The New Love Of My Life - Jo Malone's Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne Intense

Once in a while, you meet a perfume that you just connect with... Well, I know I do, at least.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't know much about perfumes. I only know what I like and that's pretty much it. I actually only have thirteen perfumes; some of which, I've had for more than 2 years now. But there are a few fragrances I own which honestly have a very special place in my heart. I can't really explain it beyond a "love at first whiff" feeling and knowing that it's a scent that represents who I am better than any other fragrances I may enjoy.

There were only two perfumes that I felt this way about*: Burberry For Women and Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb. But now, I have Jo Malone's Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne Intense to add to the mix.

*I'd like to add that although I'm not head-over-heels in love with Emporio Armani She, it was given to me while I was in Milan (I also started wearing it then), and to this day, a whiff of this perfume makes me remember that wonderful month-long trip to Europe.

I saw the Jo Malone counter for the first time in Bloomingdales when I went to New York in March. I was immediately intrigued because I loved the uniformity of the glass bottles... And there were so many!

Anyway, I wasn't in the mood for buying a new perfume, so I didn't really stop to try any of them out. Fast forward to the end of April and I happen to be at Holts Renfrew with my girl Winnie with the express purpose of having a sniff at a Diptyque fragrance I was interested in getting. But on the way to the Diptyque display, I passed by the Jo Malone counter and, well... I couldn't resist this time!

There were literally about 5 fragrances that I immediately liked, but only two of them really struck my fancy: Dark Amber & Ginger Lily and Orange Blossom. So the lovely Sales Associate (Audrey, who had the cutest Irish accent) sprayed one fragrance on each wrist and Winnie & I proceeded to walk around the beauty section to give myself some time to make a decision.

Eventually, it was decided that Dark Amber & Ginger Lily was "more me," so I went and made the purchase. I've never spent so much on perfume before; the Cologne Intense collection retails for $155 CAD and is not available in the 30mL bottles (at least not in Holt Renfrew). Still, I was in an indulgent mood and bought it anyway. Like I said, I really connected with this perfume; and since I loved it so much, it would make a great buy.

I've been wearing Dark Amber & Ginger Lily every day since I bought it and I am enjoying every moment of it! The scent is absolutely divine and despite being labeled as "cologne intense," doesn't smell overpowering or too sharp. It's comfortable to smell, in that it doesn't irritate my sinuses or give me a headache at all. It has such an interesting and multi-faceted scent as well. I can't immediately tell you what it smells like (i.e. vanilla, floral, powdery, citrusy, etc.), although that may very well be my lack of scent-descriptive skills. But mother-of-pearl, does it ever smell amazing!

According to Fragrantica, this perfume has base notes of leather, sandalwood, kyara incense, patchouli, and black amber; middle notes of jasmine, orchid, water lily, and rose; and finally, top notes of black cardamon, ginger, and pink pepper. I kind of have no idea what that all means. All I know is that put together, it makes for one of the most amazing, most interesting perfumes I've ever had the pleasure to smell!

Seriously, you guys... It smells SO good! <3

I also have to add that this fragrance lasts amazingly well on me. It's certainly not as present or obvious at the end of a long day, but I can definitely still catch whiffs of it and so can others. That's something that is very important to me when it comes to fragrances. If I have a full day of work and rehearsals afterwards, knowing that I still smell good kind of helps me feel more presentable.

Audrey included 8 free samples with my purchase, 3 of which were Orange Blossom because she knew how much I liked it as well. Oh, and she also told me that my name sounded like a famous singer, so she's now my new favourite person (after the Winmeister and all my Bandits, of course :p).

I'm told that Jo Malone fragrances are also meant to be layered, which is kind of an unknown concept to me, but I do love the idea of creating unique scents by layering different perfumes together. The Jo Malone website proves to be quit helpful in this regard, because each perfume's individual page has a list of other perfumes that it pairs well with.

I've also got my eye on a few other fragrances. As I've mentioned earlier, I also quite liked Orange Blossom, but I don't think I like it enough to purchase a full 100mL bottle. Thankfully, Holt Renfrew carries the 30mL versions of the perfumes that are not in the Cologne Intense collection (those retail for $75 CAD, while 100mL bottles retail for around $130 or $140 CAD). Aside from Orange Blossom, I also quite like the sound of Nectarine Blossom & Honey, as well as Rose Water and Vanilla. So I'm thinking that another visit to the Jo Malone counter is in order one of these days.

What perfume holds a special place in your heart?