Valentino Donna Born In Roma

For some reason the first time I tried born in Roma Donna the OG I didn’t find that it lasted on me (although now I realise I had gone nose blind that day due to trying to many perfumes) so I bought the intense, then I tried the extradose. They are full on vanilla, sweet bombs!! I loved them at first but then my senses seemed to change, I ended up selling the extradose and gave the intense version to my daughter due to it being far too sweet. I then started smelling it on her and realised how much I missed that smell...that blackcurrant, jasmine and vanilla.. I was out shopping and decided to try the OG again...this hit the spot..fresh but sweet and more wearable for the summer, it’s probably more of a versatile, all year round type of fragrance and I impulse bought the full bottle. The first hit is that sharp blackcurrant with jasmine which is the classic born in Roma. For this perfume you have to be a jasmine lover which I am. It dries down to a beautiful vanilla but not overpowering..just enough! The cashmere woodiness/smokiness grounds it and stops it from being a heavy gourmand. The Intense and extradose version is just too sweet, sickly heavy vanilla for me, born in Roma OG is just the right balance. It also lasts forever on my skin so I definitely must have gone nose blind the day I tried it first When I got home I compared the OG that I just bought to my daughters intense. Sure enough that vanilla in the intense version is far too much to the point where it made me feel sick. The original is just enough sweetness for me. Glad I have it back in my collection and is a firm favourite...even though my bank account isn’t happy with the £125 dent 😬😂 this is probably my most favourite out of my little collection after my signature alien edt 😍

Totally different than the original Donna. Just a completely different perfume in every facet. It's a sweet, sultry night time perfume. The berry notes hit you first, then vanilla and some soft subtle woody notes along with clean white floral notes. I get some bergamot too but it's barely there. I think it helps this perfume feel kind of fresh/clean and not syrupy. The tea note is very faint but it makes it interesting when first sprayed. It's a very familiar sultry berry. I feel like Bath & Body Works has released hundreds of fragrances that smell vaguely similar to this in black/dark purple packaging lol. The only thing that stands out to me is the white floral. It makes it interesting when mixed with the sweet berry and vanilla. It smells a lot like Salvatore Ferragamo Signorina Misteriosa (which I also own). I sprayed this and the Ferragamo on my two opposite wrists and it is so similar!! The berries in Roma are not as sweet as SF. The floral note is just a hair stronger in Roma too. It's still super close though, especially the drydown. If you're on the fence about this one try the Ferragamo one. Not as expensive and still does that sultry berry scent well. Also, I wish people would stop comparing everything to YSL Black Opium. It's so reductive. Not everything smells like Black Opium! Please use some critical thinking skills. If you're writing reviews with just one sentence saying something smells like Black Opium it helps no one. Many of us on this site read reviews for fun too and seeing a bunch of people say over and over that something smells like YSL BO gets so old (especially when it doesn't). Just sayin' lol.

While Valentino Donna Born in Roma has spawned an entire family of flankers, I still find myself reaching for the original. It’s the version that feels the most balanced, the most effortless, and ultimately the most memorable. From the first spray, the pink pepper creates a sparkling fruity-spiced opening that immediately captures the attention without feeling sharp or aggressive. It awakens the senses and gives the fragrance an energetic confidence. As it settles, the jasmine emerges like a soft veil rather than a statement piece. It lends an ethereal femininity that grounds the composition without pulling it into overly floral territory. The magic happens in the dry down. Traces of the opening and heart notes remain present, but they’re wrapped in a luxurious blend of bourbon vanilla and cashmeran that feels equal parts comfort and sophistication. The vanilla here isn’t bakery-sweet or gourmand. Instead, it carries a subtle booziness that gives the fragrance a mature, polished character. It’s warm without being heavy, sweet without becoming cloying. Donna Born in Roma effortlessly captures two seemingly opposite moods: comfort and confidence. It smells like the woman who commands the boardroom during the day and effortlessly transitions into dinner and cocktails afterward. Chic, modern, and endlessly wearable, this remains my favorite of the Born in Roma collection.

Born In Roma, a blast of fruity sweetness, (Bergamot and Blackberry)with a vanilla cashmere flow beneath, with a tiny dose of pepper and something woody, leading to a dry down that I can only describe as the smell of Cream Soda. And honestly I love this base it reminds me of the dry down of 212 Sexy Men when it first released, nowadays the dry down for 212 Sexy Men is more Vanilla Essence as opposed to that Cream Soda vibe it used to get to, so thus I'm happy with this perfume as the last few hours of it's dry down goes to where 212 Sexy Men used to once belong. Longevity is 8 hours with a moderate projection for the first hour and a close to you almost skin scent thereafter, but I don't mind this as this makes it a more come hither kind of fragrance that draws those around you to come in closer to get a whiff of your fragrance which garners great compliments. People literally go wow you smell amazing after they hug me. So whilst this may be for ladies, it's due to the dry down that reminds me of the dry down of my once Favorite male fragrance, that I am keeping this around, and I will repurchase when this bottle is done. 8.5/10 Perfect for all seasons (Day time for Winter and Autumn, six sprays is the way to go) (Night Time for Summer and Spring just go with three to four sprays max). A cream Soda dream.

oh wow. i tried born in roma just because i saw a LOT of clout on fragrancetok about it. did not expect much, instantly judging it based on the first sniff saying it was generic and just meh. however, after having it on my skin for a little while longer, i can positively say i became obsessed. not knowing that black currant was one of the top notes (which is one of my favourites), i quite soon knew this was not going to end well for me. this baby smells SO clean, especially at the first acts of its performance. it's slightly warm, yet so fresh and just - clean. the jasmine tea note is so immaculate and the bergamot does not, in any way, have a cleaning product or toilet refresher quality to it at all. so well done. the dry down is powdery and vanilla, just wonderful. i am honestly obsessed. oh, i love powdery fragrances. 🤤 i think the longevity could have been better, but i cannot really complain because it does last fairly long (in comparison to most of my all time favourite fragrances hah). i feel like it could project really really well when overspraying, yet i cannot say for sure since i sprayed just once on my hand. seasonally, i think it fits all, really versatile as day or night wear as well. definitely adding this to my wishlist and i cannot wait to try the extradose and intense versions of this.

If you were expecting this to be anything like the original Donna then you will be very disappointed with Donna Born in Roma. I think that’s a big part of why this got so much hate. Fortunately for me this does not smell like Donna which I did not like at all. To me, it smells halfway in between Delina and Delina Exclusif with maybe a touch of YSL Mon Paris thrown in for the sugar and berries. It’s tart berries, sweet bourbon vanilla, jasmine tea, and a base of woods. The sweet tart “pink” girly notes over the woodsy, musky base is very reminiscent of the PDM Delinas to me. I rarely ever use up my samples...of hundreds I have, only my all-time favorites ever get used up all the way like Delina, Coco Blanc, Tihota, Alien Essence Absolue, and now this one. I just could not stop wanting to wear this. All day erryday. Sillage and longevity are impressive, too. My husband is a picky frag-head and rarely likes anything I try anymore but this one has never failed to elicit enthusiastic compliments from him every single time I have worn it. He said, “This perfume is you in your sundress and heels.” Plus, I love the bottle so much! It’s so pretty in punk with the pink bottle and the black pyramid studs in the cap. Might be my favorite bottle design of all time. I have a 3.4 oz coming in the mail now.

I love using it for special occasions, date nights, fall / winter holidays, birthdays. Initial spray is crazy and intimidating but the dry down 10 minutes later it smells like vanilla but also deep, and intoxicating. Update: I get lady of the night vibes with this scent. Not in a bad way, but it has such an intense and intoxicating smell, which is why I feel I’d only wear this for special occasions , date nights and at night in the fall. It’s too sexy, n a strong scent I don’t think it’s able to be worn casually or daily. At times too rummy which I’m not sure if I like but eventually it all blends together and I feel like the rumminess is what keeps the good parts of this scent lasting. Not a bad thing just a tad too strong of a vibe but I think it’s perfect for special nights when I wanna feel more like Britney Spears with dark hair in the toxic music video. After experiencing this perfume I don’t think I can do rummy perfumes but this scent has enough sweetness for me to be able to handle it n like to wear it, but like I said more for special night time, dark n sexy occasions when I wanna feel more of a femme fatale. :)

This is by far my most complimented perfume. I love love love it. It's been my favorite for years. I wear it year-round, day or night, but in the heat it might be just a *bit* too rich. I smelled this perfume for the first time when my sister sprayed it on her arm in Sephora while we were walking through the mall. I kept catching whiffs of it, and eventually, I just HAD to go back to Sephora to buy it. It's just that good. It's rich and decadent - sweet but not cloying. To me, she's sexy jasmine and warm spiced vanilla, a little difficult to pinpoint what exactly makes it so delicious but the blend is just soooooooo yummy. Wears like champ - not the most long-lasting or far-throwing perfume in my collection but she makes it through the day just fine. I have a travel size that I keep in my purse but I rarely find myself needing to use it, I only really pull it out on the off chance that I forgot to wear perfume that day. I've smelled the Coral and the Green ones too, and they're lovely, but this one is just impossible to beat, in my eyes.

it’s like an iced earl grey tea with vanilla syrup in it. woody, sweet, sparkly. a smidge of currant can be detected, i think it’s only adding to the depth of the woodiness here though. i literally cannot stop smelling myself while wearing this. my heart jumped when i smelled it for the first time. sooo feminine and gorgeous! i had the intense version previously, but there is something about the original that cannot be beat. the intense is still nice. it’s very warm and coconutty (i know coconut isn’t listed but the intense version reminds me of malibu rum). there is something about the freshness in the OG that makes it better to me. this is one of those scents that’s a dumb easy reach. i adore this scent! you cannot go wrong with this when you can’t decide what to wear for the day, it’s a confidence booster in a bottle. my biggest complaint is that it disappears quickly... after an hour it becomes very soft. i get around 4ish hours of actual wear, and it lasts a lot longer on clothing. minimal scent bubble for sillage.

My girlfriend wears this perfume and it is the epitome of sexy. Can not get enough of it when she is wearing it it smells how ive always imagined my wife smelling. Going strictly based on smelling this perfume only on my girlfriend I can say it is quite dynamic, the first 30min or so are very floral and pretty, maybe a bit mature, in a good way. But as it evolves the vanilla sweetness really starts to shine and it smells beautiful and sexy. Of all the scents my girlfriend likes wearing this one by far last the longest, she'll spray it on in the morning and easily 8hrs later I can smell it on her. Granted its not a huge projector after the 2hr mark it still sticks to the skin and clothes. My favorite is waking up in bed with her and I can smell the dry down coming out of the blanket and it is intoxicating. I would say this smells like a pretty girl who really takes care of herself, shes sweet and kind but has another side to her that is mysterious, seductive and sexy. 9.5/10💜

This perfume is a chameleon. At first, it didn't strike me as anything special: floral, sweet, artificial fruity red candy vibes. Not for me. I also found the bottle tacky. But then I was gifted a sample, which I wore to see if it would grow on me. It didn't just grow, the fragrance evolved over the course of the day. Instead of the artificial floral/red candy vibe I originally got, I got this exotic musky fruity jasmine floral that evolved over the day into an irresistible exotic woodsy vanilla. It's the perfect perfume for the whole day: bright, exotic fruity floral in the day and sexy woodsy vanilla by evening. I didn't originally get the hype, and if you judge this perfume based off the first spritz, you'll likely write it off as I had. But like a fine wine, this perfume gets better once it's open and it gets a chance to breathe and evolve over the hours. Give it another chance and you may be surprised.

I got this perfume for my bday during their valentines sale (BLIND BUY) and let me tell you i love it so much! It’s much more of a mature perfume at first spray than i tend to lean towards as a teenager (likely from the pink pepper) but it also stays fruity and youthful and with a few sprays it lasts all day! The thing i love about the perfume is as the day goes on you won’t feel the need to refresh not only because the longevity but as the day goes it seems to get better, more gourmand! Turns from a fruity mature spritzy perfume, into a sweet jasmine, and lastly it leaves you with the wisper of the most beautiful sweet vanilla cupcake i can’t get enough of. Love layering this with cherosa 40 and Al rehab golden sands + EOS lotion of your choice! Only thing i’d say is wait for the sales to purchase, i found my 3.4oz on amazon for more than 50% off and you can also find that size on ebay for 50$ typically!

This stuff is pricy but beautiful. Got the 1.7oz for my girlfriend and I just love it on her, although up close it can get kind of weird and smell like it’s not mixed right idk if it’s just me but anyways, starts off very peppery almost like a female MB Explorer, then starts drying down to this sweet almost powdery jasmine vanilla, still retaining the hints of bergamot and black current from the opening. This stuff is extremely feminine and elegant, and screams I know what smells good, and I’m confident what I’m wearing. It will turn heads because this is a scent I really cannot forget in my head. The only thing is I just wish it lasted a little longer, as I feel I only smell it on my girlfriend for a few hours but maybe that’s just my nose, because I can still get whiffs of the dry down later. Anyways this is a 9.5/10 easy blind buy for your girl as was mine, this is everything I look for in a perfume

This is a gorgeous perfume. Lots of people say it's boring or stereotypical, but I like to think of this perfume as a romantic comedy that may not be all that different from other romantic comedy movies, but you still watch it because you enjoy it. Do you know what's going to happen? Yes. Does that stop you from watching it? No. So, although this perfume may be predictable, it's still nice. Something doesn't have to be overly complicated or complex to enjoy it, and that's this perfume. It's not a complex or deep perfume, it is a fun and flirty perfume. Simple, yet delightful. Most prominent notes: Blackcurrant, Wood, Vanilla and tea The tea and woody notes blend together really nicely and the vanilla and blackcurrant give it that sweetness. It's like a sweet vanilla jasmine tea, accented with the earthiness of twigs and the sweetness of blackcurrants.

Valentino Donna Born In Roma opens with a vibrant burst of blackcurrant, jasmine sambac, and pink pepper, creating a juicy, spicy floral spark like ripe berries crushed against fresh petals in a sunlit Roman square. It evolves into a warm, velvety heart where cashmeran adds a soft, musky glow, blending the fruity top with subtle vanilla whispers for an edgy yet feminine allure. The drydown settles into luxurious comfort: bourbon vanilla and guaiac wood ground everything in creamy, woody sweetness — evoking a modern amber floral that's playful without heaviness, never tipping into cloying territory. Youthful and sophisticated, it captures street-style rebellion with high-end polish. Lasts 6-8+ hours with radiant sillage — perfect for urban days or evenings craving compliments and effortless chic.

When I wear this I transform into a hot person. This is like if the lumber section of home depot (stay with me) had a shelf of two by fours made out of juicy berries and the store associate who is expertly sawing it to your specifications smoked a Swisher Sweet outside on his break. Somewhere in the next aisle over, a woman in her thirties types "what does jasmine smell like" into google. That woman is me. I am genuinely shocked to see negative reviews of this fragrance. It's fruity. It's woody. It's warm. It's so, so pretty. I will say, one time while wearing this I was late to my book club and had to speed walk for about 15 minutes and in the final 2 sweaty minutes (don't judge me) the sweetness became a little overwhelming. So, like, don't exercise in this. Getchoo a bottle, babies!

This might be a bit of an out there kind of comparison as the two don’t actually smell at all alike, it is just about the overall vibe and feel that the scent evokes in me: But for some reason I feel like Valentino Donna Born in Roma is the woman, who the girl that was YSL (now discontinued, which is a crime) Baby Doll, grew up to be. She isn’t as bubbly, bright and girly, but a more confident, calm, mature and sensual version of her. Now wearing a cashmere sweater and sipping a cup of earl grey tea instead of a jean jacket over floral dress and a fizzy fruit soda. But the same essence is still in there: sweet, bright and effortless femininity balanced well with a more serious and refined undercurrent. She isn’t the basic bitch, but the it girl that every basic bitch aspires to be.

This is a beautiful, bright, fruity, non-indolic jasmine. As someone who is obsessed with jasmine in all its forms, I love that it uses multiple facets - you get the brightness from the jasmine sambac, the creaminess from the jasmine grandiflorum and the airy, almost shampoo-like vibe from the jasmine tea. Blended with the fruity notes and the warm vanilla base, it creates an effervescent, sparkling jasmine that is super likeable and easy to wear. It's a confident, carefree type of fragrance. It gives off 'unbothered' energy. I can imagine the person that wears this is someone that just enjoys life and doesn't get involved in any unnecessary drama - the type of person that people naturally gravitate towards them because they are just good vibes.

easily one of the most complimented perfumes in my collection. sweet, sexy, elegant and boozy. i’m a gourmand lover through and through but i know a lot of people’s complaint with sweeter perfumes is the juvenility of the scent. if you’re looking for a gourmand that’s a bit more complex and mature without losing its sweetness, this would be perfect for you. the bourbon vanilla is so good. i will say this perfume is a powerhouse, so don’t overspray it! surprisingly works in any weather despite the sweet stickiness of the vanilla, there was one summer i wore this to my very physical job and constantly got compliments on how i smelt, one person asked for this for christmas after smelling it on me

This is one of my all time favorites! I will say that the vanilla note isn't super prominent, especially for those who are looking for a very sweet, gourmand-type vanilla fragrance. However, the combination of white flowers, citrus, and vanilla is still light and airy while being very pleasant and feminine. I really like the level of sweetness that isn't too overpowering. Maybe I just wear cheaper perfumes, but I think this one has decent sillage. I have consistently bought and enjoyed many bottles of this fragrance over the years. I like it so much I even have given bottles as gifts! It's a great scent for anyone who likes a fresh, feminine scent.