Valentino Born In Roma Intense
Eau de Parfum, Valentino (2023)

A pleasant fruity floral gourmand. It's flowery on top, mixed with strawberries and mint, which somehow all combine to smell like both soap and rose-flavored candy. Underneath, there's a mix of vanilla and patchouli that smells like caramel, as well as a whiff of tonka/coumarin. It's jumbled, but nice enough. For something that's a mix of cliches clearly intended to appeal to a lowest common denominator, this manages to not smell stupid or offend my intelligence. This could very easily have been ruined by marshmallow vanilla or too much strawberry, but it avoids those traps.

Oh I like this sooooo much more than the original. It smells like a dark ambery and resinous sweet vanilla with a touch of jasmine, coconut and woods. The vanilla and amber aspects are definitely leading notes by a lot though, and everything else smells like a hint. It’s very smooth and long lasting.

Edit to add: wearing a new bottle, it seems a little different from when I used the store’s tester. The Jasmine is much stronger in my new bottle. It’s so strong that it has almost a Tuberose presence. It has an intoxicating and camphor type of scent. And then it’s complimented by a sweet vanilla. This fragrance has a very strong presence in every way. It’s floral, but sweet and warm, and non gourmand. Absolutely still love this one. Favorite of the line so far.