Valentino Uomo Born In Roma Valentino 2019

My dear Jeremy recently introduced me to the world of fragrances. We laughed together, did one-armed push-ups, and discussed scents. All of this, of course, only on an imaginary level via YouTube. Just before the Christmas shopping season in 2022, I became a daily visitor at Douglas and similar stores, trying this, trying that, gathering impressions, and educating myself. My knowledge in the world of fragrances is now at the level of an advanced beginner. District league. At least.
There have been fragrances in my life before, but I never really delved into them. Fragrance influencers, a fragrance community? What the hell?

In any case, ambition took hold of me, and I wanted to buy a really good fragrance. A scent that would do justice to me, the world, and the fragrance community. A top fragrance that should also be affordable. But how was I to know what a top fragrance is? Jeremy's recommendations weren't always my cup of tea, and the opinion of an excitable influencer is certainly not representative. So I looked at the Parfumo Top 30 for men's perfumes and made my choice. Valentino Uomo Intense it would be - the better flanker of Dior Homme.

So I set off to smell the ultimate fragrance, one of the best (of course off the shelf).
I enter the store, see the Valentino display from afar, and notice that the selection is limited (Christmas shopping). I quickly and purposefully head towards the bottle of my desire. Yes! I hold it in my hand. Wow, what a cool thing. Dark, with the typical Valentino stud design that runs across the entire bottle. Sexy, sexy, sexy! How must the scent be then? The expectations are enormous. This is it. The scent of scents (off the shelf). Valentino Uomo Intense. Haw, haw, haw. Finally! Aaauuuuhhhhhh!!! I take off the cap, spray it on my wrist. Wait. Smell. It rattles. The scent synapses are glowing. Smell. Wait. Rattle and glow. So this is it? The scent of scents. The scent that should make my nostrils tremble and attract the ladies in droves. The world stands still for a moment… This is it - no. This is not it, is it? I mean, this is not the scent of scents, definitely not the Uomo Intense. This is not like described many times, THE Dior Homme upgrade. It is… it is… it is definitely not the best fragrance in the world. Hmm. But I like it. The top note is a sugary synthetic and slightly fruity bubblegum slap in the face. Later, a salty note and somewhere a bit of wood and some greenery. Fine.
Upon closer inspection, I also notice the thin Valentino lettering. Wasn't that pink? And the juice definitely smells different than I determined in my theoretical research. Even my amateur nose sensed that this must be a different fragrance. Only later did I realize that there are countless similar stud bottles. I had no idea. Amateur learning: Almost the same bottle, possibly completely different contents.
What is this? Smell, wait, rattle and glow, and now a bit of trembling nostrils. Yes, I like it. I even dig it! A closer look at the display reveals what kind of bottle I’m holding: B-O-R-N I-N R-O-M-A.

To let this discovery sink in, I head to the nearest café to have a cappuccino. I've long since given up on impulse buys.
Can a man smell like this? Like salty cotton candy? I sip and ponder. I look out the window. I smell myself - that is, the scent I sprayed earlier - and sip. And yes, I think, a man can smell like this. To hell with it! A man is only a man if he smells like a mix of tobacco shop, leather jacket, and horse sweat, or who knows what - nonsense. If I want to smell like cotton candy, I smell like cotton candy. If that’s not anti-mainstream.
The cappuccino is empty, my head is full of discussions about my new discovery, so I pay. Then I receive a compliment for my perfume from the waitress - I swear - and it’s not from a 14-year-old girl, but from a mature woman. If that’s not a sign. I actually find the compliment thing in the fragrance community silly, but when you get a compliment, you take it.

I bought the Born in Roma. I never smelled the Uomo Intense. By the way, I’ve never been to Rome either. C’est la vie. What matters is that I am satisfied with this fragrance, maybe even happy. Fate brought us together.

Born in Roma is probably not the best fragrance in the world. Because - drumroll - it doesn’t exist, does it? Every nose perceives differently, and then there are the emotions, the intended outward presentation, and last but not least, the egos that want to be flattered. One could write a book.
Yes, today there are some pearls of wisdom from an amateur. Want another? If I want to drink Lambrusco, I drink Lambrusco! If you absolutely want to drink a Pinot Noir that was pressed on Piz Palü, then go ahead! Cheers.

The moral of the story: Don’t trust reviews and make your own picture. Tadümm.