*UPDATE: a few people having trouble with the landing site at Jo Malone. It’s working for me (13:00hrs on Monday) but I see that it’s for UK residents only. That could be the trouble! I didn’t realise, sorry about that.*

In one month’s time, Jo Malone London release their latest fragrance, the gorgeous Peony & Blush Suede. Long-suffering readers may remember that I have a bit of a thing for Peony scents and their sweet, juicy notes but Jo Malone have added some rather wonderful twists to their version. Firstly, red apple for a crisp, fruity top note and then suede as a base. (You’ll no doubt be familiar with “leather” perfume note by now – suede is its softer, more velvety sister.) The resulting scent is one that’s quite powerfully floral but has a sharp bite, initially, and something deeper and slightly more musky as the perfume settles down onto the skin.

Readers of A Model Recommends have the chance to try the new Peony & Blush Suede fragrance a whole month before it launches and, as well as receiving a free sample, an e-vite goes to a friend of your choice so that they can grab one too! All you need to do is visit Jo Malone’s website and design your peony pin – it’s very cute, you pick a peony and the colour you like and then leave a personalised message that will get emailed through to your friend.

To get started, please click here!

A note on fragrance combining for the Peony & Blush Suede: I visited the Selfridges Jo Malone boutique and had a bit of a play with various scents. (Did you know you can have a free scent-layering session at the counter? Or a complimentary hand and arm massage? I didn’t! Took full advantage of both of these things, obviously…) My favourite combination was the Peony layered with English Pear & Freesia – it was really fruity and juicy and light. A more unusual combination was the Peony with the Saffron Cologne Intense that I reviewed quite recently – I would never, ever have thought about putting these two (very different) fragrances together but the result was really quite exotic and spicy! 

Let me know how you get on with your own sample – I know that there are quite a number of you out there who enjoy a spot of fragrance layering. Try this one with Orange Blossom too – surprisingly, because I love Orange Blossom scents, it wasn’t my favourite combination, but it’s very summery and heady and perfect for warm summer evenings.