The Sheen Of Just Nice (Perfume Review: Jo Malone Sugar And Spice Collection)

Jo Malone has launched a new limited edition collection called Sugar And Spice, and I have been wanting to try them since they came out. They sound so fun, so wholesome, so cute, and it's such a very version of me. I was so looking forward to getting them, enjoying them, and reading the copy of the scents, I couldn't even decide which one to sample first. And over the weekend, I got the opportunity to finally sniff them. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am. They are nice, but there's nothing else there - no depth, no weight to the scents. It's as if they used all the money in marketing, and left very little for the actual scents. Estee Lauder now owns Jo Malone, of course, and it is quite telling how they are marketing this brand.

I tried "Bitter Orange And Chocolate" first, because I had heard that it was their best seller (I read that some stores couldn't keep it in stock) and while the idea is certainly interesting, it's like a desert that falls flat. I have several orange-scentric scents in my collection, but I don't think this one will be joining its siblings on the orange family. The orange is not very subtle, and is overwhelmed by the chocolate. It's not a bad idea, but the biter coco is just that, and nothing else. A little something - patchouli? a floral note ? - would have made the gourmand a little more interesting, but after the smell kind of made me want to puke.

"Eldelflower And Gooseberry" is a little more interesting, if only because those are two notes that I am not very familiar with. What comes up is an indistinguishable colorless floral scent, and it is reminiscent of my Walgreens fabric softener. It is so unremarkable that I am looking at my notes on it, and the only thing I wrote was "bland."

"Lemon Tart" is the only one that held my interest for a little bit. It smells like you envisioned it: a lemon tart. It is lemony, and sweet. I really wish it had a lot more character to it, and I was waiting for the alleged lychee note to come up somewhere, but it only barely hints. I wasn't revolted by this, but I really can think of numerous citrus scents I would rather get. 

All in all, it really is quite frustrating for me to want to love something, and then being betrayed by it.