Jo Malone • Lime Basil Mandarin • Fragrances

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*TOP REVIEWER* Beauty4Ashes on 5/1/2013 9:51:00 PM more reviews by Beauty4Ashes

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brown, Relaxed, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Lime Basil and Mandarin is a polarizing scent. I doubt anyone would be on the fence. Either you like it or you don't. I don't, but I get why it would really appeal to some. On me it's a very sharp citrus with even sharper spice (the basil, obviously). I can see why it would be appealing to men as most men's colognes in the market are a citrus-spice or aquatic-spice blend. Something about this fragrance also reminds me of lemon scented Pledge furniture polish. One the other hand, LBM is very unique and wake-you-up-in-the-morning fresh. I can tell high quality ingredients are used in the composition and it's long lasting. The notes are very literal and the name of this fragrance is right on point. Overall, a unique, high-quality fragrance that's just not for me. Thankfully, I got LBM as a sample and didn't blind buy. As with any fragrance, I strongly suggest sampling before you commit to a full bottle.

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*TOP REVIEWER* spaflam on 1/28/2013 11:49:00 AM more reviews by spaflam

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

This scent varies greatly from person to person based on body chemistry so definitely try it before your buy it. It smells different in the bottle and morphs from a light citrus to something much greener on me after 5-8 minutes. While I adore the top notes the heart and base are not my cup of tea for the price.

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travelcindy123 on 12/2/2012 6:57:00 PM more reviews by travelcindy123

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I got this as a gift and definitely agree it is an acquired taste. It smells great on me--I don't really like girly perfumes or strong scents. LBM is subtle and good for work.

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Anna12345 on 8/30/2012 10:14:00 PM more reviews by Anna12345

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I'm surprised there are any good reviews at all. I tried this on in a store and the scent of basil and lime was overwhelming bad.
Perhaps it is my "chemistry" but I found this started to take on a nasty sour smell after only a few minutes of wear. I can't believe such a horrible perfume was ever created.

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*TOP REVIEWER* apparently on 8/16/2012 4:18:00 PM more reviews by apparently

Age: 36-43   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

No good on me. It doesn't seem to blend with my body chemistry in any way, so the effect is just me, holding a lime and standing next to a basil plant. Would be a very nice room scent or kitchen soap, but strange and alien as a body scent.

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Bubbs2 on 12/27/2011 6:07:00 PM more reviews by Bubbs2

Age: Unknown   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

It's true that what is heavenly on one person can be horrible on another. I asked Santa to bring this for Christmas and he obliged. On me, it's heaven and Santa has been giving lots of neck nibbles since he deposited it in my stocking and I applied it to my bod. On the other hand, Santa got the Grapefruit as a freebie, which turned out to be horrible on me, like the worst cheap men's cologne, though I am prepared to believe that it is heaven on others. Also got a sample of the vanilla anise, which I liked at first but am finding that it is getting on my nerves as the day wears on. Sabon makes a lovely lemon basil shower oil that compliments the Lime Basil Mandarine nicely. I am not able to use the Jo Malone bath products since they exacerbate my eczema, but the Sabon I find soothing and hydrating. I can't live without it in the dry winter months. For heaven plus plus try Jo Malone Lime Basil Mandarine with a small spritz of Shalimar.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Kayelle on 12/4/2011 2:49:00 AM more reviews by Kayelle

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

I absolutely love this fragrance. It's unisex, so it's neither too sweet nor too spicy. It's perfectly crisp and unique, and lasts for hours. Love it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* ceen on 10/23/2011 6:12:00 PM more reviews by ceen

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

Fresh, zingy, addictive, complex ... all made possible by the innovative scent combining idea that characterises Jo Malone colognes. As with all of these colognes, there is no half-way house here: you'll either get the idea and love the cologne, or you'll not and so hate it.

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Suzy05 on 10/10/2011 1:05:00 AM more reviews by Suzy05

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I love this fragrance and had to buy it after trying for the first time very recently. I tried to resist after trying it as I thought the price rather high for a cologne but retruned to the store and made my purchase. I find the scent lingers on my skin for hours which was a pleasant surprise. It starts off as a zingy citrus and mellows down to an earthy fragrance and I can see why it is marketed as unisex as it would be fine on a man. The sales assistant tried to get me to buy one of the other scents to layer it with but I did not like the result and nor would my bank manager. I like the fancy packaging (box) but could do without that if they made the product a few pounds less but that is part of the Jo Malone experience I guess.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Wyrmiax on 6/9/2011 5:14:00 PM more reviews by Wyrmiax

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

I love basil, and was hoping this would be similar to Eau du Sud. It isn't--it's very masculine to me, which is surprising, since it's sweeter than EdS, and I find EdS to be a "true" unisex, equally appropriate for men and women. LBM is like a fainter, less well-done version of Frederic Malle's Bigarade, which is again puzzling, because I love Bigarade and it doesn't seem aftershavey to me, either. So let's call LB&M a faint citrus with aftershave accord.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Brid1 on 6/6/2011 3:37:00 AM more reviews by Brid1

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

I have idisliked Jo Malone fragrances for years and in particular this one but I tried the dry body oil yesterday in Westfield and I fell in love so much that I bought one (£38) It lasted all day and I was sniffing my arm all evening. It dried down to a subtle citrus fragrance and I imagine in the Summer it will be ideal especially on holiday!

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Judy0924 on 5/12/2011 11:45:00 AM more reviews by Judy0924

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Dry   Hair: Red   Eyes: Hazel    

I received this as a gift. I tried to like it, but it always smelled like men's cologne to me. The basil really jumped out at me after wearing it a bit and I wound up giving this away to a friend. I'm not a huge Jo Malone fan--had the rose which was nice, but a little overpowering. My favorite scents are from Chanel.

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ChynnaBlue on 4/13/2011 12:21:00 PM more reviews by ChynnaBlue

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Red, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I love this scent. After many misfire purchases, I now make sure I apply a scent in the store, then wear it around for a while before I decide to purchase. I tried this on in Nordstrom after smelling all the Jo Malone scents and then went to dinner. Throughout dinner I couldn't stop thinking about the scent. I went straight back to Nordstrom after dinner and bought a bottle. It's not a floral or feminine scent and some may be put off by that. It smells fresh and clean to me and not overly masculine, though I think either men or women could pull this off. It's listed as fruity, but it's very warm and slightly woodsy, too. I just adore it and can't wait to try it layered with some other Jo Malone scents. It doesn't last as long as I would like, so I will probably also invest in some of the body lotion or shower gel to help layer the scent and extend the wear.

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*TOP REVIEWER* pennypencil on 2/20/2011 7:07:00 AM more reviews by pennypencil

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Kinky, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I can understand the middling or unappreciative reviews for this fragrance, because it's not a straight citrus cologne, and it does have a bite, or an edge that might be hard to take if you're expecting something effervescent and pure. The world is full of nice citrus scents though - Chanel's Cristalle Eau Verte, Goutal's Eau d'Hadrien, Hermes Eau d'Orange Verte - all lovely.
Although this is one of the earliest Jo Malone fragrances, I hadn't thought to try it because I imagined it would be a dull, herbaceous and not particularly sexy scent. I temped at Harvey Nichols some years ago and was drawn to the more feminine offerings - Red Roses was the one I coveted back then, when the line was much smaller.
When I was sent a sample of this as a swap extra I was quite blown away - I think mostly because I had been expecting something else. Actually, there is a warm, milky muskiness to this that swings it away from the predictable, and on top of this, the lime is very piquant and fresh. Perhaps the strange edge is a little synthetic-smelling, perhaps not. It could irk me, but doesn't, and I convince myself it's a grassy, stemminess and not plastic. I am convinced the tang I am referring to makes it quite sexy, actually.
On me, this is hardly sweet at all, and reminds me of the lime in Indian lime pickle (without the vinegar pickle part). It's really juicy on first blast but mellows down to be a pleasing but tangy skin scent, which layers phenomenally with rose. Please try this with rose - you won't be disappointed. I've been using it with The Body Shop's Moroccan Rose and it makes a sensational dark, oudy, rich and voluptuous scent. I bet Jo Malone's Red Roses and Stella would work well too.

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queenofthenile on 9/13/2010 11:21:00 AM more reviews by queenofthenile

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I found this to be a lovely spicy/citrus scent, but a tad too masculine for my tastes. In fact, it reminds me a lot of the deoderant my husband uses.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Dagney on 7/29/2010 1:17:00 PM more reviews by Dagney

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Lime Basil and Mandarin is actually quite tenacious for a cologne. I find the fragrance to be quite long-lasting on my skin and it's a pleasant scent. I do have a problem with the opening few minutes - it's quite harsh and masculine. The drydown is nicer and more mellow. I won't be purchasing a FB; there's nicer citrus frags out there in my opinion.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Noboho on 7/20/2010 1:51:00 PM more reviews by Noboho

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Medium Brown, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I tried this on a lark. To my nose it is undeniably citrus but not obnoxiously so. I usually detest citrus scented things but this one is actually quite decent. I love that it is not too loud. It isn't an overtly feminine fragrance. It smells somewhat dry and not at all what you would expect a juicy fruit to smell like, but it's fresh. The basil note gives it a quality of depth without leaving you smelling like a salad! It tempers the lime very well and prevents it from being to sharp. It's very well blended and balanced. To be honest, Lime Basil Mandarin is my first foray into Jo Malone scents. When I do go for high end fragrances, I'm more into Frederic Malle, Chanel, or L'artisan. But I'm a sucker for minimalism and the chic, extreme simplicity of Jo Malone's packaging drew me in. Their bottles deserve 5 lippies in my opinion. I'm just tired of garish looking perfume bottles. They assault my eyes! Luckily this scent didn't assault my nose. The lasting power isn't superior to other fragrances, but it's light, as it should be. It's the cleanest smelling fruit fragrance I've encountered.

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hawaiianinuk on 5/10/2010 9:34:00 PM more reviews by hawaiianinuk

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Blue    

I actually liked the way this smelled on a card and managed to convince the sales lady to give me a sample (this is a rare occurrence if you, like me, have ever browsed the annoyingly snobby Jo Malone stores). I wanted to love it - I did. But within hours my wrists smelled like stale urine. I gave it a try the next day, but to no avail. The smell was so disgusting (urine is honestly the only comparable smell) and I cannot understand why any brand would make this their 'signature scent'. Also, like any other Jo Malone fragrance, it doesn't last very long; expect to respray every 4-5 hours (although the short-lasting smell is a relief when the scent resembles urine). But yes - Jo Malone scents don't last long on the skin.

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Racey on 4/12/2010 12:10:00 PM more reviews by Racey

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

Just love it!

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*TOP REVIEWER* ascopes on 3/2/2010 12:39:00 AM more reviews by ascopes

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

My sister always wears this scent and one day I decided to try it on myself...i didn't think i'd like it because I like more woodsy scents...but to my surprise, I fell in love with this...it has long lasting staying power! It will last all day! It's a summer scent for sure...

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