Punk rock girl! Give me a chance. Punk rock girl, let's go slamdance...

CB I Hate Perfume Violet Empire

Continuing to talk about violets this week. I mentioned last week in my review of L'Artian Verte Violette that violets are a tough sell for me. Consequently I have tried a lot of violets out of sheer frustration.

One of the violets I found I liked, consequently, was one that wasn't very violet-y at all. CB I Hate Perfume Violet Empire is described as follows:

Blended from CB Violet Empress, Elemi, Violet Leaf Absolute, Rosewood, Mahogany, and Russian Leather. Violet EMPIRE is an unusual yet very elegant perfume. The violet scent perpetually peeps out from behind a shining green veil.

According to Christopher Brosius, "[r]eal Violet Absolute no longer exists in the modern world or if it does, only in such tiny & astronomically expensive amounts which I have not yet been able to obtain. So I had to recreate it." This violet, on me, isn't all that violet in the traditional perfume sense. On application, I get a lot of mint and rosewood mixed witht he violet, with a little bit of leather popping through. It has low sillage and feels so fresh and new.

If you don't like soliflorals or super floral scents, or dislike anything that might seems classically perfum-y, this lovely green-y herb take on the violet is for you. Yu won't get a lot of violet up front, but if you give it 25 minutes or so, the violet comes through stronger, but still nicely balanced. Like most of the CB line, this is very well-made. If Verte Violette is the classical music equivalent of a violet, this is your hip, independent indie rock take on it. It is Sophia Coppola doing Marie Antoniette. It is a punk rock scent that could work for any woman and, thanks to the light leather bits, would also be nice on any confident and sophisticated man. It has great lasting power and would work in any weather. I highly recommend this one.

You can buy Violet Empire direct from the perfumer or from assorted independent perfume locales.

"Punk rock girl!
You look so wild.
Punk rock girl!
Let's have a child.
We'll name her Minnie Pearl.
Just you and me,
punk rock girl."
- "Punk Rock Girl," Dead Milkmen

Want more? Try...
~ A review from Robin at Now Smell This!
~ A review from Scents & Sensibility
~ A mention in this violets review from Perfume-Smellin' Things