I love sandalwood in perfume. CHANEL Bois des Iles and Guerlain Samsara are my favourites and pretty much bottled religious sandalwood perfume experiences. I love a good sandalwood fragrance, as I find it a calming and soothing note in perfume. In aromatherapy sandalwood essential oil is used to soothe anxiety and depression, and in perfumery, sandalwood is known for adding a gentle aroma without overpowering or taking away from other notes. Sandalwood is also used extensively in certain spiritual practices and is considered beneficial for meditation and for calming and focusing the mind. Sandalwood incense is often used in temples or on personal altars to remind us of the fragrant realms of the heavenly realms. Honestly sometimes I feel I cannot get enough.
Sandalwood is a natural note to combine with tea, and one of my all time favourite perfumes, Guerlain Un Air de Samsara. So when I heard about the Jo Malone London Rare Teas collection, I got a little excited when I read the notes for the Jo Malone London Golden Needle Tea perfume…
Magnetic Golden Needle Tea. Notes of leather and spice in the air. The warm wooden interior of Chinese tea houses in cloud-veiled mountains. A deep, burning gold. Smooth with sandalwood. Addictive with glowing benzoin resin. A dark, mysterious rare tea infusion.
What sets Golden Needle Tea apart from the average sandalwood perfume is of course the addition of the luscious tea notes. Tea in perfume is often quite subtle, as is the fragrance of tea in real life, and often I find the most elusive and gentle scents are my favourites. I like a fragrance that plays hard to get and leaves me wanting more. The airy and light scent of black tea is calming and serene, which seems perfect when trying to capture the air of a Chinese tea house in the mountains. Then, as one would do in real life with incense, Golden Needle Tea is grounded with benzoin resins. Essentially I can sum up this delicious perfume by saying it has the perfect balance of tea, sandalwood and incense notes.
When reading online chatter about the Jo Malone London Rare Teas collection, one thing stood out. People were convinced that the light, soft and often fleeting nature of Jo Malone London perfumes would be an issue. Combine that with the giant 175ml bottles and you’d think the Rare Tea perfumes are going to be super light and meant to be sprayed with abandon. Well, not in my experience. This is a rich perfume experience and not a super light eau de cologne. I’m happy that a limited edition perfume is in a big bottle as it will take me longer to use it up. The $440 CAD price tag is indeed high, but certainly no higher than many luxury brands such as Creed, Frederic Malle and By Kilian. The Jo Malone London Rare Teas collection is just that – rare. It smells expensive and gorgeous. If you love it, buy it.
Jo Malone London is sold at Holt Renfrew and Nordstrom in Canada. Not sure if the Rare Teas Collection is available at all counters. It is a limited edition collection.
DALY BEAUTY was sent a sample of this product for an unbiased review. This is not a sponsored post.
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