Valentina

A little storytime how Valentina ended up in my collection: 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. So, here I was, at the fragrance counter actually taking up the offer from a sales assistant "can I help you?" - most of the time I kindly say no and wander about, but this time I said, "you know what, yes, please!". So I described the following to her: I am looking for a new everyday fragrance. Something warm, a little floral & vanilla, maybe with a touch of citrus, not too loud but noticeable. A scent that blends with me and doesn't feel like a sticky layer. Been contemplating Allure EDT but am open to your suggestion! She was really really relaxed & super helpful. Took me from Creed to Annick Goutal, to Lancome - so the whole range, really. A lot of nice scents (new additions to want & further test) but not the one. And then came Valentina. With the introduction that this has been around for a while and would quite fit the bill - and it did. Smelled it on the blotter, that led to testing on the skin, wandering around the mall for a while, to me coming back and purchasing a full bottle. Valentina, as many have said before, is a very nice creamy floral vanilla with a pinch of fruit and earthy notes - the truffle paired with the cedar, I suppose. Contrary to others though, I feel that this scent has the recognition factor. I, at least, would recognize it now that I know it. On me the tuberose isn't too pronounced, jasmine and orange flower keep things fresh, never entering sticky territory. In a way Valentina has the sweetness of a crème brûlée - sweet but classy, creamy not candy floss. It's elegant and polished, with a wink. Not too serious, approachable and at the same time not suffocating either. Perfect middle ground, if you will, and exactly what I was searching for. Longevity is good, a spritz on clothes helps to extend the fun, sillage is moderate and the bottle is beautiful. Total win in my book!

The art of fragrance never stops surprising me. Based on the reviews Valentina sounds generic and rather boring, with "nice fruity floral vanilla" being the most used words for her. And as I tried her before reading any reviews, and then looked her up here on Fragrantica, I was very surprised because what people are describing here is a very different animal to what I have on my left wrist right now. I most certainly get white florals, especially the jasmine. I'm not familiar with the African orange flower so I can't comment on that, but jasmine and tuberose are very prominent here to my nose. This is not fruity in any way, there is some fruit in the background to give the white florals a bit of a backbone, but that's not nearly enough for me to classify Valentina as fruity. I also barely detect the vanilla, its more like the fruits, giving the white flowers a support rather than standing out on its own. And she is not complex. She is very much straightforwardly soft and uncomplicated. It has to be noted that both the fruit and vanilla are louder if you press your nose up against your skin where you sprayed, or on clothes. So, perhaps this is my skin chemistry that's giving me a completely different experience from other reviewers here. But if I'm not trying to smell it, the wafts around me are creamy jasmine and tuberose, with a hint of spiced vanilla and fruits. Even a little woodsy as it dries down. When I smell Valentina in the air when I move, all I can think of is something white and soft. Like a soft piece of fabric. With some added jasmine and tuberose on top of that. Soft music and soft touches. Incredibly feminine and delicate. Not sexy, but very sensual. Valentina would suit soft sweaters in pastel colours extremely well. Valentina is not a loud one, the projection is soft and on my skin I can smell her for about 6 hours before she disappears. She most definitely sits close to you the whole time, but as I always prefer to wear fragrances close to my skin, that's not a problem for me. Am I the only one that feels this way about Valentina? That she's a lot more beautiful than most people give her credit for and in no way a fruity floral/generic vanilla? Either way, that's how I feel about her, so lucky me I guess. And my boyfriend as well, he's all over me when I wear it!

I wear this perfume since it's out (so almost 10 years). I do agree that it's the kind of perfume you have to try on skin. I am very picky on perfumes as I have a very sensitive nose. I always go for white flowers with an amber base... but I love to be surprised with other notes along the way :) I like noticeable perfumes but with moderate lasting. The 1st 2011 bottle was perfect but really didn't last very long. Had to put it more during the day. At the time you could smell Bergamote very quickly, the truffle was noticeably present but the floral sent didn't last very long. Loved the sent anyway so I kept wearing it. Since then they improved the formula (and changed the three flowers on the bottle for a single one). This was much better. I enjoy the bergamote when I spray it on my skin and then, it's heaven... the truffle make perfectly the transition to the the wild strawberry and the white flower bouquet. The jasmine last very long with the amber and cedar which is there you can again smell the truffle. I agree to say it's a very Italian combination. To me it's the perfect balance between sweetness, floral and earthy smell ! It's my day perfume all year, except in summer when I wear it after 6pm (don't like to put perfume during the day in summer). At night the rest of the year I like to wear For Her from Narciso Rodriguez (white flowers again ;) Hope this review will be helpful !

I literally woke up craving this scent. This is an unusual one, some people will love it, and some will hate it. It's a perplexing one; and intriguing nonetheless. It opens with a burst of freshness with a peppery accord. Hmm... interesting. For the first couple of minutes it's almost masculine on me... but still feminine in a way. I ponder to my self for a moment, trying to make sense of this interesting smell, and I go back in for another whiff. The heart soon develops, the stunning jasmine sparkles and shines; it's the star. The creme de la creme. The strawberry has just ripened, adding a fresh, sweet, fruity zest. This scent really enchants me. It carries my imagination off to a fantasy realm. Is this love?.. After a few hours, the inevitable dry down appears... I wish this scent would last forever. The intoxicating blend of vanilla, amber, and cedar wrap up Valentina to perfection. She leaves me wanting more. I agree with the description "full of contradictions". It's simultaneously floral, sweet, earthy, animalic, slightly spicy, cold, warm.. it's simply dazzling. Longevity: 3-4 hours on me...please Valentina, won't you stay? Sillage: soft-moderate The packaging is to die for! It's the most beautiful bottle I think I've ever seen. I will forever have a place for Valentina in my collection, and her memories will always remain in my heart! She's a hopeless romantic. <3

Valentina has to be tried on skin, not on a blotter. At least that's how it was for me. When I tried it on paper I found it nice but kind of faint and boring, but when I finally sampled it on my skin this summer I fell in love. Maybe it needs a little body warmth to unfold, or maybe it shows its full potential only on certain skin types, which would explain why some reviewers find it generic. Of course this didn't turn into a loud, bold perfume on my skin. It's a lovely floral vanilla scent with some surprising twists. This scent has a soft character, but it does have character. The tuberose and jasmine are just sultry enough to smell feminine and interesting, but never too much. The strawberry is woven into the florals and supports their sweetness, this is not an in-your-face candy sweet strawberry note. I love how they used a truffle note instead of the usual patch to give the fragrance an earthy edge. Despite having no musk listed, Valentina smells quite musky on my skin. All the notes lie on a bed of a bright, light, almost ice-cream like vanilla. In my opinion this would make a good signature as it's easy to wear for daytime, nighttime, work and play, but not one-dimensional or boring.