Violetta

I am not sure why I want to smell like a sweetie from my childhood (the German version of parma violets = Veilchenpastillen, which have a hard liquorice centre), but apparently I do. I had no idea what it smelled like but had wanted to smell Bois de violets by Serge Lutens, which wasn't available and didn't get as good write-ups as this one on here - so I traveled into town to the nearest Penhaligons (there are six in London). They sent me to the next one. They sent me to the third one: because of its unpopularity, Penhaligon have discontinued it. Curse all those silly people who think this old-fashioned! It isn't! It is FAR more dark and delicious (though also powdery) than those best-sellers bluebell, lily of the valley and other such nonsense. You can't argue over taste of course, but in this case, lack of popularity means that those of us who really like it will have to do without it very soon. They had 4 left in the Burlington Arcade branch in London. I bought one. So that's three left - if you love this stuff, get it now!

Violetta is a smoky and haunting violet. It's devoid of the innocence often associated with violet fragrances, and instead it's deep, musky, and a little bit sensuous. It's slightly sweet,and slightly green,but there's a dark accord in the mixture, that makes it a worthy choice for the mother-murderer-artist character in Janet Fitch's novel White Oleander. Olfactory memories are used so powerfully in this novel that Violetta gives me that chill I'd get if I'd ever known a real, live Ingrid Magnussen. (Also, I'll never smell l'Air du temps, Ma Griffe, or Love Potion No. 9 in the same way after reading this novel!)

One of my favourite fragrances ever. Gorgeous, gorgeous violet scent. This is a very green violet - no sweetness whatsoever. I quite like sugary sweet violet scents, but this one is a pure violet. And very sophisticated for a floral. Very surprisingly I cannot detect the iris (I hate iris). Nor do I get any musk (and I adore musk). I just get crisp greenness with pure violet, almost like a violet-filled forest after the rain. Expensive, but well worth it in my opinion. I tend to use a light hand with fragrance so I rarely get comments on my perfume, but this one has received compliments.

I'm in love. Violetta is the platonic violet soliflore fragance, clean, flowery, not too sweet, not too powdery, not too green, just perfect. It's a victorian perfume with a modern edge, it has an airy quality that I enjoy a lot, I love powdery perfumes but I was looking for a fresher violet, well, I don't have to look further, I would've wanted to find a cheaper one, but you have to take advantage of the opportunities life presents you, and this is the VIOLET opportunity with capital letters. It has medium sillage but it's very longlasting on my skin. Beautiful, and oh that bottle.

This is a peppery little number! I like this take on violets. It is an old-fashioned, very powdery swansdown puff type of violet. It does resemble April Violet's somewhat, although AP has a bit more violet in it. Like I said, I also get some pepperiness to this, too which makes it lovely. I am really enjoying my sample in the evenings, it's a really relaxing perfume. If you don't like old fashioned type of violet scents, you probably won't like this. With the sweet little bottle with the purple bow, I think it's fit for a queen! Lovely:)

I got this in a Penhaligon's sampler. This is quite a lovely fresh floral combination with violets being center-stage. Perhaps some of the clean feel is due to the lemon opening. Also, the drydown is a very light musk. I could discern the iris as well, but I'm not sure about the geranium. The fragrance lasted a couple hours on me - better than Borsari Violetta di Parma. I may want to purchase a whole bottle of this one. I tend to like Penhaligon's perfumes.

Violets, violets, violets! I am a February-born girl, and the violet is my birth flower. Violetta is the perfume that most strongly says (or, rather, shouts) "violets!" to me. It's a green, woody violet, and not much else. As literal as those violet mints you can still find on the checkout counter at some grocery stores. Violetta is pretty much that candy in perfume form: A pure shot of the little purple flower.

Violets are one of my favorite flowers and Violetta is one of my favorite violet frags. I like the big opening of violet. It quickly calms down and becomes a light almost soapy powdery frag. I sometimes get the make-up smell too. I wish the top and middle notes lasted a little longer however on my clothes that violet opening does last so instead of smelling my arm I just sniff my shirt, in private of course.

I am very selective person. And this is the best violet perfume you can get and last long time. Nothing you can possibly hate if you do like violets. One man stopped me, and he ask me what it is, that he smells a bonbon, he asked me for the name so he can buy it to his girlfriend. Definitely worth every penny. :) Will look for more at Penhaligon house. Smell 9 Longevity 8 Unique: 8 Price x quality: yes!

I got a chance to sniff this side by side with Serge Lutens Bois de Violette. I liked Penhalligon Violetta better. It is heady violet minus the medicinal and spice that BdV carries. With a touch of honey and herb but it still let the violet shines, Violetta is well-blend indeed ! As far as longevity goes, Violetta only lasted 3-4 hours and doesn't project as much as BdV.

I did not decide yet whether I like it or not. It's too intense and too heady for me. I prefer lighter, greener, and fresher scents. It's definitely not your every day fragrance. No doubt it's a classy, elegant perfume. It's just not exactly my type: too powdery for me.

Do you remember the children's bubble bath called Mr. Bubble? It comes in a pink plastic bottle. This smells exactly like Mr. Bubble bubble bath.

I love violet perfumes almost as much as rose . This is light and summery . It is not as dark and woody as the violets I pick from my garden .

It's a pretty good combination of flowers with sandal and musk. Everything is in it's place, nothing excess. I love Penhaligon's perfumes.

Very strong and clean scent of violets. I absolutely love this perfume, but realize that it wise only to use it at special occasions.

I have the vintage in the stoppered bottle: sharp green violet with maybe a hint of oakmoss and some woods

This to me is same as Penhaligon’s The favourite. Love both of them, very powdery elegant floral

Beautiful seductive Violets.It's more leaves than flowers.If you like Violet it's a must buy.

This is such a darling, romantic violet. Very pretty. To my nose it is clear, sheer and uncomplicated--great for hot days. The basenotes are almost undetectable to my nose, but that might be because the scent has all but disappeared by the time it would have dried down. The violet note in Violetta is is one of my favorites, and there is a point at which the violet and geranium blend in a way that is greater than the sum of its parts. I just wish it lasted longer. Even applying it to clothes doesn't extend its life much. Nonetheless, I am very sorry to learn that Violetta has been discontinued! Edit: I realized that at the point at which the rose and geranium accord emerges, it smells candied and cosmetic-y, and very much like an accord in Malle's Lipstick Rose. Different supporting notes of course, but yum!

I have been mildly troubled (il ne faut pas trop exagerer...) by the relatively recent preponderance of plastic and candied violet notes in perfumes that I might have appreciated, if only the violets had been neither plastic nor candied! No such problem with Penhaligon VIOLETTA: this is a splendid rendition of non-plastic, uncandied violets. Hurrah! I really love violets, so I welcome the new experience of well-made violet perfumes, even if they are nearly as simple as a small bunch of the flowers. VIOLETTA has a bit more going on, but all other notes present serve only to embellish the focus: violet in all of its magnificent glory. Highly recommended for those drawn naturally to natural-smelling violet.

It took me a while to take to this one. Initially I found it too delicate and linear. Thankfully I persisted as this is what I value about it the most. I get no citrus at all and I think that is why I struggled to find the 'clean' violet that others experience with this scent. For me, the flowers had to fight their way out past the musk and powder. Now that I understand how this perfume develops on my skin, I adore it. To my mind it is like those old tins of talc powder that were popular in the 70's. It brings to mind a sandstone cottage surrounded by millions of tiny perennials, twittering bluebirds, a crisp clear sky, wrought iron garden furniture and Devonshire tea :)

i didn't understand what some perople meant by "powdery" scents until i blind bought this during my hunt for the perfect violet. this IS powdery. a very light and pretty scent, violets violets all the way...for about 5 minutes that is. it disappears SO fast, whether on skin or on cloth. I now use it to scent the room before i go to bed and spray it over my pillow for sweet dreams. a very pretty violet scent but it's a pity it completely DOES NOT last.

Vegetal violets- I'm picking up something that smells like celery! Interesting... Yesterday, it was very hot and humid, and the geranium note expanded, making it a little overbearing- sadly, the violets wilted and got a little lost in the spicy heat- I definitely prefer this one when the weather isn't quite so sultry...

One of my favourite fragrances! The best violet scent for sure. Lovely, soft and delicate, this violet smells so pure and fresh. It is a very gentle and not very long-lasting perfume, but it is beautiful. Such a shame they have discontinued it.

Very green violet with a powdery/make-up smell. Very subtle and delicate yet unisex. Perfect for office wear or if you have to be around people who don't like heavy, loud perfumes.

I have three bottles of this, dating to the early 90's with the "victorian" style label. A very good violet perfume. Strong but excellent. I also have the soap as well.

This used to be my favorite Penhaligon's fragrance; love violet but prefer Après l'Ondee now.

Wow. This is really musky. I really smell civet, but that isnt listed as a note.

A classic old fashioned violet. I like the musky powdery drydown.

I'm unsure when my bottle dates to, but it's an older 90's formula, pre-anthology collection to my knowledge. It has several synthetic violet and floral compounds, to the point it feels vaguely insulting to the flower itself. You can smell the true violet oil, but it's totally eclipsed by the synthetics that haven't aged well in the bottle. Depending on storage it can degrade into the territory of burnt plastic/bug spray. The lovely natural notes are the first to fade from your skin, leaving a chemical cocktail. But that's just how it behaved on my skin. If it wasn't for the synthetics, I imagine this would absolutely SING. The original must have been incredible, because the true extract in here is excellent - almost mouth-watering - reminds me a tiny bit of Chowards, but without the powder aspect the candy has. This has a smoother, more balsamic character and doesn't seem to lean toward the powder or makeup type of violet. It's more like the actual flower and extractives used in flavoring. Again, as has been my gripe with Penhaligon's for quite some time, they have cheapened the ingredients to the point where even the cheapest drugstore brands smell superior, last longer, and are of higher quality. There's just no excuse for this from a luxury heritage house. All that said, it's a decent violet soli-flore, but there are significantly better options out there, especially the vintage creations. Bourjois and Roger-Gallet immediately come to mind. Personally, if you are a lover of violet-heavy fragrances, vintage and antique is your best bet. Given the extraordinarily high prices of this, now that it has been discontinued and vaulted, it's a good idea to move on to other options. It's absolutely not a safe blind-buy. Not universally appealing and changes a lot based on your chemistry (but not in a good way).

So far I have never met a Penhaligon perfume that I like, and Violetta continues the perfect record. At first this blue-colored EdT smells like alcohol with a super-strong, candied, very artificial, slightly leathery, violet scent. Unfortunately on first opening the sample vial, I spilled some on my desk calendar, so will have to live with those notes for a longer time than I’d like. As it dries down on my skin, it just turns to raw ionones, and not the better ones. I wish I could smell the vanilla musk that’s supposed to be in the base, but the so-called violet completely drowns it out. For an EdT, this stuff is incredibly strong. This is one of those perfumes that I feel compelled to scrub off rather than suffer through. After all, I can smell it on my calendar if I feel like continuing the experience. Actually, after about 8 hours the calendar starts smelling fairly nice, the sort of green leaf and violet flower notes that some other reviewers describe, but by the next morning it has developed a sour note like towels that have stayed wet too long and are badly in need of laundering. Two days later it’s still there, living on my calendar, sending sour violet sillage all over my desk. I think the biggest problem is that the scent is way too strong, or at least some of the aroma chemicals are way too concentrated. I really don’t have the patience or the cast-iron nose to wait half a day for the odor level to reach a tolerable point, and I don’t want to experience a dirty-towel drydown. Definitely not for me. Note added later: The scent on the calendar persisted for about a month.

I just got a bottle of this and while I don't have a strong dislike towards the scent, it is by far not my favourite fragrance either. It can easily give you a headache if you use too much, and I always do! This opens with a strong smell of something similar to a medicinal bottle or even similar to those throat lozenges we used to have, as kids. As the scent settles on my skin, it becomes more pleasant, more worm and soft. I still don't necessarily get a smell of violets, certainly not the violets I remeber and love so much, from my childhood . I rather get a scent of musk and something citrus like instead. Anyway, all in all, too synthetic for me.

I guess it's a reference violet perfume, but boy, what an uneasy one it is. It smells very decadent, retro and even dated to my nose. I mainly get powdery violets, somehow green and herbal geranium, and tons of raunchy musk. Well, it certainly is a well crafted perfume, and it has a lot of character, but oh... don't blind buy it.

This was soft, fuzzy and so full of violets... at first. After a few minutes it turned into something of a dishrag smell! I can't figure out how something so nice turns into something so unwearable.

Hi! This is about Penhaligon's Violetta, but has a connection to Yardley April Violets, as you will see- both very real earthy violets.This is the most believable, beautiful violet ever!! Ive been looking for a wonderful violet scent for soooo long! There are many others of course, that are fantastic, but this one is so earthy, so fresh- you can actually see, and smell, in your mind's eye the fragrant violets, blowing in the breeze. I have a confession about this, too. After getting a sample from The Perfumed Court, I tried and tried, in vain to re-create it myself, by classic notes theory, since I couldn't spend alot of money right now on a perfume. Someday soon I will,( am an out of work medical social worker) but for the momment, just wanted something as close as possible.It reminds me of my Mom, who absolutely loved violets, and was trying to find a perfect violet fragrance before she passed away in June 2010, of lupus. So, this has become my mission, you see. Anywho, I was desperate so even tapped into a different venue, the duplicate oil industry, but alas, even they didn't have any Penhaligon's Violetta. But then I learned that one company, in particular, would actually duplicate any fragrance for free! as long as they could place it on their own website for all to use. That was fine by me- I want everyone to be able to enjoy this, not just me! I'm sure there's someone else out there that can't afford the pricetag on the original right now, but would love the scent, even if its a close copy, someone out there must know how I feel! Yes, I am a perfumista, and have all original perfumes, but sometimes a scent means so much more than just a fragrance- its full of your heart's memories, and hopes, its inspiring and uplifting, and this perfume is all that to me. I was not too much of a snob to have a copy created by a lab full of chemists, that do this for a living! Anywho! So, I sent them a copy, and after several weeks, and adjustments, THEY DID IT!!:) They actually recreated ( and are the only company in the US, if not in the world, that has duplicated a Penhaligon fragrance! I actually sent in a sample of Penhaligon's Violetta, and Yardley April Violets, so anyone out there who wants to know, they made that one as well. They are putting it up on the website today, so in the spirit of sharing a scent with those who love above snobbery, and want something that is created by professionals, here's the website.... also,Love you guys! Hope someone tells me they like this. Somewhere in Heaven my Mom's giving a thumbs up I'm sure.:) **PS- I would be remiss to not thank The Perfumed Court, a place online where they share little bits of heaven. If you want a sample of just about anything out there, old or new, they are IT! Love them too!, and their tasty coffee candies they mail with each perfume sample purchase:) Look up Save on Scents.com

pheweee. this one is strong! i can actually taste it as i'm sitting here writing the review. and it's a bit like accidentally eating some soap. (i tested Kerbside Violet earlier this week, which was small in comparison.) Violetta begins as a strong, soapy, persistent, almost aqueous violet. i don't get any of the notes under this main note. perhaps some soap-powdery musk. and she continues like that, becoming a teensy bit powdery, until within an hour she fades away to a shadow of her former self. no perfume has ever never given me a headache, but this one just has. an air freshener type violet is banging on my temples. i am struggling to keep sniffing, as it hurts a bit more each time i do. all that said, this is definitely a violet that might appeal (and clearly does appeal) to lovers of violet soliflores everywhere! apart from me (sad face). it is neither too powdery, nor too sweet, which violet perfumes can often be. and it is very all about violet. but give me Annick Goutal any day. or Calypso Violet. or the slightly fruity Violette Imperiale. Even the Kerbside variety that grows from chunks of cement. yet to try Verte Violette, but i guess i will love that too. i adore violets, i love a challenge and Violetta provided me with both this evening.

Do you know, in spring time, when the snow is melted everywhere else but not under the big trees.... they still have some snow under them, being the the shade, and dead leaves, wet and dirty, and the little violets come and poke their pretty blue heads through the piles of dead dirty wet leaves from last fall? Well, this is exactly what Violetta smells like... fresh young and crisp violets, wet leaves and dirty old snow... lovely to see and smell, because they say "spring" with all their might, but I don't think I appreciate my skin smelling like that... Violetta is not for me, although I admire it immensely and I will enjoy my sample. And yes, if I was to own a bottle, probably I would grow to love it. If you want a true to nature violet perfume, this is the one.

I adore this. I have no idea when violet started to be considered a dated scent, but I don't care because I love it regardless. This is 98% violet soliflore, 1% musky dry down and 1% spicy geranium opening (or it would be if that made sense!). This is a very true violet. The flower is used in abundance. I guess you could even call it gourmand if you like Parma Violet sweets. If you're a violet lover, or a violet beginner, I would definitely go for this one. It's may not be the most complex violet scent out there, but it's so pure and so true to the flower that it's a must have on a violet lover's shelf. It's green, delicate and haunting. Lovely. Moderate sillage (maybe on the strong side of moderate) and around 10 hours longevity.

The most natural smelling violet I have tested, enough to buy a FB of this; it very much reminds me of being out in the woods after a rain and smelling the violet leaves that seem to project their delicate, tender scent best at this time. I have only smelled it in nature perhaps a half dozen times, and all of those experiences were years ago when I lived in New England. That being said, this perfume is soliflore in its nature; and I always miss the chypre development in a fragrance that solilflores lack. This makes me more determined to try Guerlain's Apres L'Ondee so I can experience the entire forest floor after a rain, instead of just the violets! Also amongst the prettiest bottles I own.

Violetta was probably the finest and surely the best violet fragrance on the market. Neither too sweet, nor too dry, nor fleeting, nor overbearing, it was the only violet I felt as a man I could wear. A lovely balance of green coolth and floral warmth. Such a shame it's been discontinued, it was such a novelty. I went through a phase of wearing "English" fragrances a few years back. Racquets Formula (also sadly discontinued, a wonderful powdery old school fougère), LP No. 9 for Men, Sartorial, and the Burberry mainstays. Even Pen's Elizabethan Rose! Was always well complimented on them, and I highly regret not nabbing a few backups before some of them were discontinued.

I bought this directly from the Penhaligon's in Mayfair, London, else I'd worry my bottle was a counterfeit, so different is my experience than everyone else's here. I'd hoped for a lovely violet, but all I can smell is Grey Flannel. I keep trying, but every time I wear it, I am immediately transported back to the making out with [Redacted] on the sofa in his parents' basement in the summer of 1983. A lovely memory, but I really can't spend all day there with a husband, job, and three little ones. I gave it to a friend who also spent a lot of time kissing Grey Flannel-wearing boys in the 80s, and she thinks I am crazy. Sad, because I love violets.

Florals are my favorite perfumes; I've been on a violet kick for over a year now, searching for the perfect sweet, powdery scent that I smell from bunches of violets I pick in my garden every spring. This is close, but it isn't quite "the One." Still, it gets noticed--a woman approached me in the supermarket last week asking what I was wearing and complimenting me on the lovely scent. This fragrance is light, feminine and fresh, almost a soliflore. I like it well enough to wear it occasionally, but not sure if I like it well enough to buy it again. If you love the old fashion sweet, powdery violet, this one is for you.

Just as Aiona said, the musk is not 'scary'. If you tend to steer away from perfumes based on the musk note do not be frightened - the violets take center stage in this perfume, and even the cedar doesn't seem to make much of an appearance. Unfortunately I cannot shake the associations I have with violet - that of the little tins of violet pastilles my mom used to buy for us when we were little...violets to me are CANDY, CANDY, CANDY. This is a very clean and light violet, so if you enjoy violets and don't automatically associate them with candy, I urge you to try this.

Violetta was the only fragrance I ever tried that gave me an instant headache. The brutally synthetic air-freshener violet clobbered me so suddenly that I couldn't enjoy any part of the scent. I do recognize that Violetta is part violet, part dusty vanillic musk, which is a brilliant concept, especially for a violet soliflore. I'm not going to say that this is a bad fragrance, just that it's not for me. One could argue that its lovely scent needs to be experienced in very small doses, and perhaps not so much as a body fragrance as much as a room/wardrobe freshener.

I have never smelled Parma violets, but if they smell like this, then I would love them! This is a very juicy floral scent -- initially it reminds me of the smell of fresh Thompson seedless green grapes, and some kind of flowers -- I guess the violets. As it dries down, I can smell the sandalwood more and more. It's a very nice light floral , and I'm not usually a fan of florals. The notes above list "musk" but this is not a scary musk. In fact, I don't really get much musk out of it at all. The juice really is a pale light blue, just as the picture above depicts.

I love the bottle design and I love the scent of violets, but this one was almost exclusively super-green and somewhat sour geraniums on me throughout most of its short life. The violets did make a brief visit during the drydown just before becoming overwhelmed by sandalwood and finally disappearing altogether. From what I read online, I was under the impression that this was the gold standard for violet perfumes, and was disappointed how little violet I actually detected in this.

I've managed to get my hands on an unopened and boxed bottle of this from the Language of Flowers era 1976. It is still wearable!! The colour has darkened a teeny bit but the fragrance is still fabulous and hasn't 'gone off' or anything. It must have been stored very well. I'm now scared to use it cos I haven't seen a single bottle of this for sale anywhere else online. Strong violet, whiskey and green leaf, this is even better than I imagined.

My mum brought me a bottle of this from Bicester village about 15 yes ago. I still have it. I put a tiny bit on the other night. Omg it smells so good. Violets heaven. I did find a cheap dupe online literally a few pounds and smells violet like so I didn't have to use Violetta. I thought I'd buy another bottle but alas it's discontinued. And I saw a bottle online someone wanted 400 quid for it. Uh no

This is a perfume that strongly reminds me of makeup, cream, lipsticks and powder. I was expecting a violet soliflore, instead its a harmonious blend of Violets and Roses, rose geranium specifically. The result is powdery and creamy. This is in the same vein as Drole de Rose, but more intense. Nice!

violetta is the pure essence of violet.it makes me think about a bed full of violets crisp and fresh with a trace of morning dew on their leaves...lovely and clean scent