FRAGRANCE | A look into Jo Malone's The Highlands Collection

I may not be a fan of Jo Malone fragrances but somehow, the London house has repeatedly endeared me to their limited edition collections. No, I wasn't entirely floored by their Lavenderland Collection (liking two out of three ain't bad, though) but I adore their Wild Flowers & Weeds Collection so much. And now comes Jo Malone's The Highlands Collection. 

Featuring four fragrances, the bottles look really pretty and dainty with painted designs of the flowers and foliage highlighted in each composition. From a quick testing at the store, we ended up liking three but went home with only two because Wild Achillea smelled practically the same (at least from memory) as Nettle & Wild Achillea from 2019's Wild Flowers & Weeds Collection. We tried to like Highland Heather but we just couldn't get past the annoying sharpness, so I'm also not writing about it. Anyway, here goes. 

Melancholy Thistle

I don't find anything melancholic about this at all because on the contrary, Melancholy Thistle opens with a bright and refreshing quality to it. It's predominantly green with citrusy nuances, joined shortly by a mild, nectary sweetness. After a few minutes, a spicy facet appears, something cumin-like. It's not much (at least yet) but it starts to steer the overall scent into a more masculine direction, albeit tempered with a clean, powdery overtone. 

The cumin is reminiscent of 1920 The Origin by Tous, albeit tempered by the mild, nectary sweetness—but not for long. As the sweetness diffuses, the cumin grows stronger, moderately projecting its funk around and turning the overall scent a bit  warmer versus its refreshing start. Nevertheless, it's no cause for worry as it's still far from Diptyque L'Autre levels of funk. That one is a literal spice bomb. Besides, the scent has this inexplicable, clean powdery overtone. The sweetness's retreat also leaves the bitterness of the green accord exposed, something I certainly welcome. 

 

But then this fragrance just can't stay put. After an hour or so, the cumin starts to mellow, revealing more of the pleasant sweetness again. Several hours later, the scent takes on a woody turn. The cumin is now gone while the sweetness and greenness fuse together to give the woodiness a particular flavor that reminds me of Bottega Veneta Parco Palladiano X: Olivo, which I had just been recently wearing. This goes on until the scent fades. Projection is moderate for up to three or four hours before waning. However, as a skin scent, it's fairly long-lasting. 

Mallow on the Moor

Sweet, plasticky violets are what I immediately get. It's something that I've come to recognize over the years, thanks to the likes of Giorgio Armani Pierre de Lune, Areej Le Doré Agar de Noir, and many more that taught me that this plasticky accord that they share is emanating from violets. Right off the bat, Mallow on the Moor smells very pleasant. 

Approximately ten minutes later, a light almondy scent emerges, adding another layer of flavor to the fold. The scent then gets a bit powdery but it's still the violets and the almonds that are prevalent. The sweetness never packs on weight, so the scent remains fresh and clean-smelling, kind of like some luxurious soap. 

 

This is basically a linear scent, where everything just diffuses over time. It projects moderately for up to two or three hours before waning but lasts quite long as a skin scent. Compared to Melancholy Thistle, though, this one's slightly weaker.

Nettle & Wild Achillea

Although technically not part of The Highlands Collection, I'm writing about Nettle & Wild Achillea here since I believe it's basically the same fragrance as Wild Achillea. 

Also a linear fragrance, Nettle & Wild Achillea is lemony, bitter, green, and grassy, with a little bit of fresh, spicy sharpness. It's bright and refreshing in a green, herbal kind of way. There's very little sweetness, which allows the bitterness to punch through. However, it still isn't excessively bitter, putting it somewhere between Sisley Eau de Campagne and Rogue Perfumery Fougère L'Aube. Still, I reckon you must like grassy scents to appreciate this. 

As for me, I like it. Performance-wise, it's on par with Mallow on the Moor.

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In hindsight, Jo Malone's The Highlands Collection has enough interesting elements that might interest you. Even if most of them don't have much to offer in terms of development, performance across all of them ain't bad at all. They're worth trying, in my opinion, but there's no time to dillydally since they won't be around for long.