Saturday, July 9, 2011

Victorian Era, Violets and Sonoma Scents - Part III

Photo credit: Sonoma Scent Studio

Last month the mailman left by my door a package that came from California. The fragrant box contained Sonoma's fragrances. What a surprise! It was pure joy when I found out that the perfumer Laurie Erickson, had sent me, besides almost the entire collection, not one but 02 violet fragrances: Voile de Violette and Wood Violet.
So here it is my readers, for the first time, a combined fragrance review of too fragrances that will bring you both aspects of the Victorian Era to make this journey complete: one representing the restrained and the moral Victorian principals  - Voile de Violette - clean, fresh, powdery and romantic.; one representing the naughtiness and the gothic side of those times - Wood Violet  - darker, more pronounced, more devilish.


VOILE DE VIOLETTE 
photo credit: Sonoma Scent Studio


Rate: ✭✭✭✭
Type: Indie 
Origin: USA - CA
Perfumer: Laurie Erickson
Launch: 2007
Concentration: extrait - 20-24%
Olfactive Notes: soft violet, iris, vetiver, cedar, violet leafs, rose, myrrh, hay and tonka beans.
Description by the brand: "Unique and unconventional violet fragrance with fresh aspects from the green leaf and woodsy additions from cedar, vetiver and tonka".
Description by + Q Perfume Blog: CANDIED, LUXURIOUS, DELICATE, PURITAN VICTORIAN
Silage: Excellent
Fixation: Excellent
Range: 5ml/17ml/34ml - custom boxes available.
It is a part of the Sonoma Exclusives Collection, sold only at the studio.
When to wear: all occasions


Victorian Tea Party


How would you feel walking in an English forest, touching a bed of violet flowers? With one single whiff of Voile de Violette and you will know it! The fresh green-y notes of violet opens the nostrils and makes you smile. It is real, it is natural, it is luxurious!
As the skin warms the fragrance, rose petals unfurls to a majestic romantic bouquet. They are very pronounced on me. t feels that you have left the woods and have just travelled back to London by train, and now you are sitting in a fancy Tea House, where Victorian ladies are sipping their rose petals tea, and savoring delicious candied violet treats. The combination of violets and rose is so delicate, so feminine, that you feel like wearing long gowns and large satin laces. It is graceful and joyfully constructed. 
Although pronounced, it lasts very shortly. The brand describes as a "hint of roses", and this is exactly what you get, a perfect hint of roses. Not to little, not too much. harmoniously added.
The iris is also a leading lady in this fragrance, as it walks hand in hand with the violet bouquet. The iris here is watery, cold, candied and violet-like. It is rich, absolutely chic and expected not to end, and for our delight - it doesn't!!! It shines till the very end. It is also the perfect bridging from the flowery scents, to the woodsy aspect of the perfume.
I wish Voile de Violette could be a little itsy bitsy more powdery (I have a weakness for powdery scents). If it would have, it would be almost childlike. I could declare than, that this would be the Alice in Wonderland Fragrance! So it is Victorian chic and prude, and totally addictive.


WOOD VIOLETTE
photo credit: fragrantica.com

Rate: ✭✭✭✭
Type: Indie 
Origin: USA - CA
Perfumer: Laurie Erickson
Launch: 2008
Concentration: extrait - 20-24%
Olfactive Notes: violet, plum, violet leafs, cedar, cinnamon, cloves, sandalwood, musk.
Description by the brand: "This scent evolves quite a bit over time, opening with lush, plumy violet notes, and softening into violet with a woody base".
Description by + Q Perfume Blog: DARK, LUXURIOUS, DEEP SENSUAL, GOTHIC VICTORIAN
Silage: Excellent
Fixation: Excellent
Range: 5ml/17ml/34ml - custom boxes available.
It is a part of the Sonoma Exclusives Collection, sold only at the studio.
When to wear: at night, specially in cold winter days.
Could pair with: Back to Black by Kilian (for a full Sherlock Holmes experience!)

Large dose of spices and wood notes makes this version of a violet perfume totally different from the previous reviewed one. It is robust, alcoholic, boozy-plumsy, dark and fruity violet fragrance. A lady, walking in a foggy night in London. Gothic buildings sheltering strange mysterious gentlemen...Sherlock Holmes investigating a crime and falling for Miss Adler...


Wood Violette has a pronounced scent of cognac and a delicious note of cedar. A combination of cherry with a subtle note of licorice. It is Miss Adler played by Rachel McAdams in the Sherlock Holmes movie. She is beautiful. She is sexy and very astute. She is a Victorian gothic character.
You will feel impelled to dress with velvety silky dresses and wear red berry-like lipsticks.
Since I have already the curls on my head wrapped up, I am convinced that this fragrance will be the final touch too my Victorian look. It is worth buying, not one, but a 1000 bottles!

That is it darlings. We travelled to the Victorian country side, we took a train to London to sip a cu of tea, we plunged into gothic novels and beautiful Sonoma scents. I hope you enjoyed the ride! See you next time for a journey through another historical period!

2 comments:

Undina said...

When I first tried Wood Violet it was still cold and somehow it didn't work for me. But since I like most of Laurie's scents I decided to give it another try in spring. And that was when I really enjoyed it!
Thank you for the review. I haven't tried the first violet yet but I will get it one day.

scarlet reynolds said...

I especially loved this, I used to believe that perfumes was too indulgent to buy for oneself. But I changed my mind once I was in my thirties. Now I find it to be a necessity like fine lingerie and ripe figs. Even if I only wear it to sleep.

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