I'll Never Learn

Jaw dropping gorgeous. I ordered a sample of two limited addition fall fragrances from Pearfat (that I have yet to try) and decided to throw on a baby pear of I’ll Never Learn last minute. My one mistake was not getting the big girl of this because I know I’m going to blow through this baby pear real quick. I have always been keen to powdery fragrances and Violet and Orris have been the main contributors to my long-time love affair with this profile, and what Alie has accomplished has taken the number one spot for me. I have buried my nose in my mother’s vintage leather Coach bag looking for spare change for Choward’s mints. This is the most beautiful and delicate suede & violet sisterhood I have ever experienced and I can’t get enough. After a long and trying day in the office and bringing my 10 year old Boston Terrier home from his surgery for cancer, I slipped into the shower to cleanse myself of Tuesday’s grief while my partner chaperoned my baby boy. As soon as I got out I doused myself in I’ll Never Learn and it made me feel grounded. Maybe it was nostalgia or the realization that came from it that the best things are never permanent. Regardless there’s a whole lot to learn from I’ll Never Learn; layered with yesteryears easiness and the reminder that its yearning for that is ok and somehow can be soothing to the soul. Alie, you are a master in your craft and this potion is outstanding; to me something so gentle, familiar and kind within its redolence. Big love from Minneapolis!

As soon as this reaches skin, you are immediately hit with the smell of suede: bitter, animalic and dusty. It luckily last for only about thirty seconds to a minute and then it dissipates, softens into what is aptly described as a memory. I lovvee the sweetened melancholic fog. Oh my word, I may never need to smell Mistpouffer by Stora Skuggan because of this! It's edgy, a little mossy, and follows with with a trail of violets. It's a perfect "sad girl" fragrance. Dare I say, it's like Tears by Regime des Fleurs but on a dark foggy night? It's like day to night. While I lament that my decant of this has incredibly poor projection and sileage, I am hoping that a full bottle would be different? Please? Please, someone tell me. I think this is the perfect date night scent personally. Edit: My boyfriend said this smells like a dusty leather chair in a lawyer's office...sigh.

Where do I even begin with this STUNNING scent! It's probably my favorite scent of all time so far. It's absolutely dreamy. It's such a powdery sugary scent, perfect for a sweet tooth like me. It feels like you're being wrapped up in a hug. For me, it smells heavy on the candied Violets and Suede and I definitely get the sugar and Lavender. I can also smell the moss element to it. It's like when you first start dating someone with a bad reputation, the person you've had a crush on for a very long time, you know what the outcome may be and see the red flags from day 1, you're so tempted to see where things will go. But you already know how this will end. This smells like memories of an old romance with your fun chaotic twin flame that always ended in heartbreak.

a demure violet that smells like regime des fleurs' himitsu wearing a mink stole. i'll never learn is an elegant powdery scent that can only be described as "fuzzy". the violet and lavender fade into the background after a little while without ever fully disappearing; instead, they tend to the suede note like handmaidens, their existence contingent on beautifying another. the suede and moss are perfectly balanced and never even approach musty-mildewy territory. it is soft and plush rather than rough and leathery. smells like my favorite sweater, airspun powder, and the wink of a kohl-lined eye.

I don't really get the 'sadness' that everybody's mentioning but I totally get the Shangri-Las association. Goes to show, the imagery that goes with a scent can really color your impression. This is straight leather jacket at first (a leather jacket SPECIFICALLY) -- super realistic but not overpowering -- then fades down to a pretty violet candy (like those ones that come in the purple foil). Super wearable, especially for cold weather, and cute, but moody. Tiny bit musty. I like it a lot!

You say it smells like the inside of your mom's purse. I say it smells like what Slue-Foot Sue smells like. It smells like a hot, hot cowgirl dressed in suede. It's not a masculine suede. It's a fine leather one with the floral scent curving it to a comforting smell. I may buy the trio of this, Multiball, and Amicus Cumulus, but the name is throwing me off. I do want to be a sexy cowgirl.

My total favorite out of the Pearfat discovery kit and an immediate standout to my nose. Slightly powdery iris-violet-geranium florals + earthy suede + hazy fog reminds me of being a teenager, perusing my favorite incense-y, witchy crystal store with a pocketful of babysitting money. Can't wait to order a larger size for this to be my signature fragrance for my next "era".

very strong suede and dry violet opening that would be kind of overwhelming, but it reminds me so much of trying on my mom's work blazers as a kid. it's like i'm standing in her closet, her velvet coat with the aged, soft lining slipping off my shoulders. her leftover perfume and the mints she keeps in her pocket make the fabric all sweet. suede, floral and skin.

Oh my goodness, this is beautiful! This smells like walking into the Ralph Lauren store in Aspen Colorado. It is so visceral to me. The suede note is so wonderfully well done and subtle. There’s also a note that reminds me of carrots or maybe radish that I’m really liking. The powdery aspect has me feeling very refined.

The opening leather notes remind me mainly of the adhesive on an envelope, but a few minutes later it softens down to pure, chalky Parma-violet goodness. Great if you want to smell like a memory - makes me feel like a b&w yearbook cutout of someone’s first love.

The contents of my vintage suede purse: sweet tart dust lining the bottom, a sachet of dried lavender, and a purple flower with a long green stem I meant to identify later but forgot about. In forty years, I'll be the coolest grandma in Missouri.

This scent makes me feel like I'm just snuggled into an old womens old suede pocket with some candies sitting beside me. Definitely seeing how some people wouldn't like this, but this is going to be a weird guilty pleasure for me.

Cement and radishes. It reminds me of 13-y/o me's aspirational vision of being an adult, sort of Hollister-changing-room-y. Maybe the formula for a radish scent is just suede or leather + pepper...

I thought, "wtf does suede smell like?", and now I understand. This one is so bizarre, but I think love it. There's nothing that I own quite like it.

nostalgic, powdery violet smell. grandma's makeup drawer with a vase of flowers on the counter. soooo cozy

a few stray candy hearts inside a vintage coach purse: very suede and sweet, a little dusty.

Smells like a licked envelope... love

This one is interesting! I got the plastic/vinyl scent right away. Also, reminds me of a leather scented car air freshener. Like, very similar to it. To spare expense, buying that would get you this scent. I can’t smell the violet or lavender scent even in the dry down. What I did smell in the dry down is the BNT ear treatment that is used to treat ear infections at the vets office I work at lol. After wearing it about two hours (lasts about four hours in total), I was like, “hmm why does it smell like that I’m not over there?” It wasn’t until I rested my head in my hand and smelled my wrist again that I realized it was this fragrance. It’s orange/ tan colored and waxy. That treatment contains an antibiotic (Enrofloxacin), an antifungal (Ketoconazole), and an anti-inflammatory (Triamcinolone) to treat bacteria, fungi, and inflammation in the ears. I don’t know what any of those things separately, but it is uncanny to the fragrance. So, I don’t think this will be a full size purchase for me, but fun to try nonetheless.

this is so fascinating. to me it totally smells like a notebook at first. not an old dusty journal, but a school notebook: fresh paper, pencil, and ink. and i LOVE it. it slowly gets sweeter and more powdery (i definitely start to get the sugar and orris stronger). i had to wear it for about an hour before i went "ohhh the note that smelled paper-y before is SUEDE". i really like this. despite my weird description, the suede note and the powderiness become really elegant. i'm considering getting the mini-pear of this. it's a great scent for parties in my opinion and experience: the scent stayed really well through a few hours of dancing! it's such a confidence booster: you're a fancy lady wearing this!

I'm surprised the fog note hasn't been mentioned, it's the loveliest part. A very lightly wet, transparent quality that I love here... Maybe it's the lavender but I find it very dreamlike. 2.30am awake and alone with a window open for the rain sort of scent.. The leather is hard to take for the first few minutes, but I really like how this develops.... I love the sugared violets but violet rarely disappoints.... A pearfattified take on a vintage and lipstick scent :) Edit: this is definitely my favourite from pearfat. It's dreamy and melancholy and I don't understand the bad reviews.... Is everyone testing this more than once....?

It does have a vinyl note, which I find warm, pleasant, and nostalgic. The top notes remind me of sunshine coming through lace curtains into a clean house. It dries down to the cozy scent of a fluffy white bunny wearing Grandma's suede jacket. The sugary violet is there for me, but not overpoweringly sweet. I'd recommend this if you like animal notes but don't want to offend anyone.

this was the one i was most eager to try, but it struck me dumb when i sprayed it. it smells exactly like my grandmother's house, and i have no idea why, as she didn't wear violet scented perfume. it's powdery and floral with the slight sharpness of bergamot and musty leather. it's all there.

strange yet alluring. i'm not sure where i would wear this or who i would imagine this being for, but i do like it! it starts out as pure suede (which is v comforting) but gets sweeter the longer you wear it. doesn't project very well but great longevity! overall rating: 🩷🩷🩷💔🖤 3.5/5

i'm scared of this but i also like it

I am absolutely having a different experience than the notes suggest that I should be having. I don't get violet (candied or otherwise), I don't get lavender, or sugar, or moss. I do, however, really get the fog note that Fragrantica does not include but that the Pearfat website itself lists. It's actually an incredible fog note, I love it and I want more of it. It's the smell of moist air, not too cold, not too hot, filling your sinuses with water vapor. So cool. That being said, there is also something very plasticky about this to me. I thought for a second that I was smelling the Pearfat scent that has a vinyl note. It's something like brand new synthetic fabric or wet concrete that has a plasticized, no-slip coating. I HATED this until I learned about the fog note. After that, everything made more sense, but this plastic note still leaves something to be desired. It almost leaves an unpleasant aftertaste in my mouth. I had a similar experience with Sorcinelli's Pioggia Moderata - one of the BEST petrichor notes I have ever smelled... plus outdoor barbeque. This scent is giving the same - one of the BEST fog notes I have ever smelled... plus plastic. Unfortunate, but one has to wonder if that's somehow necessary to the alchemy of the really good and remarkable accord and that, if you took it away, everything would unravel. I got my sample of this from Sucrerie, in case anyone wants to know. Overall, 5.5/10. Love that fog accord though!

oh god. this is unwearable for me but not because it smells bad, because it really doesn’t. it’s leathery and green and powdery, fresh in a way. it’s pleasant. my problem with this is that it smells so sad. like upon first sniff there was a lump in my throat. there is something so melancholic about this fragrance to the point where i really don’t want to smell it ever again. i think doing that is equivalent to making urself listen to a sad song on purpose just to feel something. and at this point in time, i really don’t want to put myself through that. to me, this evokes the smell of a funeral home. more specially, one that’s hosting the funeral of a teenage girl. this is what i assume laura palmer’s funeral smelled like, if that makes sense. it’s really hard for me to enjoy this solely because of how sad i feel when i smell it. i would recommend trying it out though, it is absolutely for someone, just not me. i’m honestly jealous of anyone who likes this, i really wish i did.

Well - I had high hopes for this fragrance. Unfortunately I find it to be unpleasant and overall unwearable on my skin. At the open this smells like a hot copy machine and hot toner to me. I do get more leather and suede as it dries down, however I do not find it pleasant. It reminds me very much of being in my grandparents car in the 90s, the smell of the hot plastic dashboard baking in the sun. I don’t get anything warm and welcoming from this fragrance.

The opening notes are a slap in the face of deeply unsexy leather, but the powdery floral it melts down to is pretty unoffensive. It’s almost like a chalky candy smell, Valentine’s day hearts specifically (fitting!) I know the story is supposed to be leather as in a bike, but to me it’s giving saddle. This scent smells like a perfumed horse, a show-pony. I really can’t stress how equestrian this is to me. Recommended for horse girls everywhere I suppose.

this fragrances is soooo cool but it made me nauseous (despite it not being gross). opening hit me as leather, oil, and orris. it dries to a powdered suede. it's very potent and if you like suede and/or orris you'll love this. very unique, but just not for me at all.

There's a hay-like leather note underneath the sugared violet-orris-lavender accord that brings this to reality. Something very human-body about this.

Gosh I had high hopes for this one based on the notes...unfortunately, from the first spritz, it's all leather/suede. I thought it would be a far less intense note, but it's all I can smell and frankly it's a little nauseating. I have Bread + Roses, Stomped on Bed of Lettuce and Up North, all of which are interesting but still wearable. This one is not.

On paper, I should love this, but there's something about it that makes me a little queasy. I don't know if it's the powdery/dusty suede/moss combo or one of the other accords (Maybe the fog? No idea.) This is one of the stronger scents, projection- and longevity-wise, in the discovery set, though.

Smells like burned hair in the opening and in the dry down. A little bit grapey and lot of bit body odor. Special, but not for me. I sprayed from my friend’s bottle on a paper blotte. Smell is going strong on paper five hours later.

Maybe my sample wasn't great, but this was extremely weak on me. I had to fully press my nose into my skin to smell it.

This perfume has been a delight to rediscover recently, as I had somehow previously missed it completely in past surveys of Alie Kiral’s whimsical oeuvre. Recently made part of the permanent collection, however, I count this among my favorite things she’s ever made. Created in collaboration with her mentor the independent perfumer Michael Nordstrand, I’ll Never Learn carries with it an inherent sophistication and complexity, without ever turning its back on the characteristic playfulness that garnered Pearfat its notoriety. Upon first spray, the suede jumps out in a powdery, almost chalk-like register, smelling like knockoff pleather handbags dusted with spilled MAC setting powder. As my own mentor and friend Matt Morris points out in his own lovely review of the scent, I’ll Never Learn epitomizes Pearfat’s characteristic celebration of the synthetic in perfume, and its nostalgic glorification of all things camp, quaint, and seemingly po-dunk about the American Midwest. Into the drydown orris, lavender, and candied violets combine to make a vaguely cosmetic cool-toned accord that feels like a deep sigh from the bottom of your chest. Sharp, cool, and profoundly fuzzy, this smells like unfocusing your eyes in the back of your rich aunts minivan. Like TV static and scratchy wool cardigans, this has lain on my wrists at Chicago concrete beach days and will continue to accompany me in comfy oversized sweaters as the weather finally begins to dip back down into the sixties.

I'm genuinely impressed at how well this perfume evokes the smell of a thrift store! "I'll Never Learn" is powdery to the point of mustiness. It boasts a leather note that takes you back to the used footwear aisle, where you would to be able to score an old pair of cowboy boots for under $15. Ahh those were the days! No doubt, your local VV boutique and Sally-Anne have since raised their prices... and Pearfat has bottled the olfactory experience for a chunk of change! I do appreciate the artistry of a perfume like this. I really do!! Value Village circa 2012 was a cherishable browsing experience! Those were grungy, naive, beautiful times! The question is, then, is it worth the bottle? Even in this economy, you could still potentially save some coin by nursing your next hangover at the local second-hand shop instead. And if it's the right store in the wrong part of town, you might walk out with a jacket that smells like this for a year...

So powerfully nostalgic of being a teen on a foggy day wearing your older lovers leather jacket (who just isn’t that into you). Idk how Alie nails it every time but wow, such a powerful wave of glamorized teenage heartbreak. I get the damp notes, violet, and leather but it’s by no means reading sweet (which I prefer, I think that’s what makes it unique & wearable for most seasons). Wear this to see your ex (you know which one)

This is what quarantine smelled like for me. Laying in bed in my stuffy room surrounded by old childhood plushies, staring at the dust covered ceiling with the only light source being the christmas lights i hung on the shelf over me, listening to daniel johnston and thinking of future days. Very sad, melancholic fragrance, and not in a romantic way. I love it honestly.

l'ouverture pour moi était une forte odeur de punaise écrasée puis en fond est venu une odeur de suint de bouc comme quand vous sentez votre main après avoir caressé une chèvre. Loin loin en arrière on sent une légère odeur de violette

The only perfume that has ever made me gag, though I fear it's because of my own scent memories and not the fault of this fragrance. IMMEDIATE throwback to chewing on the gross tablets all the kids had to take for pinworm bye.

Unwearable for me in a way that’s impressive. Makes me sad. It’s a cold and familiar fragrance- there’s no warmth to it at all for me. Curious to keep around for nostalgia kick

wish I loved this, smells a bit old lady- sort of a bad old suede powdery smell. Somehow not terrible, but not wearable to me.

This smells like a pretty gals sweat thru a denim jacket or something. Straight girlgoyle BO. I’m puzzled

violet or suede i dnt like,, similar in caji chris rusak