Reviews of Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia (2007)
by Estée Lauder

MUST HAVE IT. But it's heartbreakingly expensive, the horror. To me this feels like having just rolled around in a field of jasmine. Not for every day or every situation, by any means, but when I'm feeling girly and expansive, this is what I want. Probably not to be, with the state of our currency...

Over the years, Estee Lauder has marketed some fantastic fragrances...Youth Dew, Cinnabar, White Linen, Pleasures, Beautiful, the list goes on endlessly. Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia is undoubtedly one of their finest! This is a high quality-high class floral! It holds it's own up against the likes of Carnal Flower (Editions-Frederic Malle created by Dominique Ropion). For comparative purposes I wore the two together for a side by side testing. Ultimately, CF - being straight forward tuberose, came off to me as decidedly more masculine than PCTG. PCTG possesses the authentic dewy sweetness of a delicate white gardenia flower, which in my opinion pushes this frag into the realm of femininity. Being a Lauder, I expected it to have a good amount of projection and staying power - I was not disappointed! A floral lover's dream, this is a must have - the bigger the bottle, the better!

I too am no great fan of EL's fragrances. I find most to be run of the mill, with no discernible outstanding quality which would make them memorable or unique. I was given a bottle of Beautiful quite some time ago that I used for possibly three sprays...gave it away. And, just as the poster above, I too purchased Beautiful Love as an impulse buy. While I will wear it occasionally, it basically sits amidst a sea of my other used-less-frequently bottles. That being said however, EL has finally done it right and I recently had to succumb to a purchase of this new exquisite masterpeice. This fragrance is astonishingly beautiful. There is none of the synthetic aroma you may find with other florals. It succeeds in capturing a true floral essence...as if you have emersed yourself in a wondrous, yet non-overbearing sea of real tuberose, gardenia and Jasmine petals. Here's to hoping that Estee's daughter continues to be a key player in the development of new and upcoming EL fragrances.

I'm not a big fan of EL fragrances. I recently bought Beautiful Love on impulse because I liked the notes listed. I'm now regretting the purchase, I find it quite synthetic and overly heady with no refinement. Fortunately it wasn't very expensive. After trying Tuberose Gardenia, however, I'm compelled to write this because this is really exquisite. The citrus notes give it an airy feel. The floral notes are blended delicately so it's not overpowering. This is not a run-of-the-mill EL and it's a winner with me, I look forward to adding it to my wardrobe.

This smells SOOOOO good. I tried a sample a week ago and I fell in love. The 300 dollar price tag made me sad, as I could not buy it right away. But soon! It is floral without being too much, so warm, inviting and oh-so pretty. This is such a signature fragrance, ideal for any time of year, any occasion.
The bottle is GORGEOUS too. Gold with gemstones stamped into the lid, exquisite!