragrantica, Pineapple Musk (realistic pineapple perfume!)

A creamy white floral bomb with a tinge of sweet fruitiness and underlying woodiness. At odds with the bright & fresh note breakdown, I get a hint of something dark and spicy with my gardenia here. Maybe it's the fuzziness of the base notes singing loud and clear, maybe it's the strawberry giving it that "red" tinge I'm feeling. It balances out the sweetness and pushes this fragrance into somewhat unisex territory IMO. Strong projection fades over 3-4hr, longevity 8-10hr.

Just ordered my free sample, I'm very excited to try this!! Update: This is a beautiful fruity gardenia, with the other notes in the background showing their support without shouting. So good!

The tart, plasticky, strawberry note that Jeffrey Dame says adds to this fragrance's "retro vibe" is quite off putting to me, as it adds a detergent-like, hissy, synthetic element to the fragrance that I simply do not enjoy. So sad, cause I really wanted to like this fragrance, being that his Gardenia soliflore is phenomenal, and because I've loved practically everything else I have tried from the house of Dame, but this one, at least on my skin, feels somewhat industrial, and dare I say, toothachingly "Screechy", had to wash it off. Sorry Jeffrey 😢

Not my olfactory preference. I think prominent coconut milk in general does not work for me. It smells like weird lipsticky soap and coconut in it that is too much, very synthetic and artificial. The best way to describe it is think of drinking milk that has strong perfume in it. That’s how it comes off to me. Amazing longevity and sillage though.