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.

This is a fresh(hints of watermelon) gardenia/tuberose adorned with water drops after an afternoon shower in a lush garden. Young and innocent at heart, this white floral does not evolve much. Nothing complicated is presented here but overall it has a very pleasant scent profile. I can't agree with the previous comments saying this is a 'heavy' scent. Secret Gardenia is a lightweight white floral.

This is a lovely spring floral scent. The gardenia note is light and fresh and very beautiful. I love gardenia but occasionally it can lie heavy within a fragrance. Gardenia is the star here but she is presented delicately in this scent. She has staying power though - her delectable fragrance lasted for several hours. Possibly my favourite gardenia scent!

This is such a pretty, simple, poetic feminine floral, reminiscent of Nina Ricci's now-discontinued Premier Jour. I wear this when I want to wear something that smells natural and pretty, with airy gardenia sillage. This isn't a heady floral, or dated - it's timeless and amiable, and would equally appropriate on those younger or wiser in years.

Fresh, watery, white floral scent. Really nice for spring or summer. I can’t imagine anyone not liking this. It’s a bit floral, a bit aquatic, a bit green, a bit fruity (the pear comes through), but very fresh and light throughout. The sillage and longevity are moderate but it’s not surprising for a lighter scent like this.

I got this as part of a set from TKMaxx last year. Love this fragrance and it is a great alternative to Gucci Gorgeous Gardenia which I also love. This one also seems to be stronger and longer lasting. The pear and yuzu keep it fresh. The musk, sandalwood and cedar is a good mix with the gardenia and jasmine.

The longest lasting floral I've ever tried - sprayed at 7am, at 10pm I can still detect a faint hint on my wrist. Very impressive. As with most MH scents I've tried, it's also a really beautiful, classy blend of materials and a nicely balanced perfume. Clean, floral, slightly creamy and not too sweet.

Beautiful! It’s so fresh and ‘clean’. It’s not a heavy floral, it’s very light. Like a nice glass of sparkling flavoured water, it’s refreshing. I can smell gardenia but it’s not heavy at all and doesn’t over power. Would be great to wear after a morning shower in the summer.

A perfect fragrance for warm and hot weather, with beautiful dewy white florals that are refreshing and elegant. I enjoy wearing this at home and to the office. For me it’s a go-to summer daytime scent. Along with Hydra Figue it’s one of my favourites from this house.

This is such a calming scent for me. It smells like wet flowers, I feel like I'm in a flowershop. I felt happy and relaxed as soon as I sprayed it. I blind bought a 10ml, but I love it so much that I'm gonna get a 100ml full bottle.

This is great to have if you live in a hotter climate. I always reach for this on those super hot days when I can't handle something too strong and just need something clean and refreshing.

Might be the best summer fragrance of all time. Unique and super interesting smell. Smells great on me and received countless of compliments. Very sexy on a man! Truly underrated

This is one of my forever favourites. The last note is just sooooo beautiful. It is also very long lasting perfect for spring and summer

Young and vibrant, you’d enjoy it if you like diptyque’s do son

I’m a cool sweet / cold sugar girl and light florals are not my usual wheelhouse, but I was really intrigued by this perfume, to the point I actually paid £5 in shipping for a £7 sample from MH directly. I have no regrets, to my nose this is somewhat similar to French Flower by matiere premiere but more sophisticated, less strong (and honestly better!) the gardenia smells a little similar to tuberose to me, it’s a sweeter white floral than other gardenia perfumes, the jasmine is also prominent and very realistic, like I’m outside a church. The ylang-ylang in the background keeps this creamy, I get a little woodiness but not as much as notes would suggest, just enough to round things out. The pear is my favourite note in this perfume it provides a lovely youthfulness to this elegant fragrance. Very timeless for spring and summer. Lasts around 7 hours on clothes and 5 on skin, I can catch whiffs but I can’t attest if anyone can smell me wearing it. I LOVE wearing this during a sunny day at the office. I feel sophisticated! And I do think that though it doesn’t last as long as I’d usually demand, it’s really nice. I think I will revisit when I’m a bit older and can’t do the sweet sugar anymore.

Secret Gardenia it’s mainly a floral forward fragrance, very airy, fresh, green, aquatic and springy. It’s a light scent and every whiff I catch in the air makes me think at flowers covered in the morning dew. Crisp and fresh flowers that you walk through in your garden in a sunny spring morning, with a freshly cut bouquet in your hand. It opens green and aquatic but the white and yellow flowers from the middle notes come through very nicely and rounds out the scent. Luckily for me, since I don’t like violets, the violet is muted here and somehow gets lost on my skin. From all the listed base notes the cedar and the woods are the most prominent on my skin. Can’t really say that I get any musk in here. I think that Secret Gardenia is perfect for a bride or a bridesmaid. It’s so feminine and bright but also elegant and classy. The matte white bottle with the golden cap would look stunning in the photos. The price is not too bad considering that Miller Harris it’s a niche house, it’s very comparable to the latest designer releases. The performance is moderate, lasts around 6 hours with moderate to minimal projection after the first hour.