Jo Loves... Green Orange & Coriander Fragrance Review

Jo Malone London has always been one of my most loved fragrance brands, producing beautiful, unique and non artificial smelling fragrances, candles, home scents and body products. After leaving her role as creative director in 2006, Jo Malone took a break from producing fragrance until 2011 when she introduced her new company - Jo Loves. Her boutique in Belgravia offers the opportunity for a bookable 'fragrance tapas' experience (something I will have to try next time I'm in London) as well as her full fragrance and candle collection. 

I was recently gifted one of her fragrances in Green Orange and Coriander. Described on the website as 'A harmonious blend of bitter green citrus and culinary herbs create an incredibly warm and soulful spicy fragrance.' Being a lover of zesty scents I had a feeling that I would love this and I was absolutely right. It is very citrusy, herbal and has an almost masculine quality to it so I think this would make a great unisex fragrance. Like the description suggests, this zest is matched with Black Pepper and Oakmoss that make up the spicy base notes. The fragrance has wonderful lasting power on the skin and is one of those lovely scents that develops throughout the day, starting off invigorating and fresh before settling down into a warmer, spicier smell. 

Although the high price point of the brand puts Jo Loves products very much in luxury item territory, I feel that it's worth it for the quality and originality of the scents. Unlike cheaper fragrances, I don't feel the need to apply this repeatedly throughout the day, meaning a bottle will last far longer. I'm definitely going to be paying a visit to the London store to try some other scents from the brand and check out the amazing looking Shot Candles. 

Let me know in the comments if you've got any Jo Loves recommendations for me! 

Handbag Heroes

First of all, please excuse the beaten up look of most of these products. As you can see from the title, these trusty essentials spend a lot of time knocking around in the depths of my normally huge handbags. I do usually try to keep what I fill those bags with to a minimum, which doesn't involve bringing my whole make up bag with me so here are the the products that I nearly always have a place for, be it for their multitasking abilities or wearable colour.
Starting with one of my most used lip products ever - a M.A.C Lipstick in the shade Honey Love. I can't remember if this has been mentioned on here before, but its a slightly warm toned, matte nude. Which really doesn't sound all that special, but it is. The thick creaminess of the formula seems to have the ability to make your lips look full and flawless, and the shade has proven wearable with any make up look.
Annoyingly, all my favourite foundations seem to be housed in beautiful, but impractical glass packaging. For this reason I don't often bring them out with me, so this Maybelline The Eraser Concealer fills in when I'm on the go. The medium, radiant coverage is just enough to top up those dark circles throughout the day or to take the edge off a bright red blemish.
The By Terry Cellularose Blush Glacé's are beautiful, glowing gel blushers that I find also work well on the lips. The shade Frozen Petal is the best at perking up tired, dull looking skin when your out and about and creating a moisturised sheen of colour for the lips.
I always carry perfume with me, as I like to smell the fragrance on myself so I do tend to top up through the day. Stella by Stella McCartney is a floral scent with a top note of Rose, but still smells really fresh and light. I love this tiny little 30ml as its perfect to throw in your handbag.

The Perfect Jo Malone Pairing

 I'm obsessed with Jo Malone, I love the branding, the boxes and most of all the beautiful, natural fragrances in which their Candles, Scent Diffusers and Colognes are available. There is something lovely about the brands ethos of taking simple scents, and layering them to create a bespoke combination that is original to you. My absolute favourite pairing recently has to be the English Pear and Freesia, layered over one of the newer releases Wood Sage and Sea Salt.
Now describing fragrances is never easy, so I'll lead with the brands scent descriptions in case I completely fail to put into words how delicious these smell.
'The essence of autumn. The sensuous freshness of just ripe pears is wrapped in a bouquet of white freesias, and mellowed by amber, patchouli and woods. Luscious and golden.'
To phrase in a much less dramatic way, I would describe this perfume as femenine, tart and almost bubbly (not sure that counts as a scent description). The unique scent of ripe Pear really comes through, bringing warmth to the fragrance along with its woody bottom notes of patchouli. It has shot straight to being one of my all time favourite scents and find myself reaching for this everyday as it is never too overwhelming or sweet.
The perfect companion comes in the form of Wood, Sage and Sea Salt which I will admit does sound a little strange. Jo Malone's description is 'Escape the everyday along the windswept shore. Waves breaking white, the air fresh with sea salt and spray. Alive with the mineral scent of the rugged cliffs. Mingling with the woody earthiness of sage. Lively, spirited and totally joyful.' I adore these scent descriptions by the way, I love the fact that Jo really wants to evoke memories and emotion through her fragrances. This Cologne truly fits the description, and I find that once settled on the skin it is barely detectable as a fragrance, almost as though you naturally just smell amazing. The scent reminds me of the summery, salty smell you are left with after a day at the beach and due to the natural, not overly feminine notes I think this could also be worn by a Man.
Together these just create the ultimate pairing for me, with a gorgeous salty sharpness, balanced out by the ripe fruit and woody notes. These scents are long lasting on the skin and versatile enough to work all year round - meaning I will always have to have a bottle of each in my collection!