Jo Malone Sugar and Spice collection

These were picked up by me last Friday on their launch day. I normally go to the Bloor Store since Mark is very generous when it comes to giving out samples but going downtown on a weeknight is just impossible for me. So I went to Yorkdale to pick up this limited edition cologne set. As I expected I didn't come home with all 5 cologne. 

 

This is one of the not so great shopping experiences at Jo Malone. I only picked up three cologne and the BA fitted all three in a small Jo Malone box. I would prefer her to put them in one of the medium sized boxes instead of stuffing everything in a small box. She didn't offer me any samples. I had to ask for them. She didn't even give me the samples I specifically asked for. The ribbon isn't normally tied like that. 

This set also came with a not attractive gift with purchase which is in the envelope. I'm normally excited about the Jo Malone gift with purchase events as they consists of miniature 9ml cologne samples, body cream, hand treatment and other random samples. But this time all we got was a recipe set. I found out about the recipe a few days before the launch but I still feel a little disappointed. 

  A set of 5 dessert recipes that follow the theme of this collection.

As mentioned earlier I didn't buy all 5 cologne in the set. I just couldn't bring myself into buying all 5. I only picked 3 this time and I have to say I'm impressed with the Bitter Orange and Chocolate cologne. It makes me smell like chocolate. I find this the best cologne in the collection. Even my boyfriend that doesn't seem interested in my perfume collection likes it. He even offered to buy me an extra one so I will have a back up at home! 

The second one I got is the Ginger biscuit. I always wanted to buy a cologne that is on the spicier side but I find the nutmeg and ginger cologne a little too spicy for me. This one is spicy but lighter so I would be using it for mixing. 

The last one I picked up was the Elderflower and Gooseberry cologne. This is a lighter floral cologne that I find quite refreshing for me. 

The two I didn't pick up were the redcurrant and cream and the lemon tart. First for the lemon tart, as I expected, it smelled quite similar to the sweet lemon I have at home. I like the sweet lemon cologne a lot better than the lemon tart so I didn't get it. For the redcurrant and cream, when I first read about it I thought I would love it but once I tried it, I found it not sweet enough for my taste and it didn't seem like a cologne I would use on its own. I don't even know will I like mixing it with other cologne. 

Do you use Jo Malone cologne? Have you checked out the limited collection cologne?

Jo Malone Collection

I love Jo Malone Cologne. Ever since I got my first bottle I got addicted. It's a very bad addiction. There were times I bought a few bottles a month. I'm slowly trying to buy less as this is such an expensive addiction. I'm not only buying perfume. I also use their diffuser, body scrub and face cream. Their body products are too expensive otherwise I would have switched to all their products completely. The only Jo Malone product that I don't think I'll be ever getting are their candles. I don't really notice their scents when I burn their candles. For my candles, I prefer Voluspa over Jo Malone.

I love their skincare range. They made one of the best face cream in the market. At least it worked very well on my skin. I love their Ginseng Day Moisturizing cream. I use it as my night cream and it kept my skin moisturized during the winter. But it got discontinued. I still have one jar at home. I cleared out all the remaining stock they had when they discontinued the product. Right now they only have the Vitamin E skincare range. I have yet to try that line but I don't think I will like it as much.

The first time I've heard of Jo Malone was back in 2006 when I visited London for the first time. It was too expensive for me at that time so I never thought of getting their perfume. My friends from Hong Kong recommended Jo Malone to me telling me how great they smell. So in 2011 I went to the Jo Malone counter at Holt Renfrew at their Bloor Street location and picked up my first bottle of Jo Malone. Ever since that visit, I couldn't go back. My first bottle is English Pear and Freesia and this is still my favourite from Jo Malone.

Left to Right: English Pear and Freesia, Plum Blossom, Nectarine Blossom and Honey Cologne, Wild Bluebell

English Pear and Freesia is my all time favourite. This is a fruity cologne but not too sweet. I find it just right for me. I use this on a regular basis, either layering with other cologne or use it alone. 

Plum Blossom, this was a limited edition cologne that came out in 2012. There is a pinkish ribbon that came with the bottle but I couldn't find it. It's a light woody, musky and floral cologne. I haven't really played around trying to layer it with other perfume. I normally use this alone. 

Nectarine Blossom and Honey Cologne. This is a fruity cologne and I used to love it. This was the second Jo Malone Cologne a got. I got it in its full size because I loved the scent a lot. But now I find it too sweet for my taste and I'm trying very hard to finish it up. I used to be able to use it alone, but now I have to layer it with other Jo Malone cologne so that it won't be overly sweet for me. 

Wild Bluebell is a floral cologne and I use it for layering with other cologne. I normally use this with English Pear and Freesia. 

London Blooms line that was inspired by the British garden. They were limited edition cologne from 2012. I never expected to pick up all three bottles. I made two separate trips to complete this collection. The first time I went I only picked up white lilac & Rhubarb and Peony & Moss. I never expected to get Iris & Lady Moore. But my boyfriend said since they all belong to the same set and they were limited so I went back to pick up the last bottle. 

They smell very different with white lilac & rhubarb being my favourite because I love floral perfume. Peony & Moss is more on the green side. Iris & Lady Moore is more woody but it's growing on me. 

Jo Malone tea collection. These were supposed to be limited edition from 2011 but I bought them in 2012 and Earl grey and cucumber then became part of their regular series in 2012. 

Assam & Grapefruit: I bought this because of the deal the BA gave me. I haven't used this at all and got it only because it was limited.

Sweet Lemon: Every time I smell this it reminds me of lemon tea. I love the citrus scent from this cologne. It's good for layering.

Earl Grey and Cucumber: I love this one. You can't really use it on its own but it's great for layering with other perfume. I will get a full size bottle once I finish this one. 

Left to right: Blackberry and Bay, Vanilla and Anise, White Jasmine and mint, French Lime Blossom

Blackberry & Bay: The newest in the Jo Malone family, one of the fruity cologne. Its on the lighter side that won't be overwhelmingly sweet. It's full of grapefruit and blackberry scent. Again I use it alone or layering.

Vanilla and Anise: One of the spicier cologne in my JM collection. It's not a very sweet vanilla cologne and its good for layering with my collection.

White Jasmine and mint: This is on the greener and floral side because of the mint. I don't normally use this alone. I love pairing it with Orange Blossom. 

French Lime Blossom: I love floral cologne. This is one of my favourite floral cologne. I love using this one alone.    

left to right: Grapefruit, Red Rose, Lime Basil & Mandarin, Patchouli, Freesia and King William Pear. 

The first three are all deluxe samples I received from JM. The last three came with my English Pear and Freesia Chronicle set.

Grapefruit: very citrus cologne that I only use for layering. I haven't opened the sample yet as I'm still trying to use up the sample vials I received from JM.

Red Rose: This is the best red rose perfume I've tried on the market. It smells divine. I love it enough to get the home diffuser for my room! If they ever come out with the Red Rose Chronicle set, I will get it right away. 

Lime Basil & mandarin: This is one of their signature scents but I don't like it. It smells too unisex for me. Not something I will use on its own. I haven't really played around with this scent.

Patchouli, Freesia and King William Pear: They all came with my English Pear and Freesia set that are for pairing with English Pear and Freesia. They are miniatures of the main notes in the English Pear and Freesia cologne. Since this is limited so I'm really hesitant in using them. I like all three of them so I do wish they come in bigger bottles. 

JM Vials that are not in my purses or make up bags. They are mainly the same scent. Among the vials here, I think there are only 6 different scents. 

If I don't specifically tell them what I want to try, I always end up with the same samples which are Orange Blossom and Pomegranate Noir.

  

Orange Blossom: I have enough of the sample vials I don't need to buy the actual cologne! This has a citrus scent and I love to use this for layering with other JM cologne.

Pomegranate Noir: This is a very sweet fruity cologne. I didn't like it at first but this is growing on me. Once I finish up my samples I might get it. 

Blue Agava and Cocao: sweet and spicy cologne. I love it and it's on my wish list for a while. I can never get a sample of this as they never have it in store.  

Note: full size and deluxe sample size doubles are not featured in the pictures. 

Perfume collection

I would say my perfume collection has grown significantly throughout the years, as I got older, scents I like changed quite a bit. There are perfumes I used to love that I don't love anymore. Those all turn into room sprays or soon to be room sprays. I can stand the smell in my room but not on me!

I used to buy a lot of perfume. I buy them whenever I see them go on sale. Even thought I don't love the scent that much I get them  because they were on sale. I don't want to miss out on any deals. I also get them because of their packaging. I'm a sucker when it comes to packaging. There were times I even kept the empty perfume bottles because of their packaging. Those days have long passed. I stopped collecting bottles and I try my best to buy perfume I truly love. No more impulse purchase on perfume. So this year I only bought one bottle. There are several bottles on my wishlist but they can wait as long as they are not limited edition  perfume.

First comes my Anna Sui Collection. I love Anna Sui perfume. I bought every single one of her perfumes until rock me where I had to stop buying as my collection was growing too big. Anna Sui original perfume and Sui Love aren't featured in the pictures as I don't have them anymore. Anna Sui original is the first ever full size perfume I finished using.

Left to right: Sui Dreams, Night of Fancy, Flight of Fancy, Rock Me, Love your Dream.
Apart from Sui Dreams, they are all brand new or I've only used them once or twice.

Anna Sui dolly girl collection. Apart from the pink dolly girl, they were all yearly limited editions. 

Left to right: Sui Dreams minature, secret wish and magic romance. 

Sui Dreams is just for collection purpose as I hated the scent. I'm still missing the Secret Wish Fairy Dance in the secret wish perfume collection. Secret Wish has always been one of my favourite perfume and I still keep it in the daily usage box. 

Marc Jacobs collection. 

Marc Jacobs rain, a very refreshing light scent that now I use as a roomspray. I might try to use it for layering with my other perfume.

Daisy: um. brand new just opened the box not too long ago.

Marc Jacobs: Impulse purchase, got it cuz it was 50% off.

Dot: I don't like the smell. It just smelled a little too sweet for my taste. Got it from my Topbox subscription. 

Lola: Impulse purchase. It's my first solid perfume. made an awesome accessory piece on my bag.

:Left to Right: Still, Coolwater, Tom kitten cologne, Tommy girl, Gucci Envy & Envy me.

Still and Coolwater are both brand new. I got both when they were on sale. I used to love coolwater but after I got it, I just didn't feel like using it. Tom Kitten and Tommy Girl, I used to love both of them but now I just don't like them anymore. 

Gucci Envy and Envy me. I still like both of them just that I don't have time to use them. 

Left to right: Burberry Brit, Burberry Touch, Jill Stuart, Miss Dior Cherie, J'adore 

These five are one of my go to daily perfume. With Miss Dior Cherie being the favourite in this set. 

Samples and random purchases. I don't really know how these got into my collection. Haven't really tried out any of them. They just sit there! 

These are either random samples or samples that I have full size for. If I remember correctly as I only tested them once, most of them in this picture are perfume that I don't really like. 

And now comes my latest obsession. Jo Malone Cologne! I love Jo Malone so much it deserves it's own post. This is an ever growing collection that grows when I new scent comes out or when there are limited editions.

Are there perfume on my wishlist? 

Definitely! I want to try Annick Goutal Petite Cherie, my friends told me this is the best pear fragrance on the market. 

I also want Jo Malone Blue Agava and Cacao which will be great for pairing with my existing JM collection. 

The last one on my list is Ferragamo Signoria. Ever since I saw the bottle I know I want to bring it home. With the little bow on the bottle and it's pink!

Do you own any of these perfumes? What is on your current wish list?