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Browsing by tag: violet

Comme des Garcons + Stephen Jones ~ fragrance review

Posted by Robin on 2 December 2008 49 Comments

I don't do hats, so I know next to nothing about British milliner Stephen Jones. The Telegraph says “he is the best in the business”*, and I'll have to take their word for it. Jones reportedly met designer Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons by chance in the Anchorage airport back in the 1980s**, and they've collaborated (on hats and whatnot, presumably) since then. The Comme des Garçons + Stephen Jones fragrance debuted earlier this year, and Jones' description of the scent — “futuristic but rococo” and “a violet that's been hit by a meteorite” — along with the perfect, just-like-a-hat packaging, placed it at the top of my “must smell” list.

The juice was developed by perfumer Antoine Maisondieu, who also did the wonderful Comme des Garçons Hinoki fragrance for Monocle magazine earlier this year, and I'm happy to report that it's exactly as advertised, in fact, if “a violet that's been hit by a meteorite” appeals to you, you'd probably do just as well to stop reading now and get yourself a sample…

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Penhaligon’s Violetta Talcum Powder and Colonial Williamsburg Powder of Violets ~ scented body products

Posted by Jessica on 7 October 2007 15 Comments

Penhaligon's Violetta Dusting Powder

Dusting powder is a wonderfully nostalgic treat. It’s not a strictly necessary grooming ritual, but the act of patting a fragranced powder onto the body with a fluffy puff can make anyone feel like the flawlessly beautiful star of a 1930s film, even without a bias-cut satin gown or an Art Deco dressing table. Of course, the use of talc to scent and soften the skin predates Hollywood by a few centuries, so it seems appropriate that some long-established merchants are keeping its tradition alive. Penhaligon’s is a perfumery founded during the Victorian era, and Colonial Williamsburg is the recreation of an eighteenth-century city; appropriately enough, both offer body powders scented with violet fragrance…

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Lush Bathos Bubble Bar

Posted by Jessica on 17 December 2006 9 Comments

Lush Bathos Bubble BarThe violet is traditionally associated with the qualities of shyness, modesty, and loyalty. The Bathos Bubble Bar from Lush, however, is not the proverbial shrinking violet. Lush’s catalogue, Lush Times, frequently mentions that violet is the favorite fragrance of Lush’s creator and owner, Mark Constantine. It was also the signature scent of none other iconic personality than Napoleon Bonaparte, who wore violet cologne, gave bouquets of violets to Josephine on their wedding anniversaries, and inspired his dedicated followers to wear the flower as well. The Bathos Bubble Bar, stamped with a glittery capital “B,” aspires to a similar romance and charisma…

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The Unicorn Spell by LesNEZ ~ fragrance review

Posted by Robin on 3 November 2006 20 Comments

The Unicorn Spell by LesNEZ

The Unicorn Spell is one of the three debut fragrances from LesNEZ, a new niche perfume brand founded by René Schifferle. The scents were developed in collaboration with perfumer Isabelle Doyen, best known for her work with Annick Goutal. LesNEZ is one of those lines that doesn’t like to disclose fragrance notes (I hate that!) so we’ll have to lead off with Isabelle Doyen’s description of The Unicorn Spell:

If by dawn still linger on your skin mixed scents of leaves, frost and violet blooms, and that relentless yearning for stellar sights, you will know that, at night, you felt the milky breath of a unicorn…

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CB I Hate Perfume Violet Empire ~ fragrance review

Posted by Robin on 11 October 2006 14 Comments

CB I Hate Perfume Violet Empire perfume

Violet Empire was released last month by CB I Hate Perfume, and is said to have been inspired in part by Diane Ackerman’s A Natural History of the Senses. The fragrance notes include CB Violet Empress (a violet accord), elemi, violet leaf absolute, rosewood, mahogany and Russian leather.

Violet Empire is a must-try for violet lovers, although it is not a soliflore in the manner of say, Borsari’s Violetta di Parma…

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