Violet Ends (2025)

On the other side of my fragrance favorites, this hits every damp note I love. Not much violet that I can pick up on, but this comes across very wet, earthy, and slightly decayed (think about the forest a few days after a storm--some trees have fallen over, and the mushrooms are starting to poke up from the ground). When I wear this alone, it feels very mysterious and subtle. If I wanted a strong, impactful scent, I would go with something else, but if I'm going out with some friends for a few hours or going to campus, this is perfect. Perfect for transitional seasons and times of growth. I mentioned this in my review for Another 13, but I LOVE the way the two smell when layered. Another 13 makes it smell more mossy (contributing to the dampness), and combines well to amplify the bergamot and black pepper. I don't get much rhubarb, it more comes in the form of a bit of acid that cuts through the wet.

I originally met this scent through the Boy Smell candle. I was hooked on first burn. Then I realized that they made this scent profile in a fragrance and I immediately had to buy. The scent reminds me of a night at the bar wearing a nice floral scent. The night goes on - and you end up at the dive bar where people smoke cigarettes indoors and the smoke permeates your clothes that results in a pleasant smokey/floral scent that is truly intoxicating. I love it.

I really like it! I have the discontinued blend and this is pretty true to that scent, which I also enjoy. The most impressive from the new set, alongside Woodphoria which I also felt was pretty true to the original from top to bottom.

I just got out of the shower, got dressed for the day, grabbed my umbrella, and went for a casual stroll on an overcast day. It's almost October, but the days still bring a sweat. The trail is adjacent to a thin layer of woods. Raindrops gently flick the umbrella. My hair is starting to curl from the humidity. It's time to go inside and sit at my computer for work. "Just a few more minutes", I plea to the sky. The emails can't wait much longer... I take a deep breath, inhale the earthy florals once more, drop my umbrella just long enough for a couple raindrops to kiss my face. With a sigh, I walk back inside, savoring each moment in the wild. This was my first experience with Boy Smells Violet Ends. It's a beautiful, earthy floral, but a bit too masculine for my everyday taste. If it leaned more as a true unisex, I would purchase a full size in a heartbeat. Violet Ends is a magical, tragic, and melancholic fragrance. In my opinion, it is best worn outdoors, and only outdoors. I will not purchase a full-size, but I will keep the sample for days like this. Ideally, when I can spend more time outside.

I do not understand the reviews calling this fragrance ‘subtle’ or ‘soft’. This is that 90s claymation Lipton Tea commercial: “THAT’S BRISK BABY”. This is your friend’s trippy black light poster. This is stepping into ‘the shimmer’ in Annihilation (the movie, not the book). Violet Ends is a neon fever dream. It’s dry and it’s dank. It’s light and it’s dark. It’s fresh and it’s stinky. To not smell the violet here is to not see the forest for the trees. It’s a dripping wet sledgehammer. But the other notes are powerful, too, which is why it works, I guess. The leather is photorealistic (reminiscent of Leatherize), the tea is CRISP, and the rhubarb/bergamot top notes are a total sucker punch. I don’t love the mega assertive opening, but after about 30 minutes, it settles into something quite nice. Great performance— this fragrance takes me through a long day, which I love. It’s nice being able to ‘set it and forget it’ and know I’m gonna smell great for a solid 5+ hours.