Hello and welcome! Please understand that this website is not affiliated with Guerlain in any way, it is only a reference site for collectors and those who have enjoyed the classic fragrances of days gone by. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. The main objective of this website is to chronicle the 200+ year old history of the Guerlain fragrances and showcase the bottles and advertising used throughout the years. Let this site be your source for information on antique and vintage Guerlain perfumes. Another goal of this website is to show the present owners of the Guerlain company how much we miss many of the discontinued classics and hopefully, if they see that there is enough interest and demand, they will bring back these fragrances! I invite you to leave a comment below (for example: of why you liked the fragrance, describe the scent, time period or age you wore it, who gave it to you or on what occasion, what it smelled like to you, how it made you feel, any specific memories, what it reminded you of, maybe a relative wore it, or you remembered seeing the bottle on their vanity table), who knows, perhaps someone from the current Guerlain brand might see it. If you have any questions, please send all images of your bottle and pertinent information directly to me at cleopatrasboudoir@gmail.com. I will try to assist you the best I can.

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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Cruel Gardenia by Guerlain c2008

Cruel Gardenia by Guerlain: launched in 2008 as part of the L’Art et la Matière collection. Created by Randa Hammami and Sylvaine Delacourte.







From Guerlain:
Cruel Gardenia doesn't concern itself with polite flirtation; it immediately pierces the heart and burns itself into its captive's mind like a beautiful obsession. The scent creates an eternal loop like the memory of a lover's last kiss, replaying the taste, warmth and passion over and over to the point of exquisite pain. It's so cruel; it's kind. 
Cruel Gardenia is brilliantly embraced with the sweet essence of rose and neroli, warmed by ylang-ylang and white musk and haunted by sensuous notes of vanilla and sandalwood. It is made for a femme fatale who completely possesses and kindly destroys her lovers. Women know not to leave their men alone with her, fearing her tempting web of desire will instantly ensnare them.

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a floral woody musk fragrance for women with a delicate gardenia note on a soft white musk base.
  • Top notes: Damask rose, peach, neroli
  • Heart notes: gardenia, ylang-ylang, violet
  • Base notes: tonka bean, vanilla, sandalwood, white musk

I received  a 20ml decant of Cruel Gardenia recently in a swap and immediately sprayed some on the back of my hand. At first sniff, I was very impressed, but missed the gardenia. The white musk was very prominent and there is only a hint of the gardenia, this is the cruel part. Sometimes she reveals herself, but quickly shies away, hidden within the cashmere soft musk cocoon. There are touches of the sheerest peach married on a fragile rose, violet, ylang ylang and neroli bouquet. Deep down is the tonka and vanilla, which are normally present in the Guerlinade accord, but in this composition, they are subdued and rest on a cloud of sandalwood.

I am a huge of fan of Fracas and enjoy the gardenia in that fragrance so I was very excited about trying Cruel Gardenia, however, this is not an in your face gardenia fragrance, it is more of a light floral woody musk fragrance, which I absolutely love. There is a touch of Cashmere Mist and a slight hint of Dream Angels Heavenly which give the fragrance an immediate sensual facet. My husband loved this fragrance and says that it is not overpowering.



 About L'Art et la Matiére:

L'Art et la Matiere is a collection of rare perfumes that capture the world's most luxurious raw materials with vision and daring. "Matière" means "material" in French. The name of the line is actually a pun on the French expression "L'Art et la manière". It's used when you talk about there being a certain "correct" way of doing things, with "art and manner".

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