Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay launched in 2012. This fruity-woodsy fragrance is meant to evoke the childhood memory of picking blackberries in the woods.
Notes:
- Top: Blackberry
- Middle: Bay Leaves
- Base: Cedarwood
Blackberry & Berry opens with a tart, juicy, slightly sweet-leaning blackberry scent. This is not a candied blackberry, but a blackberry that has just been picked and is perfectly ripe. You know that sensation of eating a sweet, yet tart piece of fruit and your mouth instantly begins to water and it’s even a bit sour? That’s what the opening of this fragrance smells likes. To my nose, I even detect a very subtle citrus quality to the scent - almost like a grapefruit. I really enjoy how this fragrance opens - it’s fresh, clean and naturalistic. The bay leaves emerge quickly, and here is were the fragrance starts to lose it’s initial appeal for me. Bay leaves are a bit sweet, even a bit medicinal. I love the smell of dried bay leaves. However, here, it begins to overpower the blackberry for me a bit too much. It mellows out the tartness of the fruit and pushes through with a sweet, herbal, dry scent, that starts to make Blackberry & Bay leans a bit too masculine for my taste. In other words, it starts to smell a bit too “cologne-like.” The cedarwood here is very light and I can’t detect it on my skin until the fragrance has lingered for several hours and the top and middle notes have worn away. I love the ghost of this fragrance - it’s clean, woody and sophisticated; even a touch spicy. If I could just have the beginning and very ending of this fragrance, I’d completely adore it.
Season: Blackberry & Bay, I think, would shine the best spring through early fall. The juicy, sharp, realistic blackberry at the top lightens up this fragrance so that it’s easy to pull off in hot temperatures. However, the sweetness of the bay leaves and the subtle woodsy quality of the middle and base notes, adds a warmth to this fragrance that will do nicely in the early fall. I think this would smell fantastic after it’s lingered on a light wool or cashmere sweater.
Sillage & Wear Time: The projection of this fragrance is low to medium. Blackberry & Bay is present but not overpowering. Like most of Jo Malone’s fragrances, this is an intimate scent, meaning it hovers close to the body and clings to the skin. However, spray this is the right places and it can leave a delicate and intriguing trail behind you. I get a decent amount of mileage from Blackberry & Bay; after I spray it, I can still smell it for several hours, even though it’s light. I don’t need to top this one up as often as say, Jo Malone Wood, Sage & Sea Salt.
Recommended for: This is marketed as a unisex fragrance, but in my opinion, the bay leaves definitely make Blackberry & Bay lean more masculine. I don’t mind wearing a more androgynous or masculine fragrance - in fact for a while I wore Azzaro Chrome - but Blackberry & Bay doesn’t quite work for me personally. The bay leaves definitely take center stage after the initial hit of blackberry and lingers the longest. If you like vetiver fragrances (which I don’t care for much on my own skin, but like on others), you may enjoy this. This type of dry, herbal, slightly green scent tends to be a hit with most men. If you like fruity scents that are realistic and not unnaturally sweet or syrupy smelling, this may also appeal to you. I don’t dislike this fragrance, it’s just not a favorite. I did enjoy it enough to use up my entire bottle, but I won’t be repurchasing. I could see this smelling fantastic on a lot of men however, so if you have a man in your life who enjoys smelling nice, this may be an interesting option. There is something modern and intriguing about Blackberry & Bay. This isn’t something my father would gravitate towards, but I could see a young professional in a smart, modern tailored suit or slacks with a nicely fitted sweater or button-down pulling this off quite well.
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