Violettes du Czar

Wow, I am surprised by all the negative reviews. I think this a lovely violet scent, a soft, old-fashioned oriental. By "old-fashioned" I mean that it brings to mind Victorian times: big skirts, high collars with lots of buttons, proper manners, and delicately perfumed stationary. It smells of violets, but it is not too sweet. It smells more like an oriental than a violet soliflore floral. The leather is noticeable but very well-blended (I do not care for prominent leather). The balsam rounds everything out, and the whole composition is dreamy and soft. I love this, although I am not sure if I will buy it, due to price/longevity. Soft, delicate, powdery, old-fashioned violet oriental

I believe Violet's scent is the most beautiful among flowers, and this fragrance is a good representation of this heavenly scent. Violet here is complex. It smells fresh, powdery and soapy but never turns sweet or fruity. I love the smell of leather and tolu with this delicate flower (it keeps perfume grounded and dignified). The fragrance is a real unisex floral, somehow bitter but lovely violet. It does smell old (in the best possible way) and unique. On my skin, this fragrance is a beast. Its longevity, as well as sillage and projection, are very satisfying. I can see myself loving this perfume forever.

Oh WOW! Isn't this a luscious little Madame. Having been given a little kitty of sample decants from a fellow fragraholic, only three samples in and I am crazy in love with the Emperor of Violets. Although I figure Violettes du Czar to be closer in proximity to an Empress; I see Catherine the Great awaking after a stormy night in her gilded bedchambers to find her bed littered with freshly cut violets while outside, the gardens of the Winter Palace are covered in snow. Having searched long and hard for the perfect Violet fragrance, I might well have just found it!

Still searching for my perfect violet, but this isn't as bad as other reviewers said, nor is it so masculine. I admit the opening is a little hard to get through, but after it settles it's quite nice. The only reason I'm not feeling love, is that I don't perceive the mental images I usually get when I smell violet, so I guess the leathery and balsamic notes are really dominant here. Edit: I have fallen in love with Violettes du Czar and have ordered a full bottle! I can't get enough of it's old-shampoo-y scent, it makes me want to wear gowns and velvet gloves :-)

I've just received my sample of this- on the first try it was sweet soapy violets with a green edge. Today the soap is gone, and is replaced by a spicy, powdery amber dry down, overlaid with a lovely violet. As someone who grows parma violets, this is a very realistic violet fragrance which seems to last and last. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones whose chemistry agrees with it! Definitely worth a try if you love violets, but get a sample first. I'm now saving up for my bottle- also love the packaging on this one!

I wanted to love this fragrance so much...but it smells much to masculine and harsh for me. It starts off as a very medicinal aftershave, quite menthol, then after a half hour, when the violet and iris come together, it is so beautiful, but that only lasts so briefly...then it gets harsh, soapy and medicinal again. gorgeous bottle, though. The Heliotrope Blanc from this brand is absolutely gorgeous...the best heliotrope I've ever smelled...

Violet baby powder both notes I love but some how a bit overpowering here. I can however see this absolutely slap in the late 1700s. Might keep the sample for the next revolution. This is very similar to heliotrope milk bath but there’s something more playful about HM - this would be like HMs great great great relative Edit - kept sniffing my wrist the whole night - its strong but i think i fell in love with it as the night went on

One of the richest and cleanest violets tested. The perfume style, with its balsamic and woody charge, reminds me quite a bit of Nishane's Vjola, albeit a bit lighter and with some fresher, more aquatic and less vanilla undertones. It seems to me a perfume to use during the day almost at any time of the year. A jewel for lovers of violets. Scent: 10 Longevity: 7 Sillage: 5 Versatility: 9 Originality: 8 Global: 9.5

This dreamy clean warm powdery scent is probably the closest I have come so far to how I remember my late Finnish grandmothers cozy bathroom.

Violet and Leather seemed like a utopian pair for me until I discovered Oriza’s Violettes du Czar. I have tried many, but there was always something to throw off the balance: the violet was overpowering the leather or vice versa, too makeupy, too animalic, too sweet, too fruity, and so on. I almost gave up. Then, this came along. Not only striking the perfect balance between the two components, but bringing about such a complexity as I have rarely encountered in violet-themed perfumes. At least on my skin, this fragrance radiates a myriad of nuances, including notes that I usually detest, such as soapy and medicinal elements, which somehow work incredibly well within this composition. Like most Oriza L. Legrand perfumes, it evokes a bygone era, perhaps what most people nowadays would deem as “old-fashioned” or “dated,” and maybe that is another reason I love it so much. The main player is the leather accord, skewing into the leather boots direction. It is rather dynamic, constantly changing throughout the scent’s evolution. Medicinal at first, akin to leather polish/conditioner, smoky in the middle, in the veins of a “Cuir de Russie” accord, balsamic in the final stages once the tolu balm kicks in, as well as soapy (perhaps a combination of various musk molecules). It paints the image of a Russian Tsar wearing his high-end leather boots, freshly polished, smoking a fine cigar that contrasts with his neatly groomed appearance. The heavier accords (smoke, leather, balsams) are perfectly balanced by the green, invigorating violet leaf from the opening, which also makes for quite a perplexing introduction when paired with the medicinal/shoe polish aspects. Later, the very naturalistic violet accord, which closely resembles the flowers, not too sweet or too fruity, with the right amount of powderiness and none of that faux lipstick-like connotations these florals are often associated with in perfumery. And finally, as mentioned, a soapy facet creeping in toward the end that works surprisingly well with the leather and the resins. It brings to mind a high-end soap bar, simultaneously suggesting a tidy appearance. For me, Violettes du Czar fits well within the floral-leather genre, offering copious amounts of both violets and leather, among many other elements. I reiterate that one has to enjoy the more classical-smelling perfumes to appreciate this scent, and that it wears politely (rather soft). The opening can be a deal-breaker given the sharp violet leaf that combines with the medicinal aspects; patience is required to allow for the perfume to develop further. Indeed, this fragrance changes multiple times and rather drastically. I’d also recommend this to people looking for a natural-smelling violet accord, a well-balanced violet-leather scent, or a unisex, even slightly masculine violet perfume. IG:@memory.of.scents

My final sample out of my sample box, and incidentally my least favorite of the ones I tried from this brand. The opening was a big WTF moment for me. Sharp medicinal mouthwash spilled into an old leather bag. It got me really really close to rushing to the sink to get rid of it, but I resolved to wait it out a little, and it does calm down within 15-30 minutes, to dry down to a mild powdery violet scent with suede undertones. However, the final dry-down is a bit too weak and too simple for my liking. Very soft sillage and moderate to low longevity. The outcome, so to say, just doesn't make up for the harsh opening imo. I find this fragrance perfectly unisex, but if a man was to wear this, I'd imagine him to be wearing formals or at least semi-formals and dress shoes, plus maybe some added touch of accessories like a fancy hanky or something like that. As in, not modern office formals, but retro Sunday outing formals, if that makes any sense. It does indeed smell very retro, so in that sense, the creation stays true to the house's main creative approach. It's just not for me. The dry-down still deserves a like.

It's apparently cheap and easy to synthesize the smells of violets using ionones, and has been since the late nineteenth century; it's much harder to make the sweet, powdery, soft smell of that flower seem in any way masculine. Even so, one of Oriza L. Legrand's most famous fragrances from over a century ago combines the sweetness of violets with a leather note, producing a very unusual accord. When the house was revived a few years ago, they re-created this famous fragrance, and it's certainly interesting (as is everything I've tested yet from Oriza L. Legrand), but to me it still leans a little too feminine for me to wear. I would love to see some sort of offshoot or flanker produced that has less violet (which comes at you in the opening very powerfully) and more leather (which emerges only after a good initial fifteen-twenty minutes). At least the violet accord at the opening is nicely complex and multi-dimensional, however.

Pretty much every Oriza I've tried starts out with some jarring medicinal, apothecary blast and this one is no different. I notice different things on different wearings, but I get an overwhelming wintergreen plus urinal puck note- which I actually like, lol! But would not be confident wearing around others who probably don't have that same fondness. Once it settles it smells more like powdery violets with a bit of iris and some oily leather. I was hoping for (or looking for) violet pastilles, and while there's an element of that in here somewhere, it smells like violets, both Parma and green leaf, and leather, not very sweet. I like the contrast of demure violet and black leather. Very S&M. Similar to Balmain Jolie Madame in that regard, though that one is greener without any powdery aspects to my nose. Not sure I'd reach for this very often if I owned it, but I'm enjoying sampling it!

Violettes du Czar by Oriza L. Legrand captures the essence of a classic Parma violet, reminiscent of traditional formulas like Borsani’s Violetta di Parma. The violet note here is candied, powdery, and pastille-like, with a charming, boudoir quality. Oriza pairs this sweet, nostalgic violet with a rebellious ambery, balsamic leather accord, where the leather smells freshly tanned, like stepping into an artisanal workshop. This fragrance feels almost suspended out of time. Oriza’s skill in creating harmonious compositions shines through; every element is balanced, subtle, and evocative, without making loud statements. It suggests moods and impressions, all woven together. Violettes du Czar is both dandy and romantic - in the true sense of Romanticism, where nostalgia, elegance, and a touch of rebellion come together.

I had low expectations based on other reviews but ordered it as I love violets and have never been disappointed in a perfume from this house. Well, I was pleasantly surprised. Often reviews on violet perfumes mentions how it smells like candied violet pastilles, this is the only perfume I've smelled that has that note nailed. The violet is almost perfect here and so smoothly blended with the other notes. I don't think it's that masculine, it evolves into a beautiful unisex scent. A woman can absolutely wear this, but it's not for everyone. It's a complex, fairly dark and old-fashioned violet and it is different from other violet scents. While this is well done, I do wish there was a more feminine version with the same lovely violet, a Violettes de Czarina.

Initially a bold violet fragrance. A light bright note anchored with tolu balsam and leather. After the inital startling burst with alcohol it settles quite nicely. Great idea to anchor with tolu balsam and leather as it certainly increased the longevity. Unfortunately the violet, iris and heliotrope disappear quite quickly and what remains for a good few hours are the aromatic, woody deep notes of tolu balsam, leather and guaiac. In its finally couple of hours it is quite leathery. I dont think a woman would want to wear this but I think men would. I think it would benefit from a males chemistry.

Probably the most Parma Violet-y perfume I’ve smelled. This is a pleasant scent, and actually not too sweet! I think the leather or amber is lurking in the background here and rounding this off nicely as a fragrance. I certainly don’t get any screechiness from this like some other reviewers have mentioned. Unfortunately, I just don’t think it’s original or different enough to impress me. The dry down reminds me of Iris Poudre. Sadly the longevity isn’t too terrific either. But for fans of violet and iris notes, it will be an enjoyable experience nonetheless.

This is very heavy on the violets and it seems so concentrated that I feel like I'm smelling a violet based oil (and I am saying it because I get sort of a wet oily/balmy smell). However, they're not left alone, but surrounded by iris and a soft suede. The dry down leaves me with a pronounced musk smell backed up by the violets and amber. Violet is not among the notes I like, but if it were, I suppose I'd be head over hells for this perfume. I highly recommend it for violet lovers. 6/10

The Czar must have liked black licorice because this smells like a black licorice pastille, one of the old fashioned kind, with a thick coating of sweet candied violet all over it. Almost like a Jordan almond. The candy smells segue to a smooth and mild leather within a half hour, and within two to three hours the fragrance was imperceptible on my skin. The sillage is intimate, this is a very transparent fragrance. It’s fun while it lasts.

Epitome of what you call Violet in the world of perfumes (maybe some violets in nature do smell like this, but the ones I know smell very different... More like Deja le Printemps). If you ever crave that aroma look no further, this is extremely good quality and high concentration.