Aleta has been "obsessing" over violets recently, and she'd like to find her perfect everyday spring/summer violet fragrance. The violet is Aleta's birth flower, and when she was growing up in Oregon, she picked violet bouquets from her lawn almost every day. She'd like to find the scent that does for violets what Marc Jacobs did for gardenias: something "true to the fresh gardeny scent of the flower without a lot of overinterpretation". She'd also like her new fragrance to have "medium sillage" and good lasting power, and ideally, she'd like something that comes in a travel size so she could reapply during the day.
Aleta has access to Sephora, Belk, and Nordstrom's, although she'd be willing to buy online if something sounded perfect. She'd also be willing to buy samples. She'd prefer her new perfume cost around $50-80, but she'd go as high as $100 for something really special. Here is what we know about Aleta:
She's in her early 20s, and is now living in the Mid-Atlantic region.
She describes herself as intellectual and laid-back. She prefers gin to girly drinks, with the exception of an occasional Lemon Drop martini.
She likes to be outoors as much as possible.
She would buy all her clothes from Nordstrom, J.Crew, and Anthropologie if she could afford it. She tends to wear jeans and white shirts every day.
Her favorite historic periods are the early 19th century and the Victorian era, although lately she's "feeling a bit 1950s". Aleta watched a lot of Little House on the Prairie while growing up in an 1880s farm house in the country, and she has a lot of nostalgia for that period of her life.
Aleta likes Marc Jacobs Daisy, Estee Lauder Azuree Soleil, Stella McCartney Stella and L de Lolita Lempicka. Notes she likes include fresh herbs, citrus (lemon, bitter lemon, orange, grapefruit), pale woods, white flowers, and green notes. She's happy with fragrances that aren't overly complex, where "one or two notes pop through strongly and resonate together". Aleta doesn't like powdery or linen-y perfumes. To date, she has only tried one violet soliflore, Fresh Violette, but she was not happy with the lasting power.
What say you? Please, if you want to recommend a niche perfume that can't be found at a local store, tell Aleta where she could buy a sample online.
Note: image is ei, seu carteiro! by .mands. at flickr; some rights reserved.
I'll have to go with the classic Borsari Violetta di Parma. It's not my favorite, but it sounds like exactly what Aleta is looking for. Simple “green” violet, not powdery, lasts reasonably well and is priced nicely. It's available at Beautyhabit, lots of people have found it at TJMaxx apparentlly, samples at The Perfumed Court. Hope that helps!
Greetings, Aleta! I'll second Gail; Violetta di Parma is simple but very well done. Online discounters often have it, too, and Amazon has links to some of them. Be choosy, because it is available at a number of price points.
Another violet scent with more green is Verte violette by L'artisan parfumeur. It doesn't last as long on me as the Parma, and it is more expensive, but it is also very good. A number of perfumers have a “violet”, but not all of them are really what you'd call a soliflore. Calypso has a Violette, but after violet in the opening it is mostly a blended floral without much violet at all. Les Nez has a nice violet that is sort of weird, The Unicorn's Spell: it is a sharp, cool, dry violet, with a string-bean green note in the opening. Also pretty pricey.
Sonoma Scent Studio Viole de Violet or Wood Violet, comes in 15 and 30 ml, plus she sells samples on her site. Both are worth a sniff.
Serge Lutens Bois de Violette
Guerlain Insolence (and Apres L'Ondee, but it is hard to find)
Annick Goutal Le Violette
I know there are more but coffee hasn't kicked in yet. :~)
Does Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile have a good dose of violet?
Aleta, you could get samples of the L'Artisan from a number of places: Luckyscent, Aedes, Beautycafe, Fourseasonsproducts. The Calypso & LesNez could be found at Luckyscent.
Aleta, you can find the Guerlain & Annick Goutal at Nordstrom, I think. The Serge Lutens is probably way outside of your price range, but if you want to try it, I think you can get samples from Aedes.
I recommend CBIHatePerfume's Violet Empire. It's crisp, unassuming, beautiful, and in her price range.
Après l'ondée is not what I imagine as the most literal violet – it also isn't the cheapest – but it's so heartbreakingly beautiful – so beautiful it could make one cry – that I think you should give it a sniff!!
Hi Aleta.
You will find a beautiful violet in Penhaligon's Violetta.
According to their website:
“A soliflore, created in 1976. It is a true classic. A dark, dusky and mysterious fragrance suffused with the achingly nostalgic purity of violets.”
Official notes:Citrus, Geranium,Violet,Sandalwood, Cedarwood and Musk.
But my first choice would also be Borsari's Violetta di Parma for the historical connections – and because I have a soft spot for the beautiful town of Parma – where violet perfumes were born to please Napoleons second wife, Maria Luigia, the beloved duchess of Parma.
Penhaligon's makes a nice violet called Violetta; you can get 50 ml from their own Web site for $80, and samples are at Luckyscent and I think Aedes as well. I also like Apres L'Ondee (Guerlain, samples at The Perfumed Court) and Comme des Garcons Stephen Jones (at Luckyscent), but they're kinda pricey.
By the way, I have to ask, were your parents big Prince Valiant fans? I used to read the comic books growing up, and I always loved the name “Aleta”!
I've had violets on the brain recently as well, after rereading The Light Years (Vol. 1 of the Cazalet Chronicles) by the brilliant Elizabeth Jane Howard. Early in the book, Edward Cazalet and his wife Villy are enjoying a morning snuggle in bed, and he says to her, “China tea. I don't know how you manage always to smell of violets and China tea.” I always thought that was so romantic.
So naturally, I would like to smell of violets and China tea. Just yesterday I went digging through blogs looking for violet recommendations, and I think most of the ones I found have been listed here already. The few I ran across in my search that haven't already been listed are:
Berdoues Violettes de Toulouse, at beautycafe, 80 ml for $47 EDT and $55 EDP
CBIHP Wild Pansy, 100 ml water perfume for $60
Keiko Mecheri Genie des Bois, at luckyscent, $115 for 75 ml
Norma Kamali Violette, at beautyhabit, 100 ml for $80
Liz Zorn/Soivohle Violets and Rainwater, 12 ml for $30
I'll be trying some of these soon. (Meanwhile, I'll comment that I was absolutely furious to find out that Edward Cazalet's mistress wore Cuir de Russie. Ruined my day — and I'll probably never try it because of that darn book.)
Sonoma Scent studio has a beautiful Wood Violet (that I love) and I haven't tried Voile de Violet- but it sounds like it may be just the thing for her. the websit has samps for three dollars- and they come in perfect perfumista (1/2 or 1 oz.) bottles…
happy sniffing! 😉
I have tried the Borsari and found it lovely but very, very light. I could barely smell it at all, unless I splashed it on with great abandon.
I have not read those but I saw the miniseries on PBS…they left out all the perfume references!
Hi Aleta. Well. I could be wrong about this, but I am guessing that you will find there is a direct opposition between violet scents that smell green, living and transparent, like the flower in the ground, and those that last. I did a little study on violets awhile ago for the blog Perfume Smellin' Things, and found that most of the violet perfumes I tried fell into three groups:
1) The darker woody things–Serge Lutens Bois de Violette and it's cousins. Bond No. 9 Silver Factoryi is an incense/amber violet.
2) The sweet, showgirl face-powder-and-lipstick rose+violet accords–Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose is the classic, I'd put Norma Kamali in here, and Caron's Aimez Moi, and to me the Borsari has a lot of sweet powder in it as well, though others may disagree.
And then the category you seem to want, green+purple, transparent violet, as much about the leaf and the ground as the flower–I'd put L'Artisan Verte Violette, the Soivohle Violets and Rainwater, CB I Hate Perfume Wild Pansy mentioned above in here, along with my favorite, Les Nez The Unicorn Spell (though I agree it's a little weird, with a raw green bean opening).
Ah — I see I haven't actually recommended anything new! But I thought you might find these categories useful in terms of sorting things for yourself. Maybe try one from each category to see where your tastes lie?
And wanted to add (you can see I'm fascinated by violets, too!) that ionones, the molecules that create the scent of violets in fragrance, are a crucial tool for perfumery, so LOTS of things have violet notes, as you'll notice from the recs above, even when they aren't officially “violet perfumes.” In fact, you may want to explore some iris scents as well, since they come from a similar family.
A, could you give us a link to the article please? Might help Aleta. And agree on the lasting power issue. The lighter, “smells like real violets” kind of fragrances just don't last.
violets are fantastic! two nice and fresh violets which i love exceedingly are eau de cartier and she wood by dsquared2. none of them are pure violets, but they are fresh and feel green and have – on me – excellent staying power. i think both of them go a bit towards l'artisan verte violette, but i don't like the drydown there so much, so i stick with those two.. good luck!
It was a MINISERIES? and I MISSED IT? Dang. Oh, well, I still have my books.
I suppose the general public wouldn't be all that interested in the perfume references. I've just remembered Villy wore L'Origan (which in the original did contain violets and heliotrope; I looked it up just now because I wondered), and Sybil wore Tweed. Oh, and Hermione the elegant boutique-owner wore Bellodgia.
yes, my mom loves Prince Valiant. I always kind of hated her as a character, she doesn't seem that strong or interesting. Although last year I enjoyed a segment in which Aleta lays some serious smack down on Val for going off on a quest after being abducted instead of coming home.
I forgot one: Ava Luxe Midnight Violet, with notes of woods and greens. At the ava-luxe website, 30 ml edp for $45. Seems to be one in the darker category.
Yes, please link! Love the categorization there and would like to explore (uh-oh, more samples.)
I have every one of those perfumes she owns, except for the Lauder. 😉 Ahh violet is a hard one for me. Something not to powdery or too green. I hate when something smells harshly of violets, almost like violet dirt to my nose. Here are some of my suggestions, but I'd say test them first.
1. Fresh- Violette
2. CB I hate perfume -Violet Empire
3. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz- English Violet
has anybody tried Violette No 7 by exclusive scents Prada?
Oopsies, correct spelling is Voile de Violette.
Yes, I have heard/read good things about Soivohle Violets and Rainwater by Liz Zorn. I want to try that one. I think I may have a sample of Keiko Mecheri Genie des Bois.
I shall not read that book, as I love Cuir de Russie and do not want to ruin it. '~)
Sure thing! (Didn't want to be rude and figured she could google.)
http://perfumesmellinthings.blogspot.com/2008/08/of-green-and-purple-searching-for-souls.html
Aleta, if you check it out be sure to read the comments, tons of great violet recs.
This may be the article she mentioned?…
http://perfumesmellinthings.blogspot.com/2008/08/of-green-and-purple-searching-for-souls.html
Oh! Yes, I was right! :~)
D, it's a wonderful series — and if you already love CdR, I don't think you'd be affected by the book. It's a brief mention only — “a little breeze of Cuir de Russie reached him” — but I first read it about fifteen years ago, before I got interested in perfume, so Cuir de Russie means “Cheating on my Wife Perfume” to me. And although my favorite part of Chanel No. 19 is the leather in the vintage drydown, I'm not much of a leather fan, so I'm not missing much. At least, I don't think so… I may wind up smelling CdR someday and find out that it's actually my HG. But based on the notes, I'm guessing not.
Glad YOU love it, anyway. Violets and Rainwater sounds way interesting to me, as well, but I think the first ones I'm going to test are DSH's violet and SSS Voile de Violet. And I already have samples of Attrape-Coeur and Aimez-Moi on my wishlist at TPC.
Just what I was marinating in yesterday, a meditation on violets. A thoughtful and lovely article, and very helpful as well. Thanks so much for it!
I would love Aimez Moi by Caron for Aleta. Its easy to buy through fragrancex.com and its smells so lovely on young skin. Robin has a great review somewhere of it. Apres l'ondee is magnificent but on my skin its candied violet which i love, but sounds like Aleta may like a greener fresher scent.For a very literal violet penhaligon's is nice.
hi aleta,
my suggestions were mentioned yet, but I also would like to bring them together/support them:
Penhaligon's Violetta which is a truly beautiful soliflore
L'Artisan Parfumeur Verte Violet
GUERLAIN Aprés l'Ondeé and Jardins de Bagatelle (the last smelled to me a lot like violet and was not powdery) – if you get samples, try both 🙂
…and if you are really bold: Penhaligon's Love Potion No.9 – it is a strange one, and does not entirely fit your description, but why not give it a try?
I used to wear almost nothing but violet fragrances. Even though I have expanded my fragrance wardrobe, two violet fragrances stand out:
Guerlain Meteorites
Laura Tonatto E. Duse
They may both be discontinued, but you may be able to find them by doing a google search.
Good luck!
So pleased you enjoyed it! Thanks!
Another violet fan here. For fragrances that are mostly violet, I recommend the already-mentioned Keiko Mecheri Genie des Bois, Sonoma Scent Studio Wood Violet, Ava Luxe Midnight Violet, and Penhaligon's Violetta. The first three are woodsy violets, and very lovely. I like them all better than the highly acclaimed Serge Lutens Bois de Violette, which is harsh to my nose.
Someone also mentioned Eau de Cartier, which has a lot of violet leaf and some violet flower. Though it's not “just violets”, I love that one and recommend that you try it!
I believe that sources for all the ones I recommend have already been listed. Good luck!
Hi all,
For a green violet, try Penhaligons Violetta, found on LuckyScent for 100. For a woodsy violet, try Sonoma Scent Studio's Wood Violet. It's got plum in the middle, and cedar in the drydown, for a dry woods effect, price is 30 for 17 ml. For a dark violette, try Violette, by Calypso Christiane Celle, 55 dollars for 3.4 oz.
I agree with almost every option already offered (very much on “The Unicorn Spell”)…and I think “Violetta de Parma” could be worn and enjoyed by nearly everyone. Given her other favorites, I'd also recommend “Lolita Lempicka”; it's sort of sugary but not powdery, sweet but like a sterilized fume…also, very green and violet-laced. It does have a hint of the 90's to it, but not overly so.
She was definitely more interesting when she was mysterious and haughty, but I do remember her chewing out Val on more than one occasion — not to mention saving Lancelot and Guinevere's hides, figuring out how to live in the North American wilderness, etc. etc. You could do much worse for a namesake!
I'm a big fan of violet too, and my favorite soliflore is Devon Violets. The bottles are a bit kitchy but inexpensive, and the fragrance is just the smell of classic English violets, nothing more. You can find it at http://www.devonviolets.com/devon_violet_perfume.html (and probably some other places that I don't know about).
Hello Aleta – I hope this doesn't sound ridiculous, but my recommendation to you is Iris Noir by Yves Rocher. I definitely get a wonderful burst of violet from this fragrance. The pricing can't be beat. [They also offer a purse spray @ a regular price of $10 and it often goes on 1/2 price sale for $5.] The quality of this scent is impressive and smells much more expensive than it is!
heleviolette is right on – SSS Wood Violet is very beautiful violets, plum, woods, etc. The Voile de Violette is also very beautiful – more of a softer style violet soliflore without the woods in Wood Violet. The new SSS Lieu de Reves is an amazingly soft and beautiful violet, heliotrope, powder style fragrance. It is gorgeous and very very pretty. It is a violet style frag like L'Artisan Drole de Rose is a rose style frag.
Also, Apres L'Ondee which I'm sure everyone is suggesting.
Annick Goutal La Violette is a very green stems violet. If you have access to real wood violets, and then crush them up in your hands (stems, leaves and all) then you have the AG sweet soft violets with all the spicy green-ness in the stems…but with some sugar on top.
A classic chypre “French” style violet is the Lancome Magie from La Collection. Has a lot of jasmine and amber and aldehydes with the violet. Very classy.
Good luck!
Thanks mals86, I was just kidding. I think I could enjoy the books without ruining my love of CdR. I am always on the hunt for more good reading, so I will add these to my list.
I didn't know I liked leather until I wore CdR. The violet scents are really grabbing hold of me lately also. I highly recommend trying SSS Voile de Violette. I have been wearing my sample today and really like the subtle waft of violet. I like other DSH scents, so will give hers a try as well. Take care! :~)
Après l'ondée…sigh…LOVE
I'd say forgo the violets and go for Eau de Campagne by Sisley 😉
All the other suggestions in the other posts are great and I cannot offer better advise than a change of direction 🙂
P.
Since I'm late, there is already comprehensive response. BUT…since I've been on a violet quest myself for many a moon now…
…I would add CB I Hate Perfume “Wild Hunt” to the list, if you are okay with the dirt accord tossed into the fresh green violet mix. I find myself huffing it all day (lasts 5 hours + for me), and while the dirt is a bit more, um, soil-like than I would prefer, it's still a fun scent, with the violet dancing around the whole time.
Huh – I have on LL today and just smelled that earthy violet thing for the first time! I put it on just as a comfort scent but I guess I never get past that chocolatey-foody opening. Thanks for pointing that out!
The miniseries lacked so much of the detail that made the books so wonderful (I adore them too!). Such a fully imagined group of characters, down to the perfume they worse.
Wouldn't you have thought Sybil would wear violets?
Yes, I'd have thought something soft and powdery and very feminine for Sybil, and maybe a chypre — or Mitsouko — for Villy. Oddly, Zoe doesn't seem to have a perfume until the third book, when Rupert has been MIA for years and she has a new lover, who sends her Hattie Carnegie's Beige. (I don't know what that's like, and would love to know!) There's also a mention of the Duchy, dressed all in blue, “emanating a little draft of violets” at one point.
I do love the writing in the books. I think my very, very favorite part is the end of part 1 in the first book, where the author uses up more than half a page describing how all the major characters remember that summer. “Remembered by the Duchy as the summer the tree peony first bloomed; remembered by Lydia as the summer she got locked in the fruit cage; remembered by Neville as the summer he couldn't get off his tricycle without running into something, and he swallowed a loose tooth and waited in terror for it to bite him inside; remembered by Zoe as the summer she thought she was pregnant…” and so on, in one extremely, uncharacteristically, long sentence. And one more sentence: “And remembered by Will, whose first summer it was, not at all.” I love that!
Lately I have seen two different Berdoues violet fragrances at TJ Maxx for just $14 – purple bottle with the bulb atomizer – Violettes de Toulouse and Violette Cherie. Another great violet scent to try is Bulgari eau de Femme – lovely violet and very reasonable price.
I second the Berdoues Violettes de Toulouse; I like simple violets and quite like that one (have not sniffed the Violette Cherie).
Several readers have recommended Les Nez Unicorn Spell, and it's nice, though pricey. FWIW, on me Unicorn Spell dries down very much like Grey Flannel, which is always available (and very reasonable) at TJ Maxx..
SONOMA SCENT STUDIO!!!!
lovely and very affordable.
Just want to point out that Keiko Mecheri fragrances are on a big sale at The Posh Peasant right now, and they do have Genie des Bois for $59.
With all the love expressed for SSS Wood Violet, I pulled out my sample this morning and have been loving on it for the past four hours. I didn't think I would appreciate the aptch note, but it blends so beautifully with the other notes that I am rather enjoying it. Maybe I am turning the corner on my patch aversion?
At this point, I do not think I can have enough violet scents. '~)
Highly recommend SSS Wood Violet also!
aptch? rolling eyes
Oopsies, no patch in listed notes…rolling eyes again. '~)
I've heard such glowing things about the Cazalet Chronicles and now that I know it combines two of my passions, books and perfume, it's definitely moving up in my “must-read this” list. I love imagining which perfumes certain characters wear; I feel you can tell a lot about a person by which scents speak to them. Thanks for sharing!
Oh well – the good news is that you like it, LOL!
I wore 7 violet scents the other day to a reflexology treatment, as that is the masseuse's favourite note. She fell in love with Bvlgari Femme, Creed Love in Black and Apres L'Ondee, all of which I would class as “indirect, a bit intellectual” violet scents. There is also Equistrius by Parfum d'Empire, which Lovethescents introduced me to, and which I would also put in that category.
For “straight up, no mistaking what they are violets”, you can't go wrong with the Borsari, but I am personally in love with the same ones as the masseuse, though we are middle aged, which may have a bearing on it.
Hi Aleta,
I'm going to do a shameless plug for my blog b/c I just posted a review of Verte Voilette which I really love. (www.scenthive.com) Within the review are three links to other blogs (including Now Smell This) for reviews of Tans Des Bras, Unicorn Spell and Stephen Jones, a few other violet perfumes that are very unique.
I have recently fallen for Apres L'Ondee that has been mentioned more than once already. You must get a decant of it!