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.

starting off i get an animalic gardenia with honey and plum. after awhile the animalic scent amps up a bit, it smells musky but i think it's labdanum and honey/beeswax merging. these seem to be the strongest notes, and i can't really sense the others. i like this but it wasn't what i expected somehow. the plum is the strongest note, along with the beeswax/labdanum and the gardenia is supporting in the background. it's obviously gardenia, but i wouldn't call this gardenia forward, though gardenia is there and unmistakable.

I don't get any of the notes listed by others on this page. It is harsh and medicinal on me. I had to scrub it away. I tried it from a sample, I wonder if it had turned.

I'm a guy who likes gardenia, lilly of the valley and orange blosom, as far as white florals are concerned. Most unisex white florals I find too feminine, and I was looking for a distinct gardenia that was not leaning feminine, but truly gender neutral. Velvet Gardenia fits perfectly for me. I tried B9 by Bond No 9 gardenia frag, but the gardenia was not so distinct and it was to feminine. I tried Gardenia Grand Soir, and it was nice and universal, green woody gardenia, but the gardenia was even less distinct. With Velvet Gardenia it is 90c/o high quality gardenia, like the gardener said below, "it's like smelling real pungent gardenia". What makes it great for a guy, are the rich resins, Labdanum and incense making an accord with the gardenia. I think this is less feminine than Oud Wood. I also get some beeswax and some sweet honey, but it's not overly sweet, nicely blended to balance the resins. The orange, plum, rose, Tuberose and lilly of the valley are just light nuances that give it a velvety vib. Actually the tuberose gets stronger and evens out with the gardenia as you get into the mid and drydown. The note pyramid here is right on, but I would give more votes to beeswax. It is allmost too strong at first, and is very waxy and camphorous smelling, not much honey. But as you get into the mid, the beeswax settles and gels with the gardenia and incense, and then the blending becomes balanced and more enjoyable. This fragrance reminds me of Bertrand Duchaufour's frag Seville Eau Laube, by L Artisan Perfumers, but it has a predominant green orange blosom blended with beeswax and incense. P.S. This has a strong camphor note that's not listed, it smells of beeswax. It's kind of sharp, I think woman may not like it, but I'm starting to like it, a green camphorous note. The beeswax was smelling medecinal or like moth balls for a while. Now that I have used it 10 times it has had time to breath, and the sharpness has become more velvety and balanced. I had the same experience with Creed Royal Mayfair, the eucalyptus was too medecinal at first, then it smoothed out as the bottle had time to breath. This reminds me of two great fragrances, Creed Royal Mayfair, which has a medecinal eucalyptus note with rose, and L'Artisan Parfumeurs Seville L'Aube, has incense beeswax and orange blosom. Rating: 9/10 God bless. John 3:16

Gardenia is usually a dominating scent. Conquering other florals with its density even in nature. When it blooms, you know. Here, of course gardenia opens the scent, but it is made gentle, delicate almost. As if a thin veil of honey held the gardenia inside of it, only allowing the flowers aura outside of its bubble. The fleshy texture of a petal replaced too; combined with the furry texture of a peach but the fruity inside of a plum. Slightly tart and green, and the fruitiness to keep the whole ordeal from the falling into a dated affair. Imagine with me being the tiniest beetle or ant. You make your daily traipse across your plant route, when the sky above you darkens. A giant shadow looms. Another insect 50 times your size lands on the same petal as you: A butterfly! It knocks you into the center of the gardenia, its wings whipping up pollen in a whirlwind around you. The wings beat down upon you, though beat is too strong a word. They hit you as a caress, with velvet strokes wafting notes of the honeysuckle it visited before. You hold on to the flower as it lifts away, leaving you behind dizzied from the all the sensations overcoming you at once. You see your friend beetle Joe and he's like "Are you ok!?" You stare back with stars in your eyes, covered in yellow dust, more alive than you were before. "Beetle Joe, I need a drink. Fig on the rocks." So, you go get a fig that's literally on the rocks over there. Velvet Gardenia is a fragrant translation of a butterfly wing. You reach the dry down pretty quickly, and the fig subsides. A really comforting gardenia remains, wrapping you up in its wings in a summer shade.

When I first saw this in Bergdorf Goodman I ran right over and tried it. Having grown up in the South I know what gardenias smell like and I also know that the scent can vary in intensity and character from one variety to the next. When it first was on, I thought FINALLY some one gets it! It had that slightly indolic note, but at the same time was intensely sweet with that wonderful oh so hard to produce creamy/green/mushroom heart to it. It lasted about five minutes and then for the next two hours smelled like burnt plastic. SOOOO disappointing! I tried spraying it in fabric and got that blue cheese note that every one talks about. The only place it smelled right for me was on a scent strip. Over the next year I would always try it again every time I would see it in the hopes that I would feel differently. But no. However, this did not stop me from buying some eventually. I found that in cold weather it stays gardenia a bit longer. It also happens to smell incredible when mixed 50/50 with Tom Ford's Noir de Noir. In closing I'll say that I'm very impressed with the fact that for at least a few minutes one does get real gardenia, so if it's worth it to you...

This scent is, by far, one of the best gardenia soliflores on the market today. That said, it's nothing I can handle wearing. I really do like gardenia accords and can appreciate them in nearly any composition but the flower in this scent is a bit overwhelming. If you can't get enough gardenia, you simply must try this one. It's so intense that the gardenia notes begin, toward the drydown, to take on a fruit-punchy sort of structure; the perfumer surely wanted to be certain that the flower's aroma didn't fade and so he amplified it beyond what I'd consider wearable. As I mentioned, if you're a gardenia fiend, seek this one out and give it a try. If, however, like me, you merely aim to dabble in the white floral accord, preferring to smell it blended with other, complementing accords; I'd recommend Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia, or Tom Ford Black Orchid Voile de Fleur, instead.

Velvet Gardenia opens similar to Diorissimo, the vintage formula. The creamy gardenia scent garduately comes up beautifully. The scent is of gardenia wedding bouquet flowers as you would imagine it. It is such a delicate, feminine and privileged scent! For a long time, the divine heavenly plum and beeswax combination is mixed together with rich gardenia flowers, tuberose, lily-of-the-valley and rose. The enviornment this fragrance creates is a garden with view in front of you, as though you are tasting the most delicate dessert in Buckingham Palace. It brings me back to my childhood where I had luxury journeys, that is TF Velvet Gardenia touching me. It is definitely one of my top fragrances in TF Private Blend Collection. This is my first impression from a just opened 250ml bottle from 2008.

I used to have this gem, VG. I see the prices now are very high $300-$500/ 50 ml. I just discovered a fragrance that is very unknown, yet very close to Velvet Gardenia. It is Loree Rodkin "Gothic III". The gardenia is the dominant white flower in it, but it's more of a blend of high quality white florals, with dewy green notes, on a bed of warm amber, moss, and a touch of incense. It is creamier or more velvety than Velvet Gardenia. I even get a beeswax note in the open, unlisted. Samples, can be ordered from Luckyscent, bottle is $140/50 ml. It also comes in oil. Note: My review is from the oil that I have. I tried a sample of the spray, I just remember it was different in overall scent.

I tried it today, a cold rainy spring day, by applying two sprays: one on each wrist. It started as a sweet floral but in a few minutes the smoke started coming out and decided to stay. Outside the smoky note would take a back seat, but indoors it would dominate the scene, reminding me how I smell coming home from a bar, where smoking is allowed and some were smoking cigars... After 4+ hours without much change and a couple of people commenting on my unusual scent( one positively two negatively) and because I wasn't enjoying it either, I washed it of.

One of the best Gardenia fragrance, opening with a natural gardenia, a little bit green, sweet and citrus. When tuberose become a leading role, it was a scent of a garden in heaven on my skin. When I sniff close on my skin, I can smell a little hint of citrus but when the wind blowing on me, I can feel a petals of tuberose floating around the environment. I really really love this one and remind me of “Carnal Flower” without the green note. I love both of them but if I have to choose one, this is the one that I would wearing everyday.

I found this description:(floral) with notes of black gardenia, orange, jasmine, rose muguet, tuberose, dark plum, honey, beeswax, incense, and labdanum. When I first put it on, it was all gardenia. I'm not fond of florals on myself, and with the gardenia scent this strong, I instantly disliked it. After wearing it a while, the gardenia has softened, but is still very much there. I'm not picking up on the other notes, but perhaps they are what's making me think the gardenia is softer now.

Batch - A88 (2018) Velvet Gardenia is probably the best gardenia i've smelled to date. Super realistic gardenia scent super buttery and really really smooth. While gardenia is the star of the scent the background notes of honey beeswax incense elevate this scent to a different level. I don't see many occasions of wearing this fragrance i see why it was discontinued even though it's definitely a masterpiece of a scent. Great longevity of 8 hours and 2 hours of projection. 7/10

Apparently I don't know what real gardenia smells like. I relied on perfumes like Kai and Pacifica's Tahitian Gardenia to inform me of this white floral but apparently I don't know shit. This was also the problem I had with Elizabeth Taylor's Gardenia which actually smells a lot like this. I would say Elizabeth Taylor Gardenia is a pretty close dupe to this and costs like $12.99 from TJ Maxx or Marshalls.

I got this as a gift and since i like most Tom Ford fragrances my expectations were high...well...WRRROONNGG!!! i hated it, had to give it away to the only person that i know loves gardenia: i gave this to my mother. For me it lacks complexity and development; way too flowery and linear ; i dont find anything elegant on this, unless you ́re talking victorian elegant. 65/100

Tried this at my local outlet store. After all the discount, it's still over $100 for such a small 50mL bottle. As for the scent, Velvet gardenia alright!!! because that's all I smelled. It was really rich, smooth, and honey sweet gardenia. It's quite pleasant and high quality for a white flower.

this is very interesting: I can't say I like it though; it's fruity/floral tart scent, strong gardenia! I also get a lot of honey and/or beeswax in it. it might smell good on a man, in my opinion, if he doesn't mind florals. Unfortunately, the lasting power is relatively poor...

Multi layered, richly developing, complex and elegant. It is tartly sweet on my skin and definitely has true Gardenia notes. A spectacular white floral, very much a velvet white flower with fruit notes, drying down to mostly labdanum. I wish I liked white florals a little more.

After years of searching I finally got my hands on one - I can only describe this as a gothic and dark white floral. This is what I would imagine a deep burgundy or purple velvet would “smell like”. Immediately my mind draws an image of the black swan. You get the gist!

Hmmm- this is an odd one- Dry as a bone, barely a hint of gardenia, instead,a very guy-friendly tuberose- I think this would be a good one for males who want to try a floral fragrance but don't want to smell "girly"-

I have a 50ml bottle that I blind bought, and sadly not a fan of the scent. I'm giving my bottle away..must be able to pick up in central London. You can DM me on Instagram @hamelin18

Having a hard time differentiating between Champaca Absolute and Velvet Gardenia as I now own both. If you own one, you do not need the other.

So beautiful and unique. I only have 15mls left, if anyone doesn’t want their bottle, please DM me and let me buy it from you.

very similar to Gucci by Gucci, but shorter lasting and way more expensive.

Anyone in Australia wanting to try this, I have a 2ml sample for swaps.

Compared to the older version how does the newer differ, if at all?