Violettes de Toulouse Eau de Toilette

Few years ago, I stumbled upon this little beauty on the bottom shelf in the drugstore. The bottle was simple and unassuming, nothing like the fancy one with spray thingie and tassels on the photos above. I read 'Violettes de Toulouse' and it was dirt cheap, so I brought it home with me. There is delightfull slightly chalky effervescence in the openning that I love. It's undeniably a violet interpretation, but not as a flower or any other natural sense, it's about candid violets. Yes, as sweets. In that sense, it's definitely one of the very best. The edp version is toothaichingly sweet and overpoweringly fruity. I enjoy all aspects of violets, but not the candied ones. I didn't grow up eating them. So it sat in my perfume closet not necessarily unloved, but certainly ignored. Just beside Après l'Ondee. Until one day I had a neighbour over for tea. She chose black one with violet aroma. After a cup and a chat, I sent her home with a bottle and tea too. She was delighted and smiling for days. Afterwards, she told me that she was getting compliments everywhere and the bottle has to be under lock and key because every time she has a family member visting, half of the bottle is missing and girls, and occasional boy, are sweet smelling. I said that she could use it as the air freshener, it's that cheap, and she said something about principals and people behaving themselfs. Anyway, I occasionally buy her a bottle when I see it, just because she loves it and that story always makes me smile.

A beautiful little candied violet. It turns into a light violet/vanilla skin scent after an hour or so, but I noticed that it seems to have more longevity when it's warmer. I didn't notice it being there at all until I went outside in the heat and all of a sudden it was there again. It was still very personal, but lovely :) I would like it better if it had more sillage for a longer period of time. I sampled the edt, btw. Add: Another note about the longevity. So I've had this one since last night before bed. It is now mid afternoon, I thought the fragrance was gone and applied something different. I went shopping, it's hot today, I came in and suddenly smell violets, so...... I think heat might be the key to aiding the longevity of this fragrance :)

i have a bottle of Violettes de Toulouse L'Original, which i am not 100% sure it is the same potion as this; i love it! candied violetes, the smell of confections and sugar, powdery and soothing. very feminin and antique in a way, a scent for young mademoiselles in 1935? so true to violets to make it unusual for a perfume made out of one of the most popular flowers. longevity on skin is rather short, but remains a little longer on clothes.

Real violets, a hint of heliotrope, reminding me of springtime, romance, and lace. On me, stronger at first but still a good skin scent 6 hours later, edt. There's a lot to be said for subtlety!

Nice, feminine and romantic. I love it : only violets and musk,as the EDP which is sweeter. It smells like a bunch of violets. It's light and yummy, comfy. Correct lasting power.

a lovely sweet powdered candied violet

There are several excellent violet soliflores available, and I find many of them very similar to one another, particularly those which date back to the nineteenth century. It seems to me that if you like one of them you'll like all of them, including this one, Berdoues VIOLETTES DE TOULOUSE. I love natural-smelling violets, and that is what this is, essentially. Comparing this Berdoues offering with Borsari VIOLETTA DI PARMA or Molinard VIOLETTE or Christian Celle CALYPSO VIOLETTE or L'Artisan Parfumeur VERTE VIOLETTE, I have a tough time deciding which one I like the best--because I love them all! The drydowns end up being very similar, though they all start out a bit different. Some are a bit more sweet or a bit more green, but violet is the focus in all. Of the soliflores familiar to me, VIOLETTES DE TOULOUSE edt smells closest to--indeed, nearly indistinguishable from--VIOLETTA DI PARMA edp, both of which are more like cologne than parfum. These are light and airy, almost watery (but *not* aquatic!!!) solutions of violet. Not too sweet, just a bit green, a little bit powdery. Very natural and innocent without seeming childish. These are not complex creations, just a celebration of the natural beauty of violets. The longevity of VIOLETTES DE TOULOUSE is a bit better than VIOLETTA DI PARMA, but it's still not great. But that's okay, since it gives one the license to spray and re-spray with reckless abandon!

Alcoholic note right at the opening, then it moves straight into a waxy, lipstick texture. The violet comes in sweetened like candy, velvety, slightly soapy, with a spicy-green bite. It feels as if there’s a thin layer of powder over everything, not really sweet, just softening it all and giving it that plush, almost tactile feel. In the long drydown, there’s a hint of baby wipes. Compared with Insolence, this has a much stronger waxy, cosmetic side and feels creamier within that powdery space. Insolence feels colder, more “blue”. I like this scent, more as comfort than elegance. Insolence feels more polished. I prefer it that way.

I hate violets but this was passed down to me by my mother and grandmother. It is a beautiful perfume, but I just hold on to it out of sentiment, I never wear this. Objective note: 7.5/10 Subjective note: 5/10

Very pretty violet but longevity is appallingly bad - maybe 10 minutes at most, and you can only smell it with your nose pressed to your skin. The smell is not dissimilar to Molinard's Violette, however it smells slightly sweeter to me. I prefer Molinard as it has a lovely scent and lasts several hours on me. This one is not as powdery as Borsari violette di parma in my opinion, and the Borsari . It is pretty but not worth the ££s for me as it lasts just a few minutes. The edp is not the same fragrance, it has a much more grapey rosey berry note to me that I don't like.

Violettes de Toulouse was my very first perfume - gifted by my dad for one of my birthdays when I was a child - and I immediately fell in love with it! It's a classic scent for me as I come from near Toulouse; it's sweet, comforting, and oneiric. As an adult, I find this fragance too sweet for my taste and moved on to Après l'Ondée de Guerlain, and every spray makes me think about my childhood in southern France and this Berdoues scent.

It is so beautiful, you do not make a fault to buy this. It is actually no parfum, it is more a light cologne violets water. The lasting power is sadly very poor (10 Min) , you have to definitely get the EdP for this (lasting power about 4 hours) or Violets Divine - lasting power the whole evening. I want to buy the body powder.

Ugh this is such a dissapointment. I adooore powdery scents especially with all 3 powdery flowers: violet , iris and heliotrope. What a shame, this is not powdery AT ALL. This smell like candied sugar. Very very sweet and not floral at all. I get so much of the raspberry and sugar. I just dont understand at this point .....😕

Such a pretty delicate and non overly sweet violet but very close to the skin and short lived. Reminds me of the parma violet candies. This edt is far more prettier than the edp - which has additions of other notes like berries?

feel fresh in the garden, just like the flower.if only they make it longer lasting. the edt just lasts 3 hours. and no more.

A very beautiful exquisite scent. Doesn't last long though. But I don't mind repeating the sprays. It's worth it!!