Valentina

Ok this is weird but Valentina reminds me of an updated 80s powerhouse fragrance... like what I would imagine Poison to smell like if formulated today with strawberry instead of plum. Tuberose is huge and fleshy here, with warm sweet orange flower, followed by a dry vanilla, jasmine and that hint of powdery jammy strawberry over fat earthy truffle. The notes seem close together in that 80s way where everything is volume up. My first reaction was ‘sweet’ my second reaction was ‘sexy,’ and it suddenly took its place next to Poison which I’ve been wearing this week. I’m not surprised to see the younger generation place it as a mature perfume despite its sweetness, this is not something they’re used to! I’m kinda loving it.It’s nice to see that kind of joyful extravagance in perfumery.

Valentina reminds me of Narciso Rodriguez for Her with less musk and a light strawberry note. The truffle note is not strong for me, just slightly earthy, and I don't get the bergamot at all. The cedar is very light too which is good since cedar usually goes bad sour on me. It's a really nice strawberry amber jasmine scent, no complex to my nose, but I'm glad I tried it out. Not sure I'll buy a bottle since I already own Narciso Rodriguez for Her and they seem similar to me. It's a lot lighter though and would be better for summer. Longevity is low and there is little projection. After 30 minutes I can't smell it unless I put nose to wrist and after a few hours it's gone. The price is pretty high for for this low performance but it is a lovely, unusual fragrance.

I find it fascinating that some think this perfume smells mature and others think it smells young. Perspective is really everything. I personally get the impression that it's a "young" smelling fragrance, but not so young an adult can't wear it. Basically, the perfect 1st scent for a young lady living in the 90s decade perhaps? It's soft, fresh, sweet strawberries & creme, and it doesn't smell like dense aggressive smelly chemicals like a lot of new releases do; Yay! This is a gentle perfume that behaves well in warm weather; and while not loud, it lasts a decent amount of time on my skin. Casual daytime, demure, clean, sweet, and well behaved. The animalic is there in the background making things more interesting, but for me it doesn't ever take over.

Besides some other "fragrance hunting" I was looking for a new anytime/anywhere fragrance. Something completely new with no memories attached whatsoever - fresh and new fragrance ground, if you will. Previous frags from that category were Tommy Girl, SJP Lovely, Acqua di Gio, J'adore, CK Escape, DKNY Be Delicious, Chanel Chance... Scents I didn't really tire of and actually repurchased several times (it happens! :)) And am still not tired of, technically, but oh the memories and reformulations... I love every fragrance in my collection but need to rotate most of them, in order to - again, after a little breather - fully enjoy them.

On me, this is vibrant without being obnoxious and it's a great as a laid-back, summertime scent. It has an ease about it that makes it feel very casual and youthful without being too syrupy. To my surprise the strawberry comes forward on me more than any other scent I've owned with this note, but it's a tart and fresh berry. The florals go very muted and powdery on me thanks to the woody notes, but it works well enough on humid days. It's not terribly complex or very memorable, but that doesn't make it any less pleasant. It reminds me of the scent I'd expect to be present in a high-end face powder.