Josephine

Violet leads, in the dewy floral register rather than the powdery sweet-shop one, with rose alongside it softening the edges. Underneath, cedar and oak moss give it a subtle green-mossy floor that keeps the flowers from floating away. It stays close to the skin. Angela Flanders bottles this scent at two strengths. The Eau de Toilette is the lighter of the two: the brand's own guidance is that the Eau de Toilette is for applying more liberally and more often, while the Eau de Parfum is for people who spray less frequently and want greater longevity. The composition is the same; what changes is how long it stays and how far it carries. Violet was the fashionable note of the 19th century, largely because of Josephine herself, and this is a deliberate look back at that. Community reaction to Josephine is genuinely split, with reviewers either taken by the violet or put off by it, so a sample is the sensible first step.