Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Jo Malone 2008

In fall and winter, you will always find ginger in my pantry: I use it in teas, soups, curries, cakes with cardamom and saffron, ginger is just an integral part of my kitchen. The ginger in Dark Amber & Ginger is like a freshly squeezed juice, it warms me to the core, and when I wear it, I crave quiet afternoons in my living room, wrapped up in a cozy shawl, a good book in hand. It's so well balanced, the lotus and orchid were meant to be together here, to create this perfect harmony. The amber is subtle and sweet, the sandalwood, patchouli and leather more like shadows hazily combined, rather than individual notes I can distinguish.

I love these colognes from Jo Malone because, unlike her usual offers, these actually have silage and longevity.
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Toamna și iarna gătesc foarte des cu ghimbir, il beau in ceaiuri, il amestec in supe, curry, prăjituri cu cardamom și șofran, este mereu in bucătăria mea. Ghimbirul in Dark Amber & Ginger este ca un suc proaspăt stors, mă încălzește, și când il port, parcă vreau să mă învelesc cu un șal de cașmir, să iau o carte in mană și să mă bucur de frig. Il ador de la deschidere până la notele de bază: totul este atât de bine balansat, nufărul si orhideea parcă au fost menite să se îmbine in acest amestec și să il eleveze la alt nivel de sofisticare. Când notele de bază apar, este in continuare o încântare: nasul meu se bucură de dulceața subtilă a ambrei, olibanum dansează frumos cu lemnul de santal, iar paciuli si pielăria aici sunt tăcute, mai mult umbre decât note ușor de distins. Toate notele trăiesc în completă armonie, nimic nu deranjează, nimic nu pare deplasat, totul este așa cum trebuie să fie.

Am impresia că față de celelalte parfumuri Jo Malone, coloniile intense sânt mult mai bine făcute și proiectează și țin o vreme bună.

It seems like the fragrances in the Jo Malone lineup that get all the attention are Myrrh & Tonka and Wood Sage & Sea Salt. Dark Amber & Ginger Lily is a little bit of a gem that warrants at least a sample. I was gifted this fragrance and I find myself wearing it quite often. It opens with a bright ginger note that is very pleasant. It then evolves and goes into an almost green medicinal scent that works very well over sweet florals. At the end of the fragrance, it bases out into amber and incense with only a hint of florals over the top. It’s a perfect fall fragrance for any occasion. Like almost all of the other Jo Malone fragrances, this is not a monster projector. It sits close to the skin for the majority of the wear. It does last quite a while on me. I can apply it at the beginning of a 12 hour shift and still smell it on myself when my workday is over.

There is just one odd little quirk about this fragrance. It smells way better on my skin than it does clothing. When I spray it on clothing, for some reason it develops this waxy crayon type smell and I have no idea why. But on skin, it remains true to the description I gave earlier in this review. So if you sample this, make sure you test in both clothing and skin to see what works best in you. It is pretty unisex in my opinion but leans ever so slightly feminine.

Is it a really good fragrance? Yes. Am I going to repurchase when I’m out? Probably not. The price tag is very steep and for that money, there’s definitely better out there.

I’ve developed a real appreciation for Jo Malone fragrances lately, and after a streak of very successful blind buys, I came across Dark Amber & Ginger Lily. With notes like black amber, cardamom, leather, and ginger, it sounded like an instant match for my tastes. Unfortunately, it wasn’t love at first spray.

On both my skin and paper, the rose note takes center stage. Instead of the spicy, cardamom‑rich composition I expected, I get a deep, velvety red rose wrapped in mystery, supported by amber and sandalwood. It’s still a well‑crafted fragrance, but it leans distinctly feminine to my nose and isn’t something I see myself reaching for often.

If you’re hoping for a ginger‑forward, warm, spicy profile with prominent cardamom and amber, this wasn’t that for me. In that direction, I’d recommend Vetiver & Golden Vanilla instead — it captures the spicy warmth I was looking for and is quickly becoming a favorite.

The mellowness of the sandalwood, beyond imagination, exudes a powerful presence amidst the silence.

From the top notes, the mellow scent of sandalwood is followed by the fresh aromas of ginger and cardamom, then bay rose lightly leads to orchid and rose, creating a gentle fragrance that spreads throughout the tranquility.

Leather smooths the sandalwood, while patchouli forms the framework of agarwood, and incense spreads a sacred scent throughout.

The precious agarwood fragrance exudes an overwhelming presence in the calm and tranquil space of the Kodo (incense ceremony). Enjoying the fragrance by "listening" to it, as in the Kodo, and applying it to the skin allows you to perceive and appreciate its various expressions—this is the true essence of the Kodo. The mellow scent of sandalwood seems to melt into the skin, leading you to a state of comfort.

Sometimes strange things happen on my skin.
Then a designated macho turns into a purring kitten, cucumbers grow on a tennis court, Mr. Spock splashes in my grandmother's bathtub, or the riddle of the scent in the stable of Bethlehem is even solved.
Nothing seems impossible, and some scent journeys entertain better than a crime scene investigation.
However, experiencing a fragrance on my skin that presents itself so completely differently than the pyramid would suggest, making me think of involuntary label deception, is something I encounter for the first time with "Dark Amber & Ginger Lily."

It has been in my possession for quite a while now, the sample in the brown Apo bottle with its careful labeling - its exact origin can no longer be reconstructed, and it is assumed that after a first superficial sniff, it wandered to join its many brothers and sisters in the cupboard, only to see the light of day again yesterday.
Pandora's comment had made me crave a bit of the Far East, for a somewhat brighter incense against a spicy-elegant background, which would provide a contrast to the many aquatic and fruity-floral scents I have been encountering since the beginning of summer.
I looked forward to my journey to the land of the rising sun, dripped a little on my wrists -

and found myself under a fig tree.
Under many dark green leaves, a bit damp from the recent rain, the wood of the bark at my back and the ripening fruits above my head.
Somewhere nearby, lemon trees seemed to be standing, their scent carried over by a gentle breeze, mingling with the various fig aromas.
It was very beautiful, very soft, transparent, and a little spicy - yet not at all what I had expected, no Japanese incense ceremony and nothing that would fit the pyramid in any way.
Confused, I eyed my bottle - could it possibly contain a completely different scent than the one it was labeled as?

I decided to get to the bottom of it and wrote to some owners of the fragrance: Was there anyone else whose nose conveyed figs to them like mine did?
The reactions were quick and varied: While one experienced a fresh ginger-cardamom opening followed by a creamy interlude with a softly spicy, slightly dusty finish, the second found patchouli already dominating the top notes, pushing the actual protagonists to the side, soon connecting with incense and amber while almost completely avoiding all flowers.
A third explained my fig association as stemming from the combination of ginger and patchouli, and even the husband of a fourth complained to her that she smelled like fig when she wore "Dark Amber & Ginger Lily."
So I seemed not to be the only one smelling figs where there shouldn't be any, and apparently, my bottle also contained the right scent.
That was reassuring but also fascinating - perhaps my own impressions would change the following day?!
Yet even in the second and very careful daytime test, a non-sweet, woody-leafy fig dominates on my skin, giving no other component a real chance to unfold.
It is by no means loud or even brash - the scent stays very close to the skin for only a few hours, delicate to the point of fragility, and I have to sniff very closely to not lose it.
One could almost think it is a bit cowardly...