hortus conclusus

I interrupt my rose drawing week broadcast to rhapsodize briefly about one of my new favorite violet scents. I love violet smells —love the way the violet fades in and out of focus as it wears on my skin—and happily sniff any and all violet fragrances, most of which smell old-fashioned in very comforting ways. When Abigail over at I Smell Therefore I am kindly sent me a sample of  Sonoma Scent Studio’s V oile de Violette , I characteristically sprayed it all over me as quickly as possible, losing not a moment of time. This is a different kind of violet, more modern than old-fashioned and I love it. It is juicy and full, where many violets are consumptive and bone dry, reminding me of little candied dried violets , not something which drinks in the sun and has liquid running through its veins. This fragrance captures a living violet, rounding out the ever-so-delicate scent with something cherry blossom-like and something that smells a bit jammy—not in a potted fruit sort of a way