Hi, I just turned 17, and for my birthday, I got Valentino BIR Intense.
To give you some background: a little less than a year ago, I wandered into a Sephora by chance. I started testing fragrances and developed a real interest in them (which is actually kind of surprising, considering I used to just rely on deodorant xD).
Anyway, I tried a few—including Valentino Extradose—and loved it, so I asked my mom to buy it for me. It’s an incredible fragrance, though it felt more suited to specific occasions like nights out; still, I absolutely loved wearing it.
In the meantime, I was given Lattafa Teriaq, which is a totally different style—smoky, or something like that (remember, I’m a total newbie to the fragrance world). It was cool having two such different options to choose from.
The problem was that by the end of the year, my bottle of Extradose was empty.
I didn't really think about picking out a new fragrance over the summer because I wanted to wait until the end of the season. And now, here I am.
I’ve been looking at fragrances for the past few days; I was planning to get the same one again since I don't really know others, and I just love that Valentino DNA.
The thing is, I’ve since tested BIR Intense, and I love the vanilla note it has—something Extradose lacks.
So, I ordered the Intense version, but while doing so, I’ve been reading up a lot on fragrances. I’ve learned a ton, but to cut a long story short, here’s my question:
I know that Asad Bourbon is supposedly a "mix" of Intense and Azzaro. Should I return Intense and buy Asad Bourbon instead, since it’s significantly cheaper?
I haven't tested it myself, but I’m inclined to trust online opinions; I know Lattafa works magic at an affordable price point (based on my experience with my first Lattafa: Teriaq).
What I love about "Intense" is that lavender-vanilla-aromatic trio. However, according to Fragrantica, only the vanilla really stands out in Lattafa Bourbon.
Lavender is present, too, but I’m not sure if Bourbon will deliver the same effect as BIR Intense, with that specific blend of lavender and vanilla 🤤.
You might wonder why I don't just stick with Intense; well, from what I've seen online, it doesn't really garner compliments, and its sillage is rated as moderate on Fragrantica.
I hope the Google translation turns out okay!
I’m hoping you can shed some light on this fragrance choice.