Welcome, fellow perfume aisle cruisers. This time round, we’re doing the do on two CB I Hate Perfume scents, Violet Empire and Patchouli Empire. Lee’s particularly excited, as these are no longer available anywhere, as far as he’s aware, in the UK (tell him if he’s wrong).
Let’s start with the patch:
March: Well… um …. er. Huh. You know how predisposed I was to like this, given how much I like the CB oeuvre. And this one… is the first CB I don’t like. I suppose it had to happen eventually, didn’t it? It doesn’t smell terrible. Or even bad. It just smells weird to me, musty and medicinal, and I’m racking my brain because it reminds me of some sort of treatment from my childhood, but I can’t remember what. One of those herbal wart removers with thujone in it? Dr. Scholls Moleskin? Absorbine Jr. (hey, anyone remember that?) If I smelled it in the co-op, between the Rain and the Kush, I wouldn’t buy it. It dries down into an almost minty patch. It’s not rough and sultry enough to be my hippie love juice — it’s faux hippie oil, younger and cleaner. It reminds me of those adorable kids up there. They could wear this. You fans please comment and ‘splain what I’m missing.
Patty: I’m not going to say “don’t like.” Given my deep Love for Christopher, I’ll just use the strongest language I can… um, it’s not me, unless I grew my armpit hair and picked up a ukelele and started singing folks songs. For patchouli lovers? Yes, maybe, and it does layer great with a lot of other scents. It is pretty, um, strong. Er. Can I just say here how much I love the Le Labo Patchouli?
Lee: This smells like something made by a loose-limbed, hale and hearty, macrobiotic natural perfumer, and if that sounds insulting to anyone, I don’t mean it to. Honest. Mr / Ms Hale and Hearty also has a bong stashed somewhere that s/he likes giving a good go when no-one’s around. Man, this is a tenacious fella (must be the absolute Patty’s given me a sample of) and to me at least, purely for patch lovers. It smells high quality and rough at the same time. I don’t think I like it – I don’t mind rough, and I enjoy high quality, but generally as separates rather than holding hands: I don’t know whether to make polite chit-chat or get raunchy. And now I need to sniff Wild Pansy.
And now onto the Violet:
Patty: It starts off different from any other violet scent I’ve smelled. But it has everything around the violets thrown in, leaves, sticks, dirt, wood. Just when you are thinking it’s the furthest thing from a violet, they peep their little heads up and wave and blow kisses. Never sweet, just gentle and beautiful. I tried layering this over the Patchouli, and the Patchouli reared back and ate all the little violets and their friends. It was ugly, I’m still weeping.
Lee: This is spring sap encapsulated. I was sowing seeds today, and if i’d have thunk properly, I’d have worn this, as it probably would have encouraged rapid germination. The violets are there, but not in any pronounced way (I have to sniff quite closely to get them); mainly it’s the earth coming to life once more. It’s quite a fragile, ethereal thing, like the violet itself I guess (though they’re actually like weeds round here…). Very clean, very pure, very beautiful.
March: Okay, this pretty much exemplifies what I worship about CB. I am there in my garden — my gloves are damp from the warm, moist dirt, there are crushed stems under my knees, and I have picked a nosegay of violets to sniff because I am sitting in the sun, and life cannot get much better. Violet Empire is more leaf and less dirt; in particular, it is missing the earthy chill of Black March (for those of you who find that one a bit crypt-keeper.) VE is such an unusual rendering of violets — it’s not as sharp or bitter-green as, say, Annick Goutal Violette, but it’s not some candied-violet deal like Berdoues Violettes de Toulouse either. I put this on this morning and ran stupid, boring errands all day long in a state of bliss. Like his other absolutes, this one has excellent lasting power on me.
image: protesters, 2005: carcosa.net
Hello! I’m new to commenting! Thank you for this post, I am now pinching my pennies to try some of the Violet. The violets at my parents house are now out and I just spent a nice part of the afternoon doubled up and sniffing the ground.
😕 Hmmmm, that golf scent you imagined sounds like Alan Cumming: The Fragrance.
Not a great fan of any of these… I was spending Easter with my parents and they had some wild violets blossoming on their lawn (unbelievably early). I knelt down to smell them and was surprised at the sweet and strong smell – almost like candied violets. CB has extracted all that sweetness from his violet note. It’s a green violet, almost minty, or more like birch. I appreciated that I could (unlike you it seems) pick out the paper-dry, spicy russian leather note though. I didn’t get any earth out of it, unlike most of his scents.
Regarding the patch I agree it’s medicinal and smells like a hippie. Not quite a dirty hippie burning lots of patchouli incense, more like the interior of some exotic self healing/aromatherapy store perhaps… I got a strong citrusy black tea note out of it, like the Cedarwood Tea, which is weird since there is neither citrus nor tea in it. Underneath that I got some musty patchouli. I like my patchouli dry and woody, not murky and incensey. Earthy is ok, if it’s dry earthy.
By the way, am I the only one who actually get patchouli out of the le labo patchouli? After the birchtar has faded I can pick out patchouli quite clearly. Not the hippie kind, the good kind.
Solander, last night I did detect some patchouli in Le Labo when the birchtar calmed down. I was surprised. “Hey, that’s patchouli!”
Well, I was going to write, “Yep, you are the only person on this planet who got patch out of that Le Labo,” but it looks like I was wrong.:d
Russian leather?!? Really?!?! I’ll go sniff again, looking for that.
Violets *are* really sweet in their natural state. I think it’s difficult to mimic that smell, though, without coming across as candied. To me the smell is more effective set against the outdoors background, which VE totally did for me.
Yeah, what is that weird note in the patch? To me it was minty, to you more citrus tea…
Yup. After the tar, I get this delicious little spice note that’s enchanting. Sort of like the spice note at the bottom of ISM, but more pronounced. No patchouli ever!
Yes on the Violet Empire! I love Black March, too, but not to wear, just to sniff in February (and this freezing, snowy April) when I need the smell of spring. But Violet Empire is so wearable and lovely and also spring-inspiring.
Thanks for the reviews – love them!
You’re welcome! I wish spring were inspired to actually SHOW UP in our neighborhood, it’s very late… :-w
I meant “tea ones” obviously, although I’m sure CB makes atmospheric golf perfumes, as well.
I can smell it right now — grass, plaid pants, ugly yellow sweaters, cigar smoke, leather golf bag/shoes, beer …
Hey, weird, I just tried my first CBs yesterday (your package arrived Patty!) – and I was blown right out of my tree! (I don’t live in a tree, but you get what I mean…) They’re just AWESOME. Why did it take me so long to order samples, damn me?!? That Cedarwood Tea is just killer stuff. I love the Black March also (named after a poem by one of my very favourite poets, too, Stevie Smith) though I can’t see wearing it as much as the tee ones. Now I gotta decide whether to test Wild Pansy or Violet Empire next – what says yous? I’m not really a violet person, but I love Apres and now Aimez Moi, so anything green or fresh or photorealistic sounds good to me.
Oh, good!!! I’m so glad you liked them! I think they’re just great stuff.
My vote would be Violet Empire, but only because I haven’t smelled Wild Pansy.:) It’s not “violet” in the way that folks hate in perfume.
I went and looked at Patty’s list. An alternate choice to VE would be To See A Flower. I think you should also consider: either MOK or Summer Kitchen (if you like vegetable gardens or tomato leaf, MOK will stun you). Winter 1972 you can hold off until it gets cold again (it’s also a touch Black March-ish, so you’ve been there, so to speak.)
Huh. For some reason, I guess because nobody mentioned “leather”, I thought you were reviewing the Wild Pansy (“other” violet) one. I didn’t read carefully enough. Well, then, my mind is made up. I’ve been thinking about ordering the rest of the superfecta seasonal CB lineup: MoK or Summer Kitchen (which one?), Burning Leaves, and Winter 1972 – particularly those first two.
Yeah, I had real luck with all the samples and small bottles/solids I ordered in the last few weeks. (Except that Anne Pliska, Patty. What was I thinking?!?! I don’t like Creamsicles!) By the way, that Dans tes Bras/In your Arms/Dancing with Bras Crazy and Poppies is wonderful: very SL Les Eaux Boisees, but with a milky, “white” background that is kind of what I imagine the Musc & Patch to be like. I think I might like it better than some of the Serge Bois series and Dolce Vita, which is AMAZING for a $16 product.
Huh. Maybe I need to try that Dance with Bras after all… okay, if you’re forcing me to choose, try Memory of Kindness. There’s a story about its inspiration on his website, and I think the love shows through in that scent.
Adding–I don’t know what creosote smells like, but the singed smell you are describing seems to be the same thing that Qwendy was describing in her “bacon” comparison. I don’t know if you are a KJ fan too, but if not, you probably should be.:) Always willing to enable on this one. . . .
I will stop posting NOW!
I guess I won’t. Wrong place, obviously. This was supposed to go to Patty.
I think you’ve actually hit upon an elemental difference — between that extremely strong smoke, and something more like creosote or asphalt. KJ (new one, right?) is just veeeeeery, veeeery smoky to me. Bvlgari Black and LL Patch take a step in that harsh direction I associate with tar (although Black is supposed to be rubber, right?) and Fahrenheit is even one step further…
Hey, have you ever smelled that … that … dang, what was that? Oh, that Annick Fier!? Eau de Hot Blacktop, with a slick of road oil. Definitely an acquired taste.;)
Yeah, I love Eau de Fier. Figgers.
What you say makes sense. LLP and BB (which I really like, though not as much as LLP) are, of course, created by the same person (also an Annick: coincidence? I think not!)–so maybe she’s a tar freak, too!:) BB is supposed to be rubber, but DH picked up asphalt or something like it as well. He liked it. He’s weird, too.:)
Believe it or not, I don’t know what Farenheit smells like. Must remedy that!
“This smells like something made by a loose-limbed, hale and hearty, macrobiotic natural perfumer”. :d:d:d Lee, I 😡 you. Girls, I 😡 you too, of course.
Marina — if there’s a hell, which would be worse? Being sprayed all day with natural oils called things like Myst of Gaia, or being sprayed with the worst Sephora has to offer?:-?
Define your terms, sweet Marchie! Are you suggesting that Marina live in eternity with Aquolina Blue Sugar???b-(
–Ellen
Eeew. Groovy patch is suddenly sounding a lot better.
😕 Depends on the oils. Some of those naturals can be nice, but those that just a blast of cheap lavender, sage, and Pine-Sol are pretty cheesy. >:p
I am so glad to hear that you guys don’t like the CB Patch. When I was at CB with a buncha sniffa people, everyone seemed to love it, and I (who have nothing against patch generally) could just not get into it. I thought there was something seriously wrong with my nose, and kept trying. I can stop now–Thanks!\:d/
VE, on the other hand, I love–and I bought. Perhaps I will wear it today.
But I also have to talk to Ellen and March about le Labo Patch (not really a patch scent at all, but a birchtar one), because I guess I AM really weird here, in that I don’t find it disturbing or “out-there” at all, but simply infinitely comforting. My husband likes it too. I even got them to make me up a lotion (they don’t usually make one in this scent because it comes out a funny kind of brown–really off-white–that they felt was aesthetically displeasing). I don’t know how much of this is chemistry, but certainly not all of it, b/c I also love the way my bathroom smells after I have used the lotion. It must have to do with memories and associations. Perhaps I was rocked in a birchtar cradle–or perhaps I am simply “out-there” myself.8-|
Oooops, not Ellen, Maria. Sorry. MORE COFFEE!!
J — I agree that LL’s not really a “patch” at all. (I’m still cultivating a patch love, with mixed results.) I can’t quite bring myself to work up that birchtar adoration, but give it time…
I think very strong smells can be interestingly comforting. Tea tree oil does that for me. So does lapsang tea (although I want to smell it, not drink it!)/:)
Glad to hear you agree about the CB. I thought I was nuts.
Do you see a similarity to KJ here? The LL was first recommended to me by Qwendy who said something like “this is similar to that weird bacon-smelling frgrance that you like [i.e., KJ].” And she had a point, IMO.
Well, I do see a similarity between the LL Patch and KJ. LL is just missing that odd fattiness that the KJ has. I also think KJ has the smoother drydown.
My mind just isn’t clicking onto what KJ stands for. I do find the LL Patch comforting, but once I started crying while I had it on. It was stirring up old stuff. That’s why I labeled it “disturbing” as well as comforting. It’s not a casual scent for me.
😮
KJ= Kolnisch Juchten.
I’m with you on the Le Labo Patch. I really don’t like patch 98% of the time, but this one is just a wonder. It reminds me of burnt something, but not bad burnt, just singed. And it smells a little like the creosote coated posts — you know, the ones the EPA got all torched about — that we had on the farm. I loved the smell of those.
but comforting is the word for it, but the description doesn’t seem to lend itself. It’s just charming as all get out.
Side by side with the CB patch is like the ugly but lovable baby and the just ugly baby. ::shudder:::
Love that comparison!! I definitely needed more coffee this morning, because I somehow missed the part of the post where you said you loved LL Patch. Somehow, I persist in thinking of you a purer floral girl (and I DO love many florals myself), whereas in reality you also love a lot of the darker scents that I do. Maybe it’s your name: “Patty” sounds like a floral girl to me.:) And BTW, do you know that the woman who gets older- and younger-looking in the RealAge ad on your blog is sometimes identified as “Patty”? Hmmmmm. . . I think I still may need more coffee!:d
Oh, lord yes! I don’t know what the other notes are in it, but the drydown on that is just a miracle — patch crack for sure. I even like that new Olivier Durbano which smells like incense and asscrack… sorta. 🙂
Right now my nose is awash in new Tom Fords. There’s certainly something for everyone in the six I’ve been sniffing this morning. Diane has found a couple of loves in the ones she has too. Okay, bck to work.
I just read this …. ooooh, asscrack and incense! I feel it calling out to me… 😡
As soon as I sniffed it, I thought of you… this is perfect for March, it said to me. Need to get you a little care package together of TFs and niki parfum and that Rock Crystal. You should be in heaven
It’s been a while since I tried Patchouli Empire, but I do remember quite liking it. Obviously, though, didn’t need to buy it.
Violet Empire is another story altogether – mad, passionate love. I’m not a huge violet scent fan. I need them to bring friends w/ cojones to the party – preferably, woods, leather or dirt. CB’s rendition of violet is the most perfect one I know of.
I soooo owe you for the VE! It’s just the most amazing thing. I like violets in their many guises, even some of the barfy sweet ones (I wear Berdoues to bed; go ahead, laugh.) But CB, predictably, does the “real” seeming one, along with the ambient smells. It’s glorious.
Hi, guys! Those kids are too clean and sober to be the real thing. They must be in an outdoor high school production of “Hair!”
Great minds do think alike. Just yesterday I ordered a sample of Violet Empire. Now I look forward to it even more. I enjoy any rendering of violet, including the hidden violet ones like SL Bois de Violette. Lee, violets act like weeds here too, but they’re lovable anyway.
I never considered trying Patchouli Empire. That combination of words strikes fear in me. I’m glad you sampled so I don’t have to. What, no chocolate? :d
I received a sample of Le Labo Patchouli 24 a while back. It is the most medicinal-smelling “fragrance” I have ever encountered. The birch tar alone could burn somebody’s nostril hairs. And yet, and yet, some nights after my DH (who does not like it) is asleep, I put some on. I find it disturbing and comforting at the same time. The smell may resemble an unguent my crackpot mother used to apply on me when I was a kid, but there’s more to it than that. I like the smokiness a lot.
Maria — I think they’re protesting the Iraq war. I find them so earnestly adorable; however your Hair referent is apt.
No choc in the patch, thank heavens. I tried it several times, thinking, well, I’m just having an off day… the Le Labo one is just so out there, it’s fun. It’s like their Vetiver, which I think smells like hell *and* I like to wear it, but only when I’m alone. My husband hates it too!
Ah, my lovely three, another excellent review. I love Black March so sounds like the violet one would be the thing.
Speaking of Indian food (we were, the other day), I just made some Upma to sustain me while doing some late night research. Toasted semolina, black mustard seeds, ginger, cumin — all very dry because I left out almost all of the fat — I expect CB will be coming out with “Late Night Upma” any day now!
This is fun, being first. –Ellen :d
Ellen — I think if you like Black March you’d definitely like VE. As I said, among other things I like about the CB absolutes is they last a long time on me.
Robin at NST awhile back said something about Comme de Garcons needing to do a spice series… I would love a line of fragrances that are grouped around different seasonings and different cultural referents, wouldn’t you? Holiday spices appear more often than anything else. Did you try the Demeter Fiery Curry? It’s great. SHould be available as a cheap samp after 5/1.
I just loooooove Violet Empire. 😡
Has anyone tried the Burning Leaves by CB? I liked the smoky beginning but the drydown turned to pure mustard, like the stuff in the bright yellow bottle!
b-(