Violet Ends
Boy Smells (2021)

I hope to switch-out my ordinary, go-to, everyday fragrances of oud, cedar, amber, patchouli, resins, vanilla etc. with a perfume that is more feminine and definitely floral. I want to do so with a beautiful violet-centric fragrance. So, I ordered a violet focused EdP sampler pack and Violet Ends by Boy Smells was amongst the offerings.

Violet Ends is a young, hip, totally unisex, new & fun fragrance that wears very well. I cannot imagine VE ever having mainstream appeal but nonetheless, this perfume is nice! This fragrance is simple to discover and understand because it has straight-forward performance. What is listed as notes is exactly what you get.

Opening: VE opens with strong but not screechy violet notes. This is the entire violet with petals, stems, green & dirt. A bit of rhubarb gives it freshness and pink pepper gives it a nice spice. But VE opens as a violet-centric perfume.

Middle: As the fragrance develops, this is where things get interesting. Within approximately 1-2 minutes, VE presents with pleasant, friendly, ashtray-type smoky, or tobacco notes. The tobacco note along with olibanum & a smudge of tea, cloak the violet opening, thus moving the fragrance into a very unique direction. Surprisingly, this smoky note pleasantly morphs (albeit clumsily...not what I'd consider seamlessly) with the previously presented violet notes and all of it somehow works. The introduction of tobacco and tea prevent the violet notes from becoming sappy, or honeyed in any way. The smoky, or tobacco note is not the nasty & stale, or "dirty ashtray scent" one might imagine with many tobacco notes. This ashy note introduces a unique dimension and some contemporary fun to what could otherwise be another ordinary green violet fragrance.

Drydown: Within 30 minutes, distinct end notes of leather and a smear of wood emerge. This is where it all lands. Tobacco & violet continually rise, along with leather and wood. All of this makes Violet Ends an overall unique perfume experience. And even though VE contains what I would consider darker, or dirtier notes, this perfume never becomes vulgar, or crude.

Longevity is good at 4+ hours during which I still detect violet, ash, tobacco and leather. Silage is initially moderate but moves into a skin experience within 30-45 minutes.

Totally unisex, IMHO. Violet Ends evokes images of an artsy, happy (not brooding), pony-tail wearing, smart, art-school girl, sporting Doc Martens, jeans, a hip draped blouse...oh, and of course the requisite black leather jacket, heading out to a nighttime class, or a club...naturally she hopes to meet some sweet, sexy cute boy.

Overall, this is a pretty "cool" scent