Rosa Gardenia

Wow, this was unexpected. Floral, green, full of innocence, memories, & distinct romantic nostalgia. Very Italian. Very beautiful. It smells like the hair of a brand new Barbie doll (almond blossom), in the best possible way, but only for a moment. May rose is so distinctive, and combined with gardenia is simply brilliant. The fig leaf is also noticeable, and the creator added it with reckless abandon, which is very much appreciated by me. The last note which stands out to me is a sandalwood which works so well, rounding out the composition. This fragrance conjures the image of a tall, gleaming white Roman statue, holding a fig leaf to his unmentionables; draped in wreaths of gardenia & spring roses, wearing a thick, leafy crown of fig tree branch. Elegant, artistic, white, romantic, clean, very European. I love it- and my wish is for every person who truly loves the art of fragrance and are familiar with notes such as May Rose (vs. other roses) and Fig leaf (vs just fig) to experience this on their fragrance journey. ✨

Rosa Gardenia is a fluffy, talcum powdery, rosy sherbet delight. If you like powdery/talc-like perfumes you're going to love it! The first few minutes are not very powdery, it's almost a non-scent, takes ten mins or so for the powder to emerge. We all know now that talc can be carcinogenic, so this is the safe alternative. I actually have a Woods of Windsor box of rose-scented talcum powder that I sniff on very rare ocassions. (I mean it's not nuclear waste, a few sniffs every month or so won't kill me!) I found it at TK Max and bought it for the nostalgia factor, even though I rarely wore talc. It has that air of ritual dressing up, of pampering oneself. Makes me feel I've just had a bath and fluffed and dusted myself, like a silver screen Holywood starlet, and it's so nice on this mild spring day! Santa Maria Novella are nearly always head and shoulders above the rest for me. Big love

This is so pretty. Soft, waxy, floral, a bit sweet, a bit green, slightly powdery. When you first smell Rosa Gardenia you really get a lot of that almond blossom. It is very sweet almost a bit cloying but as that starts to fade into the background just a bit a lovely and soft rose appears followed by a slightly waxy gardenia. You kind of get the sense of candle wax as you smell this perfume but not in a bad way. Almost like flower petals preserved in an expensive scented wax of a very high quality. A slight vanillic quality w/ light woods in the dry down. The whole composition is cocooned in pillowy soft musk's. This is so feminine and so pretty. A very dainty quality throughout. Youthful, innocent, ladylike. Worn by a gentlewoman of good taste, style and refinement but w/ a youthful quality that never fades w/ age.

I tend to like classic floral scents - Guerlain L'Heure Bleue, Penhaligon's Violetta, SMN Fieno/Hay are year round favorites. So I was surprised by how much I liked this new addition to the SMN lineup. It has a sweet, cloying opening that I really do not like. But after a few minutes it settles into a very clean, skin-like, soapy, powdery fragrance. I agree with others that find it waxy and evocative of a dusting powder Marie Antoinette would have worn. It has become my new daily work perfume, so mild I don't feel like a leave a noticeable perfumey wake around the office that others might not enjoy. It's a delicate, private, old-world fragrance.

The union of rose and gardenia is exquisitely romantic. A classically feminine composition, sweet with elegant florals. It evokes images of a summer garden at a country estate, pastel dresses, and the novels of Jane Austen. The subtle sillage quickly settles into a charming, slightly woody, sweet skin scent that wraps the wearer in a refined, understated way. At this stage, it is no longer a garden, but rather dried flowers pressed between the pages of a book. A beautiful composition.

A darling floral scent. Smells like a beautiful spring garden, with powder sprinkled on top. I do agree I could see it being fashionable during the 1930s — not in a negative way as I really like the fashion of this decade, but in the way romantic aesthetics were very much in fashion. A delight! I already own Rosa Novella which is drastically different to Rosa Gardenia, and I'd love to own this one.

It smells like the wax tablet of this brand. Waxy, milky rose & gardenia scent. Luxurious, ladylike, noble, vintage, elegant, ivory colour, clean (not in cold or clear way) etc. I can't stop sniffing myself.

Rosa Gardenia is a dream, it is definitely an old world scent, vintage and feminine. I adore this one I have also purchased the body wash and lotion because it’s such a comforting scent.

What a beautiful cologne for flower fragrances lovers. The performance is rather good for what it is. I love it.

This is a very feminine and fairly nice perfume. I could imagine someone like Queen Marie Antoinette of France wearing this perfume and I find it very old-fashioned smelling, but in the way that a perfume from the 18th century would smell like. There's something very rococo and white and pastel pink about it! I can mostly smell the powdery almond blossom in the opening, with hints of the orange blossom. I don't smell the bergamot though. I am guessing that the bergamot is there just to undercut the sweetness? I can smell a small amount of citric acid in here though. I'd say this combination makes the opening very floral and light and airy. In the heart notes I can smell both the gardenia and the rose as this scent's list of notes and name would suggest, but I find the rose a bit more dominant of the two. It's like a creamy white or very pale pink rose with hints of white floralcy in the mix. I don't smell any of the jasmine or the fig leaf and I wouldn't call the heart of the fragrance or this fragrance itself indolic at all. Lastly, I can smell the musk in the base. The heart notes still permeate the whole perfume though. I don't smell any of the sandalwood, but I'm guessing this is just there to make Rosa Gardenia last longer? And I can't smell the vanilla either, but I'm guessing it's there to add a touch of sweetness? And when it comes to the sillage and staying power of this cologne, I'd say both are moderate. It lasts about 3 1⁄2 hours on the skin, which is understable for its concentration and isn't bad. I don't love this perfume and I wouldn't buy it, but I do like it. I really don't understand the hate this perfume is getting, though? I've smelt way worse. I guess I just like each of the floral notes in a perfume more pronounced? My score for this perfume is a respectable 7/10.

Gardenia stars, but with almost equal parts creamy almond and a powdery pink rose. A waxy clean bouquet of pink-tinged white florals, lightly soapy and accented by green stems. Moderate projection fades over 4-5hr, longevity 10-12hr. Conceptually not all that different from Fresia, another old-school soapy white floral scent in the SMN collection. This one has a bit more character, though, and awfully solid performance on my skin for a supposed EdC.

It’s a very clean smell of rose & gardenia without one overpowering the other. The two create a waxy clean feel that is similar to an aldehydic soap bar. I really enjoyed this as it’s very clean and feminine and for those days you want to spritz something clean that does not overwhelm. The longevity isn’t great as is expected from cologne strengths, but it’s still enough to give you that long sense of cleanliness.

Lovely. Just lovely. A breath of fresh air on this pre spring day (well it technically is Spring but you wouldn't know it) fresh lovely floral accord with lightly powdery undertrappings all smoothly delivered. The execution of Santa Maria Novella is so good I never fail to be impressed even with overtly femme and things I don't often opt to wear myself, this has been a thorough reward, an absolute joy.

It's a pleasant scent that reminds me of the scene in the garden with abundant white rich flowers in full bloom. It's a scent that reminds me of space, so I want it as a candle or diffuser. When I open the cap, it already smelled as strong and fragrant as if I was wearing this. I recommend that you spray it with a distance when you use this perfume.

This Rosa Gardenia is truly a garden in a bottle! The opening is so fresh and citrusy with the bergamot and orange blossom, then it blooms into this gorgeous rose and gardenia heart. It's sweet but not overpowering, and the musk and sandalwood base gives it a lovely warmth. I get compliments every time I wear it!

Soft, waxy, clean floral scent. I mostly get the orange blossom and almond blossom, and a light rose; for me, the gardenia and jasmine are not that prominent. It’s good for a spring day when you want to feel clean and fresh. Not quite enough oomph for me. Fairly intimate sillage.

Pleasant, gentle scent, the flower notes very harmonious. I don't recognize a rose after a while: fresia and jasmine makes the scent rich and full of impressions. It is not special, but it is easy to like. I find it dewy and refreshing, bright. Sunny rose from Florence...

For some reason I'm reminded of car air fresheners – and not unpleasantly. Very floral and powdery. There is also a feeling of temporality to it, like the smell of places you know you will only ever be once or twice in your lifetime.

I like this! It has a vintage vibe. I smell mostly gardenia, enveloped by rose. It's like a pink petaled rose with a gardenia blooming inside. The gardenia gives me definite tart and fuzzy Diamonds & Emeralds vibes.

Floral and somewhat green. Although it’s really good, I prefer SMN’s Rosa Novella. My only real criticism is that it — weirdly — smells like dill pickle when first sprayed.