Innuendo

Innuendo was a blind buy for me, one which I found surprising and unexpected, yet satisfying and sublime. I do not think the name is fitting, I had the same experience with Fetish Femme, an outspokenly suggestive name mismatched with a rather polite and reserved scent profile. Despite the misleading name, it smells utterly divine. It opens with a pronounced hesperidic burst of lemon and verbena, bergamot and orange, which together are sharp and zingy. The heart evolves into a beautifully buttery central theme of ylang, alongside a traditionally bright and soapy melody of rose, jasmine and violet. Whispers of orris, sandalwood and tonka further this delicate creamy facet, providing a delicately soft sweetness to the scent. Whilst not listed, I find Roja’s signature peach accord holds a strong presence here - with its gentle whisper of sweet, creamy fuzziness. This scent is in no way dirty or sexual as the name might suggest, it is perfectly polite and restrained; like the most wonderfully simple floral which is so effortlessly elegant.

Soapy and sparkling floral; a large bouquet of fully bloomed roses, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, with noticeable accents of ylang. Gets more powdery and musky as it dries down, feels a bit chypre-like which is strange because there's no oakmoss in this. But that's the effect if gives. Perfect for warm or hot weather, all season except for winter is the best for this. Projects strongly off my skin, leaves a trail.

Innuindo is impressive, it has the ylang jasmine rose mix with violets musk, and lily of the valley. It has also magnolia as hints, and some soapy effect somehow. This is more of a fresh floral from the plant nursery, and that ylang addition just made it slightly plant animalic which made it interesting. Again €450 is just too much for this, 7.5ml MAX just to enjoy it.

Delicate orange white floral.. This blend is quite amusing. Soft floral bouquet with jasmines, rose, violets, ylang, sandalwood, orris, & musky bergamot. The mix is very elegant, and never repulsing. Beautiful.

This one reminds me a lot of Jean Patou's "1000", a 1970s classic which has a similar profile and feel. The fact that Roja Dove himself gave me my bottle of "1000" implies he was familiar with the scent, so perhaps this is his take on it. Both open with fruit and jasmine notes with a green edge. For "1000" it's apricot/jasmine/osmanthus/patchouli. Innuendo is sweeter with orange/verbena/jasmine/patchouli. With them side by side on each hand, I can smell that the white/green osmanthus differentiates the "1000", but both have that sparkling "champagne" like quality which comes from a well balanced fruit-floral with subtle aldehydes, that is also not too sweet. In the middle of the pyramid, the violet and rose are clear in both. Innuendo is primarily a floral scent - a dirty/sweet bouquet of jasmine, rose, ylang ylang, and violet with fruity undertones. "1000"'s bouquet is similar, just whiter - the lily of the valley and osmanthus make it a bit "cleaner" and "soapier" as white florals tend to do, but the sweet and dirtiness of the jasmine are still there. It's in the drydown for both, when the sandalwood and patchouli warm and broaden the bouquet, that both of these perfumes shine. The dirty green of the patchouli give both a classic "chypre" feel, even if neither have actual oakmoss on them. The musk, labdanum, and tonka ground Innuendo and make it cozier as time progresses. "1000" stays cooler and greener, but both scents get lovely and powdery at the finish, like any good vintage-type scent should. Anyway, the vibe is similar. I love both. I'd pair Innuendo with a 1970s white Jessica McClintock dress and floppy straw hat for some vintage glam. It expensive so it should smell expensive - and that it does! Addenda: It's discontinued?? NOOOOOO. Why can't people appreciate vintage type scents? This is yards above Elysium. :(

The opening is a fresh zesty lemon verbena/and sunny citrus. Its found in traditionally masculine fragrances. ( an echo of 70s vibe) Its a interesting opening for a woman's fragrance playing with the unisex vibe. A non traditional opening for womens fragrances. Sometimes I really wish Roja had an editor that was a woman to help feminize his pour femme offerings. They all have a masculine tinge to them. Not that theres anything wrong with it as unisex means more sales, but I would appreciate something that hones in on the true curves of the feminine mystique. I would put this on in the morning for a wakeup and get down to business scent. A well done fresh floral for your wardrobe. The heart opens with a jammy rose, a custardy vanilla ylang ylang countered with a beautiful patchouli. Cute powdery violets lend a femininity and the jasmine tempers the rose. Theres a soapiness and a white musk element that keeps this fresh in tone. Its evolution really reminds me of old Hollywood actresses that spent their leisure time at Hearst Castle playing tennis. The old actresses would always put on their fragrance first out of the bath assuring the heart to drydown which was the most spectacular part of the perfume was on display. Then they would continue with their beauty routine. I would say this is a modern classic. It does change in a sweeping dramatic fashion, like theres 3 acts to the story. Ive never smelled anything quite like it. Its beautiful I will not comment on MSRP price as I feel its relative to ones income level.

This is a feminine slightly sweet perfume with a dominant note of honey ylang-ylang. The base is mostly musky, and I personally barely detect it. It's a well-balanced perfume with a soapy like qualities and beautiful, mostly, white florals. It is sweet due to the ylang-ylang and sandalwood in the base, it's also very elegant and classic. This reminds me of perfumes of the 90's and even 80's. It slightly leans vintage to me. I don't really detect the top notes either. If they are there, they are very light and mostly non-existent. The florals definitely are the most dominant and intense. They are the heart of this perfume and I would recommend it to somebody who really enjoys their florals. I tend to be neutral towards them. Compared to other floral perfumes, this is way more intense than Jo Malone's Sea Daffodil (sea daffodil appears slightly toned down, but has a similar theme to it). The orris base is very similar to the Jo Malone's Scarlet Poppy, except the Scarlet Poppy smells more exotic, warmer and cocooning.

It's almost like a contemporary Opium (YSL) without the amber core

A less flattering resemblance of Guerlain Nahema Etrait. It holds a strong resemblance. The difference: Nahema is a beautiful smooth rose. This Innuendo is very pungent and cloying. How to compare is when to woman look alike one is real beautiful and the other is a copycat without the appealing qualities and you want to walk in another direction.

Innuendo - how to start? First of all I love the name, just a little innuendo, which is a suggestive hint, an allusive gesture - no action! I kinda get why this was named Innuendo - this is a very gentle and soft fragrance, not overpowering, not sultry or sexy, just cheeky and seductive enough to make its wearer intriguing; like an innuendo. Innuendo contains a lot of citrus and the sparkling fresh nature of citrus is visible throughout; but after a few seconds you can feel the jasmine but mostly the ylang ylang in the fragrance. This is veey ylang heavy which I happen to love! I think ylang is a very powerful note and it really blends well with sparkling notes. Next to citrus and ylang; orris gives this a powdery facet which is also present throughout. This is a linear fragrance; to my nose it kinda feels the same from the beginning to end. A beautiful, soft, gentle powdery, refreshing floral skin scent. I do not get much sillage or projection, but I think this was designed to be a close encounter. As someone gently lays his head on your shoulder, or softly sniffs your neck, the lovely scent hits his nose and as a powerful innuendo; he will be intrigued and he will want more. ♥️ And look at this presentation! Lovely white satin and the color of the goldish orange liquid, it just makes me happy to even look at it! 🧡

Roja creations are usually to be noticed and I am always looking forward to trying them. Roja Dove is a master artist, obviously a scent genius, his creations (the couple I had the good fortune of sampling) seem deliberate, very well blended and most importantly, I believe for him the overall effect and scent is the main focus. It is almost like he tries to create a strong deliberate impression with his perfumes. They are very characteristic. He understands that most people will get a whiff only and that is what counts most. The quality here is exquisite, the notes are all distinguishable, and together create the magic. A green, woody, citrusy floral, with a strong base, that is just beautifulness overall. The fragrance is more on the elegant and grand style, therefore I think it needs a certain type of person to pull it off or it needs a special occasion. This is, in my opinion, not the type of scent you put on when you go jogging or to the supermarket.

This one grows on me over time. I didn't quite like it at first due to the strong musculine citrus opening. But the more I gave it a try, the more I learn how to appreciate it. This is so well blended, I could barely notice a single note but perhaps only the ylang ylang. I would describe this as fresh and rich in golden sparkling vibes. Drying down to soft gentle roses and woody vanilla. Roja's creations are like an orchestra to me, so beautifully made, absolutely stunning.

This one is a stunner. Although missing the oak moss, that citrus open and patchouli, earthy base just says Chypre to me. I love it! A beautiful May Rose in the middle that balances the citrus up top and keeps this entirely feminine. Sticks around too. I can smell this on my clothes the next day. Every time I spray it, I see the rich fuchsia that some roses display in the earliest part of summer. This is made for hot weather.

Very unusual. Green and mossy at the beginning, and like this for quite a while; then after several hours (4.5 - 5 in my case) those notes disappear completely. It`s like putting on a totally new perfume! Some might like it - having two perfumes instead of one. But I don`t like my perfume change so dramatically while I wear it. No jasmine or rose on me. Must try again!