Nutmeg & Ginger

Another wonderful surprise from Jo Malone. I wasn't sure what to expect, and ordered a bottle blind. I love it! It's November, it's cold, and this is absolutely perfect. It's a warm , spicy clean fresh fragrance; I love it on it's own, and it's perfect layered with other Jo Malone fragrances. I add it to Nectarine Blossom and Honey, and it's so delicious it makes me swoon. It's also wonderful layered with English Pear and Freesia. What I love about Jo Malone is the clean, fresh , and real nature of all these fragrances; they are absolutely incredible to me. I'm continually impressed by the way these fragrances always hit the mark, and smell so true to life. A very classy, sophisticated line. And Nutmeg and Ginger really is a unisex fragrance; it's such a clean, neutral fragrance it would be great on both women and men. Now I'm going to order the Nutmeg and Ginger Body Cream; I've heard tons of rave reviews from women who are addicted to it, and now I understand why. A really wonderful fragrance.

This was my first forray into the world of fragrance about two years ago. I've only taken baby steps since then, a few scents here and there that snagged my interest. My initial reason for buying this was pure curiosity, because (and this is very silly, I grant you) I was on a big Gerard Butler kick at the time and I found out that this was one of his preferred scents. Nutmeg & Ginger. It sounded so clean-cut, so simple and straightforward but warm and genial too, and, given that it's a unisex scent, I figured, why the heck not? Good lord I was not disappointed. This is my favourite perfume. I have a hard time imagining that I will ever find one that I like better. It is both fresh and warm, laid back and sophisticated. I know I've seen complaints about it lacking sweeter undertones, but that's what makes it so perfect to me, as someone who likes a sharp fragrance (and it is sharp.) Even my sister likes it, and she can't stand most perfumes.

This is yet another perfume I have had for years and I guess I never got around to writing about it. I've been wearing it quite a lot lately, and I absolutely love it! I definitely get fresh ginger root in the beginning, but the biggest note turns out to be pure, very realistic nutmeg. To me this is not a gingerbread or baked goods type of fragrance because the raw essence of nutmeg is just too strong. The flavor of pure nutmeg is kind of citrusy and soapy. This fragrance reminds me of an iced tea that I get from a local café that has lemongrass and freshly grated nutmeg in it. By the time you get to the bottom of the glass where the grated nutmeg has sunken, it tastes like a bar of soap, honestly. But I love it! I love the taste, and I love to wear it! Definitely an androgynous fragrance. I layer it with Vanilla & Anise sometimes, a marvelously aromatic combo. This is definitely a keeper.

This is one perfume that I would say is great as it is .... With one caveat. Pros: The lemon opening The nutmeg The ginger Cons: Dries down into a musty note that is typical in Jo Malone fragrances. Turns very powdery on me. Turns into an iris fragrance. 😭 The truth is I loved this perfume for a long time. I wish the nutmeg & ginger didn’t turn to a powdery iris fragrance. No need to make this formulation into a ‘sweeter ginger’ scent as quite a few are suggesting. To those I ask 'why not just layer this with your marshmallow-sugar-plum-caramel-drizzle to create that dessert sugar bomb you crave'? The lack of sweetness in this one is precisely what makes this perfume UNIQUE. Even despite the annoying musty dry down, I love this and I couldn’t forget about it since I smelled it in the Jo Malone store in Covent Garden like 10 years ago.

The original, and still one of Jo's best. Bright ginger, almost lemony in its sharpness and heat giving way to richer nutmeg and aromatic sandalwood. It is linear but sometimes there isn't anything wrong with uncomplicated. This reminds me of Christmas, and I always treat myself to a cologne, bath oil and body creme at the beginning of December. If I feel the need to make it more feminine I combine with Vanilla and Anise. My skin amplifies spice in any fragrance and generally turns florals stale, so this works brilliantly for me lasting a good 6 hours. Would work equally well for a man! Try combining with Pomegranate Noir for a surprisingly clean, fresh twist. Very unexpected.