Jo Malone : Herb Garden colllection

When it comes to beauty product releases, little brings me more joy than seeing a new fragrance collection to one of my favourite fragrance houses ; Jo Malone . 

Jo Malone have released five limited fragrances based on the concept (and titled) , "The herb garden." Each fragrance uniquely headlining an earthy and green herb accord , some diced between other fragrant floral and fruity notes. The campaign's main image being a lady in her garden, showing a very glamorous side to being green fingered. The whole concept oozes a british vibe.

The five blossoming fragrances stand at ;

- Lavender and coriander

- Wild strawberry and parsley

- Sorrel and lemon thyme

- Nasturtuim and clover 

- Carrot blossom and fennel

( I didn't even know carrot blossom existed.)

Each slender glass bottle is tinted with a shade of leafy green , with a silhouette print of a herb that can be seen through the bottle. Simple yet reflective to the collection. 

I knew I would like at least one of these fragrances , but i didn't expect to have a like to all of them. The two standouts to me where the sorrel and lemon thyme and the lavender and coriander. Sorrell and lemon thyme surged my taste buds to salivate from the sharp and citrus scent , bursting with a refreshing sourness. This would mix beautifully with one of my fave scents, 'wood sage & sea salt'. 

Lavender and coriander has a romantic vibe, calming and soothing as resting your feet from a long day with a cup of tea. The coriander tones down the floral notes of lavender , whilst an underlying tonka bean accord adds depth , warmth and a very subtle sweetness.

With my purchase the staff kindly gave me a little fabric pouch with some "Herb bombs",  so I could grow a herb garden of my own. A gesture from them to me which just completed the Jo malone experiance. I was just missing some rain and soil!

Each 30ml fragrance retails for £44 , and are only available for a limited time.

( sidenote : Instead of binning the fragrance cards used to sample scents in Jo Malone, recycle them as bookmarks or magazine page markers . ) 

Sincerley, Harry 

Fragrance collection 2014

Hi, I'm Harry and I'm addicted to fragrances. Welcome !

  

For anyone who knows me well, you'll know that fragrance is my Achilles heal. From the advertising to the bottle design , I'm hooked. If i'm out and about in town, it is inevitable for my nose to wander at the latests fragrant offerings retail has to offer. There's a beauty to fragrances where a certain scent may evoke an emotion , a certain time of your life or perhaps a memory with a loved one. Saying that, fragrances can also haunt you as a constant reminder of someone or something you'd rather forget. A stranger can walk right past you and BAM , their fragrance has kicked you in the crotch and in your nostrils is the haunting scent of your ex.

Right- on with the show. I have many perfumes and colognes that I've collected through the years. Some of them I've blind bought , ( bad idea I've learnt my lesson on that), and some I've bought but barely used over the years but have kept on to them for some reason or another as they remind me of a time or person.  The fragrances mentioned in this post are my most used and loved fragrances in my collection, that stand proud against the rest.

Giorgio Armani -  Acqua di gio 

A scent that  I didn't expect to fall so in love with when I initially smelt it. A mix of sea notes , citrus fruits and light florals create a sweet and sunny scent that screams of summertime and tanned skin on the beach. There's also a salty element to it that makes it refreshing and crisp, perfect for daytime wear and summertime weather .A friend and I once described it as a "sexy lemonade" and that pretty much sums it up. In my experience I've noticed the fragrance stays close to skin and doesn't project too far, so there's no fear of punching everyones nostrils who's in 20 feet of you. I've repurchased this fragrance as not only does it personally remind me of uni but it also reminds me of home and being by the seaside. A very popular mens fragrance and and I can understand why.

Jo Malone - Wood sage and sea salt 

Following the same theme as Acqua di gio is another summertime and sea inspired fragrance offering. from the house of Jo Malone comes this marine fragrance that is airy and salty. It doesn't contain many fragrances notes or any floral notes at all. with salt , seaweed and sage notes it is clear that this cologne is inspired by the seashore. Despite seeming to be a summer fragrance, I would wear this any time of the year as it's a light and uplifting scent  that warms me up and reminds me of home. Can you see a theme here? unfortunately the cologne doesn't last long on my skin, which is a shame due to it's price point but I love it nonetheless.

Abercrombie and Fitch - Fierce 

Often referred to as a popular high school or teenager fragrance but I love it!  A musky and woody fragrance that is masculine , youthful and athletic. It reminds me of a handsome man with a square jaw. With fragrance notes of lemon, fir , musk and oak moss I was surprised to enjoy this cologne as woody fragrances are very hit and miss with me. Fierce is a head turner and compliment getter due to it's projection though can be cloying if I've gone heavy handed on the spraying. The bottle is a little bit camp too but that's another reason for me to enjoy it so much.

Givenchy - play intense

My most repurchased night time fragrance. A deeper , richer and well.... more intense version of it's brother Givenchy play. With fragrance notes of coffee, tonka bean, patchouli and bergamot comes this sweet and alluring fragrance that reminds me of late nights and flashing lights. (perhaps this is mostly due to the fact I wore this as my going out fragrance at uni).  I've written a full review of this fragrance for "FAVE" magazine blog which you can check out here. The two most prominent notes to my nose are the coffee and tonka bean that create this caramel, sugary cappuccino scent. A long lasting Eau de toilette that warms up the winter air and completes my outfit for a night out on the town. Perhaps not to everyone's taste due to the coffee note, but I'm hooked !

Laura Mercier - Creme de pistache 

The most sweet fragrance I own, sweet and sickly like syrup on crushed sugared almonds. As the name suggests it contains pistachios in the fragrance notes alongside praline, chocolate , almonds and hazelnuts. I have a toothache just thinking about it! despite owning a small bottle of it, it has lasted me so long as a couple of sprays will last and linger on my skin for hours. I use this gourmand fragrance mostly in the winter due to it's heavy and delicious concoction that may even make me feel nauseous if I over do the sprays. The nearest fragrance that I have found that shares any resemblance is Thierry Muglers - Angel. If you aware of that powerful perfume than you can have some idea of the intensity of this fragrance. Not for the faint hearted but gorgeous otherwise.


As mentioned earlier this isn't my complete collection but the bottles I gravitate towards more than often and are my most loved. I shall be aiming to do some more in depth reviews of other fragrances I own , including celebrity fragrances that I've blind bought and stay hidden under the dusty bed. As a fragrance lover I also have my eye on my next perfume purchases.....

Sincerely, Harry