Jo Malone Rare Teas Collection & Nashi Blossom

For Jo Malone fans with fond memories of their 2011 quintet of tea fragrances, the upcoming Rare Teas collection is not to be missed. Debuting in April in Taiwan and other markets, there will be six fragrances available - Darjeeling Tea, Golden Needle Tea, Jade Leaf Tea, Midnight Leaf Tea, Oolong Tea and Silver Needle Tea. Fragrantica has some information on the notes of each fragrance. The Taiwan press release is here.


Following this is a limited edition Nashi Blossom Cologne launching on 6 May in Japan. Available in 30ml and 100ml, it has notes of lemon, pear blossom, rose and white musk.


Jo Malone's most recent Herb Garden collection was a disappointing clutch of forgettable, bland scents for me, so I was glad that I waited to test them in person instead of ordering blind. Instead, I splurged on a longtime lemming, Trish McEvoy's No. 9 Blackberry & Vanilla Musk.

Crabtree & Evelyn Caribbean Island Water Lily Home Fragrance

Scenting my home now is this new Crabtree & Evelyn Caribbean Island Water Lily Home Fragrance Reed Diffuser (S$115), launching in February in Singapore.

Designed to evoke the restorative calm of a Caribbean island getaway, it comes beautifully packaged in a sleek glass bottle filled with seashells sourced from the Philippines, encased in a solidly constructed wooden box with a vintage style clasp. The box will probably be re-purposed to store my accessories, although the baby seems to want to fill it with his toys instead.



The airy green floral scent is refreshing without descending into generic forgettable blandness. It is composed of top notes of lemon, peppermint and sea air accord with a sweet feminine heart of casuarina, orange blossom and jasmine, rounded off with warm base notes of cedarwood, sandalwood and marine accord. The scent throw reaches two to three metres, sufficient for most small and mid-sized rooms.


Press sample sent for consideration.

Jill Stuart Crystal Bloom Eau de Parfum

Jill Stuart will launch Crystal Bloom Eau de Parfum on 5 September in Japan. Inspired by the eternal beauty of diamonds, the innocent yet sexy fragrance is created by Christine Nagel, who is also Hermes' in-house perfumer and creator of several Jo Malone scents. Crystal Bloom will be available in 50ml (7500yen) and 30ml (5500yen). The crystal floral accord has top notes of sweet pea, snowdrop, neroli, orange; middle notes of edelweiss, magnolia, rose, freesia, jasmine and raspberry; and end notes of tulle accord, orange osmanthus, gardenia, ylang ylang, moss, cedarwood, musk and amber.

Jill Stuart Bon Mariage and Mook

Hi again, thanks for all the kind comments left on my previous post. It's been a really good break for me and I think I'll still post about new collections coming up, if the mood strikes. I can't promise it will be on a regular basis as previously but nevertheless, I hope this is useful for some of you. (For those reading through a feed reader, I've stopped using Feedblitz, so you may need to re-enter the blog address into your reader to pick up the Blogger feed.)

Jill Stuart will release this Bon Mariage Perfumed Soap Sachet (5250yen, 60gx3) and Pillow & Room Fragrance (8400yen, 100mlx2) on 7 June in Japan. The Perfumed Soap bears a neroli scent. The Pillow & Room Fragrance duo comprises a fresh citrus Brilliant Voyage scent (in the clear bottle) and a warm floral Forever Moment scent (in the matte bottle).


See more pics on Biteki.

A nail polish collection will also be released on 7 June.

1. Crystal Top Coat (1575yen, 10ml)

2. Repair Base Coat (1575yen, 10ml)

3. Treatment Nail Essence (1890yen, 10ml)

4. Nail Lacquer R (1575yen): 3 new shade and 2 limited edition shades in #21 Hum A Tune (shiny pink rose), #22 Polka Dot Umbrella (milky pink), #23 Coltish Skip (pearlish mint green), #24 Rainbow Bridge (rainbow pearl) and #25 Rain Boot (pastel yellow)

The Jill by Jill Stuart 5th Anniversary mook will be published on 17 May. It comes with a bicolor three-way clutch bag and a 10% discount voucher.

There is another Jill Stuart からのやさしい贈りもの (Jill Stuart kara no yasashii okurimono/Present by Jill Stuart) mook that will be released on 24 May. This will include a tote bag. 　

Operation Use It Up

Completed a bumper crop of empties this month!

1. Acca Kappa Calycanthus is a lovely uplifting white floral fragrance with dominant notes of jasmine. It is the first fragrance I've used up in years. I purchased this about four years ago in Kuala Lumpur, and it's been a perennial favourite since then. Always soothing and comforting.

2. Peter Thomas Roth Max Complexion Correction Pads contain 10% glycolic acid and 2% salicylic acid to help prevent blemishes. Drenched in a sweet peach scent, it also has a terribly high alcohol content at 46% but it didn't irritate my skin. I didn't find it to be a wonder product in terms of preventing blemishes though. There was quite a bit of liquid in the pot, which helped to ensure that the pads did not dry out over the three months that it took me to use them up.


3. RMK Creamy Soap N cleanses thoroughly but it does leave the skin feeling stripped, so I use it only once a day after using a cleansing oil to remove makeup.

4. Mario Badescu Seaweed Cleansing Soap had an odd scent and thick texture that I never got used to. It doesn't strip the skin but other than that, it was pretty average. I ended up putting generous dollops of it on my Clarisonic Mia to use up the giant bottle. Ingredients list below.

5. Astalift Priming Lotion is one of my favourite toners. It feels ever so gentle on the skin and doesn't leave it feeling sticky. I will re-purchase this but first I need to use up the other toners in my stash. Ingredients list below.

6. Lush Ayesha: Reviewed earlier here. I like this for detoxing and clarifying the skin. The pot looks tiny but it provided eight applications for me. The only downside is that you have to use it up within a month as it does not contain preservatives.

7. Brewed from beer, Lush Cynthia Sylvia Stout shampoo is supposed to help add shine and tame hair that is prone to frizziness. It doesn't lather that well but it doesn't strip the hair like Lush's shampoo bars usually do to my hair. The scent does take some getting used to but I didn't hate it. Ingredients list below.

8. Lush Glogg shower gel is inspired by the traditional Swedish brew with cinnamon and mulled wine scent. The wine note literally made me gag every time I used it. It has just been brought back under Lush's Retro programme but I would never touch this stuff again!


9. Philosophy Bridal Bouquet was much more pleasant to use but the sweet floral scent seems a bit bland and much less memorable than Senorita Margarita. Ingredients list below.

10. Dove Indulgent Nourishment Body Lotion with Shea Butter is an effective hydrating lotion that helped to stave off the dryness without leaving any greasiness or stickiness on the skin.

11. L'Oreal Elseve Liss-Intense Serum Anti-frizz works well for taming my hair but the 50ml bottle lasts less than a month for me with daily usage.

12. Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner is a shampoo-and-conditioner in one that came in a UK Glossybox. It feels like a conditioner as it doesn't lather, which is an extremely odd feeling to get used to. I wasn't impressed by this, so I won't be purchasing it.

13. L'Oreal EverPure shampoo is sulfate-free but it lathers extremely well. It did leave my hair feeling a tad dry though, so I doubt I will repurchase this. Ingredients list below.

14. Kenzoki Ice-cold Eye Cream is great for plumping up the eye area without making it feel greasy. It absorbs easily and doesn't result in milia for me.

15. K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow 02 is a daily staple that I've used up countless times. Quick, easy and stays put no matter how many times I blot my skin.

16. Josie Maran Bearnaked Wipes have a refreshing grapefruit scent. This works well for taking off light makeup but I still follow up with a face cleanser to ensure thorough cleansing and reduce the likelihood of breakouts. Ingredients list below.

17. Sana Esteny Salt Wash is a great exfoliating scrub with a sweet blackcurrant scent. It feels invigorating and the scrub particles don't melt away quickly. I would re-purchase it if I come across it again.

Jill Stuart Relax Eau de White Floral

Jill Stuart will add a new Relax Eau White Floral to its new Relax Bodycare line on 17 December. Retailing at 3990yen for 50ml, the scent is a sweet white floral bouquet with fresh fruity notes.

Jo Loves Mango Nectar and A Shot of Thai Lime Over Mango

Jo Loves Mango is a new collection of three fragrances inspired by an evening at the Four Seasons bar in New York watching mixologists work their magic. After the enchantment of Pomelo, it was interesting to see Jo Malone's take on another tropical fruit. Malone took two years to perfect the Mango Nectar note at the heart of the three fragrances.

A Shot of Thai Lime Over Mango is delightfully zesty and uplifting, the perfect antidote to a sweltering muggy summer day. The Kaffir lime note adds a youthful vibrancy to the sweet, warm mango heart. I fell in love with this instantly, as did my husband. The other notes include black pepper, freesia, mint leaves, white thyme and vetiver.

Mango Nectar is a sweeter concoction with subtle floral hints. The mango note, livened with pink grapefruit, is voluptuously sweet and juicy, without being too cloying or generic. The other notes include mango leaf, bitter orange, apricot blossom, jasmine and musk.

Both fragrances last surprisingly well on me, stretching well over six hours. Most other perfumes completely vanish on my skin after two to three hours. I skipped the third fragrance, A Shot of Oud over Mango (with notes of mango, black pepper, freesia and oud wood) as I'm not a fan of woody scents. These are available in 100ml (£95) and 30ml (£45) sizes.

The classy red boxes are beautifully made and would make excellent presents for a loved one. It's a pity that Jo Loves (which has no relation to the Estee Lauder-owned Jo Malone fragrance brand) currently ships only within the UK and EU but hopefully they will expand their distribution soon.

Weekly Photo Challenge - Bodycare Edition

This week's photo meme started by Yumeko is about bodycare so here goes!

1. Body Wash

I'm close to finishing Philosophy Tinsel Town, which was a holiday release, and moving on to their Bubbly next. A couple of times a week, I use either Lush Rub Rub Rub or Sana Esteny Salt Wash. The blue crystals of Rub Rub Rub always reminds me of Icee (like 7-Eleven Slurpee) from my childhood.

Esteny Salt Wash is a charcoal and salt scrub that gives invigorating exfoliating action. I found this last year at Sasa in Singapore for $20.90. It retails in Japan for 1050yen for 250g.

2. Skin Moisturizer

Even in the summer, the skin on my legs still get very dry, so I've been using the Body Shop Spa Wisdom Morocco Argan Oil & Orange Blossom Body Souffle, L'Occitane Delice des Fleurs Rose & Violette Body Milk and Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater Body Cream. These absorb quickly without making my skin feel greasy.

3. Hair treatment / Conditioner

For my dry, colored hair, I recently started using L'Oreal EverPure Shampoo and Vichy Dercos Mineral Soft shampoo. EverPure lathers up surprisingly well, despite being sulfate-free and leaves my hair tangle-free. For taming the frizz and flyaways, I've been relying on Percy & Reed Finishing Polish and L'Oreal Elseve Liss-Intense Serum.

4. Perfume

Recently, I've been rotating through Jo Malone Plum Blossom, Jo Loves Pomelo, Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess and Taylor Swift Wonderstruck. Pomelo is my favourite of the lot, for its sparkling freshness. Plum Blossom is a gentle sweet floral that does not last that long on me. Bronze Goddess has a relaxing beach vacation vibe.

Recently released in Singapore at Sephora, Wonderstruck is a gift from a very kind friend. It has very sweet notes of raspberry and peach. The antique charms are a nice whimsical touch. At least the bottle looks like an original design, unlike the shameless ripoff by Justin Bieber's Someday (of Marc Jacobs Lola) and Selena Gomez's eponymous fragrance (of the lips from the Guerlain Rouge Automatic ad).

5. Other body care items you use

It's not as sweltering here as Singapore yet but buildings in Switzerland are usually not equipped with air conditioners, so you can imagine how stuffy it gets. I'm trying to be more diligent in applying sunblock with the Biotherm Lait Solaire SPF50 but like most sunscreen lotions, it makes my skin feel slightly greasy. To help cool down, I've been relying on L'Occitane's new Angelica Hydration face mist and Paul & Joe Shimmering Body Lotion G.

If you would like to join in the fun, just leave a comment on Yumeko's post and here with a link to your blog post, and I'll be sure to check it out!