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Helen Mirren's favorite luxury scents are on sale at Nordstrom: 'They don't overpower anyone'
If you like to smell good, you've probably heard of Jo Malone London. The English brand is behind many celebs' favorite scents, and that includes none other than Dame Helen Mirren. The celebrated actress gave Harpers Bazaar UK a look inside her beauty bag, and it included Jo Malone's Blackberry & Bay Cologne. However, Mirren admitted she doesn't have a signature scent — she's constantly switching things up between the brand's luxurious fragrances.
Jo Malone London Blackberry & Bay Cologne, 1.7 Ounces
$98$115Save $17Jo Malone London Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne, 3.4 Ounces
$140$165Save $25Jo Malone London English Pear & Freesia Cologne and Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne Set
$43$50Save $7Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin Scented Home Candle, 7 Ounces
$68$80Save $12Jo Malone London English Pear & Freesia Body & Hand Wash, 8.5 Ounces
$44$52Save $8Jo Malone London Myrrh & Tonka Cologne Intense, 3.4 Ounces
$191$225Save $34
"I love all the Jo Malone perfumes. They're wonderful," she says in the video. "They're just nice and light, they don't overpower anyone. They’re just sort of natural, human perfumes somehow, if you know what I mean — not too heavy."
If you want to check out Jo Malone's scents, now is a good time: Nordstrom is offering up to 15% off select Jo Malone London products, including perfume, candles and hand soaps. Take a look below at some of the brand's top-rated options, whether you're adding to your collection or on the hunt for Mother's Day gift ideas.
This Helen Mirren-approved perfume has notes of blackberries, cedarwood and bay leaves. It "evokes childhood memories of blackberry picking, stained lips and sticky palms," the brand says.
"It's kind of unassuming in the bottle, but once applied it dries down to something lovely and yummy and just a little bit warm," said one Nordstrom reviewer.
You might want to spring for the bigger size of this popular scent, the most popular on Nordstrom's website with over 1,600 five-star reviews. Meghan Markle and Sofia Richie are said to be fans too. The woody, mineral scent features notes of ambrette seeds, sea salt and sage.
"This was my first purchase of a Jo Malone fragrance, and it won't be my last," said one happy customer. "The best way to describe this is to imagine yourself at sunset, late October, watching the waves crash onto the beach. This scent is the cashmere shawl that you would want to wrap around your shoulders to softly warm you. It doesn't get any better than this."
If you want to try the brand's best-selling fragrances for less, consider this set. It comes with two 0.3-ounce samples that you can try before committing to a bigger bottle. The small sizes are also great for travel or keeping in your handbag.
Some shoppers like to layer the scents. "The best scent duo," wrote one reviewer. "Lovely combination that lasts."
Someone gifted me this candle once, and while it has a 45-hour burn time, I blazed through it in a month. The scent is so refreshing, I wanted my entire home to smell like it all the time. It has notes of limes, mandarin, basil and white thyme. It makes a great present — it even comes in a box with a bow on top — and it's also Catherine Zeta-Jones' fave.
"This candle is great!" shared a five-star fan. "It is my second Jo Malone home candle and the quality never fails. It's well worth the investment as it lasts longer and has a stronger scent than most others. This one is my new favorite. The scent is fresh and light and perfect for summer."
Who doesn't love a fancy hand soap? This one features notes of pears, freesia and patchouli. The scent and elegant packaging make it a natural fit for your guest bathroom, but it doubles as a body wash.
One Nordstrom shopper called it a "daily luxury," explaining that they use it as a shower gel. "Perhaps a little extravagant, but I haven't been able to find anything else cheaper that I really like as much. Plus, when you layer it with the body cream and perfume, the lovely fragrance lasts all day."
This popular choice is among the brand's deeper, stronger fragrances. It has notes of lavender, tonka bean and omumbiri myrrh.
"It’s one of those beautiful fragrances that carries an atmosphere," wrote one reviewer. "Dark, alluring, sensual — I'm none of those things, but I smell like it when I’m wearing this."
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.