I want to make one thing quite clear. I am not into perfume.
Before I hear collective intake of breath from the RMW readership, let me explain why. I’m fussy. I love perfume on other people, but on me, it either makes me sneeze (the better of the 2 options,) or gives me a cracking headache. I am eternally envious of those people who get to wear a new fragrance every season and smell all grown up and newly sophisticated. I however have been wearing the same perfume for about a million years, (at least 10,) Ghost. And in a fit of desperation I branched out into Ghost Deep Night for evenings and winter. Check me out 
So come wedding planning time and all the hype that surrounds the need to smell like forever on your wedding day I was more than a little panic stricken. Determined I didn’t want to smell like the last 10 years on W-day, I was going to get me something new. So where did I turn? Jo Malone.
Packaged perfection
Now although I might not be a fan of wearing perfume I am a fan of generally beautiful smells, particularly of the scented candle variety, which is how I found Jo Malone. And who hasn’t stumbled across, wandered past, or (in my case) stalked a Jo Malone counter in their time?
Who wouldn’t want to open one of these little boxes of gift wrapped perfection? With lemony cream their signature colour and edged in sophisticated black with matching ribbon this is one treat to self everyone should experience.
Fragrances for forever
So I took myself down to Jo Malone, also the undisputed Queen of Bridal fragrance, and started testing everything on their little fragrance sticks. The ones I liked (still few and far between given my fussiness,) I transferred to my skin. I must have gone back a million times to try it again. I was terrified of giving myself a headache on W-day.
And my chosen fragrance in the end? Orange Blossom. A Bridal Favourite, it was light and fresh, feminine, floral and summery. It smelt like heaven, my idea of a good forever smell.
And the absolute best thing about Jo Malone? You don’t have to wear just one! The Art of Fragrance Combining™ is a concept exclusive to Jo Malone and involves layering your fragrances to create a scent that is totally unique to you. It’s like a luxurious pick’n'mix of the most delicate and elegant fragrances known to woman kind!
I wanted to lighten up my choice of Orange Blossom, which comes from the ‘Florals’ group of fragrances, so I chose White Jasmine and Mint Body Creme to smother myself in, after I took a bath with the Orange Blossom Bath Oil and I used the Orange Blossom Shower Gel too. White Jasmine and Mint is a member of the light florals group and others include citrus, fruity, spicy and woody.
And those of you out there might be wondering how exactly I afforded such a mountain of goodies? Well, fortunately, my birthday was 5 weeks before W-day and so from Pete I asked for the body creme and the 30ml Fragrance. One of my lovely Bridesmaids bought me the shower gel also for my birthday and I treated myself to a miniature Bath Oil (for only £12.00) that lasts forever. It was the same Mini that I gifted to my maids the night before the wedding and I have also seen them used as favours for the ladies at weddings. Jo Malone in fact offers this as service with complimentary gift wrapping for any Bigger Budget Brides. I’d sure like to be invited to a wedding like that!
And my love affair with Jo Malone goes on and on. I recently bought myself a new summer fragrance Nectarine Blossom and Honey just because Spring is in the air…. With bi-annual limited edition fragrances on offer there is always something new to tempt me. It’s becoming a problem on the scale of Charlotte and Chanel.
Are any of you lovely readers planning on wearing Jo Malone for W-day? Do share…
Yours Truly and smelling sweet,
Rebecca
xoxo
PS, If you would like to read more about wedding day perfumes, check out Charlottes perfume article from a few months back.
I’ve been a Jo Malone fan for about 6 years now. I love French Lime Blossom, Pomegranate Noir and Wild Fig & Cassis.
Which to wear for my wedding (2 October this year)? Well the h2b buys me a bottle of Jo’s fragrance each Christmas and while he loves many of them, when we spoke about it we agreed I’ve wear Pomegranate Noir, which is described on the Jo Malone website as:
“Inspired by the deep sensuality of a daring, red silk evening dress and the intriguing character of pomegranate, Pomegranate Noir combines the sweet fruity notes of raspberry, plum, pink pepper and pomegranate with patchouli, frankincense and spicy woods to create a scent that is sensual, totally sophisticated and utterly compelling.”
I’m going to splurge on the matching shower gel and body cream (and maybe a small candle!) for the wedding so I can layer the fragrance and make it last all day
Anyone else got a favourite?
Cracknig post, this! One of my best friends wears Pomegranate Noir and she always smells like heaven. I’d love to be the sort of girl to pull that scent off! The one I’ve lusted after for a year is Grapefruit which isn’t everyone’s first choice because it’s quirky and abraisive (a bit like me!) but I’ve never bought it as I’ve never been able to justify the price. But I might have to indulge in a bit of post-honeymoon pick-me-up!
I love that!
‘Quirky and Abrasive’… you sound just like me Anna!
xoxo
I am going on a little Easter trip to London Town this weekend… where I shall be visitng a Jo Malone boutique and trying out some Pomegranate Noir. Thanks Caroline and Anna!
Hopefully with just one spritz I will all of a sudden become both sophisticated and utterly compelling…
Charlotte xxx
I have never smelt Jo Malone… well not on purpose. However, I will be making a point of testing out some fragrances now!!
Me AND the other half are obsessed with Jo Malone – between us we’ve got eight or nine different types!
I love white jasmine and mint although it’s not for everyone, and for the wedding I’m planning a nectarine blossom and honey/verbenas of provence combo (unless I get sidetracked of course!)
I could buy them all…. in fact my fingers are itching for a visit to the website now – nothing like a Jo Malone parcel in the post to cheer you up when it’s raining!
Or maybe I want orange blossom and French Lime? Oh dear. Another decision to add to the list!
Ooooh I love Jo Malone. I wore Black Vetyver Cafe Colone on my W day, layered (checked me out!) over Grapefruit shower gel and body creme.
I recommend everyone to get a new perfume for their big day as one sniff and I’m back day dreaming about our day
xx
I am a huge Jo Malone fan too, I have Pomegranate Noir candle burning often (a lovely gift!)
Have you discovered Penhaligon’s perfume? It’s made without synthetic extracts like JM. I love Ellenisia for everyday.
http://www.penhaligons.co.uk/shop/fragrance/shop-by-fragrance/ellenisia/ellenisia-eau-de-parfum-spray-497008.html
They’d be perfect for an English summer wedding I think.
Love Jo Malone!
I have Lime Blossom and Mandarin, it’s quite unisex so might not be for everyone….you ladies have really made me want to try Pomegranate Noir now!! x
I LOVE Jo Malone. I too was on a quest for a magical and special wedding day scent, and as a complete sucker for pretty packaging I was magnetically drawn to Jo Malone. Then I proceeded to sniff every single one.
I fell in love with Nectarine Blossom and Honey. I bought (almost) everything in the NB&H range, and I couldn’t wait to wear it on my wedding day. Quite a few people commented on it on the day, one friend said she got a waft of its summery goodness as I walked down the aisle
It has become a wedding anniversary tradition to get a Nectarine Blossom & Honey candle too, Jo Malone do the best candles in my opinion – they really fill a room with loveliness!
I still wear it a lot of the time. Sometimes I wear Vintage Gardenia which is also gorgeous and nice for a change. Next up I think is Pomegranate Noir!
I love love love Jo Malone. Most perfume makes me feel slightly queasy but in there one day with instructions to buy someone a specific present, I found myself in love with their scents. Nectarine Blossom and Honey was the one that got me first, but the grapefruit is lovely as a shower gel. Nothing wakes you up more!
Thanks to a family member’s incredible discount my bathroom looks like a Jo Malone shop!!! My favourite is Nectarine and Honey Blossom – GORGEOUS! Unfortunately as I wear it all the time I want somethign different for the wedding… am thinking of trying the Rose one or maybe going to Penhaligon’s – although some of their perfumes are a bit old-school for me. Although their Violet one is to die for!
PS – Pomegranate Noir – AWESOME!!!
This Jo Malone sounds wonderful, but I don’t think we have it in the States. I’m going to wear my favorite Bath and Body works scent, Coconut Lime Verbena. It’s light and fresh and perfect for the summer.
I am a Pomegranate Noir girl and is every bit as gorgeous as the blurb sounds ! It will definitely be my W-day fragrance.
Kristie – there is a Jo Malone store in Las Vegas so I’m sure there are others in the States – check it out !
Charlotte, check out the actual Jo Malone shop rather than the concession in selfridges. SO much better!!
How delightful a sprayd squirt of spring on this gloomy day. I’m currently loving Vintage Gardenia.
oh dear bad typo there it meant to read ‘spray and squirt’.
I’ve bought Nectarine Blossom and Honey at the airport last week and can’t stop sniffing myself! haha, although hubbie still tells me I smell like pot pourri…he has no taste!
xxxxxx
Ha, this made me chuckle – I’m also a Ghost wearer and have been for literally about 10 years ever since a friend bought me my first bottle…I’m just too much of a wimp to branch out (even to the Night version!!) and also suffer from the headaches issue. H2B also hates perfume counters with a passion (even department stores can be tricky to get him into as the perfume area is usually near the entrance!) and a bit of that has rubbed off on me – they are all just a bit overpowering. I’ll have to try Jo Malone!
I adore Jo Malone.. Wild Fig and Cassis is my fav but also love Pomegranite Noir and White Jasmine and Mint. There is a fragrance for everyone!
I also love the gorgeous packaging.. so much so that I based my wedding colour scheme round it.
I was lucky enough to be Jo’s PA for 2 years…during which time I got married!!
We fragranced the church with Grapefruit & Lime Blossom candles, scented the linens with Lino Nel Vento and I was super lucky and wore Orange Blossom as my perfume a whole YEAR before it went on sale – in our house though it’s called ‘Wedding Day’!
I was also treated to monthly facials from Jo in the run up to the wedding – she is one of the best facialists in the world, and my skin did glow on the big day. All in all, I LOVE JO MALONE (and her lovely hubby too who I also worked with).
I highly recommend all you soon to be married ladies try the amazing selection of fragrances & also think about scenting your event with the candles, linen sprays & living colognes, it really did help make our wedding so special.
On a different topic, how do I add a picture to my name when I comment? Feeling a bit technically challenged this morning!
Go to http://www.gravatar.com Josie
You’re so lucky. I’m so into room fragrancing, if I had had an unlimited budget, I would have done exactly the same thing!
xoxo
hopefully a picture should now appear! thanks for your help xx
I am yet to try any of the Jo Malone fragrances but now feel very tempted by everyones amazing write ups. I will probably be wearing Penhaligons Violetta on my wedding day as it’s the perfume I wore when I first met my h2b but haven’t worn since (I ran out and rarely buy perfume for myself)
Ladies, I just felt the need to leave a reply as after reading this post, I decided to book in today for a Bridal Consultation and it was wonderful! There was no pressure to buy anything but of course as it’s all so gorgeous I wanted to but c.card was shaking in my purse!
Anyway, I think I’ve decided on the day of my wedding to:
Bath in White Jasmine & mint bath oil, have wonderful silky soft skin using Vitamin E Body scrub followed by French Lime Blossom body creme & spray. For the evening I want to apply Dark Amber & Ginger Lily! Now why isn’t my birthday before the wedding! Very bad planning there! Grrr!
I just love all the Jo Malone fragrence, such pretty choices for our wedding day perfume.