Born in Roma the Gold Donna

As a lover of tropical scents, this is such a gem. I was so surprised by Valentino, but they know how to make femininity happen. All summer I was looking for beautiful tropical coconut scents and I just found this one now. Knowing its limited edition, I’d regret not buying. A lot. A very exciting fruity sweet, yet such an elegant and succulent white floral. For those inspired by heavenly tropics. I love bold, fruity combos. This fragrance is exactly that due to the sweet and solar notes. The high quality of the solar notes are incredible. I definitely get lactonic notes as well, which combined with the fruity floral notes, smells luxurious and addictive. The gold is so pretty and represents the perfume's essence perfectly. I was surprised at how short the ingredient list is, because it’s so vibrant. I thought it might have a light mango note. I tried this on myself several times to put it to the test before buying, and I’m so lucky it stays true to its beauty from start to finish. I only buy perfumes if they’re long lasting and good quality. This was so long lasting! I smelled it on me well into the next day. It was so pleasant every time. And my fiancée loves this on me as well. ☺️

Ohhh, this Gold version of Donna Born in Roma is truly delightful. It’s a creamy, smooth, soft coconut based perfume with a touch of citrus and a white floral heart. Nothing new under the sun, but it does smells great. It has that alluring, addictive smell that I love in perfume for summer months. It makes me want to add it to my collection even though I have at least several other fragrances that smell very much alike. Most similar from what I have in my collection is Lust for Sun by JHAG. But I have a weakness for this type of scents.. The price is not too bad and the performance is good on this one but I am waiting for it to go on some sort of a sale. I am not going to lie, I want really badly a 50 ml bottle of this. It’s freaking delicious, and if you like a scent that features heavily a combo of gardenia/coconut, this is it! Summertime in a gorgeous, transparent, golden bottle!

I’ve waited a while to review this one, mostly because I felt like it could have potential.. it was just really disappointing at first! Much like the person below, oddly enough, I set it aside for a while and decided to give her another try recently. I am so pleasantly surprised at how beautiful it smells now. The notes have blended really well, although I can’t really smell the mandarin note. It’s definitely a coconutty/sunscreeny (in the best way) and tropical scent. Initially the performance was my biggest let down. But now I can smell her strongly in my own bubble, sillage is much more powerful, and the longevity is great overall. I’m glad I gave this another try, because it is such a lovely scent. I wish they would consider making it available all the time, versus just a limited edition.

I tested it on my scarf and wrists at the store recently. It smelled very pretty. It’s a beautiful gardenia floating in a soft cloud of coconut, and it felt delicate yet full of life. Still, I didn’t end up buying it right away and moved on with my day. The next day, when I opened my front door, I was greeted by the most stunning scent filling the entire entrance. For a moment, I wondered where it was coming from, and then I realized it was the very same scarf I had sprayed at the store. The scent was warm, inviting, and absolutely beautiful. That’s when I knew I had to go back to the store and get it. This perfume makes me so happy. It’s the perfect scent for golden summer evenings — and the longevity is no joke. I was heartbroken to hear it’s a limited edition. Love, love, love!!

I love this!!!! It’s sexy yet sophisticated. It’s alluring and attractive. It is a true perfume! It envelops the senses, dances with the aura and leaves a trail of beauty everywhere she goes. The notes are so well blended I can’t even pin point which one is which or where- that to me is a good jazz perfume! When you can’t distinguish the notes cuz it’s so well blended and the notes dance together flawlessly- I didn’t always feel this way- I e been trying Gold since winter and she’s been nothing but a quiet blah 😒 until now!!! Apparently this is her season- a warm end of summer day! It’s around 72 degrees and we’re coming out of a couple weeks of it being in the 40’s and 50’s- and now Gold is shining and doing her thing! I’m about to get fresh and douse myself in this! I love this!

I went into this with high hopes, and she did not disappoint. This reminds me a little of Alien Goddess, but not as much as the new Yellow Gucci perfume does. This starts off with a bright, mandarin note and then you get that pretty gardenia. If you don’t like gardenia, you may not like this. It does NOT remind me of Donna Born in Roma at all until the deep dry down when the vanilla comes out, but by then the scent is very soft. To me, this could almost be a flanker of Pink PP with the same mandarin, bright opening, but the gold is not powdery at all. I loove it more than Alien Goddess or Gorgeous Orchid by Gucci. Has way better sillage and projection than Green Stravaganza and Pink PP.

Grown. Classic. Timeless. Chic. Intentional or not, Donna The Gold is a nod to the golden era of designer perfumery when florals were unapologetic and bottled femininity boldly disregarded pleasing the crowd. Sweet mandarin gives a sparkling and juicy opening to a heady gardenia, robust and lush a she opens quickly after. She sings, a long and longing solo that isn’t quite long enough when a demure coconut joins her to add a deep harmony. This is a freshly done sleek updo, natural face with a bold red lip, gold jewelry, deep red manicure... this is a woman who knows who she is and walks in it without apology. This is golden, and stunningly so.

Best longevity of any DBIR flanker I currently own, a good 6+ hours of wear time with a really decent scent bubble. I don't get the mandarin, and the coconut is pretty faint but there is a noticable similarity with the original DNA with a good amount of Gardenia and it's fantastic. I really am glad I bought this! Work safe, blind buy safe if you like the original Donna Born In Roma. 10/10 flanker, they should have skipped Green Stravaganza and went straight to this. Purchased from: Sephora

I’ve owned this for months and boy has it gotten even more beautiful. I used to smell a pineapple note. It is definitely a gardenia bomb, but so beautifully sweet and fruity. It’s sunny, tropical. It’s lovely. But it’s super sweet. So if loud, sweet fragrances are your jam, it’s a safe blind buy. If you like Alien Goddess, then you will love this because the sillage and performance are exceptional compared to AG. It’s smells like a flanker of Alien Goddess with a heavy gardenia note.

Lush!!!! This is a love from me! A blind buy but one which I regarded as safe as I enjoy the Val. BiR Donna range and I adore Gardenia. A lovely scent to wear in summer and those hot autumnal days. Very tropical in nature - if someone told me either hibiscus or frangipani were present I would believe them and agree fully. I have received many compliments today from the trail this scent leaves. One very happy customer!

Modern solar gardenia. I don’t detect much coconut here, just enough to make it creamy. Unlike former fashioned Chanel gardenia or Elizabeth Taylor. Strong opening and mid. Long lasting floral. When I sprayed this today, it reminded me of the og Michael by Michael Kors in the way that it’s a strong and enduring white floral like Michael was and it also creates a wonderful scent bubble like Michael did.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this flanker but it is very pretty. My favorite of the Romas is the pink as I love vanilla and sweet gourmands but this is a close second. It’s a soft, sweet creamy floral. Almost like a lactonic freesia. Unfortunately, I don’t get any coconut on my skin and it doesn’t last on me more than a few hours. This would be an easy office scent but I wouldn’t blind buy it.

This is a creamy coconut milk with an orange creamsicle in late summer at dusk. It reminds me of watching the sunset on my cruise ship balcony on the return voyage from the Caribbean with a tanned fannie and sand in... places. (and already planning my next vacation.) The bottle is beautiful and it doesn't need layering (to me.) I'd be hard pressed to say anything negative about any DBIR, honestly.

This is the most beautiful fragrance ever. I can’t even fully explain. I would have sworn there’s vanilla in it. It’s rich and creamy. Just perfection. I bought three bottles due to it being limited edition. If you can find it get it. For me it can be worn year round. I have purchased several fragrances this year and since I picked this one up I’ve not worn anything else.

This being limited edition is a crime, I’m not kidding. It’s probably in my Top 5 list of scents EVER! This fragrance is a beautiful floral with cozy coconut, even my boss who HATES coconut-everything really likes this one. I’m certain that this fragrance would be my signature scent if it hadn’t been discontinued.

If Alien Goddess, Cacharel Amor Amor and Diptyque Do Son had a baby. It's a great year-round alternative to Alien Goddess (which imo is strictly a summer scent). I always wanted a perfume that smells like the general scent of a perfume store, and I think Born in Roma The Gold is pretty close!

When I initially sprayed this on me, I felt it was redundant to other similar fragrances in my (too big) collection. But the more it dried down, the more I found it compelling and now I absolutely love it. Weird how I went from "oh God, I have to return this" to "I am obsessed". 😂

Ohh wow, this one is so creamy !! I really thought it had a vanilla note on the paper, but it's alright. It may be my favourite of the collection and I don't even like coconut as a note in general. it's very good and well blended ! Literally something I will get a full bottle of.

ULTRA feminine and soft.. Clean but sweet. I really get the gardenia and coconut. I can't detect any mandarin but that is probably just me. The DNA of the Born in Roma collection is very present. I would recommend for Spring or Summer. Girly and bubbly without being immature.

This opening is so lovely and woody! I swear I can smell some suede in this scent. I don't get the mandarin. But the gardenia is certainly there. In the drydown a lovely sweet milky coconut. Yummy! Sad that it is just a temporary limited edition perfume.

I love the original and the intense DBIR, but Gold is the best imo! It’s sweet, floral and tropical! The scent is consistent from the first spray until you shower hours later.

I finally found the perfect dupe - Zata Shades of Bliss. The silage and longevity of this cheapie is even stronger than the Original. Impressed 👍🏻😁

Got this for my girlfriend, so sexy and yummy, really unique scent.

Beautiful, feminine, softly sweet, fresh, warm, smooth, creamy, classy, sensual, inviting, citrusy, and floral This opens bright, fresh, softly sweet, citrusy, floral, and a little creamy. The mandarin really shines for the first few minutes, but then it settles into the rest of the fragrance with the gardenia and just a very subtle coconut. The coconut is just a whisper of a scent, but it does bring a delicately sweet creaminess to the whole fragrance. As it dries down the scent becomes more smooth as the citrusy mandarin scent blends more deeply into the fragrance and I start picking up on more vanilla. It becomes more smooth, warm, and creamy which I think is really lovely and even a little cozy. Honestly, the best way that I can describe this fragrance is to say imagine that the OG DBIR and Alien Goddess had a baby. It’s got a little more of the Alien Goddess feel, but that DBIR dna is definitely still intertwined throughout. I think this will actually work well year round, I definitely don’t consider it to be just a summer fragrance. It will also work for pretty much all occasions and ages, so it’s a very wearable scent. Overall, I am really pleased with the Gold DBIR and I’m enjoying it a lot! I get great performance with the Gold DBIR. The longevity is excellent, it lasts throughout the entire day and I can still smell it the next morning. The projection is good too, it radiates out at least a few feet from me. I only need a few sprays for these effects, so that definitely makes it a better value. I am working on a comparison of the Gold DBIR and last year’s Pink PP version. I’ll post an update in the comments once I have it finished.

I bought this as soon as it was available on Valentino's website and have been wearing it for the past couple of days. If you're familiar with the Born in Roma DNA, you will definitely recognise that in here, however, I find this a lot more refined and sophisticated and perfect for Summer. The colour of the bottle is exactly how the fragrance feels - like sunshine in a bottle. Personally, I get a lot of creamy coconut, especially in the dry down. I've been very disappointed with coconut flankers lately, as they all lean more white floral than coconut, and this one surprisingly is one that I'm very happy I purchased. I get pretty decent longevity with this as well, up to 6 hours with moderate projection. If you're a fan of the original Born in Roma and you're looking for a Summer coconut fragrance, I would give this a try, it's not a groundbreaking fragrance by any means but it's a really good option if you don't want to venture into more niche offerings.

This is a soft, pretty girl fragrance for sure, but the notes surprise me. I get very light white floral and no coconut. I get more of something with a soft spicy accord, which isn't even listed. It's clean and feminine, bordering on "I've smelled this before" without being boring or generic. I think this is an easy reach and great pick for an everyday fragrance. It doesn't overwhelm or offend. As an aside, this comes across so much better on fabric than it does my skin, so if you're not enjoying the wear, try misting on your clothes. That may make a difference.

I was kinda certain i would love this, so was close to blind buying it. But tested on skin today and well, i didnt fall in love. I like it but dont really need it. Initial spray, I kinda think its quite similar to LVEB cristal soleil, but once it settles I get more of a D&G the only one intense vibe. Its much softer and better though imo :) i really like it, however it is turning a little bit sharp on me, not as soft as I imagined. I do like it but as of now, wont buy :) very pleasant!

a gardenia bomb in the best way possible. for me, gardenia can smell somewhat like grape, and this is no exception. opening smells like grape candy or soda, then dries down a little bit grassy which i’m thinking must be the coconut (think young green coconut). it’s a beautiful balance of sweet and green, not at all what i expected. i wish it wasn’t limited edition because i think it would be an awesome gift especially for teens

I love the coconut in this scent but I'm not a flowergirl, I really wanna like this fragrance, I wish I could use it. It is yummy and gorgeous but it's not me, I'm more of a gourmand girl. It has a wonderful white/yellow flower scent witch is yummy and beautiful and it has the perfect coconut in it aswell. I just have it because of the bottle haha, And it's hard to get sometimes^^

Have had this for almost a month. First spray -- it was a dupe of Alien. BUT it's changing. I stored it in the dark and took it out today to check. So......now I'm getting the gardenia and coconut more. No mandarin specifically but I'm sure it's balancing the other two. Nice buy. I received a large bottle and can see this as a perfect scent for the rest of the summer. :)

Gardenia + a very subtle sunscreen vibe + ambroxan base. I don't get much distinct coconut beyond the sunscreen and no mandarin. Floral and summery, but not sweet. Great for wearing on a summer hike or to the pool. EDIT: After letting my bottle sit for a bit, I get distinct but subtle fruity sweetness from the mandarin, especially when sprayed on clothes. Love.

I like this perfume. Very ideal for beach, hot weather type of vibe. When it settles the gardenia is prominent. I also get some podwery essence. Cant smell the vanilla or coconut. Definatly a sweet white floral scent. Tropical but not the sugary fresh but mature, intimate. Its not loud but feels relaxed, mature, grown not girly

I’m shocked orange blossom isn’t in the notes, I smell a lot of it in here. I like this more than I thought I would, “beachy” flankers of designer scent usually smell clunky to me, but this isn’t overly beachy and blends nicely into the DBR dna

Quite likable (but not at the exorbious designer prices - 140€ for 50 ml!). A big dose of ambroxan to make it last and project. I think I even got whiff of a light suede note (not listed) so I bet it's gonna be success this time again!

Alian goddess intense but a little lighter which I love really pretty I can just imagine summer evenings I love gardenia it’s exactly what I was looking for I usually hate coconut in perfume but this smells realistic

This smells like a hybrid between Olympea by Paco Rabanne & Alien Goddess. Very pleasant fragrance that smells clean yet decadent. A very versatile fragrance that I think would be great for all seasons.

imagine extradose with a less forward vanilla but more proeminent coconut, dry down of them both is quite similar. I would recommend extradose instead of that one which projects more

I don't know what the scent is like, but to me this is the most beautiful design of the DBIR line! I really want to try it.

It is what it is 😁 exactly... no surprises. imagine Alien Goddess with gardenia instead of jasmine

perfect for a tropical vacation. Reminds me of sunbathing by the beach on a beautiful warm day

I wanted to love this, I got brief vanilla and coconut, but after that all I get is gardenia and ambroxan. I even finally took a shower to wash it off, but the ambroxan stuck like glue all afternoon and evening.

Boring. A very basic tropical scent. I wouldn't recommend blind buying, the price is crazy for an unoriginal designer fragrance.

Smells like Burberry Goddess...Definitely not worth buying.

I had practically forgotten that Donna Born in Roma Gold was released. I remembered the announcement that it was coming. I remember the misleading ad with an opaque gold bottle, and then 💥 💥 💥 boom...the fragrance community was onto something else. It's tough out here. Most fragrances don't even get 15 minutes of fame like our girl Valaya. Ahhhhh.....Valaya! That's a thought of a nice smelling fragrance. Now back to this dull fragrance...i mean I mean...last fragrance release from Valen£ino. I*know I*know I*know I*KNOW! I'm trying to be nice but these uninspiring, uninteresting, and unexciting perfumes keep being released & re-released and the brands aren't giving me anything to work with. I've never been on the Donna Born in Roma train. Rendezvous Pink PP was cute but I ended up decluttering it after 2 wears. I'm not sure how GOLD performs on skin, but on tester paper it was a sure fail for me. It was bland and yawn producing like those folks who put raisins in their potato salad, don't season chicken, and never are invited to a cookout where both Frankie Beverly & Luther (You know his last name) will be played. There's new his and her Donna Born in Roma flankers about to be released. My level of expectation is knee high level low. What does this one smell like? Left over vanilla & cedar that didn't get used in the last 5 flankers and they just decided to recycle the raw materials so they wouldn't go to waste. This smells like a cute bottle solely used to fill up space. Eeny-meeny-miny-moe...this smells like er-thang else in da department sto!

All I can smell is very, very strong gardenia and slight sweetness. But just a little sweetness, definitely not a gourmand perfume. So different from all other Born in Roma flankers. I was ready to purchase this perfume because it’s the prettiest flanker! The bottle is just stunning! But.. the perfume left me disappointed. I like strong perfumes but not this floral. I can’t even smell any coconut here. It does give me JHAG Lust for Sun vibes a little, that’s another perfume I didn’t like as it’s too floral for me. On the other other hand - the lasting power and silage is amazing! It’s so strong and smells all day! Projects so well, as well! It’s a no for me, unfortunately.

Nope! Not for me. I didn’t realise this had a mandarin note and that’s all I can mainly smell. It’s not awful, just not what I was expecting. I thought this was going to be a sweet, creamy coconut fragrance. This is heavy, heavy on the mandarin, with gardenia in the background and a hint of coconut. It’s fresh, but I find it nauseating and cloying. It reminds me of YSL Libre, which is a scent I just absolutely can’t stand at all. It could easily be a YSL Libre flanker. Not something I could ever personally wear.

Not the creamy coconut vibe I was expecting... I want to this like so badd but I find it so one dimensional and something in it is so strong it kinda burns my nose and makes me feel a bit ill?? Does remind me of JHAG lust for sun which was also disappointing for me. Very sad I get 0 coconut :( Certain fragrances pull this way on me but I can't figure it out. It's like too floral or salty or even soapy?

This is a hard heck no for me. Smells ok at first but quickly unravels into a muddled chemical mess that has no resemblance to the rest of the BiR Uomo line. Reminds me of one of those 1 million flankers, the one with the white florals in it that also smelled really strange and off. This is not the way to go for a summery masculine scent, sorry to say. Gag inducingly sweet, juvenile, strange ozonic accord in the top that makes no sense, more than a hint of the mature woman stalking younger men vibe, clubbing crap, nauseating nasal monstrosity.

Fragrance Notes Top Notes: Mandarin. Mid Notes: Gardenia. Base Notes: Coconut. Fragrance Review: First thoughts, this is a fruity sweet, citrus, and white floral dominated scent. - Donna Born In Roma The Gold starts very sweet citrus scent, with a subtle hint of Mango and mandarin, then dries to a sweet white floral scent. Similar to Mugler Alien Goddess. - My girlfriend sprayed a total of 5 times. Twice behind each ear, twice on the front of neck, and once in front of her chest. The longevity is great, it lasts approximately 8-10 hours on my skin, projects for about an arms length for an hour before turning into a skin scent. It does however lasts a few days on her clothes. (Depends on skin types) Overall Rating (7/10) Donna The Gold by Valentino is very similar to Mugler Alien Goddess. It's not a wow-factor release, but it's not a bad release either. If you enjoy the sweet citrusy, vanilla and sweet white floral fragrances, you might find this one intriguing.

2026 TRAVEL SPRAY Every now and again a travel spray appears on Look Fantastic/Fragrance X etc and I bought one 3 months ago, on the recommendation of vloggers salivating over the juice and mourning the disappearance of the OG. I thought it was hideous on first spray, screeching horrible blast of someone's vile attempt at recreating a masterpiece. I binned it into the maturation grave yard and praised the fact I only spent £19 on it. 3 months later the juice has smoothed over a bit but I can't smell any coconut still just perfumy-old-skool flowers. There is nothing addictive here for my nose and I feel it's another Hyped perfume. I have much better summer fragrances in my collection - such as: Lancome Idol AURA Afnan LYNKED Maison Alhambra CHANT Gucci Orchid INTENSE French Connection - FCK FRIDAY Dolce & Gabana - DOLCE GARDEN Musamam White Intense Rabanne Olympea SOLAR Ajmal RAINDROPS Mancera - Instant Crush Montale - Intense Tiare Penhaligons - Solaris