Jo Malone Thread: Share the News and Love!

[LCResz]

I've searched high and low and haven't found a dedicated Jo Malone thread, but knowing how many of us enjoy JM products I though it'd be nice to have a place where we can share upcoming news and our favorites.

My all time favorite is Blue Agava and Cacao, followed by Peony Blush Suede.

I just picked up Basil and Neroli, which to my nose is a dead ringer for Bobbi Brown Beach! As I love Beach, I think this fragrance is going to be a new fave come the spring. It is different enough from Lime, Basil, Mandarin to justify owning both in my collection. Basil and Neroli emphasizes the Neroli while LBM is heavy on the basil and lime, which give it a more herbal edge.

EDIT: Updated Jo Malone and Jo Loves perfume collection (100ml, 50ml, 30ml, dry body oils):

 

[LCResz]

Wow JM not only did a Spring Blossoms release, we now get a LE Summer Fete release as well! Looks like the new round bottle design is sticking around. Available now during the sale... bye bye $$$ 🤑💸

Jo Malone London Brit Collection Elderflower Cordial Cologne 1 oz/ 30 mL Spray 

Jo Malone London Brit Collection Blackberry & Bay Cologne 1 oz/ 30 mL Spray 

Jo Malone London Brit Collection Orange Peel Cologne 1 oz/ 30 mL Spray 

Jo Malone London Brit Collection Tangy Rhubarb Cologne 1 oz/ 30 mL Spray 

 Jo Malone London Brit Collection Rose Blush Cologne 1 oz/ 30 mL Spray 

[LCResz]

I received my Brit Collection yesterday, and I must say that the bottles are way cuter in person than I was imagining. The bottles are little, they fit in the palm of your hand, and they have a decent heft to them. My biggest complaint is that the enamel coating chips rather easily; I was slightly bummed to see that some of my bottles already had chips in them. Still, for such a radical departure from the usual aesthetic the retro design is appropriate for the nostalgic feel of the scents in the collection. 

 

I was lucky enough to get samples of Elderflower Cordial and Orange Peel before, so I was very excited to experience Rose Blush and Tangy Rhubarb. Sadly, I didn’t love either one of them as much as I’d enjoyed the other new colognes in the set. 

Rose Blush is true to its name, a rose scent through and through. It’s a throwback scent, reminds me way too much of the kind of perfumes my beloved aunty loved to wear. It’s a beginner’s rose: straightforward and not terribly complex at all. To me it smells like fancy French soaps that are carved into the flower they’re supposed to smell like, which is nice but not terribly exciting. I’ve been spoiled by Velvet Rose & Oud and the LE Rock the Ages Tudor Rose & Amber (my favorite rose scent!), so I guess I was expecting too much from this offering. 

As for Tangy Rhubarb, I am not feeling it at all. Full disclosure: I don’t actually know what rhubarb should smell like, I base my analysis on JM’s previous rhubarb offering, White Lilac & Rhubarb, which was more lilac than anything else. That having been said, you could have told me this is what fresh celery or maybe a yam smells like freshly pulled from the ground, still covered in wet dirt. It’s not an unpleasant scent, but I didn’t notice anything particularly tangy about it. I also don’t get orange, it smells more like a grapefruit, an earthy grapefruit. The dry down is very woody but not something I associate with a fun summer day. I don’t hate, I don’t love it, and I honestly forgot I was wearing it  after a few hours. 

For what it’s worth, this is my ranking of the Brit Collection:

1. Orange Peel: delicious orange marmalade that is fun to layer with scents that could benefit from a little citrus and sweetness. 
2. Elderflower Cordial: the initial opening is strange but intriguing, like I want to understand what’s going in amidst the complex note of vegetal roots and ripening berries. The dry down is the best, the florals really open up and create a real summertime fun vibe. 
3. Blackberry & Bay: still not my favorite, but after layering it with Orange Peel, wow! Whole new ballpark, and I believe I’ve found my signature summer combo!

4. Tangy Rhubarb: As I mentioned above, there’s just nothing there that makes want to lean in and reapply over and over. 
5. Rose Blush: I’m not a huge fan of straight up rose scents, they tend to be a bit boring unless they have a partner in crime that can liven up the party. I’ll try layering it with some of my more unisex and male leaning scents, maybe that will help dirty up this girly and safe scent. 

[Sunnysmom]

Thanks for your great info @LCResz , I think these are so cute! I will always have some favorites like Peony and wondered about some of these. Combining is so interesting too. 💞

[Samtian]

@LCResz Oh my gosh they are so cute! I need them. Mmm I love rhubarb lol. Thank you for your reviews!

[CookieGirl1]

@LCResz thanks for such a detailed review of them all!

[itsfi]

@LCResz, your review and notes are awesome!!! Thank you so much! I was wondering what the rhubarb and the orange peel scents would smell like. It sounds like a 'no' for me with the rhubarb. The orange peel scent on the other hand sounds like something I'll definitely be pondering! 😍 Thank you again!

[newcarlee]

@LCResz I’m new to JM, having only picked up a couple bottles and candles in the last few months (side note: their collab with Macy’s beauty bag last year is costing me $$$ 😜)

I have a sample of their Blackberry & Bay cologne. What is the difference between that and this new limited edition? 

Also, how long are these limited editions typically available? I’m waiting on my order of the Jo Malone London Blossoms Cologne Collection Set to try the new scents (plus Orange Blossom as I think I will like it). Just wondering when I need to move on purchasing a bottle before they’re gone if I were to want one.

[LCResz]

@newcarlee Welcome to the obsession club! It’s the same Blackberry & Bay, just repackaged in the LE bottle. LE collections usually last for about a month, but some scents within a release can sell out quickly. I’ll be receiving my order of the new Brit Collection Tuesday, so I’ll report back with more notes that I hope will help you decide while they’re still available. 

I hope you enjoy the blossoms; the only one that’s ever worked for me is Silk Blossom, the rest don’t last that long on me at all. 

[itsfi]

@LCResz, club works but so does “obsession” 😂 Excited to hear your thoughts on the JM Brit Collection. I’ve only been able to smell two of the fragrances.

[curlychiquita]

@LCResz the Elderflower sounds interesting but the bottles are doing nothing for me. 😔

[LCResz]

@curlychiquita @The Elderflower Cordial is apparently a rerelease of the Sugar & Spice Collection Gooseberry & Elderflower. It starts off as a rather odd scent, similar to the funky, indolic nature of Blackberry & Bay, but it settles into a lovely fruity floral scent, perfect for the summer. I’ve never been able to enjoy Blackberry & Bay, because to me the initial blast of weirdly vegetal, wet underbrush funk just never settles down into the juicy promise of blackberry; I’m thinking it’s the herbal nature of the bay that doesn’t mix well with me. However Elderflower Cordial delivers on its namesake, because its dry down is very enjoyable.

I’ve also been able to try the Orange Peel, and while it’s a fairly linear experience, it absolutely delivers on its promise of a sweet and fruity marmalade gourmand experience. It’s a perfect citrusy sweet layering choice for fun summer vibes!

[curlychiquita]

That's great information, @LCResz, thank you!  I own a lot of what I would call winter or evening scents. The only summery scent I own, which I love but is still heavy, is Jo Malone London Jasmine Sambac & Marigold Cologne Intense I did own Jo Malone London Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne but I finished it. I don't think the Elderflower Cordial sounds right for me. I'll have to try to get to a Nordstrom soon to try it out through my mask 

[LCResz]

@curlychiquita Agreed, most of the Cologne Intenses are definitely heavy scents that don’t scream summer. Basil & Neroli is one of the fresher, but still interesting, permanent JM scents. But I’m not a usually a huge fan of most citrusy/fruity scents, they veer way too easily into Bath & Bodyworks or household cleaning products terrain, so my definition of summer is squarely placed in the suntan lotion universe, ala Bobbi Brown Beach, Replica Beach Walk, Tom Ford Portofino Neroli 😎

[ChristalM]

@LCResz Thanks! RHUBARB OMG...I am going broke apparently! HAHA

[itsfi]

Care for company @ChristalM? All these releases!!! Did they always come out en masse like this? I don't remember. Or, am I just choosing to forget?! 😂

Thank you for posting this news @LCResz. Sounds like an afternoon of testing these newbies might be in order. Hmmm... will have to read up on these new scents. 

[ChristalM]

@itsfi I know! It is BAD right now. As I await my two Sephora orders...my new Holts order AND Just got a Mancera fragrance order!

BUT RUBARB. Please report back if you get a chance to sniff. Stores are closed here so I have no chance to smell 😞

[itsfi]

@ChristalM, I'm fascinated by the rhubarb as well. Will let you know if I do find my way to a store; may not be for a few weeks. Oh, Mancera?!!! 😍 

[ChristalM]

@itsfi yeah I ordered the 5 pack of travel sizes from their site, which is a really good deal I think at $80US.

I got:

Wild Candy

Black Vanilla

Vanilla exclusive

Holiday

Amber somehting...

And after a Luckyscent order too...oh my after typing that I really gotta stop!

[itsfi]

@ChristalM, I love travel / mini sets of fragrances. 💖 Such  great way to really know how the scent will wear on you throughout the day, or combined with other scents. Wow, those are good ones in that set! You're going to have so much fun trying them.

[LCResz]

I may be falling out of love with Jo Malone... I decided to blindbuy the Red Hibiscus Intense because the notes seemed right up my alley, and the ad copy got to me. I guess being cooped up for a year made the prospect of a tropical getaway in a bottle too much to resist, but I regret my purchase. It’s not that the scent is bad, it’s just not as advertised. Red Hibiscus should have been called Vanilla Flower Intense so that my expectations wouldn’t have been let down so badly. It’s another humdrum vanilla heavy scent that smells like dozens of other fragrances available year round, so the limited edition appeal is purely for the packaging. The fragrance’s actual performance is good, which makes sense since it’s an Intense, but it just doesn’t evoke a trip to an exotic island to me, more like a stroll up and down the perfume section of Macy’s. 

The new round bottles are nice enough, but honestly Byredo and Commodity have been there and done that; the colorful caps are cute and about the only things that make the new bottle designs stand out. I’ve worn the scent two days in a row, and I don’t think I’ll grab for it again for a while. JM is totally mainstream now, and dare I say safe and boring more often than not. Time to find a new, funky little atelier and hope it doesn’t lose its edge if it gets bought out by a conglomerate like Estée Lauder 😞

[curlychiquita]

I'm sorry to hear that, @LCResz! I'm allergic to vanilla scented items for the most part, so it's good to know to stay away from some scents.