Poppy & Barley

The time has come. To wax lyrical about one of the MOST UNDERRATED JO MALONE PERFUMES EVER. I love this! Reading some reviews here, I expected an extremely light, extremely weak, extremely one-dimensional, pure-powder, *basic* perfume. This is not the case, Perfumites. Sweet mittens-on-kittens, I am happy to report this is gorgeous! Those fig, blackcurrant, and violet top notes? Blissful. They're so perfectly juicy, tart, jammy, and glamourous.Those top notes are bomb and intoxicating. The blackcurrant-and-violet tart jamminess reminds me slightly of the opening of "Bal d'Afrique". The wheat, powdery notes, and poppy are gentle and warm. The zest and tang of the fruit cut through any potential for dull, gummy-eyed, cough-inducing, powder-related nonsense. The wheat is comforting. It helps me picture a calm, good-natured farmer on his tractor surveying his softly-swaying wheat stalks on their English country-side farm with soft sunbeams. The base notes of barley, musk, and bran just continue that clean, cozy warmth found whenever snuggled in the comfort of your own home. You never feel out of your depth in this perfume because it feels sheltering. This is a hug in a bottle. That 'warm hug' is reminiscent of "Sensuous" and "Body" for me! If you're finding this a little too plain and naturalistic on its own, I recommend layering it with something sweet. I recently layered this with - Hear me out - "Pink Sugar". Perfumites, I was surprised by my own genius! Just spray a little bit of PS first, let that settle for about half an hour, than spray P&B. It becomes very nuzzle-able! This could definitely be used as a unisex perfume! I'd be A-OK with smelling this warm, cosy scent on a man. I'd be happy to get a warm hug from a lovely man wearing this. 😊 Conversely, I feel *very* feminine when I wear it. As if I'm actually grown-up, mature, approachable, intelligent, and ever-elegant. So, go figure. Longevity is decent for Jo Malone - which we know isn't saying much, but I'll take it. Sillage is gentle, and - yes - does become a skin scent. Truthfully, I don't hate perfumes that becomes skin scents if I feel they are purposefully composed to settle and mingle on the skin. This is one of those scents. It's beautiful. *** Kitty rating: 9/10.

This is my first Jo Malone that I bought... expensive, $188 plus tax here in Canada, and , while I love it, I am not sure it was worth it. It starts with a fruity smell, I can smell figs but no black currants, Sadly, this only lasts a few minutes, and dissipates way too quickly The milky figs turn into sweet, candied violets, delicious, soft and powdery, mixed with something reminding me of linden blossoms , even thought this is not a note mentioned here, not unlike the one in Ciel by Annick Goutal. The scent is stunning at this point, I simply cannot help but visualize a field a wild flowers, blue sky, and shining sun. This beautiful phase also doesn't last long. The base comes quickly, and and baby powered mixed with newborn smell - gentle, clean, pleasant. I don't know what barley smells like, or poppies... The cologne looks like water in the bottle. The silage and lasting power are both poor, according to my expectations, sadly this has one of the worst performances I've seen. I think this is a perfect bedtime scent, to wear right after the shower. Elegant, feminine, gentle, soft, beautiful. Except for the poor performance and price, it's a beauty ! I don't see how a man could pull this off, unless he wasn't straight....I am getting addicted to this dainty beauty,

I absolutely adore Poppy and Barley the moment my nose smelled it! At first I was a little hesitant seeing the notes, so I bought the small size bottle Jo Malone has to test it on my skin. And to my great amazement, it was love at first smell! It smells very feminine and classy in a demure way. It does not project or has great sillage but you can smell it on yourself, giving you the comfort and satisfaction that you indeed smell amazing. They said that poppy doesn't really have a smell, so I am guessing that it is the fig and blackcurrant giving it the edge to it. The drydown is what captivated me, it is mellow and floral in a non-offensive way, its smooth, delicate and beautiful to smell I have never smelled a fragrance like this before and it is so sad to see how underrated this is. It is a great signature scent for ladies of all ages, t is not too strong nor too light which makes it good for all occasions as well. Hands down my fave so far in the Jo Malone line! PS. I sprayed this on my jacket and it was washed already and was in my closet for how many weeks, and when I took it out of the closet since I'll use it again, I got to smell a familiar scent, and omg it was the poppy and barley that I sprayed like weeks ago 😆

Received a 10 ml sample of this with purchase at Jo Malone when it first came out and was instantly blown away by how good this is. Had always been a Jo Malone lover but this was next level. Not only was it the most unexpectedly tart and sweet feminine loveliness but it also had great staying power and sillage. I rarely get complimented on my scent but I remember 2 notable compliments while wearing Poppy and Barley. I have noticed that Jo Malone florals really lose their potency quicker than most brands. I suggest always get the 30 ml so you don't have to have them waste into nothingness. I got a 30 ml off FragranceNet of Poppy and Barley, trying to economize but when I first opened it it was nothing like the original from Jo Malone, weak like water and the scent was no where NEAR as amazing. Thinking it was probably older and expiring...guess you get what you pay for, even though all my other purchases of other brands from Fragrance Net have been great! So I'm going to be purchasing Poppy and Barley straight from the source at Jo Malone not discount sites due to it's apparently delicate, quick to degrade nature.

I adore this scent. It’s the perfect blend of toasted barley and juicy, fruity fig. It reminds me of sunlit farm houses; summer dresses made of linen; the blonde hair of a child; fresh, lofty, white linens and swaying fields of golden wheat, overall evoking cleanliness, innocence and playfulness. I feel so happy when I wear it. I was re-drawn to Poppy & Barley after recently falling in love with its more mature sister, Scarlet Poppy (which is similar, but deeper and stronger). I was looking for something in the same vein that I could wear more easily for everyday occasions - and this one fit the bill perfectly. Longevity is decent given that it’s a cologne (I found a shirt in my laundry pile that I had sprayed with this two days earlier and still got fairly strong wafts of it). I should also add that I’ve received many compliments on this one - it’s a crowd pleaser. As a soon to be first time mom, I feel that this will be a perfect scent for the months to come - and love the idea of my child recognizing me with this beautiful, joyful scent.