Reviews of Jardins de Bagatelle by Guerlain
Guerlain meets the 80s and I'm wallowing in it! As I write this, it's a far warmer than average April day here in New England, and I am just not ready for these kinds of temps. The birds outside are singing a chorus, though, heralding spring, and as I wear this I am transported to a garden, greeted by aldehydic fanfare, finding oceans of smiling narcissus, humid gardenia and brazen, indolic jasmine. They are all kept in check by a neroli and orange blossom all the way through to the heart.
Que volupté! You must appreciate the bold florals, the ones that lead you around a leash as you wear a studded collar. They show you who's boss! Hell, even the bees come for me wearing this, and since I am the insect whisperer, I let them investigate for a bit, and once they realize it's just a dirty human being, they move on. Who can blame them for being entranced by this though? Man, this is heady, I sprayed more than I needed to, but I am taking it all in, as dizzying as it might feel—and to think this is the eau de toilette.
This is the most wonderful and penetrating floral bash I've experienced in a fragrance; a culmination of all I love about yellow and white florals, with just a wee bit of sweet Viola odorata for good measure. Jean-Paul Guerlain took a detour from the Guerlainade and let this baby simmer in a heap of vetiver and cedar shavings, all sealed with honeyed musk. Jardins de Bagatelle is like a nectar of the gods.
Que volupté! You must appreciate the bold florals, the ones that lead you around a leash as you wear a studded collar. They show you who's boss! Hell, even the bees come for me wearing this, and since I am the insect whisperer, I let them investigate for a bit, and once they realize it's just a dirty human being, they move on. Who can blame them for being entranced by this though? Man, this is heady, I sprayed more than I needed to, but I am taking it all in, as dizzying as it might feel—and to think this is the eau de toilette.
This is the most wonderful and penetrating floral bash I've experienced in a fragrance; a culmination of all I love about yellow and white florals, with just a wee bit of sweet Viola odorata for good measure. Jean-Paul Guerlain took a detour from the Guerlainade and let this baby simmer in a heap of vetiver and cedar shavings, all sealed with honeyed musk. Jardins de Bagatelle is like a nectar of the gods.
I've been sampling the vintage 80's version. It's quite beautiful, kicking off with a big, sugary raspberry rose, sparkling with fresh citrus. I was temporarily worried that this may be a vapid fruity floral, albeit a nice one, but that threat goes away quickly as the raspberry melts into a really complex mix of flowers - the richness of tuberose plays against the brightness of violets and the spice of carnation, while a bit of soap adds depth and the rose expands into a dewy floral openness that surrounds everything. Yes, this is a big, 80's white floral, but it's really well done.
Given time, the violets fade to suede and iris comes in underneath, creating a lush, leathery pillow for the flowers. Later, subtle spiced vanilla joins in, creating a leathery vanilla that's the base as the florals fade out of focus.
I like a big 80's floral, and this is the best I've tried so far. Thumbs way up!
Given time, the violets fade to suede and iris comes in underneath, creating a lush, leathery pillow for the flowers. Later, subtle spiced vanilla joins in, creating a leathery vanilla that's the base as the florals fade out of focus.
I like a big 80's floral, and this is the best I've tried so far. Thumbs way up!
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Big, huge creamy white floral. Like, 1980’s big. It’s great if you’re into that kind of thing. The ultimate wedding scent. It’s available for a song at discounters too.
I just bought Champs Lunaires this past summer so probably don’t need this too, but two thumbs up nonetheless.
I just bought Champs Lunaires this past summer so probably don’t need this too, but two thumbs up nonetheless.
It is no doubt a well made perfume, but really, really, really not my style and taste. It's a huge bouquet of white and yellow flowers and also a bucket filled to the brim with pollen. It really smells like you stuck a nose into a bouquet and kept it for an hour. Dizzying. I can see how many people would find it amazing, but it's a very difficult wear to me, I can feel my nose going stuffy almost instantly. Nevertheless it's an interesting perfume, very evocative of summer flower gardens blooming in the sun, pollen, bees and all. Thumbs down because it's a scrubber, a sneeze, a stuffy nose and a headache for me. But it still might be a beautiful classic for you.
Guerlain Jardins de Bagatelle (1983) is the prettiest and most "noble" of the big 1980's florals, narrowly avoiding the "terrible tuberose" moniker of something like Estée Lauder Beautiful (1985) by being a less-focused white floral, but not quite being a lascivious animalic patchouli rose exercise like things such as Ungaro Diva (1983). Jardins de Bagatelle rather sits closer to something like Yves Saint Laurent Paris (1983) of the same year, and is a big golden white floral combo, although a bit of scandal thanks to some civet does remain so Jardin lives up to its namesake of being a garden used for sexual romps after nightfall. My only bit of criticism upon first impression of this is how downright conventional it feels for a Guerlain perfume following the release of Nahéma (1979), with no easily detectable presence of "Guerlinade", but the artistic quality of the house (especially in the hands of Jean-Paul Guerlain) is very much there in contrast to the creeping synthetic commercialism that was starting to infect this level of the market.
The opening is a wall of aldehydes, lemon, bergamot, nondescript fruit, and violet. This violet helps keep the fruit dry enough not to be overbearing, and helps merge the top with a kitchen sink ensemble of white and golden floral notes. I could list them all, but the star players are going to be muguet, narcissus, iris, cassie and rose set against a musky mix of tuberose, ylang-ylang and jasmine, sweetened by neroli. There really are no other words besides "pretty" to describe this, and the mild indoles pull you down by the collar into that aforementioned civet, rounded by benzoin, given body by patchouli, and dried on a bed of cedar, oakmoss, and vetiver. A chypre is as a chypre does, so Jardins de Bagatelle wears moderately well in temperate conditions for a good length of time, being best in spring through fall for casual daytime or romantic use. I'd call this unisex myself, but the huge sweet floral melange will read feminine to the mainstream nose, although the typical Guerlain complexity keeps Jardins de Bagatelle from feeling boring or linear.
Jardins de Bagatelle is rather cut and dried as an 80's "powerhouse" perfume for women: it's loud when oversprayed, will overstay its welcome in public settings like restaurants, and brings the idea of triangle blouses and teased up hair back to the fore for those who lived that era. In the minds of those who don't have experience in that context, Jardins de Bagatelle will just smell like an exceptionally-loud traditional white floral perfume, rounded by some sweet fruit and musks in the top and bottom, smelling a bit out-of-time but with hints at playful youth despite being too big-boned to sprint along with today's watery fruity floral things which serve that same demographic today. A very un-Guerlain fragrance for Guerlain, and perhaps a sign of patina forming on the house before the family sold to LVMH. Still, there is nothing to fault here if well-blended and safe white floral chypres with a nice late-stage seductive musk profile sound like something you'd enjoy wearing. Thumbs up.
The opening is a wall of aldehydes, lemon, bergamot, nondescript fruit, and violet. This violet helps keep the fruit dry enough not to be overbearing, and helps merge the top with a kitchen sink ensemble of white and golden floral notes. I could list them all, but the star players are going to be muguet, narcissus, iris, cassie and rose set against a musky mix of tuberose, ylang-ylang and jasmine, sweetened by neroli. There really are no other words besides "pretty" to describe this, and the mild indoles pull you down by the collar into that aforementioned civet, rounded by benzoin, given body by patchouli, and dried on a bed of cedar, oakmoss, and vetiver. A chypre is as a chypre does, so Jardins de Bagatelle wears moderately well in temperate conditions for a good length of time, being best in spring through fall for casual daytime or romantic use. I'd call this unisex myself, but the huge sweet floral melange will read feminine to the mainstream nose, although the typical Guerlain complexity keeps Jardins de Bagatelle from feeling boring or linear.
Jardins de Bagatelle is rather cut and dried as an 80's "powerhouse" perfume for women: it's loud when oversprayed, will overstay its welcome in public settings like restaurants, and brings the idea of triangle blouses and teased up hair back to the fore for those who lived that era. In the minds of those who don't have experience in that context, Jardins de Bagatelle will just smell like an exceptionally-loud traditional white floral perfume, rounded by some sweet fruit and musks in the top and bottom, smelling a bit out-of-time but with hints at playful youth despite being too big-boned to sprint along with today's watery fruity floral things which serve that same demographic today. A very un-Guerlain fragrance for Guerlain, and perhaps a sign of patina forming on the house before the family sold to LVMH. Still, there is nothing to fault here if well-blended and safe white floral chypres with a nice late-stage seductive musk profile sound like something you'd enjoy wearing. Thumbs up.
The opening is composed of some fresh citric aromas - mainly bergamot and a bit of lemon, as well as the floral dyad of violet and sweetness - violet adding a darker tone and the calyx a lovely honeysuckle-like sweetness to the top notes. Later on a soft neroli appears. Very nice.
The drydown sees a frontal attack by a whole army of floral notes: initially, a dyad of rose (The Jardins de Bagatelle's fame (in Paris) is partly based on its roses) and tuberose vying for attention; both are of medium brightness, with the rose being a bloom only - no green leaves here - and the tuberose being of the lighter and lacking any waxiness or indolic undertone. A light narcissus with a very bright and airy jasmine play a role too at that stage.
Later on a batallion of white florals - muguet, magnolia and a orchid - move into the foreground. Even further into the heart notes an ylang-ylang develops that adds a restrained and bright creaminess to the whole mix, with a gentle orris supplying an attempt to inject a touch of a darker and earthier tone into the mix - no mean feat given the white floral onslaught.
The complex multitude of floral notes - typical for many Guerlains of that era - it not a melange made up of notes that are always equally strong, but each of them moves into the foreground and back with time - like a symphony in which each instrument gets a chance to shine in the centre if the audience's attention.
The base begins a bit less floral - there is a woody side focusing and cedar without much of a true pencilshave component - and sone light musks with touches of civet - the latter rather a fleeting phenomenon. A soft, very soft (on me) patchouli together vetiver that lacks any earthiness lead further into the base, with a subdued benzoin adding a modicum of tanginess.
Towards the end, like and echo from the past, the florals re-emerge to dominate the finale again: the ylang-ylang, the muguet and the narcissus appear again - like a floral apparition fading out into the night.
I get moderate sillage, excellent projection a splendid twelve hours of longevity on my skin, with the last couple of hours very close to my skin.
This complex study of flowers is a beautiful scent for spring evenings. It is confident, with a natural, vivid but unobtrusive sweetness that never loses its balance thanks to the sublime blending of the ingredients, which are of superb quality, especially in the older samples. It is not powdery, classical, elegant and confident, but with a dynamic and youthful touch that is never stale. The performance is very good. Maybe the sheer mass of notes leads to some of them never truly excelling in their own right, like the rose for instance, but that might be the price to pay for being a member of such a large olfactory ensemble of high-quality fragrance notes. 3.75/5.
The drydown sees a frontal attack by a whole army of floral notes: initially, a dyad of rose (The Jardins de Bagatelle's fame (in Paris) is partly based on its roses) and tuberose vying for attention; both are of medium brightness, with the rose being a bloom only - no green leaves here - and the tuberose being of the lighter and lacking any waxiness or indolic undertone. A light narcissus with a very bright and airy jasmine play a role too at that stage.
Later on a batallion of white florals - muguet, magnolia and a orchid - move into the foreground. Even further into the heart notes an ylang-ylang develops that adds a restrained and bright creaminess to the whole mix, with a gentle orris supplying an attempt to inject a touch of a darker and earthier tone into the mix - no mean feat given the white floral onslaught.
The complex multitude of floral notes - typical for many Guerlains of that era - it not a melange made up of notes that are always equally strong, but each of them moves into the foreground and back with time - like a symphony in which each instrument gets a chance to shine in the centre if the audience's attention.
The base begins a bit less floral - there is a woody side focusing and cedar without much of a true pencilshave component - and sone light musks with touches of civet - the latter rather a fleeting phenomenon. A soft, very soft (on me) patchouli together vetiver that lacks any earthiness lead further into the base, with a subdued benzoin adding a modicum of tanginess.
Towards the end, like and echo from the past, the florals re-emerge to dominate the finale again: the ylang-ylang, the muguet and the narcissus appear again - like a floral apparition fading out into the night.
I get moderate sillage, excellent projection a splendid twelve hours of longevity on my skin, with the last couple of hours very close to my skin.
This complex study of flowers is a beautiful scent for spring evenings. It is confident, with a natural, vivid but unobtrusive sweetness that never loses its balance thanks to the sublime blending of the ingredients, which are of superb quality, especially in the older samples. It is not powdery, classical, elegant and confident, but with a dynamic and youthful touch that is never stale. The performance is very good. Maybe the sheer mass of notes leads to some of them never truly excelling in their own right, like the rose for instance, but that might be the price to pay for being a member of such a large olfactory ensemble of high-quality fragrance notes. 3.75/5.
Dominant tuberose. Also on top, aldehydes, jasmine, and some citrus. JdB has always started out big and bold IMO. It is a loud floral.
The middle reveals gardenia, lily of the valley, rose, and narcissus. Tuberose of course, still stands out tremendously. Greenish, starchiness a bit later, underneath. The base reveals patchouli, musk, and Neroli. Yes, tuberose lasts throughout. And if you don't like "tubey" you won't like this.
The middle reveals gardenia, lily of the valley, rose, and narcissus. Tuberose of course, still stands out tremendously. Greenish, starchiness a bit later, underneath. The base reveals patchouli, musk, and Neroli. Yes, tuberose lasts throughout. And if you don't like "tubey" you won't like this.
Finding an almost empty bottle of Jardins de Bagatelle in my mom's house reminded me how much I loved and enjoyed this scent in my youth. Reminds me of walking through Regents Parks in the rose garden and area of Kew Gardens through all the flowers.
Vivid yet soft florals that bring a quiet smile to my face every time I wear this one.
Vivid yet soft florals that bring a quiet smile to my face every time I wear this one.
This is an impressive, complex perfume, that does seem to rely on synthetic aroma chemicals that give it a dryer sheet aspect after some development, but it has on overall complexity and attraction that I like. It takes me vividly back to childhood from around the time it was released.
Opens with a strong smell of alcohol that quickly mellows into something extremely floral and very sharp.
There is a lot of depth to this fragrence; a lot of difference flowers coming at you. In the air the scent is fresh and light and coy. On the skin it's a riot, like a bouquet pushed into your face.
It's extremely feminine, and very 80s. Very loud.
There is a lot of depth to this fragrence; a lot of difference flowers coming at you. In the air the scent is fresh and light and coy. On the skin it's a riot, like a bouquet pushed into your face.
It's extremely feminine, and very 80s. Very loud.
I find the opening of Jardins de Bagatelle similar to Jasmin Impératrice Eugénie - big and beautiful.
I adore how Jasmin Impératrice Eugénie develops on my skin about half an hour in but I find Jardins de Bagatelle continues on too long, loud and bold to wear out of the house much.
I adore how Jasmin Impératrice Eugénie develops on my skin about half an hour in but I find Jardins de Bagatelle continues on too long, loud and bold to wear out of the house much.
Guerlain have changed the packaging of many of their scents and many mens aftershaves. The normal packaging has been changed from the glass square art deco bottle to a rounded shape but the dreadful thing is the scent has been changed and is unrecognisable. Why don't they change the name as I have had to buy two bottles and only when I opened did I find the "smell" has changed and it is not pleaant.
White floral melange floating over a fresh green meadow This 1983 Guerlain creation has been called by many the perfect white floral and I have to agree. A blast of tuberose and gardenia, followed by a melange of other white florals, finally floating into a balance with a lovely green note, the effect of being both in a garden just after the sun has touched the blossoms and adjacent to a lawn with warm green notes ascending to mix with the florals. Very feminine, but neither metallic nor sharp to my nose, as some detractors have claimed. There are, according to Guerlain, 15 ingredients: Bergamot, Lemon, Neroli Provence Rose, Jasmine, Gardenia, Tuberose, Magnolia, Narcissus Patchouli, Cedarwood, Vetiver, Tonka Bean, Benzoin, Musk This is, to my nose, one of Guerlain's very finest feminine scents.Pros: Perfect balance of white florals and green notesCons: None
A jouful, radiant, multifaceted and uncompromisingly feminine floral scent, mastered by an heady duo gardenia/tuberose rooted over an orangy/musky base with hints of citrus, a touch of rosey soapiness and white musk. Some bergamot, a touch of moss, light neutral cedarwood, soft hints of balsams and patchouli imprint classicism without making heavy the general variant floral softness. The base is basically a well amalgamated floral bouquet over a light vetiver background. I suppose some arcane animalic patterns and may be a well modulated aldehydes usage contribute to root down a stable classic unfolding vibe. A cult fragrance of the past, still loved by many fond of the genre. A great Guerlain.
I personally liked this big loud Tuberose and gardenia blend, but I always got negative feedback when I wore it. Coworkers finally elected a spokesman to tell me not to wear it and my boyfriend at that time told me it smelled like toilet paper. So I had to content myself to drops of it while I was alone, and the bottle lasted so long it went rancid and I had to throw it away.
As a lover of classic florals I still like this one, a golden oldie. Not one I buy often but good to be reminded of of it not and again.
When you look at all the strong and heady tuberoses of the 80's: Panthère (Cartier), Lumière (Rochas), Michelle (Balenciaga), Azzaro 9, and, of course, Poison (Dior), you see that with no doubt, Jardins de Bagatelle is the best of them all: more original, more refined, perfectly feminine. I am never tired of smelling it, and that's the sign of a classic.
Jardins de Bagatelle appears to be the perfect white floral, and indeed it has been composed well.
This fragrance opens with a rich, powdery bouquet of jasmine, tuberose, gardenia, white rose and lily of the valley. It's all innocent, creamy and beautiful.
I was delighting in this fragrance for quite some time, appreciating the beauty of a well-done white floral but also knowing that I'd never wear it in my youthful years, due to its refined and classic appeal. Jardins de Bagatelle is a far better representation of white florals than Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Kai or Annick Goutal's Gardenia Passion.
I was ready to place this fragrance in the category of some of the best florals I've had the privilege to smell, when I noted a strong, dry vetiver accord that didn't mesh well with my chemistry.
Unfortunately all that flowery creaminess had vanished, leaving me with a masculine, soapy and unremarkable vetiver and musk blend. For some they have been able to smell the patchouli, violet and rich woods, however it looks like I got the bad end of the stick.
Despite the drydown being a drawback, the moments leading up to it was absolutely, exquisitely beautiful. The way I see it, although I can not wear this fragrance myself, I will certainly appreciate it on those who can.
This fragrance opens with a rich, powdery bouquet of jasmine, tuberose, gardenia, white rose and lily of the valley. It's all innocent, creamy and beautiful.
I was delighting in this fragrance for quite some time, appreciating the beauty of a well-done white floral but also knowing that I'd never wear it in my youthful years, due to its refined and classic appeal. Jardins de Bagatelle is a far better representation of white florals than Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Kai or Annick Goutal's Gardenia Passion.
I was ready to place this fragrance in the category of some of the best florals I've had the privilege to smell, when I noted a strong, dry vetiver accord that didn't mesh well with my chemistry.
Unfortunately all that flowery creaminess had vanished, leaving me with a masculine, soapy and unremarkable vetiver and musk blend. For some they have been able to smell the patchouli, violet and rich woods, however it looks like I got the bad end of the stick.
Despite the drydown being a drawback, the moments leading up to it was absolutely, exquisitely beautiful. The way I see it, although I can not wear this fragrance myself, I will certainly appreciate it on those who can.
Before I talk about the perfume, I would like to talk about the real Jardins de Bagatelle, tucked away in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris. It is a wonderful place to visit and my parents used to bring me there quite often at the week ends. One should go in the Spring or in June. In March or April, you will see carpets of hyacinths, narcissi, tulips like a giant painting. In June, all the roses, irises etc are in bloom. I often associate my interest in gardening with my interest in scents and perfume. I would always choose plants that have a smell. So, it all started well before I even knew of this perfume. When I was 12 or 13, my maths teacher used to wear this perfume. I actually did not know what it was or even its name.To me it was GLORIOUS! It's only much later I recognized it and since then it has always been one of my top choices. I have an old miniature and I rarely wear it, just smell it. It just makes me feel so good. It's amazing how well it has kept. I don't know anything about the newer productions but this one is all flower and honey, completely indulgent. I can see why people would get sick of it. It's like too much of a good thing...
Why are Geurlain still pushing this out -- maybe it's time has come again. To me, it's a cold, synthetic, tinny floral that should have been dumped in 1984.
Has a great openning like a Beethoven symphony, all of a sudden all organs playing loud fills the air. Powdery and a bit dated but really luxurious. The main flower is tuberuse with an violet iris end which gives the powdery effect. I will spare it for my fifties though.
This was one of my favourite scents in the late 80's up until 1993. Men loved it. They would ask me for the name of my perfume so they could buy it for their wives. It was divine. I recently splashed out and bought it again. Big mistake. I don't know who has changed more - me or it. But, in any case, the affair is over. It's like seeing someone you once adored in the street and asking yourself what on earth you ever saw in them. It now makes me flinch so dramatically I practically give myself whiplash. Still, every now and then (because I am a romantic soul) I spray on a little hoping for the old magic to return. It never does. Maybe I should just face facts.
Lots of flowers in this garden… Jardins de Bagatelle is a very nice 80s floral mainly white floral. It is refined and smooth, with the top notes and middle notes presenting a massed floral display: I can't separate out the individual notes, but it is a pleasant aroma without anything except its competence happening. I can't determine the differences between the top and the heart notes, but the base comes in with its own identity. The base of vetiver and cedar features a nice civet note which adds a bit of depth to JdB. I think that the civet dates the fragrance a little. It's a nice fragrance I like it but I don't see it as anything special in its present incarnation. Chances are, this, as so many others of its time, has been reformulated to its own detriment. Good sillage and longevity.
One of the first white florals that didn't sock me in the nose. So soft and creamy in it's initial stages, then the dry-down is more ethereal than I would have expected. Medium sillage and good longevity...I like to wear this for day-time.