Fragrance: Jo Malone London ‘Orris & sandalwood’

 Jo Malone London Orris & sandalwood

The surprising duality of orris. Woody and floral. Powdery and deep.  The scent of Tuscan hillsides with irises in bloom.  Orris’ woody intensity wrapped in creamy sandalwood and sensual amber. Steeped in sunshine. Captivating and compelling.

Notes

Top Note: Violet

Heart Note: Orris

Base Note: Sandalwood

Inspiration

“We wanted to work with orris because it’s an extremely precious ingredient in perfumery. Orris is the root of the iris plant and it has been harvested in Tuscany for centuries, originally by monks.

This scent was about framing the orris to bring out its unique duality; it is both woody and powdery, floral and deep. We achieved this by using other woods as well as painting a picture of the iris flower itself.”

-Master Perfumer, Pierre Négrin

Fragrance Combining

One of the nicest features of Jo Malone London fragrances, is that you can layer up fragrances to add extra depth to the scent and wear something that is a little more personal to you. You can do this by spraying two differing Jo Malone London perfumes, or you can layer the perfume with the bath and body products. Orris & sandalwood can be layered with Mimosa & Cardamom to create a wonderfully exotic, spicy, warm fragrance with a touch of mysterious sweetness. Or combine with Dark Amber & Ginger Lily, which makes the fragrance rich with florals and warm, gold amber.

My Thoughts

Regular readers of my blog will know I LOVE Jo Malone London, like, obsessively! I can’t walk past a store without popping into a swoon over their giant candles, try out any new scents, or just remind myself of their classic fragrances which I don’t have in my personal collection. Another thing you should know is that I love the scent of violets, it started with this candle and since then I have been hunting for a violet based perfume to fall in love with. Violets are one of my favourite floral scents, it’s a floral like no other and they are a wonderful mix of being pretty, unexpected, traditional and whimsical. My trend-spider senses tell me violets will soon be everywhere, and as always Jo Malone London are way ahead of the curve. Anyway, enough about violets, but they are at the top of this perfume. When you first spritz it, you get a wonderful fresh, pretty hit of the florals, it’s like a hit of fresh, pretty summer joy. The violets quickly settle and the perfume turns slightly darker and more woodsy, with moodier florals and fragrant sandalwood. It’s super hard to describe, but it’s like being in an enchanted forest, the wild violets, iris root (orris) and exotic sandalwood. It’s so woodsy, floral and to me, it feels like a secret magical journey into a secret enchanted forrest. I’m completely smitten, you need to try this fragrance next time you are in store!

Jo Malone London Orris & sandalwood can be bought from Jo Malone London, instore and online.