Gardenia 'Ono

I can't say that I have another scent like this; it's very interesting. This is a thick floral. Thick in the way makeup scents smell thick. The lime note is tart and strong, without that artificiality that frequently comes with lime (like jello). Blending with the floral, I most likely would've identified this as a grapefruit perfume. It almost reminds me of pez candy in the way it is sweet and chalky. While I do like the scent, I might find it more wearable if it weren't quite so linear. The line is high quality and believably natural; I may check out more of her fragrances.

Gosh, wow. Where to begin? This is the second fragrance I try from this line and I'm blown away. Until now I hadn't found a gardenia fragrance I loved, besides vintage Fracas, which is a show-stopping diva. I've always wanted a gardenia I could wear in the summer, with a little summer dress; a natural gardenia perfume, like a fresh gardenia is tucked behind your ear. The only one I've liked and kept in my collection was Chantecaille Le Wild, mostly because in the spring/summer it wears light and fresh and tends to float on air. Gardenia 'Ono is probably the gardenia of my dreams. I feel like I've stepped out of a Gauguin painting. The lime note is so photorealistic, I almost puckered. I wish the lime would have lasted longer because I truly love a good lime note, but it slowly slips into the background and keeps the composition fresh. As the perfume develops, the gardenia sits on a warm cloud of champaca so that it's elevated, but the gardenia is the star, and it has the buttery quality that I love from fresh gardenias. Congrats to Whitney Swales. It's the middle of winter, I am knee deep in snow, and I can't resist the urge to grab a sarong and hula. Definitely FBW