Valentino
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Bergamot crispness cuts through immediately, bright and almost herbal, with myrtle adding a leafy, slightly peppery dimension. The top notes feel almost cologne-like in their freshness—the fragrance hasn't yet revealed its sweetness, instead presenting as a citrus-aromatic composition with promise of something richer beneath.
The hazelnut-coffee heart emerges smoothly around the 45-minute mark, and the transformation is marked. Gianduja cream becomes the dominant narrative, creamy and slightly nutty, whilst coffee provides earthiness and subtle bitterness that prevents syrup-like sweetness. The powdery accords intensify here, creating an almost talcum-dusted sensation that softens the gourmand intensity.
Cedar and white leather gradually assert themselves, though they never truly dominate. The composition settles into a soft, powdery sweetness—less chocolate shop, more skin scent with a subtle gourmand memory. By the final hours, Uomo Valentino becomes increasingly intimate, fading to a whisper of creamy warmth and leather.
Uomo Valentino is a fragrance that sits in the liminal space between masculine tailoring and dessert shop indulgence, though it leans decidedly toward the latter. Olivier Polge's 2014 composition announces itself as a gourmand from the outset—that 88% gourmand accord isn't subtle—yet it's a fragrance that wears with surprising restraint given its sweet architectural bones.
The gianduja heart is the centrepiece: that distinctly creamy hazelnut-cocoa note that feels simultaneously comforting and slightly decadent, paired with a coffee presence that prevents the sweetness from becoming cloying. It's the olfactory equivalent of a moment seized mid-afternoon, a cup of proper hot chocolate rather than saccharine candy. The myrtle and bergamot opening keeps things fresh and somewhat aromatic, preventing the fragrance from collapsing entirely into dessert territory, whilst the cedar and white leather base provide a structural underpinning that suggests restraint.
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3.8/5 (175)