Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Style and beauty

Looking for style advice? Chat all about it here. For the latest discounts on fashion and beauty, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

Which Jo Malone perfume should I buy?

39 replies

PandyPanda · 14/04/2018 21:31

I'm 20 years old, and I want to buy for the first time a really lovely, long lasting perfume. I've bought cheap ones for years but they smell very sickly sometimes, and barely last for 5 minutes! So, I'm going to splash out on a good perfume. I seem to remember my Mum had a lovely smelling Jo Malone perfume from about 2005-2010. I really liked the fragrance, however she can't remember what it was called. It was definitely Jo Malone though. I'm not set on getting that scent, but I'm pretty sure I want to go for that brand. Which perfume should I buy?

OP posts:
whirlygirly · 14/04/2018 22:07

I've got a few jo malone perfumes but you really need to try some to see what suits you before spending the £££ they cost these days. I get mine at the airport.

My favourites are orange blossom and nectarine worn together. The wood sage and sea salt is also lovely, as is the lime, basil and mandarin.

peachypetite · 14/04/2018 22:08

Go to a department store and spray in person. Everyone has their own favourites.

Taffeta · 14/04/2018 22:09

I like blackberry & bay, oak & redcurrant and pomegranate noir

Lime basil mandarin was prob the most popular JM scent back then. Can you go into a JM store & test?

RiskIt4Biscuit · 14/04/2018 22:14

If you want long lasting, then I would not recommend Jo Malone.

To get the right scent, you really should go to a store and smell them all to find the one you love. Buying "blind" is really risky - you're likely to end up with something you don't love.

Chortlesauraus · 14/04/2018 22:15

For something long lasting I would personally visit Penhaligons and try some of their scents

DramaAlpaca · 14/04/2018 22:18

Some Jo Malone scents are lovely but they aren't particularly long lasting.

My own favourite is Wood Salt & Sea Sage.

I agree with others that you need to try a few in a store to see what you like.

Original poster
PandyPanda · 14/04/2018 22:19

Oh, are the Jo Malone scents not long lasting then? Thank you for your suggestion of lime basil and mandarin, I'll definitely give that one a go, I hope it's that one! She also had a bottle that she kept from the 90s that also smelt lovely, was any Jo Mallne scent particularly popular then?
I think they have a section in my local John Lewis, so I'll go there and try them. I will have a look at Penhaligons though, I'll give them a google now. Any other perfumes you recommend?

OP posts:
PolaDeVeboise · 14/04/2018 22:20

Yup, if you want long lasting, avoid Jo Malone. I LOVE their Grapefruit, Sea Sage & Wood Salt and Orange Blossom (probably the longest lasting), but can no longer justify the heft price tag for toilet water.

Hobbes8 · 14/04/2018 22:21

Perfume parlour does some pretty good dupes of jo malone perfumes. They sell little 5ml bottles for a few quid so you could try a few before you invest. I think the full sized jo malone bottles are about £90, so you want to be sure.

Original poster
PandyPanda · 14/04/2018 22:23

Oh gosh, didn't realise it was that expensive. Might have to rethink about where I'm buying this perfume from 😂 I will definitely try and find that scent my mum had from Jo Malone, but I think I might settle for something different, especially if it's not long lasting...has it always not been long lasting, or have they changed the formula or something?

OP posts:
Brokenhearts123 · 14/04/2018 22:26

Pomegranate Noir or Peony &Blush suede are the two I wear from Jo Malone and they are both lovely.

Oly5 · 14/04/2018 22:28

Pomegranate noir is my favourite and I find it does last

Original poster
PandyPanda · 14/04/2018 22:30

I will definitely have a look in store. Do Jo Malone have a signature scent by any chance? As I think it might have been that one. Obviously this was a while ago now so I might be misremembering things, but I'll try and discover which one it was. Does anyone know if they do small samples ?

OP posts:
UpperWallop · 14/04/2018 22:37

They do do miniatures but I think mainly to be found at the airport.

Someone's already mentioned perfume parlour but honestly, try them. They do tiny bottles for a couple of quid and they are identical to the originals.

Brokenhearts123 · 14/04/2018 22:40

They sell a smaller bottle which is 30ml in all of their fragrances which cost around £45. The ones I wear last all day and people always ask what it is. Maybe invest in the smaller bottle first.

Original poster
PandyPanda · 14/04/2018 22:40

Okay, I'll have a look at perfume parlour! Really don't want to be spending £90 as you can imagine! Thank you for the tips, I'll have a look on their website now

OP posts:
AdoraBell · 14/04/2018 22:42

I like the 154. Don’t know about samples but they have tester bottles for all their perfumes. If you work or live near a department store it would be worth trying a few on different days. Have a spray of the tester in your lunch break and see how it goes throughout the afternoon.

PreemptiveFartSquats · 14/04/2018 22:47

Primark now do a lime, basil and mandarin (just saw that on another thread - not sure how good it is) which I would say is probably Jo Malone's "signature scent".

Personally I love sea salt and wood sage (pretty and fresh but subtle, not sweet and girly) but sadly it is not long lasting unless you spay it on clothing.

DangerEgg · 14/04/2018 22:51

I love Ginger and Nutmeg....the Perfume Parlour version though!

thecatfromjapan · 14/04/2018 23:11

I've tried the Primark Jo Malones! They are incredibly good.

£8!

I was another who read about them on MN (and I really have to post a 'thank you' to the poster who recommended them) and so off I trekked to Primark to check them out.

Warning: Not all Primarks stock them; not all Primarks stock them all; and if you go to the Primark at Tottenham Court Road, they have sold out of many of them (especially the 'Rose Oud') by the afternoon - so get there early.

I was only able to buy the Mandarin and the Honey perfumes - I loved the 'Rose Oud^ but that was well and truly sold out by the time I arrived in the afternoon - but they are truly great. And the longevity is better than the JM originals.

My JM favourite is 'Cardamom and Mimosa' - which isn't one that Primark do. But I've been living in the 'Mandarin' since I bought it. It's lovely.

I'm not a big fan of the Perfume Parlour JM dupes. I like one ('Saffron Something') but the others I find a bit sharp and not very compelling as perfumes. The Primark scents are genuinely good in their own right, not simply as facsimiles, if you see what I mean.

Idontbelieveinthemoon · 14/04/2018 23:13

I love most of the scents but not all of them suit my skin at all; Pomegranate Noir is delicious on strangers but my skin just doesn't suit it. Wood Sage and Sea Salt is my signature scent; I layer it over the body cream and it's still detectable at the end of the day. I get so many people ask what perfume I'm wearing.

HappyEverIftar · 15/04/2018 06:21

My favourite is English Pear & Freesia. I also bought the set of 5 (or 6?) miniatures for about £50 at the time and thought that was a good way to mix and layer the scents. I used them all up! Plus I could fit one or two in my make up bag when travelling.

LizTaylorsFabulousTurban · 15/04/2018 06:27

Jo Malone scents are colognes which have poor staying power. If you want something that hangs around you need to consider a parfume over a cologne or toilette. But the price of parfume can be double. Have a look on the fragrantica site where each scene if given ratings for things like sillage and longevity. It can also offer alternatives to something you might like but not want to spend the big bucks on. I love Jo Malone scents but have been put off buying them myself during to their short staying power.

LizTaylorsFabulousTurban · 15/04/2018 06:28

Argh excuse typos. Fat fingers and cracked phone screen.

SpeckledyHen · 15/04/2018 07:00

Don't waste your money on ' JM '
Jo Malone set up again as Jo Loves with beautiful fragrances that do last .