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Elizabeth Taylor Violet Eyes ~ new perfume

Posted by Robin on 18 March 2010 67 Comments

Elizabeth Taylor Violet Eyes

Elizabeth Taylor will launch Violet Eyes, a new fragrance for women, this April:

Violet Eyes is an expression of Elizabeth Taylor, an intriguing global icon. Her timeless beauty has always been highlighted by her truly unforgettable and mesmerizing Violet Eyes. The color violet is associated with imagination and inspiration, so fitting of a fragrance from Elizabeth Taylor.

“I love floral fragrances, and wanted Violet Eyes to make women feel beautiful, sophisticated, and sensual, using a bouquet of scents that I adore. It was a great joy to create this fragrance and work on every aspect of it. Everything, down to the very last detail comes from my heart and my soul. I send this fragrance into the world with love…” – Elizabeth Taylor

Violet Eyes was developed by perfumer Carlos Benaïm, who also created Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds. The "sensual floral" features notes of white peach, jasmine, purple rose, peony, cedar and amber.

Elizabeth Taylor Violet Eyes will be available in 50 ml Eau de Parfum, $52. (via press release)

Update: see a review of Elizabeth Taylor Violet Eyes.

Filed Under: new fragrances
Tagged With: carlos benaim, celebrity perfumes, elizabeth taylor

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67 Comments

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  1. APassionateJourney says:
    18 March 2010 at 7:48 am

    AHHHHHH! I was just thinking about this yesterday! Can’t WAAAIT to smell this! Do you know if this will be at Macy’s, Robin?

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    • Robin says:
      18 March 2010 at 8:56 am

      I don’t know, but if I had to guess I’d say that’s where it will launch.

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  2. scentsappeal says:
    18 March 2010 at 8:03 am

    Good morning Robin. Hoping this finds your week going well. I find it interesting they felt compelled to use an old photo of her serving to depict her beauty as it once was, instead of what still is. Guess they figure her past image will sell better than her present? I’ll definitely give this one a whirl when it hits the counter.

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    • Robin says:
      18 March 2010 at 8:56 am

      Oh yes — I’d have been shocked if they used a current photo!

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    • miss kitty v. says:
      18 March 2010 at 10:56 am

      It is sort of sad (well, ok, pretty darn sad) that they wouldn’t use a current photo. That said, I love the retro-ness of the one they did use.

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      • Julia says:
        23 March 2010 at 11:44 am

        She is so gorgeous. I love the retro picture. She is still lovely and I really like her snow white hair, but I think this picture is the way to go if she is trying to convey “sexy.” I think a current picture of her would be perfect on a gentle, white musk, skin/comfort scent.

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  3. APassionateJourney says:
    18 March 2010 at 8:06 am

    It’s now available on Elizabeth Arden’s website. Here are more notes

    Top Note: This fresh scent of Lush White Peach bursts onto the scene causes a stir and leaves you wanting more Mid Notes: Voluptuous Jasmine Flower and Rich Purple Rose create an unforgettable aura Dry Down: The Icon Delicate Violet Peony, Cedar Wood and Warm Amber are long lasting and memorable

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    • Robin says:
      18 March 2010 at 8:57 am

      Thanks! Looks like the same notes to me…just more adjectives 🙂

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      • APassionateJourney says:
        18 March 2010 at 4:20 pm

        Hahahah! Oops! They’re the exact same notes! Haha, I didn’t see the Woods in your post at first.

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        • Robin says:
          18 March 2010 at 7:16 pm

          I tend to strip the (meaningless) adjectives 🙂

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    • Karin says:
      18 March 2010 at 10:26 am

      Interesting to see all the brands owned by Elizabeth Arden. Juicy Couture? Badgley Mischka? Nanette Lepore? Britney? Mariah? I had no clue!

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  4. mals86 says:
    18 March 2010 at 8:42 am

    Actually sniffed this last night at Belk’s (having had a rare chance to wander through the sole fragrance counter within a 50-mile radius of my house). The notes weren’t listed anywhere I could read them, so was sniffing blind. I was surprised to not smell any violet, given the name of the thing. I did smell some tart fruit in the top – I think some citrus along with that peach, it’s not too sweet – and then the peony. Only after the SA noticed me and came over to read the notes listed on the back of the display did I get the rose.

    It’s rather nice, but nothing terribly new. I was disappointed in the lack of violet, actually.

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    • Robin says:
      18 March 2010 at 8:57 am

      Yeah, would have been fun (and trendy) if they’d done a violet-iris.

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    • miss kitty v. says:
      18 March 2010 at 10:58 am

      The notes sounded a lot like Victoria’s Secret Love Spell to me. I really like that one so I do want to smell this. Of course, I can get Love Spell 5 for $25.

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  5. pyramus says:
    18 March 2010 at 8:43 am

    Wish they’d designed a new bottle. That one is kind of played out.

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    • Robin says:
      18 March 2010 at 8:58 am

      Doubt they’re investing that much in the ET line at this point.

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  6. alltheprettythings says:
    18 March 2010 at 9:12 am

    Peach is a deal breaker for me, otherwise I’d try it because I admire her tenacity.

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    • mals86 says:
      18 March 2010 at 10:02 am

      It’s not very sweet, if that’s your peach issue.

      But honestly, it doesn’t have a lot of character, so don’t feel like you’re missing out.

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    • Robin says:
      18 March 2010 at 1:28 pm

      I will try it in any case, but admit it doesn’t sound up my alley.

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  7. LaMaroc says:
    18 March 2010 at 9:41 am

    That quote from Dame Taylor must have been taken from Passion or White Diamonds press. She’s rather incoherent now, poor thing. I loved her in ‘Cleopatra’ and always admired her for the way she championed AIDS research from the start. I just find this release strangely unexpected. When was her last fragrance released?

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    • Karin says:
      18 March 2010 at 10:31 am

      ET is actually not that old – 78. I just read through her bio on Wikipedia, and it says she’s in a wheelchair because of scoliosis. I know she’s had numerous health problems through the years. She’s definitely a survivor! I suspect they launched another fragrance in her name because of a contract agreement…or sales of ET perfumes do well with the post-50 crowd? (I’m almost at that 50 mark, but feel that ET fragrances are marketed to a generation above me, as when they came out, I was young, and the scents seemed too sophisticated!?) But that’s just my opinion. No facts involved here!

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      • annemarie says:
        18 March 2010 at 5:38 pm

        Yes, I’m about the same age and I always feel that ET’s stuff was for my mother’s generation. I’ve never gone near it.

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    • Robin says:
      18 March 2010 at 1:29 pm

      So far as I know it was Gardenia in 2003.

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    • margibeth says:
      18 March 2010 at 3:23 pm

      E.T. isn’t incoherent, she’s just exuberant!

      And I love that photo. I don’t know a single woman over 21 who wouldn’t rather be associated with that image.

      Perfume not docu-drama. 🙂

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  8. k-scott says:
    18 March 2010 at 9:55 am

    Man, what I wouldn’t give to have violet eyes. I mean literal eyes, like Liz has. They are so gorgeous. (I’d take her jewelry collection too…). But the perfume Violet Eyes on the other hand… I can probably give or take. Guess I won’t know for sure til I sniff, but the other Liz fragrances never set me on fire so the bar is set pretty low for this one.

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    • Robin says:
      18 March 2010 at 1:29 pm

      Even in pictures, they don’t really look violet to me. But I’d love to have violet eyes too!

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  9. Nile Goddess says:
    18 March 2010 at 10:00 am

    Anyone seen a white peach?

    Am thrilled to see peach take prominence, am still missing Mira Bai. But white peach? Puhleeze

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    • mals86 says:
      18 March 2010 at 10:03 am

      White peaches are actually very delicious. My dad grows them. (The outside looks like a regular peach, but the flesh is white.)

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      • OperaFan says:
        18 March 2010 at 10:18 am

        White peaches are among my absolute favorite fruits. The aroma and flavors have been likened (and I concur) to the scent of sweet rose petals. Really delicate flavor… yummm!!!

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    • Joe says:
      18 March 2010 at 10:28 am

      Adding a third vote for white peach deliciousness. Maybe they don’t have them so much in Europe/CZ?

      When you say you miss Mira Bai — I seem to think that’s widely available at discount websites, no? I like it myself: a very cheap thrill.

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      • Nile Goddess says:
        18 March 2010 at 12:54 pm

        I have never seen a white peach, let alone eaten one.

        Peaches are one of my favorite fruit! All were yellow inside, and there’s a ruby red variety too.

        Mira Bai is not available here. I have no idea when it was discontinued – or why for that matter. It had a certain charm, a real good mood romantic fragrance. The peach note was recognizable.

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        • Joe says:
          18 March 2010 at 1:31 pm

          NG: Check some European ebay sites:
          http://beauty.shop.ebay.de/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1313&_nkw=mira+bai&_sacat=12155

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        • mals86 says:
          18 March 2010 at 2:51 pm

          Wish I could *send* you a fresh white peach… they have a very delicate flavor I’m sure you’d love.

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          • Nile Goddess says:
            19 March 2010 at 5:16 am

            Thanks! 😀

    • Zazie says:
      18 March 2010 at 11:17 am

      Oh white peaches!!!
      They’re delicioussss!!
      there are also the pink ones, which are fun.
      But my favorites are the yellow ones..
      As usual the more I like something to eat, the less I like it as a perfume note… Peach notes are true deal breakers for me!

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      • Nile Goddess says:
        18 March 2010 at 1:00 pm

        I’m the same – with flowers.

        Just love jasmine, give me a big flowery shrub in front of my window! But give me a jasmine fragrance and you’ve given me a major headache.

        One note I love is frangipani but it’s about the only one. But then I’ve never smelled the flower, or if I did smell it during a tropical holiday, I didn’t recognize it.

        Am slowly educating myself to like rose at the moment but it’s tough.

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  10. OperaFan says:
    18 March 2010 at 10:15 am

    I really think Guerlain should just have her be the spokesperson for L’Heure Bleu… That’s still the bluest scent I know and her soultry face wold have been a perfect match.
    I also agree with scentsappeal above that when I saw the photo, I was surprised they had to use such a young photograph. Something about that photograph doesn’t ring true, as if they deliberately altered or played down the facial features so that you’re forced to focus on her eyes.

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    • Robin says:
      18 March 2010 at 1:30 pm

      That would have been a good fit…but by the time she was old enough, they were probably no longer spending money promoting LHB.

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    • margibeth says:
      18 March 2010 at 3:36 pm

      Look at Cat on a Hot Tin Roof sometime — there are those eyes.

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      • Robin says:
        18 March 2010 at 7:15 pm

        Great movie.

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  11. sarahbeth says:
    18 March 2010 at 10:59 am

    She was a stunner though! I was surprised also to see this. I like the fact that she is still passionate and (apparently) very passionate about this fragrance, like she put her ‘heart and soul’ into it. I am probably not (but CLOSE!) the target audience, and as I have expressed before I am not a celebrity frag fan in general so I won’t go out of my way to try this one.

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    • Robin says:
      18 March 2010 at 1:30 pm

      She really was.

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  12. annunziata says:
    18 March 2010 at 11:59 am

    I’m always interested in violets…but I’m discouraged by the comment above that the violet wasn’t noticeable. I will sniff, though, at the earliest opportunity. If I might digress slightly — my favorite violet was Ava Luxe’s Midnight Violet. I think the whole line has been discontinued?? Could anyone suggest a replacement for me? I do also like Borsari’s Violeta di Parma.

    And the picture does seem a little strange, or sad to me — we’re all timeless in old pictures, yes?

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    • Joe says:
      18 March 2010 at 1:20 pm

      Serena is still doing perfume oils (but not EdPs) at the following site. If she doesn’t have Midnight Violet (that’s a nice one) you can contact her and she might mix it up custom for you; I’ve had her do that with other scents:
      http://www.etsy.com/shop/AvaPerfumes

      You might want to sample Tom Ford Black Violet or D.S. & Durga Orris Root.

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      • annunziata says:
        18 March 2010 at 7:16 pm

        Thanks so much — both for the info about Ava Luxe and the other two scents you’ve suggested — I’ve never tried either. Ah, a perfumista’s work is never done…

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      • annunziata says:
        6 January 2011 at 3:39 pm

        Joe, it’s taken me months, but I finally ordered a decant of the TF Black Violet, and so far, I’m completely enamored. I read several reviews and wasn’t sure I’d like it, but I decided to act on your recommendation 🙂 Very glad I did!

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    • Robin says:
      18 March 2010 at 1:31 pm

      So far as I know, there’s no violet note in it at all.

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      • annunziata says:
        18 March 2010 at 7:17 pm

        Gosh, I thought I read your post, but evidently, there was some sort of…lacuna…

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        • Robin says:
          18 March 2010 at 7:26 pm

          Well, there *ought* to be violet!

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  13. RusticDove says:
    18 March 2010 at 2:21 pm

    Was Liz the first to have a celebrity fragrance? That picture of her is gorgeous – she was something else.

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    • Robin says:
      18 March 2010 at 2:38 pm

      Not at all. Many articles online say LT White Diamonds was the first celeb perfume, but it wasn’t even LT’s first perfume, and there are still fragrances that predate her first, which was Passion. Passion came out in 1989, but Forever Krystal (fronted by Linda Evans of Dynasty) came out in 1984. And there was also a fragrance for Joan Collins, and I’m not even sure those were the first.

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      • Robin says:
        18 March 2010 at 2:49 pm

        Oops. Passion was 1987. Denueve was 1986, Cher UnInhibited was 1988, Brigitte Bardot apparently had fragrances under her name in the 1970s

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      • OperaFan says:
        18 March 2010 at 3:13 pm

        I remember buying a bottle of Forever Krystal when it initially came out! My mother loved Linda Evans and the Dynasty series. It was my first and last ever celeb perfume though I did think it pretty at the time. The SA and I shared a laugh when I asked for the company name and he said “Carrington Perfume!”

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        • Robin says:
          18 March 2010 at 3:17 pm

          That’s so funny! I think it was done by Charles of the Ritz, but not positive.

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          • OperaFan says:
            18 March 2010 at 10:50 pm

            That maybe so, but the division and what was on the card & box said “Carrington Perfume.”! I looked at the SA when he told me and said, “Of course!” LoL!

      • RusticDove says:
        18 March 2010 at 5:17 pm

        Oh my goodness – forgot ALL about Denueve and didn’t realize The Dynasty Babes fragrances were before Liz’s. Never heard of Bridgette Bardot’s! Now I’m really curious about that one. I guess I should have Googled. 😀

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        • Robin says:
          18 March 2010 at 7:17 pm

          The BB was in France, don’t know if it was sold here.

          Here’s what’s funny: there were so many celeb scents in 1990 that people were already writing about how the category was overcrowded and the whole thing would die out. HA!! They’re still writing that 20 years later.

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        • miss kitty v. says:
          18 March 2010 at 8:24 pm

          This is a trip down perfume memory lane. I had Denueve–wish I hadn’t given it away. They don’t make it anymore. I also had the Joan Collins perfume, the oddly named Scoundrel. (I always though that word had more masculine connotations, but maybe that’s just my association.) Actually, both of those were in the Youth Dew-Opium spectrum.

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        • OperaFan says:
          18 March 2010 at 10:55 pm

          Oops! You just reminded me – I DID get a .5 oz bottle of Deneuve edt last year off evilbay. So that would be my 2nd and last ever celeb scent – the 2 purchased 24 years apart. It’s really beautiful and definitely skanky at the base.

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  14. crmax says:
    21 March 2010 at 10:30 pm

    My dad was a big-time fan of Miss Taylor. He bought Passion for my mom when it first came out. It is all she ever wore till the day he died in 2007. Her birthday is March 22. I think I will buy this for her. She will be 83. Memories…..

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    • Robin says:
      23 March 2010 at 7:34 pm

      That’s sweet — hope she will love it!

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  15. Linda says:
    24 March 2010 at 9:22 am

    I have it already. It is very pretty and light. This would be a great hit in the summer.

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    • Robin says:
      24 March 2010 at 10:19 am

      Thanks!

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  16. Linda says:
    24 March 2010 at 10:34 am

    Your welcome. Actually it smells like Celine Dion Enchanting only a lighter version of it. Very pretty.

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    • Robin says:
      24 March 2010 at 11:27 pm

      And I have not smelled that one! But I’ll smell the Violet Eyes, eventually 🙂

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  17. lydiadrama says:
    9 April 2010 at 12:43 pm

    It smells exactly like the way I remember Vanilla Musk by Jovan. ‘Nuff said. P.S. They don’t make movie stars–or scents–like they used to.

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    • Robin says:
      9 April 2010 at 2:15 pm

      So true!

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