WHAT I SMELL:  Risqué (marketed as Creation-R in the United States) opens with a warm and sensual bergamot that is surrounded by the deepest rounded and lung filling florals that feel as if they are trapped in bosom of a hug and which at first is like they are fighting to get out of that hug, only to surrender and bury themselves deeper into the warm embrace of the feminine mystique.  As perfumes go, Risqué is head swimmingly beautiful, yet there is this undercurrent of carnality that draws you in without release.  I have said this before, that when I review a Roja Dove parfum, I always have to state that the blending is seamless and as such the individual notes af for the most part are hard for me to pull apart.  This creation is no different.  After around 10 minutes, the florals starts to sink further into the skin as if they are retreating to a more primal place only to then begin radiate and project from what seems to be a labyrinth below.  There is a dusting of leather and civet that wrap themselves around the perfume like a cage that attempts to keep the cat from its prey. And finally, after an hour or so, a layer of creaminess covers the perfume, only to make the cat purr like a kitten.   I don’t find that there is particularly a great deal of development with Risqué, but that’s the most wonderful aspect of the perfume overall.  So many perfumes start off strong and interesting, only to be left as a shadow of its former self.  Instead Risqué remains deeply warm, deeply carnal, deeply passionate and beautifully sensual.  And as a plus, Risqué weaves its magic all through the night…leaving a whisper of itself into the morning.

From the Roja Parfums website:

“On The Edge Of The Forbidden”

“When I created this I thought of how society tells us how we have to behave, think, and act. So I decided to create a perfume that seemed tailored and disciplined – but as it develops it starts to show its overtly sensual base, which gets warmer, darker and more overt with each breath”. Roja Dove

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  The beautiful Simone Simon as Irena in the 1942 version of Cat People, who turns into a panther when aroused by passion.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE RISQUÉ:  seductive, pulsating, intense

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT RISQUÉ:  Kafkaesque

BOTTOM LINE:  There are certain perfumes that hit us on a level that can’t be explained. Every breath of Risqué wraps me up in this enchanted and seductive spell never to let me go.  This is a full bottle must for me so I better start saving my pennies…OK dollars, because I’m in love.

• Bone Rating: 5 out of possible 5 bones
• Scent: Chypre
• Nose:  Roja Dove
• Classification: Feminine
• Expense: $480 for 50 ml Parfum