Source: Fragrantica
Violette Fumée is a fresh, citric floral musk from Mona di Orio that was posthumously released in 2013 as part of her Nombres d’Or Collection. Madame di Orio was a very talented perfumer who died tragically at the age of 41 in 2011 from post-surgical complications, and Violette Fumée was her last creation. It was originally made as a personal, private gift to her business partner and the company’s co-founder, Jeroen Oude Sogtoen, based on his favorite notes. He decided to release the scent publicly in 2013 as an homage to her.
Source: Luckyscent
Violette Fumée is described as an “eau de parfum intense” on the Mona di Orio website, and also as an “Oriental Balsamic Floral.” The official description for the fragrance is interesting, as it discusses some elements that are not actually included in the accompanying note list:
With the creation of Violette Fumée, Mona composed the melody of my favorite passions, memories and materials.
With flirty florals like violet and rose fumed with pipe tobacco, the exquisite smoothness of cashmere and suede, and deep resinous undertones, this warmly smoldering scent evokes my sensorial love for luxury, and makes me feel, dream, travel and remember.
Revved at the start, crisp, fresh notes of herbal lavender and sparkling bergamot pair with inky oakmoss and get a twist as the scent unfolds into the elegance of vetiver and clary sage.
The shy violet and iconic rose develop into a powdery and gourmand fume and then ramp up as spicy and savory notes of aphrodisiac saffron and smoky bois de gaiac communicate with the florals and begin to ignite.
The smoldering continues as resinous opoponax, myrrh, and musky cashmeran dive slowly into an intense velvety embrace.
Top notes: Mediterranean Lavender, Bergamot from Calabria, Oakmoss from the Balkans
Heart notes: Violet flowers and leaves from Egypt, Turkish Rose, Vetiver from Haiti, Clary Sage
Base notes: Opoponax and Myrrh from Somalia, Cashmeran.
As you can see from the description, saffron, tobacco, and guaiac wood are mentioned, but they do not appear on the actual list of notes. I detected small, minute traces of the last two notes, but not the saffron.
Source: naturesgardencandles.com
Violette Fumée opens on my skin as a very cool citrus, aromatic, and floral bouquet. There is crisp, chilled bergamot and pungent, herbal lavender, followed by dewy, metallic violets, its crunchy green leaves, and tendrils of light, sheer smoke. The violets smell slightly dewy and liquidy, but primarily carry the aroma of its crunchy, fuzzy, peppered leaves. There is a metallic sharpness that violets can sometimes demonstrate, but the note is also accentuated here by clean, synthetic, white musk. Touches of clary sage waft about, emitting a slight soapiness amidst the plant’s lavender and leathery undertones. Vetiver trails behind it, smelling both green and mineralized.
Oakmoss or tree moss.
A few minutes later, another green note arrives on the scene: oakmoss. Like the vetiver, it initially has a mineralized aspect and doesn’t smell plushly green. Yet, it is not completely the grey, fusty, dusty, more pungent version, either. It lies somewhere in-between, supplemented by the bergamot to prevent the mosses from feeling too austere. As a whole, Violette Fumée is a visual palette of green, yellow and purple, with small streaks of black. It is initially a very cool fragrance in temperature as well, thanks largely to the chilliness of the crisp bergamot and the violet’s floral liquidity.
The black smoke that ties the aromatic, citric and floral elements together is very muted on my skin. It is a subtle touch which I wish were far stronger. Interestingly, the first time I wore Violette Fumée, the smokiness was much more apparent than on my two subsequent tests and I have to wonder if temperature was responsible as it was far cooler that first time around. Yet, even so, if I were to quantify the smoke on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest, it was a 3 in my first test and perhaps a 1.5 at best on subsequent occasions. In short, rather minor as a whole. Even more minor is the tobacco undertone that I detected in one test, but which never subsequently reappeared.
Violet Leaf via gaertner-und-florist.at
Violette Fumée slowly shifts, though by very fractional degrees. After 10 minutes, the fragrance feels softer and warmer. The bergamot’s zesty briskness turns sweeter, while the lavender and clary sage lose some of their sharp, herbal pungency. The violets grow stronger, their scent feeling more floral now than just the crunchy, piquant green leaves. Their dewiness and metallic edge fade away, though the clean musk remains. In fact, the latter’s synthetic sharpness is consistently intertwined with the bergamot note, resulting in a clean lemoniness that I think has a very harsh edge. It continues largely unabated until the very end of Violette Fumée’s development on my skin, and it is the thing that I like the least about the perfume.
Source: funny-pictures.picphotos.net
Violette Fumée begins to turn abstract and wispy 45 minutes into its development. There are fluctuating levels of greenness, but the smokiness has faded away, along with the lavender and clary sage. The oakmoss feels almost nebulous, more like an abstract suggestion than anything clearly delineated. In fact, many of Violette Fumée’s notes lose their distinct shape, except for violet and the lemony musk, and the perfume feels very sheer.
What appears instead is a generalized, rather amorphous woodiness. Neither the guaiac nor the cashmeran are detectable in any individual way, but they blend in with the other notes to create a sort of nebulous, “woody musk” cocoon in which the violets are nestled. The cashmeran is noticeable mostly through the growing touch of creaminess in Violette Fumée’s base, almost like shea. By the 90-minute mark, the perfume is primarily a fresh, violet floral scent with strong bergamot musk and a touch of sweetness, all resting upon a thin base of creamy woods. A hint of vetiver lingers in the background, but there is no smokiness, very little sense of oakmoss, and only a suggestion of crisp greenness. The perfume now lies just an inch, at best, above my skin.
As a whole, Violette Fumée is a very airy, lightweight fragrance with soft, quiet sillage. Three smears amounting to 2 small spritzes from an actual bottle gave me 2 inches in projection. Applying a larger quantity did not significantly change that number. By the end of the second hour, the perfume is a skin scent on me and feels very thin.
Artist unknown. Source: pinterest via eBay.
At the start of the 3rd hour, Violette Fumée is a fresh, light, largely abstract floral with a vague suggestion of violets, followed by sharp, synthetic, lemony musk, all atop a base of generic woodiness with creaminess. As a whole, the perfume feels very clean and has something of a soapy nuance, thanks to the fabric softener musk. The impression of greenness has completely disappeared, but a slight powderiness has taken its place.
Violette Fumée remains largely unchanged for hours to come. The rose makes a quiet appearance at the end of the 6th hour, but it feels thin, pink, and very wan. The general bouquet is now primarily an abstract “floral” accord dominated by citric cleanness and a touch of vague woodiness. Even the creaminess in the base feels more muted and thin. In its final moments, Violette Fumée is a blur of something floral and clean. All in all, the perfume consistently lasted between 10 and 11 hours, largely because my skin holds onto clean musk synthetics like the devil.
Photo: My own.
Violette Fumée has generally received very good reviews, both from bloggers and on Fragrantica. The Non-Blonde writes, in part:
Violette Fumée is a gender-bending fragrance. Smoke and flowers, delicate tendrils and petals against musky creamy wood. Pipe tobacco that has an almost fruity core, a rich texture with a modern sensibility. I wanted to describe the dry-down as a purple cloak, but that’s a bit over the top, while Mona di Orio created Violette Fumée as a wearable and sophisticated personal fragrance for a man with an impeccable urbane taste.
The musky dry-down is of the slightly fruity kind, round, rich and satisfying. It still has those purple fumes surrounding it, and I feel an urge to lose myself in this mist. Despite all of that and the high concentration of the juice, Violette Fumée is not a heavy perfume. Applied moderately, it’s somewhere between a skin scent and a fashion accessory that you notice but doesn’t steal the show from your words.
“Green-purpel Fractal by Aqualoop31.” Source: aqualoop31.deviantart.com
For The Scented Hound, Violette Fumée was also a lovely experience, one which reminded him of a “page from a 19th century botanical illustrative leather bound book.” He writes, in part:
Violette Fumee opens with the most beautiful lavender and bergamot combination; it’s herbal and refreshing in a creamy comforting way. After a few minutes, the fragrance starts to warm and become deeper as a beefy oakmoss emerges from the bottom that envelopes and seems to fold over the lavender. After about 10 minutes or so, the violet seems to make an appearance from the edge of the fragrance. I know this is going to sound strange, but it’s appearance is like prairie dogs popping their head out of the ground. What I mean is that the violet doesn’t come out at once, but seems to pop in and out until eventually you feel like you are surrounded by violets tinged with rose. Violette Fumee at this point still retains its creaminess but it becomes slightly brighter without becoming sheer. What I love about this is that the herbal aspects of the fragrance keep this from becoming too floral and pretty which allow Violette Fumee to retain a substantive elegance. After some time, the myrrh and opoponax emerge from below and a slight suede provides for a beautiful finish to this multi-faceted fragrance.
Source: parfumi.net
On Fragrantica, most people seem to adore Violette Fumée, with some comparing it to Chanel‘s No. 19 and Cristalle. For example, “kxnaiades” writes, in part:
Violette Fumee is like no other violet scent I’ve come across. I thought Lez Nez’s Unicorn Spell and CDG Stephen Jones were different and unique takes on violet. Mona di Orio’s Violet Fumee pretty much blazes past these and leaves them in her smoke, in terms of originality. This really has to be sat down with and taken time with to enjoy, it’s complex and does not reveal it’s entirety in the first half hour. I agree that it’s opening reminds me alot of Cristalle and the like. Cristalle opens cold and unreachable on me, just like Violette Fumee did. I know perfectly well what clary sage smells like now, the leathery note was clearly in the icy herbal opening. However, making friends does take time and I was patient. My faith was well-placed and with time, the chill air left and I was greeted with a fresh violet with its leaves still green and perky, resins and woods. I much much prefer the warmer drydown to the opening so thankfully this lasts very well on my skin with a single spritz. This is not an easy scent to like, but neither were Cristalle or No. 19 for me intially, but now is a different story from then. Violette Fumee is not for those looking for a sweet violet pastille scent. It’s a decidedly unisex take on violet with a bold entrance and uncompromising quality I’ve come to expect from Mona di Orio. This is no shrinking violet.
Source: raymichemin.canalblog.com
For “Mick Trick,” Violet Fumée didn’t remind him of any Chanels but he also really liked the scent, though he does note that the “fumee” aspect was barely noticeable on his skin. He writes, in part:
Violette Fumee opens with a fresh sparkly triumvirate of green violet leaf, a splash of golden effervescent honeyed bergamot and subtle herbal lavender. Towards the heart the violet flower builds, an ultra-fine polished smooth powderiness is present but checked and never overwhelms, as opoponax adds resinous sweetness and a creaminess to the violet, forming the languorous sinuous and slightly shimmering heart of the fragrance. There’s also a very subtle tobacco note appearing at the beginning of the drydown, although I noticed this only on the second full wearing. At late drydown the violet flower recedes and watery violet leaf endures with a soft suede musky aspect (must be the cashmeran).
As others have noted the ‘fumee’ aspect is noticeable by its absence. Although I experienced a couple of phantom smokey tendrils that are gone as soon as I noticed then. It lays close and after around 4 hours is really a skin scent, however I experienced +12 hours longevity, on fabric it’s also +next day material. Not bad at all. There is a sweetness to VF, but it always retains a freshness and never threatens to become cloying. I’ve worn it now three times in the last four days, it’s got a subtle luxurious allure that keeps me coming back for more, I like it very much.
There are only two negative reviews for the fragrance:
- Awful, smoky and cheap, totally synth. [¶] Crazy price, sillage bad, longevity bad. [¶] Thumbs down.
- The drydown smells on me like Earl Grey tea leaves.
Violet Fumée is not cheap at $330 or €230, though the bottle is a 100 ml. I don’t think it feels like an eau de parfum at all, something that one Fragrantica commentator also mentioned. For me, the perfume is very over-priced for what it is, and I don’t find its quality to be impressive. The bergamot musk dominated much of the drydown on my skin, which is perhaps why that last quote from Fragrantica mentions “Earl Grey tea leaves,” but it is the sharpness of the synthetic that I found to be particularly objectionable. For $330, I’d like a lot more than citric fabric softener emanating from my skin — and a sheer, wispy, thin, largely abstract floral-woody-musk isn’t it.
In all fairness, I despise clean, white musk — in anything — and other people don’t have the same issues with the note. They also are not so sensitive to synthetics which my skin amplifies quite a bit. Plus, as I’ve tried to make clear, I’m in a distinct, tiny minority regarding this scent. Everyone else seems to be a fan. So, if you love violet fragrances and clean, fresh florals as a whole, then you may want to give Violette Fumée a sniff.
Hah, I wish you’d reviewed this before I got my decant (or perhaps that I’d waited to buy a decant until I read your review lol), as I think we experience nearly the same thing. I mean, I think it’s pretty (pretty as in a good body spray from the mall) and I like wearing it on these super hot days (no AC), but the dryer sheets and pathetic longevity make the price seem insane to me.
I think I place it in my mind with Narciso Rodriguez For Her…. as in, I love orange blossom in damn near anything, but wahhhh to the rest. For smoky violets, I far prefer Soivohle’s Purple Love Smoke, which is far smokier and stranger and lasted about 16 hours on me, despite being a natural.
And overall, there is just this problem with anemic, waifish, half starved fashion model type violets in perfumery. I love violets, but I do prefer them to have some body, longevity, and presence. Dear lord, I wish someone would just make an enormous, plush, earth shaking violet chypre-oriental. I would buy a gallon of it!
The perfume was a thorough ordeal to wear, but we seem to be in a tiny, tiny minority in our views on the matter. I’m relieved to hear that it presented itself the same way on your skin. At least it’s not just me. My God, that dryer sheet musk….. GHASTLY!!! It felt like a razor blade at times. I had to laugh how you compared Violette Fumée to “a good body spray from the mall,” because it does feel quite generic and characterless for a $330 perfume. I find the price unbelievable for the scent in question.
As for wan, anemic, half-starved violet notes or perfumes, I agree. I can only assume that the scent in nature is so delicate that it’s hard to create a plush, full-bodied, hearty fragrance version, especially without shoring it up through a ton of synthetics.
Well, there is no natural violet aroma material these days, it can’t be extracted that way for perfumery except through enfleurage (as far as I know) which has become too expensive for use in the industry. It can be extracted via natural isolates from plants other than violets, such as cassis, but most of what appears in perfumes is the synthetic version of the same molecules. Ionones are used for both violet and iris notes in perfume, and they often add a certain feel even when they’re mentioned in the notes, as in L’Heure Bleue or Tocade or Bois de Copaiba any number of others. In modern fragrances you can look at the box and see the alpha methyl ionone listed in the ingredients.
I think the delicacy of the presentation often has a lot to do with our perspective on how violets should be…. but look at Guerlain’s Insolence edp by Roucel for an example of a very forward violet oriental (yeah, fragrantica says fruity floral, but I disagree, too much Guerlinade for that) where some people are actually afraid of the huge violet note! It’s not nearly so loud on me, but it certainly has better longevity and presence than the average violet perfume.
Interesting point about our perspective on how violets should be impacting and driving the way perfumers present the notes. Very interesting, because it’s true that the note is always presented as a delicate, fragile thing and often in the background. As for Insolence, I haven’t tried it, and it sounds quite intriguing. A violet oriental that some people think has too huge of a violet note? Sounds great. I’ll have to keep that in mind.
Well, it might be too sweet for you, but it is full of heliotropin which I know you like in some perfumes. In any case, I think it deserves some attention just because it upset so many people and because the insanely mixed reviews on fragrantica are so entertaining, everything from adoration to loathing to terror! lol
(If you do try it, be sure to get the edp, the edt is different, simpler, and sweeter while I think that the edp has greater richness and depth)
Just had to chime in here as another fan of the huge party-in-a-bottle that is Insolence EDP. Loud, vulgar and everything that violet traditionally is not, love it. Do try it, Kafka, it is probably as far from the di Orio as it’s possible to get.
As Cacomixtle says, the edt is different (violet hairspray).
The fact that it’s so different from the Violette Fumée is one of its biggest appeals, but I shall be sure to avoid the EDT. Hairspray notes of any kind are not my thing. lol 🙂 Thank you for chiming in on the Guerlain, Maggie.
This is a scent I’ve been wanting to try since it came out but splits have eluded me. I think I am now uninterested. . .well, I still wouldn’t mind a sample to be sure, lol. Thank you (and I mean that)! The price tag has always put me off and I hadn’t thought it sounded justified by the ingredients. Now I know that’s true.
I love Neil Morris’ Spectral Violet and Luten’s Bois de Violette. I also wear CB I Hate Perfume’s Wild Violet Accord and usually pair it with his Smoky Tobacco. I do love violets, but generally find them too candy-like. The pairing of a tobacco note with it is lovely (imho) but it sure doesn’t sound like that is the dominant feeling of Violet Fumee. Musk dryer sheets? No thanks!
The tobacco is something that very few people ever seem to experience, even in a minor way, from what I’ve read. It’s certainly not a substantial note, even when it does appear. Like you, I think the pairing sounded really fascinating, but all the dark notes are very fleeting, squashed down and fleeting on my skin. The tobacco most of all.
The price is hard to justify, imo. For one thing, I think longevity is iffy. It lasted as long as it did on me only because my skin holds onto anything with that horrible white musk. Other people have had much shorter longevity. For another, this feels very much like an eau de toilette, and not an opulent or $330 luxurious one at that.
As a side note, on the blog’s facebook page, a chap who generally likes Mona di Orio said that Violete Fumée was almost a scrubber on him, and he said it was primarily due to the musk. It really was very strong and very sharp on my skin.
If you want to try Violette Fumée, I think a small sample from a place like STC would suffice. Getting a split portion…. hm. I’d save your money for decants of other things.
I’m glad all I went for was an STC sample. After all the raves I expected to love this but I swear it became a skin scent on me after 10 minutes. It’s not just you, Kafka. As for the nature of the violet I like mine fresh and green, or woodsy, not powdery or delicate. I also think I need to sample Insolence on my next trip to the Guerlain boutique.
10 minutes??! My word. And your skin is so much better than mine, usually. I know how much you love violet scents, so money saved! 🙂
Kafka, you’d be surprised, I had Alahine go away in a hurry much to my disappointment. I will give it a few more chances though as it’s perfect booziness in a bottle and not as pricey. Meanwhile, Insolence EDP, I will have you 🙂
I have two FB’s of Mona di Orio scents…and this is one of them. (The other is the Eau, however, I have the sample set of all the others.) I think the Violette Fumee have some of the same characteristics (at least on my skin) and I get compliments as much or more on these two fragrances than most of the other ones I have.They were pricey but so are many others very over-priced or perhaps I should say more than I should be spending. on perfume. But then all the Amouages are pricey as well as the Frederick Malle group and many others. The Insolence Vicki was referring to was a hated scent among critics but I have always loved it. However, it is very different from the Violette Fumee’ in my opinion.
I’m glad you’ve found a MdO scent that you love so much and that gets you compliments. Enjoy your Violette Fumée. 🙂
I should have mentioned that I have the Insolence in both EDT and EDP…each of which is a scent of its own…related but almost distant cousins.
I expected to love this and was underwhelmed. Too much lavender/too herbal, not enough oomph, not enough smoke and violets. Definitely not my favorite MdO – I much prefer Chamarré and Cuir.
I can see you wearing and loving the Cuir! 🙂 I don’t know Chamarré.
I just ran across this line, thanks to a friendly recommendation and a visit to MiN. I bought the discovery set and am having fun trying out the scents. Not sure if I’m 100% sold on any of them yet, and the prices are rather high, but we’ll see. But about the Violette–I’m not generally a “clean, fresh floral” person (though I found out a good friend is, which is so interesting), so I’ll give this one wide berth.
Is the Violette part of the Discovery Set of 5? It wasn’t included in the set on the MdO website, so I was just curious.
It’s not. It’s the discovery box for Les Nombres d‘Or Collection, which is probably the one you saw on her site (the one I have has 8 scents). I just meant that I wouldn’t seek this particular perfume out for a try. 🙂
While di Orio’s Oud is one of my all time favorites her Violette Fumee was a complete meh on me. Smelled rather harsh and utterly artificial – really unpleasant. Sadly.
Heh at your “rather harsh and utterly artificial – really unpleasant.” lol. We seem to have similar skin and responses to certain things. 🙂
Hello my dear Kafka. I will be contrarian this time and say I actually love Violette Fumee – I own a FB in its beautiful presentation box, bought at a pretty good discount from MinNY :-). Violette Fumee worked really well for me when the weather was cool to cold and it actually stuck to me pretty much the whole day, even on non-work days when I am out and about in the big metropolitan outdoors.
I’m glad it works on you, my dear. Good to hear you experienced some decent longevity too. 🙂
Oh, Kafka, we seem to have different taste but that makes reading your wonderful and in-depth reviews even more fascinanting!
I love VF because I enjoy its diluted dewiness and the herbal aroma which, to my nose, is very untypical for a violet fragrance and far from “clean, fresh florals”. I don’t get much smoke either it feels rather smokily or even leathery at some point, and each time I wear it I detect something new. It took me several wearings to finally smell the rose note…
(And I am happy that they offer VF in those traveller size bottles!)
You’re very kind, Anka, and I appreciate your words particularly since you say we have different tastes. Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I mean it quite sincerely when I say that I’m really happy the perfume works so well on you. It sounds like you don’t experience the fresher elements (and that musk) which dominated so much of the scent on my skin after the opening. And your leather bit sounds very pretty. 🙂
Does MdO offer Violette Fumée in the minis? I didn’t see that on the website or at various vendors, so that definitely helps! I’m glad more affordable options are available.
Yes, you can order roll-ons of VF – here comes the link: http://www.monadiorio.com/online-shop/perfumes/category/catalog/page/4
You know, since I started being obsessed with fragrance only 2 years ago, the difference in our tastes is IN PART due to my under-experience, of course. When I started my scent adventure I couldn’t stand jasmin and tuberose and only little by little “learned” to appreciate both. And that’s what I like about perfume, it’s not only a question of taste but – in my opinion – of time, practice and experimentation. And enjoyment!
Aaaah, the 5 ml mini…. okay, I understand now. I’d linked to that in my review but, in talking to you, I was thinking of the Mini *SETS*, like the 3 semi-large, semi-mini decants of the same perfume, or the sample Discovery Set of different fragrances. The Mini Travel set (I think that’s how it’s officially called) seemed to be a more reasonable option as the overall sizing is bigger than a mere 5 ml. But at least the website offers that, I guess.
In terms of your other comments, I have to really give you a huge Bravo over your perfume journey. A mere 2 years!! And you managed to get over a dislike of both jasmine and tuberose!! I can’t tell you how impressive that is. A lot of perfumistas loathe tuberose even after decades of wearing scent, but, then, there is always one or two things that are impossible for one to overcome. (In my case, aldehydes. Been 35 years and I still loathe them passionately. lol)
Still, what’s impressive to me is your open mind, your commitment, your patience, and your perseverance. That’s really wonderful, and I applaud you for your fantastic attitude. 🙂
I tried Violette Fumée when I was in Rome last year, and it was pretty but way too wispy and indistinct for it to have an appeal for me. I love the richness that I typically have found in the MdO line (in scents like Nuit Noire, Les Nombres d’Or Oud, Les Nombres d’Or Vanille) and those richer perfumes seemed more worthy of their price point. This one, I would agree with you Kafka, is not something I would be willing to spend that much money on.
Interesting. We seem to have a distinct split in opinions here between those who find it wispy, indistinct, synthetic and/or underwhelming, and the handful who experience something more interesting. I think you tip the balance of the scales into the largely unenthused side of things. lol At least you’ve found a few from the line that call your name. 🙂
Hah, I like that ! (I know, sometimes I’m not diplomatic enough…)
My skin amps all smoke in perfume to ridiculous levels (good thing I like smoke..) and brings out the rotting bits of violet/iris. It didn’t let me down for VF, which I think is a good thing as it helped to hide any synthetic element. Even then I find it is something I wear only in the height of summer when wispy, dirty violets apparently work well. Mind you, it is one of the few violet/iris things I can wear without driving people from the room from the scent of rotting vegetation. Apparently only takes getting it to ‘watery’ for that to happen. Stupid skin! I shall just have to carry a bouquet of blooms around with me..
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