Strange coincidences aplenty this week, one of them being that I needed an extra “something that smells of violets” for a post and along came – well – something that smells of violets. I have this odd habit, when it comes to compiling blog posts, that I can’t just ever think about a singular product; I have to find similar things, alternative versions, products that are (sometimes quite tenuously!) linked by virtue of scent, ingredients, effects or even the colour of the packaging. I think that this habit is an annoying hangover from my university days when I was continually encouraged to compare and contrast! Compare and contrast! 
So yes, I was looking for an extra “thing” that was violet-scented for a post – a post that will likely never see the light of day, because I’m quite useless like that, lots of thinking and not much doing* – and what popped through the letterbox" The new Orris & Sandalwood Cologne Intense from Jo Malone. A beast of a scent, if I may call it that, considering its floral nature. A beast because it’s a Cologne Intense and so has a bit more bravado and staying-power than the flimsier Colognes, which last all of about ten minutes on me. Give me the Intense any day of the week. Orris & Sandalwood, then. A floral, but not as we know it. Sweet, sugary violets to start with (Parma Violets, yes please) and then the Orris, which I had never heard of before but is the r...