Description
“English Fields Collection Q&A with Celine Roux, Head of Global Fragrance, Jo Malone London and Mathilde Bijaoui, Master Perfumer.
Celine: One of the visions we had for English Fields was bees flying over the meadows pollinating all these wild flowers, so we wanted an element of nectar and honey in one of the fragrances. Crocus is such a quintessential springtime flower and Mathilde was able to combine these two ingredients perfectly. The scent captures the contrast of colours: the golds and purples and green stalks, with a dash of almond milk to emulate the dew that comes out of cut crocus stalks.
Mathilde: The honey note had to be just right for this. There are some honeys that are too sticky and too waxy, but for this fragrance I chose one that was closer to the smell of fresh hay. It’s soft and warm and quite regressive; similar to British lavender honey. I highlighted its freshness with a lavender extract. In the middle of working on this collection Celine suggested adding almond milk. It brought a new texture, almost like a condensed creamy syrup that balanced out the floral tones.
Mouth-watering honey, fresh from the beehive. Blended with the bright bloom of crocuses and English lavender. Sweetened with a dash of almond milk.” – a note from the brand.
Honey & Crocus was launched in 2018.
Reyzaki – :
Honey & Crocus seems to be the most popular scent in Jo Malone’s English Fields series, and I can see why: it’s super nice. Out of all of them, it’s definitely the one where the link to the fields concept is most tenuous, but who cares, when instead it’s such a delectably well-made, soft gourmand? I don’t get any lavender at all and just a hint of saffron; mostly it’s just a very creamy almond milk concoction with lots of honey. It’s obviously quite sweet but not at all heavy, which makes it an exceptionally wearable example of the gourmand category as well.
So I like this one very much, and it’s probably my favourite from the collection so far, although I don’t feel the need to start hunting down a full bottle before they disappear from the market forever: I feel like my little decant will do. I’ve realized that it reminds me of a rather nice honey & cream-scented body lotion I used to have, and I think I actually prefer this comforting but unassuming scent in that format – it would be great to layer with, I think.
slavcya2010 – :
MILKY, CREAMY & HONEY.
SIMPLY DELICIOUS FOR DAY TIME GOURMAND.
PERFORMANCE IS BEYOND JO MALONE AVERAGE.
THUMP UP MATHILDE BIJAOUI.
isaev007 – :
I blind bought this as a pre-loved item and I am so glad I did. I had wanted to try it at the Jo Malone store but it had long been sold out. If I did not blind buy this, I probably would not have purchased it.
My initial impressions were bitter, dusty almond. There was a plasticky, old toy accord that I found very disturbing. And at times it just smelled a bit coconutty (which I did not like). It wasn’t an immediately dislike, I just didn’t find it easy to wear or very impressive. I retested it again (this time at night) but still could not like it.
I took the risk and sprayed it on this morning. Headed straight to work after that. And oh my, it smelt beautiful. Almonds and milk and honey. Just like what the previous reviewers had experienced. Slightly sweet, but less sweet than Prada Candy. To me, Prada Candy is an 8/10 in terms of sweetness. And Salvatore Signorina is a 8.5/10. La Vie Est Belle is a solid 10/10. Honey & Crocus is a mild 6/10.
I love this. Will definitely be wearing it more often. It has also made me feel more adventurous about trying other gourmands. I would definitely recommend it as a gateway gourmand for beginners.
Edit: I have been wearing this for the past few days and am thoroughly enjoying it. The changes in humidity bring out certain accords, sometimes I get more milk, sometimes more honey, sometimes more almond. Now I am anxious because it is a limited edition. I am going to have to find a backup bottle soon. It might very well become my signature. Waiting for my gourmand samples to arrive and change my mind.
shevirevov – :
Unfortunately I can’t find a bottle anywhere; it’s sold out. This should be a permanent fragrance. It’s Jo Malone’s best fragrance.
василийкрбр – :
Normally I wasn’t into Jo’s house that much due to its pricy for a cologne.This was an exceptional thing when one day I got a very nice whiff all time from my bestie who was not a heavy handed wearing fraghead at all and to my surprise that it was this honey and crocus from English special collection.The scent leaves a very nice creamy smooth and honey sweet trail everywhere.Delight for my pleasure.Very nice to have it!
Shadow78 – :
I wanted to try this one after watching an Australian YouTuber do a review on her Jo Malone English Fields collection and had described the Honey & Crocus as a delicious, sweet, creamy milky scent. I went into David Jones in Bondi Junction where I was able to test this fragrance. It definitely has a strong scent of almond milk and the honey providing the sweet notes that isn’t sickly sweet. When the sales associate paired this with the Blackberry & Bay scent on the tester strip, it totally transformed this scent into something else! The floral notes came out and softened the sweeter, creamier notes. I’m so glad I bought this as my first gourmand fragrance and one that is more versatile and wearable that did not provide overwhelming sweetness that other gourmands do. Definitely able to layer this fragrance with other Jo Malone fragrances. The downside is that because this is a limited edition there is a risk that this may run out and stores are unable to restock it.
Update: I just ordered 2 more bottles online cos this is so addictive! It’s my now go to scent to wear to bed as it has a calming and relaxing effect on me.
AngelusMalkavian – :
The only one that convinced me enough to buy it. It’s almost entirely feminine, soft, pastel vibes which are not what I usually look for in a perfume. I’d describe this whole line as this but non more so than this one, the kind of scent a lady might were on a Sunday evening after having a long bath and sitting around the house in her dressing gown. In other words this is not a fragrance for a night on the town, or even a day, it’s more a… pamper yourself and rub cocoa butter on your legs sort of vibe and before anyone points out that my comments are dated or sexist…maybe I like an evening of pampering and if I did, I’d wear this stuff. The opening is a cuddly hug of creamy almond milk and the lightest touch of lavender which just adds to the chilled out, cerebral vibes of this perfume. There’s loads of sweetness in here but never once does it become cloying or tip over the edge into unpleasantness and this is a difficult feat to achieve. I have to attribute this to the honey in here but I wouldn’t say it’s what I expected and got far more of an accurate honey note from the Oat one. Saffron although not displaying it’s usual earthy or pronounced smell could definitely be playing a role in here and making me love it even more. The facts are, this is a superb fragrance and it smells heavenly. Is it really a proper fragrance though because it resembles own brand label or drug store confection? Yes…yes it is. It’s gourmand, it doesn’t last and it’s feminine as anything but I adore it.
civic1982 – :
I bought the fragrance yesterday together with other two of the collection and this one is the only one I’ve not tried on.
I was so intrigued by the paper sample I decided to risk.
I’ve spritzed it today and I have to say on myself is rather different than what I expected.
The opening notes are very sweet (I vaguely get the honey part) and reminds me of an actual dessert I used to eat when I was little. Then a strange thing happens: the perfume turns into an oriental fragrance and reminds me of Organza by Givenchy! It might be due to my body chemistry, but I don’t smell anything gourmand or nutty for a good few minutes. Then it settles and, even though I still get the “oriental feeling”, the sweet notes come back, much more understated but making the perfume a little less pungent. Not my favourite of the three, Primrose & Rye is the one that got my heart, but it’s a nice fragrance and pretty unique to my collection.
ba1yr – :
Love at first spray. I feel safe, warm, calm, it makes me feel just happy, protected, you smell like something adorable but sexy at the same time. Morning, evening and night, whenever you wear it, its just perfect.
Sometimes I mix it with mimosa and cardamom, the mix makes it softer, less sweet. Love it.
SLADEST1973 – :
The very first perfume I’d call a gourmand wich I really like! I was looking for one since a year, but nothing appealed to me. (Except for “en passant”, wich I find too weak).
To me this one stands out, because it gives me a non-intrusive impression of biscuits and milk, and while being very authentic (wich most gourmands that I tried lack, in my opinion. i.e. Serge Lutens Jeux de Peu wich I find disgusting), it is not a sweet fragrance. At least not sweeter than needed. I’d catagorize the whole Signorina collection by Ferragamo as extremely sweet, this one is not at all like that. It is just right, like it is. No need to add anything, nothing that disturbs me. Like freshly baked and still warm oat cakes dipped into milk.
I am very surprised but I love it. I had to give the scent time to convince me. It didn’t impress me too much right away, but now it feels very comfortable to wear.
Right now on my skin since 13 hours and I can still smell it clearly.
edka71288 – :
The honey is quite obvious and the almond is intensive as well. But I literally cannot smell the saffron and lavender (lavender, are you joking?). It is sweet but not too sweet probably because of the smell of wheat? Nothing special.
saneksurkov – :
This smells exactly as the fragrance notes read. Almond, honey, lavender and the slightest touch of crocus. It quickly mellows into a sweet, warm, cereal smelling perfume that I suspect the general public would not like. But if you are adventurous with your fragrances, this is very nice – and wonderful to see Jo Malone London experiment with perfumes that are not just the same notes over and over. Strength is good, sillage is moderate.
CODEINDIGO – :
Beautiful on its own and long lasting. I am so pleased to see JM coming out with set of refreshingly unique and more complex fragrances. This is a perfect “cozy up with a book and my cats in bed” kind of scent!
induttord – :
Almond and praline are not my ultimate choice of scents in fragrance. This one is not an exception either. And it is paired with honey that makes it smell more like “food” than “perfume” to me.
I prefer floral and fruity fragrance than…wheat, oat, rye and barley fragrance. I’d rather eat them for carbs than “wear” them as my scents 🙂 , even though I LOVE milky, whipped cream, caramel,…chocolate notes very much. My favorite ones are especially the Ginger Biscuit and Bitter Orange & Chocolate Cologne from the Sugar & Spice collection 🙂
danil98g – :
The sales assistant at Jo Malone told me this smells amazing paired with Nectarine Blossom & Honey and she wasn’t wrong! It’s the most gorgeous almond,peach and honey concoction. I’m sad this isn’t permanent.
egr – :
It has impressive staying power for a Jo Malone scent. Linear, but pleasant. Sweet almond milk. You won’t find almonds growing in an English field, but this is a decent fragrance.
sveta_k – :
I bought three fragrances from line, without having smelled them first. Honey & Crocus, Primrose & Rye and Green Wheat & Meadowsweet. This one and Primrose are my favourites. This starts out with a very strong blast of almond, and it’s very warm and comforting, especially as the milky creamy and honey notes come into play. Although it’s quite sweet, this would work as a unisex fragrance. The almond note doesn’t last nearly as long as I wish it would. The dry down becomes more of a milky, gourmand skin scent. It vaguely reminds me of the Green Almond & Redcurrant scent they released over the holidays, except this one drops the fruity currant and brings in honey instead.
pahan1235 – :
I tried this yesterday along with the other fragrances in the English Fields collection, I liked them all but this is the one which stood out to me the most! Possibly because I’m currently loving all things honey and almond… To compare to another fragrance it reminded me of a softer, youthful and more romantic take on Valentino’s Donna Acqua.
It really surprised me as to how much it evoked memories though, specifically of back when I was around 14, walking through a wheat field in the hills of Bamburgh with my sisters, making our way to the sea in the English August sun! Pretty specific, I know!
As much as I enjoyed it I’m not sure I’d be going out to buy a bottle, £47 for 30ml of an EDC – it’s very pretty and I love that it took me back but I’m not sure I need it. It’s performance was a little underwhelming, I know an EDC won’t last a huge amount of time but even so after under 2 hours no one could smell it!
mexyt – :
I was fortunate enough that the Sales agent at my local Nordstrom’s was nice enough to let me sniff the “English Fields Collection”. Take note, I didn’t spray them on skin; however, was sniffing on testing strips. Honey & Crocus leans more towards the gourmand end for me. At first sniff, it reminded me of a lighter version of Gold Knight by Kilian due to the dominant honey note. The almond milk and saffron add a creamy side to the honey making it smooth and linear. Overall, I found the scent pleasing