VIOLET TRUFFLE (General Catalog)

VIOLET TRUFFLE
Dark Chocolate, Violet, Violet Leaf & Vanilla Absolute

Offered as part of the rotating General Catalog in Perfume and Ganache.


Description: Dark chocolate violet ganache truffles topped with a violet-vanilla infused sugar. On cold sniff and initial application, rich chocolate with a hint of wet and Earthy violet absolute draws you in. The soft powdery note of violet fragrance emerges then rises to hover just beneath the chocolate note. This is definitely a morpher and the vanilla-violet sugar sweet notes become more evident the longer this one is on the skin as the soft powdery violet note slowly retreats to the background. Contains cocoa and vanilla absolute, violet leaf absolute and fragrance.

VIOLET TRUFFLE

Violet Truffle is one of my favorite SS scents!!! When I first apply it, it has a very green, sweet floral, with a background of chocolate. I usually go for woodsy, incense scents, so this one was a big surprise for me. I love it!!!! Floral, chocolatey goodness!!!

I really like this scent. It pairs great with cocoa mallow glace or ganache. Chocolately with a bright floral essence that is not too strong. A nice change -I have never smelled anything like this! Probably not for men.

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SCENT! Probably my favorite. A dark chocolate with violet at first, softens to a soft violet vanilla-cocoa as it dries. This is the ultimate "sophisticated gourmand" kind of scent I love.

Unfortunately, this scent was a miss for me. I got a perfume sample of this, and when I first sniffed it in the vial, it smelled like powdered chocolate cake mix (which smells good to me). But, after application, the violet came out, and it smelled a bit too wet and green; it just didn't smell good on my skin. I thought I was going to really like this one, but the violet note just doesn't work with my skin chemistry.

Violet Truffle perfume was part of my Christmas haul from my family. (thanks, family for giving me SS goodies for Christmas!) Simply put, Violet Truffle falls into one of my favorite scent categories - foodie scents that aren't too foodie or sickly sweet. I get more of the chocolate when first applied, but it morphs into a lovely sugary violet as it sits. Basically, it smells like the center of a very expensive avant-garde truffle that you might get from an artisan chocolatier. A clear winner for me.

Now, just to hope that the Violet Truffle ganache makes another appearance! Maybe for Valentine's Day?

TheAnglican wrote:

Now, just to hope that the Violet Truffle ganache makes another appearance! Maybe for Valentine's Day?

Solstice Scents wrote:

TheAnglican wrote:

Now, just to hope that the Violet Truffle ganache makes another appearance! Maybe for Valentine's Day?

You're teasing us, Angela!

Something about this turns really strange on my skin, sort of dirty and sour smelling. It reminds me of the hay/straw, damp earth, and animal smell at the zoo. It's a raw, earthy edge that smells all wrong on me. I get that impression mixed with the candied violet...

This one didn't turn out so well. Although chocolate works very for me in scents like Black Forest or Chocolate Cherry Cordial, in Violet Truffle it turns a bit plasticky. Oh well, can't win em all. It has lots of admirers though!

Not quite what I thought it would be when I looked at the notes; there is definitely more complexity going on here to make this an adult and sophisticated fragrance.
The cocoa, vanilla and violet leaf absolutes provide a seemingly simple yet very effective mixture for an interesting fragrance. It is on the gourmet side of the spectrum with the cocoa and vanilla and the drydown definitely has a violet flower note. What I cannot detect is the green note that I thought violet leaf absolutes usually have, though there is indeed an earthy note I can detect that deflects the fragrance to a more serious level. The cocoa indeed does make for a rich and satisfying chocolate opening and I have a clear, yet subtle violet flower occupying the upper levels the entire time. As the drydown of the fragrance continues, the cocoa recedes and the vanilla moves to replace it. If I were to use an obvious metaphor it is like eating a dark chocolate with a violet scented vanilla ganache while in the garden - but it is also more if you persevere. I have tested this three times several days apart at different strengths.
Day 1 First test - Day time 18 degrees sunny - low strength. First impression is a very pleasant one. The cocoa and vanilla combine to give a chocolate note that seems quite realistic. There is also a clear violet flower note peeping at the top; though not at all strong, it is definitely there. Refined and pleasant would be the description at this point. The vanilla and cocoa combine well, but it is a familiar combination - the violet hint adds a level of interest.
Day 2 - Late afternoon - cooler fine weather - I thought afternoon tea time because of the gourmand theme of the fragrance would be a good setting - medium strength. Cocoa is more prominent as well as a hint more violet. Very approachable at this strength. In the drydown the vanilla starts to come through - exactly as the description says it will.
Day 3 - Late night - 14 degrees, cloudy and damp  - heavy application. The cocoa is very noticeable - not so much chocolate as cocoa. Vanilla is less featured making the whole fragrance darker. The violet note is still peeping through, but the darkness of the cocoa probably would be better amped up a little (for my taste at least anyway) sort of a violet/cocoa fragrance as Bois de Violettes - Serge Lutens is a Violet/Cedar fragrance. At this application strength the fragrance is primarily about the cocoa. As the fragrance is well balanced between the darkness of the cocoa and the sweetness of the vanilla it is eminantly suitable for both men and women.
Test 4 - I have re-read the online description of the fragrance, particularly the reference to an earthy note from the violet leaf absolute. This test was about that note. Application was medium to strong. This time I am looking at (well smelling at) the non gourmet notes and they are indeed quite interesting, much more than I had initially thought. The darkness of the cocoa, the earth hint of the violet absolute have an unexpected fascination and I am now wondering whether I will be able to simply treat this fragrance as a simple 'gourmet' scent again. I am enjoying this aspect very much as it adds a level of unexpected complexity to a scent that I already enjoy. I have never smelled natural violet leaf absolute, but have read that it is green with a violet note. I have always assumed that when harvesting violet leaves, occasional flowers must have been incorporated to provide a violet note, and yet here the violet flower ione note is so evident and there is an earthiness that I am thrilled with. What does the absolute smell like on it's own? How is it earthy?

This is a definite surprise as it can be both enjoyed as a gourmet fragrance and appreciated at a cocoa/earth/floral fragrance for discerning men and women.

Violet perfumes are my favorite. I was excited to give Violet Truffle a try even though my skin turns nearly every chocolate perfume I put on to Tootsie Rolls.

I didn't get a really strong floral note, and like another reviewer stated, it was kind of wet and green and the chocolate didn't really mesh very well with it. I figured maybe it was going through a little shipping shock since I typically rip into my SS packages while I'm parked in the post office parking lot and start painting my arms with smelly goodness. So I left the perfume alone for a while to let it settle and age a bit. Interestingly, I still don't get florals or Tootsie Rolls. Now when I wear Violet Truffle it smells almost exactly like s'mores. I like it though. It has this powdery, graham-y, sweet chocolatey-ness that is super duper comforting. It's very cuddly and nice to wear at bedtime.  

I had high hopes for Violet Truffle as I have much, much love for Rose Mallow Cream, I was hoping to find a soft gourmand floral scent to swap out with. Alas, not so much.

On me, Violet Truffle had no chocolate. When initially applied, I smelled cake batter. Lots and lots and lots of cake batter - as if I dumped a bowl on myself. One morning, I applied a dab on my wrists at my boyfriend's house when he wasn't in the room (to test his sniffer!). And as I was sitting on the couch, he leaned over to grab his shoes by my feet and he says "Why do I smell vanilla cake batter??". I couldn't help but laugh.

Once Violet Truffle dries down, there is definitely violet, but the powder is a bit old-ladylike and overwhelming. My mother had an African Violet when I was a kid, and for about 10 minutes, it reminds me of that, but sadly it's gone too quickly.

Oh well, I can't win them all!