Wood Sage & Sea Salt Jo Malone 2014 Cologne

The first 20 minutes reveal an incredibly fresh and natural note that you simply associate with a well-tended white sandy beach. There is a little wind, you can hear the waves. That's how I imagine this fragrance. This character is mainly conveyed by the sea salt, which actually works very well.

In the dry-down, however, the scent changes dramatically. The sea breeze is extinguished. After a relaxing day on the beach, you are now sitting in your vacation apartment. Because a small storm has rolled in. You make yourself comfortable, read a book, maybe even light the fire, because it's already dark and now it's rather chilly. In the dry-down, the fragrance gains a note of wood sage, which gives off a lovely warm, woody scent. As beautiful as the opening is and as mediocre-good as the dry-down is, its performance is poor. Yes, Jo Malone is not known for its longevity and doesn't necessarily want it to be, but it has never been as bad as here.

To sum up, the opening remains almost perfect. The idea of a "sea breeze" is successfully implemented. In the dry-down, the wood sage is not necessarily bad, but it doesn't smell very special or of high quality either. Coupled with the grotty performance, it remains a perfume that is a nice idea but cannot score points in practice.