Jo Malone Perfume – Upper Class for a Day
Jo Malone perfume, posh for a day, and thanks to my friends, for more than one. I said in my previous post on Paco Rabanne 1 Million that I would talk about perfumes given and received at Christmas. This Jo Malone Lotus Blossom and Water Lily belongs to the latter category, after all I couldn’t afford it. SO thank you for my four dear friends that chipped in and got me this exclusive fragrance. This perfume by Jo Malone is not one I would wear everyday, but this is actually good, because I would try to keep for very special occasions. Unless there is an earthquake or a clumsy burglar, this Lotus Blossom and Water Lily will stay with me for a long time.
This is the perfume of the New York Upper class. The one with the most refined taste, the one that watches TV on an Italian leather sofa, under a cashmere blanket, with Diptych candles on the bathroom shelves, and a few bottles of Jo Malone perfumes and beauty products casually scattered in almost any room of the house, just to make sure that guests will not miss them.
My passion for Jo Malone was born a few years ago, when I was kind of obsessed with essential oils, an obsession that decrease to more healthy levels after having to go to ER for an acute conjunctivitis caused by one my oils. Anyway, at that time I wanted to create my own perfumes and body lotion and so on (how lame!), so I spent a lot time trying to get to know as much as possible about essential oils, and how to get them. That’s when I heard the name Jo Malone for the first time, during a weekend in London, in Jo Malone’s boutique at 154 Walton Street. I was stunned by the huge variety of fragrances she made. It was a completely new world of delicate and sophisticated aromas, light years away from the stinky concoctions that I made.
Jo Malone perfumes have been around for 20 years now. At that time, she became well known thanks to word-to-mouth, thanks to a bath oil never heard before, with nutmeg and ginger. Towards the end of the 80s, at 19 years of age she worked in a florist shop by day and gave facial massages in the evening after work. She used balms and oils that she prepared herself. The Nutmeg & Ginger Bath Oil was at first a gift for her regular customers. Flash forward to 1004 and first boutique in Walton Street in London opens its doors.
Her aim was to recreate, in the very shop, the lab of a perfume maker, and offer personalized perfumes to her customers. Since then Jo Malone has come a long way, with new boutiques opening and a growing popularity.
Now, the review. This Jo Malone Lotus Blossom and Water Lily is - as the name suggests, floral. The notes are very clear to detect, don’t be fooled though: the simplicity of this fragrance is the typical product of someone who knows hot to master the ingredients.
The opening citrus notes include tangerine and bergamot. They tend to disappear quickly, but not completely, a part of them lingers in the air, teasing the nose. The middle notes are anticipated by water lily and freesia that set the tone and open the gate for jasmine and honeysuckle. Here is where the dance of this Jo Malone fragrance starts, as these flowers play a tug-of-war where nobody is strong enough to defeat the others but each one has a minute of fame.
The base notes are a reassuring orchestration of sandalwood, musk, incense and another wood that I cannot recognize.
No doubt this Jo Malone perfume is a work of art, bye bye DIY perfumes, let’s leave it to the masters.
Tags: jo malone fragrances, Jo Malone Lotus Blossom and Water Lily, Jo Malone perfume, perfume by jo malone