I complain about this more than I should, but the perfume world is filled with really bad gardenia soliflores. This has to do with a few things, but I attribute most of it to laziness. Apparently, there is no such thing as a gardenia essential oil. So this means that gardenia in perfumery is either a synthetic aromachemical, some weird homemade tincture thing or it’s an accord created by the perfumer. I say “laziness” because gardenia takes work. Big houses rely on aromachemicals, that unfortunately at this stage of the game, smell really fake. Making a good accord is pricey and this lowers the profits at these large houses (time and good ingredients). And this is where indies pick up the ball and run with it. There’s benefits to being small and apparently creating a good gardenia soliflore is one of those benefits.
Jolie Laide is an artisanal natural perfume line inspired by French New Wave. Baisers Volés is one of the “sultry” perfumes in the collection. It’s a white floral inspired by gardenias. Like I said before, there is no gardenia essential oil so if a natural pefumer wants gardenia, they’ve got to make their own. Baisers Volés is a white floral that gives the illusion of gardenia without having any gardenia in it at all.
Baisers Volés is like a spicy, honeyed gardenia in its opening with a hint of nectarines. It has an animalic quality and rot, both are things that I’m drawn to in white floral perfumes. Baisers Volés brings to mind overripe gardenia blossoms – sticky and sweet with decay. The fragrance wears as a linear overripe white floral for most of the wear. It eventually dries down to a resinous white floral.
Notes listed include white flowers, bergamot, kewda and myrrh. PERFUMER – Heather Kaufman
Give Baisers Volés a try if you like natural white florals. Or if you like perfumes like Anya’s Garden Kewdra, Strange Invisible Perfumes Epic Gardenia, Aftelier Cuir Gardenia and/or Jar Jardenia.
This is a natural perfume so projection is below average but I find longevity to be average.
Baisers Volés comes in a few sizes with the 1 oz retailing for $125 at Jolie Laide. Samples are also available for purchase.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Honeyed, spicy gardenia (that’s not really gardenia). I think Heather did a great job of creating the illusion of gardenia using natural essences. If you’re tired of synthetic smelling gardenias, this is one worth sampling.
Want more reviews? Try…
Art and Entertain Me – Intro to the brand.
Ça Fleure Bon – Interview with the perfumer.
*Sample provided in a FRAGments swag bag. Product pic from the brand. Ludmilla Tchrina from notrecinema.com.
This sounds gorgeous, it’s a shame they don’t ship OS. Have you ever sniffed Montale Intense Tiare? I bought a sample of it last year and love it. On another note, Solstice Scents makes a pure Gardenia perfume oil that I’ve become curious about mm.
Yes, I have. I really like it. You may want to try Jasmin Full as well since you like that one.
I still haven’t tried anything from Solstice Scents 🙁 My list of “to try” keeps growing!
Thanks for the recommendation will put it on my to try list! 🙂
🙂