Valentina Pink

💖🌹 i am still in awe when it comes to this perfume. this defies the general expectation of flankers and what really got me started with blind-buying fragrances based on notes and names and accords and bottle design (although i must admit, sometimes the accords and notes can be so misleading and certain concoctions of notes blend to form the most unexpected final product, but that's just from my perspective because i'm not a perfumer 😅) there is not much being said about the subtly and yet abundantly eerie emanations of this potion. i think if anyone does not prefer the idea of perfume flankers, i can honestly and wholeheartedly say that you'd be missing out on,.. possibly some really quality signature fragrances out there because some of my absolute favorite perfumes have been flankers, perfect for those who prefer such nuances, mirroring their own personality or... alters. our personas long for these ... 'accidental' exact personalizations, feeding a grandeur need to celebrate our unique creations, polished and fine-tuned by the creator. this is one of those fragrances. at least for me. i have 2 extra bottles and i haven't even finished the first bottle because i love this perfume so much and how much it resonates with me. heavy on the syrupy notes, but they're not as sweet as you might expect with strawberries. dark berries adding a nice noir vibe although it's not the main attraction here but instead is a wonderful addition to a very sickeningly sweet initial spray. the musky notes appear much later but before then there is a rosy incense note and something i absolutely adore about fragrances is unlisted notes that people without a doubt pick up on and incense is quite detectable here, such a nice surprise. the drydown is a plastic doll type of musky fragrance which is responsible for the unsettling vibes and it's what keeps this at my signature perfume because really you can categorize this is a perfume one would purchase at an old toy attic store (which unfortunately doesn't exist unless ed and lorraine are selling their "cursed" items) or a rose incense fragrance you'd find at a crystals and stones boutique, or even at a circus paraphernalia vendor (the plastic cap has KEEP FOR TRAVELLING PURPOSES embossed on it and people sometimes complain about it looking cheap, but i for obvious reasons love this detail). i have been now a somewhat perfume hobbyist for a year and a half, and it's definitely paid off because instead of just haphazardly picking a perfume like in the past or going by what smells the most generically sweet or bright or something like that, my preferences are steadily changing to suit me better and i find myself more partial to weird or slightly eccentric nuanced or even eerie perfumes, all with preferably some romantic tones to them within their own flavor. this perfume though has remained my favorite scent and most resonates with me even through this journey. i hope nobody else chooses to blind-buy pink because i am seeing mostly underwhelming reviews here and honestly, just leave me all the bottles then haha,.. seriously though people don't seem to appreciate or like this fragrance all that much but it is my absolute favorite in terms of what i identify with the most and what i would like to be more of, the perfect balance of characteristics and boy/girl although in no way would i consider this unisex, it's extra girly and pretty powdery even🌹💘🍼💐 i think valentino valentina pink is a wonderful example of perfumers who embrace their darker side through their craft and showcase the beauty of what has to be alchemy or something, because certainly we activate a specific part of our psyche, awakening a sleeping part of ourselves and allowing us to embrace these hidden facets. i would prefer having this perfume forever because to me, it is so perfect and i can't even put into adequate verbiage how much i love this fragrance.

this started as a like. this was not love at first sniff, mostly because i had no idea the direction that my... "style" was going to take, and steadily so. my entire perspective and therefore my preferences, were so underdeveloped then as compared to how well i know myself now, but nevertheless i was quite enthusiastic about receiving this in the mail (3 yrs ago!) and when i first tried it on my wrists, it was so sickeningly syrupy (not what i was looking for at the time because delina exclusif was still at the top of my list with its plush and tart qualities) and jammy that i was almost convinced this perfume was overhyped, though there was something addictive about it. i wasn't crazy over it, but i couldn't stop sniffing my wrists... years later, and after discontinuation, i realize it is underrated and the syntheticness of this perfume is actually part of its appeal. let me tell the story of how i realized this scent is my personal signature. actually a lot of it has to do with my personal evolution in style and preferences which is a reflection of my personality or even persona, but i digress. driving to a metaphysical store one night 🌙 (so already in a specific mood) i decided instead of only my wrists, let me spray my clothes with valentino valentina pink. also it's so crucial to try perfumes again after some weeks, some months, i kid you not sometimes even a year, you know how sometimes, a lot of times, fragrances smell differently after the first few times? went about my night, not-so-frantically searching for this little shop, that i forgot i was wearing perfume.. and here comes this whiff of rose, berries, incense... smoky..... powdery.... wow. my perfume matched the mood and what i was shopping for that day, so i began to like this perfume even more! then, my passions and interests began to take another turn, allowing me to appreciate yet another aspect of this magical, flirtatious, incense, sweet, messed up elixir. it starts as a sickeningly sweet strawberry syrup that's also a bit powdery, with no sharp or cold notes. then dries down to dark berries and roses and incense, and hours later...... here comes the final stage of this scent, it smells like a plastic doll. a strawberry, plastic doll. especially or particularly, in this california heat. colder weather brings out the incense quality although no incense is listed anywhere in the notes, but warmer weather (i feel like warm for perfume standards means any weather condition that isn't a bit chilly 😭)..... plastic doll. love the synthetic and syrupy opening, rosy and strawberry incense drydown, and synthetic finale. my goodness..... for me it's perfection. i think most people will find this to be ok, but i need an infinite supply. i never buy backups but i have an extra bottle of this. it's an absolute love for me. signature. 💗 please: valentino, please never stop manufacturing this, ever. 🙏🏻 pleaaaheeheeease 💗💗💗 i can't begin to tell you how much i love this perfume. i can't seem to find anything else that has every quality i like in one perfume. i love this because it's synthetically sweet and jammy, it's got the rose scent, sweet powder throughout, it has also the incense without being predominantly smokey which is sometimes the issue with incense perfumes, it's just so perfect for me and i am saddened but also kinda glad. this is the perfume that really altered my frame of mind as i identify with it more and more. what i don't mention but is a prominent aspect of this perfume is the dark and uneasy feeling you get from it. it has a rotting sort of feeling, like entering a haunted village or carnival setting, where there are several antagonists and this is the scent of one of them. a lingering sweet scent that can be accurately described as overtly girly but not traditionally feminine. i love it so much and need this forever.

I got a sample a year ago, set it aside...life got busy and I accidentally forgot about it. When I finally tested it just recently, I realized I love this one so much, it almost feels like a guilty pleasure!!! It was also like a revelation. Now I understand what people mean when they say "jammy rose"! For me, this is a jammy, fruity, sweet and juicy rose scent. But that's not all. The strawberry and blackberry are so prominent and so persistent, and they make the scent gourmand! The strawberry is most noticeable at the start and smells so youthful, it makes me feel happy and uplifted. It doesn't exactly smell like a real strawberry on my skin, maybe a little artificial but easily identifiable as strawberry! The musk is light and plays a supporting role, but it was not clearly identifiable to me and I would not describe the scent as musky. The blackberry...oh, the blackberry...it is so pronounced, so deep and round, so divine, it is present from first spray and lasts all the way into the distant dry down. It smells realistic to me. This is the real star of the scent, along with the luscious, deep rose (but I do not smell peony). And finally, the amber, praline, and cashmere wood are all essential on my skin chemistry to help create a deeper, more seductive base without overshadowing the union of blackberry and rose. Otherwise, it would feel like a thin fruity-floral to me. Longevity on my skin was impressive, around 8 hours which is twice as long as usual for me, but there was a desire to reapply early and often due to the uplifting top notes and big sillage at the start of the fragrance. It becomes more like a radiating skin scent after a few hours, as the base notes really warm up the blackberry and rose. I like it best in mild autumn weather. Hot weather kills the composition, and somehow makes certain notes disappear too quickly. Too much cold doesn't allow the scent to open up and radiate their warmth. I am learning I like berry and stone-fruit notes in autumn, where they smell richer to me against the seasonal backdrop of dry grass and freshly-dropped leaves and crushed needles from the trees. So, I am left wondering...Why on earth is this limited edition?! This is such an exquisitely well-done gourmand scent! It doesn't smell juvenile, but it satisfies the need to feel youthful and optimistic again. It also doesn't smell cheap, sharp, synthetic, or incomplete as a composition. Additionally, my husband, who is more likely to say that a perfume is just "okay" or "nice" on me, gave this one his total approval without any hesitation.

Oooh this really is lovely - really really well done and oh so prettyyyy! It really does have a lovely jammy quality that reminds me of LUSH rose jam (I see I'm not the only one to think so) but it is like LUSH rose jam when it's really well done (i.e. in the shower gel not in the body spray, for example - the shower gel has fresh fruit infusions and a little more rose absolute - it's the only body soap I use and a favourite but I dislike the body spray version of the scent because it relies on a much more synthetic and jarring construction in my opinion. This is the jammy rose of Rose Jam at its fest with fresh fruit + jammy fruit and rose and some mouth watering sweetness. It marries two qualities that are not often found together -rich jamminess and freshness. I have and love JHAG Miss Charming - Valentina Pink and Miss Charming are both wonderful and I can definitely see the similarities. Both are amazingly well executed strawberry and berry rose scents that add up to way more than just another fruity floral with mass appeal. They are masterfully constructed scents that bring together lovable and simple elements - rose, berries, sweet notes and praline - but the sum of their parts is much more than a few simple notes. I would say that Miss Charming is a bit lighter and brighter and that Valentina Pink is jammier and sweeter - a little richer and less airy. But certainly, anyone who likes Valentina Pink or Miss Charming is very likely to like the other. Lovely! : ) Would love to have full size of this it's a big hit with me but then again I love rose and gourmand notes and since this perfume is so well executed it's hard to find anything that anyone could dislike here. It's yummy, delicious, happy and pretty.

@Nakira93 Is the sprayer on your bottle working OK? Blind-bought this one, as well, in TJ Maxx. I like the scent a lot, but the sprayer is horrible. Leaks all over the bottle with each spritz. Why a Valentino perfume, only 8 months old batch, would end up in a discount store? Defective sprayers, maybe? The flower ornament is attached with some plastic element right underneath the sprayer making it sit a little loose on the bottle - not a practical design at all. Now I'm not sure if I should even attempt to try another one by Valentino (I was thinking "Poudre") in a bottle of the same design. As for the scent, it reminds me a lot of EL Modern Muse Le Rouge Gloss - fruity-sweet lipstick-y rose with a synthetic (reminiscent of vinyl) note in there. I agree with those reviewers who say it's very weak. The initial blast of fragrance is strong and thick, but it settles down to a skin scent within 30 min. or so. After an hour plus, max. 2 hrs - not even a light trace on skin is perceptible. On clothes it stays longer, but you can smell it only if sticking your nose directly into the fabric. P.S. OK, after some manipulations with the nozzle I seem to have fixed it enough not to leak over the bottle. Yay!!!