Jo Malone – Amber and Lavender

Jo Malone is not a line I have had great success with. I find this disappointing, because there are many aspects of the house I find appealing conceptually. Jo Malone’s aesthetic conveys an understated elegance with a bit of English eccentricity thrown in for good measure. The house’s shops are lovely, as are their bottles and gift sets. The fragrance names suggest quirky combinations that I want to fall in love with, as the names tend to remind me of high end Aqua Allegorias (the good ones).

Amber and Lavender had been high on my test list ever since I read somewhere that the fragrance had originally been created as a bespoke scent for Malone’s husband and later released to the public by the house in 1995. The combination seemed intriguing, and I imagined the amber lending a warm touch to the cool bite of lavender, making it a wonderful transition from the bitter cold of Winter to the warm Summer months.

When I got home and applied the fragrance, I checked and re-checked my sample. It seemed that my fragrance had been mislabeled, for I smelled no amber or lavender. But after process of elimination with the other samples I picked up, I determined that this scent was indeed meant to be Amber and Lavender.

The fragrance opens with a strong soapy smell that reminds me of men’s body wash, the combination of bergamot and lavender creating an almost fougere-like scent where the lavender seems more like an afterthought than one of the protagonists. After a few minutes, the fragrance is tempered by a slight mintiness which is interesting, but does nothing to highlight the lavender.

After the strong opening, the fragrance mellows into a nondescript warm base. There are hints of amber, though sometimes I sense more patchouli and myrrh. And while the lavender seems to wave a white flag every now and then, the more enticing notes drown under the weight of the body wash smell. Unfortunately, Amber and Lavender satisfied neither my taste for amber, nor my obsession with lavender. Guess I’ll stick with Gris Clair…

Fougere

Notes: Mint, bergamot, lavender, clove, cinnamon, lily-of-the-valley, myrrh, patchouli and amber.