Extra! Extra! Read All About It – Roja Dove Scandal Perfume Review

BREAKING NEWS: THE CANDY PERFUME BOY IN TUBEROSE LOVING SCANDAL

OK, OK, so the fact that I love tuberose is hardly a scandal, in fact it is hardly news at all (see The Candy Perfume Boy’s Guide to Tuberose), what is news is the fact that until very recently I had never really paid attention to a tuberose fragrance that goes by the name of ‘Scandal’.

As you probably know, tuberose has a bit of a reputation, she is the bad girl of white florals, she wears bright red stilettos, stays out all night and doesn’t give a damn what you think. So if I love tuberose it is pretty shameful of me not to have paid attention to Scandal, but I do have an excuse, the nearest place I can try Scandal is London and whenever I visit the ‘Old Smoke’ I tend to have a list of about a million things that I need to try, I have tried Scandal but only in passing. Thanks to the lovely Vanessa from Bonkers About Perfume I have had the opportunity to spend some time with Scandal to see what makes it so scandalous.

Scandal is one of three original perfumes created by “fragrance specialist, historian, perfumer” [2] and the man behind Harrods’ Haute Parfumerie – Roja Dove, the others being Enslaved and Unspoken (great names all round). Scandal was released in 2007, and as the name suggests, this perfume is a shocking floral.

The Notes

Top: Bergamot, Muguet and Orange Blossom
Heart: Freesia, Rose, Jasmine from Grasse and Tuberose
Base: Sandalwood, Orris, Balsams and Musk [1]

How Does it Smell?

Scandal opens with a flash of tuberose and orange blossom, both flowers are white hot and the opening certainly lives up to the name. The tuberose adds a rubbery, sweet quality which I’m entitling the ‘raunch’ and the orange blossom adds the sparkle. This hot, white sweetness is a quality that tuberose is infamous for and the blend of tuberose and orange blossom is something that was also put to good use in the queen of all tuberoses – Fracas. The opening is the scandalous part of the fragrance, it’s strong, but not overly so and it definitely has that vampish quality that qualifies it as a true tuberose.

What makes Scandal different from other tuberose fragrances (Fracas included) is the use of rose. The heart reveals a dewy, fresh rose that unravels and becomes jammy and wine like with time. The rose here reminds me of the rose/violet combination made famous by Yves Saint Laurent’s Paris, which is undoubtedly one of the most famous rose scents of all time. I’ve not really smelled a fragrance that puts rose and tuberose together in such a way, it does feel a bit like ‘Clash of the Titans’, both have strong characters and are used to standing on their own, but the combination really works and it does smell fab-u-lous!

So many fragrances smell great during the top and heart notes but very often disappoint with the base, as if they don’t need to worry because we’ll have moved on to something else by the time the base comes around. Scandal is one of those perfumes that doesn’t disappoint, the base is chock full of what I would call ‘good stuff’, the good stuff here being sandalwood and orris. Are there two perfume ingredients more delightful than sandalwood and orris? I think not! The base is rich and creamy thanks to the sandalwood and it also feels powdery and slightly earthy due to the orris. I love the softness of the materials in the base, they cast a striking contrast from the big nature of the opening.

Scandal feels slightly vulgar, but in the absolute best sense of the word. I have said many times that I am drawn to those fragrances that could be described as trashy, showy or vulgar, heck I once said that ‘Sometimes I Just Want to Smell Like a Hooker‘, but that’s a different story. What I think is interesting about Scandal is despite it’s inherent vulgarity during the opening, it does become very pretty and never quite crosses the line to become loud or overpowering, in fact it is relatively quiet by my standards. It’s good to see a fragrance with such a distinct character not overdoing it and becoming just that little bit too much. Scandal makes you sit up and take notice of her, but she is intelligent and pretty enough to hold your interest and if I’m sure of one thing it’s that you will NEVER forget her.

Availability

Scandal is available in 100ml Eau de Parfum for £175 and 50ml Parfum for £295.

Disclaimer

This review is based on a sample of Scandal Eau de Parfum lovingly donated by Vanessa from Bonkers About Perfume.

[1] basenotes.net

[2] wikipedia

Image 1 aunaturaleart.com

Image 2 kissandmakeup.tv

17Comments

Add yours

1

Olfactoria on October 28, 2011 at 8:15 am

A very entertaining review! Thank you!
I’m most curious about Unspoken, the chypre. But Scandal does sound interesting, and I wonder how the self-appointed “Queen of Bland”, our lovely Vanessa, came to Scandal of all perfumes!
Great title! 🙂
- 2
  
  The Candy Perfume Boy on October 28, 2011 at 9:01 am
  
  Haha, I wondered the exact same thing, it isn’t a scent that screams ‘Vanessa’ 😀
3

vanessa on October 28, 2011 at 11:31 am

Logging on from a Starbuck’s in Basel to say how much I enjoyed your review which does full justice to Scandal’s perfumey, luscious gorgeousness. *Goodness only knows* why I am so drawn to it though, for it has civet in there for sure, and I suppose I would really rather it didn’t. But somehow it manages to speak to me – for the sumptuous texture as much as anything, and the incongruous air of va-va-voom it lends me! I found Scandal on a Basenotes meet in 2008? – you were on that one, weren’t you? – and bought it on my next trip to London. My friend Sharon is well down her second bottle and I have just bought a back up as you know. I guess I am just consistently inconsistent where my perfume taste is concerned… Now I seem to recall that Muse/Mals found it quite tame, though she has been known to wear Amaranthine to church, so maybe that isn’t so surprising! ; – ) ; – )
- 4
  
  The Candy Perfume Boy on October 28, 2011 at 12:13 pm
  
  Hi Vanessa! I hope you’re enjoying Basel.
  
  Scandal most definitely gives a lot of va-va-voom. It must have been the 2008 trip that I was on, I didn’t realise it was that long ago!
  
  Re the civet, it’s definitely there but it’s not as civetty as Fracas, which is chock full of the stuff, especially in the parfum. I remember you saying that it was too ‘big boots’ for you in the guide to tuberose.
  
  Here’s to those whose tastes in perfume are consistently inconsistent! 😀
5

Ines on October 28, 2011 at 12:49 pm

This just got added to my list. 🙂
I wasn’t aware that Scandal was a tuberose. Of the 3 I only got to try Unspoken which is great.
- 6
  
  The Candy Perfume Boy on October 28, 2011 at 7:56 pm
  
  I’d heard that Unspoken was pretty fabulous. Scandal is most definitely a tuberose 😀
7

LDG on October 28, 2011 at 4:21 pm

Young man, have you received a bonus in the City? I’m afraid it would be too dangerous to like this perfume given the price. Fun review though.
- 8
  
  The Candy Perfume Boy on October 28, 2011 at 7:56 pm
  
  I wish! It seems like it’s been ‘Big Spend Week’ on The Candy Perfume Boy doesn’t it?!
9

vanessa on October 29, 2011 at 6:01 pm

I unexpectedly scored a couple of samples of Amouage Honour today in a little town in Switzerland. It appears to be a big white floral number with tuberose in it. Need to try this properly, but I think you would like it. Though we might need to form a large buying group of interested parties if we ever wanted to get a bottle of the stuff…
- 10
  
  The Candy Perfume Boy on October 29, 2011 at 6:15 pm
  
  Oh Vanessa, I cannot even begin to tell you just how much I love Honour Woman, it is an absolutely glorious fragrance and one of the best white florals of the last few years. It’s so good in fact, that I’m considering selling a kidney so I can afford to buy a bottle 😛
  - 11
    
    Vanessa on October 31, 2011 at 3:17 am
    
    LOL! I wore it out on Saturday night and am now considering selling a kidney, an unused Total Gym and a smoothie maker.. ; – )
  - 12
    
    The Candy Perfume Boy on October 31, 2011 at 10:13 am
    
    I think that’ll just about cover the cost. I can throw in an unused popcorn maker to assist you.
13

Joey Alycia (@glowyjoeybunny) on October 30, 2011 at 1:25 am

So, so jealous. I’m dying to try Enslaved, but whoa, do I need to try Scandal as well!
- 14
  
  The Candy Perfume Boy on October 31, 2011 at 10:12 am
  
  Yes you do!
15

susan on March 7, 2012 at 10:18 pm

Gosh, this sounds absolutely perfect. Tuberose/rose are my favorite notes…
- 16
  
  The Candy Perfume Boy on March 7, 2012 at 10:27 pm
  
  That it is!
17

Haute Couture Perfume – Heeley Extraits: Agarwoud, Bubblegum Chic & L’Amandière Perfume Reviews | The Candy Perfume Boy on April 11, 2012 at 7:31 am

[…] I were to compare it to any I would say that it sits somewhere between Fracas and Roja Dove’s Scandal, with perhaps little nods to Tubéreuse Criminelle and Vamp À N.Y. along the way. I really like […]