Victorian Violet

Victorian Violet sets out to smell like Parma violet sweets, and the brand says it was its aim to recreate that powdery, sugary, highly distinctive scent. The first spray is green and fresh, with violet leaf and rose geranium in front, and within a few minutes the warmer, sweeter notes of a familiar violet candy arrive. After about fifteen minutes it settles into soft, intimate, powdery and creamy violet. The heart brings heliotrope, osmanthus and green notes, and the brand's copy adds a note of sugared almond. The base is amber, vanillin and a powdery softness that wearers pick up as a hint of vanilla in the dry-down. Wearers describe it as photorealistic, candied, delicately balanced between violet and creamy sweetness, and a purple violet rather than a green one once it dries. Opinion is divided. Some call it a safe blind buy, a favourite of all time, or calming and comforting. Others meet something bitter, a sour candy edge, or a sharp, clean-baby-wipe smell, and one finds it too green. Performance reports vary from one or two hours to a skin scent at about three hours to a long-lasting day, with moderate projection of a couple of feet at first. It is best from spring onwards in quiet daytime wear, and suits wearers who enjoy a candied violet rather than a dry, soapy or woody one. Order a sample first. It is made by hand by Juliet Rose and is sold in 30 ml, 50 ml and 100 ml bottles.