Do you like mangoes as much as I do?
The taste of a ripe, juicy mango is among the best things ever for me. Sprinkled with a bit of pepper and a squirt of lime juice, a mango is a treat I crave often, especially in summer.
The Jo Loves Mango Collection therefore was a must-try for me. There are three perfumes in the collection. Let us take a look at all of them…
Mango Nectar includes notes of Bitter Orange, Pink Grapefruit, Mango Leaf, Mango Nectar, Apricot Blossom, Jasmine and Musk.
Mango Nectar is hands-down my favorite in the bunch. A juicy. green, leafy, sweet-but-not-too-sweet imitation of nature, this perfume is a mango lover’s heaven. It is not complicated, but a straight-forward, drop-dead gorgeous mango scent, that smells, exactly – and I mean exactly! – like the fresh fruit. It’s delicious and it makes me and my kids squeal with delight (which in turn makes my husband shake his head and roll his eyes, but that is another story).
The question is do I want to smell like a mango? The answer is, unapologetically: Yes! Sometimes I do and now I can. 🙂
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A Shot Of Oud Over Mango includes notes of Mango, Black Pepper, Freesia and Oud Wood Accord.
The second of the Mango Collection fragrances combines the trend note oud with mango. An interesting concept, but one that doesn’t really work for me.
The perfume opens sharply with a hit of black pepper and the band-aid charms of oud. Mango tries to assert itself but is constantly drowned out by the male swagger of the oud accord dominating the perfume throughout. The perfume seems to me like a girl in a floral summer dress adding a rocker-chic leather jacket and combat boots to her outfit and starting to growl at people.
This is designer Rick Owens, not my husband. In all probability both smell like A Shot of Oud over Mango.
This perfume on male skin on the other hand worked like a charm. On my husband, A Shot of Oud over Mango smells incredible. He can pull off that leather jacket (just don’t tell him about the floral dress underneath!).
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A Shot Of Thai Lime Over Mango includes notes of Mango, Kaffir Lime, Black Pepper, Freesia, Mint Leaves, White Thyme Absolute and Vetiver.
A Shot of Thai Lime over Mango (aside from its unwieldy name) is surely the most interesting and complex composition of the three.
The fragrance opens with a fantastic accord of lime and mint leaves, that immediately bring to mind a cocktail (which was Ms Malone’s inspiration). A Mojito with lots of mint, crushed ice and fresh limes is conjured before my mind’s eyes, realistic down to the bead of condensation running down the side of the glass.
As the perfume develops (this one has the most distinct development of the three, the two others are much more linear), the lime recedes a bit in favor of sweeter notes of mango and a tender floral presence. In time the perfume becomes woody, vetiver makes itself known and is here to stay. Yet, whenever I wear it, I get different subtle aspects I hadn’t noticed before: a cool breeze that might be the thyme, a sweet honeyed nuance floating by once in a while, the delicious mango note familiar from Mango Nectar that plays hide and seek among the various leaves it hides under…
A Shot of Thai Lime over Mango is easily wearable, but holds a lot for seasoned fragrance lovers as well, as it develops in more twists and turns as one might expect. It is interesting and nuanced and a joy to wear.
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All in all, I am very happy with this collection within the Jo Loves line. Jo managed to capture the delicious scent of mangoes in her cute bottles.
I will enjoy spending my summer days smelling like a mango. Sprinkling of pepper optional.
Olfactoria's Travels 