Blackberry & Bay

At first testing, I was a little disappointed because my expectations didn’t match reality. I really love blackberries, but in this fragrance, from the very first notes, I mostly noticed blackcurrant and cassis. Still, I gave it a chance and applied it to my skin. Over the next few hours, I found myself constantly sniffing my wrist - I just couldn’t stop. It opened beautifully on my skin. Interestingly, when I first applied it, my husband came into my room and said it smelled a bit like medicine. However, when he smelled it on me, directly from my skin, he said it smelled pleasant. I especially love the base: sweet, intimate, slightly woody. I can’t exactly describe the scent, but it’s warm and very skin-like. Eventually, I decided to get the full-size bottle. After a few uses, I’ve noticed it smells different on various parts of the body and even changes depending on the weather. I prefer it in warm, sunny weather because on cool, cloudy days it tends to reveal more grapefruit, which adds a slightly “sweaty” note - a bit too sharp or sour for my taste. It’s still pleasant, but some people might find it off-putting. That said, the grapefruit note actually smells quite natural. Longevity is very low on skin, but if you overspray it can last quite well on clothes. I’ve even been able to smell it a couple of days later on clothing when I oversprayed. On skin, though, it fades quickly and needs reapplication during the day. I don’t agree with comments calling it masculine, because on me it opens quite femininely.

I was hesitant to try this because I thought it was going to be too masculine. As soon as I had sprayed it, I thought my apprehensions had been validated, but after two more seconds, it became a lighter and delicious thirst-quencher. To me, this would be perfect for a hot summer’s day, but also during spring—and, even more particular, on a rainy day. It has a dewy morning quality about it, or just how the air would smell after it’s rained, only it would smell purer and sweeter. It reminds me of Philosykos EDP in that regard, but it is milder and more of a skin scent. The grapefruit shines through for me, but its sharpness is held back by the blackberry, which gives it a plumpier and rounder scent. Meanwhile, I almost can’t detect the cedar and vetiver because they’ve blended so well with the grapefruit, blackberry and bay leaf. Everything works in harmony here. It overall smells zen, but uplifting at the same time. If you’re into Middle Eastern fragrances, think of Paris Corner’s Taskeen Marina. It has that aquatic citrus scent profile, but this is more clarified and refined.

Blackberry & Bay is sublime, a very good alternative choice to the normal sorts of late summer/autumn fragrances that are about, that said I do think this is perfect for the height of summer too, its herbal and refreshing. It opens up with a fresh, sharp blast of grapefruit which mellows out and reveals a basket of freshly picked blackberries, and I have to hand it to JM, this is an amazing realistic interpretation of a blackberry based scent, nothing synthetic or chemically in here whatsoever. The grapefruit and blackberries intertwine and a herbal, green snap of bay comes out with some mild, floral notes to round it all off. This is purely unisex and I can picture it on anyone, its elegant, classy and very country garden-like. Longevity is decent, I get about 6-7 hours wear from this and as with all JM scents, close to skin silage, again, it lasts for ages on clothes so if you want to extend its life, mist your clothes or a scarf as well as your skin. This also smells divine when its layered with English oak & Hazelnut, it adds some extra depth and complexity :)

It feels very nostalgic to me. Like the high quality bath and shower minis my parents used to bring back from hotel stays on their business trips in the late 80s and 90s. Images of crisp shirts, polished shoes and heavy suitcases as the wind blows drizzle over the autumn bushes as you watch the taxi pulling away to the airport. Fresh, fruity and green without being artificial or cloying, it works brilliantly from top note to dry down. Yes it may not last all day on some people, but you can't expect this scent profile to do so, nor should you. Enjoy it in the moment. reapply later if you want, or layer with something else like Molecule 01 for a woodier, spicier scent that lasts a bit longer. Later in the day it is certainly subtle enough you could apply something else over the top for the evening. It is certainly one of the best of the 'linear' scents that Jo Malone and other houses like Matière Premiere produce. If you want to feel expensive yet understated, this is the one for you.

I purchased Red Roses along with Blackberry & Bay as a layering combo and it's downright criminal how good they smell together. It's a rose garden, in mid summer, large, bright pink and red roses are everywhere, and the plants have been recently watered. Sun, water, flower and plant project a rich rose, and verdant, earthy green aroma. Around the roses, wild blackberries, with their furry, rough leaves, are scattered, begging you to pick and nibble on. And you're drinking a refreshingly bright, mint-garnished cocktail. Probably something on gin. Buy both, mix them, and sure, you've paid twice as much, but you've spent less than a single bottle of Creed and have three scents (think about it...) that may be moderate in performance, but vastly more interesting, versatile (you and whomever you're with can both enjoy), and you get to play around with blends. I love each individually. Both are divine.

Gahhh this is delightful! Smells like a delicious, well-crafted gin cocktail, minus the alcohol itself. Tart, herbal, bitter, juicy, not overly sweet, just so delightful. I love trying different unique cocktails (particularly ones that aren't sweet-forward), I love the culinary experience and the way the different flavors play off each other in a mouthwatering way. This is what I want out of perfume, I don't want something perfumey, soupy, or super sweet. I want an interesting, well-balanced, delightful interplay between a few focal notes (obviously there can be more in there playing supporting roles, but I like when there are a few that the perfume is really centered around and made to honor), and this is it. I love greenness and bitterness in a scent, as long as it doesn't veer sharp. This does that for me.

If you like bay, you're going to love this. I figured I would like it, but didn't expect it to be quite so refreshing. The berries here are freshly picked off the bush, not like a sugary jam. And the bay leaf is fresh and green (of course), not dried like you might be used to smelling from your spice rack. I think this is solidly unisex, nothing too sweetie femme or barbershop masc - it sits in a very neutral, botanical place. I find that this lasts longer than WSSS (the only other Jo I have to compare), but it doesn't aggressively project or anything. I love layering this with Demeter Firefly to add a wet grassy element - it gives the feeling of drinking a tall glass of water in the summertime. I always assumed citruses to be the pinnacle of freshness, but this guy beats them all. Love it.

My birthday month and my Man got me another bottle of perfume. At Sephora I was looking for something with a rhubarb note, she directed me to this. I can't find rhubarb listed anywhere as a note, but I do smell it! When I was a girl my dad grew rhubarb and we'd break of stalks, dip in sugar, and eat like celery. I'd eat so much my stomach would react and I'd be crying in pain vowing never to eat rhubarb raw again... yet when the next summer arrived and the rhubarb was ripe, I'd do it again :) The scent of this fragrance reminds me of childhood. We'd also pick heaps of blackberries. So maybe that's what I'm smelling. It isn't floral, it's more plant, and clean earth, fresh summer rain. I love it. One of my new faves, and my Man can't resist dipping me in some sugar and enjoying ❤️

This is by far my favorite Jo Malone. It reminds me of cool and misty fall mornings by the coast. I adore foraging wild blackberries and this fragrance is so reminiscent of picking blackberries in the early morning. This scent is full of nostalgia for me. It’s green and refreshing, with a more than a hint of crispness. Much of my evaluation is based on memory of the scent because either my bottle finally went slightly off or my nose has changed. Sadly, I no longer get the scent of tart berry juice - now I mainly smell fresh celery! That note was always present, though it reminded me more of green brambles crushed under feet, but there was always a fair bit of non-sweet fruit. Ah well, this is an old bottle with very little fragrance left. Time for at least a new mini.

This might be a Top 5 fragrance for me if the longevity and sillage weren’t so abysmal: at first spray it projects about 1 feet, and becomes a skin scent in 15-20 minutes. Then it becomes nearly undetectable by the 1 hour mark. Which is such a shame because it’s an absolutely gorgeously fresh, photorealistic blackberry and bay leaf. For me, it’s the bay that elevates this scent and makes it unique. I’ve seen other reviewers say the blackberry isn’t sweet, but it presents fairly sweet on my skin without veering into candy territory as berry scents commonly do. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and fresh for me. FYI I’m usually a 1-2 spray kind of girl but I’m at 8+ sprays with this one and it’s still not quite performing to my preference.

very pretty blackberry scent, the opening is fresh, tart, and green. the dry down on my skin is sweet for some reason. i find this fragrance to project a little more than other jo malones i've tried. edit: after more than a month of owning this perfume, im obsessed with it. i found that i crave it often and the scent makes me feel so fresh, clean, and chic. ive let people smell it off my arm (bc i love it sm) and they all complimented the scent, men and women. the perfume doesnt last long as we all know, but i get whiffs of the scent throughout the day which is just really pleasant, and i also dont mind reapplying. if you plan to buy, try to sample it in store! it is a great scent but i wouldn't say it is a safe blind buy!

I found it light and refreshing. It doesn’t smell like walking through a field, or going on a hike exactly. It’s not too sweet, fruity, or even floral. It smells like stumbling off the path unintentionally and walking through a tight bush lined with wild blackberry shrubs. It has this perfect blackberry opening with subtle grapefruit undertones, it does indeed have a faint smell reminiscent of tomato stems however. It has a it has a more weak and intimate sillage as it dries down with a soft vetiver and bay leaf note. It’s bright, fun, not particularly playful, but mature. This is something a strong confident wise woman would wear, or something that a more sensitive yet carefree man would wear.

Incredible realistic blackberry! Not sweet, not floral, straight up smells like sticking your face into a blackberry bush! You even get the smell of the leaves, I guess that's the bay leaf. Beautiful, I immediately bought a full bottle. I was a bit worried about the longevity, but it lasts 3-4 hours on my skin, which is fine considering that this is a pretty subtle scent. Normally, I dislike green fragrances, and I hate vetiver in most perfumes, but here everything works perfectly. I am finally able to appreciate vetiver! Generally, everything I smelled from Jo Malone so far has been beautiful and realistic, yet subtle. I am definitely interested in more fragrances from this house.

I love love love this scent– Literally perfect!!!! Favorite on my entire shelf and also my very first "expensive" perfume I bought that wasn't the typical VS Bombshell and MJ Daisy that all the girls were wearing in high school.. Very green and leafy, with that juicy blackberry scent. I just wish the silage was better. I reach for this one almost all of the time, but if it came in a parfum form, I would probably wear it every day. Great layering piece. Love spraying it with my MM Untitled or Diptyque L'ombre dans L'eau, since those are also very green, but matches a lot of other fragrances very well. Beautiful unisex scent, would recommend to anyone.

my bottle is coming to an end and god, I really do love this scent. it's magical. i picked it up in the airport shop, it was as if the perfume was calling to me. and I'm so glad I bought it. it's just amazing. a sort of whimsical, forest scent if you get what I'm saying. to me it smells like walking through a forest after it rained and coming across a bush of wild blackberries: there is this faint, sweet-sour smell of blackberry in the air mixed with the dampness of the forest air. just wonderful and magical. i use this scent all year around, in the summer it smells fresh and in winter it smells cold and icy in the best way. i love it.

Wow. I bling bought a 30 ml bottle without knowing any of the Jo Malone scents. It smells almost like just fresh clean skin. But it's a bit spicy and sweet. Perfectly unisex. This reminds me of winter turning to spring, when the weather is still cold and crisp. The sun is shining and you're wearing something beautiful and simple. Very down-to-earth scent. I can smell the zesty grapefruit and it gives a "happy" quality to this scent. I somehow fell in love with this. It's the epitome of quiet luxury. It's signature scent material. It just screams effortless beauty. The projection is minimal, so it won't offend anyone. It's a 10/10.

Refreshing and delicious. It starts as juicy and verdant, with a subtle yet delightful sweetness that blooms into a breath of balsamic freshness. I find it subtle and playful, like a fairy frolicking barefoot in the woods. I personally wouldn't gift this to a man, unless I knew his taste very well. I never tried it in store, because I don't particularly like neither blackberry, nor bay, nor cedarwood. But then I got a sample and it's my current favorite. Downsides: lasting power and sillage are both very weak. Such a shame because I'm so obsessed I can barely wear anything else.

So good, amazingly good. It’s refreshing and tart yet still fruity in a way a lot of other fragrances struggle. Often they’ll throw in a sugar note and leave me crying but Jo Malone has saved me with this. I might need to buy a bottle when I can because this smells so good. I wasn’t expecting the bay leaf to be such a star but it makes the scent really herby and then the blackberry refreshes and it’s a gorgeous combination. Truly unisex and truly delicious. Kinda makes me think of eating unripe blackberries while waiting for stew to finish cooking in the evening.

Love, love, love! Works well with my chemistry and, without fail, every time I wear this I receive compliments. I’ve not come across another perfume quite like it before, it’s uniqueness makes it a standout in my collection! It begins with a tart/sharp blackberry note and mellows to a sweeter scent, but not overpoweringly sweet. I also get slight citrus-y notes too and, of course, the bay. I feel like it’s one of those scents you’ll either love or hate so definitely test this on your skin before committing to a purchase.

This feels like one of the best “easy reach” perfumes in my collection. It’s exactly what the name says: blackberry and bay. I would have never thought these notes would go together, and yet it’s so good! It’s light, fresh without being soapy or grating, and fruity but the bay prevents it from being overly sweet. It’s great for everyday wear - its sillage is relatively small, which makes it a good choice for most professional environments too. Staying power is pretty average, will usually last about 6-8 hours on me.