A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Jo Malone have released a trio of floral fragrances this month to celebrate the classically British country garden, a much-loved place (which often exists more in our national pride than reality!) awash with well-cultivated flora grown in haphazard and slightly eccentric ways.  The combination of notes within the three fragrances are purposefully juxtaposed, resulting in a playful take on the classic floral fragrance.

The first thing to strike you about the new collection is the departure from the signature Jo Malone look, the beautifully illustrated, botanically-inspired bottles are quite something and tell the story of the scent that awaits you inside.  With the Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee, the idea of “Britishness” is something that will undoubtedly feature heavily as the year progresses and Jo Malone are clearly striking while the iron is hot on this score.

I received a sample of Iris & Lady Moore* which at first sniff, is all about the Iris.  It’s a powdery, traditional floral which initially fails to transcend the expected until just a couple of moments later when the Lady Moore (geranium to you and me) slices through the nobility with a blast of spicy freshness that my nose reads as a tingle with a citrus-kick.  All well and good, but then things get truly delightful on the dry down as the vetiver raises its aromatic head.  It adds pungency, masculinity, and earthiness laced with freshly-cut grass and delivers just what is needed to introduce a modern twist to the conventional genre.

I would class longevity and sillage as average and do wish for a couple more hours wear, particularly as the longer it warms against my skin, the more deliciously earthy it becomes.

As for the other fragrances, I haven’t had the pleasure of sniffing them yet but have been convinced that I sadly won’t be finding the particular brand of rhubarb that I’m looking for in White Lilac & Rubarb (which by all accounts offers the more acerbic, vegetal kind).  I really should stop procrastinating about it and simply purchase Comme des Garcons Rhubarb Sherbert which has been on my wishlist for a very long time.

Peony & Moss promises a beautiful mix of a delicate floral, with a hint of juiciness from the cassis kept well-rounded with an earthy base.  I hope that the moss adds something a little dirty and damp to counteract the lightness in the floral, that’s a contrast I’d love to smell.

All three of the London Blooms fragrances are limited edition and stock is already selling fast.  They’re priced at £72 for each 100ml cologne.

Before I close this review, I’d like to draw your attention to easily the most breathtaking Mother’s Day gift to grace my inbox this year.  Jo Malone have created a beautifully-presented gift in partnership with Wild at Heart, one of the country’s most inventive florists.  Costing more than just a pretty penny (but worth almost every one of them), you can choose to have your chosen scent (any of the Jo Malone fragrances qualify) cushioned on a bed of fresh flowers.  This is available on the 16th, 17th and 18th March only, instore at Harrods in the Beauty Apothecary Hall.

For such a lavish gift, you can expect to pay £115 – perhaps for only the most deserving of Mums, I suggest deducting £1 for each time your mother made you eat your peas.

* press sample

New out this month is Jo Malone’s Vitamin E Moisturising Day Crème which expands on the original Vitamin E lineup, the brand’s signature skincare collection.  Packaged in a monochrome, heavy glass jar – it displays the sophisticated elements you’d expect from the British brand who have just appointed Charlotte Stockdale, as their new Style Editor.

It’s perfect for this time of year with a thick, emoliating formula which feels unusually light on the skin considering such a rich texture, basically it sinks right in – although, perhaps that says more about the current condition of my dry skin.  I wouldn’t describe this as a heavy-duty moisturiser, though I feel this is about as heavy-duty as ‘normal’ moisturisers get (does that make sense?).  I’d recommend for normal > normal/dry skin types as I’m not sure oily skins would need this much moisture – although because of the light, spreadable formula – it may just mean you only need to use a tiny amount to cover your face.

The cream delivers instant skin-soothing relief, with a cooling after-effect when applied to post-shower, dehydrated skin and gives me no issues with makeup application a few moments later.  It promises to guard against fine lines and wrinkles with the addition of barley extracts, wheat germ, rosemary leaf and grape seed extract – helping to combat free radical damage and strengthen the skin’s barrier to reduce water loss.  The cream also features broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection rated to SPF15, helping to shield skin from harmful UV rays.

I was surprised to find no discernible scent to the cream, I feel there’s something there but it’s so light my nose can’t really detect it that well and although I haven’t been using this for long enough to notice the effects of any anti-aging properties, I’ve been pleased with what is a high quality, luxurious addition to the Jo Malone lineup.  Priced for the high-end market, it fits well with the existing Jo Malone business model and will undoubtedly appeal to JM fans across the globe.

Jo Malone Vitamin E Moisturising Day Crème is priced at £50 for 50ml and available online and instore at Jo Malone.

* press sample

What is it?

Jo Malone are supporting this month’s Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign with their new Red Roses Body & Hand Wash, a delicately scented bottle of roses tinted goodness which co-ordinates perfectly with the emblematic colour of the BCA campaign.

How much is it?

Jo Malone Red Roses Body & Hand Wash is priced at £30.00.

How much of our money goes to supporting PINK projects?

£5 from every sale will go directly to help funding UK research grants.

How do I get it?

Available throughout the month of October from Jo Malone Express Mail Order and Worldwide Delivery Service, Tel +44 (0)870 034 2411 or shop online at jomalone.com

They say that ‘the devil is in the detail’ and frankly, there’s nothing quite like paying attention to these finer points than when you’ve got the world’s media breathing down your neck.

So much works goes on behind the catwalks at Fashion Week that us mere mortals would never even consider, and it’s some of these less obvious details that are getting plenty of attention this year!

What’s the first thing you notice when you enter a room, the one thing that can instantly add or detract from its appeal?  Scent.

Which is why we’re all supposed to be baking cookies and brewing coffee like demon baristas when it comes time to sell our homes.  It’s all in the name of adding atmosphere to your surroundings and show designers are understandably, certainly up for a bit of that.

Show scenting is big news this year and across the Atlantic, Victoria Beckham chose to scent her Spring/Summer 2012 presentation at New York City Library with a sea of Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin and Grapefruit Candles.

Moving closer to home, the British fragrance company will also be scenting the British Fashion Council Tents throughout London Fashion Week with Jo Malone Orange Blossom as well as Erin O’Connor’s Model Sanctuary with Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin and Grapefruit.

One of London’s most established fragrance houses, Penhaligon’s will also be working hard to make the capital smell delicious as they get to work with Meadham Kirchhoff to scent their Spring/Summer 2012 collection for the fifth season together.

The design duo have chosen the fruity floral Artemisia as a celebration of all things feminine.  Described as a tumble of green apples and nectarines, washed with jasmine tea and sprinkled with a luxurious medley of violet, cyclamen and lily petals.

The scent will be used to fragrance the invitations and the venue, whilst each model will receive a liberal spritz just before heading down the catwalk.

Finally, lest we forget, London Fashion Week isn’t just there for scenting, it’s for showcasing and what better place to launch a new perfume than off the back of your Spring/Summer 2012 ready-to-wear collection?

Verónica Moncho Lobo launched her first fragrance Verónica last Friday alongside the showcase of her latest SS/12 collection.  The fresh, floral scent employs a bouquet of jasmine and cyclamen at the heart of the perfume.

The fashion designer coupled these spring and winter florals to evoke memories of  her childhood in Argentina.  Classic base notes of sandalwood and white musk promise to add a timeless touch to the fragrance.

Do you have a favourite fragrance that you’d scent your show with?

Jo Malone’s new Wild Bluebell is a four piece collection celebrating one of the most iconic wonders of the British woodland, the English Bluebell.  Synonymous with the ending of the long winter, the flower captures the imagination of anyone who encounters its magnificent carpets across the ancient woodlands of Britain.

image courtesy of Jo Malone

How to bottle that mesmerising sight?  Jo Malone’s Wild Bluebell is a delicate blend of fresh bluebell (engineered) and clove with a heart of lily of the valley and jasmine alongside a base of white amber and musk.

Compared to Penhaligon’s Bluebell (of which I’m a fan for its almost audacious evocation of the surroundings in which bluebells grow), this is a much lighter, easy-to-wear fragrance.  It’s gentle and playful with a hint of juxtaposition from the musk that lingers very close to the skin.  Ultimately, it’s a green floral with a hint of spice… where Penhaligon’s is a confrontation, Jo Malone’s is more a sweet echo.

The launch took place at the end of last month in a beautifully restored Georgian townhouse that demonstrated the spirit of the fragrance beautifully.  I was introduced to Wild Bluebell herself, the fragrance personified… a whimsical character with more than just a hint of the woodland nymph about her.

I’ll leave you with a couple more photos from the launch, the brand had commandeered the global stock of faux bluebells for the occasion, not to mention the scarily realistic bunnies found frolicking amongst the flowers.  It was like stepping through the looking glass!

The Jo Malone Wild Bluebell collection will be available from September and include the Cologne (£36/£72), Body & Hand Wash (£30), Body Creme (£48) and Home Candle (£38).