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I tried an ostensibly violet-scented "lotion bar" from an Etsy shop. It was affordable so it didn't feel like a big risk, and the seller said that violets are their "favorite flower," so that's encouraging, right? Well, I must conclude that the violets they love are the odorless violets that grow in the wild in America (they're very pretty! And look almost identical to the scented variety), because this... Does not smell even remotely like violets. 😕. What DOES it smell like? Hard to say exactly... But mostly the smell reminds me of the smell of a hair salon. So... Hairspray? I don't know. I don't know what makes those places smell the way they do, but that's what this lotion smells like, and that is distinctly NOT what violets smell like, in case you were wondering. Sigh.

[vera-violetta]

Gal Collection Vaselina Violeta

Another that I REALLY wanted to like. I mean, look at it! The little tin is about 1.5 inches in diameter and decorated with glorious Art Nouveau imagery. So adorable! This is a scented lip balm from Spain. Alas... the scent is... CLOYINGLY sweet. I have heard some people describe the scent of violets that way, but I have never found the natural flowers to be so. They ARE sweet, but there's a freshness and earthiness (as well as their beguiling chemistry) that makes them lovely and never too much. This, though... This is like cotton candy. It's intense, overpowering, and gave me an instant headache. There is no freshness and no powdery complexity or elegance, just sugar. There is no ionone-induced shyness, just an unrelenting tsunami of scent. Does this smell like violets? Not like any violets I've ever smelled (alas for this balm, but thankfully for the violets). I have been tempted to clean out this adorable tin and use it for something else (perhaps maybe even another scented balm if I can find that Unicorn of violet fragrance oils...), but that would involve opening it and releasing its migraine-inducing contents. So... it has sat, undisturbed like Chernobyl, in the bottom of my dresser drawer.

If you like to wear the scent of cotton candy as a perfume (some do!) and do not get headaches easily, you might enjoy this! But if you're looking for a true violet scent, don't bother with this one, as sad as I am to say it.

[vera-violetta]

Violette EDT by Outremer

I really wanted to like this one! The online reviews were largely positive, the packaging (of which this is only one variation!) is absolutely charming! It comes in a variety of sizes, and there's even an oil-based parfum extrait available, which had me dreaming of all sorts of possibilities (scented powder... bath salts?)... But, unfortunately, it just did not suit the bill.

Let's cut to the most important question: does this smell like violets? Well, the answer is... sometimes? A bit? I catch whiffs of a recognizable Violet freshness from time to time, but it's smothered or complicated by too many other things on top of it. Too much of something like cloves at first (which can sometimes have a slight violet-like effect but only in glimpses- like a peripheral glance. Too much and the resemblance crumbles) and the "powdery" note is too dry and dusty and almost sour... reminding me of the cheap knock-off "Smells Like..." perfumes my grandmother used to buy at the drug store*. It's too needlessly complicated for a soliflore, in my opinion, which is what it's supposed to be. Scent is highly subjective, and this fragrance might be appealing to and on other people, but it simply wasn't for me.

*I am not sneering at cheap, drugstore perfumes as a whole! Some of my favorites have been of that class, and I've tried more "prestigious" scents that didn't do anything for me. But there's still a certain type I mean, haha.

[vera-violetta]

South of France (SOF) "Fresh Violet" soap

It's funny (and confusing, and annoying)... I first smelled this soap in the store a few days ago and was delightfully surprised at how truly "Violet" it smelled... So I went back today to purchase a bar, and now it smells different (worse). Was the proximity to other floral soaps tainting my perception of it? Was the soap I smelled before from a different batch? I don't know, but it doesn't smell as much like Violets as I thought it did (I HAVE smelled several soaps that did! In case you think I'm impossible to please.) It does, however, remind me uncannily of Yardley's "April Violets," another scent that has disappointed me in the past. Interestingly, I'm starting to wonder if "Violet leaf" is the common culprit here, as "Viola odorata leaf extract" figures prominently in this soap's ingredients list.

As I've said before, I'm not a perfume expert. I don't know a lot about "notes," etc. I've never smelled violets leaf extract by itself. When I pick a violet and hold it to my nose, I am smelling the flower. I don't pick a leaf, tear it up and crush it between my fingers, and sniff that too. Who does that?! I guess if you're an herbalist interested in the leaf's therapeutic properties, you might, but that's not what the "scent of violets" generally means. When people talk about "the scent of Roses," they are referring to the flower itself, not the scent of the leaves or the stem or any other part of the plant! But see, here's the thing about "Violet leaf extract": the leaves are the only part of the plant that can be captured with alcohol distillation, the most common and inexpensive method. So, adding violet leaf extract has become a way for companies to say, "Hey, we used Real Violet Extract in this!" without having to use the extremely expensive floral extract. But it smells very different from the flower itself. Is this what perfume people mean when they say a scent has "green notes"? Haha!

Anyway, sadly, I don't like it. It's too bad, especially because I thought I did. It doesn't smell like violet flowers, but if you're a fan of Yardley's April Violets, you might like it.

[vera-violetta]

Some of you may remember my obsessive posts about violets, my frustrations with finding a violet fragrance that actually smells like violets, and feeling heartbroken that I had gotten scammed in a prior attempt to replace my current favorite, which was a very obscure souvenir fragrance from France. Well... soon after I made that post, the lovely @parfoisendecembre contacted me and, being a French speaker, very kindly asked if there was anything she could do to help me find my beloved perfume again. And guys... It's here. 🥺😭 It arrived yesterday, and it's exactly as beautiful as I remembered! Here it is next to my old one (It's decanted into a vintage bottle. I'll be doing the same thing with the new one when I run out, haha)

As you can see, the packaging is nothing fancy! The paper label was obviously printed on an inkjet printer, haha! The company's website (colineparfums.com) where I purchased it is very basic and simple. They're obviously a very small company with no marketing budget, and I haven't tried any of their other scents, but OH, this one is... Divine. How do I even describe it? Pure Violet, rich and elegant, with nothing distracting over it. Freshly sweet, but never cloying. Just enough of the "powdery" component to keep it grounded with a rich, bittersweet earthiness, but never too much (which can be a problem with some violet fragrances). It's perfectly balanced (in my personal opinion). I can see why this scent was so popular at the Turn of the Century, as it's really an aromatic expression of Art Nouveau... I wanted to listen to Debussy and Eric Satie while wearing it... something spare and elegant and delicate. The only drawback is that it fades significantly after a few hours, but it's so gorgeous I don't care! As far as comparisons to violet candies go, it's more elegant than C. Howard's and more like Flavigny pastilles, which is fitting, as that's how my obsession began...

I found these in a gift shop when I was a kid (I use the tin to store hairpins now!) and how could I resist the Belle Époque packaging? The taste was strange but addictive, and... I've been obsessed ever since. I kept stopping during the day to sniff my own wrists yesterday, and I'm so, SO happy!

(Ordering from the company's website was fairly straightforward. The products themselves are very inexpensive, but I- alas!- had to pay more in shipping than I did for the actual perfume itself! That said, I was very impressed by how quickly it arrived.)

[vera-violetta]

Welcome! Here is a master post of all the Violet products reviewed here, to be updated as needed.

Violette EDT by Parfums Coline

Fresh Violet soap by SOF

Violette EDT by Outremer

Gal Collection Vaselina Violeta