Kerbside Violet

A Flower Grows in Concrete Kerbside Violet reminds me that beauty doesn't need a pristine garden. Sometimes it blooms between cracked pavement slabs and stubborn weeds. The first time I wore it, I was struck by how vividly it captured that feeling. It opens with a gloriously green burst, as though I've crouched down on a damp spring morning and plucked a violet straight from the earth, roots and all. The opening completely surprised me. It's lush, dewy, and just the tiniest bit feral. I smell green shoots elbowing their way through gravel, moss creeping along forgotten alleyways, and wild violets flourishing where they're least expected. Then, almost imperceptibly, that damp greenness begins to soften into a more classic violet. It's nostalgic without becoming powdery, delicate without ever feeling overly sweet, and it never quite lets go of that beautiful memory of rain-soaked soil. Ylang ylang appears in the official notes, but if it's there, I honestly can't find it. To my nose, it's backstage holding the lights rather than stepping into the spotlight. What I experience instead is a beautiful duet between violet and earth—tenacious, humble, and refreshingly unconcerned with floral vanity. Whenever I wear Kerbside Violet, I feel as though I've stumbled across a hidden pocket of nature in the middle of a concrete city. There's something quietly melancholic about it in the best possible way. It reminds me of that first spring day when you realize winter has finally loosened its grip, and a tiny purple flower has somehow found the strength to bloom beside the curb. Highly recommended for urban romantics and lovers of earthy green flowers.

A sharp green opening, with violet and Iris..? It's not listed but I swear I smell Iris, at least on me, that scent of lipstick and face powder, at some theatre, backstage, after the show...flowers scattered and crushed on the floor, after the encore.. But then it dries and settles into a cool but rich and heady floral, dripping with morning dew on grassy fields. Gentle and innocent, like a sunrise, where all the sins of last night disappear.. When it's safe, spray it on your clothes..that opening of green, violet and Iris stays out there and then the soft and slightly sweet drydown on warm skin, it mingles and is magical. Not your department store perfume...and worth every penny. I think any man can wear this. Nothing overly femme about this scent, even if it's listed as female, to me, it's very unisex.

I've been dying to try this for years because I'm obsessed with violet but it costs £100 for a bottle on the UK website. It's a green, leafy, dewy violet. There is an initial gasoline smell to it which can be off-putting, but that sort of smell doesn't bother me. Feels very edgy and moody, it's the sort of perfume where you sit in on a rainy day and watch a horror movie. ( Take my review with a pinch of salt because I ordered a sample from a website that sells cheap Lush dupes on Etsy. I intend on buying a full bottle to see the difference. ) Update: I found a bottle on eBay at a reasonable price and I took my chance. The gasoline, asphalt smell is stronger. It dries down to a earthy, natural smelling violet. It's not very strong but I do get compliments which is rare.

Kerbside Violet lovers! This perfume is still available in Hong Kong Lush online shop/ app, I believe it is not discounted globally! I just checked, only available in 100ml bottle. I have been sitting on a fence with Kerbside Violet for a very long time, I love the very verdant, deep violet leaf peaking through the thick tart-like industrial-ness of myrrh opening, giving me a image of walking into a forest in dawn when the air is still cool and damp, that what I experience in the first 30 minutes. Since I already own 100 ml bottles of Fantabulosia and Confetti, which also contain violet leaf, it might be redundant to own a 100ml size bottle of Kerbside Violet. However, among these 3, Kerbside Violet is the most enjoyable one.

This is a review of the solid version: There is a lot of violet leaf in Kerbside Violet, so instead of demure and sweet violet flowers, you get fresh, wet, borderline metallic and sharp violets (roots and stems and all) rising from dark earth. The mid and base notes have more violet flower than the top notes, and as a result they are woodier and more powdery, but just as gorgeous. Kerbside Violet is not very complex, but as a fragrance it is pure punk rock: Vigorous, unexpected, and fun; a breath of fresh air in a genre that is starting to suffocate under its own weight. IMO Kerbside Violet is a unisex frag and would work well for most genders. 4/5 stars