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vitaliishima – :
This is a rich floral fragrance. The scent reminds me of a bucket of white super fragrant flowers drowned in scotch whiskey. It’s amazing. Lasts all day. I will always have this beauty in my collection. Five-stars – a Guerlain masterpiece.
ButtSlupt – :
This is an aldehydes and white floral bomb. The most noticeable flower on my skin is narcissus, about which I feel indifferent. I cannot distinguish the other flowers. The aldehydes are pretty heavy, which I dislike very much. It makes the perfume “soapy”, so much so that it irritates my nose. Big dislike for me.
vakka146 – :
Vintage JdB is supposed to be a white floral, happy and exuberant lovers in a night lit garden … it’s none of that on me. Granted, my bottle is old and well traveled, so maybe it’s a bit off.
JdB begins with strong white florals and intense sillage. It quickly dries down to a aromatic note which reminds me of yarrow and wild daisies, both of which have almost bitter notes in their scents. There’s no sweetness here, rather an almost herby presence.
It’s beautiful, sophisticated and quite wearable. A little goes a long way, on me one light application lasts for hours.
This is a feminine but never girly scent. I envision a sunlit garden, more cottage than formal. A riot of all sorts of plants, annuals and perennials scenting the air, the kind of garden I dream of.
sergeiksp – :
Jardins 1.7 edp vintage bottle.
Vintage brings the voluptuous curves and density to this floral. It’s a beautiful scent in the summer. There is a very strong relationship to Roja Scandal. I feel Scandal leaves more breathing room between the notes and has a lighter vibe.
It’s better to put money into a white floral scent as cheap versions can veer too sharp or screechy…
Jdb does the job at it’s price point for a romantic white floral.
cudba – :
I have the modern reformulated EDP version, so I can only fantasise jealously about the superior delights contained within the original version. So I won’t compare, but I can give a fair review of the modern EDP.
I first discovered it in a store in Ibiza, where its light, sparkling white florals makes it perfect for wearing in the glorious summertime heat. It’s not too vintage, so the granny-splash element has become more contemporary and wearable. The aldehydes are not too overpowering and the tuberose doesn’t screech. There’s a slight spicy note on me, in a similar way that Chanel No.5 becomes spicy amongst the florals. It does remind me very much so of Boadicea The Victorious ‘Divine’ but no where near as good – this is the poor quality copy. It’s also a little like Roja Dove’s ‘Scandal’ but not as authenticity floral, pure nor heavenly.
I’m short, it’s a synthetic take on an airy, white, slightly vintage floral. The parfum far out-performs the toilette, the clear glass bottle is pretty, but there are far superior but similar fragrances out there – I’m sure the original was one.
vovchik1976 – :
I purchased this from the Guerlain flagship on the Champs-Élysées in Paris last summer. It came down to this and Joyeuse Tuberose. JT seemed like the obvious choice, and although JdB was extremely sharp and almost outdated at first smell, I felt like there was something there I liked. The SA admitted she was a little surprised that someone my age (30) was interested in JdB, so I sprayed one on the left wrist and one on the right and browsed the makeup section as I waited. About 20 min in, JT hadn’t changed much and was still soft and lovely, but to my shock and delight JdB was no longer dense and almost suffocating sharp citric violets and had instead EXPLODED into a warm, floral bouquet. I grabbed my SA and she was equally shocked. I realized that the heat and humidity that day was a huge factor, and now I use this exclusively when I know it’s going to be a scorcher and I’m going to sweat – I feel like I’m wearing a necklace made of flowers from a garden around my neck. There’s definitely a cedar or some woody smell that grounds the florals. This is also what I would describe as a heavier scent, but in the right context, it’s perfect.
gamesea – :
For the most part, I have never encountered a Guerlain that I didn’t like…until Jardins de Bagatele. I have a 4 ml mini that I’ve had for a good while and over time, I’ve tried and retried to test this in order to understand it, but no matter how many times I’ve tried, in my opinion, this is was a “miss” for Guerlain. There’s an overload of something in it that renders it intolerable for me, to the point where it starts to make my stomach feel too queasy to wait for the dry down and see where it’s going. I have to scrub it off each and every time. It seems to be fine for others, but this literally makes me feel ill.
lighOrall – :
Too much ylang-ylang. Nasty super strong cheap smell. Reminds me of something from Fred Hayman I once threw away. Rodeo Drive 267, it was called, or something like that.
Redwave – :
My second review, because…..I GOT it.
Now, for the proper review.
First thing is aldehyde, which wear off quickly turning sweet. Now here come the bouquet of white florals. This is where it lasts for around 15 min to a half hour before developing. ( it develops quickly, or I am catching every nuance) Then, mellow powdered lime with some lemon in the background, and nutmeg (not listed) and a fresh tobacco scent ( also, not listed). It almost reminds me of Organza with lime.
There is definitely nutmeg in there , with powder, lime , white florals, tobacco. And Idk, but distantly a pleasant rubber smell. A unique masterpiece !
It is lovely in the warmer weather imho, but any time of the year it seems to fit.
Now, it is as if it disappeared on your skin.
No, it did not, because I sprayed this little jewel about 2 hours ago, and catch the beautiful wafts. A limey, lemony, powdery, nutmegged white floral. I’m expecting it to last to tomorrow.
Anyone could wear this, as I feel it will accentuate you, whether your a bold career woman, a woodsy camper , or delicate ‘Georgia Peach’. However, I envision a smart dressed woman, very intelligent, who is unusual, though quite attractive, varied interests not afraid of the world. She goes shopping at the Bizarre in Turkey, then takes two weeks thumbing it back to her Paris penthouse. Back to the States for a southern bbq and pecan pie , then back to NYC to help out mom and dad, bringing them gifts from afar.
It’s all that.
qwenio – :
Aha aldehydes, no wonder I don’t like this.
I had a spray just to see what it was. These fragrances don’t agree with me I don’t get the ‘nice’ parts people compliment, I get the rough harsh bleh parts.
It was good to see what I could identify though.
Here are my initial thoughts on spraying a test card:
Sharp, angular, screechy floral but with acid (must be aldehydes at play) green but nit freshly so, feels ‘yellow’, feels 80’s floral in the vein of Panache, Chanel 5….
Lotsik – :
Oh I wish I could detect the three distinct layers, especially as they are described so well by Sherapop, but tuberose really seems to stick to my skin. Don’t get me wrong, I love tuberose, but what a shame that I am missing the whole experience. I certainly won’t be giving this fragrance away, but by having tuberose in the top notes AND base, it is so overpowering that I don’t feel confident to wear this in public. I am enjoying being enveloped by Jardin de Bagatelle today though, because it is a rainy Saturday and it seems to compliment a stay in and indulge in the doona day.
tolmach – :
Loud 80’s floral. This is not a bad thing in my book (I love Amarige, the loudest floral ever) but your mileage may vary. Raucous, buoyant white florals – mostly tuberose – in a bright spring meadow, with a bit of soapiness to keep it from smelling like a flower shop. Reminds me of a favorite of mine, EL’s Beautiful, not in the way it smells but the mood; both are rich, full, but very grown up floral fragrances. JdB has more of that 80’s playful exuberance than Beautiful (and is very easy to overapply… which is exactly what I did.) Brash and ebullient.
anx821InsuffBooni – :
To hell with Luca Turin’s negative review of JDB. JDB is the perfect fragrance for a cool spring day stroll. Fleshy white florals–tuberose, jasmine and gardenia, complete with the soil, leaves and dew drops! Yes the entire garden. So posh and fresh with a cool retro vibe. The initial spray is strong, but it mellows down to a smooth, creamy fragrance. It doesn’t have an enormous sillage but the lasting power is good. I noticed it turns quite sweet on me towards the end, maybe because I sprayed this on after I bathed with Lush’s It’s Raining Men shower gel, which was a sweet honey/toffee scent. I have the EDP and the fragrance lasts more than 8 hours, at least on fabric.
child1qq99 – :
This starts off with light, fresh cut white flowers, very pretty. Unfortunately after a couple of hours on my skin it gets indolent, which I don’t like at all. I know some people like indolent, so that might be a selling point for them. To me it just smells like a sticky sweet mess. Too bad, it’s really still quite pretty on fabric.
Intenryundurl – :
As I sit here on my computer, a lovely scent appeared and disappeared. I thought it was moi, but I my hair smells like Organza ( which is great, too).
The paper samples. It’s one of my paper samples. Lo and behold:
This scent was coming from the paper sampled with GJdB,……that I sprayed TWO days ago!!
Guerlain is quality, this is for sure, and that scent, that scent….. I have to have it.
I didn’t write a review, but I will within the next few months, because I’m getting it.
Edit:3/16/18….Got it and loving it.
DB30101980 – :
I just bought this and it smells nothing like the one I used to wear. Can someone tell me if the formula has changed or perhaps it may be off or not authentic?
Tasha20090 – :
Jardins is a very strange one for me. One day, I’ll love it. The next, it’ll be my worst enemy. I started out wanting a full bottle, but now I don’t think I’d use more than a 15mL decant.
Again, I love this sometimes. When it’s not too much, it’s a beautiful bouquet of fully bloomed flowers on a hot day. The sun is shining in and the soft wind is pushing in the smell of slowly heated flowers. The oils are fully fragrant, it’s aromatherapy direct from nature. I detect a lot of tuberose, jasmine, violet and orchid flower. The aldehydes mentioned aren’t entirely present to me.
When it’s not my friend – get a way and burn it with fire. Like Chamade, in the cold weather, this can go STRANGE. Chamade in the cold weather, for me, is so spicy and not even floral. This goes METALLIC. I usually don’t mind metallic but this is rusted and perhaps a bit mouldy. This is 100% a spring time scent (or at least a warm weather one)… never mistake that.
alesia – :
I fell in love with this scent at first whiff, during it’s launch back in 1983, the year I got married. Pure white floral paradise!! I wore it as a signature scent for a long time and still have most of 2 bottles of the EDT in my collection. It fills me with nostalgia when I spray it now–and a little sadness. It’s so soft and romantic and feminine–and I am no longer any of those things. Takes me to a time and place where I was young, and felt loved and was excited by life. I miss feeling like that.
troyanich – :
I only recently started getting into the classic fragrances, and out of all the great houses, Guerlain’s gilded reputation and obvious dedication to fragrance has appealed to me the most. I can’t imagine encountering a company with a more impressive and lengthy resume studded with so many fragrances that go beyond just pleasant smells to complete olfactory-mental experiences. If it exists, I’m sure there’s a wing or building at Beauxbatons that has the Guerlain name engraved on it.
Having said that, Jardins de Bagatelle was the first Guerlain that I didn’t adore after the first wearing. I must admit, I wore it on a hot and humid day in a bad mood, and this may have colored my opinion. I will give it another chance, I think, in a few weeks. I really wanted to love it.
Several of Guerlain’s most beautiful fragrances have an opening that might put impatient noses off–Shalimar and Habit Rouge come first to mind–so I tried to keep my patience after the screeching tuberose-gardenia opening of Bagatelle, hoping it might mellow into another softly enchanting Guerlain scent.
That never quite happened with Jardins de Bagatelle. The bergamot-lemon blast that opens Guerlain’s rightfully hallowed flagship eventually fades to reveal all the deep smoky vanilla-iris-leather that is unmistakably Shalimar. Jardins de Bagatelle just keeps screaming these nearly headache inducing white flowers at me, like some sort of deranged bridezilla who can’t find the right tea lights for the reception tables.
It’s entirely possible that I don’t like white florals as much as I thought I would. I have smelled tuberose and enjoyed it (Madonna’s Truth or Dare, a Fracas tribute, I’m told,); I have smelled Jasmine and enjoyed it (Mugler’s Alien); I have smelled gardenias in bloom throughout my life and found them heavenly. Perhaps it is all of these white flowers, in such abundance and with such strength that I don’t agree with.
Jardins De Bagatelle is certainly a flower power scent. White flowers with a V-8 HEMI engine. Perhaps it’s just too much of too many good things for me.
ZCA – :
WHACK! I just got whacked with Ylang-ylang. Ouch. Pure YY. It’s sweet/plasticy and potent.
But now ten minutes later…. there is a bit of powder… a bit of spice/herbs. Some rose and something musty. (Musty is not a bad smell IMO when it comes to Guerlain. That perfect old fashioned “dust”– transforms me to a different time/era when I wear it). Oh boy… it’s almost that dill pickle the person below me talked about! LOL! There is something herbal… and it does remind me of Champs-Elysses- which I have in the EDP and adore the almond notes.
I’m not a floral fan… but I aim to own every Guerlain available today. Haha.
I’m not sure I like this… but I’ll play with it. I have the most fun layering Guerlains… so maybe this needs a citrus/powder boost like Chant D’Aromes or L’HB? Mitsouko or Shalimar? Eau de Guerlain?
This would be something I’d wear in a casual/happy/spring/summer environment. When I’m too shy for crazy powerhouses like Shalimar or Black Orchid. It’s a floral-bomb but I don’t think it’s offensive.
Mmmmm…. now a hint of that Guerlainade powder. And the gardenia/tuberose. Nice. I will have fun with this. 🙂
With a proper skin/clothing wear…. this is enjoyable, but overwhelmingly floral. (which is not a shock) It’s sweet and kinda waxy, def a bright happy yellow floral. Not my thing really…. I kept hoping for some Guerlainaide or spice…. or heavier on the aldehydes and citrus. But just floral.
I was heavy handed with the EDP sprays, and after a few hours, I put on one squirt of Mitsouko EDP…. and loved it!! HAHA! Mitsouko added a much needed depth/darkness… adding a peachy powder moss/musk– which gave the florals of JdB more character/depth/layers. And also made Mit much more enjoyable to me.
antannavopy – :
Yes I’m a man and… Yes I wear this materpiece by Guerlain… A flower bomb, rich, elegant and timeless… Jasmine, tuberose and narcissus rule… And around them, musk, oakmoss, cedarwood and something else almost sweet but not too much. I usually layer it with vetiver by guerlain or with some strong patchouly (like that one by Santa Maria Novella) and the result is a dirty, earthy and deep floral bouquet… The light and the dark… The Yin and the Yang.
ko4etkoff – :
Admittedly I skimmed — but it’s important to note this perfume was REFORMULATED! I’m gathering early in the 2000nds.
You can tell who’s smelling the old and who is smelling the new right here in these comments. I adored it in 1990. It was a very sweet starter perfume (as sweet as Brandy – another perfume I’d call a starter even though I wear it regularly) A step above Tinkerbell, but not cheap smelling like all the celebrity perfumes around these days. I just sprang for an oz expecting my 14 year old would abscond the bottle — to my shock it was a totally different perfume. Like they forced my dear sweet floral into a weird kind of woodsy place it really didn’t quite fit into. I can tell who wrote their review here based on reading the reviews of the past – none to kind to my dear perfume. I’m stuck with it now — it smells like old school perfume for certain — to me it smells like someone who feels very sophistocated said “Dear god, DO something with this syrupy mess” so it’s rather disjointed. Like trying to fix an overly sweet recipe with some sour, some bitter — trying to cut the overpowering sweet. I can keep using it but i’m incredibly sad I will never smell my old friend – she tried to grow up and in the process, she’s lost all her charm.
VIDOK_666 – :
This has a classic ’80 aura around it. Must be the aldehydes-white floral combo. Personally I can’t wear this long enough to get to the base, let alone wear it several times to thouroughly test it. I am a sucker for tuberose, but Jardins de Bagatelle is too sharp, white-floral and metallic on me. There is some sweetness in the opening, maybe it’s the sweet aspect of tuberose or ylang-ylang already kicking in. But within minutes it is lost on my skin.
I might revisit this in the full heat of summer, as I don’t find the sharpness combining very well with the chill that can still be around in spring.
Mr.babs – :
This tuberose beauty usually irritates me with her screeching metallic voice. However, I like to wear it when going to a bakery for fresh croissants on a sunny spring morning. For me, it needs to be mixed with whiffs of warm gluten, butter, sugar sirope, general sent of bloom in the air and UV in order to exude a Parisian chic.
Innoranixd – :
80s floral: Paris + Poeme with a dash of Giorgio…. warm, sunny, happy. I like it a lot! Blind buy based on reviews here, and I am not disappointed!
Emma44 – :
Very confident floral so a little goes a long way. It reminds me of tropical or exotic flowers in a way with a hint to spiciness. It dries down to a lovely rounded soft floral with calming musk notes. Yummy.
maaigrok – :
My first “expensive” fragrance about 25 years ago. I have the vintage EDP. One of my favorite Guerlains and scents in the world. No distinct notes. All blend into a musky, floral, aldehyde bomb that is rich, powerful, sexy for a strong woman. This is not a chypre or bitter. It is spicy and rich.
wmikarika21 – :
Oh, Jardins de Bagatelle, you heart-breaker, you. I thought I would love the abundance of white florals, ylang ylang and aldehydes, but it’s just a confused mess on my skin. It goes to show you can’t judge a perfume by its notes.
When it comes to enormous white florals, I find Fracas a much purer interpretation. Its tuberose overdose is instantly captivating. JdB, by comparison, is ill-defined and ultimately unmemorable.
A rare disappointment from Jean-Paul Guerlain.
oktagonec – :
This really is a delightful, lightly sparkling floral fragrance. And despite the potential for it to become cloying, it doesn’t. Upon the initial spritz, it’s quite strong with the aldehydes, white flowers and ylang, and it reminds me very much of Lanvin’s Arpege and Chanel No.5 at that stage. But then settles and seems to soften a little. The scent is still quite clear and potent but it feels lighter. After a few hours I noticed a slight muskiness and earthiness about it, even a hint of greenness, which to my mind gives it more depth, a bit of body. Someone else compared it to YSL Paris and, almost 4 hours after application, I can appreciate the similarity. But I like this more. It’s a very pretty fragrance and even quite delicate, but all the same, no shrinking violet. Truly beautiful.
Dosid – :
I’m not normally a ‘white flowers’ fan but I do love the classic Guerlains, and there’s something very ‘Guerlain’ about this creamy, complex scent. It’s a little too heady and full-on floral for my taste, but it smells very expensive and glamorous without seeming simplistic. It smells more like a boutique perfume than a mass-market scent.
evsandre – :
Hats off to Monsieur Guerlain. And for starters, the Guerlain classics are exactly that. As another writer says. Gold Standard. Modern blends.. I dont know ..but the Guerlain vintages are ALL good. Some may or may not to one´s liking but they are all quality. Most are even great.
This one is WOW….If perfumes were children, Jardins de Bagatelle would be the youngest cutest child of the family, gorgeous fresh vibrant young…and a little naughty or tricky.
Flowers, lots of flowers. White flowers spring forth in stages. If this perfume were earrings, they would be two carat champagne diamond drops in yellow gold. Classic, but fresh and with an unexpected twist.
White flower lovers will like this one.
dasssha96 – :
Totally unusual. A strange, rather indescribable note in this, that makes it very seductive. I am very attracted to this. Great longevity.
Pirogovka – :
To my nose this perfume is most like ‘The Fragrance’ by Bill Blass; it is however a superior version and less cloying. The jasmine in it is very similar to Badgely Mischa’s “Fleurs de Nuit”
I purchased this perfume to round out my Guerlain classic collection, and a flickering hope of a Tuberose dominant perfume that I might enjoy. There is a masculine undertow in JdB that I revel in, girlie white florals are not my bag, but Annick Goutal’s “Songes” (Dreams) is one that I turn to often, so this proves I can have my head turned by a Southern Belle fragrance.
I bought JdB in EDP form at a very good price from an online discounter, and wouldn’t have paid boutique prices for it. Some have compared it to Estee’s “Beautiful’ and YSL’s “Paris” but I will point to more refined version of Vanderbilt and Bill Blass. Heady White floral with a sandalwood masculine base.
0vlad0 – :
Jardins de Bagatelle was Guerlain’s tribute to the grand frivolity of a French imperial pursuit. Introduced in 1983, Jean-Paul Guerlain’s inspiration came from the garden found within the 18th century Château de Bagatelle tucked away in the Bois de Boulogne, in the XVIe arrondissement of Paris. The rhythm of the fragrance was inspired by Goyescas, written by Spanish composer Enrique Granados.
It’s twisted, mangled and disharmonious but it’s a masterpiece. Words do not exist that can encompass my love for this fragrance.
It opens with violet and classic aldehydes, caressed by lemon and bergamot. Then true to the Goyescas, a cannonade of white florals. Blooming orange blossom, gardenia, tuberose, magnolia, ylang-ylang, rose, orchid, narcissus embraced by the ever beautiful lily-of-the-valley.
An elegant, sophisticated and classic perfume. A true masterpiece.
Moderate-heavy silage with outstanding longevity.
Ishigedjei – :
A muddled, strangled masterpiece. Like listening to Wagner through a wall. Like that magic trick where the wand turns into a bouquet of flowers except the flowers are real and they want to eat you. I love aldehydic perfumes, but his one is like “Yeah, throw some aldehydes in there, why not?” A gilded lily, and a gilded rose, and a gilded jasmine…
Mario_21 – :
I’ve been playing the vintage game for a while now, so I have a much better idea of what I like and what I am looking for. I know I will continue hunt down obscure scents just to try them, but I’ve realized that what I seek above all is the quality of the perfumes released by the great houses back in the olden days. Even relatively unsung vintage Guerlains are better than most of what is currently being made, which brings me to Jardins de Bagatelle. I don’t know why I finally ordered a bottle of this, but after some internal debate (hmm, Monsieur Guerlain likes the vintage EDP…) I went for the vintage EDT with the smoked plastic cap. I adore it. I must say that anyone who thinks of JdB as a loud 1980’s scent probably did not spray on original Poison and Coco EDP’s with wild abandon back in the day, as I did. Vintage JdB EDT is sunny and translucent. It’s a wonderfully full bodied and long lasting mixed floral with an elegant base of woods and resins, like a gorgeous and beautifully composed springtime bouquet set on top of a waxed marquetry table. As you wear it, different notes shimmer to the fore…a tangy bergamot opening, beautiful neroli and LOTV, a waft of rose, dry and delightful vetiver, a bit of sweetness from tonka. JdB is shaded greener than most Guerlains and does not resolve into the usual vanilla-laced Guerlinade, which is a nice change, in my opinion. No “screech” and very little tuberose in the vintage EDT to my nose, and, once again, I wonder if reformulation is the explanation for the widely divergent opinions here.
abramx – :
I wanted to add to my previous review, it is nothing like Fracas which is overpowering tuberose, all the way. As well, it is neither soapy, powdery, nor sweet.
loginovat2 – :
In the 80’s I found my signature scent, Jardins de Bagatelle. It was probably a bit mature for me then, but I loved it! It was my first experience of being intoxicated by a perfume! It has remained my favorite, it is my gold standard that I weigh all other perfumes by. It is the most floral scent that you can imagine, a heady bouquet.
The opening is aldehyde which almost immediately just opens the flower buds, releasing their notes. Everyone will smell you, no doubt, but the main thing is, you can smell yourself, because you love it and want to be transported by this heady bouquet and imagine you are walking in a garden all day. The dry down is spicy, not sweet. And it will be with you all day, with a hint still there at the end of the day.
If you like this, I would say you would also like Pink by Victoria Secret, Anais Anais by Cacharelle, and Quelques Fleurs by Houbigant. I would say these are Florientals – floral but spicy. I haven’t smelled the recent reformulations of JDB so I can’t comment. If you can find the older formulations, on EBay for instance, with the smoky gray cap in the gold and black box, you will not be sorry!
procen – :
All was said so I’ll just add: I adore its drydown, especially on fabric.
Ivansunsey – :
The white florals are very sweet and heady but the aldehyde is very sharp. Really interferes with the composition. Also some bitter citrus isn’t helping. I wish the white florals were left alone to shine but some of the other notes are very distracting.
WaLkMaN – :
As a passionate jasmine, tuberose and white floral lover, i had to try this. But at the Guerlain counter i was disappointed! Jdb smelled like a bad version of Giorgio Beverly Hills! So i kept my cash. Then, one night i snagged a vintage mini. OMG!!! Two completely different perfumes! The vintage smelled incredibly rich, sweet and complex. In fact it smelled so perfect that i didnt dare put it on my skin…it really smelt like heaven! Intoxicating, exhilarating, spellbinding. Sadly i know it is full of now-banned ingedients. But damn, that is what made perfumes so amazing! Todays weak, watered down offerings cant hold a candle to the powerhouses of the 80’s. Long live the vintages! In short- dont bother with today’s version. Find a vintage- you wont regret it.
soil – :
A very weird perfume! A love it or hate it fragrance!!!!
I love it!!!!! It’s like passing by an elegant garden in the center of paris in spring!!!!!
Spray it on your wrist and as the time goes by,strange flowers will start to bloom!!!!
Beware don’t wear this during spring time I swear last spring I wore it bumblebees where
Flying around me trying to reach the perfume’s pollen!!!!
It’s very strong, kind of intoxicating!!! And some skins cannot react well with its acidity! I hope that it works for you! And be on the lucky side enjoying the strongest multi floral smell available!!!! Many tried to copy this luxurious perfume! But failed !! it’s something in the core of its structure that binds those extreme flower layers resulting to a well combined goodness! Don’t be fooled that old ladies tend to choose this perfume!!!! I m sure they know better!’nnm after all, if it does the trick age has nothing to do with perfume!!!!! Every Guerlain creation is a masterpiece
Thanks
G.
silver2140 – :
Bagatelle is a luminous woody floral. Radiant because of the neroli and citrus oils that Guerlain does so well, woody curtesy of cedar and vetiver, and floral, well floral because.
The opening is one of the most glorious citrus openings I’ve ever encountered in a fragrance. Mostly because of the neroli that seems to cut the sweetness that is typical in such a heavy floral composition. There’s a nanosecond of Fracas, a nanosecond of Herrera classic and then they both leave so that Bagatelle can show its true colors.
A tuberose rich heart, with gardenia noticeable too, orange blossom and magnolia, which lends its unmistakeable sweetness, in the same way it sweetens up Mito by Vero Kern.
As hard as it is to believe, the heart feels anything but cloying. It doesn’t have the buttery feel of Fracas, nor the come hither excess of Poison, but instead it showcases the white florals in a sort of cologne way. When launched, Bagatelle was conceived as a bright and sparkling edt, so even though it’s diffusive and long lasting, the aldehydes along with the citrus showcase the more innocent side of this garden. It’s powerful alright, but with a joie de vivre.
The woody drydown is lovely, as my skin tends to showcase the vetiver, along with a delicate but not clean musk. Many guys who love big white florals, but are kind of hesitant to use something like the aforementioned ones, have a good chance of liking Bagatelle as is decidedly woodier without losing the narcotic effect that tuberose and the like have.
In a way, it doesn’t feel Guerlain-ish. There’s a big departure from the earlier scents of the house, but when you smell the entire evolution of the fragrance, you notice that even though the heavy nature of an 80’s white floral has not been reduced, as that would be both impossible and sinful, the airyness of the whole composition screams elegance. It feels like the lemon meringue airyness that would later appear in Shalimar Legere. Take the 80’s and infuse some table manners, and you get Jardins de Bagatelle. Guerlain can’t do cheap and trashy even if they wanted to. Instead, they bring their answer to the fashionable powerhouses of the decade, in this 1983 creation that somehow remained hidden among the Samsaras, the Shalimars and the Mitsoukos, passing mostly unnoticed as my 2007 bottle, bought in the busiest department store of Madrid in 2015, shows. It has its fans, but I don’t think there are too many. I just hope it doesn’t get axed in favor of more gourmands. The new packaging is a good decision, if it means it’s staying, but I’m not sure how that one smells.
Don’t give up the chance to give it a try next time you see it. It’s an under the radar Guerlain that has a lot to offer.
kirill2000 – :
My vintage sample is most certainly the scent of joyousness!
Rich with violets and roses, Jardin de Bagatelle envisions a heady melange of floral sunshine.
If it were a color, it would be golden peach…..
sly751Unlogrere – :
I think my bottle has gone a little bad because what I smell is slightly different from what I’m reading in everyone’s reviews. It’s a bottle from a friend’s mother who gave me her partially used sampler package of Guerlain perfumes that she had from 20 years ago. But I noticed that the Samsara even didn’t smell quite right from what I remember.
When I first put on Jardins de Bagatelle I get mostly a powdery tuberose, along with jasmine, ylang-ylang, orange blossom, and a hint of spicy vetiver. It’s quite beautiful, but as the dry down occurs a wildly vivacious vetiver takes front and center stage as the orange blossom and ylang-ylang fade away leaving tuberose and jasmine as back up dancers. After a couple of hours the jasmine and vetiver melt together into a light, creamy skin scent.
I really like this, it’s probably more of a chypre floral but the woodiness really stands out to me. I feel as if I’m not getting the full thrill of what this pe