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New Fragrance - John Varvatos 10th Anniversary Special Edition - Page 2

post #61 of 87
11/1/10 at 7:43pm
It's good to hear that its longevity is better than the original... But, is it really worth the $88? Because, I could get two 4.2 oz bottles of the original JV with that money.
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post #62 of 87
11/1/10 at 7:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ctrussie View Post

It's good to hear that its longevity is better than the original... But, is it really worth the $88? Because, I could get two 4.2 oz bottles of the original JV with that money.

For something that is a limited edition, most likely be difficult to track down in another year or so (it's not like Rock Vol. 1 can be found easily), and bordering on niche in its overall approach (exclusivity, price point, and quality) - I would say yes. We're talking a mere $10 more than what the original prices for now at full retail.
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post #63 of 87
11/2/10 at 6:47am
^I think I'll just wait 'til it gets to online wholesalers (hopefully, next year?) and stick with the original for now.
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post #64 of 87
11/2/10 at 6:15pm
I haven't posted here in quite a while, but I wanted to offer my thoughts about the new John Varvatos 10th Anniversary Special Edition. First though, a disclaimer: I absolutely love patchouli, and my favorite scent is Michael Kors for Men. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I stopped in to Macy's today at lunch, and sprayed some of the JV 10th Anniversary onto the back of my hands, and it was love at first sniff. I walked around the store and let it develop, and the patchouli seemed to become more organic, with lots of warmth and a touch of sweetness. I went back to purchase a bottle....and all they had was the tester; they apparently hadn't received their shipment to sell. Total disappointment. So, I'm headed to Nordstrom to pick up a bottle tomorrow. I've had all the different Varvatos incarnations at one time or another, but based on my limited experience with the 10th Anniversary Special Edition (I can still smell it on the back of my hands some six hours later), this is indeed my favorite of the JV offerings. Patchouli lovers will want to seek this one out.
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post #65 of 87
11/2/10 at 7:38pm
Got a sniff of this today. I went into two places and both places said the same thing to me. It's the same scent as the original just in a fancy bottle. I told them it wasn't. One woman, at Macy's go figure, was so adamant that it was the same that she almost bet me a bottle of it on it, at my urging...lol. Both places didn't have a tester but had stock. So the woman at Macy's in a huff opened a box and sprayed a card, sniffed and the color drained out of her face. She hands me the card and I take a whiff.

I don't like any previous Varvatos scents. Not one all the way through, some I like parts but not one do I like all the way from start to finish. This is the only one I do. It's awesome. Nothing like any of the others from this house. The best comparison from it I can give is it's very much like The One Gentleman, but less citrus, more powdery. In fact I immediately went over and sprayed a card with The One Gentleman and have been compare sniffing the cards ever since. Close, not exact by any means but similar. Which is better? I love both!

Good stuff, might actually use a $30 gift card I have from Dillard's on this frag to help make it more palatable to purchase. Been saving it for something special and this might be the goods.
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post #66 of 87
11/2/10 at 8:08pm
SO funny ..the same thing happened to me at Macys ..this vendor insisted that its the same juice because she was selling a lot of them in San Francisco..I asked to smell the 10 yr frag..and she sprays the original on our card..I asked her to spray the new and she refused so i asked again she did and sniffed the card and said nothing...another genius SA..The dept stores should really give their employees literature on new releases..
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post #67 of 87
11/5/10 at 6:52pm
I was able to test this on my skin today at Macy's. It's definitely different than the original John Varvatos. This one is musky and a little bit spicy on the top and the middle, and the gourmand is more on the background. Sillage is definitely better (my gf could smell it from at least 3 feet away). Its base reminds me of L'Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme's, but toned down a little bit. It's been over 7 hours since I sprayed it on my hand and my gf could still smell it from 1 foot away.
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post #68 of 87
11/6/10 at 2:32am
The SA at Nordstrom insisted that it was the same fragrance as the original and wouldn't open one up to let me test it. Too bad because I actually liked the original and was looking forward to testing this one.
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post #69 of 87
11/6/10 at 5:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Freeze View Post

The SA at Nordstrom insisted that it was the same fragrance as the original and wouldn't open one up to let me test it. Too bad because I actually liked the original and was looking forward to testing this one.

Doh! It most certainly isn't!
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post #70 of 87
11/7/10 at 2:49pm
I tried this a Macy's today. The SA had to dig in the drawer for the unopened test bottle.

I did not get the patchouli bomb aspect to this, but I wear Patchouli Patch and Hindu Grass where patch is up front and center. I did get a dry, almost Avignon aspect about a half hour into wearing it. Later a more gourmand, light Angel like note was present. I do like this and appreciate that's it's not following the ozone parade.
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post #71 of 87
11/9/10 at 10:43am
I also got them to open a box with no wrapper at Macys. I don't think people will be knocking down the doors for this. Not because of the uniqueness of it but it didn't really stand out to me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the Patchouli in this. But it was a "nice" patchouli. Very backgroundish and tame. It seemed to be fleeting too. Nice concept, just not much to it but a very tame Patchouli.
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post #72 of 87
11/9/10 at 11:05am
I like that the patchouli isn't too strong. I'm not a fan of that note the way it's overblown in so many frags. It's a nice background note, not as a dominant one.
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post #73 of 87
11/9/10 at 11:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pipsta View Post

I like that the patchouli isn't too strong. I'm not a fan of that note the way it's overblown in so many frags. It's a nice background note, not as a dominant one.

Agree, but with just that background note or a tamer note, it just didn't see to really have a feel to it, if that makes sense. I just didn't get too much.
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post #74 of 87
11/18/10 at 5:08am
Tested this at Macy's yesterday (they got a tester in).

Since I know a friend who works for Elizabeth Arden Fragrances, I wanted to see what the first Varvatos scent from Arden (as opposed to Beauté Prestige International/Shiseido) would be like. BPI set the bar very high for the brand, so would Arden raise it or lower it, even with the same perfumer on board? Come to think of it, this was a high-stakes fragrance.

I must say: the folks at Arden did a very good job. As stated before, if you love patchouli, this is the scent for you. This reminds me of two other patchouli-dominant fragrances. Not surprisingly, it's Straight to Heaven in the midnotes and A*Men in the base. However, true to form, the Varvatos is softer and more muted than either either the Kilian or the Mugler. Not too bad for a first fragrance from a new licensee... actually, IMO, one of the better designer releases this year along with Marc Jacobs Bang.
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post #75 of 87
11/18/10 at 9:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MFfan310 View Post

I must say: the folks at Arden did a very good job. As stated before, if you love patchouli, this is the scent for you. This reminds me of two other patchouli-dominant fragrances. Not surprisingly, it's Straight to Heaven in the midnotes and A*Men in the base. However, true to form, the Varvatos is softer and more muted than either either the Kilian or the Mugler. Not too bad for a first fragrance from a new licensee... actually, IMO, one of the better designer releases this year along with Marc Jacobs Bang.

I agree. I can't bear A*Men's/Pure Malt's patchouli note. JV 10th Anniv.'s patchouli note is definitely smoother and more masculine, which I like.
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post #76 of 87
11/22/10 at 6:49pm
Finally tried this one a couple days ago. A lot of Straight to Heaven comparissons, but to me, this reminds me of one scent in particular:

Montale Patchouli Leaves
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post #77 of 87
11/22/10 at 7:04pm
I smelled it this weekend - I sprayed it on Ray (my arms were already full of other fragrances). We both liked it. I want to smell it again soon.

Nice n' spicy.
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post #78 of 87
11/22/10 at 8:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ToughCool View Post

Agree, but with just that background note or a tamer note, it just didn't see to really have a feel to it, if that makes sense. I just didn't get too much.

I own it now and can say that impression is pretty true if you are card sampling or even light test spray to skin. When I wear it and apply it now the first 5-10 minutes I'm thinking this stuff is pretty weak but it's really a 'creeper' frag. It creeps up on you and gets stronger. Then later you get the huge whiffs of it and it's like 'dam where did that come from, who smells so good...oh it's me!' I pick up a shirt days later and can still smell this stuff on it pretty strongly.
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post #79 of 87
12/20/10 at 11:15am
Well, finally I got to sample this yesterday. We were last minute Christmas shopping and while walking through a crowded Macy's I spotted the Varvatos line. My wife and I went over and pretty much immediately after picking up the bottle, 2 women and a guy that were right beside me told me to not bother with it. They all said that they hated it and something about it almost made them sick. So.... I went ahead and sampled it. haha Well, no doubt about it, it is no where close to being as good as the original. Longevity on the card was only about 1/3 as long as the original, and the original only lasts a few hours on my skin. Hence, I have learned to apply it to my clothes instead. Back to the 10th Anniversary, I too started to feel sick after smelling it for just a short time. Vetiver was the bad smell that they were describing and it also has a bad effect on me sometimes, especially when paired with patchouli. So, glad I tried it, but since I can buy the original online for $26 I will be sticking with it.
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post #80 of 87
1/21/11 at 7:21pm
When I first smelled JV10 I did not think much about it and moved on. I re-visited it again when I was at Sephora, and I gotta say ... I am falling in love with this fragrance. In fact, it will be my next purchase.

I got to say Varvatos is an amazing line that has gone to the next level. I think this has been made possible now that they have paired up with Elizabeth Arden. The longevity is much improved & I agree the juice is niche quality.

Some highlights of this fragrance:

I find it creamy & smooth. Its like wearing a cashmere sweater underneath a black leather jacket. Its a nice, relaxing, soft, spice scent. I agree its very similar to L'Instant de Guerlain. JV10 has a soft, creamy cocoa note to it that is just delicious. Its not a sweet or cloying fragrance in any respect. . Its complexity collapses into just a very smooth fragrance. This has a fantastic dry down.

Varvatos with Rodrigo Flores-Roux has masterfully meshed vintage with modern.
Its great when a sleeper scent comes to life or out of left field.
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post #81 of 87
6/8/11 at 11:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MFfan310 View Post

Tested this at Macy's yesterday (they got a tester in).

Since I know a friend who works for Elizabeth Arden Fragrances, I wanted to see what the first Varvatos scent from Arden (as opposed to Beauté Prestige International/Shiseido) would be like. BPI set the bar very high for the brand, so would Arden raise it or lower it, even with the same perfumer on board? Come to think of it, this was a high-stakes fragrance.

I must say: the folks at Arden did a very good job. As stated before, if you love patchouli, this is the scent for you. This reminds me of two other patchouli-dominant fragrances. Not surprisingly, it's Straight to Heaven in the midnotes and A*Men in the base. However, true to form, the Varvatos is softer and more muted than either either the Kilian or the Mugler. Not too bad for a first fragrance from a new licensee... actually, IMO, one of the better designer releases this year along with Marc Jacobs Bang.

+1 I just got this today and it smells just like you said. I have used A*Men for years and I have samples of Straight to Heaven. I like the fact that 2 fragerances I love but toned down and it LASTS ON MY SKIN
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post #82 of 87
6/8/11 at 11:38am
Tried it recently but didn't care for it at all.
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post #83 of 87
6/8/11 at 11:52am
I really love this fragrance but don't ever feel comfortable wearing it. Sort of like how I've been feeling about Aventus, too. I guess some frags, though I may love the way they smell, don't really fit me very well.

Been thinking about trading it so it doesn't just sit there unused. I just love the way it smells though. I smell the sprayer like every day. Although I'm not a collector, I'm a wearer.
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post #84 of 87
6/8/11 at 12:01pm
JV10 REALLY is one of my favorite releases of this past year. I liked it enough at first, but lately, I find something addictive about it. There is an unusual fruit-like accord in this as well, which is exotic to my nose. Rodrigo Flores-Roux is a master of incorporating novel notes into his fragrances.

I recently picked up Rock Volume One from ebay (it wasn't cheap!) but I enjoy that one a lot too. It's very similar to the original JV scent, and you have to overapply it a little to get noticed, but once you do, it's very good.

To my nose, the inspiration behind the original John Varvatos for Men could be Chanel Egoiste.

I don't care at all for Artisan and Artisan Black, but the rest of the JV line has an aesthetic that I like very much.
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post #85 of 87
6/8/11 at 12:21pm
I'm quite a fan of most of the JV range, but haven't managed to locate JV 10th Anniversary yet in the UK. Anyone here found it yet in the UK?
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post #86 of 87
6/8/11 at 12:33pm
Very low chances that this will come across the Atlantic i guess. Shame. Sound like a concept that might work.
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post #87 of 87
9/22/11 at 4:16pm
Riley just bought this in the Today I just bought this thread. I gave it a good go, I really do like scent. It strikes me as a more "fun" version of L'Insant de Guerlain - its a bit sweeter, definitely has that vibe though. Longevity and Silage doesn't seem impressive though, at least on my skin. Nice smelling though for sure.
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