Jo Loves is a new venture from Jo Malone, and I am very excited to see what a perfumer with that much influence does with a fresh start.
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Very excited for this! What an inspiration. Watch for updates on www.joloves.com.
Why Jo Loves caught my eye
When I first saw the announcement, I wrote just a few lines on the blog. I said I was very excited, called Jo Malone an inspiration, and told readers to watch for updates on the Jo Loves website. That is still true.
I never met her, but plenty of customers have asked me for that Jo Malone style over the years: simple, elegant and easy to wear. A new brand from the same name is bound to draw attention.
The original post was short on purpose. I had nothing to say beyond my excitement, and I did not want to pad it. Looking back, that restraint seems right, because I still do not want to guess about products I have not tried.
So that is where I stand. Curious, hopeful, and unwilling to pretend I know more than I do.
What I know and what I do not
I want to be careful here. I have not smelled the new range and I will not guess at notes or prices. When Jo Loves shares details, I will pass them along, and for now the official site is the best place to look.
Jo Loves is brand new to me, so everything here is anticipation.
What I can say is that Jo Malone London is known for understated fragrances and for the idea of layering one scent over another. The Wikipedia article on Jo Malone London gives a factual overview of that earlier brand, and it is a good place to start.
Layering is worth explaining for newcomers. It simply means wearing or burning two scents together to make a third.
A citrus and a wood, say, can make something that belongs to you alone. Many of our readers already do this with candles.
Since I cannot speak to the new range, here is what I can offer: a few questions to ask when any new fragrance brand arrives.
Who makes it, what is the scent family, and how long does it last? A good brand answers those clearly.
Until I smell it for myself, my honest view stays at excitement, nothing more specific.
How to follow a new brand sensibly
New brands can be exciting and confusing at once. Follow the official site, sign up for news, and wait for real reviews before you spend big. Reviews from people who have burned a candle for a week tell you more than a launch photo.
Smell before you buy if you can. Scent samples exist for exactly this reason, and they are a cheap way to avoid regret.
If you cannot sample, look at the type of scent the brand favors and compare it with candles you already own. That gives you a rough guide.
Price is the other half of the story. A launch is often priced for the people who want to be first. If you can wait, you often learn more, and the shop may stock sample sizes.
A last practical tip for any launch: save the product page address, since new brands often add scents quietly. A simple bookmark will keep you ahead of the crowd.
Remember that excitement is not evidence. A beautiful bottle or a famous name tells you nothing about how a scent behaves on skin or in a room, so let your nose be the final judge.
Follow Jo Loves the way you would follow any new brand: patiently.
Not even a name like Jo Loves can tell you how a candle burns.
The pull of a second act
There is something special about a creative person starting again. They know what worked, what did not and what they miss. That is why Jo Loves feels like more than a launch to me, and why I wanted to share it.
It also reminds me that this industry is full of small, personal beginnings. Many of the makers we stock are small and personal, and you can often feel that in the product.
For another perfume house that moved into candles, see Juliette Has a Gun candles. And if you are the sort who wants every scent to be gentle and flattering, Because Life Doesn’t Always Smell Like Roses is a nice reminder that not every day smells like roses.
I will write about the new brand again when I have something real to say. Until then, enjoy the anticipation. It is half the fun of fragrance.
Please keep an eye on Jo Loves with me, and let me know what you hope to smell.
In the end, what makes Jo Loves interesting is not the label. It is the idea that a scent person kept going after a big career. I admire that persistence, and I hope the work is as good as the name suggests.
Whatever the new range turns out to be, I will give it an honest hearing on this blog. If I love it, I will say so. If it is not for me, I will say that too, and why.
Candle lovers, in particular, should watch Jo Loves. Many perfumers have a second life in home fragrance, and a flame is a gentler way to experience a scent than a spray.
Until then I will keep watching, and so should you. A little patience makes the first smell much better.
Header photo: Sherlock808, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
