Introducing Bottled Parma Violets.....
The last few weeks have seen me knee-deep in piles of revision, client work and kid-stuff, with very little time for moi. Cue one much-stressed beauty lover.
The quickest way to invoke said nostalgia is through scent. A single whiff off the sea and I am back in the seaside village I grew up in. Candyfloss makes me think of summer and my kid’s plimsolls give me shudders of school hall PE nightmares.
Sweeties are also extremely nostalgic. Who doesn’t get excited at a wham bar, popping candy or chocolate limes?
One of my absolute favourites were - and in fact still are - Parma Violets. The most ‘marmite’ of sweets, I blooming love their floral fabulousness, and their sickly-sweet pretty purple hue.
So you can imagine my delight, when at my most stressed-out, sucked-down, miserable moment, I popped into Lush for a bath melt fix only to discover this little gem.
Called ‘Kerbside Violet’ this is like my childhood bottled – pure, unadulterated, intense parma violets. I sprayed it on my scarf and spent all day in a mindful-haze of self-sniffing!
Taken from the Gorilla series III collection, Lush says:
“Kerbside Violet is inspired by chance encounters and fleeting moments, reminding us to look out for the tiny revolution growing through the cracks of a concrete jungle around us. “
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 | Alpha Isomethyl Ionone | Citronellol | Geraniol
Verdict
To be fair the only revolution I found was in my mood, but given that my family probably thought the sun had come out, that’s good enough for me! I love this perfume – it’s unusual and has surprising depth, but remains fresh and floral enough for summer days. A winner!
Buy Kerbside Violet from the Lush site. Prices start at £18 for 10ml.