Description
“’Invigorated by the reckless blooms of spring she took to the street like a blossom on the breeze.’ So begins Violet Disguise by Lenora Blumberg. A Californian through and through, Blumberg’s early stories invoke the innocence of picnics in the park, days whiled away picking plums in the orchard, and warm nights cruising canyon roads with the top down.
“After Violent Disguise was adapted for the screen Blumberg spent several years consorting with Hollywood’s elite but abandoned the glitz for a quiet life on a plum orchard in the Ojai Valley.”
NOTES: Plum, Violet, Dried Fruits, Balsam, Amber, Evening Air & The Month of May
Violet Disguise was launched in 2012. The nose behind this fragrance is Josh Meyer.
infoxoroenend – :
The fruits are dominating the opening and they’re like a thick nectar. I am getting the powdery aspect of the violets and they work well with the sweet fruits. Not many changes happening, just a joyful fruity floral, mostly plum and violets.
6/10
tomson7 – :
This is nice – not too fruity, not too floral…it is discontinued for whatever reason, but Olfactif still has it and Imaginary Authors Etsy shop still has it (both full size and travel size), I suspect until the last of it is gone…
nadyanadya – :
Spring is approaching and I’m finally wearing and appreciating this scent. Unfortunately is discontinued!!! Message me if you are willing to sell. All I have is a small sample.
Plummy and with soft powdery wood, there is just a hint of a fresh violet flower uprooted from the spring snow. It’s perfect for a prematurely spring-like day in February.
nikolawrc – :
Citrus in the top, plum, violet leaf rather than flower, almost like a sharp dry fig, an herbal element
georkov2 – :
So compellingly beautiful. An exquisite plummy violet, on resinous amber with rich exotic dried fruit and an earthy woody note. There’s almost eastern flavour to it with its warm ambery oriental overtures, something that takes you away to a warm summer garden in the eventide. The golden amber glow of the sun setting in a densely leafy garden where dark lush fruits bear heavy on laden bows; the rich ripeness of those fruits already fallen wafting gently through earthy rich gardens. Violets, warmed by the day, mingle with the ripe fruit, creating a plummy darkness that rises like the violet tinted sky of the evening, slowly waxing to greet the night. While rich, earthy aromas and warm, sensuous resins of the still golden heartwarmed trees create an ambery glow in the night.
This is an utterly beautiful piece and well worth owning.
FantaFan – :
At the first sniff I hate Violet Disguise.I was expecting a violet perfume. Of course with an original house like Imaginary Authors I was not expecting a traditional violet. The opening notes are harsh and overwhelming. But after a few minutes, it settles down into a creamy/velvety plummy ambery nectar. I really don’t detect any violet.On my skin the violet is not only disguise but unseen. Anyway, I don’t care because it’s absolutely gorgeous. Another beauty from my favorite indie niche house.
irrivitly – :
This fragrance is going to be discontinued.
Aceton – :
violet disguise is lovely, opens fruity and sweet! if you are a fan of violet you’ll like it! To me once it drys down is a powdery woody violet scent. When I wear this fragrance I feel feminine , at the same time I get a cozy feeling.
Moderate longevity and sillage on my skin!!
tcp – :
I went into testing this with a word from Josh himself, who told me that a.) the scent was more plum than violet and b.) it had the same dusty feeling as Yesterday Haze, which I had mentioned to him that I enjoy.
I agree on all counts. This is rich, dark fruits that have been dried and left in an old wooden chest. If you’re familiar with the depth of the fruit notes in Slumberhouse’s Kiste, that’s how these fruits felt to me. Now, I normally don’t go near plum-heavy scents nor am I typically keen on dried fruit scents. However, the “dusty” accord absolutely makes this great. It takes away the cloying feeling, it tempers the sweetness to a more reasonable level, and it brings a cozy feeling, like antique wood. As for the violet, I really don’t get any sort of typical violet smell form this. Perhaps the inherent powdery-ness of violet lends itself to the dustiness of this scent, but I get no real violet. And I actually quite like that.
I can absolutely see this being an amazing fall of winter fragrance. I own Yesterday Haze and find them similar enough that I don’t necessarily need both, but I will be happy to use my sample of Violet Disguise again.
Like all Imaginary Authors scents, this is a try-before-you-buy kind of scents. It’s hard to grasp the scent from looking at the notes alone. All in all, I’m pleasantly surprised with this one.
kotja4 – :
For me, Violet Disguise is one of IA’s better offerings, despite my usual dislike of violet. The plum/dried fruit accord here reminds me of Rochas Femme, but softer and hazier. The violet is soft, powdery, and well-behaved, not cloying as I tend to find it. The overt sweetness mostly dies off by the drydown, replaced by a balsamic, somewhat resinous scent. I don’t find much in the way of woodiness, which I think would have helped to ground it a bit better, though perhaps then you’d be looking at something similar to Feminite du Bois.
paxa1901 – :
I don’t like this, but then again I don’t like violet. You can really smell the dried fruits coming through here, which is pleasant.
momisarsen – :
Violet flowers aroma as we know it from candied purple sweets and violet petals jam quite popular in France. As Imaginary Authors put it: “This is a versatile fragrance that will remind you of the simpler joys in life.” Very Amelie Poulain.
zanko61 – :
Before reading the notes again I try to detect what I get…
At first it was something very familiar, but I couldn’t grasp what could it be right away. As the scent mellows out (it was a punch of powder violets and plummiest plums that slowly ease the punch to something more opulent. Then it hits me, this is much like my beloved Liaisons Dangereuses!! BUT, only essences of it that I like, as a whole – Violet Disguise sadly amp up gazillion white creamy floras that my nose just cannot handle….
Projection: moderate to loud
Longevity: moderate (5 hours plus on me), even after a shower there are traces of soapy floral remain.
Андрюшка – :
I find the name quite fitting! At first spray all that is noticeable is sweet dried fruits, rather like a stew sans any violets. It reminds me of a traditional Jewish holiday food called tzimmes; a fruity stew of carrots, dried apricots, and prunes cooked in orange juice with honey. The apricots are the most prominent on my skin the prunes are definitely present. This stage lasts about 45 minutes before fading momentarily to the solo scent of honeyed apricot. Then all at once the fruity notes disappear entirely leaving only the strongly metallic, powdery scent of candied violets. Eventually the candied effect fades leaving woody notes. Disguised beneath the fruit and the candied violets are soft, delicate, fresh violet blossoms. They emerge subtly as the metallic aspect fades. The violets dominate the rest of the fragrance. Sillage is medium.
I’ve been wearing this fragrance for a total of three hours now. It has all but completely faded from my wrists. Whatever traces remain are so soft I can only smell it when I bring my wrist directly to my nose. Though short lived it was a wonderful journey. I’m thankful for my small sample.
obc681intitytek – :
Violet Disguise does not fit it’s name, violets are so openly dominating the fragrance that none of the other notes can hide it. I thought I wouldn’t like this one (not a fan of flowers in fragrances) and kept it the last to test. But wow, this is so yummy. The violet mixed with plum and some dried fruits give off a candy-like sweetness with a hint of sourness. Best suited for spring and autumn wear for casual events and some classier ones as well. Even though it is unisex, I find it leaning more feminine due to it’s sweet flowery nature. It can fit a man as well, but that person would come off as a bit metrosexual, very masculine men could not pull this one off. My verdict is to try it before you buy it, but it is very enjoyable so do give it a try. It’s got a plus in my books.
ztl883bedyWelty – :
I’m borderline dislike. I like what the Perfumer is trying to achieve but there is something out of kilter.
The violet is powdery and backed by fruit which gives some sweetness but not much.
Moderate silage and longevity
Resident1948 – :
They should have named this Violet Disgust. I know that is harsh, but…..WOW. This is SO SOUR….chemical sour on my skin and to my nose. I see I am not alone in my displeasure for this fragrance.
Today was test day for me and this was the last one that I tried. I thought that maybe my nose wasn’t smelling this right. I thought that maybe it was just the opening and that it would dry down to the beautiful fragrance this should have been with the notes listed. They are DELICIOUS! I thought, hopefully, that it would then dry down and smooth out after an hour or so. Negatory. 8 hours later….it was still just as strong and just as atrocious. I scrubbed down my arm with unscented, exfoliating soap for a good 2 minutes to hopefully and thoroughly relieve myself of this test spot!
NOW….it is a divine, soft and sweet floral fragrance. I MAY have spritzed two since it was the first time I had tried the newly decanted sample. But it couldn’t have turned this fragrance THAT bad…..could be, but for future testers….only ONE, little spritz.
I know a negative review of this length is frowned upon by some, but I was so affected by this that I had to warn others to never buy this because of everything stated above ^^^
Imaginary Authors Memoirs of a Trespasser was so beautifully created…I never thought something even close to this could come from them.
mihail1977 – :
Fragrance Review For Violet Disguise
By Imaginary Authors
Notes
Violet
Plum
Dried Fruit
Resins
Amber
For me this unusual fragrance was a fruity floral AND an Oriental Arabic type of amber perfume. It’s exotic, sweet, warm, resinous, and not for everyone. It’s unisex which is a category of perfume that doesn’t suit everyone. Unfortunately some people have a skin chemistry that can only handle certain type of scents/notes, and there are people who don’t try on fragrances labeled unisex or for the opposite sex. This is totally a perfume which can be worn by both guys and gals with enough experience wearing perfume and who would feel comfortable wearing heavy amber and fruit. This feels like a delicious and dark type of Oriental scent. Smells like a shadowy corner in a bazaar or an open market place in Egypt or Morocco.
When Violet Disguise opens, it’s a distinct plum and violet combination. Plums do not have a real scent so they are recreated synthetically in perfume. We think we smell a plum. The plum is joined by dozens of nondescript fruit: apricot at one point, and dates and dry fruit. It’s dry and a tad salty. There’s also plenty of resins and amber. This is a very simple fragrance but tricky to wear. Where would one wear this? I thought it was suitable for a date or to go nightclubbing with girlfriends. A young woman who wears Alien by Mugler might also wear this. It has a seductive and alluring personality. It’s fruity, floral and amber. The flower in this perfume is the violet in the moniker. If you like straight up violet this is a good violet.
Beautiful.
dim4ikhot – :
I’m going to repeat what is said below a lot, “I really wanted to like this.” Alas on my skin it ends up being a very dry, maybe dusty dead fruit, chalky violet. I almost wonder if the “warm nights” added a bit of ozone or Iso super E, because that has a tendency to turn dry and crackled on my skin. Now that I think about it, that might be the resin. Sample before you buy, Imaginary Authors had a great intro set when I ordered mine.
DanielVK – :
I already wrote a review for this one stating my dislike for the scent…and I have noticed something odd about this fragrance. I had put the sample decant on a shelf above my bed and forgotten about it….then I started noticing a ‘sour milk’ smell in my bedroom. I accused my husband of leaving one of our youngest’s bottles laying around, but after a complete examination of the room and thorough cleaning of the floor and replacement of all bedding it was still there! I moved the sample out of my room, putting it on top of my desk in the livingroom meaning to pass it on to my sister (as I didn’t like it and thought she might) and the smell disappeared from my bedroom. Lately I’ve noticed when I sit on the loveseat six feet away from the desk that same ‘sour milk’ smell!!! This time I was on to the nefarious sample and moved it into my kitchen…..the smell is gone from my living room. What in the world is in this perfume that it would smell like that?
Impomstumoumn – :
I found the opening of this to be nothing but a chalky, dusty mess. I suspect this may be due to chemistry based on the vast difference between my wrist and the scent on the spray card in store. I get slight plum beneath the thick layer of dust, but that doesn’t make up for the hideous vintage overtone. The drydown is tolerable, but certainly not worth wading through the above to get to it.
I adore violet. It’s a constant throughout my fragrance wardrobe. However, I can’t imagine this working as a skin fragrance for anyone.
Italmas – :
The initial notes of Violet Disguise showed some promise of a green violet but my senses were soon bombarded by a cloying, overly sweet fruit compote accord, sweeter than any real fruit compote I have ever smelled. There is a medicinal sweetish quality that comes out in the midphase of this fragrance that is literally rather sickening. This is made with quality ingredients,Imaginary Authors is a good house, but I could not recommend this particular fragrance to anyone.
sungalaxy – :
I am so, so sad that I dislike this. 🙁 The initial spritz is fresh-cut violets without a hint of powder, and a small amount of sweet fruity notes in the background, which I LOVE. But as some other Fragranticans have noted, this perfume becomes much, much sweeter after the initial blast.
Within an hour, I could smell tons of that “fruity note,” but it no longer smelt nice to me. Instead, it was cloying and really synthetic. The violet was somewhat detectable, but I had to search for it; those fruits absolutely overwhelm for a while. After about 3-4 hours, the sweet fruit notes lessened and gave me some violet with a slightly warm base, but the artificial note lingered.
This wore decently on me: I got moderate sillage for about 6 hours. If you like very very sweet fruity-florals and don’t mind everything smelling a bit “fake,” this could be a good every day scent for you, particularly in warm weather. But for me, it was just too cloying and artificial.
n54658 – :
I find the top notes extremely unpleasant, a sort of honeydew and plastic accord that really doesn’t work. However the heart of VD is a sweet, hot fruit number, the same ‘heat’ of Josh’s previous creations, like a follow-up to Yesterday Haze. The dry down is unremarkable but pleasant.
xdi553InsuffBooni – :
This is very feminine in a reserved way with the main notes being plum and violet. It has a lot of associations to it like some of the ‘notes’ listed are Evening Air and the Month of May which I actually get. It brings to my mind a young lady from the 1800’s wearing a purple dress and sitting on a patio reading a book before retiring to the drawing room to converse with friends one late-afternoon/early evening on a Tuesday in May.
I feel like I’m missing something in this perfume; I’ll take a deep sniff and somewhere far into it I’ll smell something that evokes a memory that I can’t quite place. I really want to place what it reminds me of but no matter how much I smell it can’t place…it’s something from my childhood. All of the Imaginary Authors perfumes have this same illusive feeling of evoking bygone memories.
krasov-wladimir12 – :
I would swear this one has oakmoss in it, it has that sharp ‘spiky’ effect that I do not like in perfumes…no violet for me, no fruit, just resin resin RESIN with a tiny bit of amber. Big disappointment for me, I much prefer the follow up ‘Yesterday Haze’
gamesea – :
Violet Disguise is amazing. I was expecting a deeper Violet, but this is different. The violet is there….. just disguised a bit, the plum and dried fruit mingle with the balsam and amber in a very surprising melody. This one lasted only about an hour, and then became a soft memory.
sanja71 – :
Violet Disguise is a pretty, classy, and a bit cheeky girl with a sense of humor.
Violet Disguise opens with a prominent plum note that walks in with the violet firmly by its side. They definitely announce their prescence immediately after you spray it on.
There is almost a sickly sweetness to the scent in the beginning. After it dries down a bit though, the warmth of the resin and amber notes mellow it out and there is only a light sweetness. I loved the drydown, when the powder of the violets hit.
The dried fruits note left me stumped at first to place the note. After a few minutes, I realized that it reminded me vaguely of Womanity in that note. I believe that there is a fig type of smell behind the violet and plums.
I am impressed by the longevity of Violet Disguise. It has been 12 hours since I sprayed it on, and I can still smell it. The silage was pretty good too, it felt like it projected for several hours before it wore down.
Violet Disguise is not a love for me, but it is intruiging enough that I would still enjoy wearing it. There definitely feels like a lot of quality behind the fragrance.
Саня 007 – :
Depth, atmosphere, presence. Violet and amber. Herbal almost but that is not exactly the right word. This one reminds me of a room with the presence of a person I hoped would be there. Something mysterious mixed with something familiar. Thankfully not too sweet. In the background it does capture the essence of floral on the wind, which is one of the concepts from the press release. It is good. Not a love, but a like for me.
jhtk_10 – :
As mainstream designer houses continue to be gobbled up by multicorporate conglomerates (or have they all been yoked by now?) whose wares may range from ice cream to laundry detergent, the focus continues to be upon packaging before product. Bottles have taken on a new importance, apparently because marketing data has revealed that consumers buy based on the initial impression furnished above all by the vessel in which a vat-sourced abstract chemical soup is dressed.
Meanwhile, the new niche indie houses continue to proliferate, and their tack has been to come up with clever concepts marking them as unique and distinct. In the case of Imaginary Authors, dating from 2012, the house meta-concept looks to be something like a cross between Etat Libre d’Orange’s little folio stories complete with colorful graphics and Histoires de Parfums’ use of historical authors’ names. The concept in this case is “sort of” new, but it’s really a combination of two concepts already floated successfully. Is more better?
I don’t really care very much about the concepts used to market perfumes. No matter how much effort is put into the clever backstory, it never really rises above the level of a Tweet, leaving me in the position of replying “Et alors?” (sorry, it only works in French: rien ne se traduit…)
I took a look at the story for Violet Disguise, and that was honestly my response. The perfumer has made up the name of a person who apparently never existed, and then devised an ELdO like story of her life. He also made up the names of creative “notes” for this perfume: “Evening air” and “The Month of May”. Okay. Whatever. How is the perfume?
It’s mainly violet, so of course I like it from the first sniff. This version of woody violet–overlapping with such creations as Creed Love in Black–goes through a couple of different stages, one of which reminds me of Caron Aimez-moi in its dextrose-candy demeanor. By the drydown, the sweetness has largely subsided, ceding to a gentle powdery-woody-violent scent which I hereby affirm is pleasant.