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Hermes Jour d’Hermes Gardenia ~ perfume review

Posted by Robin on 8 May 2015 37 Comments

Jour d'Hermès Gardénia, detail of brand visual

Jour d'Hermès Gardénia is new from Hermès, and since I was charmed by the original Jour d'Hermès, and even more charmed by Jour D'Hermès Absolu, (and yes, longtime readers know I am a fan of the brand in general) of course I wanted to try it. It helps, of course, that I also love gardenia.

A quick recap: Jour d'Hermès was meant to be gardenia and sweet pea, and the Absolu was gardenia and jasmine. To my untrained nose, they were both abstract bouquets, of the dewy-springtime variety, with the Absolu a bit more floral than the regular. I expected about the same of Jour d'Hermès Gardénia, which promised gardenia, rose and jasmine. Nope. This time, there's gardenia, and rose, and jasmine. What I called a 'leafy spring bouquet' in the original is now a fuller, headier mix — for Hermès, mind you. What is heady for Hermès would not pass muster over at Tom Ford.

The opening is crisp light citrus, without the heavy grapefruit of Absolu. It is overtaken, almost immediately, by the floral notes, which smell odd, almost smoky, for about 90 seconds before resolving into something more like flowers. It is still a mixed bouquet, but early on, heaviest on the gardenia: there is a short window of time (maybe 15 or 20 minutes?) in which I think someone might smell it blind and said, ah, a gardenia fragrance.1 At any rate the gardenia, while heavier than I expected, is still, for gardenia, dewy and clean: no indoles, no mushroom-y growth underneath. Instead, Jour d'Hermès Gardénia has a definite murky-green-water undertone which I could not make up my mind about, and when there was some discussion of swampwater in the comments to Tuesday's review of Penhaligon's Ostara, I thought of Jour d'Hermès Gardénia.

After the gardenia phase, Jour d'Hermès Gardénia went back to the more blended bouquet, then, all too soon, it just seemed to give up entirely. Neither Jour nor the Absolu version are powerhouses (they are both Eau de Parfum but perform more like Eau de Toilette) but I am not usually looking for powerhouses. This morning I did a test: 3 sprays of Jour d'Hermès on one arm, 3 sprays of Jour d'Hermès Gardénia on the other. At two hours, I went outside into the warm air. The Jour d'Hermès was light but pretty; the Jour d'Hermès Gardénia was still there, but just a bland green-ish blur.2 Another spot on my shoulder with Jour d'Hermès layered with Jour d'Hermès Gardénia made a better showing (and I liked that combination better even at one hour).

Verdict: Jour d'Hermès Gardénia surprised me by being so much what it said it would be, and then I surprised myself by not loving it on the spot — even during the early stages, when it still has some life to it. It is pretty, but the regular version is prettier, and the Absolu prettier still.3 I may come around to it, but I don't think I'll ever like it as well as the first two iterations. I am very much looking forward to hearing other opinions; please comment if you've tried it!

Jour d'Hermès Gardénia, fragrance bottle

Hermès Jour d'Hermès Gardénia is available in 50 ($110) and 85 ($153) ml Eau de Parfum.

1. Wearing Jour d'Hermès Gardénia next to the regular Jour also made the 'gardenia facet' in that one more obvious. Or, I'm dreaming.

2. I did NOT try this test with Le Jardin de Monsieur Li, but I doubt it would make much of a showing at 2 hours either.

3. And I did not try layering Jour d'Hermès Gardénia with Jour d'Hermès Absolu.

More Hermès...

I Try To Take You By The Hand: Jean-Claude Ellena At The Launch Of Le Jardin De Monsieur Li
Hermes Cuir d’Ange ~ fragrance review & quick poll
Hermes Terre d’Hermes Eau Tres Fraiche ~ fragrance review

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: flanker, gardenia, hermes

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37 Comments

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  1. Rebecca Amer says:
    8 May 2015 at 4:05 pm

    I loved it! I need to get another sample though as I gave mine to a friend who is trying to choose a new perfume…. I love the Absolue especially and the original one. Gosh I seem to just love all of them. Would be ridiculous to buy all three clearly :-D I have a weakness for gardenia. When I have spent more time with it I will report back! Very interested to hear others impressions on this one.

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    • Robin says:
      8 May 2015 at 4:19 pm

      Good, glad someone loves it! If this one ends up in the 15 ml discovery sets, you *could* do all three! I already have the big bottle of the original so I’m done.

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      • Rebecca Amer says:
        9 May 2015 at 1:25 am

        The discovery set has my name on it. Fingers crossed.

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        • Robin says:
          9 May 2015 at 5:13 pm

          :-)

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  2. Coumarin says:
    8 May 2015 at 4:08 pm

    I was hoping you’d put this review up this week!

    I can’t wait to smell this. Ironically I found the original had a bit of that brackish green note which put me off of it originally. Now I own a bottle of the original and want a bottle of the absolue! I’ll pop back in when I’ve tried it. :)

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    • Robin says:
      8 May 2015 at 4:20 pm

      Excellent, please do come back and tell me if you think this one is MORE brackish or less. I wish I had the Absolu too, I think I’d wear it more than the original.

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      • Coumarin says:
        8 May 2015 at 7:49 pm

        I find the original a bit more androgynous, thanks to that strange greenness. Yet I love it! My heart is drawn to the lush elegance of the absolu as well, sadly.

        Hopefully all of these will make it into the 15ml sets.

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        • Robin says:
          8 May 2015 at 9:11 pm

          Gosh, that is true, but there’s more of the strange green in this one and still it is more feminine. I think. We’ll see what you think.

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  3. annawilde says:
    8 May 2015 at 4:29 pm

    I’ve been dying to try this one too. I love the original and love gardenia, so it should be perfect, right? As of yesterday, they didn’t have it at my local Nordstrom (the SA showed me the Absolu when I asked about the gardenia though, so who knows). I’m interested to hear what others think of it, given the fact that you didn’t love it.

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    • Robin says:
      8 May 2015 at 9:11 pm

      Hope it will get more widely distributed soon. I have not yet seen even Monsieur Li in many department stores though.

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      • Laurels says:
        8 May 2015 at 10:35 pm

        At my Nordstrom yesterday, they had Monsieur Li, but not JdH Gardenia.

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        • Robin says:
          8 May 2015 at 10:36 pm

          That makes sense, I think Li launched first. And had a ‘bigger’ launch…

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  4. hajusuuri says:
    8 May 2015 at 7:49 pm

    My Nordstrom is currently pushing Monsieur Li. I have not seen the gardenia yet but will certainly try it when I see it. I was at Bergdorfs earlier today but didn’t look for it there.

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    • Robin says:
      8 May 2015 at 10:37 pm

      Thanks. I need to get in there and see if they have the M. Li body products.

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  5. Oakland Fresca says:
    8 May 2015 at 10:11 pm

    I wouldn’t be bothering to comment at all since I am among those who did not fall in love with the original Jour d’Hermès…didn’t hate it… but was put off by something hard in it that felt like it shouldn’t be there…but reading the comments of others I now feel 1) vindicated and 2) interested in trying it again to figure out what was going on.

    What predominantly gardenia perfume do you wear and love?

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    • Robin says:
      8 May 2015 at 10:41 pm

      My favorite dream gardenia (I say dream because I don’t own it, and don’t even have a sample & have not smelled it in years) was Strange Invisible Perfumes Lady Day. The Isabey was pretty (have not smelled that in years either & would think it’s been reformulated since). All my other favorites are really gardenia / tuberose blends.

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      • Oakland Fresca says:
        12 May 2015 at 12:02 pm

        Looks like Lady Day is gone baby gone… but SIP carries an Epic Gardenia. I would have ordered their minuscule sample for $5, but the company wants to charge me $8 for shipping, and I just don’t have it in me today :-)

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        • Robin says:
          12 May 2015 at 1:40 pm

          I vaguely remember that for a time you could supposedly still get it in the store? But no idea if that was ever true much less what’s going on now. Anyway, I never bought it because it was too expensive, and I did not love Epic Gardenia

          https://nstperfume.com/2009/04/28/strange-invisible-perfumes-epic-gardenia-aquarian-roses-urban-lily-perfume-review/

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    • Merlin says:
      9 May 2015 at 11:14 am

      Oakland Fresca, I also haven’t commented because neither the original nor the absolu captured my heart. They seemed too abstract, or cerebral or something…

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      • Merlin says:
        9 May 2015 at 11:16 am

        Then again I also don’t own a single gardenia scent, so perhaps I’m just not a gardenia fan ;)

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        • Oakland Fresca says:
          12 May 2015 at 11:54 am

          I went through a period of trying gardenias ….quite a few, but fell in love with none of them. I was passing Sephora yesterday and tried the JDH Absolu, which I did find much more accessible and “pretty.” I made a small sample of it to test over a couple of days…

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  6. Jaime T says:
    9 May 2015 at 9:09 am

    I’m still intrigued enough to put this on my to-test list. I love the original Jour, which surprised me because I didn’t think I was a citrus fan.

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    • Robin says:
      9 May 2015 at 5:13 pm

      Oh, do try it!

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  7. ggperfume says:
    9 May 2015 at 12:17 pm

    The bottle definitely qualifies for the bottle p*rn thread, imo.

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    • Robin says:
      9 May 2015 at 5:13 pm

      Yes — and like this color best of all 3.

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  8. tiffanie says:
    9 May 2015 at 12:24 pm

    I was so happy to see this review of another Hermes Jour. I have a pathetic weakness for a number of Hermes fragrances and especially those of Jean-Claude Ellena. These scents are so often tender, but for me they are inexplicably tenacious. I don’t feel like a perfume-bomb when I wear Jour d’Hermes, but it is usually still with me the next day, even after a shower. Subtlety is one of my favorite perfumer’s tricks. I’m excited to try the new Gardenia scent. Maybe it will help me stop sniffing my neighbor’s gardenias.

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    • Robin says:
      9 May 2015 at 5:15 pm

      Gosh, we share that weakness! Do give this one a sniff and see if you like it better than I do.

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  9. latoureiffel says:
    9 May 2015 at 4:12 pm

    I have 30 ml of both Jour and Absolu and use both frequently with love. I thought 30 ml of Gardenia would be justified, but I see, only 50 ml is available… Also I do not have a possibility to test where I live, so it would be a blind buy – and still I am very tempted to have this in my collection. I wonder if Gardenia is limited edition?

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    • Robin says:
      9 May 2015 at 5:16 pm

      I have not seen a 30 ml so far but that doesn’t necessarily mean there won’t be one. No idea if it’s LE — I am not much help, sorry!

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  10. clarissa says:
    9 May 2015 at 9:08 pm

    Has anyone had a chance to try O’Driu Peety? I sniffed it on someone and it smelled great, although the whole ‘using your own juice to personalize it’ sounds a bit weird. Just trying to decide if this is sample worthy

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  11. clarissa says:
    9 May 2015 at 9:22 pm

    Has anyone had experience with purchasing parfums and shipping them to the US (from Germany) – just curious if one has to pay customs fees/taxes etc and how much it usually is

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  12. austenfan says:
    10 May 2015 at 5:26 am

    I noticed this on the shelf of a Sephora in France. I didn’t try it though as Jour d’Hermès is one of the few Ellena creations that I really do not like. Le Jardin de Monsieur Li on the other hand will probably be my next Hermès purchase. I found it very lovely.

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    • Robin says:
      10 May 2015 at 5:44 pm

      I want that one too!

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  13. Annikky says:
    10 May 2015 at 2:31 pm

    Hmm, intriguing. I love gardenia and I like the Absolue (almost cannot smell the original), so I’ve been waiting to try this. I’ll see tomorrow if they have it at Brussels airport.

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    • Robin says:
      10 May 2015 at 5:45 pm

      No idea how widely it’s distributed yet — good luck!

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  14. betweenthelines says:
    10 May 2015 at 6:47 pm

    Thank you for the review, Robin! I love the original Jour d’Hermes, and I love gardenia. Very interested in trying this.

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    • Robin says:
      11 May 2015 at 10:55 am

      Hope it will work for you!

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