Description
After vintage concept of its antecedent the third masculine fragrance, Artisan, was presented on the market in March 2009. It is constructed as a citrusy-herbal fragrance which announces spring and fresh air created by John Varvatos and Rodrigo Flores-Roux of Givaudan, who worked on other Varvatos’ editions.
The fragrance opens with Sicilian clementine, tangelo fruit, Mexican tangerine, aromatic thyme, Spanish marjoram and Greek lavender. A heart adds North African orange blossom, Indian plant Murraya, combination of jasmine and orange, an ingredient used in creation of the first fragrance. There are three sorts of ginger: Nigerian, Chinese and “purple ginger” developed in Givaudan laboratory. A base encompasses Kephalis wood and Geaorgewood, along with amber-like Belleambre and musky Serenolide.
Its flacon was designed by Jon Cisler Design, and it shaped it similar to its antecedents. Available as 75ml and 125ml edt.
djordj10 – :
I feel close to nature when wearing this. Fresh and invigorating. Wait 10 minutes after spraying before you go out. It may not last long or project strongly, but enough to reach your nostrils and boy, that scent is good!
Why lasts only 2 hours??? Too bad, too bad, too bad…
Shar.pei – :
Glad I only had a .5 oz bottle, as this fragrance is caustic, and painful to my nose. Maybe it was to be a paint thinner substitute that ended up in the wrong bottle? It gives me a headache, and lingers in its sillage so you get waft after waft making it a further nuisance.
If you enjoy this scent, then it’s a total winner, however it doesn’t work for me, my wife hates it on me, and I’m thankful I don’t have any more. Artisan Pure gives a more natural version to this demon creation. Just stay away from this.
veaw54 – :
Citrusy! Sexy soft Bubu (insider) fragrance that I love. The orange family is all here. Neroli in here would’ve been perfect! Too bad it’s so weak and don’t last long at all; otherwise, I would wear it more! =(
genesisxuhickson – :
The opening is a little strong ….Great scent on the dry down….
citrus overload but in a good way…..
definitely a great spring and summer choice.
Unfortunately the performance is very short lived.
If this scent could last more than a few hours it would be in my summer top 5.
hoc444speagoessenda – :
This is a straight up Citrus God fragrance. Since I have gotten older I have tended to not buy citrus colognes like I used to (I know I am weird). I now try to purchase colognes with more musk and ones that are less trendy. With that being said Artisan is an exception.
Artisan is very pleasant and is great for spring/summer. The scent is very sweet but not over powering.
Longevity- the one negative about Artisan is that it does not last long: 2-3 hours tops.
Would I buy again? Yes, I would recommend this for a spring/summer scent.
The Gents score: 9/10 (For the modern Gentlemen).
pchela100585 – :
Artisan features realistic clementine/tangerine top notes, and a sweet orange blossom dominant floral heart and base. I didn’t get any herbal smell from it. The scent is very pleasant and easy going. I find it very much unisex. Sillage is close to skin.
Molodtsov – :
Batch 7HB2. Bought 75ml for 23 € and I regret it.
Enough with this “body chemistry” farce, those who say it lasts 8 hours just haven’t even tried it. You have to spray 10 times to get 30 minutes out of it. Great bottle, though.
Just avoid.
gonfantom – :
I have a decent amount of colognes in my collection but this is my signature scent. i own colognes like bleu de chanel, tom ford neroli portofino, ultra male, bvlgari aqva amara, mugler A*men, perry ellis 360 red, tom ford black orchid and a few others. im not crazy about them but i just bought them as i got into fragrances but after i bought artisan i’ve pretty much been only wearing this everywhere but do switch it up because i have some others in my collection. when it comes to everyday use in class or wherever this is what i wear. when i first smelled it i knew i wanted it and bought it soon after smelling it. my mum told me its okay and at first my sister wasnt that impressed either. they all said it smells alright but no one said its anything incredible. i started wearing it and the amount of compliments i got with this compared to all my other colognes is insane. i personally am speechless. my mum who said its alright smelled it on me and said thats amazing and i told her what it is and shes in love with it, she told me its better then any other cologne i have. i get insane reactions with this cologne, a friend told me he wants to buy it because its incredible and another friend who hates colognes said he likes it. another dude told me i smell perfect but thats just the dudes, when it comes to the girls im pretty much left speechless. i was wearing it and i always carry it in my bag to freshen up throughout the day. i was wearing it and i had to go to a party so i went there and i freshened up a bit and went to party, i started dancing and sweating like crazy, a friend smelled me and her eyes popped open she was like what is that? and i just smiled at her. she said its really amazing, what is it and her reaction said it all. then a guy friend smelled me and has pretty much the same reaction. the other day i met this new girl who told me it smells amazing and when she met me a few days after that she told my friends that i smell really really good. she loved it. if thats not all, i was testing out prada amber and tom ford grey vetiver cause i wanted to get somthing cleaner, im narrowing down my cologne collection and just wanna stick to what i think is sexy. i was wearing tom ford grey veitver on one wrist and prada amber on the other, i had aqva amara in my bad and also artisan, i forgot to take the amara out of my bag, i had its travel size spray there. i asked the girl that i was with on that day on as to which one smells better and she told me that my artisan smells better then grey vetiver prada amber and aqva amara combined and i was blown away. the amount of compliments i receive on this cologne are insane, absolutely insane. for me this works like a charm, a friend of mine is so jealous of me for wearing this that whenever he smells me hes like artisan again? cause its just that good. when he first smelled me he was like what are you wearing thats amazing and i told him its this. i bought a 125ml bottle of this and i still have some left in it but after getting an amazing reaction from the girls over this and when i say girls i mean a lot of girls i purchased another 125ml bottle and just left it there so that once this finishes i can quickly open that and go to town. i cant love this fragrance more, its my favourite out of everything out there. ive smelled a lot of fragrances but the quality of this juice is way beyond what other designers have to offer. the longevity isnt that great either which is why i carry the bottle in my bag to class and just freshen up after break. it is a heavy scent if smelled too close but its not harsh, you can dig your nose into it and you wouldnt have a problem, no one would especially in my experience. it doesnt really project much either unless its really hot. its perfect for college or any indoor situation, it can work for outdoors as well, i use it all the time. i personally dont wanna be the guy who walks into class and reeks of cologne cause i do have that guy in class and no one appreciates him. im always compared to him but in a good way, they tell him to be more like me and ill take that as a compliment. this cologne has truly done wonders for me and i dont see myself ever not buying this. i spray myself behind each ear and at the back on my neck and maybe 1-2 on my shirt and im good to go for maybe 2 classes and a break which could be anywhere from 4-5.5 hours. so i just freshen up with 2 sprays after that and if im going somewhere after college ill just put 2 more sprays on depending on where im going and it works perfectly for me. id definitely recommend this cologne. you have to give it a try, it works amazingly on my skin and if this works as good on you as it does on me you my friend are in business because everyone is going to love it.
dnn249 – :
I have a decent amount of colognes in my collection but this is my signature scent. i own colognes like bleu de chanel, tom ford neroli portofino, ultra male, bvlgari aqva amara, mugler A*men, perry ellis 360 red, tom ford black orchid and a few others. im not crazy about them but i just bought them as i got into fragrances but after i bought artisan i’ve pretty much been only wearing this everywhere but do switch it up because i have some others in my collection. when it comes to everyday use in class or wherever this is what i wear. when i first smelled it i knew i wanted it and bought it soon after smelling it. my mum told me its okay and at first my sister wasnt that impressed either. they all said it smells alright but no one said its anything incredible. i started wearing it and the amount of compliments i got with this compared to all my other colognes is insane. i personally am speechless. my mum who said its alright smelled it on me and said thats amazing and i told her what it is and shes in love with it, she told me its better then any other cologne i have. i get insane reactions with this cologne, a friend told me he wants to buy it because its incredible and another friend who hates colognes said he likes it. another dude told me i smell perfect but thats just the dudes, when it comes to the girls im pretty much left speechless. i was wearing it and i always carry it in my bag to freshen up throughout the day. i was wearing it and i had to go to a party so i went there and i freshened up a bit and went to party, i started dancing and sweating like crazy, a friend smelled me and her eyes popped open she was like what is that? and i just smiled at her. she said its really amazing, what is it and her reaction said it all. then a guy friend smelled me and has pretty much the same reaction. the other day i met this new girl who told me it smells amazing and when she met me a few days after that she told my friends that i smell really really good. she loved it. if thats not all, i was testing out prada amber and tom ford grey vetiver cause i wanted to get somthing cleaner, im narrowing down my cologne collection and just wanna stick to what i think is sexy. i was wearing tom ford grey veitver on one wrist and prada amber on the other, i had aqva amara in my bad and also artisan, i forgot to take the amara out of my bag, i had its travel size spray there. i asked the girl that i was with on that day on as to which one smells better and she told me that my artisan smells better then grey vetiver prada amber and aqva amara combined and i was blown away. the amount of compliments i receive on this cologne are insane, absolutely insane. for me this works like a charm, a friend of mine is so jealous of me for wearing this that whenever he smells me hes like artisan again? cause its just that good. when he first smelled me he was like what are you wearing thats amazing and i told him its this. i bought a 125ml bottle of this and i still have some left in it but after getting an amazing reaction from the girls over this and when i say girls i mean a lot of girls i purchased another 125ml bottle and just left it there so that once this finishes i can quickly open that and go to town. i cant love this fragrance more, its my favourite out of everything out there. ive smelled a lot of fragrances but the quality of this juice is way beyond what other designers have to offer. the longevity isnt that great either which is why i carry the bottle in my bag to class and just freshen up after break. it is a heavy scent if smelled too close and doesnt really project much either unless its really hot. its perfect for college or any indoor situation, it can work for outdoors as well, i use it all the time. i personally dont wanna be the guy who walks into class and reeks of cologne cause i do have that guy in class and no one appreciates him. im always compared to him but in a good way, they tell him to be more like me and ill take that as a compliment. this cologne has truly done wonders for me and i dont see myself ever not buying this. i spray myself behind each ear and at the back on my neck and maybe 1-2 on my shirt and im good to go for maybe 2 classes and a break which could be anywhere from 4-5.5 hours. so i just freshen up with 2 sprays after that and if im going somewhere after college ill just put 2 more sprays on depending on where im going and it works perfectly for me. id definitely recommend this cologne. you have to give it a try, it works amazingly on my skin and if this works as good on you as it does on me you my friend are in business because everyone is going to love it.
bes2570 – :
Lasts as long as my erection 🙁
sirius52 – :
Love.
This is one little eligant sophisticated citrus scent. Very clean and natural and with a quality that exceeds typical designers level.
Soapy, very fresh, aromatic, light with multi dimensional depth. Very masculine yet very soft with the charming florals touch.
Ultra relaxing and refreshing.
Beautiful, very under-priced at discounters. Longevity is poor but it is not meant to be a beast fragrance.
orodaxforum – :
I have a lot of John Varvatos fragrances because they make some of the most masculine men’s fragrances in a modern way. Artisan is a masculine citrus that is fresh, clean and summery without being another generic freshie… It has it’s own uniqueness. I don’t get the comparisons to Ferrari Bright Neroli, this is way more manly. My favorite Varvatis is vintage and Rebel as well as the original John Varvatos which has the nicest leather note I ever smelled. But for summer, Artisian is a summer staple.
Note: For those having longer it issues with Varvatos fragrances my suggestion is to spray clothing on each pec and one spray in the collar of your shift.
Fakerhike – :
Unfortunately, this frag. has like 30 minutes longevity and 5 minutes projection on me, otherwise, it would be my summer signature scent for sure.
ShkipeR – :
Great fragrance for a Summer skin-scent in hot weather. It smells like I’m in a field of orange mangrove trees. I like to think that it purposely doesn’t have big sillage because it’s meant to be worn in the hot sun, and who wants to have their nose cloyed with fragrance while burning at the same time! Longevity on my skin lasts about 2 or 3 hours. Great smell though and very affordable.
Recommendations, use with Canvas and Concrete Fragrance Primer to increase longevity without the interference of skin chemistry. Or use to Molecule 01 to increase both sillage and longevity.
More recommendations, DONT buy at full price! Smell it that your local department store, then buy it on Walmart.com or Amazon for a super cheap price.
fr1zer – :
This is a great scent for wa arm weather. The only down side is the projection. Really cheeses me off!!!!!!!
Sonya-28 – :
It’s a pleasant soapy citrus floral scent which is masculine. Certainly different from other colognes you’ll find at department stores. A good addition to a collection for its relative uniqueness. I think that’s what draws people towards this cologne. I’d say you have to be kind of a caring and empathetic style of a person to like this. Nothing rugged, tough, elitist or even clubby as the other colognes are on the shelf. I think artisan is the right name. I like to imagine someone wearing this would like gardening or going to nurseries, refurbishing wood, buying organic milk in glass bottles. But that being said I almost get no use out of it since it’s doesnt always express what I’d like to project to the world. Casual days, or business, it doesn’t quite fit somehow. I do find that the more you spray the better it smells.
krutoj – :
A very close ( say 95%) resemblance to Ferrari’s Bright Neroli. Opens same…twists a bit in the mids…drydown tad drier than BN. low -Moderate projection. Longevity is around 3 hrs in Indian high summer heat of 45-47 degreee celcius. Has a nice fresh aquactic vibe on a freshly squeezed orange mixed with some mild herbs. Good after a shower kinda frag. Disappointed with the longevivty , but that could purely just be the kinda weather & climate i live in! Overall 6/10.
svergun – :
So this seems to be a polarizing scent and I can honestly see why. To me I like this but don’t love its not my favorite from the Artisan line but I do like it !
It opens up with a very orangey,bright citrusy smell that will smell like a cleaner of some sorts but once it dries down that does go away and it starts to mellow out and get more floral with the jasmine and orange blossom. I do like the dry down better than the opening but as it dries down it tends to lean slightly feminine. My girlfriend did not like this as she said it smelled girly but it wasn’t horrible but again not something that she would want me to wear.
Performance on me though is great and actually the best of the artisan line. I get 6-8 hours with very good projection.
Overall rating— 6.5 our of 10 ! Decent scent but it’s not going to be 1 of my go it’s in my warm weather rotation.
Шерхан – :
Nước hoa bay hơi rất nhanh, 1 tiếng là hết. Tỏa thì quá tệ, sát người mới thấy !
kediaaidege – :
Give John Varvatos and the master perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux full credit, their fragrances are authentic, highly innovative, unique, and fun to experience. Artisan is all of those things, amplified.
One quick hit of this juice, and the thesis statement of this fragrance is clear: fresh oranges on a warm summer day. That’s an understatement, really, because this juice is ripe with Sicilian clementines, tangelos, mandarins, orange blossoms, and orange-jasmine fusions.
The beautiful thing is how genuine and real it smells. Dig your fingernail into the rind of a clementine or a mandarin and peel it back, watching the little juice spray that follows. That’s the moment captured in these notes. It is a bright, cool, fine mist, and the underlying ginger note only serves to make it more pungent and present.
Later, there will be some warm wood and amber, some musk to give it all depth, but those fresh orange accords never disappear.
This is also probably the one John Varvatos release that actually has some good longevity, at least, for a Varvatos. I get 5-6 hours out of it.
For me, this is an all-time favorite from this house.
Afsaroseli – :
John Varvatos Artisan is a very nice spring and summer scent. Though neroli is not listed as a note, very noticeable neroli note at the top. In fact, JVA smells a lot like Ferrari’s Bright Neroli.
Smell 8/10
Longevity 5/10
Sillage 6/10
ZeroFive – :
A fantastic scent, but the performance is terrible!
endrus21 – :
Orange rind, orange blossom, fresh crushed herbs explosion! If you don’t love orange blossom, beware. You will smell like you have been picking oranges, peeling oranges, and squeezing their little blossoms then rubbing them all over.
For two hours.
Then a nice fresh woodsy, herbal orange scent will linger on your clothes for another hour.
Are you all in for a really gorgeous 3- hour orange tree ride? Then get Artisan. Also has a really neat woven bottle. I love it. Used at my house as aromatherapy for pain and low moods.
andreykill – :
This stuff is seriously fresh and invigorating. Think lemon-orange kitchen cleaner. Maybe a slight light sandalwood give it some smoothness and body, but this is a pretty transparent scent. I get most of the notes, but orange and orange blossom overpowers the rest.
Its light, without much scent trail, but I am surprised how long it lasts when you spray a concentrated blast in one area.
It really is quite wonderful and uplifting, but weak on projection.
acer91 – :
My original JV Artisan review was not positive. I tried it from a decant and all I remember smelling was soft, yet harsh orange. Orange as in a kitchen cleaner.
I’ve been getting back into Varvatos scents so I tried it again and got a bottle this time. It smells very different than I recall. Orange blossom is very prominent with tangerine and ginger woven in. It’s a cheerful, clean scent.
My wife likes this scent on me though she says it smells a little feminine.
It has adequate lasting power for me though projection is on the lighter side. Not always bad for a warm weather scent.
The bottle is great, would be interesting to see how it’s made.
tuman723 – :
So many perfumes have a target market and age group etc but I don’t agree with it ,if you like it and it makes you feel good ,then it doesn’t matter what age you are !
jopka – :
I really hated this one when im trying to find sweet night perfume (seasonal taste). Then after owning too many night perfumes I went back to this one. I have tried several fresh perfumes from designer to niche. Aqua Universalis, Aqua Celestia, Bond No. 9 Wall street, Scent of peace. and all of Creed and Penhaligon, ELDO, Atelier frehest colognes etc. This one I liked the most especially the dry down. There is this feeling to it that I didnt like it at first but I longed so much for it every time I remember the unique bottle so I went back to designers perfume.
Better Summer vibe than cheap synthetic Versace Pour Homme. Versace Pour Homme is so synthetic and chemically there is a sharp ammonia like sting in your nose at the first spray. But this one is better. It smells like a long haired surfer 18-25 yr old guy walking on the beach wearing white long sleeves, denim shorts and slippers then he nestles in a Weaved Hammock or “Duyan” full of white flowers then naps. Much like this perfume it will smell like hot beach summery vibe then dries down to a beautiful white floral and herbs. I have figured out that here in fragrantica most loved perfumes isnt really easy to wear too dark or too exotic but most liked perfumes are the versatile ones and is easy to wear.
This goes deep into my skin and still goes strong even after 8 hrs.
Somehow unisex. Ive smelled Ateliers unisex freshies more masculine than this. Trefle Pur and Bois Blond.
I really get the beautiful woody feel of freshly woven palm leaves in the drydown
nikoon2011 – :
Wonderful scent! Clean and unique. Unfortunately it evaporates in nanoseconds so few can tell how good it is. As long as you don’t intend on people noticing your fragrance, this is a great one.
hunter435 – :
Among designer fragrances, this scent is refreshing and strikes a very good balance between being familiar yet fresh. I think it shares some notes with Cool Water but comes across as more citrusy and floral.
Weak longevity and sillage. Therefore not overpowering and dries down to a gentle skin scent. Requires more frequent sprays throughout the day. Perfect for warm weather. Juicy and very likeable.
bond001976 – :
Yeah. I’m just super glad I didn’t pay full retail on this bad boy. I mean at the big high end retailers this thing is still going for 80-89 bucks. I’m not upset because I think I grabbed this for 25-30. Even at that, it’s a bit over-priced for what I’m getting.
As for the scent, I love it. Most Designer stuff is mass market friendly and is certainly trying to get the most appeal to the widest audience. The John Varvatos line is kind of the bad boy of designer’s, maybe. They have the mass market appeal, with a slight alternative to the mainstream twist. Not so much as to be in Niche territory, but they are on the outskirts of convention amongst the conventional. Perhaps, that’s why I like this line.
The Artisan fragrance is really great. It would be a ten based on fragrance alone compared to a vast array of great citruses that I own. The only issue is a big one though. It really doesn’t last very long fellas. This longevity is poor. Poor poor. It’s Jimmy Choo Man poor.
The only other Varvatos frag I have is the original and its the same, just poor. I can’t really recommend this stuff because of the fact it just dies so fast. The only thing that is kind of cool is that I know I’ll need to change my fragrance because it will be gone, and I have so many great others to choose from. Sample wear this one guys for yourself before getting it. I love the top 10 smell and the branding of Varvatos, but if you want to smell good all day, you want at least average performance to get some money’s worth, and this just doesn’t provide that for me.
Gusepfkx – :
Brilliant composition. The best scent i have tried so far. Definitely for summer time. Very fresh, very well balanced. I m very finicky regarding colognes. This one would be coronated the #1 on my list if wasn’t the poor longevity. I am talking 1 hour tops on skin, and perhaps 2 hours on cloth / hair. I hope a reformulation is on the works, and the poor longevity will be addressed… only then it will be considered my signature cologne.
Romanech – :
Nothing close to Clinique Happy. Smells like a floral play-doh IMO. Off-putting!
sanekovinov – :
lot of hate here and i know because of poor performance and i agree but i m still loving it and bought the 7th bottle 125ml today as this is a compliment magnet for me in summers , it lasts like 4 to 5 hours on me with 10sprays and i m ok with it. This one is excellent for dates, girls love that fresh orange smell and it works really romantic in summer day dates.I have done all experiments with it , i even got 10plus hours longevity but i sprayed like 15 sprays , outta which 9 were on clothes and i am ok with it, as with D&G The One i sprayed 15 and 6 hours later it vanished… This one is weak but not as weak as portrayed … Better performer then Cliniq Happy… Just go really lose on trigger..
Deroxhvrtx – :
I have not smelled them side by side, but to me this smells almost exactly like Clinique Happy for men. It smells so similar that I would be inclined to call it a dupe.
The dry down of this leans more masculine, but damn they are so similar.
If you own one, it makes owning the other completely redundant.
paracetamol – :
Great citrus-floral juice.
Fresh, Non-synthetic,balanced perfect for spring and summer.
BUT sillage and longevity is disaster. 1-1,5 hour on my skin.
We are using Lemon cologne too much at Turkey ( i mean like hand Sterilizer ) and i’m a fan of lemon cologne but bealieve me this juice’s sillage and longevity like Good quality lemon cologne. 🙁
Scent 9/10
longevity 2/10
Sillage 3/10
Meplm094Diobtetty – :
very nice smell with bad performance. not worth the price. too bad.
dp764 – :
I just could wish the better longevity, as most of guys who like the smell.
The top is mandarin/lemon but it dries down to musk, woody and sea-salt base which is amazing but.. it quits too fast.
One of the best thing about this perfume is that it doesn’t smell like other “headliners” and seems very individual choice.
jon1997 – :
Smells like laundry detergent – Yuk!! I really don’t like this one.
antonderberg – :
Tried this based on the generally positive reviews. Was about to blind buy it but grabbed the tester instead – thank goodness!! All I get is laundry powder :-(. Clean and fresh like my clothes – but they have been rinsed as well! Don’t like it at all. Feel like I need a rinse cycle!! To top it off the skin I sprayed it on feels slightly itchy.
tks681bedyWelty – :
Well, if you need to hear it one more time, this is a great herbal citrus fragrance with terrible performance. I find its herbal aspect to be as prominent as its citrus aspect. It is quite pleasant during the few (couple?) hours it lasts, but ultimately not extra satisfying due to poor performance. I see it as a missed opportunity, because it could have been great with better projection and longevity.
shamilbek – :
Very soft smell it’s a lovely smell soft smells like clementine lasts very short period of time and projects very low very sad about because the smell isn’t bad.
vladimir085 – :
I love the smell especially the top notes..but unfortunately the longevity was so poor..lasting for 2-3 hours only…
konirat – :
Wearing this as i’m writing this review and as others reviewers have pointed out before me it has below average longevity or worse, but it’s a great clean citrus scent. I wished the projection was a little bit heavier cause i don’t like to overspray, but with this one you’re more or less forced to if you want people to notice what you’re wearing. Too bad, cause i really like this one.
Scent: 8/10
Projection 5/10
Longevity: 4/10
Sundy – :
I’ve tried this several times over the past few months from perfume counter testers and free sample vials, and, like all Varvatos scents, I truly enjoyed it, but felt the longevity was a bit poor and required overspraying.
Yesterday, I purchased a 3-pack of .57oz Varvatos Artisan series travel coffrets for $20 at Marshalls (retail is around $50, but the box was damaged and opened yet the 3 sprayers were completely full). It contained Artisan, Artisan Black, and Artisan Acqua (the latter I already own in full size, and is my signature summer scent, poor longevity be damned!). I was happy with the purchase, mostly because the sprayers are refillable and high quality, producing proper spray concentrations similar to a real bottle, unlike most other small travel sprayers I’ve purchased.
So this morning I decided to give O.G. Artisan a proper test-drive on my skin. Based on my poor longevity/sillage experiences at counters and with samples, I decided to heavily overspray. Three to the neck, three to the chest in hopes of it sticking to the hair, two to each forearm (again, a hair-sticking attempt), and one on each wrist for pulse-point activity. It came on STRONG. Passing my girlfriend a couple minutes later while getting dressed, she sneezed several times. The top notes are POWERFUL, citric, fresh and delicious.
But it seems to be almost entirely a top-note-only experience. Or it possibly cycles through the top, heart and drydown in an incredibly short period of time. Forty minutes later, in the car on the way to work, it was as if I hadn’t oversprayed at all. My girlfriend is highly sensitive to smell, and she often comments that I’m wearing too much of something (or that she likes or doesn’t like it), but she had no comments. I sniffed my arms and smelled absolutely nothing. Most Varvatos scents, while soft in silage and expressing moderate to weak longevity, still leave a decent skin scent on my arms, but this one had left behind nothing. Perhaps the strength of the opening top-note salvo had dulled my sense of smell, but I felt I should have been able to detect something.
I’m at work now, roughly two hours after applying this juice. I am occasionally catching soft whiffs of citric floral and woodsy drydown. I assume they’re coming from my chest through the open top button on my shirt, because when I sniff my arms, there’s nothing there. Since the travel spray is in my bag, I will re-apply in small doses a couple times throughout the day to see if that helps.
Ultimately, this is a delicious olfactory concoction, like most Varvatos scents. But it seems to be the worst in regard to longevity, being almost entirely a top-note-only experience on my combination skin in today’s excessive heat and high humidity. But then there’s that whiff again, which is still highly enjoyable.
Overspraying will help in the long run, but it will assault the nose when applied. This is a great scent, but be warned: the longevity is perhaps the worst I have ever experienced. I love Varvatos’ scents and this is no exception, but buyer beware of the longevity shortcomings. Artisan Acqua lasts longer (while having very little in common with the scent in this juice; flanker status in name only) and Acqua leaves a delicious long-lasting skin scent. My very few experiences with Artisan Black suggest that it has much more staying power than O.G. Artisan, and actually retains much of the original scent to qualify as a true flanker.
I love the nose behind Varvatos’ scents, but re-applying throughout the day or night is almost always necessary (which is why I’m happy with my $20 worth of three attractive, refillable, and perfectly functional travel sprayers). I doubt I will ever buy a bottle of Artisan, because Acqua and Black are far superior, but it is a lovely spring/summer scent.
foss01 – :
Decent citrus scent, I’ve smelled better and I’ve smelled worse. Very casual and ideal for a very hot, Summer day. Just like all the Varvatos scents, it suffers from poor longevity on my skin, even with six sprays. If you can find it on a discount site and starting your collection, it’s worth a look. Otherwise, sample and see if you like before you determine if you want to buy.
2445503 – :
I first saw this when I was browsing the duty-free shops at the airport in Bangkok while waiting for my flight home. The rattan wrapped bottle with the pitted metal cap just somehow caught my eye. Expecting a heavy, musky scent, I was surprised at the fresh citrus topnotes that leapt out at me when I tried a spray or two on my wrist.
I didn’t buy it there even though I liked it as I don’t make a habit of buying frags on impulse. There have been instances that I bought a frag on impulse and ended up giving it away or throwing it in the trash.
In the next few d