Norma Kamali Violette: A true violet floral

Violets have been on my mind the past few months.  This summer when I couldn’t wear much of anything due to the heat and humidity, I turned to Annick Goutal La Violette quite a bit.  It was either the weather or the simple fact that I love Goutal’s La Violette so much. The Goutal Violette is perfectly powdery, but not plasticky, and it smells like true violets with a hint of green and a dash of anise.  I’ve had a long struggle with violet fragrances over the years.  I still haven’t found one, aside from the Goutal Violette, that I really think is The One.  The new Tom Ford Violet Blonde is one its way to me, tracking number says it should arrive by the end of this week, so I’m revisiting all my violet scents in an effort to make comparisons once the Tom Ford arrives.  While sniffing around my ‘violet cabinet’ I found Norma Kamali Violette and I can’t imagine what my problem has been all this time, because the Kamali Violette is really great and I should have written about it, or at least been wearing it more often.

Norma Kamali Violette opens purple.  It smells like purple floral syrup.  It starts off heavier than it ends; I’d classify NK Violette as a light-medium weight fragrance by the time it dries down.   I think what I have been looking for all this time is a violet that smells of violet flowers most prominently, with less green than say Penhaligon’s Violetta, and much less powder than say Guerlain Meteorites and a bit more oomph, less delicacy than Goutal’s Violette.  It sounds like I’m describing Guerlain’s Insolence in edp, but that one, while extremely violet-y, ends up a bold fruity floral and not so much a violet soliflore on me (I do love Insolence edp, though). NK Violette is strongly about violet florals with less green and less powder than most other violet scents.    NK Violette is also much less candied and doesn’t remind me of violet flavored candy treats.  NK Violette dries down to a more subtle scent than the big purple syrup opening.  Once it settles in, it becomes a cool, dry violet; a complete violet floral, with hardly any green or earthiness.   This is all about the flower.  And it’s very well done; it stays true to the scent all the way to dry down and many hours thereafter.

Guerlain Insolence Eau de Parfum: A Rant

I’ve already reviewed Insolence edp. This week I wore it several days in a row and realized that I really, really love this stuff.

I think the edp is so much better than Insolence edt and My Insolence that I wish Guerlain had the sense to give it an entirely new identity. The name “Insolence” is awful. I don’t like Hilary Swank as the face. The bottle is doesn’t fit the fragrance. In short, I think Guerlain really screwed up.

Most stores carrying Insolence edp don’t even realize they do or the sales associates are confused about the difference between the edt and edp. Didn’t Guerlain realize this would happen? I’ve been told numerous times that the edp is simply a stronger version of the edt. It’s not, it’s a different fragrance. I’ve been told there’s no such thing as Insolence edp when it’s right on the counter.

If Guerlain had properly marketed and launched Insolence edp it would be flying off the shelves. If it had been given a worthy name, all it’s own, something along the lines of L’Heure Bleue or Apres L’Ondee – something romantic and wistful – attached with an evocative marketing story – it would be a modern classic.
Insolence was created by Maurice Roucel for gosh sakes. How did Guerlain not realize how special this juice was?

(((loud sigh)))

Guerlain Insolence Eau de Parfum

Admittedly it took some effort for me to like violet scents. And, even now, I prefer the edgy violet fragrances, those “dirty violets” like Ava Luxe Midnight Violet, Creed Love in Black, Comme des Garcons + Stephen Jones and Soivohle’ Domino Viole. There’s just something too pretty and overly girly about most classic violet fragrances for me. When I wear Guerlain’s L’Heure Bleue or Borsari Violetta di Parma I feel like I should be wearing a gingham jumper dress and pig tails.

In 2006 Guerlain Insolence EDT arrived on the scene. Insolence EDT caught my attention – even though it isn’t an edgy violet – it’s an undeniably pretty and fruity violet scent. I bought a bottle of Insolence EDT, and I like it, but don’t wear it very often.

Then, in 2007, along came My Insolence. This one makes me gag. The only day I wore My Insolence I wanted to crawl out of my skin by 12 noon.

Guerlain saved the best Insolence for last. Hitting the stores now in the U.S. is Guerlain Insolence EDP. Somehow the EDP manages to be stunningly beautiful yet not too girly or innocent. Insolence EDP is violets in flashing neon lights. It’s violets on crack or steroids – it’s a 50 foot violet plant. It’s so aggressively violet-y that it refuses to be simply pretty. This is not a soft wallflower violet; this is an attention getting scent. The main difference between Insolence EDT and EDP is that the EDP is much stronger and so much more intensely violet-y, that when I compare them side-by-side the EDT hardly even smells like violets anymore. The most delightful part for me is that while Insolence EDP is a sweet candied violet scent for sure, it’s still not too sweet, it’s entirely wearable.

Why am I not surprised that it took Guerlain and Maurice Roucel to create the perfect pretty violet for me?

Longevity: Days
Sillage: Strong, one or two sprays will do it
Rating: 5 Stars, I love it