Mainstream Monday – Sniffing a Popular Perfume
It’s that time in summer where I try really hard not to complain but it’s like 100° and I’m fed up with the summer’s oppression. This is the time of the year where I have to be careful with which perfumes I wear because something that I usually love can quickly become “too much”. As boring as it sounds, I wear citrus or herbal scents.
Lime Basil and Mandarin opens as a green, herbaceous grapefruit and sour lime. With most Jo Malone London perfumes the names are merely a suggestion. So, I’m actually surprised that the basil is so prominent in this. It’s herbal, crisp and green. The citrus fades rather quickly and what is left is dry herbs and a green vetiver. The dry-down reminds me of a few old school eau de colognes with its vetiver, patchouli and moss base. It’s bitter, green and earthy but still comes across as “fresh”.
As someone that likes fresh scents in the summer, I have always felt like I should like Lime Basil and Mandarin more than I do. The issue is that I already have perfumes in my collection that fulfill all my “borderline functional fragrance/herbal citrus” fragrance needs. The other issue is that it reminds me of a home fragrance (which ins’t necessarily a bad thing since this brand does home fragrance so well). I have Agraria TasselAire in Lime & Orange Blossom throughout the house. When I wear Lime Basil and Mandarin, I feel like I smell like air freshener. But, in all fairness, my house does smell good…
Notes listed include lime, mandarin orange, bergamot, basil, caraway, lilac, iris, patchouli and vetiver. Launched in 1999. PERFUMER –
Give this perfume a try if you like citrus scents or herbaceous fragrances. Or if you like perfumes like Jean Naté, Shelley Kyle McClendon, L’Artisan L’eau de L’Artisan, MCMC Garden, Detaille Aeroplane and/or Annick Goutal Eau de Monsieur.
Projection is below average. Longevity is above average for something labeled “cologne”. I was surprised by how long this scent lasted on my skin because A. It’s a cologne and B. It’s a Jo Malone London perfume. I can still pick up traces of patchouli and moss on my skin 7-8 hours later.
Lime Basil and Mandarin comes in a few sizes (1 – 3.4 oz) with prices ranging from $65-$125 at Nordstrom. There’s also bath, body and home fragrances in this scent. Yes, even a room spray!
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Herbaceous citrus. It’s a basic “citrus meets greens” fragrance. I like this sort of combo in the summer, but I already have this based covered by the perfumes that I already own (and l like better).
Want more reviews? Try…
Fragrantica – Member reviews
Basenotes – Member reviews