John Varvatos by John Varvatos

What a delicious fragrance. The first time I tried it was in a kind of funny story, because it came as a sample inside a bundle where I was actually going for Dark Rebel. And this one was the reason I thought I had made a great purchase, because as soon as I smelled it I thought it was amazing. I was very young and didn’t understand much about fragrances yet, so I had no way to properly explain what I was smelling. What I did know was that I loved it. What hit me most from the start was that tamarind-like smell, accompanied by something sweet, clean, and masculine that I couldn’t identify at the time. Later I understood better that there was also leather in there, and I think that mix is exactly what hooked me so much. Over the years I didn’t buy it again, mostly out of fear about performance and because I started trying other things. But now that I’ve got it again, with many more fragrances under my belt and a much more trained nose, how nice it is to run into something like this again. It still smells amazing. It has an opening that doesn’t smell exactly “clean” in the typical sense, but rather like well-done masculinity. Tamarind and dates start fresh, kind of accompanied by herbs, and pretty quickly that signature John Varvatos leather starts to come through. From there comes that masculine, clean, and slightly dark profile that to this day I still struggle to fully categorize. I don’t know whether to call it formal, casual, or both at once. I just know it has a lot of personality. It’s not a beast in longevity, that has to be said. I don’t find it disastrous either. It’s in that performance range that almost reaches acceptable, or that at times does fall into acceptable, but it’s clearly not a fragrance you’re going to buy for performance. You buy it for how it smells. And that’s what matters: I find it very special. Yes, there are surely materials or accords that remind you of other things, and yes, the leather can take you to familiar territory, but the final result has something very much its own. It’s a memorable fragrance, with identity, and I think that’s why I still like it so much. It’s not the most famous fragrance in the world and I’m sure some will say that for that money there are longer-lasting or more modern options. Maybe. But I still find this one unique. I’m fond of it, yes, but not just out of nostalgia: I truly love how it smells.

I’ve been wearing this fragrance for many years, one of the best and most authentic for winter. Obviously it all comes down to taste and style of dress.

Classic, pleasant masculine scent, between CK Eternity and PDM Sedley. Herbal, musky, woody. It smells like good quality.

A really very good scent ruined by terrible performance. A shame because it’s not just “one more.”

After seeing this fragrance for a long time, which I even always used to find before on my trips to the USA at ROSS or Marshalls, it had never caught my attention, until now I got a partial bottle at a good price and I can say that it is indeed good. I particularly notice that tamarind tone over a sweetish and quite wearable leather base. It does have sweet hints from amber and caramel but it’s nothing cloying and yes, the bad thing is that it doesn’t project much, but it stays close to the skin for several hours. I have to say that the batch I got is from 2014 and maybe that’s why it lasts a bit longer than what others report. It has been a pleasant surprise and I don’t think it smells like any other. Ideal to wear for casual outings or even office settings and in temperate to moderately warm climates.

Excellent fragrance just like all the JVs. That’s what I’d say if they had better sillage and longevity… if they did they’d be the perfect fragrances.

Delicious scent, but very poor sillage and projection.

A pleasant fruity perfume with background touches of leather, the latter not very noticeable. Soft sweet, not cloying at all. Friendly smell that can be bought blind without any problem. Its biggest flaw is the low strength, sillage and longevity.

Plum is the most prominent note in a totally masculine fragrance that I liked but wasn’t convinced by because of its poor longevity on skin.

I gave this fragrance several chances, and I finally fell for it (and in general for the whole Varvatos family). I admit it has its similarity to my so-hated “The One” by D&G, but I think this Varvatos shows just that more manly, more energizing and vigorous side than the D&G fragrance. It’s definitely on my future purchase list.

I like it, it’s a sweet, subtle and soft scent, to wear in offices and indoor places.

Fragrance for personal enjoyment, as it smells very good but with very little projection, only close to the skin and limited longevity, on my skin four or five hours maximum; but because of this it can be used perfectly for office work without bothering others. Preferably for winter or fall use.

The fragrance is very nice, it’s the classic John Varvatos and it achieves an uncommon scent that is very masculine and deep, overall it’s well constructed but its longevity is somewhat short.

Pleasant surprise, sometimes you get disappointed with fragrances that have a reputation for lasting and they don’t work on you and other times quite the opposite. I tried two John Varvatos yesterday at two in the afternoon on my forearm, this one and the vintage and at 7pm I put on Sauvage EDT from a sample I had. Well, by night the vintage could barely be felt, the Sauvage yes but it had faded and the one I could smell the most was John Varvatos, well now 24 hours have passed and I still perceive it on my skin even though I have to put my nose to it. Each perfume on each skin is a different world, that’s why you always have to try.

Fragrance for personal enjoyment, as it smells very good but with very little projection, only close to the skin and limited longevity, on my skin about four or five hours maximum; but because of this it can be used perfectly for office work without bothering others. Preferably for winter or fall use.