Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Jo Malone Vintage Gardenia


Wow, wow and wow again! Created by the house of Jo Malone to celebrate her tenth anniversary, this gorgeous fragrance is what dreams are made of - beautiful, creamy, feminine, soft and lovely. What is so interesting about this fragrance is the cardamom, incense, sandalwood and myrrh that lie at the base of classic gardenia and tuberose. They round out the fragrance nicely and ground it, a quality I could not find in any other gardenia scent I had tried before this gem. In fact, when I was wearing Chanel Gardenia regularly a close friend commented that I should not continue to wear it. Eeeek! Not exactly what a perfumista wants to hear. Ever.

I am a white floral lover. Vintage Gardenia satisfies my white floral cravings with some pizazz. And I do not believe there is anything vintage about this fragrance, for when I conjure up "vintage" I often think of strong, chypre, powdery fragrances. The fact that this scent elicits compliments every time I wear it urges me to describe it as classic rather than vintage.

The house of Jo Malone has truly found a niche when it comes to layering. Every one of their fragrances is recommended with another. Vintage Gardenia, for example, is recommended with Nutmeg & Ginger, Pomegranite Noir, Vetyver and Orange Blossom. For those new to the love of fragrance, layering offers a terrific way to explore the world of scent. And with some recommendations from Jo herself, a beginner can explore the nuances of olfactory sense.
Jo, if you're reading this, thank you for creating this lovely scent. It has made one wearer's life happier.


Jo Malone fragrances can be purchased at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, other specialty department stores and at www.jomalone.com. A 30mL bottle retails for $50 and 100mL for $90.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I loved Chanel Gardenia. This? Not so much. This smells old-fashioned to me. Dusty. Tired. Old.

I'd smelled various Jo Malone scents while in Las Vegas a year ago, but didn't buy anything. Back at home, I surfed the net trying to decide which one to select. Sorry I picked this one. Oh well.

ForTheLoveOfPerfume said...

Hello Beth,

Sorry to hear this one didn't work for you! Chemistry and taste in perfume is an elusive element of the artform. This one blossoms and sings on me. At least Chanel's version works for you!

Have a great day.

Deepo said...

I'm new to layering and was delighted to recently pair my Vintage Gardenia with Suzanne Lang's Red Ginger. I wasn't thrilled with VG on its own (not a floral fan) and was regretting it until I tried layering. It gave my bottle of VG a whole new life! Beth should try layering it with something spicy.