Vanilla, Champaca & Gardenia

[zankoku_zen]

No additional scent description.

[Okupsidedown]

Vanilla, Champaca, and Gardenia

 

In the bottle: Mostly just vanilla and gardenia. Not getting that purported toasted rice thing people say champaca gives off. Maybe a little, if I concentrate while sniffing.

 

Wet: I amp gardenia, and I'm a little nervous, but here goes. Ooo nice! A little powdery in a very pleasant way. Gardenia dancing happily in the foreground, but not hogging the limelight. Vanilla and champaca are beautiful and soft.

 

Dry down: Hmm. Gardenia starting to whine. I like champaca, and I'm happy to be able to experience it in a Menage. It's almost like mimosa. Floral, but very mildly so. I can see why people get rice from it.

 

Dry: Damn this is another lovely! Floral powder, but not granny perfume. More subtle. All fears of gardenia taking over are gone. So beautifully balanced.

[Seajewel]

I second Okupsidedown's review. This is a lovely blend. The champaca behaves--it's nothing like the screeching incense I did not like in the Darjeeling Tea trio. This is a fuzzy soft gardenia. Not overly sweet. Not as high-pitched and bright as the Gardenia, Tobacco Leaf, and Oakmoss trio - which I also loved. This one is a comforting cloud of prettiness. Turns out I do love Gardenia, even though I normally avoid florals. I want a partial but not sure if I need a full bottle. Debating.. 

[Juliamon]

I picked up a decant of this because I wasn't sure if I knew what gardenia smelled like but I did know I enjoy both vanilla and champaca. And it turns out: I don't hate it, but combined with the champaca it's too much powder for me. I would certainly smile if I smelled someone wearing this though! It's very pretty.

[hhelix]

Dang, this is pretty. The gardenia is bright, watery, and green when wet, smoothed and sweetened by the vanilla. It’s as velvety soft as a real gardenia petal. The champaca comes forward on dry down like a sprinkle of powdery incense dust in a room with a bouquet of fresh cut gardenias. It mutes the florals and the scent becomes more dusky. It’s more languid and low-key than the gardenia oakmoss MaT. Low throw, medium wear length. Very wearable.

[zankoku_zen]

Mainly a sweet vanilla-esque gardenia. It's velvet petal soft, and you get the champaca grounding the gardenia. Oh heck, this actually is a gardenia blend I can wear. Creamy, fresh, gardenia. Low throw, medium wear length. Pretty AF. This is like the BPAL equivalent of an instagram filter. It immediately makes who you are prettier.