Jo Malone Oud & Bergamot & SA

Shopping in Singapore can be quite an unnerving experience, you walk in a store with buying intent and ironically you exit without a purchase… after talking to the Sales Assistant, hereby shortened to SA.

I dislike shopping in SG in general, I research well on brand/product before any purchase. Some SAs possess this “charm” to dispel consumers with their misinformation and feeble smoke bombs.

Perfume shopping is no exception, had my latest absurd encounter at Jo Malone Raffles City #01-27 earlier.

I’m not a fan of Jo Malone given their fragrances’ abysmal longevity versus their asking retail prices. The selling point was their suggestion that their fragrances are great for layering. Oh really? You are asking me to spend ~$200×3 solifores to create a unique 300ml perfume? Nice try. I pass.

https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Jo-Malone-London/Oud-Bergamot-12928.html

As I reached out for the Oud & Bergamot Cologne Intense & a blotter, this audacious S.A. stopped me and suggested that I should just smell from the ceramic instead.

Is she implying that Jo Malone perfumes are linear from beginning to end hence the dry-down on their ceramic is all you need? Or is the ceramic the actual item on sale?

Of course I ignored her and sprayed it on the blotter, she continued to watch like a hawk while I decide if it’s skin worthy.

Let’s talk about Oud & Bergamot Colonge Intense.

It’s an unusual interpretation of Oud in 2010 by Christine Nagel, I love her 3 new Hermessence hence I need to check out her earlier works. Given that they part of the “dark bottles”  collection, “intense”, and a higher price tag. Perhaps it might be worth a shot?

Oud & Bergamot Colonge Intense is unlike the typical heavy handed Middle Eastern Oud, it’s fresh and then it’s barely there…. either I’m anosmic or that’s how it should be. 

I need it on skin.  So I reached out for the bottle….

Once again, the same S.A. offered her unnecessary assistance, perhaps it looks like a training manual is needed to operate the nozzle? I did fine without the manual, and she finds it necessary to follow-up in Chinese no less.

“If it’s sprayed by me, it will be lighter and nicer. If you spray it yourself (wrongly) , it will be too strong.”

I’m effectively bilingual but I’m not sure if she knew what she was talking about, was she trying to illustrate the difference between a squirt vs a spray? Strong is exactly what Jo Malone perfumes need to be if you ask me. It will be futile to continue any form of meaningful interaction with the likes of her, let alone a purchase.

Back to the perfume, sublime but fleeting, it’s a skin scent with low silage, good while it lasts, for that 20mins on skin. Of course, try it on your own skin, there were other accounts of this lasting 6 to 10hrs on them on fragrantica.

(Co-incidentally, the SAs at the Tom Ford counter in Robinsons Raffles City & Takashimaya had similar practices on smelling the ceramic and spraying assistance. Were they both under the guidance of an Estee Lauder trainer?)