Back in 2008 I was in a gallery buying a painting when suddenly I was captivated by the most glorious gardenia bouquet scent ever! I turned around searching for the vase, and then I realised that the scent was coming from this elegant middle aged woman standing next to me.
Just the thought of me asking her about the perfume she was wearing made me shiver, but she was almost out the door, when I got the nerve to ask her! Thankfuly I did, because this is now my most beloved scent ever...I wear it almost all the time, with just the right amount of breaks to come running for it once and again!

That day my man went and bought it for me as a gift and he continues to do so everytime I am about to run out. He says that compared to this perfume, all other perfumes have completely no meaning on me!!! And I almost agree with him...

So this is a well rounded gardenia bouquet, with the right amount of jasmine and tuberose, tied together with a vanilla scenter ribbon (and dare I say I get the faintest hint of coconut? It might be just my imagination, but I think gardenia loves on or two drops of coconut milk on her). A very true gardenia note. I know gardenia from the day I was born, since my mum loved them and always kept them in a tin flowerpot because according to greek tradition, this help them flourish beautifully. It is one of my most favourite blossoms.

Similar to this is Frederic Malle's Carnal Flower. A masterpiece again and even more realistic! You can even smell the freshly cut stems at the beggining! But Estee Lauder's beauty in my opinion, is a more balanced, elegant and timeless creation. It is a grand gardenia scent made to be worn and adored by many generations.
This will always be part of my boudoir!

Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous!! My HG fragrance, finally...SO wonderful, almost a little disconcerting how REAL this fragrance smells...my Grandma always had tuberoses when I was little (they are a tender perennial where we live in zone 7, and have to be dug and brought into a protected area in winter) so I know what I'm smelling! :) Takes me back to my childhood, in such a comforting way! Yes, it is a "big" white floral, in that you will receive compliments, but it is a big "real" scent, not "big" like in Fracas or some of those formulations... (Not like "Truth or Dare" ~ Heaven help us!)...there are only real nature notes to my nose, no "off" notes, no "skank" (thanks, Madonna...:(...)
My husband says it reminds him of a "funeral parlor" ~ LOL ~ but if so, it's because the Victorians used Tuberose so much for a funeral flower...I take that as even more of a compliment to the truly "real" scent of the tuberose.
My true Holy Grail fragrance, finally. I only wish it weren't quite so expensive, so I wouldn't have to be so sparing with it...however, you can find it and the matching lotion for a little better deal on eBay...

Yup. My new signature fragrance. Love it. Thanks MUA.

This is endearingly beautiful. It is reminiscent of Tubereuse Criminelle, but without the mentholated blast that makes me feel at times giddy, sometimes a bit nauseous, like being on a rollercoaster. This one is easier to wear and less like a cruel b*tch, more a sensual siren. I will admit, as soon as I put it on, I was transported to a poignant memory of a woman who wore this. I have no doubt, this is the exact perfume she was wearing, because she claimed to be a huge Estee Lauder fan (this was when I used to work as a makeup artist). I'm sure I complimented her perfume, and she told me it was EL.

She came up to the counter and immediately I was struck by her beauty. Her long dark brown hair flowed around her like a goddess. She was Venezuelan, and her doe-eyes were framed by the lushest, most gorgeously pure black lashes I've seen. I don't even think she was wearing makeup, maybe a little foundation and gloss. Her body was curvaceous and just stunningly beautiful. All woman, and no qualms. She radiated this scent around her and asked for a golden lip gloss, and she produced the one she had out of her purse, a well-worn tube that was melted from a summer in South America. She spoke to me of the rainforests and what they're like, and I felt as if I were there, smelling her perfume and just staring into her drop-dead gorgeous face. Honestly, when she purchased some product and walked away, I felt a noticeable exhilarating sadness, as if the sun had gone down for the day and I was left basking in the memory of its golden radiance, now feeling cold and forgotten.

I would wear this gladly to remember her, and will probably end up with a FB in the near future.

Tested this yesterday. Sprayed a good four sprays and send the rest of the day shopping and cleaning. It was there until I took a bath, and I want to say, I was sorry it washed off in the bath. I could wear this everyday. It starts to true, so flower, so tuberose and so gardenia. It stays that way. Then, when it settles later, a hint of clean is there, a clean, fresh scent, and I smell better than I do coming right out of the shower. There is still a hint of flower too. My skin smells delightful and it smells like it is my body chemistry, not something lying on top. This reminds me of spring, the boys don't love it (they love anything vanilla - so sick of vanilla) but this reminds me of a beautiful, really clean and organized garden, no weeds, relaxing and a pleasure. By the way, it tends to curb my appetite, I don't want to eat while I smell this, not because I am nauseated, but the thought of food smells clashing with this feminine, lovely scent, nope, I plan to buy it as my diet! haha

I rarely use sprays or perfumes but this spray is about 3/4 used within 7 months. I have sniffed plenty of fragrances but I've never come across anything like this parfum spray. In addition to the flower scent, it does hint a luxurious smell (people will know it's not cheap if they smell it). Occasionally when I sit down at a place, some people would walk past me a couple of time to get another sniff.

I hate gardenia in perfumes. It's always so chemical and overpowering, and usually gives me a sick stomach ache. This is smoother and much creamier. If I hadn't known it was gargenia I might have guessed it was honeysuckle. What I love about most Estee Lauder perfumes is the way you can smell them wafting up off your own body, so nice if it's a scent you love. And they last. One blast of this and you can smell it on yourself for hours. While there is still that sickeningly sweet cloying gardenia in this it is not nearly as fake and chemical as most gardenia scents. It's pretty nice actually, if you don't mind gargenia's sweet-sour, over ripe rotting flowers quality. This would surely attract the bees to you outdoors. I can almost like this and am pretty impressed. It's a natural smell, not one from the laboratory which is one quality I look for in perfume. That combined with the staying power and sillage makes this a winner. Gardenia lovers, this is the one.

Absolutely Beautiful White Floral on me. I just love this scent, I find Gardenia either Fake or Screamingly hard to wear but this one works perfectly for me. Just love it in the Spring on a Rainy day...

This is, in my opinion, Estee Lauder's best fragrance ever. It is indeed a tuberose softened by gardenia. The gardenia makes it more wearable than say, Fracas. It has lots of sillage and is not for the meek. It draws lots of compliments. Great staying power. I loved this and was ready to purchase the night I tried it; however I'm glad I waited and got a sample on ebay. It turn out it unfortunately it sets off migraines for my husband (darn!),

I agree. It would be perfect w/o the sour note, which I assume is the tuberose.