Jo Malone have released their latest limited edition collection – The Bloomsbury Set. Inspired by the Charleston Farmhouse, home of the Bloomsbury Group artists; the collection encapsulates scents inspired from the surroundings, such as early mornings at the lily pond, or the comforting scent of warming whisky and sweet pipe tobacco.
There are five offerings in the range, but the one that really stood out to me was Tobacco and Mandarin. I left the Jo Malone store and literally couldn’t stop sniffing my hand, come 10pm that evening, I had ordered the fragrance online. As with most Jo Malone fragrances, the scent is incomparable. If I hadn’t been offered a spritz, it’s not something I would have ever picked up; tobacco and mandarin just don’t sound like they appeal to me, but oh gosh, they really do. The notes just work, and work really well. You can pick up the mandarin, but it’s a gentle mandarin that’s not at all tart and is laced with a very subtle sage offering; this is then enriched by sweet tobacco and beeswax – there’s something about the fragrance that is so comforting and familiar, but classy and elegant too.
I’d say the fragrance is moderate in terms of strength, it’s not overpowering; but it doesn’t fade away either. Longevity on me is about six hours before I feel I need a top up, but the great thing about that is the bottles are the perfect size for your handbag; that is if you can bear to remove them from your dressing table. Initially, I’ll be honest – I found the bottle to be really ugly, and I wasn’t even interested in entertaining a tester because I disliked it that much (packaging is important to me), but since it’s arrived, the bottle has really grown on me and I’ve started to love it… so much so, that it’s even been given a spot on my beloved perfume tray.
The Bloomsbury Set fragrances are priced at £46 each for 30ml, you can purchase Tobacco & Mandarin here.
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