Jo Malone Colognes

Not too long ago, I wrote about Jo Malone Bath Oils. I feel I left the story unfinished. Jo Malone's colognes are the centerpiece of the brand, so today, let's talk about them.

By now, all beauty lovers surely know who Jo Malone is, so I won't recount her incredible history in any detail. She started her career as a facialist using her own products, hand-mixed at home and an instant hit. Her global brand was purchased by the Estee Lauder companies in 1999, but Jo remains the creative director. She was the first to make fragrance combining mainstream.

The Jo Malone philosophy of fragrance combining gives you the freedom to express yourself and your individuality in a fresh, modern way. You can create your own signature scent by combining two - even three - different fragrances. Spray on one cologne, usually the heaviest scent, let it dry, then spray a different, lighter fragrance over the top. Or start with one of Jo's luxurious Body Crèmes in one scent and follow it with a cologne in another. The result will be complex, lasting, and your own.

With several Jo Malone Fragrances, you can have a complete and versatile fragrance wardrobe. For example, Jo suggests women can create evening drama by dressing up the soft and sensual character of White Jasmine & Mint with tantalizing Orange Blossom. The effect will be both elegant and sexy. Men can create "everyday chic" by dressing down spicy Amber & Lavender with a fresh and zesty twist of Verbenas of Provence to exude an air of "casual confidence."

I love Jo Malone fragrances simply worn alone. My favorites are pure expressions of flowers and fruits: Red Roses, Orange Blossom, Lime Basil and Mandarin, French Lime Blossom, Honeysuckle & Jasmine, and Grapefruit. Think I love them? To this day, my fragrance collection looks like a Jo Malone boutique.

My heavenly white floral Tuberose seems to have been discontinued, but I probably have a lifetime supply. Do I combine them? Now and then, but I am so pleased with the fragrances as-is, I haven't felt the need. I spray and go.

When Jo's fragrances were first introduced in the United States, I wore Red Roses almost every day. People stopped me everywhere and asked what it was. I felt like the Red Roses Ambassador, explaining not only the Jo Malone mystique, but also the heavenly old English roses that Red Roses evoked. Actually composed of seven types of roses from around the world, Red Roses is a surprisingly clean, voluptuous scent. With a heart of crushed violet leaves and hints of lemon and spearmint, it unfolds like a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers.

The only floral I have resisted to date is White Jasmine & Mint. Inspired by a sun-drenched morning in an English country garden, the fragrance captures the scent of jasmine, lily, orange flower, and rose (all favorites of mine) on the morning breeze. It's the unexpected twist of soft and sensual wild mint that makes this floral fragrance a bit eccentric. I can't figure out whether I like it or love it.

You can find Jo Malone's fragrances at the Jo Malone Web Site, where you can always get samples with your order, and at Saks, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus. Priced at $55 for 30 ml and $100 for 100 ml, you can purchase a fragrance wardrobe for what some designer fragrances cost for a single bottle.

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Jo Malone will donate $15,000 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation in connection with the North American sales of Red Roses Cologne and Bath Oil. Now's a good time to try Red Roses!

If you hurry (ending today!) over to the Jo Malone Web site, you can enter code BCA09 at checkout and receive a fabulous gift of a fragrance combining set (mini candle, cologne, and shower gel), two fragrance samples of your choice, and free shipping with any $150 order. Even without investing that much, you can select samples.

Photo courtesy of Jo Malone