Garnet

This is more of a spicy Oriental than a fruity-floral, for sure. But, just my luck, the watermelon note takes center stage. I'm not a fan of fruity, aquatic, or, especially, melon notes in my perfumes. The watermelon ruins what might be beautiful to my nose. I think the strong rose notes enhance the watermelon and blackberry notes, which makes sense...that deep juiciness. To me it's watermelony rose and patchouli. I wish my skin brought out more patchouli and some amber to dim the fruit. I don't dislike Garnet, but I wouldn't enjoy wearing it.

I'm not getting the smokiness or oriental character that other reviewers have. I get a fruity, ozonic floral. Watermelon is very strong throughout the duration of the fragrance. With a watery rose, a distant gardenia, a musky amber base. A fun fruity/floral/aquatic for summer. Great for hot weather. Easy going, light, fun.

Garnet is not at all a fruity floral to me. This is almost all woody, and it's not very well balanced - the flowers are just buried. I get almost no watermelon, and that's only at application. After that, the base notes predominate, but especially sharp woods. Periodically, some rose tries hard to sneak in, but doesn't quite get there. What gardenia? It's a pretty heavy fragrance, definitely not "light and sunny." It has a touch of creamy sweetness from the vanilla, and a hint of green. I usually like woody vanilla smells, but just can't get into this one.

A fruity floral, Garnet is not. I lean more towards classifying this as a sweet oriental, and in all honesty I'm glad this isn't fruity. I'm quite drawn to Garnet despite its simplicity. I find it warm and inviting on the skin. Watermelon features quite a bit in this fragrance, providing an interesting sweetness, like what you'd expect to smell in a watermelon flavoured lipgloss. Garnet is quite girly yet strangely sensual. Garnet has quite an 'incensey' vibe. The sweet, pink watermelon accord is complimented by a subtle blend of amber, vanilla and patchouli. This where the sensuality becomes evident. I find it a lovely balance between earthy, smoky and sugary accords. Personally I would wear Garnet during the colder months, as it tends to emanate a sense of warmth that could only suit such weather where that sensation is needed. I'm actually finding it quite difficult to come to terms with how deep and oriental this fragrance is. I really expected to find fruity berries and refreshing watermelon. Don't get me wrong, I love the way this fragrance turned out. It actually suits my tastes far more than a fruity floral would. I just find the description misleading and a little unfair to a blind buyer. So on that note, I encourage you to read as many reviews as possible before jumping the gun. In terms of longevity, Garnet is very lasting, however the sillage is rather weak, yet this is not a disappointment for me. All in all, Garnet has been a beautiful discovery.

We've established that Sage GARNET has been misclassified as a fruity floral. So what is it? To my nose: a simple labdanum amber, golden, viscous, smooth and soothing, this is a perfect example of the genre. My sample is of the perfume oil, not the spray-on fragrance, and the texture is extremely thick. I am quite sure that anyone who appreciates straight-up labdanum amber with little or no embellishments would like this creation. It does not stand out from the crowd, but it is very nice for what it is: labdanum amber--no more and no less! Some people find this sort of composition boring, but others revel in its sumptuousness and have become connoisseurs of the genre, which does exhibit subtle distinctions across its range. The sweetness level of GARNET is at about the mid-point of the amber perfumes which I've tried. The vanilla is not detectable as a separate note from the amber itself in this case. I detect no flowers (gardenia?) or fruits (watermelon?) in this creation whatsoever, though they are listed among the official notes. It is possible that in the perfume oil form those components are simply smothered by the carrier oil combined with the rich amber.