The gardenia, Catherine

 As many of you may already know, some floral notes used in perfumery must be obtained by synthesis because the main characteristic odor of the fresh flower cannot be naturally extracted. These flowers are referred to as muted and this category includes carnation, gardenia, hyacinth, lily, honeysuckle, violet, lily of the valley. They are often recreated as accords parting from other flowers and compounds. My absolute favorite white floral accord is gardenia's and I've been thriving for a long time to find one to make me feel like I'm sticking the nose into an actual flower, like for example Yves Rocher's Pur Désir Gardénia managed to. That one was the perfect reconstruction for gardenia, in my humble opinion, although it's, sadly, long discontinued and difficult to track down.

Placed in Le Donne de Masque collection, Catherine by Caroline Dumur for Masque Milano came in as the most beautiful surprise at Esxence and it opened a new door to gardenia for me. Its elegance is almost palpable. The composition is outstanding, every compound that was used to recreate the gardenia is being present in the picture, without overshadowing its core. Zooming in, jasmine and tuberose add their opulent and intoxicating scents with floral, lactonic and sweet nuances; eugenol, the piquancy; indoles, the carnal bite. There are green and soft amber tonalities and equally fresh and clean facets that sum up the accord. All of the components shift their features throughout the whole fragrance creating a most beautiful roundness for its centerpiece. What makes gardenia's flowers stand out to the other white flowers, besides the indoles and creaminess, is their characteristic mushroomy-earthiness. At least to my nose. And in Catherine there's an ethereal earthiness lingering in the soft woods, as mushrooms trying to hide their bellies behind the grass. And that's la pièce de résistance. 

Catherine follows faithfully its inspiration, Catherine Deneuve, being just as sophisticated, strong and fascinating as the actress is. 

Catherine had me at gardenia and I decided to stick to it.

*Its scent will forever be associated with one of a kind humans i ever met and this adds even more value to its preciousness.