Valaya

I am thrilled I didnt pay attention to most of the reviews here. please remember that everything is subjective, especially when it comes down to your hormones/skin chemistry. now, without further ado: sniffing the bottle, I get photo-realistic white florals, aldehydes, musk, citrus. on first blast, I get a very fancy light blue. a few seconds in, the peach peeks through, with the white floral notes and the ambroxan and musk in the background. it smells like a cool breeze wafting through a white-floral dense meadow on a hot day. does it smell like detergent? no. for reference, I think Liquid Diamonds from V&R smelled like straight up Tide. this does smell crisp and clean, but if you have a detergent that smells like this - please point me in the direction, I will bathe in it. does it smell like Oriana? no. thats the most mind boggling comparison to me ... I get 0 powder from this. some of these reviews had me worried this would smell like a peach flavored tums chewable LOL. this has a light, sweet peach that peaks through the airy notes, but nothing like Oriana, which smells like fruit-flavored marshmallows. beast mode? scrubber? loud? could be, if you hate musk. I myself love musk, but I find this to be lighter, quieter, softer than Initio's Musk Therapy. Beast mode - oh ya. I put a few spritzes on yesterday afternoon*** and can still smell it on as I type this, pre-shower, the following morning. I still smell the peach, the musk, ambroxan, light white florals. this is quite possibly the closest contender I have found for a signature scent - I have not come across anything that I would consider a true dupe, and I am absolutely living.

As someone who’s kinda new to the perfumes world, this perfume was definitely out of my comfort zone, and surprisingly I like it a lot, I still don’t understand why I like it that much. It’s musky, woody, clean, some juiciness or sweetness, maybe floral?, slick, has a presence that leans to softness—but it’s not soft. At first it’s mostly musky and sharp, but few minutes after and other notes unleash. Then I start to get the citrus with (I think) subtle sweetness, some subtle juiciness too mixed with the musky and woody side of this perfume. It simply gets better. To me, it’s not “clothes fresh out of the laundry” clean, it’s more like “a day later after being out of the laundry” type of clean. It’s elegant and sophisticated, and I think it activated something in my brain. It’s like an elegant slick girl who’s obsessed with cleaning her room, and she looks as elegant as and as clean as her environment. I definitely think it’s very unisex. Also it stayed on my arm for 7 hours!! Mind you I showered!! I still can smell it on my arm, then I just reapplied it. As much as I might like it, I can definitely understand why someone would find it too sterile, maybe too sharp. It’s NOT a safe blind buy. But to me it’s an amazing surprise.

This is heaven in a bottle. How I imagine an angel would smell like. At first it could smell a bit sharp and even slightly spicy. took me a few attempts to get comfortable wearing it, but it grew on me, and the drydown is the most cozy musk. It develops very well on my skin. It has a strong presence and lasts forever on my skin and clothes. Although expensive, you don’t need to spray too much, so the bottle ends up lasting for a good amount of time. Due to its bold presence, I don’t think it is for all occasions and has the potential to overwhelm people around you if sprayed too much. I think it can be worn in all seasons and times of day, but I find it to make more sense at night and fall season. Still, it’s one of my favorite fragrances in my collection. The exclusif version leans much more powdery and without the cozy musk at drydown, so it loses points compared to this og version. It can be layered but honestly doesn’t need it as it is already complex and very present by itself.

I was about to leave Skins after trying lots of different scents to find my signature scent, when I decided to try Valaya on my skin (even though it smelled a bit sharp on a scent strip before). Once outside, I caught an immediate whiff of Valaya and instantly fell in love. It was soo beautiful, elegant, and clean. It gave me a confidence boost with this scent bubble around me so I turned back and bought it immediately😂. It gives a confident, classy woman energy. I would describe it as clean and fruity/citrusy with a powdery touch as I mostly get the peach, aldehydes, and bergamot. The projection is amazing, even one spray created a strong scent bubble, so 2/3 sprays are perfect. Definitely sample first as it may come across as screechy/intense to some. I also tried other PdM fragrances and I think it might be one of my favorite houses, great quality and gorgeous bottles!!! Pretty sure I’ve found my new signature scent, and to say obsessed is an understatement....😍

In my large and beloved collection, Valaya remains among the very top. Do not believe that the dupes smell the same because I’ve tried (and have) many. Some get parts of it pretty close but none capture the whole picture or get the details correct. There are nuances and complexities to Valaya that are not necessarily obvious until you truly get to know this composition. It seems kind of simple at first glance, but it is not. Valaya transitions from a fresh juicy opening to a crisp floral to a gorgeous spicy, woody drydown. A clean warm musk veils every stage. The evolution of Valaya on my skin is truly incredible. I love it and wear it for myself alone, but every single time I wear it out in public, I am complimented by other women (my favorite kind of compliments) and often they ask me to write down the name. OG Valaya is not for everyone, but if it works for you, it’s fantastic. I literally walk and carry myself differently when I wear it because I feel great.