Blackberry & Bay (2012)
by Jo Malone London

I kept trying to make this work, I’ve had several decants and manufacturer samples. Even sampled in the store...a few times. No more.

I like the idea of this fragrance, deep berries and green, somewhat spicy herb. Unfortunately, it just never works out that way. What starts with a delicious, full jammy fruit immediately turns sour and synthetic. And I know, synthetics are par for the course when capturing the essence of many scents. However, this smacks of unwearable artifice.

The berries wear off right away and are replaced with red cough syrup flavor-heavy on the alcohol, and acidic herb. I get a little...no, a lot of generic, overly “masculine” grapefruit. It’s astringent in a woeful way. There may be some wood in the dry down, but it just ends up smelling like spicy sweat on me. I scrubbed.

No more.

The blackberry kick of the whole development, and it is nice and quite typical and bright; the brightness is enhanced by some bright grapefruit in the background.

The drydown brings on the bay, which is much less intense but otherwise done beautifully. This transition toward the base via a rather nonspecific while floral impression - maybe whiffs of magnolia if one is pressed for details.

The base is woodsy, again not very specific but a touch of cedar - just; with a bright and beards vetiver in the background - no earthiness or richness here. The vetiver is bright and lovely. Whiffs of white pepper come and go towards the end.

I get soft sillage, limited projection and four hours of longevity on my skin.

The starts is quite nice, but from the heart notes onwards it is too generic and pale to convince. Pleasant nonetheless even in the less interesting moments, and very good when it excels. The good periods are longer, so overall it is a good creation. 3.25/5

Refreshing fruit. Citrusy. Green herbal layer in the background. A sweet berry thing mixed in. Spring flower notes bounce around in the background.

The fruit fades away. Remains floral. It's unassuming and rather matronly. The base is very lid. Leafy and herbal green, with a hint of soapiness. It's pleasant. Too pricey for what it is IMO.

Blackberry with lemon, very fresh, fruity and juicy, although the lemon doesn't smell that natural. There is a big bouquet of flowers coming while entering the second hour and, after that, woody and soft spicy notes.

Not bad, just not my style. The blackberry mixed with the bay and vetiver note give it a kind of soapy vibe. The grapefruit helps suppress that soapiness, but not entirely. Not FBW for my taste.