I’m getting back to Gardenia Musk and feeling good about the recent tweaks to the formula. I’ve made the base more complex; I’d like it to read as a soft woodsy musk base, but because many people have trouble with musks I’m hoping to incorporate enough other ingredients to make it work even for people who smell the musks more softly (we’ll see!). It has a drydown that is a creamy floral/sandalwood/musk to me right now. It has some soft green notes for freshness, and some light dry spicy notes. The floral accord is mostly jasmine ingredients with touches of orange blossom and tuberose. I’m just trying some ylang absolute in it and think it might be a nice addition. I’ve not been fond of the ylang essential oils I’ve tried, even the “extra” and “complete” fractions that some people favor, but I do like the absolute. The ylang adds another natural floral note with some creamy and spicy nuances that are fitting in well. The scent as a whole does smell gardenia-ish to me, with a soft woodsy musk base. I think I’m getting close on it but will keep testing.
Gardenia Musk is my top priority for blending projects right now and I’m working on it as much as I can between orders. I hope to have it out by early summer, but I’ll just keep working on it until it is done and can’t predict the date yet.
