Which Jo Malone perfume should I buy?

[PandyPanda]

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?

Problem with Jo Loves is how do you test the scents?

I’m not paying £50 for something I’m not sure of....

For similar scents but better staying power, I prefer Miller Harris and the Aqua Allegoria range by Guerlain.

Get the replica for £18.00 from Eden perfumes in Brighton they do mail order. The perfumes last longer than JMs and are not tested on animals either. They do a lime basil and mandarin ones.

Agree with others, while Jo Malone is lovely it had no staying power... So very expensive for what it is.

Pengaligons is far far superior, long lasting quality perfume, you do need to be prepared to pay the price for it though! But it really is huigh end quality stuff if you want to invest in smelling nice all day!

You need to try it on to find the right scent for you, I've smelt the same perfume on different people and it smells different, something about it mixing with your own body odour and skin temp...

I'm a JM fan and pass through T5 regularly so pick up bottles on duty free. I love BlackBerry and Bay, Pear and Freesia, Earl Grey and Cucumber. I also have a limited edition Osmanthus blossom which is beautiful. They are costly though and yes, not a lot of staying power. I ordered a couple of dupes from Perfume Palour though and am pretty impressed! Only £8 a bottle. Try there first?

I love Jo Malone and JonLoves perfumes
I believe Jo Loves is now sold in Space NK stores too

Jo Loves... not Jon...

I find pomegranate noir does last a long time. I can wear it all day and my friend will comment on it. I always think of it as a quite an Christmassy scent.

I also like blackberry and bay which is quite autumnal. I had a hand massage and they layered English pear and freesia lotion with the blackberry bay which was sensational.

My husband wears the basil cologne which is beautiful but very strong

Aldi have a range but they aren't quite 100% and don't last at all but might help you narrow down the scent you want.

Actually the only time I’ve ever been stopped by someone in the street asking about my scent I was wearing Lime Basil & Mandarin.

Bloke said hope you don’t think I’m being rude but I love that scent and would like to get some for my wife, what is it?

BUT....I had sprayed it on five minutes previously....it really doesn’t last long. But yes Pom Noir def lasts longer.

As well as going into a department store you can order samples from a variety of places to try different perfumes. Can you ask your Mum which perfume she had? Then you could check out similar perfumes on fragantica and then get samples to try out to get something that really suits you. Although a perfume house can have a certain family style (provably because they use a base perfume) the range will have differences so you'll have more luck trying similar styles of perfume rather than saying 'I want a Jo Malone'.

Price isn't always an indication of quality with perfume, and you can get some super dupes on the highstreet. The Primark perfumes mentioned above are very popular, and Next perfumes get a lot of love on the Perfumista threads. M&S perfume range is very well regarded.

I wear and love the pom noir and it definitely lasts.

I buy the Jo Malone oil instead and dab it on. Lasts all day.

and the bottle lasts a lot longer too!

I would just go to a shop and try them. The descriptions on the website describe them well, but perfume is such a personal thing. I love Blackberry and Bay and Nectarine Blossom and Honey. (fruity) I also love Peony and Blush Suede. (floral) They all smell so different you must try a sample. Their signature scent is Lime Basil and Mandarin which I happen to dislike. As mentioned Jo Loves is sold in Space NK now so you could try there. I love Jo Malone so different to department store scents which all smell the same. I find they last fine. I think people are used to buying hideous strong "designer scents". If I put the peony on in a morning I can still smell it in the evening.