Orange Blossom Cologne by Jo Malone

Orange Blossom Cologne 30ml £38 Jo Malone
Another fragrance review, (you'll soon discover that I'm quite the parfum connoisseur) and today it's Jo Malone's Orange Blossom Cologne.  

A Christmas present from my wonderful boyfriend, this is a fragrance which is already extra special to me.  At 22 years old, I finally feel like a proper grown-up.  A young lady.  Long gone are my teenage years, when 99p Charlie and Impulse body sprays were my weapon of choice.  It's official, Orange Blossom Cologne marks the start of a new, exciting period of my life.

I normally choose warm, musky oriental-floral fragrances, but Orange Blossom Cologne falls on the opposite end of the scent spectrum.  

It's uncomplicated; light, clean, fruity.  What I love most about this perfume, is that the first time I tried it, the smell instantly took me back to my childhood (I'm a sucker for nostalgia).  In the summertime, me and my younger sister would sit on the front step, peeling and eating tiny, sweet clementines.  Of course, the smell was beautiful, so we would rub the peel across our wrists, with the natural oils serving as a makeshift perfume that would last on our skin for hours.  

For me, Orange Blossom Cologne captures the essence of that memory, and maybe that's why I love it so much.  It's pure happiness in a bottle.  Just one or two sprays is enough for the scent to linger on your skin, hair and clothes for hours.

There's no denying that Jo Malone fragrances carry a high-end price tag, and look as though they were made to sit on only the most beautiful dressing tables - but if Orange Blossom is anything to go by, a place above commercial perfumes and mass-made eau de toilettes is well-deserved for this range.   Jo Malone proves premium fragrances can be simple, but still can come up trumps against the more exotic, gourmand concoctions which are experiencing such popularity.  After all, we all have heard the saying "less is more".

There are so many great perfumes out there that people aren't aware of, and Jo Malone's offerings fall into this hidden-gem category.  I would never have bought Orange Blossom Cologne for myself, simply because there is no department store near with to where I usually shop that stocks Jo Malone, and I would never buy a new fragrance over the internet (unless smell-o-vision gets invented one day).  

A quick peek at the Jo Malone site, and I discover you can create your own bespoke scent by wearing several of the colognes from the range at once - as they are "designed to be layered with complementary and contrasting" scents.  If I ever win the lottery, I am DEFFO buying the whole range.  Imagine the hours of fun!  Yes, I love a gimmick.  

My wish-list includes Vanilla & Anise, White Jasmine & Mint and French Lime Blossom.  I bet they're divine.

Have you tried a Jo Malone fragrance before?

What smell do you wish could be captured in a perfume?

Black Peony by Zara: the £9.99 Flowerbomb dupe

Black Peony eau de toilette 50ml £9.99 Zara
It was pretty much love at first sniff when Mother Bear bought me a bottle of Flowerbomb for my 18th birthday.  But at £55 for a 50ml bottle, my pitiful student budget can't fund such luxuries!

So you can imagine my delight, when out bargain hunting in the Trafford Centre on Monday, I finally discovered a fragrance that comes amazingly close to mimicking the gorgeousness of Viktor + Rolf's heaven-scent (sorry, couldn't resist) creation.

Zara's own brand fragrance, Black Peony, comes in at a purse-friendly £9.99.  Yes, it is only an eau de toilette and doesn't have the staying power of Flowerbomb, but when a little slice of luxury is so affordable, who cares?  

For those of you who haven't tried Flowerbomb, it's a distinctive, addictive fragrance that smells like a bouquet of fruity, oriental florals wrapped in spun sugar and topped with a sprinkling of vanilla fairy dust.  Basically, it is the ultimate girly fragrance.

The only difference I believe there is between the two, is that Black Peony is slightly less musky and lacks the heady sweetness of Flowerbomb.  However, the differences are so slight, even the most well-trained nose could be fooled by this brilliant dupe.   

Have you tried Black Peony?

What is the best dupe product you've found?