Kerbside Violet Liquid Perfume

When I initially heard that Lush were releasing a third volume of perfumes, I had a mixture of strong and rather contradicting emotions. On the one hand, I was really excited about the new smells that they would introduce and was hoping that I'd discover a few favourites amongst the collection. I was also hopeful that the new releases would appeal to me more than Volume 2 - I found many of those to be not to my liking and this was rather disappointing.

However, I was rather worried about how much it would cost me to invest in these perfumes. I have to try each and every perfume over a couple of days to really experience the fragrance - I cannot spray a little on myself in the shop and hope it wins me over. I was also worried about how much time it would take me to review the lot - I still have almost fifty perfumes in line to be reviewed and I was hoping my 'to do' list would shrink over time, not expand.

Kerbside Violets is the first perfume to be released from the new collection - a fragrance influenced by the 'chance encounters on the street that spark a fleeting interest that just as quickly disappears around the corner.' Whatever that means I'm unsure, but it sounds poetic at least.

Lush have described this perfume as 'fresh, sweet and uplifting' and claim that it's their second attempt to get the violet scent 'right'. I'm a little confused by this claim because their Tuca Tuca Perfume, which is also predominantly violet, is a stunning example of a fragrance well mixed. Each to their own, I guess.

This perfume contains a combination of violet leaf and jasmine absolute and it is the former that comes through the strongest. In the bottle the violet is very fresh smelling - it doesn't have that heavy, cloying fragrance that Tuca Tuca gives off. Instead, it has a very light, grassy aroma which intertwines with the jasmine and gives off a naturally sweet smell. The ylang ylang oil adds to the floral element nicely and helps to pad out the floral element without making it too heavy on the senses.

In the bottle, Kerbside Violet smells very much likes Tuca Tuca, just without the sugary, syrupy element that some fans dislike. However, on the skin it becomes a gentle, refreshing scent that releases different smells over the two-three hours it remains on your skin. At first you get the natural violet leaf, jasmine and ylang ylang coming through. However, as the scent matures, the rosewood oil makes an appearance and adds a very comforting and sweet impression.                                                                                                                                   It's definitely more of a feminine smell - something that would appeal to those who like complex but not overly dominating smells. Although I prefer Tuca Tuca a little more, I know this is because I am a sucker for sugary-sweet fragrances, whereas Kerbside Violet is more of an uplifting, floral aroma. 

Despite this, I really enjoyed the perfume and it's a great first release for Volume 3. Priced at £18 for a 10ml bottle, it's definitely something you have to commit to. However, I am really glad I bought myself a bottle and I will definitely buy this again. Whereas Lush's last perfume collection seemed more experimental and strange, this would sell well in a normal high street shop so I can see it being one of the most popular ones in this collection.  

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Violet Leaf Absolute, Jasmine Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Rosewood Oil, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Eugenol, Farnesol, Isoeugenol, Limonene, Linalool, Methyl Ionone, Citronellol, Geraniol.

Vegan?: Yes.