Valentino Donna Noir Absolu

@perfume_infatuated I totally agree with you Today I tested this elegant perfume on a paper strip.I didn't know it's notes but I guessed there's slightly spicy,plummey rose in it and a deep,warm,almost dark,softly powdered base. now that I've checked up the notes,I can also recognize liquor and leather in this amazing scent that wafts from paper strip This is so sophisticated and classy.smells so expensive and has definitely a significant character.it doesn't seem loud or much heavy on paper.seems to be one of those perfumes that leaves a tail behind you not a killer bomb. I can see what other fragranticans mean by calling it unisex.I agree but I don't find it manly.I mean that it will probably do well on a man but at the same time,on a woman it won't seem like a perfume without feminine charm. I'm into supersweet gourmands, vanilla florals and girly fruityflorals. I can't usually tollerate wearing masculine or even most unisex perfumes but I'd love to wear valentino donna noir absolue. I have valentino donna and love it.I can see a hint of similar gene between these two(they share rose,leather and a luxurious powderyness) but all in all they're very different donna is the younger,much more sweet, more girly, pink sister(still very classy and a grownup) while VDNA is an independent,elegant,self-confident, darker seductive queen. Right now I can't afford this amazing perfume,it's about 120$,but I'm adding it to my wishlist BTW I dislike Elie saab Nuit Noor and TF Black Orchid with passion Edit: tried it on my skin and now I like it even more. it's so sexy, so delicious without being a gourmand and smells so expensive .It's a dark, leathery,boozy,spicy,smokey,powdery jammy rose. a modern femne fetal perfume. and it's very long lasting with beast mode projection. unfortunately it's not widely available anymore. I hope it's not discontinued because that would be a crime.

My bottle has stickers on the bottom, not etched glass, and the rectangle on the box, so it’s the L’Oréal version I think. For those who care about such things. 100% unisex. I love it. It’s deep, rich, has a fresh spicy edge to it. The dry down is sexy, soft yet sweet and rich and deep all at the same time. Amazing projection, 3 sprays fills the room. And I never say that. And lasts all day. Stunning. Love. In the same ball park as a lot of fragrances I own, but definitely unique. From the ‘reminds me of’ section I have the following: Initio Side Effect - I’d say this is one of the most similar smelling from what I own, but it’s not the same, Donna Noir is less fruity, and doesn’t have that touch of rubber smell. The dry down of DN is smoother and sweeter. TF Black Orchid - Donna Noir is not as floral and nowhere near as sweet or tangy. Not even in the same ball park. TF Velvet Orchid - Donna Noir is nowhere near as sweet or floral, like to even compare them is crazy. (DN is closer to TF Vanille Fatale than to both of those listed above, there’s something vaguely similar in the drydown, although DN has less vanilla and has a sweeter dry down so it’s still not the same). Penhaligons bewitching jasmine - weirdly, at first they do give the same vibe on my skin, which I wasn’t expecting at all. I don’t know how when the only note they share is leather, but yes, I’d say this is actually the closest before the mid dry down. DN is smoother and a bit less spicy as it’s missing that lovely cardamom note, and it is lacking the incense too. And DN is less floral in the drydown (the jasmine comes out in the dry down of bewitching jasmine, which totally sets it apart). I think it has been discontinued as I couldn’t find it for sale anywhere in the UK online. So if you find it I’d grab one as it’s great, and a bargain when the closest comparisons are from niche houses.

I discovered this perfume on vacation. We were stopped in Italy on one of those Mediterranean cruises. After doing the usual sightseeing, we were browsing stores, one of which was a two-level Valentino store. Ignoring the spiky heels, which matched the motif of this bottle, I tried on both Noir Absolu and either the original Donna or Born in Roma; One on each arm. As we left the store, I forgot which arm had which on it, the black or the pink bottle. I was completely overtaken by one of the scents. It was deep, complex, warm and sweet. I couldn't identify what I was smelling, but I wanted to know which bottle it was, so that in the future, I might recover it. After trying samples of both the Uomo and Donna lines, I finally found the scent that I fell in love with that day. In hindsight, it was the leather, plum and booze that had me intoxicated. Donna Noir Absolu is a perfect fragrance for the late afternoon; when the day cools down, and the evening is still ahead of you. She is casual, playful, sweet, and a bit of trouble (wink).

YUM! Like a dummy I almost sold this one before testing it on skin. On testing strips and clothes it's ultra unisex and smelled so peppery it reminded me of incense, but once I tested on skin the peppery notes died down pretty fast and I'm left with this slightly sweet, leathery plum liquor. Divine!! It's narcotic indeed. Like one of the other reviewers said, this smells witchy, like a room with a witch making a potion in a cauldron. This will be a knockout come wintertime. In a way, this reminds me of Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Black Perfecto because they fall in that 'black clothes/leather jacket' perfume category. Guerlain LPRN BP has that intense cherry smell with almost choking incense/smoke, whereas this is far more refined. I still love both. Also, I think it is rumor only that this is discontinued. It is still on the website, albeit with some different notes - jasmine and vanilla. I emailed and asked if it was reformulated and they said no. I don't think they are getting rid of it!

I love it. Dontthink its for blind buying unless youre familiar with less mainstream notes, i would not have likes this 10 years ago. I didnt pick leather, i thought suede, the leather is not dry and masculine. The plum is kinda dusky but not powdery, not mega fruity, the booze... is not quite straight spirits, maybe more like a port yet not wine-like.. perhaps bourbon territory? The woods are not woody-dry or fresh, they are warm and perhaps a little ambery?? I totally dig this. I wanted to say maybe oud was in it when i first sprayed, oud and i are not easy company but with certain formulations we get on. I likebmost of the donna line, and most valentinos, not so much donna aqua... Thumbs up. Nice sillage, decent longev.

So when I first got this, (eBay) I got this gross stale cigarette smell. I thought the seller was a smoker, so all I smelled was that mixed with leather...yuck. Then I let it sit in my smoke free house in the box for a couple of weeks. Gave it a shake and tried again. YES. Its so complex and weird. It's a total beast, and like everyone has said, unisex AF. Badass femme, or mature masc with a cozy twist. You decide! This...man wtf is Valentino doing? That VV bs but they were radio silent on THIS? Perfect duo with Moschino's Toy Boy, my fav "male" unisex atm. Avoid if you're a smoker, it will make you smell like a moldy ashtray

My sweet baby I am glad I found this when I did so I could scoop up a backup bottle, it is perfection for my current scent taste. All the notes are combined perfectly, with this being a sweet liquor plum, the pepper and leather close behind. I don't get much rose from this. And it, in my opinion, is not animalic at all thank god haha. It is just perfect and I am going to be sad if the discontinued rumor is true. I would *almost* say this is similar to DUA's Plum Cigarillo, however that one is way more sweet. Smells literally nothing like any flanker of Black Orchid whatsoever to my nose. Just beware of overspraying!

DAMN this is good! Another one I would find intoxicating on a man. It's Arabian Nights in my imagination. I don't get the alcohol note, and the cherry is just there, like an after-trail, not heavy or oddly sweet. And although oud is not listed, you can smell it. I think it's gorgeous! I wish I could wear it, but like I've experienced with others of these types of fragrances, I feel like I smell like a man with it on - a bad thing when there's no man to reach for at the time! 😊 ❤️ Powerful sillage, decent longevity with just two sprays, about 3 hrs? Imagine it's much better with more applied. Good job, Valentino!

This is my absolute favorite right now. I wanted to try this when I saw a review LAST summer but it was impossible to find. Well praise google for spying on my search history enough for this to pop up in my results because I was finally able to get a bottle of this and it’s amazing! I’ve tried Donna Born in Roma and this is nothing like it (thank god). This is smooth, dark, a little sweet and blended to perfection. There are still a couple bottles floating around out there so I was lucky enough to get a backup bottle. I may even snag a third. I never want to run out of this. It’s chef’s kiss

This has the same vibe as Valentino Uomo Intense, although they only share one note according to the database (leather). Donna Noir Absolu has the same beautiful luxurious feel to it. Sadly I'm not very good as defining and describing individual smells, but I can say that if there are any ladies out there, like me, who love VUI and want something just slightly less masculine, but not as sweet as the pink Donna, then DNA could be your bag. (Love the fun acronym of DNA too haha). *Found and tested at Brisbane City David Jones for any interested Aussies.

I saw this online several years ago and I never picked it up because some people said it smelled too masculine, so four years later I saw it on eBay for a great price, 3.4 ounce bottle new, so I bought it. All I have to say is this fragrance is magical, sweet, sexy, mysterious, the notes are blended together so well, wow it’s amazing, excellent longevity and silage as well. the scent is a 10 out of 10. I’m looking for a back up bottle now. If you can get your hands on this don’t snooze on it, the scent is incredible.

Not peppery on me per se, but, I couldbe swayed I'm smelling pepper in the first blast, I thought more tobacco but again could be something else. Leathery for sure, plus vanilla or tonka - rich rounded sweetness, the fruit element has what's in the orig donna, kinda deep cooked fruit patchouli ... but I'm not sure about detecting patch here.. The rose lends a velvetyness, this is not a fruity led scent, its warm, velvety, leather backdrop, a light liquir without a strong sweetness.

Why was this not a bigger deal when it was available?! It might be my favourite fragrance of all time. I want to bathe in it. The dry down is heaven. I love that it is feminine without being "girly". It's not too sweet, not too harsh. As someone who's tastes tend to lean "masculine", I really appreciate how this fragrance takes the usually masculine notes like pepper, leather, and liquor and softens them. But not too much. It still retains a "powerful woman" vibe.

It is an opulent perfume, with personality, strong and with extremely good longevity. IMHO is completely unisex, slightly masculine with hints of leather, liquor and a little sweetness. It lasts from morning till evening, and on clothes until you wash them. I knew that I must have it from the moment I tested it and finally it is part of my collection. Certainly for the cold season, in the hot season it can be quite suffocating. 2 sprays are more than enough.

Since I got it I think I wore it enough times to come up with a “verdict”. It is officially my “Bad Ass” perfume. I only feel comfortable wearing it when I wear darker (grey and black) clothes, leather, my Harley Davidson boots, some accessories with the same “vibe”. It stays forever on my clothes and hair. I love love love this fragrance and I wish I could wear it more often, but in my opinion it’s just a bit too much for every day wear.

This is just beautifully dark and sexy. It’s the perfect mistress with cherry lips and perfect cheekbones, just irresistible 🖤 Does have similarities to TF Black Orchid but it’s better in a more sensual way. Many say it’s been discontinued but it’s still available on Valentino’s UK website in 100 ml at the moment, I just purchased a bottle and I’m as excited as a child on Xmas morning to open the parcel when arrives.

Gorgeous! Amazing! Why did Valentino discontinue this?! It may even be better than the original Donna, which is one of my favorite perfumes of all time. It definitely leans feminine, but it really could be worn by anyone. And I think it would be fabulous in the colder months and at night, but I’m currently wearing it in extremely warm weather and it’s still beautiful.

the valentino noir line is discontinued now I emailed them and they confirmed this,but I have this and the mens version and really like both sents,when I wear this it pulls compliments from men and women, if you can grab a bottle would defo recommend having this in your collection before it dissappear of shelfs completely like valentino uomo noir absolu

I'm a men and I've purchased this one today from Debenhams 74£/100ml, for all the guys out there this is wearable on men as f..!! Is so unisex that ladies will never recognise a men can wear it :) This juice is good people, I love it !! I just cannot wait to go work and make all my female co-workers jealous ha ha ha !!!

How come more people havent discovered this?? Its divine🥰 Just enough leather to make it a bit edgy and interesting but still smooth and soft and creamy. Its like a softer more feminine version of Jazz Club. Im so in love with this fragrence and so happy i found it at a local department store.. the last bottle they had😅