Jo Malone English Oak Cologne Collection – English Oak & Hazelnut and English Oak & Redcurrant

Never before have I experienced a fragrance set that epitomises Autumn quite so well. Coming to Jo Malone in September are two captivating new colognes – English Oak & Hazelnut and English Oak & Redcurrant. Inspired by the magical woodland of Sherwood Forest, these really are a very unique and enchanting addition to your fragrance wardrobe.

Going by name only, I was certain that English Oak & Hazelnut would be my favourite, without a doubt… but this one’s a little trickier. The opening notes both encapsulate Autumn very, very well: crisp air, long outdoor walks strolling through crunchy leaves, the excitement that the new season brings with it, thoughts of pumpkin carving, conker picking, images of the mesmerising colour changes – the notes in this have been chosen extremely well. Both are earthy, woody scents – with the English Oak & Redcurrant version offering a delightfully bright and fruity twist; and the hazelnut providing an invigorating, dewy scent – think very early Autumnal mornings and fresh misty air, just before the sun has fully risen. I adore both, but on opening notes only, I think Redcurrant wins it for me very slightly, which is surprising as I never usually opt for fruity fragrances.

But then we get to the dry down… now this is the beauty of Jo Malone fragrances, the scent changes so wonderfully throughout the wear. Yes once the fragrance begins to dry down (give it an hour or two), we are reminded of warming fires, comforting candlelight, getting cosy under soft blankets and cable knit socks, chunky knitwear, roasting chestnuts – these fragrances truly are bewitching. And this is where my favourite begins changing to the Hazelnut cologne, again both are still beautiful… but on dry down English Oak & Hazelnut just offers something slightly more sexier, in my opinion.

Both have very similar base notes, so I’m not sure layering would really work with these two, it would probably be a little pointless – although they would layer delightfully with some of the permanent Jo Malone colognes, such as Blackberry & Bay; or Basil & Neroli. Both also have a touch of masculinity about them and could even work for men, too – particularly the English Oak and Hazelnut one. However, when wearing them as a woman – they work very well with my own body chemistry and don’t take any femininity away at all, they truly are magical. A huge well done Jo Malone for this collection – one of my favourites yet.

Shop the Post

The 30ml sized fragrances were very kindly gifted to me by Jo Malone, however I never write about anything on my blog that I don’t truly love. That’s why afterwards, I went on to purchase the 100ml bottles with my own money. I created this internet space to share all things I adore with my friends, family and hopefully any other likeminded people that may stumble across it – everything I review on here, I really do adore.

*Affiliate links used