Reviews of Cruel Gardenia (2008)
by Guerlain

Maybe the problem is that I don't get ANY gardenia, and I wanted gardenia. The "cruel" thing about this gardenia, it its absence. It's as though the base of the scent shows up, but the heart never appears. Cruel Gardenia reminds me of vintage face powder, Coty Airspun, maybe? I smell aldehydes, powder, musk, and aluminum. I don't know how to classify this fragrance in my mind...it's not a floral...it's not a chypre...and it's not sweet...It's subtle, and musky, and talcum-y, and metallic. If it's supposed to give the "impression" of gardenia, rather than the scent of it, it misses the mark by a mile for me. With a dramatic name like Cruel Gardenia I thought this fragrance might be, at the very least, interesting. For me, it's, well...boring.

Cruel? Colorless and Characterless to this nose. It must be another case of notes getting past my radar because this juice smells virtually meaningless to me.

I recently decided to get this new creation from the Arts et Matière series. I have to say that I find it captivating. The top notes are classic: an aldehydic peach with orange blossom and rose. The scent then flows into a heart of white flowers with musk and a hint of violet. It finishes with a vanillic-coumarin and sandalwood flourish. It is gentle and not at all loud, but it has a definite sillage. The character of this is reassuring and nurturing, indulging the senses in a wonderfully innocent, yet opulent gesture.

I think in certain circumstances it can be worn by a man, lightly and with a suitable insouciance. Probably not for work or a first date, to be sure; but for a quiet afternoon, a spiritual moment, an intimate walk with a knowing lover. Wear it and wink at the world; be shy, but win the universe's tacit compliance with a frank and indisputable suchness.