Viola

Absolutely gorgeous. I've always had a soft spot for verbena but never owned a verbena perfume for they often are too... simple. Viola has that nice dose of verbena, but in addition bolsters a fine body of herbs (vetiver and hay), grapefruit, and oh-so-lovely note of delicate violet. Yes, a delicate fragrance; Viola's opening is less impressive compared to your average "masterpieces", but its note structure is very enduring and never muddles, just like how a fine fragrance should be. The fragrance lasts several days on clothes, and about 6 hours on skin. Projection is close, and provides a scent intimacy just perfect for this beautiful fragrance. Highly recommended for people interested perfumes that smell more "raw".

Working my way through a lot of Fiele samples. What’s most impressive is this house uses very natural, realistic notes. I feel like I’m on a farm in the middle of summer, picking vegetables right off the vine. My best friend is in the barn turned dining room, making the salad with a citrus dressing. A bouquet of herbs sits as the table centerpiece. Fresh hay is strewn about, and every so often the scent mixes with the warm air. I really love this one, similar longevity issues as others from this line, but Viola is aceptable at 3 hours or so before it’s gone. For such a natural fragrance I can live with that performance. It won’t clear a room but I’m not interested in wearing anything that does.

This reminds me of an old person's washroom cabinet in the best way. Unnerving & visceral, but also familiar & slightly comforting. This opens up immediately opens with a huge blast of old flowers & wax, which definitely briefly punches you in the face. Thankfully though, this does mellow out quite a bit after the initial opening. From there I picture decade old bars of unused verbena & geranium soap, along with dust & medicinal balms.

I really wanted to like this just by looking at the notes, but on my skin, it is an absolute hard pass. Instead of a fresh green floral, it opens with a sharp, pungent sourness that reminds me vividly of stale urine. The combination of violet leaf and verbena comes off as incredibly screechy and "off-puttingly" organic. It feels very raw and unrefined—to the point where it made me feel genuinely nauseous. If you are sensitive to sharp, "pissy" green notes, stay far away from this one. Definitely not a blind buy!