GARDEZ-MOI JOVOY PARIS EAU DE PARIS

I've been on the hunt for a gardenia scent and I recently scored a 1/3 of a bottle of Gardez Moi in an auction off eBay.

The opening is a juicy, dark gardenia. After 20 minutes it calms down and I can pick up some of the other florals. After an hour it turns to a skin scent..... or so I thought.

As I was dining outside twice this past week I was complimented both times by different sets of guests. Remarkably I was still projecting the scent between 3 and 5 hours after first applying.

Frustratingly this will not be the holy grail of all gardenias, because I can't detect shortly after spraying, so my search continues.

Edit: 6.06.19
Update to my original review. Not sure why I could not smell this before, but Gardez Moi is a good performer, I can still pick it up 5 hours after applying. I’ve also gotten compliments, so good projection too. The more I wear it the more I love it.....so changing my review to LOVE.

I love big fat white creamy florals(BFWFs) but was looking for something off the well-worn path. The interesting note description for Gardez Moi and the story behind it swept me off my feet and caused a blind buy. Mostly what I smell, is masses of gardenia flowers that have just opened their buds, that have not gotten the slightly carrion smell of gardenias before they begin to wilt. Joining in are Jasmine, Lily, Ylang Ylang and Tuberose, all my favourite culprits and all at the peak of their beauty. This is less dense than Isabey's Fleur Nocturne, a favourite of mine but which can be cloying for people across me if they aren't fans of BFWFs. The crispness I assume coming from Cyclamen and tomato leaf, together with aldehydes gives this a green opening akin to Cristalle without its frostiness. The smoky styrax and musk give Gardez Moi a strong base and the scent lasted on me the whole day with two sprays, with a good sillage too. I find this more interesting than Estee Lauder's Tuberose Gardenia which I paid a far dearer price for than Gardez Moi. To enjoy this, one must really adore overdoses of white florals, beginning green and fresh and ending in shadowy musk, I suppose much like a love affair that the perfume is named after. To top it all off, the scent comes in a heavy glass bottle with a heavy silver top and housed in a faux leather but still very elegant presentation box. These things shouldn't really matter to a perfume lover but as a gift, it would not go unappreciated. I would recommend this even if it isn't quite far off enough the beaten path for my current fancies.

This is a fascinating scent! Opening is sharp and GREEN! But it isn't unpleasant at all and quickly subsides into an ever evolving white floral that is soft and sensuous. I wore it to a dinner party recently and I've never received more compliments on how good I smelled. Definitely FBW