Jo Malone: Vanilla & Anise

Last night was the launch of the new fragrance from Jo Malone, Vanilla & Anise. I was kind of dreading this because I really don’t like vanilla but was in for a very pleasant surprise. The fragrance isn’t a hefty, sweet and sugary blast – it is as light as air and tempered by the sharpness of anise, making it cleverly warm and fresh at the same time. Vanilla is slightly misleading name as it contains extracts of Vanilla Orchid, a far cry from what any lay person would consider a ‘vanilla’ scent. There are notes of bergamot, wild fennel, frangipani and white orchid and the blend is truly lovely. It goes on sale in September.