Jo Malone
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The first spray is an assault of cracked black peppercorns and crushed cardamom pods, medicinal and fierce, with ginger's sharp citrus-root bite cutting through like a blade. There's an almost mentholated quality to this opening, cooling and heating simultaneously, pink pepper adding a fizzy, champagne-like effervescence that lifts the heavier spices.
As the spice relents, a strange aquatic florality emerges—water lily and orchid create an almost cucumber-like freshness that shouldn't work but does, their dewy greenness providing relief from the assault. Rose and jasmine drift in and out, never quite taking centre stage, their sweetness muted by lingering ginger warmth and the first whispers of resinous amber beginning to pool beneath.
The base settles into something dark and contemplative: black amber thick as molasses, frankincense trailing aromatic smoke, and a leather-patchouli combination that smells like old books in a wooden cabinet. Sandalwood provides creaminess, but this drydown is all about depth and shadow, the florals now mere ghosts haunting the edges of something ancient and slightly austere.
Dark Amber & Ginger Lily is a study in contrasts—all smouldering resinous depth punctuated by sharp, electric spice. Andrea Lupo opens with an aggressive trinity of black cardamom, pink pepper, and ginger that crackles like static electricity, the camphoraceous bite of cardamom dominating whilst ginger adds a citric, almost pickled edge. This isn't the polite spice of mulled wine; it's raw and slightly feral. The heart is where things get unexpectedly lush, with orchid and water lily bringing a cool, aqueous quality that tempers the heat without diluting it. Rose and jasmine hover at the edges, never quite blooming fully, their indolic richness kept in check by that persistent ginger burn. The base is where the fragrance earns its name—black amber emerges thick and resinous, almost tarry, whilst frankincense trails smoke through the composition like incense in a temple. Sandalwood adds a creamy foundation, but it's the leather and patchouli that give this real grit, a darkness that stops the florals from ever turning pretty. This is for someone who wants the warmth of amber without the sweetness, who appreciates florals with an edge. It's less Jo Malone's typical "fresh and bright" aesthetic and more suited to autumn evenings when you want something with weight, something that lingers in the folds of a cashmere jumper.
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3.9/5 (260)