Uomo Born in Roma Coral Fantasy by Valentino

Valentino has released its latest fragrance from its Born in Roma line for men. 2022’s scent is called Coral Fantasy, with its juice resembling the color with its pinkish hue. This is the third cologne in the Roma series. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Uomo Coral Fantasy Smell Like?

Notes include: red apple, tobacco, patchouli, sage, geranium

Click here to try: Coral Fantasy from Saks

My Full Review

Here’s how Valentino describes it: Inspired by the light of Rome at sunset, Uomo Born in Roma Coral Fantasy is an amber, fruity men’s fragrance composed of a colorful apple accord. Blended with smoky tobacco, this eau de toilette is infused with a heart of sage and germanium essence to reveal a powerful yet fresh cologne.

Tried it yourself? Leave your own review and score in the comments below.

I never ended up trying out Born in Roma Yellow Dream, as the original Born in Roma, is one of the few fragrances that I had a bad reaction to. Stuff makes me dizzy as hell. But, when I read the notes to Coral Fantasy, I wanted to give it a go.

I actually thought about blind buying a full bottle of this to test out, but instead found 3 sample vials for sale on eBay. It turned out to be a good call, as I don’t think I’d actually want a full bottle of Coral Fantasy.

The fragrance does open up with a pretty interesting aroma. The crisp red apple note is the star, with it sweet and juicy scent getting paired early on with cardamom and some spices.

It actually reminds me of a cider, that I’ve had before. But, with a bit of a sweeter kick.

That red apple note is great with the cardamom and bergamot, lending some warmth a slight lemon-like fruitiness of its own with the spice.  The first spray does give Coral Fantasy a warmer amber feel to it, but that’s not how it finishes.

Sage is the third player in the early stages behind the cardamom and apple. I get a nice burst of it at the very start, which will hold through the first transition.

That transition does come on early. The initial fruitiness will begin to fade, making way for the next phase. Geranium freshness will permeate, the lavender and tobacco notes will begin to show up, and the red apple will be a role player.

I actually do get some comparison to Spicebomb Night Vision EDT. Not the same, the Valentino is better, but there is overlap between them.

At this point, it is a colder, drier, freshness.  A geranium, sage, lavender trio will then morph into a geranium and tobacco scent with hints of patchouli and vetiver coming up from the base.

Tobacco is the note that hangs around. It ends up cold, slightly sweet, with a earthy sort of freshness. Patchouli and geranium also stick it out a bit, at the very end.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, you can call this a moderate. It doesn’t overpower. That first hour or so, will create a nice scent bubble around you, but it will weaken. Much of the wear, it is a skin scent on me.

Perhaps, you’ll have better luck?

It does stick on the skin for a decent amount of time, even in that weakened state. I could still pick up the tobacco note about 7 hours in. Not great, but serviceable for an eau de toilette.

Seasonally, I’d wear this anytime outside of the summer months. It works in colder temperatures, but best in this early spring weather or even in the autumn. So, one should get plenty of use out of it.

It could be worn in a wide variety of situations. Maybe not the most formal cologne or a club banger, but beyond that, it should be fine.

Really any age could wear this one. The opening does have a more youthful vibe, but it never strays too far that way, quickly snapped back by the tobacco note.

Overall Impressions of Uomo Coral Fantasy

Overall, do I like this scent? Coral Fantasy is pretty good, but not great. I don’t think it is a terrible cologne, but it doesn’t for the most part, grab my attention. I like aspects of it, just the overall presentation never hits a super high level.

The opening is where you’re going to get the sweetness and the most unique aspect of this fragrance. When that’s going on and when you get the pairing of the apple remnants with the tobacco note, this Valentino is enjoyable.

After that, it’s fine and I don’t dislike it. The geranium, tobacco, and overall freshness is nice. Though, it is also kind of weak with its sillage. A decent few hours of performance, before becoming fairly mediocre.

I wanted to like Coral Fantasy more than I actually do. The notes sounded intriguing enough to me that I almost purchased a full bottle. Personally, I probably wouldn’t have gotten much use out of that.

That being said, I do think that it’s worth a try. Maybe not at full retail price, but with a significant discount, it could be a nice pick up for certain guys. This is one you should test out and see if it actually speaks to you.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.