Purchased
"Some young ladies came, and the servants helped them to adorn the tree. On one branch they hung little bags cut out of colored paper, and each bag was filled with sweetmeats; from other branches hung gilded apples and walnuts, as if they had grown there; and above, and all round, were hundreds of red, blue, and white tapers, which were fastened on the branches. Dolls, exactly like real babies, were placed under the green leaves,—the tree had never seen such things before,—and at the very top was fastened a glittering star, made of tinsel. Oh, it was very beautiful!"
--Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Fir Tree
Splendor and Magnificence is a perfume oil that was part of Violette Market's Hans Christian Andersen "Little Fir Tree" collection, which I could have sworn was general catalog/permanent but no longer seems to be on the site. I would recommend emailing Violette Market if you're interested in it--they may have back stock or be able to put up a custom listing.
Also, their "Creatures of the Snow" winter update is also coming up soon, and I remember there being a scent last year that sounded very similar, "Pink Vanilla Glacier," described as "Bourbon vanilla pods, five-fold vanilla bean sugar, and vanilla cream encapsulating dried winter wood, blooms of pink roses, cedar leaf and red drops of saffron"--so sharing rose, vanilla, cream, wood, and saffron notes with this scent.
Price: This scent is no longer available, but Violette Market's limited editions are currently listed at $17.50 for a 5 mL amber glass bottle of perfume oil with polyseal cap.
Shipping: For domestic orders, USPS first class or Priority; for international orders, USPS International First Class only. To check pricing, I created a sample domestic order with one bottle in it, and the only shipping option available was "Best Way" (I'm assuming USPS First Class) for a very reasonable $3.50.
Samples: None available
Description from the website: "The proud and majestic occasion celebrated with five-fold vanilla bean infused in rich cream, red winter rose, warm saffron, and musky, dried winter wood."
Personal thoughts:
When first applied, this smells rich and very sweet, with a creamy, buttery caramel-sugar richness. The unctuous caramel layer quickly slides away to reveal more dry and musky underpinnings, making it interestingly complex: a powerful, rather powdery, unsweet rose note (tea rose?), with the furry dry base of some kind of musk (skin musk, I'm guessing), and hints of oak.
I always like the idea of saffron, with its beautiful color and connotations of luxury, but when I smell or taste actual saffron, it always seems a bit dusty and mineral to me, rather than floral or herbal. That strange dusty roundness comes across in the blend of this perfume, adding another slightly bitter and musty note into the chord of furry musk and powdery rose.
The sweet caramel cream is a distant memory by the time the scent dries on the skin, but you get whiffs of it wafting in the perfume's wake. There is also a distinct vanilla basenote hiding underneath the rose and saffron heart. The scent description is apt--the vanilla smells just like vanilla bean to me, that slightly fermented, rich, dry scent you get when you open a vial of vanilla beans. It's not a cookie or buttercream vanilla extract, not a doll's head plastic vanilla, not a floral Tahitian monoi-tinged vanilla. It reminds me a little of Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille, though I remember the latter being a bit more boozy-rummy-sweet and vanilla extract-like.
As it wears on and fades throughout the day, it becomes more powdery and less complex, till it reminds me more of a vintage dressing-table scent, all rosewater and talcum, so I prefer wearing this with a few reapplications throughout the day, to restore its richness. It has reasonable but not impressive sillage and longevity.
It's quite a beautiful scent. I never really think to wear it--I have a decant of it and it doesn't get the same attention as my bottles--but it smells expensive, deep, and luxurious. The rose, vanilla, and sweet caramelly cream notes make it approachable and pleasant, but the saffron, musk, and wood make it smell more sophisticated and complex than a simple, linear little sugared rose concoction. The sweetness and musk also make it kind of sexy. I haven't smelled Prada Candy, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was similar, especially in the musk-and-caramel opening.
I know among lovers of indie perfumes, rose can be a controversial note, but if you enjoy rose scents, I would recommend trying to track down a bottle of this. As I was testing it for the review, I kept turning my head and getting faint whiffs of vanilla and rose and thinking "what is that lovely smell? Oh, it's me!"--perhaps the ultimate compliment for a perfume.
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