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The $18.95 Bourbon Vanilla Rush That Challenges The Throne
By: Tiffany Johnson | Date: February 11, 2026
Photo: Tiffany Johnson / So MoTiFFated
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I have been obsessed with the color pink since before I knew how to speak. That fun obsession with personal style went from having pink hairbows to pink shoes to eventually founding this digital editorial with pink as the pop of color in my logo. As the Founder & Editor-in-Chief of So MoTiFFated, my mission is to nourish your beauty, business, and style confidence. Many days, that looks like living in color. I know you made your way to this article because you either love pink or love the smell of Donna Born in Roma by Valentino. Either way, I’m glad that you’re here! I’ve helped tens of thousands of folks in six continents smell great for less and I’m glad to count you in that number.
Photo: Tiffany Johnson / So MoTiFFated
Bath & Body Works first dropped Pink Obsessed in Fall 2025 as a part of their Everyday Luxuries collection, at which time I evaluated the dupe comparison along with its counterparts in the article, 4 New Bath & Body Works Dupes for Designer Perfumes. At first smell, I knew that it smelled familiar and it dawned on me after leaving the store that it was Donna Born in Roma (DBIR) that’s been in my personal collection for years. Being ahead of the 2025 skyrocket in its popularity was nice, because I have an authentic account of how it has worn on me long-term to be able to share that with you. Over the past year, it has transitioned from a viral trend to a classic classy scent and a top-five seller at retailers, including Sephora and Ulta. Its DBIR Intense version is award-winning, earning the accomplishment of Fragrance of the Year at the 2024 Fragrance Foundation Awards. Valentino continues to expand its collection via its time-limited release of Donna Born in Roma Rendez-Vous Ivory EDP to Valentino Donna Born in Roma Purple Melancholia that is releasing late this month, both covered by So MoTiFFated. That demand put them on notice that we crave this collection’s expansion and B&BW took notice as they expanded their Everyday Luxuries collection to the point that it’s been around for the past two releases.
All great news for your nose and your wallet! Pink Obsessed
Photo: Tiffany Johnson / So MoTiFFated
The million-dollar question is . . . does it actually smell exactly like Donna Born in Roma?
Drum roll please . . .
Scent Twin for the Win?
Yes! They definitely have familial ties. Think of them as fraternal twins, not identical twins. Take it back to the process of getting your eyebrows tweezed, waxed, or threaded. You get up from the table and you’re searching for perfection, making sure you got them as even as possible. You may obsess over it in the beginning and then you remember they are sisters, not twins. Exactly. Same for this scent, except I’m going as far as to say they are twins. Fraternal, but family nonetheless.
Adjusting your expectations when shopping dupes can make it so much more fun! There is no way that Bath & Body Works could get it exactly the same without infringing on the intellectual property of these designer fragrance houses, so their engineers get it really, really close! For a tenth of the price, that is an outstanding accomplishment. A main reason this scent is currently sold out in the body mist on B&BW and consumers are flooding their comments on social media telling them to restock online. If you’ve never smelled Pink Obsessed before, it is a floral vanilla scent that tends to add spice. The great thing about B&BW is that their dupes tend to be sweeter, while still packing staying power. Its jasmine is ubiquitous and pairs well with the cashmere praline note, leaving one to imagine being filled in a sweet ball of sugary confection without the nutty fragrance that typically follows praline. After you’re surrounded by floral sweets, the deal is sealed with vanilla bourbon which offers a slight kick but nothing identical to DBIR. Pink Obsessed pulls from Donna’s middle and base notes, allowing for it to be close enough for strangers to think it’s the OG, which is exactly why we shop for inspired by scents! All things excellence, right to your inbox. Beauty essentials • Business strategy • Style curation Everything you need to nourish your confidence. Pink obsessed to the compliment test
Not that we wear perfume to get compliments, but that is certainly a byproduct of smelling phenomenal. I put this scent to the test as I headed out for errands in the breezy cold weather to see if it would stand the test of time. I do not own the body cream for this one, so that meant in order for it to have staying power I’d need to drench myself in its body mist.
I didn’t quite soak my outfit, but I ensured the mist had enough of a landing pad to actually perform. As a reminder, when wearing body mists, they are significantly less concentrated than eau de parfum. To get them to stay, you need to spray! Don’t just spray them with two pumps and wonder why they don’t last. In order to make things work, you have to learn how to use them to their fullest capacity. An hour-long drive for a hopeful walk-in appointment ended in the minor heartbreak of a 'full capacity' sign. But a change in plans is just an excuse for a change in soundtrack. It created a new opportunity for joy, so I put on my jams and spent another hour driving back to the city, beaming with joy because I knew a balanced meal was waiting for me. 
Photo: Tiffany Johnson / So MoTiFFated
Upon grabbing my food, the cashier mentioned to me “you smell really good, really good!” The staying power of Pink Obsessed was undeniable. It held its own against the savory weight of cubed steak with gravy, cornbread, and the heavy, competing aromas of a busy local diner. If it can cut through a Southern kitchen, it can cut through anything. I shared with her that it was a Bath & Body Works scent inspired by Valentino’s Donna Born in Roma and she was thrilled to finally put a scent to a name. She already loved the vibe. Now, she had a reason to head to the mall and claim a bottle for herself.
Is This a Scent for All Seasons?
If you want it to be, then yes! I’ve learned in life there really are no rules in terms of beauty and personal style. As mentioned in my article, 6 Scents, 5 New Muses: Decoding 2026's Bath & Body Works Designer Inspired Dupes this fragrance remains a standout. This one can be worn for fall, winter, spring, and summer, because it’s not sweet enough to be considered a gourmand and not floral enough to be reserved for only spring. It’s a balance of sugar, spice, and everything nice. Your scent is your signature. When the muse is legendary, you become legendary by association.
Donna Born in Roma by Valentino
Photo: Tiffany Johnson / So MoTiFFated
Prior to buying DBIR in 2024, it kept popping up online as the fragrance influencers kept sharing it to Instagram and YouTube. This was a blind buy for me as I’m familiar enough with fragrance notes to know which types of scents that I favor. While that isn’t always a guaranteed win, this one made the cut. I love looking for deals, so I waited for its hefty price tag to drop during a sale at Bloomingdale’s. While there is not a Bloomingdale’s store near me, I had found them to have some of the best fragrance sales. Their Loyallist rewards program is free to join and provides you with free shipping on all purchases with no minimum required. If you’re wanting to purchase Donna Born in Roma from Bloomingdale’s, you can do so via this link.
I was able to purchase its 3.4-ounce bottle for $148.50 at that time, which is nearly four dollars higher than the current price of its 1.7-ounce bottle. Donna is an elegant powerhouse, standing on a solid foundation of bourbon vanilla and Sambac jasmine, a combination that will make you the center of attention in every room. Its vibe is enough to make you want to go full on Legally Blonde, with a hot pink leather suit paired with an open toe stiletto, knowing you are the woman. Being fully prepared to say, “wait, like it’s hard?” if anyone asks you about the challenges of finding your outfit.
The Muse: Valentino, Donna Born in Roma | The Match: Pink Obsessed
Tiffany’s Take: Pink Obsessed as The Match
For the price of $18.95, it’s a justifiable purchase. Bath & Body Works offers $5.95 sales for body mists and body creams so often, and that’s when I typically purchase. If you have the patience to wait, you can purchase both the body mist and its cream for less than the retail price of $18.95. Even if you don’t, because several folks have rushed to the store to get these scents after raving about them, that’s okay. Nearly $40 bucks for both items is still considerably less than the designer perfume. There really is no way to lose, so decide how you win. 
Photo: Tiffany Johnson / So MoTiFFated
Tiffany’s Take: Donna Born in Roma as The Muse
While a body mist is my daily hero, there are moments that require the unapologetic depth of the original gem. Donna Born in Roma offers a specific gravity, a blend of spice and sweetness that isn't just a scent but a mood. Some days you want the match, and other days, you simply need the muse. It’s a particular level of spice and sweet that can never be fully duplicated. There will be people that are so infatuated with Pink Obsessed that they want a more powerful option with longer staying power, and that is fine! If that’s how you made your way to this beauty article, I hope that you were greeted with all the details that your curiosity needed to make a purchasing decision. Keep in mind, there is a heightened level of pizazz that you get when you wear the designer perfume and its match in Pink Obsessed’s body cream. You are then left with a customized scent because you layered and are left feeling fully moisturized. Winning looks good on you! I layer all the time when using Love Unleashed and Love, Don’t Be Shy. If you loved that scent too, make your way over to read my recent article, Love Unleashed is the Only Kilian Love Don’t Be Shy Dupe That Matters. READ MORE FROM SO MOTIFFATED:
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Does Pink Obsessed give you that same bourbon vanilla rush as the $180 Donna Born in Roma perfume?
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