Violette In Love
Nicolaï (2009)

Mixed fruit on top. Light sillage. Berry mostly here at first. Very floral bouquet in the heart. Spice and pepper pops. The iris stands out more than violet. Spice increases. Later, violet takes over. The base is gentle with violet still, some musk, and a bit more spicy black pepper. An overall very lady-like perfume. Subtle. Not overly creative.

I get none of the fruit notes listed nor any coriander or pepper. On my skin, this is all iris and violet, soapy and powdery and pleasantly forgettable. I'm currently wearing Violette in Love on my left hand and Zoologist's Nightingale on my right. They share quite a few notes in common including a citrus top note, violet, iris, and pepper heart notes (though the pyramid for NG doesn't list iris, there is an unmistakable lipstick powderiness there), as well as a musk base. Nightingale is hands down the more complex, satisfying composition with much greater longevity on my skin, especially during the dry down which brings forth the smooth, satisfying base notes. It is also more expensive at $2.25/mL vs $1.6/mL for ViL, but I can see diehard violet/iris lovers appreciating the beauty of both scents more than this newbie.

Violette in Love is a delicious seasonal treat. The main accord offers a pleasantly realistic splash of Violettes de Toulouse, with fruity notes skillfully blended for brightness, all dressed in just enough peppery greenery to keep things from turning too giddy. The drydown turns a bit soapy, but it's offset by pepper--and in this context, a tiny bit of musk accentuates the freshness of an already fun, unpretentious daytime scent. In a perfect world, Violette in Love would last much, much longer on skin: sInce reformulations have fubared other de Nicolai scents extinction, I suspect IFRA is to blame here, too, and I feel lucky that she keeps this one in the lineup. Making a virtue of necessity, I use this like an Eau de Cologne--liberally, usually in the daytime, and often as a refresher for other violet-tinged fragrances.

This one is a lovely but shy violet/iris accord that is sweetened by raspberry and saved by a good dose of pepper and a pinch of musk. There are similarities to Insolence, but Insolence packs a punch that keeps things interesting. There are no green notes as in Aimez-Moi or vanilla notes as in the new L'Heure Bleue, either. This Violette is fairly sheer and dry yet it never approaches the painful beauty of the sheerest violet, Apres L'Ondee. For violet lovers, only...