Varon Dandy (1927)
by Parera

I picked up a bottle of Varon Dandy (3.3 EDT) again after all these years and am glad I did. Very nice stuff. Sprayed lightly which for me is 2-4 sprays, the initial faux jasmine blast settles very soon into a soapy (for me less "powdery" than soapy) smooth blend. There is indeed a "subtle, Old Spice-like feel" as shamu states but more transparent here in effect than Old Spice (or Jovan Sex Appeal) and for me ultimately better for day to day, a scent that distinguishes itself as an edged fougere with enough dimensionality to satisfy, somehow soapy, subtlely musky, vanillac and am I imagining a faint citrus, wood/patchouli or maybe jasime after all?

Classic and better for me than a lot of the stuff the young (who scoff at Varon Dandy?) may wear. A scent for a gentleman but not a complete gentleman, with enough 'tude factor to make this a scent I'll be using more often again after all these years. Varon Dandy IMO transcends "associations," historical, political, economic, and at least for me, is a scent I'll be wearing. Inexpensive, but not short on character.

10th June, 2011. (Last Edited: 11th June, 2011.)

I Love this old Spanish Classic. It's a Lavendery, very Floral, Powdery scent that stays close to your skin. And it brings back memories of My Youth whenever I wear it. Many Classy, older Latin Men wore this back in the day (60's-70's) I get a lot of compliments wearing this

25th July, 2010.

Varon Dandy is an excellent powdery, "dandified" classic old-school fougere. I detect a touch of vanilla in the base, which gives it a subtle, Old Spice-like feel. It's a very simple and linear fragrance - it smells like it's only got like 3 or 4 ingredients: lavender, tonka, vanilla and maybe patchouli - but this scent does not need to be complex. A fragrance I could compare this to would be Royal Lavender Water by Roger & Gallet.

Varon Dandy is very conservative and discreet, but very manly too, in a gentlemanly way. It's a scent that stays very close to the skin, and longevity is merely so-so - about 4 or 5 hours. I like this mainly because it is so comfortable to wear - it's soft, silky, very well blended and never brash or caustic. It succeeds where The Baron fails miserably: in creating a warm, smooth, well-balanced fougere that can be worn very comfortably. Thumbs up for Varon Dandy.

MY RATING IS: 7.5/10

27th May, 2010.

Created in 1912 by Catalan perfumer Joan Parera and reformulated in 1916.
A classic blend of oriental woods and spices.

24th March, 2010.