A Rock & a Hard Place: Valentino Rock & Rose

By Tom Lately it seems I've been a bit rose-nutty, reviewing a slew of rose scents. One that's been sitting looking at me balefully for a while is the sample of Rock & Rose, which I've been avoiding. Avoiding because I utterly loathe it. I can't be bothered to even look up the history of it to tell you who's responsible or why it was done. I can only imagine smelling it that it was management that thought they'd try to market to the Goth set. Yes, Valentino for the Goth set. What next? Vuitton for Vampires?  The thing about it is that it doesn't succeed on any level. A person who would buy Valentino clothing would sniff and dismiss it as a cheap little rose with a bit of Froot in the opening and too much musk in the base, while the Goth chiclets in their BPAL would smell the aquatic notes, lily and the powder, sneer a pierced upper lip and drop the old-lady bomb. I just find it annoying. 1.6 Ounces of this is available for less than $31 at Amazon, which is far better than the $68 you'll pay at retail. My sample was a gift with purchase.