Gardenia
Roja Dove (2012)

Bergamot, jasmine, violet and orange blossom - this quadrangle of notes is what I get in the opening blast; soon a good dash of heliotropes is mixed in - a delicious opening.

The drydown sticks to the floral theme initially and then displays a fruity undertone, whilst the base adds a cedar impression that is a pleasant change of emphasis in this bouquet of flowers. A light white musk - like this creation as a whole with an only quite discreet touch of sweetness - provides the final development.

The perfomance is superb: moderate sillage with very good projection, and a smashing longevity of twelve hours on my skin.

A great daytime spring scent, well blended of top-quality ingredients - so what is the problem?
The answer - the name. Whilst I am getting a few transient whiffa of a gardenia-like impression in the drydown, there is really no actually substantial gardenia found in this fragrance. Maybe not a complete misnomer - but misleading to say the least.
Nomen est omen: without squabbling about the name - 3.5/5. Gefühl ist alles, Name ist Schall und Rauch.

Still - why choose this name at all?

All week I have been wearing a gardenia perfume everyday and comparing it to real gardenias from my garden. This is the absolute worst. It smells nothing like a gardenia what so ever and is just one big powdery mess. If you like powder try it but if you are looking for a gardenia scent skip it.

Wonderful gardenia, a reference gardenia to have in your collection to measure all other gardenia fragrances against.