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John Varvatos Artisan Line. Spring & Summer is covered....

A little over three weeks ago, I walked into my local Burlington Store outlet and was just walking around when I came across these four fragrances in the Mens fragrance department. To my surprise all 4 of the John Varvatos Artisan line of fragrances were staring at me. 3 of them in the large flask style 4.2oz. bottles and one in the 2.5oz. size. The price was super cheap so, I decided to grab all four and ran to the counter as if I was being chased by federal marshals. All four came out to under $80 which was a steal compared to their normal retail prices that range from $40-$60 each. Ever since then I have been trying them out since the weather has been quite pleasant and warm enough to use these aromatic freshies.

They are all edt strength (eau de toilette) with a very nice mesh like design that is wrapped around the glass flask from the neck on down to the bottom of the bottle, very manly and to me just gorgeous. The spray pumps give out a nice mist of the juice with no dribbling or drenching on your target area. Caps are nice and tight and don’t feel weak or cheap. They stay on once you put them back on. Overall a nice and quality presentation.

So, what are the JV Artisan frags that I’m talking about here? They are all flankers from the the original fragrance called John Varvatos Artisan. They are a complete collection that vary quite differently from the original.

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These are all spring/summer fragrances and perhaps right into the fall a bit but, you can use a fragrance whenever you want. In general these are geared towards the warmer climates of the year.


First is Artisan Blu: An aromatic and citrus juice compilation. You get a little bit of spice and woods in it that give it a surprisingly nice green vibe. Perhaps with the infusion of basil, patchouli and woods gives it a light earthy tone that is very pleasing. At the top you get a nice bergamot, lavender and somewhat of a bitter orange with the basil that leads to a light flower note (geranium?) and iris followed by the woods of the cedar, patchouli and a pine like vibe. Really nice with decent sillage and projection. I used 5-6 sprays and got some length from it for about 6 hours. Not a beast in performance but, you get a nice scent bubble that stays with you on the skin the rest of the day. A dirty, clean smoothness.
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Next is Artisan Acqua: Straight up aquatic but, done in a different way with a Mediterranean and beach tune. It’s kind of hard to pick out individual notes in this juice but, it is citrus, green and herbal. Has a bit of saltiness to it that puts you right on the shore. Opens up with some type of orange and fruity notes like grapefruit and something else that I can’t put my nose on. No woods at all that I can detect that leads into a drydown of lavender, patchouli and a soft musk type note. This is straight up the beach with nice sea breezes. Longevity and sillage are about the same with Artisan Blu. A few hours then a nice skin scent.
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Coming up is Artisan Pure: This is perhaps my favorite of the 4 or very close with Artisan Black. This is a sharp woody, citrus scent that is refined and soothing. It smells calming yet masculine. Opens up with a creamy like lemon, bergamot and some orange type scent. You also get a nice blend of petitgrain earthiness with a touch of ginger. Woody, amber and a light musk that has a light sweetness to it. This one actually projects quite well on my skin for a couple of hours and I catch good whiffs of it throughout the day. I’ve gotten a few compliments at work and the Misses loves this one. 8-10 hours with this one and I can still smell it on my cloths the next day. This one is a good performer.
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And finally Artisan Black: This is something real nice. This juice feels woodier and muskier than any of the other three yet, still has a citrus touch to it. It sort of has the qualities of the first three but, is a bit darker and perhaps has a bit ashy/smokier scent vibe on the drydown while still keeping some sweetness and a touch of leather. This would be great for an evening sunset on the grill or at the tiki hut downing some Mojitos. It’s manly and yet elegant and puts you in the chill mode. This is the one that I’ll be using on those late night shore visits to some great food and drink. Longevity and sillage is decent but, it does become a skin scent after 2-3 hours into it. The Misses still picked it up about 5 or 6 hours into the evening but, she was really close. Still, a beautiful scent that screams evenings and summer nights.....
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Neither one of these are monsters or beasts in performance. But they all offer a unique take on the warmer days from spring and into the summer. If you can find them at your local discount retailers like Marshalls, TJMAXX or Burlington I’d suggest in picking one or all up. Longevity might be the weakness that John Varvatos suffers throughout his fragrance line but the quality of the scents and juice is very good and unique to him. They’re different but in a good way. And for the money you really can’t lose. Smell good on the cheap.....
 
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Thanks for your thoughts, I’ve been trying to decide whether to pull the trigger on the Black. If I can find it at a price like that I may finally do it.
 

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The Instigator
Great write up! Love getting a cologne deal.

The only Varvatos I have has a zippered leather "jacket" ... Dark something. But it's a great House.

AA
 
Great write up! Love getting a cologne deal.

The only Varvatos I have has a zippered leather "jacket" ... Dark something. But it's a great House.

AA
Dark Rebel. A nice boozie and leather scent. There is nothing bad from this house. They produce unique scents that are all their own. The only problem that I've had with JV is the longevity of their juice. Except for a couple that have really given me good staying power (Artisan Pure & Artisan Black) for the most part it has been average at best. But, for the $$$ they're great deals....
 
Dude I really appreciate this. I'm a Varvatos fan, his shirts are the most comfortable I've ever worn and last forEVER, same for the jeans and boots.

I rocked one of his sig scents awhile back and then moved on to YSL, but for this price and that review I'll grab at least 2 of these.

Thanks!
 
I have been wearing the original Artisan and like that it sort of reminds me of Hemmes or Aqua Di Gio except a bit greener, nice orange scent and with less earthiness. I was looking for a citrus scent and this, at the time, fit the bill.

I wanted to try the Artisan Platinum but could not find it anywhere. Anyone try it?
 
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