Far better day today than yesterday, no? Sunshine.
My travels – first to Jo Malone for a meeting with the PR team. It’s all sounding buzzy at the house of cologne – and there’s one new scent idea I’m dying to tell you about. It’s based around the idea of tea, so there’s Assam & Grapefruit Cologne say.
To the tea lover, Assam makes for a supersonic morning kickstart because it’s rich and black (tho’ most have it with milk of course) and cuts to the chase – need I tell you Assam tea lovers. By combining it with grapefruit (nicer and gentler than orange juice in the morning, in my opinion), it’s an ideal morning fix. But there’s more to it…
(Jo Malone tends to use the term cologne loosely – most of her new scents are more than. In other words they last longer on your skin, thanks to longer lasting ingredients).
Yes, more to it. There is also patchouli, cardamom and almond, which give it a bit of warmth which is nice on a cold and frosty morning.
Right now, I’m sniffing two of the five. Fresh Mint Leaf first – not so sure where the initial minty hit’s going to go. But rather than leaving traces of Colgate, what lingers is light and clearing. Cedarwood and musk are barely perceptible, they lend just a little softness and lasting-ness.
Second, Earl Grey & Cucumber. Big sigh… mmm. A play on afternoon tea they say – there’s basil, maté (herb-y, sometimes used as an infusion), bergamot and then beeswax, vanilla and musk. Smells crisp yet rather tasty – just like tea and cakes.
The twist here is with the remaining two, Sweet Milk and Sweet Lemon. Jo Malone is keen on the fragrance combining idea – the layering of scents, to create something with any number of variations. That’s the idea here. Dash of Sweet Milk in your Assam m’lady? Slice of Sweet Lemon with your Earl Grey m’lord? And yes, they work.
I’m afraid there’s a wait – they’re in the shops in March. But if you’re wandering past then, pop in and try. Or perhaps if you trust me they’ll put you on a waiting list… Meantime, one of my morning addictions is Verbenas of Provence Cologne. Click here for their website.
Second pit stop: coffee with the founder of a new skincare line launching at H Nicks in February. It’s from Norway and is based around a salmon derived antioxidant. It’s kind to sensitive skin, seems to offer significant, restorative, anti-ageing benefits. It’s called Skin Science. I won’t start on it now, hope to return to it later. But dear readers, you heard it here first…
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