If you’re searching for the perfect Winter fragrance then I’d like to be so bold as to say: stop. I have found it. You need look no further, tread the halls of Selfridges no more. Begone with the paper tester sticks that litter your handbag, cast out those plastic-lidded vials that clutter your bathroom cabinet and let me tempt you with the dark magic of Jo Malone’s Dark Amber & Ginger Lily. 

I know that I always go completely overboard when it comes to describing Jo Malone fragrances (actually, it’s usually the Colognes that get me going) but I do find that there’s something quite wonderful about never knowing exactly what you’re about to smell inside the bottle. The bottle is always the same, the packaging is always the same; the inside is a mystery.

As a person who mildly dislikes gingery things, I was initially wary of Dark Amber & Ginger Lily, but I could not like this perfume more. I love it more than Velvet Rose & Oud, I love it more than Saffron. It’s dark and spicy, it’s rich and luxurious – it’s how I imagine I’d smell if I was the owner of a big, double-fronted Georgian Townhouse and it was the day before Christmas and I was sitting in a huge, dark red velvet sofa eating bitter chocolates and drinking mulled wine. With the lights down low. Hold on – no – with candlelight. Curtains drawn against the snowy night, sprigs of holly at the windows, the sound of the church bells ringing for Midnight Mass. Alternatively, it’s how I’d smell if I was a very sexy man who had a New York penthouse and often travelled to exotic places. I’d like spicy, deep scents and I’d be absolutely brilliant at shagging.

Just seeing if you’re all awake!

I know that fragrance is a very personal thing and this fact does make me pause, always, before writing a review. However, I do always think that the Cologne Intense scents are a safe bet in that they are interesting, often complex, but not weird. Nothing screams “I’m trying so hard to be edgy!” They are sophisticated and chic and always a little bit moreish. Dark Amber does not disappoint – I’d say that it’s just perfect as a warming little number for the cold, blustery days that are about to set in.

I have the dry oil, but for maximum impact, you cannot go wrong with the cologne spray itself. It costs £100 for 100ml (which is very fair – it’s actually far less per ml than most popular fragrances) and you can find it at House of Fraser and at Selfridges.com

P.S. photograph above is mine! I was quite proud of my box-lid angles, etc etc. Still tempted to stick an Instagram filter on it, but I’ve decided to go cold turkey…

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