Jo Malone London fans in Malaysia would be thrilled to know that they will be able to get their hands on the new Peony & Blush Suede collection beginning September 2013 from Jo Malone London Boutique in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. That’s another two more months to go right? Meanwhile let me feast your eyes with the B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. launch event of Jo Malone London Peony & Blush Suede collection last week.

Introducing…Peony & Blush Suede, The Essence of Charm

Across all fragrance of Jo Malone London, there is one particular perfumer that contribute the most to Jo Malone and she is Master Perfumer Christine Nagel. Christine began working with the Jo Malone Creative Studio back in the year 2009 where she joined a group of prestigious perfumers who also work with the brand on individual creative projects. She is known for her exciting, intoxicating and experimental compositions, something that would suits Jo Malone very much don’t you think so? Christine hold numerous prestigious awards from the fragrance industry so it was not a surprise that she was asked to work on the creation of the new collection Peony & Blush suede..

2004 – Fifi Award for Women’s Nouveau Niche Fragrance for Narciso Rodriquez for Her.
2006 – Fifi Award for Armani Privé – Ambre Soie.
2007 – Cosmetic Valley’s International Fragrance Prize (formerly Prix François Coty).
2009 – Perfurmer of the Year from CosmetiqueMag.

My breath was taken away by the full peony flower decoration at the launch. It looks like a full bloom English garden and definitely smells like one. I have always been a fan of floral fragrance so being surrounded by all the peonies makes me feel girly girl and happy!

The flower peony is huge, full and such a pretty delicate beautiful flower. It is often associated for its romantic and blousy appeal. The scent was developed based on the imagination of capturing the charm of English ballroom in the mid-20th century where women were in their elegant couture gown. Master Perfumer Christine Nagel also wanted to work with texture.

Peony & Blush Suede Cologne (RM255/30ml & RM450/100ml)

Peony & Blush Suede Scented Candle (RM270/200g)

The Scent

The fragrance opens up to a crispy bite of juicy apple, which combine with fresh almond for that softness. As for the heart note, that is when peony takes a centre stage. Christine wanted to tone down the fruity floral with a tiny bit of muscular twist. She thought of using leather but it would be too manly so Suede is used. Suede note brings sensuality, warmth, texture and it also adds a certain suppleness to it. The whole idea of the fragrance is a matter of sensation – you sample the fragrance with your nose while feeling the suede texture with your hands.

Top: Red Apple
Heart: Peony
Base: Suede

Scent Layering

The uniqueness of Jo Malone London fragrances is that you can layer different scent of cologne on top of each other. Even up to 10 scent if you like it. When asked on which Jo Malone Cologne is suitable to be layered with Peony & Blush Suede, Christine Nagel said she would layer it with Saffron, from the Cologne intense collection. No double its unusual but it pairs up very well for that opulent and striking combination of luxurious floral with a vivid spice.

Other than that Christine would also recommend layering with English Pear & Freesia to create one exquisite juicy floral, sensuous mellow touch.

If the above two choices is not your preference, try Orange Blossom for a full-on floral, flirtatious scent.