MagnifiScent@magnifiscent
Violet whisper atop starchy nuttiness
Dries van NotenVelvet Violet4.210 ratingsI was so excited to nab a decant of this perfume because 1) I love Dries Van Noten and; 2) I love violet. So, when my decant came today I sprayed excitedly and…
I was underwhelmed.
It opens with a bright starch (sesame) and here, the violet is delicate and bright but it’s only at the periphery. The starch is more prominent. The top smells like sitting in a coffee shop, some vague “nuttiness” roasting the air. Someone walks by wearing Insolence (it’s faint, like it was sprayed hours ago). The smells of the Insolence mingles in the air with the warm, roasted starches and nuts of the cafe.
But then, to my nose…it’s (the violet) is mostly gone, taken over now in the mid by aroma chemical ambers and sweetness from tonka. The aroma chemical-leaning ambers will be familiar to anyone who has smelled current perfumery—they are everywhere! And Dries Van Noten hasn’t done anything unique or interesting with their treatment of them. But excuse me!? Where did you put the violet!?
By the base, the chemical ambers have softened and the sweetness sits, flat, on the skin.
I’m not a fan of ambers done this way. They often ruin perfumes for me. Velvet Violet keeps them tame at least, so I didn’t need to scrub it off. But when these accords are present, they usually overpower my senses. Perhaps that’s what happened here: the violet got beat up and trounced by the amber accord. Who knows.
This isn’t a bad perfume. It’s probably not even a three-star perfume for many. But for me, I’m disappointed DVN set artistry aside for a composition that’s been beat to death (even if the sesame is new and the violet, while fleeting, is pretty).
