Blue Agava & Cacao

EDIT (06-07-2020): Okay, this is crazy. This is FAST becoming one of my absolute favourites! Top 10 easily. Maybe even Top 5! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I love this! This is bloody delightful. I blind-bought this on eBay in a bid and received a 100ml bottle at a very decent price! It's amazing. As is the case with positive blind-buys: Big risks = big rewards. It's taken me ages to try and describe this perfume, but the closest I can come up with is: The most elegant, gentle, warm Coca-Cola haze. This is in no way a bad thing. It's pretty. It's intoxicating. It's sophisticated. It's sweet. It's VERY cozy. <3 This isn't a full 3-tiered pyramid to me. It's more 2-tiered only. The initial zesty-lime mingled with warm, elegant cola burst that then settles to something ever-so slightly sweet. It's never 'sticky' or sickly. Honestly, I'd wear this anytime. Longevity is pretty great. I can smell it at the end of a shift. Sillage is modest. I mean, it truly is a gentle scent. I feel it hangs around the wearer nicely like a comforting scarf, but isn't overwhelming. It's absolutely magical to smell on your own skin. This can be bought on the JM website on their *Online Exclusives* page, as well as other previous limited addition fragrances! GO FORTH, COMRADES! Another Jo Malone favourite! Also - INCREDIBLY underrated! It would absolutely be my pleasure to repurchase this again. :) *** Kitty rating: 10/10!

I have had the pleasure of wearing 3 scents from the Jo Malone range; Blackberry and Bay, Mimosa and Cardamom, and Blue Agave and Cacao. These ones I love because I believe that these partnered notes really do bring out the best in each other. The fresh spicy bay leaves, for instance, really bring out the fruitiness of the blackberries for the Blackberry and Bay scent. Blue Agave and Cacao is no different. It was actually my first JM fragrance, and I chose it because of the sweet cacao notes. I have to admit, I had never heard of Blue Agave before, and was surprised to find out it is a succulent plant, grown mainly for the production of tequila. I don't know about you; but sadly I could not get a tequila note from this. If there is one, it is very feint. What I could smell, however, are the spicy and sweet cacao and vanilla notes, as well as quite an imposing floral. I had to consult the perfume's official description for a clue, and believe it is the white lily which gives the scent its boisterous nature. Finally, vetiver and vanilla round this scent off to a luxurious, yet easy-to-wear, light gourmand. If you are after a sophisticated scent with cacao, this is the one to go for.

I was shopping at Nordstrom and passed the Jo Malone fragrances. I stopped to speak with the saleswoman. I smelled one of the fragrances. I forget which one it was, but it didn't appeal to me at all. She looked at me intensely and went immediately for Blue Agava & Cacao and insisted I try it, because she felt it would suit me. She was right. I normally wouldn't have paid this much for a fragrance, not unless it was really special and on my list of must haves. I just have too many (from drugstore to niche). I got the most wonderful dry sweetness from this. Definitely get the cacao. I wasn't struck by the citrus at the top, but now that I read the notes, it makes sense. The cacao is tempered and evened out somehow by the floral/citrus layers, which sort of hold this fragrance down and keep it from floating off into gourmand world. I really can't compare this to any other fragrance. It doesn't have great staying power on me, but no surprise there. It was still instant love at first spritz. I don't ever layer this or mix this with other JM fragrances. I just love this too much as it is. I wonder why this is so high priced on Amazon today? Is it already discontinued?

I wholeheartedly agree with miss Butterbean on this one. The most prominent note is cacao, strengthened by the vanilla. There's also a powdery flower (I guess that's the lily) that's especially noticeable during the opening, causing me to think it might be too feminine. Luckily the flowers go to the background during the drydown and the cacao and vanille becoming more lively, making it unisex again. Just like miss Butterbean, I don't really get the cinnamon or the cardamom, so this doesn't qualify as spicy. More like a gourmandy floral (or a flowery gourmand since the cacao and vanilla are more prominent). I do understand people complaining about the longevity. I only notice it slightly on my wrist now, and it's only been 3 hours since I sprayed it on. It lasted a lot longer when I tried it out in July. So even though this is a warm scent, I'd say it's more suited for the warmer seasons... This perfume is inspired by the rhythm of latin music, and I get that. So when you're going dancing (especially if it's a rumba, samba or paso doble), be sure to wear this ;) The exercise will increase your body heat and thus augment the projection of this lovely scent.

When I decided to treat myself to a new Jo Malone fragrance, this one jumped out at me for some reason. I had planned on browsing the website to narrow down my choices then go in and try some, but this scent was brought back online only, so I decided to just dive in the deep end and buy a bottle. I am so happy I did! This might just become my new signature fragrance (only time will tell). It is such a unique scent, and really settles nicely on my skin. Despite being a cologne, it also seems to last a ridiculous amount of time for me, even lasting through sweating while exercising. I've already gotten quite a few compliments on it from people too! The initial scent is a little harsh on the nose, and I was worried that it wouldn't be for me; but as it dried down and settled, that richer, creamy flavour started to come through from the cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon. It layers really well with a lot of other fragrances too, which I really love! Some days choosing just one perfume is too much! I appreciate that it has a deep sweetness to it without being overwhelmingly so, making it a great fragrance for everyday use.