Secret Gardenia

Still hunting for that PERFECT dewy/banana-y gardenia and still mourning the loss of my beloved Marc Jacobs EdP (and while we're on the subject, Miller Harris, why did you do the dirty on me and discontinue Brighton Rock?! what gives?!) I've been trying a load of gardenia and tuberose centric scents to see if I can find something which can replicate or even outshine Marc Jacobs EdP and while I have found some gorgeous examples of how gardenia/tuberose should be done, none of them have quite done it for me, this one however scratches the itch the others have missed. As with all Miller Harris scents, the bottle is a clean, simple square shape with a solid feeling cap, in the case of Secret Gardenia, the bottle is opaque with a lovely matte finish that feels lovely to hold. The juice housed within the bottle is airy, young and summery, the initial opening is bright and aquatic, pear, yuzu and bergamot blend harmoniously with the watery notes and the overall effect is very fresh and almost cooling. For the first 10 minutes I actually thought this was going to take an unfortunate turn, something in the notes reminds me a little bit of the cotton flower scented water I use in my iron and whilst thats not necssicarily unplesant, it's not exactly what I'd choose in a perfume unless of course its something from the CLEAN line, but thankfully a soft mix of gardenia, violet and buttery ylang-ylang begin to peak out. For the rest of its life on my skin, Secret Gardenia is like a misty/dewy flower garden during a warm day, I don't get much of the woods in the base either, which means I can easily wear it during the summer and not find it too hefty. The longevity is good, 8hrs of wear with a moderate silage, perfect for daily wear and a great choice to wear to the office but personally, I'd save it for casual days off during the summer, it pairs quite nicely with flowy shirts and blouses and a pair of nice jeans or shorts, its just carefree, happy and uplifting! I frequent Marlborough a lot which is a market town and it has quite a few nice walks, and Secret Gardenia reminds me of Marlborough during the summer, I absolutely love it! 100ml Repurchase worthy!

So glad I ordered a sample of this before buying a full bottle. Until now I had yet to find a Miller Harris creation that I didn't love and add to my want list immeadiatly. Looking the notes I was expecting to love this straight away, however on first spraying it took me by surprise and has left me very much underwhelmed. It is so fresh, clean and aquatic that the only note from the pyramid I could pick out was the water note. There were vague florals but more like Water Hyacinth and Water Lily. An hour or so later I finally got some very fresh, wet Violet, delicate Jasmine and Pear. After 3 hours I'm still not getting the citrus or woods, though there is finally the lightest touch of Gardenia and Musk. The lasting power is good and development time is impressive. Projection is light to moderate. I think anyone could wear this safely, it's unlikely to offend anyone. For now I'm going to put my first impressions of Secret Gardenia down to the cooler temperatures we're having. There is plenty of the sample left for me to spend more time with this and it's possible warmer weather it will transform into something altogether more impressive. I hope.

I'm quite surprised by the coldish reviews below. This is such a beautiful scent, realistic garden of intoxicatingly fragrant white flowers with green stems, on a summer evening. In my mind this is what Gucci Bloom Acqua di Fiori was supposed to smell like, but it didn't. Secret Gardenia is long lasting and intense but in a fresh way, not heavy. In the drydown it gets a very slightly soapy vibe, and smells absolutely clean, I don't know if I ever smelled another perfume that evoked cleanliness so much, and I use a lot of green, citrus and watery freshies. It's definitely NOT unisex, it's as feminine as perfume can get.

This is so pretty, so feminine. I love smelling gardenias in full bloom and used to have my own gardenia plant. Secret Gardenia smells just as fragrant as real gardenias and I love that. Most perfumes that claim to have Gardenia are jasmine bombs, but not this one. In the air I can smell the powderiness of the violet, which I also love in perfumery. I really enjoy the airiness of Miller-Harris perfumes, and this one is no exception, but here the water notes add something special. I just love smelling myself while I wear this. Such an underrated beauty.

Received this as a free 14ml sample when I bought Violet Ida. At first few tries, I didn’t find it very interesting. It’s just a bit too fresh and light for me, but appreciated exactly this over time. Kept spraying it on my wrist to get that clean and comforting scent. Still don’t think it’s super interesting, but I like it nonetheless. It’s great for sunny days and for clearing your head. Edit: I can’t stop reaching for this. It’s light yet warm scent is addictive.