Purple Flowers Week – 2012
Penhaligon’s Violetta was created in 1976 but has the scary blue shade of a 1990’s club cocktail. The perfume house describes Violetta as a “dark, dusky and mysterious” violet soliflore fragrance. I disagree. Violetta is an amplified, potent violet. It’s like looking at violet with a magnifying glass and there isn’t anything dark or mysterious about that.
Violetta opens up as very sweet candied violets. So, how is it different than other violet candy scents? It has a hint of citrus and minty geranium. The top is more sour than other candied violet perfumes. It’s a little hesperidic. There’s enough green violet leaves in this to make it fresh and cool. The scent smells very much like amplified violets without any distortions. The scent becomes a greener violet, less sweet. The dry-down is very pretty. It’s a mix of greens, powdery violets and musk.
Notes listed include citrus, geranium, violet, sandalwood, cedarwood, and musk. PERFUMER – Michael Pickthall
Give Violetta a try if you want a stronger than average violet fragrance or if you like Sonoma Scent Studio Voile de Violette, Annick Goutal La Violette, L’Artisan Parfumeur Verte Violette, and/or Violetta di Parma. Try it if you want to smell like violets!
Violetta has above average projection and below average to average longevity.
The 1.7 oz bottle of Violetta retails for $80 at Beautyhabit. Samples are also available for purchase.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – A “fresh” sweet violet soliflore. I don’t dislike Violetta but I don’t love it and I can’t describe why. I should love this fragrance but I don’t. I still like Annick Goutal La Violette better. Or maybe I’m just talking myself out of buying a bottle of the Penhaligon’s because I have too many violet soliflores in my collection.
Want more reviews? Try…
Basenotes – Member reviews
Fragrantica – Member reviews
I always felt curious about Penhaligon’s fragrances but they are almost impossible to find in B&M stores around here. I even bought a couple of samples! Nice but not too impressive to justify a FB purchase of any of those that I tried so far (Violetta wasn’t one of them but it can explain why I’m not running to find it and try).
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Penhaligon’s is a very extensive line. And honestly the only one that I love is Elixir. They have a style. And the style doesn’t work for me. I think of them like Annick Goutal. They either work for you or they don’t.
[…] Penhaligon’s Violetta – This is how I imagine this blue smelling if you could scratch n’ sniff it. Violetta is a sharp violet soliflore. Retails for $80 at Beautyhabit. Full review. […]
I discovered this scent in 1995 in a shop in France. The only two fragrances I’ve had have been among the ingredients violet flower and I think this is because my nose instinctively highlights that flower.
I’ve always used perfume on special occasions and weekends when I had a night out, I do not like to wear perfume daily and anyway I think that perfume is not for everyday use.
In late 1995 my aunt held her wedding was the fragrance I used of course, I have the feeling that this scent as romantic and special luck could have given. She did not put my perfume, but I not declined from it and even read about it in the church ceremony. My aunt takes all these years married with two children and is more in love than ever.
Now, she always brings me when the perfume bottle of Penhaligon’s Violet ends because he knows that’s my trademark.
What a sweet and delightful story! Thank you for sharing 🙂