Which Jo Milano Paris sample to try first
Jo Milano Paris sorts its Parfums into the Game of Spades, named after cards, poker and gemstones. Eight samples in order of popularity, and how to choose between them.
Jo Milano Paris is known for one idea carried through with discipline: Game of Spades, a line of Parfums named after card and poker terms or gemstones, each in its own coloured bottle with a spade emblem. Boxes are patterned with card-suit symbols and marked Parfum. Behind the theme sit quite different perfumes, from sunlit citrus with ginger to hazelnut and caramel. The names tell you nothing about the smell, which is the practical reason to begin with a Jo Milano Paris sample and let your skin decide.
Jo Milano Paris: eight samples, ordered by popularity
We ordered the samples on our list by the position each perfume holds on the Fragrantica popularity list of the house, as captured by NicheGems on 7 October 2026. Popularity shows how much a perfume is discussed, not how good it is. Notes are given as the house records them.
Game of Spades Wildcard (2022) is called an unconventional blend. It runs from bergamot, flowers and coriander through apple, ambroxan and vanilla to tonka bean and woody notes.
Game of Spades Full-House (2024) is the citrus one: Calabrian bergamot, Sicilian orange and citron, then Tunisian neroli, Nigerian ginger and Ceylon cinnamon, over Chinese black tea, guaiac wood, olibanum and ambroxan.
Game of Spades Royale is the gourmand: hazelnut and cacao, jasmine sambac and cedar, then caramel, ambroxan and moss.
Game of Spades King (2021) is warm and fruity, with orange, lemon and bergamot over amber, Madagascar vanilla and white musk.
Game of Spades Emerald (2025) is fresh and spicy: bergamot, ginger and grapefruit, orange blossom and neroli, then musk and ambrette.
Game of Spades Bonus (2025) mixes citrus and mint with May rose, apricot and basil, and ends on dates, ambrette and fig.
Game of Spades Double Bonus (2025) opens on bergamot and orange, adds cardamom, nutmeg and pink pepper, and has a single base note, Java vetiver oil.
Game of Spades No Limit (2025) is the unusual one: rosemary and Sicilian mandarin, then coffee, coconut, iris and milk chocolate, over agarwood and tonka bean.
Game of Spades Black Sapphire completes the nine and has no popularity rank on our records yet. The house describes a modern-luxury parfum for day into evening: pear, bergamot, mandarin and ginger, orange blossom and Georgywood, over musk, Ambrofix, Akigalawood and cedar.
The Jo Milano Paris note map
Citrus opens most of the line, so the differences sit lower down. Ginger links Full-House, Emerald and Black Sapphire, and neroli links Full-House, Emerald and Double Bonus. Vanilla sits in Wildcard and King, while caramel in Royale and coffee and chocolate in No Limit form the gourmand side. The bases are mostly ambroxan, in Wildcard, Full-House and Royale, and musk, in King, Emerald and Black Sapphire. Browse more of the family through citrus perfume samples and gourmand perfume samples.
A first order of Wildcard, Full-House and Royale covers vanilla, citrus and hazelnut. Double Bonus and No Limit make good second-round choices once you know whether you lean fresh or sweet. How to test perfume on skin gives a simple routine, evening perfume samples suits the darker ones, and summer perfume samples suits Emerald and Bonus.
From Jo Milano Paris sample to bottle
If one holds up over several wearings, the bottle is the next step. Our vial is filled by FragranceGems from the original bottle and labelled by us; Jo Milano Paris is not involved and it is not a brand sample. The first perfume in full size is at Jo Milano Paris Game of Spades Wildcard. The sample set page shows how to combine vials, and the FAQ covers filling and labels.
FAQ
Which Jo Milano Paris sample should I try first?
Game of Spades Wildcard. It leads the Fragrantica popularity list for the house on our records, and its bergamot, apple, vanilla and tonka bean make it a good first read of the line.
Do the card and poker names tell me anything about the smell?
No. Wildcard is a vanilla and tonka scent, Full-House is citrus and ginger, and Royale is hazelnut and caramel, all under the same spade emblem. The note lists, not the names, are the guide.
Are all the Game of Spades perfumes Parfum concentration?
The house markets them as Parfum and the boxes say so. Each sample is labelled with the perfume name, so you can keep the eight apart while you compare them over a few days.
