Ushahidi wa Aromaholic: Gardenias kwa Guys?

Muhtasari: Marlen ponders ukosefu wa maelezo gardenia katika harufu kuuzwa kwa watu, na majaribio na wote DSH Nouveau gardenia na Jo Malone Vintage gardenia.

Nampenda Jimmy na machungwa maua. aromas mbili ni kwa mbali floral favorite maelezo na bahati kwa ajili yangu, wao show up mara kwa mara katika harufu ya watu siku hizi. The more experience I have with other flowers, such as tuberose, the more curious I become as to how they too are used in men’s fragrances. Kwa mfano, I am really enjoying my Lacoste L 12.12 White with its sueded tuberose accord, and though I personally don’t wear them, I appreciate the starring role tuberose plays in Floris Elite for Men and Richard James Saville Row.

But it’s official, after weeks of winter searching, the only fragances “for men” that I can find that list gardenia as a note are Herrera’s 212 Men and some of its flankers (which I’ve always disliked thanks to the heavy pepper notes), 1974′s Halston Z-14 (and the traditional 70′s vibe is so strong here that the gardenia is completely indetectable), and Neil Morris’s Gardenia for Men (which I haven’t tried yet). Many other flowers – rose, violet, magnolia and ylang, kwa mfano – all seem to be much more commonly used, especially combined with heartier basenotes such as woods, leather and spices. Why is this? Could it be that gardenia is such an iconic “female aroma” that perfumers avoid the connotations of southern belles, grandmas and Coco Chanel?

Whatever the reason, I’m miffed. I’ve really never had experience with gardenias until fairly recently, due to the bushes I encountered up and down the street where I lived in north Osaka and my closest friend Becky’s obsession with them (she gets at least one gardenia fragrance from me each year). But being constantly on the lookout for natural-smelling gardenia fragrances and dedicating myself to fragrance writing has me longing for a creamy white petal aroma that pairs the blossom with those aforementioned hearty basenotes.

Some of the most memorable fragrances that I’ve discovered which feature prominent gardenia notes, and there are thousands, are Estee Lauder’s Private Collection Tuberose and Gardenia (Becky’s favorite), Yves Rocher Pur Desir de Gardenia (incredibly inexpensive and equally realistic) and Chanel Gardenia to name but a few. I’m currently staying in Orlando at Becky’s home and decided to experiment with some of the scents I’ve gifted over the years. When going through her collection I chuckled at the opposite-ends-of-the-spectrum names and aesthethics of two particular fragrances – Jo Malone Vintage Gardenia and DSH Nouveau Gardenia – and decided this might be a good place to start.

Before continuing, a small caveat: What exactly makes a fragrance “for guys” as opposed to “for gals”? I have ALWAYS championed the wear-whatever-you-like philosophy when it comes to scent and have a hard time attributing gender to aroma due to the culturally and temporally sensitive nature of perfume trends around the world and throughout the ages. Can we not agree that gender is indeed socially constructed and mediated? In this post, I am exploring the marked lack of gardenia in current “men’s perfumery” and as such I’m experimenting with wearing a note that due to being raised in North America during the end of the 20th century has typically been absent from my own repertoire of aromas.

Jo Malone Vintage Gardenia

Notes/Description: “A captivating blend, the classic florals gardenia and tuberose are combined with cardamom, sandalwood and myrrh to create a rich seduction of the senses.” JoMalone.com

I’ve played with this scent for years now, enchanted by the idea of pairing gardenia with myrrh. I *almost* didn’t give this one away upon receiving a bottle to test (from Jo Malone’s parent company, Estee Lauder), wondering if this is something I could both wear and enjoy. Due to my friend’s dedication to gardenia, Hata hivyo, Vintage Gardenia and I parted ways.

Right off the bat, there is something slightly dark about this, as if I had previously sprayed Annick Goutal Sables on my wrist and then hours later sprayed on a gardenia scent. As the scent develops, the darker notes warm on my skin and I can definitely detect the myrrh. The gardenia and tuberose pairing are prominent enough so that VG definitely fells like a floral, but those white, creamy facets are downplayed by the woods and spices. My olfactory image is of a cloudy sunset, white and grey billows illuminated by a setting sun. The florals are the hidden light and the other notes are the glowing clouds.

I do feel the waxiness of the florals at the fringes of the scent as it develops, sometimes catching glimpses of actual gardenias but more often I’m reminded of tuberose than gardenia. I don’t find this to be all that typically “pretty” and am still not sure if I would want to wear this often. In terms of this being a gardenia for guys, I certainly don’t see why this couldn’t easily be carried off by the male gender. Becky herself has graciously gifted the bottle back to me suggesting that its inherent smokiness might be a bit too masculine for her. Jo Malone has always avoided stamping gender labels such as “kwa ajili ya wanawake” on her fragrances and likewise has encouraged layering of her various scents. I imagine this one would work well with a number of the other offerings, perhaps allowing the fragrance a bit more depth yet remaining a gardenia aroma.

Scentsibility blog writes, “Any gardenia in this scent lurks well below the woodsy spice on me…. This might be an excellent cologne on a man. I’m not really into the male/female scent split, but on a man’s skin this might come across as more natural than it does on mine. I’m in no rush to go beyond the sample at the moment.”

Wapi ninaweza kununua? $55 Marekani kwa ajili ya 1 oz Cologne spray at JoMalone.com

DSH Nouveau Gardenia

Notes/Description: “Bergamot, Mimosa, Gardenia, Miski, Sandalwood” Fragrantica.com

Purchased for my friend, Becky, I initially loved this…mostly because of its bright, crisp attitude. But since giving it as a gift, I haven’t come back to it and so this is my first time to fully experience it since 2006. Mkali, citrusy, with a clean musk vibe and an odd, rubbery, indolic undertone that appears at first spray but then quickly fades, Nouveau Gardenia’s bergamot kicks things off with a watery, fresh citrus while the mimosa offers a slightly heliotropic, powdery fruitiness. Kuhusu 30-45 dakika ndani ya amevaa, the fragrance begins to relax and a true-to-life gardenia aroma emerges that, putting it plainly, makes me feel happy. I don’t actually detect the sandalwood at first and wonder if it wasn’t used as a tincture to scent the alcohol that was later used to create the complete fragrance. Kama hii ni ya asili, I knew to give the product some time to develop and it wasn’t until 2 hours into the development that I finally experienced the sandalwood and gasped, “Oh my gosh…there it is!!”

Femininethings.org anaandika, “What a strange experience of Gardenia. It’s almost Palmolivey in the first few seconds, then becomes this dry musky scent with a citrus like orange pith rather than orange flower. It’s not all that sweet and might make an excellent masculine gardenia (what a strange treat!) if you could find a man you could pin down long enough to spray it on him. I really do need to find a guy who is willing to let me randomly apply scents to them. Perhaps when my friend Andrew comes back to town… 4 ya 5 nods.“

I should also note that Nouveau Gardenia is considered to be a natural perfume. Perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz explains, “I have always been very connected to natural aromatics in my perfume designs. Beyond my experience as an aromatherapist, I feel that the intrinsic value, depth and richness of natural / botanical materials makes all of the difference in my designs. As botanical perfumery grows, I have dedicated myself to creating some 100% asili (botanical or cruelty free animal ingredient) perfumes as well as many perfumes that are 85% or higher concentration of naturals. I include these 85% and above natural concentration perfumes as a part of my Natural category as these notes predominate and they are far and away more natural than most perfumes in the commercial market place.”

Wapi ninaweza kununua? $70 Marekani kwa ajili ya 1 oz Eau de Parfum spray at HamptonCt.com (kumbuka: the DSH website no longer offers this one for sale and as such, it may have been discontinued in favor of Dawn’s other gardenia fragrance, Pink Gardenia)

Bottom Line: While JM Vintage Gardenia is recongnizable as a gardenia aroma, the overall effect is a bit flat and lacks the sweet, dewy, creamy vibe that I typically get from fresh-picked blossoms. DSH Nouveau Gardenia, on the other hand, does indeed offer a truer floral but also offers a number of different characters and stages (mimosa is a major player here, afterall) including a few uncomfortable moments where gardenia’s indoles shine through with the musk notes. I should also explain that I have a tendency to dislike and dismiss natural perfumes, but would never have guessed that Nouveau Gardenia was indeed natural.

It’s a little funny how I started this post by suggesting that I hoped for a gardenia that was anchored by meatier basenotes but actually favored the lighter, slightly powdery Nouveau Gardenia. While I enjoyed Vintage Gardenia, and many online reviews suggest that I am not alone in my admiration, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s creativity and artistry once again win me over and so Nouveau Gardenia will accompany me on today’s trip to Disney.

Are these gardenia fragrances that men could wear? Easily, if these men in question are open to knowingly wearing florals. Now I need to get my hands on a sample of Neil Morris’ Gardenia for Men to see what a male perfumer’s take on flowers might be!

What are your thoughts about men wearing gardenia?

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