I'm back! Hope you fellow beauty lovers have been well. I was in Singapore and Europe with baby (toddler now!) and husband for a lovely, long holiday and now I'm back to reality and forgotten all about it. Haha. ;-) I will try to post a holiday beauty haul soon in case you are interested. (If you follow me on Instagram, you may have already seen heaps of photos of my trip and sneak peek of swatches of various products and some of the beauty items I purchased). Anyways, the trip included London, which I'd been to a few times before (with family living there previously) and made sure to visit the currently one and only Jo Loves boutique on Elizabeth Street, which is a must for beauty lovers if you get the chance. This was the very same street that founder, Jo Malone had her first job as a florist! Jo Loves is her venture back into the world of fragrance after selling and subsequently leaving her original Jo Malone London brand to Estee Lauder back in 2006. Jo Loves is inspired by the "memories and moments in life" that she loves. Coincidentally, her book "My Story" was launched on the same day as my visit!
Jo Loves fragrances are all designed for both women and men. There are candles, and bath and body fragranced products on offer as well.
I'm sure I have more photographs of the store (not to mention actual holiday memories!), but sadly the laptop that has them has died and waiting to be revived. Very, VERY sad, I know. Fingers crossed I will get them back to share with you. (I will update this post with more photos if and when I do!) >_<
I had a chance to try all of the fragrances in store, but the one that really stood out to me personally was Mango Thai Lime. I also sniffed the candles on offer and if I didn't have so much to carry already (what with all the baby stuff, too! >_<) I would have definitely picked up one of her "shot candles" with Charcoaled Lemon in it - most likely paired with Mango, too I suppose! LOL. #obsessed Absolutely, delicious and divine! :-P The Jo Loves Shot Candle is an innovative product, which allows you to create a bespoke scented candle by choosing two different fragrances you fancy: one base and one shot (which slides onto the top of the base as shown in the image below taken with my phone camera) - resulting in a unique candle blend just for you. All available shot candles burn for about 60 hours each.
I will probably try to get a hold of it in the near future as she does ship internationally - albeit quite expensive to Australia. >_< Net-a-porter sells a select few Jo Loves products, too, though - but, not the shot candles which are exclusive to the store and her website.
Now...back to that Mango Thai Lime...
Inspiration
"Holiday memories and I love breaking the rules of fragrance and this mouth-watering combination of sweet mango, sharp lime and punchy pepper is a celebration of Thailand's most vibrant culinary flavours." ~ Jo Malone.
Packaging
Let's take a moment to gaze at the gorgeousness on the outside first! O_O Oh...My God! They go all out with the packaging I tell you. Similar to Jo Malone London, they spritz the red tissue with the fragrance. Sigh. As if I can't get enough of it! Yes moar please!!! The luxe, thick, sturdy white box with the red dot and then the white union jack embossed sleeve. Then that bright red ribbon and perfectly hand-made bow, of course. (Note, I couldn't wait to use the fragrance so I did have to re-tie the bow myself for the photograph below - unfortunately, it's no where near as good - sorry!!!). Last, but not least, they put it in a huge, simply beautiful bag!!! *Be still my beating heart* It's a bit like getting a designer hand bag, but this is a bit more affordable in comparison. I love the effort and detail they go through.
The bottle itself is truly lovely and consistent with the rest of the packaging - simple, fresh, clean and modern. I adore the red and white theme and the clean-looking font.
Below is the gigantic bag I came away with (excuse the photograph taken using my phone camera!), which included my beautifully boxed fragrance purchase and samples of their new Smoked Plum & Leather fragrance.
Notes
"Taking inspiration from Thailand, ripe golden mango is served with kaffir lime and black pepper to create an explosive combination of sweet, sharp and zesty flavours."
Top notes: mango, lime and black pepper;
Middle notes: freesia and mint;
Base notes: thyme and vetiver.
There is definitely a strong hit of zesty lime and the lingering warmth and sweetness of the ripe, yellow mango. Overall, it's fresh, warm, sweet, comforting and delicious. I adore eating a ripe mango in summer, so it's no surprise I'm all over this fragrance. It's not often you get to wear it, too. ;-) And, it doesn't smell artificial like some food-inspired fragrances do and there's no subtlety about it. The mango and lime that are the stars of the fragrance really do shine and pack a (tropical) punch.
Sillage
Relatively heavy/strong.
Longevity
Unfortunately, the fragrance is very shortly lived on me. :-( I would say about 3-4 hours! Bwaaah! Note, that this is a cologne, which has the least concentration of fragrance oils compared to say an Eau de Toilette or Eau de Parfum. So, you definitely need to carry it around with you to reapply if you want to enjoy it throughout the day (preferrably in a more convenient and portable atomiser ;-) )!
Size & RRP
50 ml for 65GBP / 100 ml for 110GBP
50 ml for 65GBP / 100 ml for 110GBP
The Fragrance Collection
This fragrance is also available as a bath cologne, body cream, hand and body cleanser, and hand and body lotion.
Overall
Mango Thai Lime is a gorgeous, yummy concoction that takes me to tropical paradise. This is perfect for spring and summer, but due to the warmth it gives, it can be worn throughout the year in my opinion - whenever you fancy a bit of warm, tropical, fruity scent in the colder months! If you love fresh, fruity, sweet, warm fragrances then this will likely attract you. If you love mango in particular like I do (eating it and smelling it), then you have to try this!! I only wish it lasted longer when worn. Luckily, I chose to get the 100 ml (largest size available), but I'm sure even that won't last me very long. >_< I would love to enjoy this as a candle as well, but having sniffed the Charcoaled Lemons and Mango shot candle - it's quite similar...and hence, I must get that soon, too! In short, I'm certain this won't be my first and last Jo Loves purchase. (Hello, new Christmas "Layered Candle"! Sounds lush!) The brand is a little hard to get access to, but do check it out if you haven't already and if you get the chance!
Have you tried Jo Loves yet? If so, do share your recommendations below! :-)
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