As I’ve told in one of my stories before, I had found my perfect lavender perfume – Lieber Gustav by Krigler. But my love to this plant in general and my hand-made sachet losing its scent after a while, keeps me on a lookout for more lavender-based perfumes and other products.
When I read that Jo Malone was about to release a new limited-edition collection based on lavender, I could barely hold myself till it was available in a store: I like lavender, I have a soft spot for the brand, and have you seen those purple tops for the bottles in that collection?
Had the brand released this collection as a set of three 9 ml bottles, I would have bought it. But I’m yet to see any of their limited editions done in that manner. Silver Birch & Lavender didn’t work for me (I would have still wanted it as a part of a set though). The other two smelled nice, but Wisteria & Lavender disappeared from my skin within 30 minutes, which isn’t acceptable even for Jo Malone. So, on my request, a friend bought for me Lavender & Coriander in a Duty-free in Heathrow airport, which, in combination with a nice purple cup, made that bottle even more attractive than it was four years ago when it was released first as a part of their garden herbs collection (though, the green bottle they put it in then was also quite appealing).
But the item that attracted my attention was the fourth item in the collection – Lavender & Musk Pillow Mist. I know that Jo Malone previously had linen sprays and ambiance scents, but this was something new and interesting. And I wasn’t the only one who thought so, I discovered while looking for it: not only it was gone from the Duty-free, but it was sold out in most online stores.
But I persevered, found and ordered it. And then the lock-down happened, and the package, which couldn’t be delivered to the closed office, went back to the seller (and it has never re-appeared on their site, so I couldn’t reorder it).
Since I wasn’t prepared to pay almost twice the price for it on eBay, I accepted that it wasn’t meant to be. (Who are those people who would?! It’s not a discontinued perfume that someone got to love and cannot buy any longer – so, why to pay that much for something you have no emotional attachment to?!) And then brand’s site restocked the complete collection – so, now I’m a happy owner of a bottle of Lavender & Musk Pillow Mist.
It’s not an overpowering lavender (I wouldn’t mind it to be stronger). Lavender & Musk Pillow Mist is soft and warm and cuddling – just what you’d expect from a pillow spray. It is completely unnecessary – and probably it’s a part of its appeal. I don’t think I’ll ever repurchase it, even if it is re-released. But I’ll be using it while waiting for this year’s lavender season: if I manage not to miss it, maybe I’ll try to recreate that Diptyque’s magic wand.
Images: my own
Undina's Looking Glass 
Oh, I just want to bury my face in Rusty’s tummy – would he let me?
Congratulations on obtaining your Pillow Mist. It’s very satisfying getting hold of something at last. Does it bear any resemblance to the Jo Malone Lino Nel Vento spray? I’ve been using that for many years as the lavender is is clean and calming. I also used to enjoy JM’s Acqua di Limone for a burst of citrus (lovely sprayed over the bed in really hot weather) but that’s been discontinued.
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Rusty isn’t protective of his belly, I periodically do exactly as you described :) I also think that, maybe not on a “first date” but after he gets to know you a little, he wouldn’t be scared if you did the same.
I’ve never tried any other home products from JM, so I have no reference point. But of course now I’m curious.
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One of my cats enjoys “raspberries” being blown onto his tummy, whereas the other boy would be traumatised if you so much as touched his!
I have have been given a couple of JM candles and a diffuser in the past, and they seem pretty good. They apparently still make the Lino Nel Vento – it now comes in a bigger bottle but people say it seems weaker than it used to be ….
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I can’t think of anything more calming for what we’re living through. All these little things help and we have the time to use items like linen sprays. I think I’d prefer it on sheets to the actual pillow but maybe that would be too faint.
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I agree that anything that adds to a wellbeing should be embraced whenever possible. Even the ritual of spraying it before going to bed itself contributes to feeling calmer and more relaxed.
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That’s a perfect picture of Rusty and the bottle!
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Thank you. He was so relaxed laying on my bed (he doesn’t get to do it too often), that he didn’t mind me taking that picture (and a couple more) and didn’t try to turn his head 180 degrees to avoid being in the shot.
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Love the picture of Rusty!! I bought the Lavender & Wisteria, which lasts okay on me. Mostly I bought it for sentimental reasons, as wisteria always blooms for my birthday so I consider it my flower.
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Thank you. Rusty was rewarded for compliments he collected for it :).
I remember reading your comment somewhere about your intent to buy that perfume, and, I think, I even try-tested it once more because of it (since we have many “likes” in common). But still decided I didn’t need it. But it was quite nice (while it lasted 🙂 ).
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I really like lavender but I never got to try those Jo Malone ones. They get to Australia more slowly, and by the time I might have expected to see them, everything was closing down. It does’t sound like they were absolutely spectacular, so that helps me not feel so bad. The lavender pillow mist sounds nice.
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You’re absolutely correct about not missing on these. But I suspect that you still might get a chance to smell them at some point once stores re-open (and we’re allowed to take masks off).
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Sadly I am not a fan of lavender in a composition, but I am a huge fan of that picture of Rusty. He looks perfectly happy with the lockdown situation – ‘lounging in place’ springs to mind.
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‘lounging in place’ – love it!
Do you like lavender in other areas of life, not related to personal fragrances?
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What a lovely story! So happy that in the end you were able to get it. Does this pillow mist work well as a perfume on skin?
I remember when Olivier Durbano launched an ambiance spray people were buying it like crazy because it was much cheaper than Eau de Parfum and people sprayed it on skin instead of scenting the air.
Like you, I quite like lavender but don’t have many of it in collection. Lavande 44 from Rania J. and 1725 from Histoires de Parfums are the only 2.
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PS. Rusty did a great job as a model there!
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Strangely, they actually warn not to use it on skin – which is total nonsense: if it’s safe enough to spray on a pillow where you’ll touch it with your face, it’s surely safe enough to spray on a wrist. But I have enough perfumes to wear, I’ll use this one as a pillow mist.
I’m yet to try Lavande 44: I haven’t ever seen this brand anywhere in a store.
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I have a bottle of Lavande 44! I shall send you a sample
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It seems to me this is the perfect time for a pillow mist. So much extra time with our pillows :)
I disliked lavender very much for many years, I associated it with anxiety and irritability (I know, weird). That’s how it made me feel. I actively avoided it. Then one day I tried Chanel’s Boy and it was like something ticked over in my brain and now I’m perfectly happy with Lavender, even seeking it out ! How does this happen?! It’s certainly opened up a lot of fragrances for me.
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I liked Chanel Boy but it was more fleeting on my skin than most Exclusifs. I should test the new EdP version when I get a chance.
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I think I’ve only tried the edp. And yes, fleeting. It’s the sort of thing you wish you could have a vat of at a different price and splash around.
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After I asked, I started remembering… I think, Boy was the first Exclusifs perfume released as EdP, before the rest of them were re-released.
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Love the sound of this pillow mist. And Rusty seems to approve too. In recent weeks, I’ve been enjoying wearing Penhaligon’s Endymion and Endymion Concentré to bed. Both are wonderful lavender-centric fragrances.
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As I mentioned in my comment on your Penhaligon’s post, it got harder to sample the line, but I hope to get to try these eventually.
Rusty indeed didn’t mind the pillow mist / either the scent or the bottle next to him (I suspect, in the state of a bliss he was at that moment because of being allowed to sleep on our bed, he would have tolerated a worse “abuse” ;) ).
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I used to think I was indifferent to lavender in fragrances, or even mildly averse to it, and I wouldn’t have sought out a lavender fragrance, but Jicky EDT has changed my mind. I just love it. The EDP is fine, but it is the EDT that I sometimes crave. I especially like it at bedtime, the drydown is very peaceful after the sparkling opening. Pillow mists: I never really got into those before, but I have a spray bottle of an “energy-clearing spritz” from Dawn Spencer Hurwitz called “Smudge Nebula”, and lately I have sprayed it on my pillow and even my PJs at night. It has lavender as well as rosewater and other notes; I wrote about it briefly here: https://scentsandsensibilities.co/2020/03/21/perfume-chat-room-march-20/#more-6419.
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I love Jicky extrait, but I’m not sure I tried any other concentration. I should check, I think, I have either EdT or EdP.
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Oh my! Such a cuddly picture of Rusty. Could it be that lavender is his catnip 😻? I got samples of all 3 of the latest batch of JM lavender and liked them all and wanted to add them to my collection! I ended up only getting Lavender & Coriander as that was the only one available at Sephora and there were no others available at Bergdorf when I was stimulating the economy. The bottle came with a very nice lavender atomizer top!
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I think Jo Malone’s site has them all – so, if you wat h their promotion, you’ll be able to get them with a nice bonus (like a 2-3 travel size samples).
It’s funny that we both got the same perfume – even though we did it for different reasons :)
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