As I say in the video: credit where credit’s due. Regular readers will know that I’m not the world’s most fervent supporter of the output of Jo Malone London (for reasons I’ve outlined in the past). But with one of their latest releases – Starlit Mandarin & Honey – the brand show that it is possible to do ‘quiet and unassuming’ without descending to insipid blandness. I reviewed the fragrance in a recent episode of Love At First Scent, which you can find at this link: Jo Malone Starlit Mandarin & Honey review.

If the price we have to pay for compositions of this sort to smell convincing is that they don’t last terribly long, then you won’t get any complaints from me. I realise ‘performance’ is currently seen as the be all and end all of perfume creation, but thank goodness Yann Vasnier was allowed to ignore such nonsense when putting together this piece of work, and to permit it develop at its own pace, according to its own, particular story. The result is as charming as it is simple: a burst of citrus, placed over a translucent, non-cloying honey note. Whether such limpid compositions justify the Jo Malone price tags is another question. But that issue aside, Starlit Mandarin & Honey is one of the most likeable fragrances we’ve had from the house for quite a while.

Persolaise

[Jo Malone London Starlit Mandarin & Honey review based on a sample provided by the brand in 2021.]


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