Gardenia

It’s funny how the fragrances that once left me indifferent often become the ones that truly shine in the Mediterranean heat. I spend my summers in the south of France, and there—under that blazing sun—clean, sparkling, translucent scents feel as though they were made for this very climate. On a whim, I tossed my bottle of Gardenia into my suitcase, even though I hadn’t worn it in four years. As it turned out, it was the perfect decision. Without a doubt, it’s a beautifully crafted, high-quality fragrance.

Super cute bottle! It's straightforward. It smells like gardenia, rain, and dew. I also get a subtle tea scent, as if you're drinking tea by the garden after a summer rain. It's nowhere as sharp as White Tea and its flankers. It stays close to the skin. It's a bit vintage in the most comforting and classy way and certainly smells more expensive than it actually is. And because it's a linear scent, I don't think you can go wrong with most layering combinations.

Very soft beautiful floral smell.

Wow! I can't believe how beautiful this is. It smells like it should be expensive! Sparkling gardenia instead of the usual creamy gardenia dominant scents. I absolutely love this one!

I had time to span prior to an appointment, so I went into a local Ross Stores and browsed perfumes. I found Elizabeth Taylor "Gardenia" for $14.00 and decided to purchase it and give it a try. Not much to add, as it has all been stated. ET Gardenia opens and wears as a very true, photo-realistic, fully-bloomed, gardenia bush. The perfume is a green, surprisingly fresh, very white floral fragrance with musk in its base. From the reviews on social media, etc I expected something more bombastic, which Gardenia is not. Gardenia is an okay fragrance. I think I'm done with my gardenia phase, though. I may just wear this one occasionally at bedtime. FWIW, I love the bottle and the little gardenia cap.

This is amazing, intoxicating, etc! SmelIs natural, like a flower with the green parts. I'd rather choose this over any overpriced designer 'white flower' scent

i ride or die for this scent. it’s insanely inexpensive making it the perfect perfume to drench yourself in, and it smells like a goddamn spring day. a gardenia scent on the greener side. definitely safe and maybe even a little B&BW esque but honestly if you wear white florals i think this is a must have as a top layer/body mist.

Ive worn her for a few days now. She does what shes here to do, its not a heavy dense indolic perfume, definitely light and green and somewhat soapy on the dry down. I recommend over spraying what you think you'll need because (and I don't know if this is because of the atomizer) it kind of bombs whatever room you are in before it dries with gardenia. I actually grow gardenias myself and I can confirm it does smell very similar, but like I said there's a slightly soapy fresh note (lilly of the valley?) that lightens it up

OMG LOVE. Astounding beautiful organic smelling gardenia, just like in a garden after rain. So gorgeous. And such a powerhouse. I don't understand people calling it light, for me it's a one cautious spray thing or I feel self conscious, in case others don't adore it the way I do. If it comes off as sharp or alcoholic, macerate. It should feel round and natural and creamy-green. Going to try layering it with Green Tea and vanilla scents like some reviews suggest, but it is just so beautiful on its own.

i’ve been sick and all i crave is this perfume. i love smelling it and smelling like it. a little baby wipes-y in the opening, but becomes a beautiful, creamy, decadent white floral that’s still light enough for 100+ degree weather. such a good value. my girlfriend adores it too.

Me parece un perfume bonito. El frasco es demasiado precioso. Incluso aunque el perfume no me gusto para mí, lo quise guardar por el frasco, ya que es una obra de arte. Lo percibo algo lineal, a la gardenia como nota preponderante, en compañía del fondo verde y me animo a decir que a pesar de lo dulce, posee un toque casi imperceptible de amargo, lo que lo lleva a ese aire vintage. Aunque posea más notas, es lo que salta a mi percibir. Lo usaría si fuese una mujer mayor, que gusta de fragancias fuertes florales y salidas verdes.

Absolutely beautiful. After all these years it is still lovely. It remains a favorite for me. Spray me with it in my coffin and my spirit will rejoice. The bottle is stunning. And the scent, immediately takes me to a secret garden of exquisite flowers.

It's a fresh simple lovely green and white floral fragrance. It says Gardenia and that is what you get. It's the flower in bloom, dewy and green like a freshly cut stem. It mostly keeps its fresh white floral profile from start to finish. It does develop a slightly deeper, indolic note as the bloom opens up as it warms on your skin. I love wearing it out of the shower or before bed. Very comforting. You spray it and reminds me of the smell of spring is in the air.

The bottle is beautiful in itself with its frosted green, art deco, almost Lalique style decorative cap. Inside is a gardenia that’s alive and wet with morning dew with a gentle jasmine green tea giving a delicate steamy aroma and slight bitterness. It’s barely lactonic as the green chlorophyll from the stems takes over. It reminds me of Full by Al Rehab. Longevity isn’t too good, so you’d have to take it with you to reapply. A superb, affordable, simplistic green/white floral.

A friend blind bought it and we both loved it. Saw on fragnet for 14 dollars and had to get one. Scent is a bit linear but you can still tell the difference. I think it's more prominent to me because my roommates used peony febreeze so I have an association for peonies to the bathroom LOL, but that association is fading thankfully

This is a photorealistic gardenia. Fresh, green, watery, nostalgic. It reminds me of a garden with gardenia bushes in bloom after the rain. The smells of the soil, the grass, the greeness are combined with the smell of gardenia flowers. It's very long lasting, a pure "white floral" frag, true to its genre. You can't beat the price for what it offers.

This is so lovely, it's very nostalgic but I can't figure out why. I bought it because I love Ethel Cain and she didn't lead me astray, this is such a delightful warm weather scent that makes me think of green summer days

Wow, so gorgeous. Dewy, fresh, calm gardenia. I had a coworker hate this which stops me from saying it's a safe blind buy. Not powdery, not "heavy" to my nose. Perfectly green. GreyChypre is right; completely douse yourself in it. Extremely good deal.

Acquired taste for me, this one. Did not really like it when I first tried it, the opening had a sort of suffocating greenness, not grassy or herbal but the kind of that rises out of a witch' s brew. Kept it though, more like an example of failed blind buy. Yet, as time passed, I've warmed up to it. I still don't like the opening but there is a buttery, dewy, crisp and fresh white flower behind it that I have come to love in warm weather. It is not a complicated fragrance and I wish it lasted longer but I think it works beautifully in the late spring/summer time, complimenting an elegant, daytime white outfit or something of the sorts.

well, whoever is voting that this smells like chanel gardenia led me astray . past the harsh opening this is a polite gardenia carnation scent, cold & very fresh . i imagine this on a zen yoga instructor . not dated, but not my kind of gardenia . also, the first few minutes the LOTV is super strong in this, the name of this could be lily and it would still sell . but i would buy this for the adorable bottle

Very dense and buttery white flower smell. I don't know how the real gardenia smells but this perfume is like intoxicating white flower growing in humid hot place. I could see the comments saying it's green and in my opinion it's not because green means for me fresh smell of leaves or grassy smell. This one is just heady white flower with some butter in the background [I don't say it's creamy but it's a smell of butter]. The parameters are moderate - I can smell it for a very long time [probably because I don't like it] but after six hours it's a skin scent. If you like tropical white flowers - test it, it's a good perfume but not for me.

So I blind bought this from Ross and the opening was a little dated but it dries down to a sexy creamy gardenia and orchid scent. It’s very womanly/feminine.

Thanks to the favourable, glowing reviews here I blind bought and L♡VE. First test today on Mum (late 70s) and me, cooler autumn day. The air spray developed really quickly from 'meh' to 'Yeh!!'. We both walked through the light mist (nice sprayer) and are captivated. Sweet bright creamy floral realistic gardenia, not cloying according to Mum (the standard by which she evaluates floral delights) I'm going to follow GreyChypre's recommendation later and thoroughly douse myself. 100ml and so affordable The gorgeous bottle is speaking to my current desire to surround myself with beauty for respite from all the things.

"Gardenia" opens with an unexpected note of sour bitters — bright, slightly herbal, and distinctly lime‑green. Whether this sharp freshness was intentional or not, I cannot say, yet the closer it sits to the skin, the more pronounced the bitters become. It feels as though the perfumers tried to capture the sound of green leaves, crisp and slightly astringent, rustling in a late‑spring breeze. The lily‑of‑the‑valley is either particularly green‑toned or so delicate it almost slips from perception. It seems chemically condensed, reading more citrusy and grassy than its traditional tender, floral self. The gardenia that follows feels oily and refined, drawn with precision — as though an artist sketched its contours with a fine‑tipped pen, defining each curve of the petal against the background of other notes. Peony adds warmth and depth, introducing a blush of colour that turns the gardenia from plain white into a creamy shade touched with gold. A thread of orchid runs gently through the composition, mostly quiet yet occasionally glinting in the light. The carnation lends a softly pink hue; its natural spice feels restrained and partly veiled by the clean, synthetic sheen of white musks that smooth the blend without overpowering it. Then comes a most intriguing note — a hint of freshly cut wild mushrooms, crisp and fragrant, that aligns beautifully with the green and grassy tones unfolding through the fragrance’s life. It is an unexpected yet harmonious accent that adds charm and originality. Overall, "Gardenia" by Elizabeth Taylor reveals itself as a perfume of nuance and surprise. Instead of the usual creamy white‑floral indulgence, it offers a luminous, green‑leafed bouquet of early‑blooming gardenia buds intertwined with peony, spray carnations, and those delicate summer mushrooms scattered like secrets across a sunlit garden path. The projection is poised — noticeable yet never cloying. Fresh, uplifting, and subtly energising, this fragrance feels ideal for spring, summer, or early autumn, and it would layer beautifully with fruity or woody perfumes for a touch of added brilliance and zest.

The notes listed our spot on. This fragrance is nice, offensive, feminine, light, airy fresh but still aquatic. I thought it would be very green but it’s not. Got it from Amazon for $11 on a promo deal. I’m very pleased with my purchase definitely a good blind buy ! But it’s not a beast mode perfume it’s moderate projection, and moderate lasting power.

I bought this because I love the bottle design. The perfume - am I crazy or does it smell like L by Gwen Stefani (which I admittedly haven't smelled in some 15 years)?? I'll hold on to this one for sure!

Picked this up as a blind buy for a very reasonable price - you can usually find it for under $20 at Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, online retailers, etc. I love white florals/ gardenia and Elizabeth Taylor - but never owned any of her fragrances. At the price and knowing my taste, I figured it was a low risk blind buy. My initial trials were a bit strong and "grapey" out of the box, so I let it rest for a couple months and I'm pleased to say that it's aged nicely into what I thought it would be. It opens heady with lily-of-the-valley and a bit of greenery followed by the gardenia, which lingers for a few hours. It then mellows into a musky gardenia-dominant white floral supported by the peony and carnation. The carnation/ musk in the drydown and initial "grapey" vibe is mildly reminiscent of Serge Lutens' Sarrasins; and the greenness is a bit like Kai's gardenia, minus the lily & lilac notes (I own both of these and did some side-by-side comparisons). Overall, this is a great value and pleasant scent for those who love white florals on the greener side (I would not describe this as buttery or indolic). As a bonus, the tall green bottle with the frosted gardenia cap is also eye-catching.

This was a total blind buy because at this point, I trust the house of Elizabeth Taylor implicitly. I know that even if the scent profile isn't my usual, the high quality will be there. Let me tell you folks, I am completely BLOWN AWAY. The bottle is a stunning, sculptural, emerald-green glass flower that looks like something you’d find on a vanity in a 1940s film noir. It feels substantial, heavy, and expensive in the hand. I am genuinely proud to display this beauty. It puts bottles 15 times the price to utter shame. The fragrance itself is the polar opposite of what I usually go for (heavy, resinous Oriental). It's fresh, dewy, and incredibly green. I mean this literally: it smells like a garden after an early summer rainstorm. It's like wet petals and humid air. It is absolutely LOVELY. And somehow it just keeps getting better the more it warms up. I am truly floored by how good this is. It smells natural, lush, and expensive. Dare I say, it is now one of my absolute favorites. EDIT: If you think you've sprayed enough of this stuff to be offensive, you're about 4 sprays away from perfection. Don't be bashful with it. Thank me later.

A revelation. Sure, I blind bought this purely off of a recommendation from Dakob but for $15 at Ross, I was prepared for at least a small potential loss. This blows many expensive niche gardenia fragrances out of the water. It's inexpensive and a pure fresh floral, which is becoming something of a rarity with so many fruity-floral blends over saturating the market.

Delicious shameless fatty white floral. This is sexy.