Velvet Gardenia by Tom Ford, 2007

Honestly, I think that any discussion of a realistic gardenia perfume has to start with the basic fact that actual gardenia flowers smell kind of gross, like a mix of stinky brie cheese and indoles. 99.9% of the gardenia perfumes out there are really just tuberose because almost everyone is afraid to release a realistic gardenia with its stink intact. The queen of the realistic gardenias is Jar's brutally cheesy Jardenia, but Tom Ford definitely gets points for a realistic portrayal, though he garnishes it much more with other elements. His gardenia note is a filthy mix of indoles and stinky cheese with a shot of weird hot plastic running underneath. This is juxtaposed with tuberose and mint (so it simulates that point when a tuberose bouquet begins to rot and starts smelling minty) as well as jasmine and a sweet "grape drank" smell. It's a difficult smell - I can't deny that - but I like it, though it's fairly obvious why this one got discontinued. This must have been a tough sell. In the beginning, when the gardenia is at its most abrasive, the grape and jasmine and mint go a long way to sweeten and tame it. As those elements fade, a rich base of vanilla and musk that kind of reminds me of Chanel comes in underneath. All in all, I think this is fantastically well done, challenging, and clever. And forward indoles smell great on me, so I'll cherish my sample...

I echo Sugaranda and Caltha's thoughts on this. If this is gardenia, it should be banned from perfumery. Yes I know all of this is, and should be, subjective, but this is vile. When I read that it had a mushroom note, which to me is earthy loamy and mellow with gardenia which to me is creamy, delicate and floral I thought "where do I get me some?" and promptly ordered a small(vile) vial from the sweet ladies at the Perfumed Court. When it arrived and I applied it, it has an intense incense that smells sharp and stale much like you would find in an old church that had wooden pews with old, old varnish. Acrid, stomach churning hideosity (yes I know it's not a word but so apt here). A sweetness that is much like my poor dog's ears when they get infected. Forgive the dreadful images here, but trust me when I say that they are mild compared with the fragrance itself. I have tried three Tom Ford fragrances and so far they have been jokes, especially for the price. I think he is a darling of the fashion industry and no one dares tell the emporer he's butt naked and his fragrances are none too pretty. Get Estee Lauder's Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia for a real beauty or Annick Goutal's Gardenia Passion for a truly buttery and gorgeous gardenia (yes I know it's built around tuberose, but many gardenia frags are. I also love, adore, and own (thanks to my beloved husband) the 6.8 oz Chanel Gardenia in the Exclusifs. When sprayed on clothes it develops over many hours and becomes more lovely by the minute, a real beauty. But run, don't walk, from this stomach churning monstrosity. A thousand thumbs down, down, down . . . .

This is quite difficult to describe, it is floral, but earthy.. there's a whiff of tuberose & jasmine at first, but mixed with a kind of "new car" smell, the kind that used to make me car sick as a child. lt has a dark, mysterious, haunting melancholy to it, definitely not a summer scent & not for a party mood, it would probably work best on a damp autumn day when wearing leather.. maybe that's a leather note in there? After a few moments there is a true gardenia note, & now l realise why it makes me feel sad, because it conjures up a memory of my Greek "mother" handing me a gardenia blossom before l left the village l visit regularly in Greece. l had it in my hand on the long bus journey back to Athens, but although l love the scent, it became too overpowering & l had to wrap it carefully in a tissue & put it in my bag before l got ill. The jasmine becomes more prominent after an hour but it stays quite linear after that, slowly receding like a storm into the distance, still detectable six hours later. l have great respect for it's composition but can't imagine wearing it in public, only when l want to stay home alone wallowing. Therefore l'll have to give this a neutral. mikey_p put it perfectly; "lf Tim Burton did gardenia, this would be it"!