It is National Fragrance Week this week and what better way to celebrate than with some brand new fragrance launches from Jo Malone?! Recently I went along to my local Jo Malone store at House of Fraser in Chichester to experience their new English Fields Collection, five innovative and limited edition scents. You may remember the previous event I attended last September, see post here. English Fields is, as I’m sure you can imagine, inspired by British harvest time so the store had been decorated with corn and poppies and looked even more aesthetically pleasing than usual! If you’re interested in learning more about how the English Fields collection came about, read here.
"Sunlight skipping across golden fields.
Rich with precious grains.
Poppies dancing in the wind"
Rich with precious grains.
Poppies dancing in the wind"
The lovely store manager, Peter, was there waiting to welcome us with drinks before introducing us to the new fragrances. I had been so excited in the build up to this launch as all theme behind the scents sounded right up my street. Each bottle is a different block pastel shade, the bottom half being matte and the top shiny which is a really different look for Jo Malone. As with the Bloomsbury Collection last year these are limited edition and won’t be around for long as they’re already flying out! So make sure you head over to your nearest Jo Malone outlet before they go. These are the official descriptions from Jo Malone.
Primrose & Rye | “Rolling fields dotted with primroses. Swaying softly on a spring breeze. Warmed by golden corn. Brightened with mimosa. On an addictive base of rye and vanilla. Filled with sunshine. Vivid. Glowing. Addictive.”
Honey & Crocus | “Mouth-watering honey, fresh from the beehive. Blended with the bright bloom of crocuses and English lavender. Sweetened with a dash of almond milk. Rich. Comforting. Scrumptious.”
Poppy & Barley | “Rich red poppies dancing in the wind. Violet flowers, alive with colour. Fruity with blackcurrant. Cocooned by barley and bran. Softened with powdery notes of white musk. Lively. Cheerful. Inviting.”
Oat & Cornflower | “Wholesome oats gathered from the field, fit for a hearty feast. Warm and delicious. Enlivened by vivid blue cornflowers and a hint of hazelnut. Complemented by an elegant vetiver base. Mouth-watering. Warm. Sensual.”
Green Wheat & Meadowsweet | “An English field at dawn, full of the joys of spring. Filled with young, green wheat. Crisp and fresh. Balanced with a zesty twist of grapefruit. Mingled with soft, white notes of meadowsweet. Pretty. Fresh. Powdery.”
I remember thinking for the majority of these scents on first read of the titles “I have no idea what that’s actually going to smell like - do I even know what a Crocus or a Cornflower smells like?”. My favourites however were definitely the 3 more floral ones! Poppy & Barley was divine, if you’re a fan of Peony & Blush Suede and Pomegranate Noir from the core range then you’ll love this as it has a similar feel but with a more creamy undertone. Plus the bottle is a very instagrammable blush pink shade! Primrose & Rye is the one everyone was calling the holiday fragrance as that is truly what it is reminiscent of! A hot beachy kind of holiday I’m imagining, it has warm coconut notes in there. Honey & Crocus was a pleasant surprise for me as you’re first hit with lavender top notes and then the more gourmand scent of the honey comes through and after it settles it reminds me of amaretti biscuits! The following two were in my opinion the more unisex fragrances. Green Wheat and Meadowsweet, aside the fact the rhyming makes me happy to say it, has citrus tones of grapefruit and is quite uplifting. Oat & Cornflower has a creamy, more earthy tone and was my preference out of the two I think as I like the vetiver base. My overall favourites out of the collection would personally be Primrose & Rye and Honey & Crocus as they are both so different to anything else in the current range and really surprised me!
I think any of these would make a gorgeous Mother Day gift. If she’s already a Jo Malone fan she’ll know she’s getting something limited edition & special but if not I think they’re a wonderful introduction to the range. I’ve said before that I don’t believe anyone does fragrance quite like Jo Malone! I’ve never been able to put my finger exactly what it is about the brand that makes it so special both to myself and millions of other fans out there. I think they feel very indulgent and there is definitely an exclusivity that comes with the name, plus every scent they create is just so innovative and unique you won’t find something similar elsewhere. The fragrances are available in 30ml bottles only priced at £47 each and are only available whilst stocks last so get them before they’re gone!
Something that is particularly special about Jo Malone scents is the ability to fragrance layer. This is not something you can do (successfully anyway!) with just any perfume. All Jo Malone scents are uniquely designed so that they will work with each other. Therefore you can layer a wash, lotion and a spritz cologne in different fragrances on top of each other to create your own bespoke scent - how cool is that? You can learn more about fragrance combining specifically with the English Fields collection here.
We were treated to luxurious hand and arm massages using our chosen complimenting body washes and crèmes to fully immerse ourselves in the perfumes and learn how to fragrance layer. I chose to combine the Nectarine Blossom & Honey wash & body crème with Primrose & Rye cologne on one arm and Honey & Crocus on the other. You can have your own tailored hand and arm massage with your choice of scents at your nearest Jo Malone Boutique! Simply call up or book online at a time to suit you.
Like with all Jo Malone launches they go to a lot of effort to create drinks and snacks inspired by the new fragrances. In this case we had Grapefruit Prosecco (picking out the grapefruit notes from Green Wheat and Meadowsweet), Oaty Flapjacks with Raspberry, Fruit Scones provides by The Wild Mint Café and my personal favourite little chocolate truffles in the shapes of corn on the cobs!
Like with all Jo Malone launches they go to a lot of effort to create drinks and snacks inspired by the new fragrances. In this case we had Grapefruit Prosecco (picking out the grapefruit notes from Green Wheat and Meadowsweet), Oaty Flapjacks with Raspberry, Fruit Scones provides by The Wild Mint Café and my personal favourite little chocolate truffles in the shapes of corn on the cobs!
I was joined by the loveliest bunch of local bloggers: Rosie (Ohh So Rosie), Milly (Ameila Gilmore), Eliza (Don't Faff), Georgia (Georgia R Knight), Georgia (The Brightoner), Lauren (Rose Jammed), Emily (Emily James), Beth (Pages From Beth), Hannah (Hannah Ivy), Emma (La Blonde Voyage) & Charlotte (Model Mouth). I think it was really nice just being a small group of us as we all got to chat with each other without it being too overwhelming. Be sure to check out all the girls blogs as they’re all amazing!
The lovely Catherine, a Makeup Artist from Bobbi Brown was also on hand to share some seasonal make up tips and tricks with us which involved their new highlighting products for a gorgeous dewy glow! This included their Extra Illuminating Moisture Balm which has now been brought out in two new shades, Golden Glow & Pink Glow.
The lovely Catherine, a Makeup Artist from Bobbi Brown was also on hand to share some seasonal make up tips and tricks with us which involved their new highlighting products for a gorgeous dewy glow! This included their Extra Illuminating Moisture Balm which has now been brought out in two new shades, Golden Glow & Pink Glow.
Finally we learnt how to tie the perfect Jo Malone bow around our gift boxes (thoughtfully embossed with our Instagram handles!), something which is a lot more difficult than it looks! Thankfully I’d had a bit of practice at this last time so I wasn’t so clumsy with this one. Our gift bags were finished off with our own bespoke Ceramic Tiles stamped with our initials as a keepsake to take home too.
SHOP THE POST
Thank you to Peter & the staff at Jo Malone for having us! I had so much fun at this event and being able to catch up with some of my favourite girls as well as meeting some lovely new bloggers.
Let me know if you have tried any of the five of the English Fields scents yet! What is your favourite Jo Malone fragrance of all time?
*I was invited to this event by Jo Malone however all opinion & photos are, as always my own.
