Velvet Gardenia

Bona fide gardenia-gardenia solo act, not a tuberose-gardenia, jasmine-tuberose poser gardenia or other white floral social-ingeneering-trying-to-convince-you it’s gardenia, gardenia. And disambiguated from other white florals too. Creamy mushroom `a la Roquefort cream cheese frosting sweet with that green rim of camphor gardenias usually have, even when matured or in this case transactioning between the lavish and the rot, molding tipped brown, salacious and ripening profitable secrets. The fragrance starts breeding an animalic element around the gardenia brought up by smoky notes, a vedette in minks arriving at an exclusive restaurant pollulated by the upcast, dumping their cigars and a buzz of low-pitched gossip. The whole play is heavy-hitting at a California Noir vibe, plucked from Norma Desmond’s garden, found inside one of the vases Babe Jane likes to throw, serving as innuendo in Joe Cairo’s perfume in the Maltese Falcon and stepped on the Asphalt Jungle. This one isn’t for the starlets, too many decades of networking the Chinese Theater while hiding bodies in the trunk. As with other Tom Fords there's a common underlaying element to it (Fordinade?) that my mind registers as the feeling of running on adrenaline through the night, the fast-paced flowing of a dark, sensual silky thing scarfed around you. But don't go too speedy on the spritzer or you run the risk of ending up like Isadora Duncan. Had the potential to be one of my favorites if it wasn’t irreparable to my bank account. The Tom Ford private line is turning into my golden goose of florals *cries in greed*

It boggles my mind why TF would discontinue Velvet Gardenia. Its done so well, not as sharp as other Gardenia driven scents. It tells a unique story. Its striking at first yet still stays the star of the show when the other notes come into blend with it. I think as a modern selection of Gardenia, this is the best one. Its not near Voile de Fleur because Voile has a milky note and an almost masculine oriental drydown. I own most of the other gardenia scents and this one is always easy to wear with my chemistry. Orange, gardenia, smoky insence and beesewax candles open VG. I haven't smelled this kind of beesewax since Teatro Alla Scalla. The composition leand a dry yet gothic vibe. The dark Oriental gardenia smoulders and blackens , holds hostage a crimson rose and an innocent LOV for a slight soapiness to play off the beesewax. Thoughts of rich Aubergine Velvet adorn a beautiful gothic boudoir complete with candalabras, beesewax candles lit to give a beautiful soft glow to a beautiful but melancholy woman whos heart suffers too many losses. She chooses to wear black gardenia's as her crown and long rich robes watching eternity pass by in front of her. She is the Queen of the Night. Velvet Gardenia is her scent

Heavenly, to say the least. It is a dark white floral, if this makes any sense. Seductive, peppery, full of incense and resins, all drowning in heavy cream. A subtle sweetness envelops everything. Velvety white petals are heavy with wax and perfume, they seem to caress all senses in the same time, this isn't just an olfactory experience. There is a profane dirtiness here, it seems sinful yet irresistible. All I can think about when smelling it is kisses and passion. Most likely a forbidden love affair. Impossible. Imaginary. Forgive me if my imagination goes wild here... but frankly I never smelled anything like this before. My tiny 4ml mini is a product of alchemy, nothing less. The works of magic. Nothing comes close. It is surreal. I surely hope one day I will own a full bottle... and of course I cannot possibly imagine who would create this beauty and discontinue it.

WOW! Gardenia, Tuberose, Plum and a subtle kiss of Incense. This my fellow fragranticans is how you make Gardenias sexy, you dress it up with Tuberose, squeeze Plum all over its luscious petals and you let it lay in a cave full of beautiful incense. Velvet Gardenia is a beautifully crafted fragrance and has and always will be a stand-out for me amongst the Private Blend collection (which some people have noted, tends to lack in substance and has a questionable quality to some scents). I adore this fragrance because its different. I haven't smelt anything like this before. This one is definetly for people who love Gardenias, if you're not a fan, I'd probably suggest keeping away because its quite powerful. It dries down to a sweet, floral mixed with a bit of smokiness sort of quality that is both delicious and incredibly unique. Lasting power is fantastic. 9/10

This opens with a note of dry orange peel and gardenia, including its trademark dirty/earthy aspect. This doesnt last long and a heart of beeswax and rose appears with just a hint of sweetness from the honey. The labdanum can be detected peeping through here. The beeswax is the most priminent note in this perfume,on my skin at least, giving it a waxy texture. Soon the base is left, and the incense is very apparent. At no stage could i see where the famous blue cheese note rumours came from. This is a very dark, melancholic fragrance, and its really sad that its been dicontinued. I managed to find the 250ml decanter and i would recommend you get it if you happen to come across it. Its a really beautiful, unique experience.

Since I am still using perfume as a way to keep myself off of this stupid broken toe (it'll be four weeks tomorrow), I've had to get a little more creative than just spraying and sniffing and taking notes to keep myself entertained. So today I decided to stage a Battle of the Gardenias, just because I had samples of this and of White Gardenia Petals by Illuminum knocking around.(I wrote a review of that, too, if you feel the need.) Velvet Gardenia wins. It starts out with a gorgeous beeswax-inflected gardenia, and tuberose appears swiftly to reinforce the luscious, mellow...I would call it mouth-feel, actually. To me the dry-down is caramel. I could eat this stuff with a spoon.

This reminds me of going to an Indian temple. The mix of gardenia, jasmine, and incense takes me back to my childhood with my grandmother and our visits to the temple. It’s a creamy and spicy and intense gardenia. It’s addictive and I am absolutely in love with it. You have to be a bold and dramatic person to wear this out. If you want a more softer and wearable version you can try Gardenia and Cardamon by Banana Republic that opens with the same orange and gardenia notes and then settles into a spicy and jasmine scent though the spice there is cardamon.

VG is pure seduction—a fragrance that knows no gender boundaries. Opening with the sultry embrace of gardenia and orange, it unfolds into a decadent floral affair of tuberose, jasmine, and honey. The base notes of incense and French labdanum cast an irresistible, smoky spell that lingers provocatively. This scent is the epitome of allure, making a statement with commanding sillage and an enduring, sensuous trail. VG is your secret weapon for unforgettable nights, where every spray is an invitation to indulge in the art of seduction.

Real gardenia flower smells rich, heady and buttery. It has a complex aroma with an earthy undertone, unlike most of the thin synthetic copies. I love gardenias and I used to plant them. If you stand among bushes of booming gardenia, you will be blasted by the rich and sweet scent cloud. If you inhale deeply, you will also notice its undertone, which, for some people, smells like blue cheese or mushroom, but I love it. Tom Ford Velvet Gardenia is the closest to the real thing.

never sniffed gardenia in a perfume so i can't vouch for that note itself, but the fragrance as a whole is stunning. white floral, jasmine, smooth creamy lightly "toasted" honey, ambery notes and a juicy fruity plum. delicious, addictive, comforting, warm and definitely unisex. i'll even go as far as saying this is up there with plum japonais, it's that good

Amazing. Smoky, flowery goodness. I got a sample of this, and I am giving it a test run. So far, so amazing! The initial smell is heavy white floral and rich, dense incense. The ambery notes, maybe the labdanum, are strong. I am loving this, it is so many good things.

Velvet Gardenia is easily top 5 from Tom Ford — a dense, narcotic white floral wrapped in creamy woods and a shadowy, almost gothic aura that feels unapologetically luxurious.

velvet gardenia is come back :)

Good news Eamon the Niche lover

This is truly one of the most unique fragrances I have ever smelled. There is SO much more to this than gardenia and it is miles away from being a gardenia soliflore. For starters, it is a black gardenia which is a dark purple flower, not a white one. I want to point this out for those who may be expecting a classic white gardenia smell. You will not find it here. Yes, there is a gardenia note among MANY other notes but in no way, shape or form does it smell like a white gardenia bush. I grew up around them and this smell does not resemble that hardly at all. In the opening you get the largest dose of gardenia but there are so many other notes that you hardly think "gardenia perfume". Despite the name and floral notes, it leans toward the masculine side of unisex. (Which was probably part of the marketing problem and why it was discontinued...a gardenia fragrance made for men is a tough sell.) The opening of Velvet Gardenia is very potent. Probably the most potent of all Tom Fords that I have tried (which is quite a few). The main notes listed are black gardenia, orange, jasmine, lily of the valley, tuberose, dark plum, honey, beeswax, incense and labdanum. The incense and beeswax combo makes for an interesting smell that you probably either like or you do not. It is a rather peculiar scent that grew on me. I found myself constantly sniffing it. But in no way can I attempt to describe it. The dry down actually smells more like jasmine than gardenia to my nose. There are elements of gardenia still there but again, this is NOT a gardenia dominated fragrance. It isn't even very sweet. It is more of a mixed white floral with an earthy base, even somewhat musky (from the labdanum I assume). To me, it smells nothing like Voile de Fleur. They share almost no notes. (Just as a warning to those who like Voile de Fleur and may be expecting something similar.) But if you are looking for a unique semi-masculine earthy floral that stands on its own and is unlike just about anything else out there...Velvet Gardenia is just that.

I'm on the fence about this one. It has some lushiness, but it's also quite indolic. I get all this beautiful white floral sweetness, yet it's as though the florals were on their way out, a little brown on the edges. Sort of like walking into a church to pick up the floral arrangements three days after the wedding has passed - so there is this past due floral thing, and the beeswax from the candles, and the incense residue left in the woodwork..... it's interesting, complex, warm, on the verge of rot. Tom Ford comes up with some of the most beautiful fragrances, and this one is beautiful, but not in the traditional sense?? For someone who wants to step out of the commercial fragrance realm and really experience the waning aspect of the life cycle of white florals. I'm glad I had a chance to try this one out, but it's not one that I would wear very often. Add: So I have a gardenia shrub on my patio that happens to have a few blooms on it and compared it to this fragrance. When it was newly opened there was some similarity, but it wasn't until the blossom was nearly all brown that suddenly it was exactly like Velvet Gardenia. It was remarkable, nailed it.

I recently sampled the re-release of this fragrance. It opens on one of the most beautiful gardenia accords I have ever smelled. I didn’t want it to end. As it dried down, more of the singular notes started popping in to say hi. I kept smelling my wrist thinking I HAD to have this. Then, the new “love-of-my-life” scent ghosted me. Before too long (2-hours to be exact), I smelled my wrist and caught... nothing. Not even enough to call it a skin scent. Just a memory of an affair that almost was. Sadly, I can’t justify the price of this for a 2-hour scent. But would I run away with this lover if the tryst could last? In a heartbeat.

I wanted to like this one so much because I LOVE gardenia, but alas...Velvet Gardenia is not for me. Upon application in smells like a room full of Gardenias and incense...I just can't get into this smokey incense smell. The creamy Gardenia smell gets fainter and fainter until mostly all I can smell is incense. So sad.

I don't get any gardenia here - only Tuberose and beesway. To me, there is nothing 'velvet' about this fragrance... I hope everyone else enjoys this fragrance.

This starts out green, mentholated, citrusy, indolic with gardenias, tuberose, jasmine, lily of the valley. Then it melts with prunes and honey. At this stage it reminded me of Poison. Over time it becomes more and more succulent, amber, smoky and oriental. At this stage, I distinctly feel the beeswax that I don't love. On my nose, memories of Sultan Pasha's Reve Narcotique alternate in the long drydown. In a darker, fat and animalic version. It's a decent perfume, it's just me suffering from plums, lilies of the valley, roses and beeswax. More suitable for cold evenings and seasons.