Jo Malone CBE is a British institution in the perfume world, having created not one, but two successful brands: her eponymous brand, which she later sold to Estée Lauder, and Jo Loves, which she launched in 2011.
From her humble beginnings growing up on a council estate in Bexleyheath, Kent and leaving school at 15 to becoming a fragrance mogul, her story is a fascinating one. She first dipped her toes into creating her own signature scents when working as a facialist, concocting her first oil blend of nutmeg and ginger for her clients. She went on to open the first Jo Malone shop with her husband Gary and the rest is history.
As 2019 marks her 25th year in the fragrance industry, she shares with HuffPost the five things she can’t live without.
My Dog Teri
When she’s not running Jo Loves, you’ll find Jo walking her dog Teri.
“I top and tail my day by walking my dog Teri, who is one of my very best friends,” Jo tells HuffPost. “She’s an integral part of our family and we couldn’t be without her.”
An Eve Lom Cleanser
Jo has been using her favourite Eve Lom cleanser for as long as she can remember, describing it as “an at-home facial”. The balm cleanser is a blend of four aromatic plant oils - clove, eucalyptus, hops and Egyptian chamomile and suits to all skin types.
“It melts all my makeup away and the eucalyptus has a lovely calming effect on my skin,” she says. “It’s incredibly gentle and nourishing and leaves my skin feeling moisturised and looking plump and glowy.”
Josh Wood Tinted Dry Shampoo
Jo is a dedicated customer of Josh Wood, one of the world’s top colour experts and has been doing Jo’s hair for years. “I only go to Josh to get my hair done,” she tells me.
“I absolutely love his whole product range, but I cannot live without the Tinted Dry Shampoo. It hides dark roots and adds volume to my hair and is brilliant for in-between appointments,” she reveals.
A Pair Of Heist Tights
British tights brand Heist is created for women by women, in an effort to make tights and shapewear as tailored as the rest of the underwear in our drawers.
For Jo, she’s a new convert, telling me she won’t ever buy another brand. “They are so comfortable and completely seamless and don’t sag at all.”
She admits they are more expensive than your usual pair but are definitely worth it. We’ll take her word for it.
A Bottle Of Rose Petal 25
The latest perfume holds a special place in Jo’s heart, as she created it to mark her career milestone 25 years spent working in fragrance and on the shop floor selling it.
“I have loved the scent of rose petals all my life, so I have captured every memory of what this beautiful flower means to me in this fragrance,” she says.
The inspiration behind the scent came from a little town of Grasse in the south of France. “I went there on a sensorial journey last year to discover the magical Rose de Mai flower and drew inspiration when picking the blooms at dawn to extract the first drops of precious oil. That’s when the creative process began and Rose Petal 25 was born,” she tells HuffPost.
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