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 brilliant. 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 lovely 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 categorise. 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 way of dressing.

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

A really very good fragrance ruined by dreadful performance. Such 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 really is good. I particularly notice that tamarind note 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 downside 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 perhaps 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 environments 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. Softly sweet, not cloying at all. Friendly scent that can be bought blind with no issues. Its biggest flaw is the poor 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 bears a similarity to my much-hated “The One” by D&G, but I feel this Varvatos shows just that more masculine, more energising and vigorous side than the D&G fragrance. It’s definitely on my future shopping 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 autumn use.

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

Pleasant surprise, sometimes you are disappointed with fragrances that have a reputation for lasting and they don’t suit 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 applied Sauvage EDT from a sample I had. Well, by the evening the vintage could barely be smelt, the Sauvage could but it had faded and the one I could smell most was John Varvatos, well 24 hours have now passed and I can still perceive it on my skin even though I have to put my nose to it. Each fragrance on each skin is a different world, that’s why you always have to test.

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 autumn use.