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WTD, Episode 3.2: Tea Fragrance Blends by Jo Malone

Early this year (2011) Jo Malone introduced a limited edition collection Tea Fragrance Blends created by Christine Nagel.

“Five distinctive, contemporary scents, inspired by that most quintessential of British traditions – when everything stops for tea.” (Jo Malone official website).

English TeaI tried all five colognes from the collection and ended up buying three – Assam & Grapefruit, Earl Grey & Cucumber and Sweet Milk. Fresh Mint Leaf and Sweet Lemon both were nice but too simple. I wish Jo Malone released all five blends in a gift set of 9 ml each. Otherwise I had no use for 30 ml of a mint-centered cologne.

Earl Grey & Cucumber by Jo Malone – notes include bergamot, apple, jasmine, cucumber, angelica, davana, beeswax, vanilla, musk and cedarwood. I cannot smell any cucumber but I do get Earl Grey tea – not just a bergamot that is commonly used in many perfumes but the specific aroma you get from a freshly brewed Earl Grey tea. It wears very nicely on my skin, and I’m glad I bought it.

Assam & Grapefruit by Jo Malone – notes include grapefruit, black tea, cardamom, almond and patchouli (according to the official website; other sources mention also rhubarb, rose and musk). This one was an impulse buy. It smelled on paper much better than it smells on my skin. It’s a very subtle scent that turns too soapy on me half of the times I wear it. I tried to combine it with Sweet Milk and together they’ve created a nice spring scent but I’m not sure it needed to be a standalone cologne taking into the account that there is a very nice Grapefruit cologne in Jo Malone’s line. Robin at NST liked it much more so you might want to read her take on Assam & Grapefruit.

Earlier I’ve already told my story about Sweet Milk.

If you’ve tried colognes from the Tea Fragrance Blends collection do you think any of them are worth being brought back as a part of the permanent collection?

Image: my own

See all episodes:
Weeklong Test Drives, Season 3: Jo Malone
WTD, Episode 3.1: Kohdo Wood Collection by Jo Malone
WTD, Episode 3.3: Nectarine Blossom & Honey, Lime Basil & Mandarin and Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone
WTD, Episode 3.4: In the Search for the Perfect Linden
WTD, Episode 3.5: Orange Blossom by Jo Malone

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WTD, Episode 3.1: Kohdo Wood Collection by Jo Malone

In 2008 Jo Malone introduced two perfumes in the limited edition Kohdo Wood Collection – Lotus Blossom & Water Lily and Dark Amber & Ginger Lily. Unlike many other Jo Malone’s scents these two aren’t mellow and neutral, they have some character: it’s hard to be indifferent and just keep it on once you applied one of them; you either like them and want to wear (which I do) or you do not like them.

Water LilyLotus Blossom & Water Lily – notes include aquatic accord, grapefruit, bergamot, mandarin, lotus blossom, freesia, honeysuckle, water lily, jasmine, incense, amber, sandalwood, bamboo, musk, agarwood and guaiac wood. I like wearing this cologne in summer, it seems appropriate for a well air-conditioned office on a hot summer day. It has a lot of flowers in it but the perfume doesn’t smell like a bouquet, it’s reminiscent more of the Conservatory of Flowers  where exotic plants are collected together in a limited space and their fragrances mingle creating a beautiful combination. I went through several samples first and then bought a bottle. Of course, now I’ll use it less often.

Dark Amber & Ginger Lily – notes include black cardamom, pink pepper, ginger, night-blooming jasmine, orchid, water lily, rose, black amber, white pepperwood, leather, patchouli, sandalwood and Kyara incense accord. I didn’t like it when I initially smelled it so I decided against trying it on skin. Too bad: by the time I’d changed my mind (my father happened to like and wear it) it was long sold out. I swapped for a small decant so I’m fine scent-wise but I wish I got that nice black bottle (the 30 ml one). I think Dark Amber & Ginger Lily is a truly unisex cologne.

Both colognes can still be occasionally found on eBay but they aren’t easily available. For two years after the creation Jo Malone re-introduced the collection in spring and it was rumored that it might happen again. I heard it from an SA at Saks in December of the last year. I waited for four months and then gave up and went eBay-ing.

For real reviews read Perfume Smellin’ Things and Now Smell This

 

Image: my own

See all episodes:
Weeklong Test Drives, Season 3: Jo Malone
WTD, Episode 3.2: Tea Fragrance Blends by Jo Malone
WTD, Episode 3.3: Nectarine Blossom & Honey, Lime Basil & Mandarin and Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone
WTD, Episode 3.4: In the Search for the Perfect Linden
WTD, Episode 3.5: Orange Blossom by Jo Malone

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Weeklong Test Drives, Season 3: Jo Malone

Jo MaloneFor the third season of my weeklong test drive (WTD) I’ve chosen Jo Malone. When I was planning it I thought it would be a full-fledged summer by now for which Jo Malone’s colognes are perfect. This year summer just doesn’t start about which I have no complaints since I’m not especially fond of the heat and I would be happy to live in “light jacket” weather all year round. But it’s the end of June, we’ve got at least a couple of very hot days and I decided to stick to the plan.

Jo Malone is a brand with which I’m very familiar and comfortable. I own more scents (in both full bottles and decants/samples) by this brand than by any other. Most of these colognes are very easy to wear because of their WYSIWYG (what you sniff is what you get) qualities. Many perfumistas are dismissive of them because of that but there are people who actually value exactly this trait – staying the same through the complete life cycle of the scent on the skin.

Jo Malone actively promotes combining scents (colognes and other body products) from their collections to create your personal favorite mix. I like the idea of combining. I like the interactive tool on their website. I like that those colognes, even not being soliflores, when combined, do not clash, do not create scents that are too busy or disorganized. Having said that, I want to admit that I always plan to play more the combining game and almost always end up using my favorite colognes “as is”.

Most of Jo Malone’s colognes have an average sillage (it’s present but rarely offensive), fair tenacity (on my skin they easily stay 4-5 hours) and a very user-friendly packaging/pricing: most scents come in 1 oz (30 ml) for $55 and 3.4 oz (100 ml) for $105. Don’t spend time looking for them at discounters. Some you can find slightly cheaper on eBay (with all usual caveats) but I would suggest waiting for a good gift with purchase from stores that sell this brand or subscribing to a newsletter from the brand’s website: they often send codes to get 9 ml travel size of one of their scents that can be used in addition to getting a free shipping and two samples of your choice.

Image: my own

See all episodes from the current season:
WTD, Episode 3.1: Kohdo Wood Collection by Jo Malone
WTD, Episode 3.2: Tea Fragrance Blends by Jo Malone
WTD, Episode 3.3: Nectarine Blossom & Honey, Lime Basil & Mandarin and Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone
WTD, Episode 3.4: In the Search for the Perfect Linden
WTD, Episode 3.5: Orange Blossom by Jo Malone

See previous seasons:
Weeklong Test Drives, Season 1: Annick Goutal
Weeklong Test Drives, Season 2: Yves Rocher

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Library of Amouage

I won official Amouage samples of The Library Collection in the draw at Ca Fleure Bon. I was testing them at a leisure pace but since I usually do not do regular reviews and there was no story for me to tell, I didn’t plan on writing anything.

The Library Collection by AmouageBut then several friends from my part of the blogosphere started testing the collection, writing great reviews and discussing their preferences. And we all realized again how different our skin, our noses and our tastes were. So I decided to write some impressions from the volumes I read opuses I tested.

Color me shallow but I like good packaged samples. And The Library Collection samples have a very nice packaging.

Dive in to keep reading…

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Eighties called… I missed it.

Oh, no!! Not you again!!Eighties scent week. I saw a brief mentioning of it in a Facebook group but since I do not usually participate in any of those I disregarded it. But then I read 80s Scent Week FAIL by Muse in Wooden Shoes and it sent me searching my perfumes database. The question I tried to answer was: would I be able to “survive” a week wearing only perfumes created during that decade from my collection? The answer is barely.

These are seven fragrances I could wear for such theme week:

Eau d’Hadrien by Annick Goutal

Amouage Gold by Amouage

Coco EdP by Chanel

Antonia’s Flowers by Antonia’s Flowers

Heure Exquise by Annick Goutal

Venice by Yves Rocher

Lou Lou by Cacharel (though I might choose to wear Coco EdT as an alternative)

With no spare for a mood change it would’ve been a tough week!

 

What about you? Do you have a week-worth supply of perfumes from the ‘80s?

Image: my own

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New Year Resolutions: May

I’m still on the course of wearing one of my favorite perfumes at least a couple of times a week. This month on most occasions I did wear those perfumes and didn’t just test or use them for a comparison. On one hand, it allows me to enjoy perfumes that I love more often. On the other, it leaves me less time for testing.

May StatsQuick May stats:

* Different perfumes worn/tested: 55 (-5) on 70 occasions;
* Favorite perfumes worn: 15 on 23 occasions (+7);
* Perfumes I tried for the first time: 17 (-9). Loved 2 (unfortunately, both are vintage – Dioressense and Diorling), liked 5, disliked 5 and on 5 was undecided;
* Perfume house I wore most often: Frederic Malle and Sonoma Scent Studio (I wore perfumes from those on 6 and 5 different occasions correspondingly)
* Perfume house I tested the most: Yves Rocher (for the second weeklong test drive)
* Most popular notes1: top – (not counting bergamot) mandarin and rose; middle – rose and jasmine followed really closely by iris root; base – musk and sandalwood.

While composing that statistics I also found several of my favorite perfumes that I’ve been neglecting for a long time. I didn’t wear elle by Yves Saint Laurent and Lotus Blossom & Water Lily by Jo Malone for at least six month. It can be explained partially by the fact that I consider them both summer fragrances and it’s barely spring now in our area. But I still feel bad: I should get them some attention.

Are there any of your favorite perfumes that you weren’t spending any time with for many months?

1 Excludes those perfumes that I tried for the first time not to skew the picture of the notes/seasons correlation.

Image: my own

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“Here’s a photo I’ve been looking for…”: Sweet Milk by Jo Malone

… the sense of smell can be extraordinarily evocative, bringing back pictures as sharp as photographs of scenes that had left the conscious mind.
Thalassa Cruso

I like Jo Malone‘s colognes. I own more full bottles of this brand than of any other. And then some decants and sample sprays. One way or another there are fourteen scents by Jo Malone in my collection. Not being familiar with the limited edition concept in the past, I’ve missed some of the perfumes I wish I haven’t. So this time I went to a store as soon as I read the new limited edition Tea Collection by Jo Malone became available.

Sweet Milk by Jo MaloneIt was an interesting idea – tea party components in a bottle. I concentrated on two “main” scents – Assam & Grapefruit (bought it) and Earl Grey & Cucumber (still thinking about getting it); I dismissed Fresh Mint Leaf and Sweet Lemon as nice but too simple; as to the Sweet Milk scent, it piqued my curiosity because it smelled … differently but I didn’t think I would like it. I sprayed it on my wrist just to see how it developed on the skin. And as I was sniffing it repeatedly, not only the scent but also my childhood memories started developing. And in no time my mind conjured vivid pictures from the past.

Dive in to keep reading…

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WTD, Episode 2.6: Nature by Yves Rocher

Nature by Yves RocherNature was the first perfume I bought from Yves Rocher. Many years ago I found it in a store and fell in love with it. I liked everything about it – the scent, the bottle and even the name. I didn’t like the price: Yves Rocher was an expensive brand in the country where I lived back then. But I was drawn to that leaflike bottle and after two-three staring matches with it in a showcase I built up the nerve to approach it. I bought  a mini bottle which cost me more than I’ve ever paid afterwards for any full size bottle from Yves Rocher. But that was all I could afford at the time and I felt very happy. The small bottle on the picture is that first bottle of Nature perfume. It’s almost 20 years old.

In a couple of years after moving to the U.S., I discovered Yves Rocher’s website and ordered a full bottle of Nature EdP. It became my favorite spring-summer scent. I went through almost the entire bottle but it was too large and came in a splash version with a stopper. So even though I was very careful with decanting it for a daily use, the remaining 20% of juice went off. By that time the perfume was gone from the U.S. market. I was sad but I didn’t think I could do anything about it (eBay came into my life much later).

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WTD, Episode 2.5: Voile d’Ambre and Vanille Noire by Yves Rocher

One day, not too long ago, I wasn’t feeling well and for the most part of that day I stayed “perfumeless.” Since for me it’s a very unusual situation, I felt there was something missing. I was thinking for a while on the scent to choose: on one hand, I wanted something nice and comforting – so trying anything new was completely out of question; on the other hand, I was afraid to ruin one of my favorites by wearing them while I was sick. So I made a slightly cowardly choice: I chose perfume, which I knew was pleasant and which I liked when I wore it before. And at the same time I wouldn’t have been upset too much if I’d hated my $5 mini bottle afterwards. It hasn’t happened. The perfume got me through my bad day without living unpleasant associations. I’m grateful to it and ashamed a little. That day I’d chosen…

Voile d'Ambre & Vanilla Noire by Yves Rocher

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WTD, Episode 2.4: In the Search of the Perfect Lilac

LilacsThis year’s Lilac Festival in Highland Park in Rochester finally opened yesterday (after several days of cancellation because of rain). I decided to do a combined episode of my Yves Rocher’s weeklong test drive and single note exploration “not-a-review” for lilac scents.

I love lilacs. As in flowers. This is one of a few things that I miss from my “previous life”. Where I used to live lilacs were blooming all over the city in May. Most flowers in a panicle have just 4 petals so if you were to find a five-lobed flower you would eat it and make a wish. I do not remember either what wishes I used to make or if any of those came true but I can still remember the taste of those flowers. I bet over the years between all my friends we’d eaten more than one bush.

It’s almost impossible to come across lilacs where I live now; I saw them two times in flower shops with a price tag… around $40 for a single (and not too spectacular) small branch. I heard of a couple of places within a reasonable drive where I might see lilacs but I haven’t had a chance to check them out yet. I will.

As to the perfumes… I keep trying to find one I would like to wear but most of those where I can smell this note as a standing out one don’t play well on my skin.

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