Scandal (2007)
by Roja Dove

.None of the top notes come through...At first spritz a heady white floral scent, my anethema, .. luckily my skin then proceeds straight to the drydown GORGEOUS ORRIS WOODY AND SPICE .
Thank you to VM I hate Civet :)

To me the opening is fresh and warm because of the orange blossom. A little while later the flowers mix in with the top notes and the top notes fade slowly. The flowers are blended very nicely and the pyramid of notes arent all the notes, at the haute perfumery they told me that there is clove in here as well but everything is blended so much that nothing really overpowers one note or another.

I love jasmine and I can detect it´s magic in here as a greener aspect that gives elegance but also a touch of green that stops it from becoming too overpowering. i think Scandal takes all the good stuff from each flower and uses it to make a very nice floral perfume that has the brightness, the richness and elegance you look for in different florals.

It´s not a soft delicate floral perfume but a very present, elegant and confident floral. It´s not overly sensual or over the top anything. But it´s there and present and it won´t back down, there is no need. It´s a nice blended, well rounded floral that won´t make excuses. I like a bit of attitude in my perfumes and this one has a professional attitude, it does what it does ( being a floral perfume) and it good at what it does ( being a well blended perfume).

The base is a bit softer, but I can still smell floral for ages but once the base notes start to mingle in it becomes a bit softer and mellowed out.

If you like all sorts of floral you should give this one a try and you might find a way to fit it into your wardrobe ( Can´t make up your mind what floral you want today? Have a bit of everything, brilliant)

I was a little apprehensive of trying this one, having read Luca Turin's description of it as "preposterously intense" and "enormously rude". He also highlights the cranked up tuberose, a note with which I have a troubled relationship at best. To my surprise, and like the previous reviewer, I found it elegant and if anything, rather understated! The floral notes were indeed smooth and well-blended, such that no single note stood out for me, and my overriding impression was of a creamy smoothness that made me want to trail my nose lightly across my skin over and over again! If Chanel's 31 rue Cambon is my aspirational day scent (also creamy and smooth), then this is my aspirational vampy evening scent. A very classy vamp, at that.

OK, I'll spit it out straight away. It very much resembles Fiori di Capri by Carthusia. And I mean it! But not in a bad way at all!! Similar floral combination (if you like) only where as Fiori di Capri retains this true spirit of old-fashioned Eau de Cologne, Scandal by Roja Dove is made in the best traditions of Estee Lauder (if it makes any sense) without actually resembling any of her fragrances. I know it's complicated. Unlike Fiori di Capri, which is definitely sweeter and headier, Scandal by Roja Dove is a soft floral with a little bit of (I believe the best) musk, which makes it smell like the most gorgeous shampoo in the world !!! No, No, it is not an insult. The amount of musk here is so precise and well-calculated, that be it a slightly different proportion, it would (I think) totally alter the whole scent.( I also believe there are some aldehydes in this perfume, too.) The flowers in Scandal are so well-blended, that it is ( I must admit) hard to be able to smell them individually. After musk ( at least to my nose ) some smoky notes appear, which make this scent very rounded and complete. But this smokyness is rather subtle. It is an elegant perfume for an elegant woman, who I can easily see having iced lemon sorbet on her veranda overlooking Mediterranean sea so I was really surprised to see Scandal listed here as unisex....
Shall I be buying this perfume? Oh, definitely Yes!!
It deserves a very good place in my collection. (Ha! Maybe I will even stand it next to Fiori di Capri....)