Reviews of Artisan (2009)
by John Varvatos

Casual wear that doubles as office wear. This is kinda like the men's version of Miyake's A Scent. It is very clean and happy in the opening, but the not so niche lower quality comes through as it dries down. But I can live with that. Evinick's review is right on with the picnic basket and sunny day description.

GROUP. Citrus-Aromatic. GENDER. I suppose a woman could wear it too but it is mostly for men. CREATIVITY. Well…what can you expect from a citrus/hesperidic scent in this field? Not much. DAYorNIGHT? A hot sunny day in the open, a picnic basket open on the grass, 2-3 kids play around the happy couple. Perhaps an ‘’intense’’ version could work in the evening. LONGEVITY. Good enough for a fresh scent like this. COMMENTS. Interesting opening with citrus notes (orange and mandarin mostly) make it fresh and pleasant. The heart is floral. Orange blossom, Jasmine and a hint of Neroli (I am still searching for the ginger root) may sound great as a combination but the result is still average. Great blend for a fabric softener though, I d love to smell it on my clean shirt. Despite the impressive names of the base note components (Kephalis, Georgywood, Belambre, Serenolide) all of them being synthetic, the drydown is more or less expected. Ambery and woody, perhaps more soapy that it should be. Nice try from JV having in mind how different this one is from his previous scents. A few words for this unbelievable bottle. A great idea, based perhaps on the weaven big bottles used for wine or olive oil in the Greek province (don’t forget Varvatos family comes originally from Greece). Truly a masterpiece.

Do not be fooled by the fantastic fresh-as-Spring-air orange blossom top notes. This scent, once it has dried on skin, becomes a highly synthetic and cheap smelling nitromusk, detergent-esque fragrance. Very disappointing - for a fragrance with such a great bottle!

Cool bottle, fresh, clean, and green smell. Medium longevity on my skin.

I love (LOVE) the bottle. I smelled the rattan on the bottle first and it smelled like leather and reeds, spectacular. The pewter engraved cap and nozzle neck fit perfect with the hand-woven rattan covering the bottle and the fantastic juice contained inside. Although I'm not exactly a seasoned frag-o-phile this is easily my favorite bottle design. I want to put it in a display case next to old 40s fedoras and a bullwhip... but the heat and light would probably ruin the goodness inside.

There is a definite citrus 'blast' others have talked about. It's not overpowering, it doesn't give you a headache. It almost feels like even if you bathed in the stuff it wouldn't be THAT bad; imagine sticking your face a barrel of freshly cut tangerines, no matter how many there are, it's not overpowering, just pleasant. After about 10 or 15 minutes the orange juiciness dissipates and what you're left with is a fresh, TRULY clean citrus that doesn't smell like any other citrus i've ever smelled.

Unfortunately the stuff is pretty tame, if you want a wave of 'white orange blossom' pelting passersby... you better be heavy on the application. I definitely recommend using an unscented lotion to help Artisan hold to your skin longer. Maybe 3 or 4 sprays if you're accustomed to only applying 2.

It was flying off the shelves in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, and it smelled light, fresh and different. So I caved in and bought a bottle. Big mistake! Artisan smells fantastic but has NO STAYING POWER so unless you plan on bathing in it, Don't buy it. Ever hear the one about if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Same thing here. If no one can smell it (the user included) then just say no. My boss likes it because he "doesn't normally like cologne that you can particularly smell". Enough said.

I just tested this at Macy's today and also bought a bottle. It opens up with a real pleasing aroma of orange blossoms. I like it because it is a real "clean" smelling fragrance. You can really smell the mixture of different citrus fruits i.e., tangelo's, mandarins, etc and even some jasmine. If you like a nice clean scent, this is for you. One of the nicest things about this is that it does not smell of cotton candy or tobacco or leather. It does not conform to the trends of the present day frags. I like it !!

Quite easily my favorite "warm weather" scent so far - and I found it by it being reviewed on another site and just bought it blindly.

And I do not regret it at all. Most "citrus" scents just are that... citrus. Strangely complex, yet straight forward, this scent is one of the few "store boughts" that I think beats out a ton of niche and more expensive scents. But I can't recommend it to all people - I just happen to enjoy citrus scents a lot, they go very well with my body chemistry.

The immediate smell is much like you've just ripped into a tangerine or orange while on the beach, then taking that scent and walking through some greenery and trees where the leaves hit your face and you get to have that residual citrus in your nostrils, clean ocean smell, and then green and woods. The longevity is questionable; however it's a very, very intimate scent... which is perfect for me. I hate bright scents that light up an entire room.

Just don't overdo this one and it can turn bitter on re-application.

Artisan is a far less challenging version of L'Eau D'Issey, which I loathe with an intensity usually reserved for Satan, rush-hour traffic, fat-free [insert foodstuff here], and Democrats. Please accept my apology if you like or happen to be any of these people or things.

I'm not going to describe the aroma - that is very ably done in the reviews preceding mine. What I will say is that this would make a fabulous air freshener. Wearing it is like walking through the dew-like mist which lingers for 5 seconds or so after room fumigation with any citrus/floral Glade product.

Unfortunately, this simply isn't my cup o' tea. However, I do think that for a person who likes this type of scent, it would be fully optimized in the dog days of summer. So, give it a shot if only for that reason - just don't expect to be bowled over.

Recently smelled it at Holt Renfrew.
Its a pretty decent smell- reminds me of fresh oranges. Great as a summer scent
But the longevity seems really short. Very unisex than a purely masculine cologne.

And in comparison to the original John Varvatos cologne from 2004, I felt it could have been better.
I think this is more of a misplaced expectation more than anything.

Try it yourself first and judge it.
I like it, but not enough to warrant a purchase.

Justin Case hit it on the head. It is a modern reformulation of 4711. It has a decidely more balanced feel but is undeniably related to the original cologne water. In fact, I would say that because of 4711's brighter, crisper feel that it could be the summer edition of Varvatos Artisan. I applaud Artisan for the smooth and slightly creamier take on the classic but it, as yet, does not feel unique enough to warrant a buy. Lovely woven sheath for the bottle, has a nice tactile quality to it. It is nice, the only reason for the neutral rating is lack of originality.

Tried this yesterday at MACY'S, and immediately felt that I'd worn this before! After much thought, I came up with: "Reaction" by Kenneth Cole! I wore KC in high school, and it all came back to me smelling "Artisan." Other thoughts?

As soon as I read the pyramid for this scent, I knew I wanted to try it. Finally found it in stock at the local Sephora and gave both arms a good spray along with bringing home a sample.

First off, let me say that I am biased. I'm the type of person who has no qualms about wearing clean fresh citrus frags year round. I don't, but I would have no problem doing so. I love all citruses, but particularly bergamot, neroli, and lemon..........especially when done right.

Anyway, I wasn't a big fan of the original JV, or Vintage, but this one is a clear winner in my book. Huge blasts of multifaceted orange and citrus washes over you as soon as you spray it. It is very artfully done, with just a hint of sweetness. The ginger brings a slightly candied aspect to the scent, but its definitely not overly sweet. Its not as tart or pithy as I prefer some of my citruses to be, but that doesn't take anything away from the fragrance. The bottle is classy, and honestly, this is one of the few frags I've found lately where I feel like the bottle is a perfect representation of the fragrance found within.

After a few minutes, the orange settles without disappearing, but is accompanied by the ginger, some light florals and some soft woodsy notes. The woven basket covering of the bottle reminds me of sitting in a wicker chair on the porch of a Caribbean beach house, white linen everywhere, with a basket of freshly cut oranges,a Mimosa at hand, and the scent of fresh white flowers on the breeze ..........take away any hint of salt or oceanic smells from that scenario and thats exactly what this fragrance smells like.

An excellent fragrance. Of course, being a citrus, it does not last forever, but as I am a advocate of this particular type of scent, I have gotten used to carrying around a 2ml atomizer of whatever I happen to be wearing in order to freshen up when necessary. Now, this is not a power fragrance or something to wear in order to get noticed, by any means. Even if you doused yourself with this stuff, it would still be very unimposing. Great for those wanting to smell good without burning your associates nose hairs.

Try this. I think many people with love it.

Orangey, spicy, woody. I don't get the citrus blast (I've read it in a number of other reviews) but more of a smoother orange blossom/neroli type top opening. The middle is quite like Gucci Envy's ginger but not powdery and the drydown is a nice smooth spicy woods. JV wanted to make a lighter fragrance for warmer weather but it seems to fall short in that aspect as it still feels too heavy for such after the orange blossom dries off. Still a nice orangey gingerwoods.

Anybody else test this one yet? I shot one good spray to my forearm while purchasing Brooklyn this past weekend. I have to say I was presently surprised. I say this because of my disapppointment with Vintage. The original is pretty damn good, but to me Vintage is generic and uninspired. Artisan opens with an enormous blast of citrus. After reading the pyramid it all makes sense now. I couldn't tell you what Sicilian clemenine or essence of orange jasmune tree smell like. But what I will tell you is that Artisan is very, very orange. For those of you who have smelled Little Italy by Bond No 9, you will know what I mean. To me Artisan stays pretty much linear throughout the duration. It eventually settles in and you do get at bit of musk at the end. But, please don't be fooled by the citrus notes as this does differ from most citrus frags. For one it seems to have great longevity and it also projects pretty nicely (slightly overpowering the new Issey Miyake Summer that I sprayed on my wrist of the same arm). It ends up being quite a nice scent that for some reason you have to keep sniffing. I was thinking of buying a bottle but it's too new to find a good deal on it, so maybe I'll wait a bit.

Nice fragrance. I loved "Jeans" by Tommy Hilfiger but they stopped making it. Artisan reminds me a lot of Jeans. Artisan starts out with an Orange blast then goes into a nice mix of woods and citrus.

Great basket-weave bottle and nice summer scent. Orange blossom fragrance with masculine twist. Lite scent with poor staying-power.

Out of the John Varvatos line, this is my least favorite. It smells of orange juice and urine mixed in one. Not a fan, sorry John. I expected much more.

This is a very mellow, restrained scent, basically orange-centered. The opening has lovely orange-citrus notes which are round rather than crisp. The scent deepens and darkens slightly, with restrained and smooth herbal notes and very light woods. The scent remains subtle and translucent. At times I think the restraint gives this a haunting quality; at other times I grow impatient for a bit more character. I appreciate it but am not greatly enthusiastic about it.

Although I'm new to the world of fragrance, I believe this juice is a winner! It's my new Spring/Summer frag. The opening is a pure citrus blast...not synthetic smelling at all, in fact maybe too authentic! It's smells of ripe, juicy oranges/citrus.

After a few minutes the scent develops more substance. It's here i can smell a faint amount of ginger, and a deeper orange/citrus smell. It's quite a complex smelling fresh fragrance!

It's also surprisingly a long lasting scent. I get about 6 plus hours of scent on my skin. I'm not too sure of the sillage, but I've already received a couple of female compliments. I highly recommend Artisan for those looking for a refreshing scent to kick start the spring time!

Being a fan of both the original John Varvatos and Vintage fragrances, I had high hopes when this new fragrance was announced. Stopping in at the fragrance counter in Nordstrom's the day that it arrived, the SA didn't hesitate to recommend it the moment I inquired. Much lighter than his previous men's fragrances, Artisan is a fresh explosion of orange that dries down to a woodsy aromatic, masculine scent with good sillage. Two sprays on my neck from the counter sample before doing some other shopping resulted in three different compliments within the first twenty minutes. Even without the compliments, I was hooked, and returned to Nordstrom's to buy a bottle.
Unlike many other orange-based fragrances, Artisan is not overpowering and is perfect for daytime wear.
Artisan comes in a very attractive bottle, which according to the website is wrapped in hand-woven cane, making each one a unique creation. Nordstrom's had sold out when I returned four days later, indicating Varvatos quite possibly has a real hit on his hands with the launch of Artisan.

My wife and I smelled this one at Nordstrom lately. Opens very much like an old cologne called 4711 (fourty seven eleven). If you don't know how that smells, it's sharply citrus to the point where it smells like those refreshing napkins they give you on airplanes or like the first skin tonic/aftershave ever invented. After a few minutes on my wrist, however, the sharpness gave way to a surprising scent. It's surprising because it's familiar, yet new. Definitely pleasant, fresh, cheery, and bursting with all the pleasures of flowery citrus. That said, I will wait till the smaller size comes out because no matter how much I like a cologne, I do not want it to spend forever sitting on my dresser.