A smell with story and originality (Jo Malone Perfumes In General)

Member Name: Whizz11

Product:	Jo Malone Perfumes In General
Date:	17/02/09 (213 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Mixing smells

Disadvantages: Expensive

After receiving some Jo Malone creams and perfumes for Christmas and loving the difference of them compared to other beauty ranges I decided to investigate their fragrances more and was excited with what I discovered. To me, the Jo Malone range or experience as I like to call it is synonymous with style and luxury.

She produces a range of colognes, bath oils, candles etc all with very different smells and combinations. She has a number high end stores in London, as well as outlets in various airports and also sells her products via the internet at www.jomalone.co.uk. Her products are expensive but very good and for a treat or a special occasion I think they make the perfect gift.

According to her website, Jo Malone started in the business well over twenty years ago when she began to make products out of her home to use when giving facials to a handful of clients. Like most good quality products and people, word got round about Jo and she soon had over 200 clients all asking for her services. Fast forward a couple of years to 1994 when the first Jo Malone store was opened in London.

This is what the website says about her fragrances. "Every Jo Malone scent has a unique story and originality all of its own. Based on an experience, each fragrance tantalises and challenges the senses, you're sure to find the inspirations behind them both intriguing and inviting. Although every scent is truly individual and can be enjoyed when worn on its own, each fragrance is also designed to be worn with another, a concept captured through the unique Jo Malone philosophy of Fragrance Combining."

I will go onto the Fragrance Combining later but first I wanted to look at the way they describe their fragrances. I love the fact that each one has a story behind it. It's almost like once you purchase a certain fragrance from her range you will have a story to tell about it too or it will form part of your story. Smell is such a powerful emotion. I always associate certain smells with certain times or events in my life and whenever I smell that smell again it transports me back to that time immediately and brings back so many memories when I smell it.

The Jo Malone fragrance line is made up of a number of different categories depending on the kind of smell you are looking for. These are as follows:

Spicy
Woody
Fruity
Citrus
Light Green Floral
Floral

For example, if you take a look at the citrus fragrances which are some of my favourite you will see they have varieties such as Sweet Lime and Cedar and Verbenas of Provence. When describing the Sweet Lime and Cedar for example it is said to be inspired by the diverse flavours of Thai cooking, what a great way to describe a fragrance and will certain conjour up lots of different memories for different people.

Fragrance combining is basically just like it sounds, mixing two different scents on your body to create your own smell, or bespoke signature scent as Jo Malone likes to call it. According to their website this allows you to express yourself and your individuality. I really like this idea as just about every girl I know likes to experiment with perfumes and make ups to create a look or smell different to that of everybody else.

Jo Malone recommends different ways to achieve this signature scent. You can either apply one perfume over another after it has dried or take a bath using an essential oil of one scent and then applying a body cream of another scent.

They like the philosophy of fragrance as being like a little black dress or classic black suit, adaptable and versatile and can be worn at any time for any occasion. They do have tips on their website as to what fragrances are good to combine with others but I like the idea or trying it yourself, it's more fun and personal that way.

The colognes do not come cheap unfortunately but they are very long lasting, a little goes a long way, especially if you have a few different ones and use them in combination. A 30ml bottle is £29.50 and a 100ml bottle is £61.

Summary: Jo Malone Perfumes