As I was passing through Bloomingdale's recently, on my way to buy birthday presents and boots, I stopped by the Jo Malone counter for a little sniffage.

Lotus Blossom & Water Lily was my pick for the night, since I couldn't remember having sampled it before. It launched last year with a sister scent, Dark Amber & Ginger Lily, together comprising Jo Malone's Kohdo Wood collection.

There was an immediate sense of familiarity as soon as I spritzed, but it took me a few minutes to make the connection. While browsing the cards at Papyrus, it snapped into place: Coeur de Vahine by Comptoir Sud Pacifique, a scent I wore religiously about five years ago (I even wrote about it here, four years ago). A fruity floral with a cinnamon and spice twist, it never gained the popularity of some of the brand's other offerings - remember all the hubbub over Vanille Abricot? - so it suited me just fine. I didn't know anyone else who wore it.

Lotus Blossom & Water Lily smells nearly identical. Notes include aquatic accord, grapefruit, bergamot, mandarin, lotus blossom, freesia, honeysuckle, water lily, jasmine, incense, amber, sandalwood, musk, aloeswood and guaiac wood. (For comparison purposes, here are the notes in CdV: orange, bergamot, peach, passion fruit, cinnamon, rose, jasmine, opuhi flower from Tahiti, sandalwood, vanilla and musk.)

Unfortunately, Lotus Blossom & Water Lily is also a good deal more expensive than its more obscure counterpart. If you like it, try to grab a bottle of Coeur de Vahine before it disappears forever (it was discontinued in July of this year). Beautyhabit currently has it on sale for $37.

I still have a bottle of CdV at home, but will definitely be springing for the Jo Malone bath oil, to bring a little bit of summer into my winter baths.

On a side note, Jo Malone's latest, Vanilla & Anise, is also a "smellalike." Find out more about that one in a post later this month!