Ikebana - Jo Malone Dark Amber and Ginger Lily

Many people are well aware that Jo Malone, the person, is no longer involved with Jo Malone, the company that produces the perfumes. She left in 2006, along with her husband. Many people bemoaned the departure, worrying about what Estee Lauder would release in her name. Blue Agave and Cacao was the first post-Jo release, followed by Sweet Lime and Cedar and then White Jasmine and Mint. They all seemed to miss the mark of a Jo Malone concoction by quite a bit.

Given all of that, it was such a lovely surprise to put on Dark Amber and Ginger Lily. It truly has a similar character, that minimalist yet vibrant beauty that marks such formulas as Vintage Gardenia. At first spray you take off with gingered wood, gathered in a bow of spice (cardamom, and for me the faintest touch of star anise) and a minimalist warm floral to accent it. Like many Malones, there's little evolution of the fragrance, which is something I appreciate, but this does have some heart notes and base notes. The heart has a slightly bready sillage, though it is cleaner and spicier close to the skin in that phase. The base casts off the ginger and keeps the wood and cardamom. The floral never takes off on me; it's like a single blossom in a larger composition; a single orchid placed carefully among the wood on which it is anchored.

This aspect is what brought Ikebana - the specific Japanese art of flower arranging - to mind. The minimal flower presence, combined with multiple woods, evoked some of the floral compositions I've seen. Even the triangular nature of Ikebana seems reflected here in the constellation-like arrangement of subtle notes. I am largely unaware (read: ignorant) of the mechanisms of symbolism within Ikebana, but this fragrance does feel as though it carries the sacred and the symbolic within itself.

The scent is something I shall wear for a long time, and I'm very pleased that Estee Lauder succeeded in making something so... Jo-like. Incense lovers, run, don't walk, to the nearest Jo Malone counter!