Jo Malone has always been a line that I follow, and I try out pretty much every release. There have been several I liked over the last few years, but except for Rosewater & Vanilla, they never quite made it onto the “must buy” list (of course, some of the limited ones come and go so fast I miss them). When I went to try their latest limited summer offering for the regular line, Silk Blossom, I was sidetracked by a new addition to their interesting Cologne Intense collection, Tuberose Angelica, mostly because I am a sucker for tuberose.
"Angelica Pubescens" by Thomas Martens
Opening with a dewy, tropical tuberose, which is the kind I go for, the perfume is instantly pleasing. The scent of the tuberose opens my eyes and makes me smile. A bit later, what I am assuming is angelica, because I have never smelled it alone, starts to float in and adds not only a touch of green, but also a slightly spiced, sugary quality that reminds me of immortelle. The tuberose begins to fade into the background more quickly than I would like; it’s there, but the dew is off the petals. The base is ambery woods, which may be what is adding the sweetness, too. As time goes on, the overall effect is a less intense version of the warmer, buttery drydown of Robert Piguet’s classic tuberose perfume, Fracas, which I don’t wear well, unfortunately, try as I might.
Marie Salamagne
Ultimately, Tuberose Angelica is not for me, although it is well-made, should find fans, and is a good addition to the Cologne Intense Collection. That collection comprises the more unusual fragrances, the ones that are not as lightweight and crowd-pleasing as the general collection. I, for one, am glad that Jo Malone has that quirky black-sheep side of the family for their more experimental perfumes. This fragrance was composed by Marie Salamagne of Firmenich, who has composed fragrances for Jo Malone before, including Silk Blossom, which I will revisit. I am especially interested to see who will be filling the shoes of Christine Nagel, who was the house’s major perfumer for 4 years before departing to work at Hermès.
I received my sample from the Jo Malone counter at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco. Tuberose Angelica is available online at Jo Malone, Neiman Marcus, and other fine retailers for $145/100ml.
Tama Blough, Managing Editor