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John Varvatos for men. A pleasant surprise.

post #1 of 26
3/18/13 at 2:21pm
Thread Starter 
Got samples of John Varvatos fragrances today (new in Norway). Didn't care much for Artisan and Vintage, but I liked the regular John Varvatos very much. Very modern, stylish and masculine. Some say the longevity are really bad.. what du you think?
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post #2 of 26
3/18/13 at 2:23pm
Glad you have found this to your liking. For me, have not found anything from this house pleasant including the one of which you speak.
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post #3 of 26
3/18/13 at 3:54pm
I found the whole John varvatos line to be a "meh". Artisan Black was the only one I sort of liked (didn't purchase though), while Artisan was the only one I really didn't like. Just ok.
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post #4 of 26
3/18/13 at 3:55pm
John Varvatos is honestly one of the worst designer lines I've tried.
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post #5 of 26
3/18/13 at 4:22pm
I think I used to have vintage. I enjoyed it but didn't find it anything special.
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post #6 of 26
3/18/13 at 4:26pm
I still like the Anniversary edition of JV. The rest just dont do it for me.
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post #7 of 26
3/18/13 at 4:37pm
I'm a fan of John Varvatos original. I find it surprisingly versatile and get roughly eight hours in longevity from it. Thumbs up! Is it a work of art? No, not really, but for me it was definitely worth buying, and I've gotten a few compliments from women, which is always a plus.

I also enjoy Varvatos Vintage, but I'm not sure if I'll buy it. I'm not a fan of Artisan or Artisan Black.
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post #8 of 26
3/18/13 at 4:38pm
I'm surprised how little love John Varvatos original gets around here.

I think it's a very good scent.

The problem with it is that it can fall apart sometimes, and it's erratic (inconsistent from wear to the next). But when it clicks, it's really good, and an excellent winter option.
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post #9 of 26
3/18/13 at 4:50pm
Love this fragrance, and lasting power is good on me.
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post #10 of 26
3/18/13 at 5:05pm
I very much enjoy this fragrance as well
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post #11 of 26
3/18/13 at 5:19pm
On smell alone Varvatos line is incredible, Varvatos for Men is just a great, great smell, and the Artisan smell is one of my favorite orange scents...longevity is very poor with his entire line, but man oh man do they smell good.
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post #12 of 26
3/18/13 at 5:43pm
I've always considered them to offer scents that have a slightly different vibe from the typical designer offering. The original and Vintage are fairly unique and Rock Vol. 1 a nice reinterpretation of the original. The Artisan scents were ok. 10th is near-niche quality, having a similar overall vibe as Halston Amber Man. One could do a lot worse with other designer houses.
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post #13 of 26
3/18/13 at 5:47pm
I have 4 from JV - Artisan, Artisan Black, Original, and Vintage.

I like them all very much, but I find the longevity of most of them very sub-par.
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post #14 of 26
3/18/13 at 5:49pm
I just bought one 125ml full bottle of this 2 days ago! I found it nothing groundbreaking but really expensive smelling and stylish, somehow good quality.
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post #15 of 26
3/18/13 at 5:54pm
I also love the original, but that's the only one. Sadly the longevity seems to be no more than a couple hours.
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post #16 of 26
3/18/13 at 6:25pm
i find john varvatos original to be super sexy. i can see anyone from young to old wearing it.

also a very interesting co2 vanilla note

longevity is moderate
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post #17 of 26
3/18/13 at 7:28pm
I very much like the original and vintage. I would consider buying both and i'm VERY picky
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post #18 of 26
3/18/13 at 8:32pm
original is great
longevity is short
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post #19 of 26
3/19/13 at 3:29pm
I have the John Varvatos (original) and the Vintage which I do not wear that much. Like other comments I have read, I do not find them so exciting!! The other day I wore the Joh Varvatos (original) to the office. One of the girls in my department asked me what I was wearing and I told her. She loved the smell and kept getting close to me in order to get a wiff. To bad I am gay. Anyways, she keeps asking me, "when are you wearing that nice smelling cologne again?" I won't wear it around her anymore, that's for sure.
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post #20 of 26
3/19/13 at 9:58pm
The John Varvatos original is what got me into fragrances.
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post #21 of 26
3/20/13 at 5:18am
Just got from States a big bottle of original last month, after reading a lot of reviews and comparisons about it. It's a good fragrance for autumn/winter and also kind of unique (I can compare it now with my Etienne Aigner Black for Men which is more leathery). The notes are blended nice together and the whole experience lasts about 4-5 hrs. on my skin. Another successful blind buy for me, I would say.
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post #22 of 26
3/20/13 at 5:22am
An a solid, balanced fragrance house, in my opinion, with some highlights like this truly standing out. After my first testings, longevity seemed good, but I have to re-test it, in order to be convinced whether not just the fragrance notes, but also their lasting power altogether is adequate.
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post #23 of 26
3/20/13 at 7:59am
Varvatos is one of those that I thought had very short legs but those around me seem to be able to smell it all day and I have to say it's one of the more commented on scents I have. The aftershave balm is also better than average.
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post #24 of 26
3/20/13 at 8:58am
Never tried anything from this line. Just doesn't exist in the UK market at all.
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post #25 of 26
3/20/13 at 11:14am
My wife has liked everything I have tried from JV. I currently own Vintage, and my 17 year old son smells great in the original.
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post #26 of 26
3/20/13 at 1:02pm
I've got Artisan. Lovely orange citrus fruit scent with some ginger. That's all I smell, I detect no basenotes. On me it's gone in 4 to 5 hours and I get the urge to reapply every 2 hours. Twelve (yes!) sprays in the morning and it's almost gone at noon. Still the lovely citrus opening is what makes it worth it to me. Two facts: with so much sprays per day the 125ml bottle isn't gonna last a long time and I will not buy Artisan again even though I didn't buy it at full price. The design of the bottle is awesome BTW.

I don't remember who said it (it was either Chandler Burr or Luca Turin) but to me Artisan is a prime example of "you smell the lack of money". With some more money spent on the formula Artisan as a whole could be great, value-for-money-wise it's mediocre at best. A potentially great scent ruined by a zealous bean counter in management?
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