Danger – is this a dangerous perfume, you ask?
It is. Unfortunately not in smell, it is actually a cosy and comforting, soft, if tenacious, powdery floral-oriental that is a safe as they come.
The danger her lies in the potential damage to your finances and the insidious way the perfume circumvents rational thought and subliminally worms its way into your subconscious where it stays, like a parasite and influences you to part with your money, no questions asked.
“Rich soft oriental perfume. Fresh, sweet, warm, and sensual. Dare to seduce. A sensual bouquet of jasmine and violet on a base of orris.”
– from the press release
Danger was created by Roja Dove in 2011 and includes notes of jasmine, rose, violet and orris. My nose would like to add bergamot, vanilla, tonka bean, patchouli, sandalwood and white musk to the floral bouquet.
I received a generous sample of Danger from my dear friend, who is known around the perfumed blogosphere as Lady Jane Grey. On a recent trip to London she fell for Danger hook, line and sinker and bought it – against her own and every Perfumista’s better judgement – right then and there. She came back to Vienna swooning and raving about the beauty of Danger that had captured her heart in an instant.
I cautiously sniffed, but since I was wearing something else at that time, I didn’t try it right away. After coming home from London (after!! so stupid!) I suddenly felt the urge to wear Danger. I seriously did not expect to be blown away, because somehow I thought it inferior to my favorite Roja Dove perfume Unspoken.
It is different, but inferior it is definitely not.
Danger starts to seduce you with a soft, but persistent cloud of beautifully blended florals introduced by a blink-and-you-miss-it fresh burst of bergamot. The florals are shifting in and out of focus: a powdery violet, not too sweet; a gourmand-y rose, soft pink and delicate; that wonderful jasmine Roja Dove uses that is both fresh and sweet, not too green, not too indolic, but just right; a softening veil of iris lies over the florals unifying them into something abstract and greater than the sum of its parts.
The base is a Guerlain-inspired vanilla-tonka mélange with hints of creamy sandalwood and a mere whiff of softened, chocolate-y patchouli.
I am reminded of Dior New Look 1947, Guerlain Angelique Noire, Reminiscence Mi Fá and By Kilian Love, as they all share the texture, not necessarily the smell and sweetness, of cotton candy. Danger has a beautiful sillage and lasts very well on me.
Danger is dangerous for your senses, it bewitches and distracts. It draws you in and holds you hostage. It has a hypnotic hold over whoever dares to wear it.
Come on, it seems to whisper, you know you want me. It is only money, you don’t need it, but you need me…
Go near Danger at your own peril.
Olfactoria's Travels 
I seriously doubt I’ll ever get my hands on this one. First when I red the notes I thought it is nothing special – some florals. But further on when you described it more thoroughly I can see why it is so hypnotic. Coming to the part where you explained the base it all became clear. I can’t resist this kind of perfume.
A cosy base is a hard thing to resist… 🙂
La la la *fingers in ears* I am not listening…
I am trying to stay away from the Roja Dove collection and the Puredistance scents for as long as possible – blast you Harrods’ Haute Parfumerie!
Okay, I didn’t say a word! 😉
Really? Because I am sure someone said those fateful words: rich, soft oriental… 😉
It wasn’t me, I swear! *whistles innocently*
We’re all going to fall for this one aren’t we? 🙂
The Roja Dove scents are really good. I tried a couple of his new ones; Vetiver, Risqué and Brittania and I do love Scandal but I just don’t think I could ever be convinced to stump up the cash for them. They’re very nice, but exceedingly overpriced.
Yes, yes you are!!!! 😀
I’m a sucker for all things royal, so I wish I had taken more time to properly smell Brittania, I saw it at the Haute Parfumerie but was distracted by something else.
They could really be a lot cheaper… sigh.
Seeing as it was a limited run of sixty bottles it was probably for the best that you were distracted!
My goodness! 60 bottles! Not even the entire Royal Family could have one then… 😉
Now I dimly remember seeing the price and putting it out of my mind quickly.
I talked myself out of buying the sampler set last night and now I am EXTREMELY glad I did. This can wait to be sniffed till I can afford it. Thanks Birgit,
Portia xxx
A sample set from The Perfumed Court or some such site?
Yes. It was a close thing though. Even the samples are pricey.
Birgit, I really enjoy your reviews, but enough is enough… That list just keeps getting longer and longer 🙂 Oh! well looks like the Roja Dove sampler set is going on order, I’ll just tell my accountant (that’s me!) that Birgit led me to it…
Birgit is an evil influence and I want nothing to do with her.
Sincerely, the sane (i.e. non-Perfumista) part of Birgit
That is hilarous I am glad your read it the way it was intended…. Given your amazing collection evil Birgit must be extremely persuasive 🙂
She is! Unfortunately she is way to powerful…
I tried all the Roja Dove perfumes in one go with Vanessa and we went on to try so much more on the 5th floor that I can’t recall a single one. I must go back and concentrate on Danger, Scandal and Unspoken. Though I agree with The CPB that they are ridiculously priced despite the high quality materials. I’m going to investigate the sample set all the same. I want to resist that hypnotic spiral but Danger sounds incredibly swoonworthy.
They really could do us the favour of handing out samples! I mean it is nothing disreputable or anything for a company to do this, is it? Dior can, Chanel can, expensive niche lines like Puredistance can, why the heck can’t Roja Dove???
It’s a good idea to concentrate on just a few when you are there next time.
Sooooo not listening, I know I will fall for it and want it and I have seen the prices, you said it was similar to New Look 1947 which I have just bought so there is no need for me to have this one right??? right???? 🙂
Similar in texture and feel, not really in smell, I’m afraid…
but you are not listening anyway, so there is no danger for you, is there? 🙂
YOU, are the dangerous one miss Bridgett, giving us the wants like you do!!!!!
I know, I’m evil and dangerous. What can I do… 😉
I’m happy I wasn’t the only weak one falling hopelessly for Danger 🙂 Sometimes I even HAVE to wear it during the night (becasue I simply couldn’t get enough of it during the day…).
You poor thing, you really are deeply in the grips of Danger. I understand, it is well nigh impossible to resist…
And thank you so much for the sample!
It’s me to say thank you, dearest B – looking tremendously forward !
Oh, me too!
Birgit
Did you try Roja Dove’s Vetiver in Harrods ?.
I did, Chris, although only a quick sniff among many. Without samples and thorough testing, I can’t really offer an opinion. I can only say it didn’t blow me off my rocker or immediately compelled me to investigate more closely… 😦
Dammit, you stop. I’m just coming to terms with the fact that I do not NEED a bottle of Unspoken.
I absolutely will sniff this before I attempt to acquire it. (Mr. Dove’s fragrances are no joke for us Statesians purchasers. I’m not aware of a United States distributor for his scents.)
I have pledged not to seek out a Roja Dove perfume ever again. Not that I did before, those samples found me, I swear! 🙂
A great review!
I do not mind expensive perfumes any more. If I smell a perfume and love it I’m fine with the price. If I can’t live without a bottle of some perfume I should save money and buy it (instead of buying endless “good deals”). If I just like it – that’s why somebody smart invented decants. My problem is with unavailable perfumes. I do not mind paying for a perfume I liked and want to test more/own (a bigger sample, a decant or a FB) but since nine out of ten samples I get do not result in a new love I feel really bad about paying for the privillege of a “first sniff”. But when I finally get to Harrods I’ll test them all!
That is a very good attitude, Undina. If you love it, you love it and if you want it, you need to save up. As you say, those endless “bargains” are way more damaging for the budget.
I have a confession: I have a few Roja Dove samples that were gifted to me during a rougher period a few months back, and I’ve yet to use them. I’m afraid that I’ll fall in love with one of them and then be forced to spend my savings on a bottle! =/
I understand. I didn’t touch my Danger sample for several weeks, and I have yet to brave Scandal. 😉
Oh, no! This does sound delicious. I visited the Haute Parfumerie the same weekend you were there, Olfactoria, and I initially found it easy to dismiss Unspoken (Diorama), Enslaved (L’Heure Bleue) and Britannia (Victorian Posy by Penhaligons). However…. A couple of hours later I realised how inadequate my facile comparisons were. They were very beautiful. Dangerously so, indeed!
I’m sure Roja Dove perfumes frew inspirations from great classics, but they are wonderful perfumes in their own right. Which makes them dangerous… 😉
(I must try Diorama apparently!)
Oh, yes – I’d like to hear your impressions of Diorama. I enjoyed sharing it with my colleagues – it smells like a nice, well-mannered J’Adore-type scent in the bottle, but once it’s on skin a huge, naughty, animalic note emerges! Like you, I thought Unspoken was the best of the original Roja Dove triology. I liked Diaghilev, too, but that really is prohibitively, insanely expensive
Diaghilev was a bit too musty/raunchy for me. Btw, I saw it repackaged in the regular Roja Dove bottles at the Haute Parfumerie, so it is available again.
Yep – too scared to try one myself.
Although from what I’ve read… are they all a little… safe?
Would never splash out that much anyway. Good for him though finally making his own successful range, people are obviously buying them.
They are surely more classic than avant-garde, but that suits me fine personally.
Ps , just to say that as you say above, Diaghilev is available again but it’s now in Parfum concentration and whereas the original was £70 for 100ml EDP the new Parfum version is £750 for 100ml !!!
Oh, dear! 😦 Thanks for the information!
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Just returned from Spring Sniffapalooza in NYC, where the entire congregation was completely and utterly captivated by the singular Rojas Dove himself, as well as his incomparable perfumes. The man is a master of storytelling, weaving his own personal story of a youth-inspired and lifelong passion for scent that was initiated by an auspicious hug from his mother when he was 8 years old, and his instant reaction to her perfume at that time. (I don’t think he actually told us what it was.). He is a master of theatrics as well as perfume, and the descriptions of three or four of his creations and his perfectly crafted magical images of femininity and masculinity had the effect of the snake charmer coaxing the credit cards out of our heavy-lidded wallets. The poor, handsome and lovely French fellow from Jean Patou, a grand dame of perfumery, was completely ignored next to the purple-sequined Roja and his accomplices, as throngs of perfumistas elbowed each other to get a spot at the center carousel in the “Hall of Perfumes” at Bergdorf’s. I myself fell prey to the charms of Danger and Gardenia, while my friends pulled me away from the counter as i tortured myself for not having purchased Scandal as well. What hell is this, these intoxicating stories accompanied by matching aromas wafting through the air in absolute, perfect harmony: gardenia, jasmine, vanilla, vetiver, sandalwood and notes that in combination whisked women away like robber barons on magic carpets? We grabbed strangers forearms and sniffed and inhaled asking “is that Scandal or Mischief?” Oh. My. God. HOW MUCH??? Okay. Okay. Yes, yes, yes!!, consoling ourselves with the signed bottles and photos that Roja offered with the $400 purchase.
I have never been ravaged by perfume in this way before. I have collected hundreds of bottles, designated a favorite which i love, indulged in a few really expensive ones, read countless blogs and books, but never been so completely and totally incapacitated by the narcotic of smell as i, and dozens of others were yesterday. Today, i feel a financial and ‘fume hangover, but it only took three minutes this morning before i spritzed on my Danger–that comforting, possibly misnamed juice that envelops, and allows one to inhale, the realm of possibility. That is most definitely dangerous.
Hello,
I adored your comment! It captures the allure of perfume in general and the magic of Monsieur Roja in particular, so very well!!!
I completely understand your ardour, and Roja himself is a snake charmer if I ever met one. He is amazing, very knowledgeable and irrepressibly charming. No wonder the whole of Sniffapalooza went crazy over him and his fare.
Thank you for sharing your impressions.
Enjoy your gorgeous scents, you smell terriffic!
(P.S.: There is an interview with Roja on my blog, in case you are interested.)
Thank you! I will definitely read the interview, and look forward to posting more in coming days. I’m coming out of my scented shell and braving the perfume posting world!! Love your blog!!
That’s great! I look forward to hearing more from you. 🙂
Hello!
So I finally fell for Dove, too. I had this Enslaved body cream and Unspoken decant but nevertheless bought the Oriental Travel Set containing the aforementioned two in EdP
version as well as Danger. Oh my goodness, Danger smells to me like a refined version of Guerlain’s Samsara.
If LVHM didn’t make Guerlain release stuff like The little black dress, maybe a Samsara
like this could be one of the Parisiennes or L’Art et la Matière perfumes deserving the marketing hullaballoo and not that dreadful overpriced candy juice they are releasing under these names now.
Probably Mr Dove stretches his pricing as far as the market will take it, and possibly he is
overdoing this a bit, but the quality of the EdPs is incredible.
I have the impression that the new Unspoken EdP has been a bit reformulated; anyway the quality seems to be quite superior to my about two year old decant (which is still fine).
Yet samples would be a treat.
Petra
Hi Petra,
once we fall for Roja there is no turning back. 😉
I’m glad you are enjoying the perfumes. I think the travel sets are a fantastic idea for us perfumistas.
My heart stopped for a minute when you said Unspoken had been reformulated. How? What do you smell differently? Maybe the jasmine is different? Oh I hope it is still as good as it was… *frets*
Hello Olfactoria!
There’s no need to worry about Unspoken.
Maybe they actually use a great amount of natural ingredients at Roja’s, so the perfumes would change “naturally”. In this case reformulation would be too strong a word.
Anyway, in my opinion the newer scent seems to be a bit lighter overall which might come from a reduction in sweetness, not in complexity. This is highly subjective, but I find it to be more refined,
subtler.
But there’s no shock to be feared as with some nasty nowadays reformulations. I’d rather call it a nice surprise.
Petra
That is very comforting to hear, thank you Petra! 🙂