Issue # 27 - John Varvatos Artisan Fragrance Review

Issue #27 - John Varvatos Artisan Fragrance Review

I was VERY excited to pick up this fragrance last week. I will admit, probably a bit too excited, but i couldn't help it. I absolutely love John Varvatos fragrances, and have never been let down by them. I even purchased  John Varvatos for women for my girlfriend a little while ago, and she loves it.


Now, like everyone else, I was immediately in love with the bottle. I mean, look at it. It's completely different than anything you've seen on a fragrance bottle, and really stands out among my collection. When i first knew i would be getting this, I did some research on it. Normally I test the scent before i purchase, and I STRONGLY suggest you do the same. However in this case, i was receiving this from a friend who had a brand new bottle and didn't use it. I very quickly volunteered to tae it off his hands. I looked up reviews from users, and I was very surprised with what i found. I was expecting this scent to be similar to the scents of his other fragrances; Earthy and masculine, with tobacco and leather making their cameo appearances. In fact, i was looking forward to it. I was surprised to find out that this is a very clean, citrusy and fresh scent, very different from his other offerings. 


It pained me to see that the majority of the reviews were negative ones, comparing this scent to that of a strong bathroom cleaner, or a dust polish. I started to doubt the scent. When i received it, i sprayed it and was very surprised to smell this light, very citrus heavy, spicy mix. It indeed smelled very clean, and opened up with a blast of oranges that you wouldn't expect from JV. I later realized that the woven wicker type bottle kind of represented a basket you would pick oranges with. Clever. The scent settled into a slightly ginger-like plane with citrus notes still evolving through it. It is a very pleasant fragrance, and although it's very citrus oriented, I can see this being worn year round.


The only downfall I noticed was that it fades decently fast after the heartnotes reveal themselves...which isn't all THAT much of a downfall, since you get to re-apply it and experience the uplifting and happiness-inducing scent all over again. All in all I really like this scent, although i am still getting accustomed to it. It reminds me slightly of the way Lacoste Red did when i purchased it; in the way I always forget, just for an instance what it smells like...until it all floods back to me.


Strangely enough, although it can be worn at any time, anywhere, i see myself wearing this on a bright, cold winter day...the blast of citrus might just work!


Until Next time gents,
S.G.