John Varvatos Oud

A QUALITY MIDDLE EASTERN FRAGRANCE MADE BY WESTERNERS FOR WESTERNERS. Thomas Edward Lawrence - or Lawrence of Arabia, or Aurens, or El Aurens - is still one of the most iconic figures of the early 20th century. Before the First World War, he was an assistant in the archaeological excavations sponsored by the British Museum at Karkemish, on the banks of the Euphrates. At that time, under the influence of his friend D.G. Hogarth, he became a secret agent for the British government, gathering information on the construction of the Ottoman railways. It was also during this period that he met Selim Ahmed, an Arab young man who worked as a water boy at the archaeological site and who became his companion for several years. He is believed to be the mysterious "S.A." to whom the book of his war memories, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, was dedicated. For Edmund Allenby, Britain's supreme commander in the Middle East during the First World War, Lawrence was a "first among equals": "There is no other man I know," he said, "who could have achieved what Lawrence did. " His epic journey was masterfully portrayed in David Lean's 1962 film "Lawrence of Arabia". In it we discover a man trapped by divided loyalties, torn between serving the empire whose uniform he wore, or the sovereign ideals of the Arab people and nation. Many of us have discovered the culture, the tensions and the making of today's Middle East through the story of T.E. Lawrence. The culture of the Middle East has always fascinated Westerners. From the first moment I put my nose to this fragrance, I thought of T.E. Lawrence wearing it. Like other designers, John Varvatos has launched a typical oriental oud. The fragrance is quite complex and, as an oud-based perfume, it also uses ingredients with "Arabic pedigree" such as Persian saffron, Malabar pepper, Zanzibar cloves, absolute rose from Turkey, Egyptian jasmine and Lebanese cedar. Its quality is unquestionable, and it only fails with its average performance. The oud is the backbone of the perfume at all stages and the note is very "clean", very Western in flavour. The incense is soft and evokes delicious nuances of smoke. A light initial freshness of sage, cypress and juniper is quickly replaced by the warmth of spices and resins, as well as the subtle sweetness of some flowers. All the notes are perfectly combined in this oud. In my opinion, it is a remarkable perfume with excellent value for money. It is not a "powerhouse", but the 7 hours of practical longevity and the excellent silage of 4 to 5 feet may be enough. It is simply an Oud perfume, very attractive and seductive! My western ratings for this oriental: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ - Opening: 9.0 (some shy fresh green notes together with the growing spices, tobacco and woody notes; quite unique) - Finish: 9.0 (very pleasant with peaceful balms and oud) - Longevity: 7.0 (average with 7 hours and 3 sprays) - Sillage: 6.0 (below average at 4 ~ 5 feet and up to 2 hours of projection, 3 sprays) - Versatility: 7.5 (Formal events, at home, dates and even intimacy, provided the other people don't hate the oud note; - never use it in a place where you might sweat) - Portability: 7.5 (any cold day or night) - Exclusivity: 8.5 (Some familiarity with other well made western ouds) - Praise: 8.5 (above average for an oud, probably because it's not overpowering) - Quality: 9.5 (above-average ingredients, well-made plunger and sprayer; the "10" would be justified with better performance) - Presentation: 9.5 (I like it very much, both the design and the large bottle) - Price: 9.0 (the price for this 125ml bottle is currently over 60 Euros. My John Varvatos Oud cost me 32 Euros five years ago) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ - Average: 8.27 / 10.00 between 7 and 8 => above average; between 8 and 9 => recommended; equal to or greater than 9 => don't miss it; MY OPINION on John Varvato's Oud: In terms of global scent, this is one of the best western ouds I've tried. Probably because of its lovely scent and value for money, it gets more expensive every month. I can complain about the underachievement of an oriental woody scent. However, a better performance could also mean an overpowering perfume. It's a perfect option for anyone trying to choose a quality fragrance for their first oud. Worth buying blind? Absolutely not! As with any oud, test it on your skin before making a purchase decision. For me it is a must buy! MUSIC: Maurice Jarre's film theme "Lawrence of Arabia"

Middle Eastern culture has always fascinated Westerners. From the first moment I laid my nose in this fragrance, I thought of T.E. Lawrence wearing it. Like other designers, John Varvatos launched a typical oriental oud perfume also. This fragrance is reasonably complex and, being a perfume centered on the oud note, it also uses ingredients with "Arabian pedigree" like Persian saffron, Malabar pepper, Zanzibar cloves , absolute rose from Turkey, Egyptian jasmine and cedar from Lebanon. Its quality is unquestionable and only fails with its average performance. The oud is the backbone of the perfume in all phases, and the note is very "clean", very Western taste. The incense is soft and induces delicious nuances of smoke. A slight initial freshness originated by sage, cypress and juniper, is quickly supplanted by the heat of spices and resins, as well as the subtle sweetness of some flowers. All notes are perfectly combined in this Oud fragrance. In my opinion it is a remarkable perfume with an excellent quality / price ratio. It is not a "power house", but the 7 hours of practical longevity and the superior silage of 4 to 5 feet may be enough. It is just an oud perfume, very attractive and seductive! ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ My average rating: 8.27 / 10.00 Opinion on John Varvato's Oud: In terms of global scent, it's one of the best western ouds I've tried. Probably because of its lovely smell and good value for money, it is getting more expensive every month. I can complain about the sub-par performance of an oriental wood fragrance. However, a greater achievement could also mean a intrusive perfume. It's a perfect option for anyone trying to choose a quality scent for their first oud scent. Blind worthy of buying? No! As with any oud scent, test it on your skin before making a purchase decision. For me it is a must buy! Music: Maurice Jarre's film theme "Lawrence of Arabia"

#1031 in my "Tour de Fragrance" Well Merry Christmas to me. I love this scent. It's like getting Tom Ford "Sahara Noir" for under a a hundred dollars. Kinda like Nabeel's "Al Bashiq." This is a great, more western style oud. Nothing barnyard or animalic here. A good first oud scent for any newbies at a great price. I really like everything I'm smelling and I think most people will too. This is solid EDP quality, which makes me even more annoyed that the Varvatos line doesn't have EDP and Parfum versions of their EDT scents, which are some of most likeable but most disappointing performers out there. Time and again I've tried a Varvatos EDT and thought, "I'd wear this every day if it didn't disappear by the end of morning coffee break." Especially "Dark Rebel." The top and middle notes here are pretty much the usual stuff, but what really does the work here are the base notes of incense and myrrh, and to a lesser extent the cinnamon and clove mid notes. It's yummy. Unlike a lot of oud out there I think you can wear this anywhere, including in a car pool if used with restraint. No one will get off the elevator and take the stairs to avoid smelling this. Safe for office wear, and definitely date wear. I think unless you hate oud altogether this is a safe blind buy and more unique that the bottom of the market ouds from Maison Alhambra, etc. I may go ahead and order backup bottles now.

This composition is lovely, very rich and complex, and probably the best oud-based juice I've yet had the pleasure of smelling. Oud is naturally bitter and sour, and this fragrance would be very off-putting except that the oud is perfectly balanced with the core Varvatos DNA: leather, cinnamon, cedar, pepper, amber, and sage. It's almost a perfect landing pad for the oud note. Add to that Varvatos heart some sweet tobacco, incense, and a dash of clove and nutmeg, and you have a heavenly scent. Throughout the whole sensory experience, the oud is constantly smelling a little out of place, pulling against the sweet spice mix with its sour, almost sweat-like quality. It's fantastic. It reminds me -- using different notes, of course -- of how a classic juice like Aramis works, pitting sour against sweet, sweet against spicy. Yes, the bottle and its shiny plastic gold netting is ostentatious, and yes, the giant box it comes in is clunky and totally unnecessary, but they're going for a certain vibe here so let's just enjoy it. Like most Varvatos scents I've tried, this one isn't great at projection or longevity. I can still smell it on myself after 3-4 hours, but it's definitely fading at that point and needs reapplication. Still, I love this scent, and wear it frequently in the colder weather.

I purchased this fragrance through a decant subscription service and honestly I didn't expect much. I hardly purchase colognes after receiving it as a decant, because, although I may enjoy a scent, I rarely find myself falling in love with a cologne. Ladies and gentlemen, I must say, this is one of those colognes I fell in love with. To me, it provides a similar feeling that I experience with Blue de Chanel edp: I know it's there, everyone around me knows that it is there, but we all "act" cool during the experience, as if the cologne is an irrelevant addition to the moment. People (ladies) will find a way to stick around me once they have noticed the cologne. It's less of a scent and more of an Aura. As I said above, I don't usually come across fragrances that push me to purchase a full bottle, but this fragrance is different from other scents. I know that this cologne is "pricey", and that it lacks performance, compared to a club-type fragrance, but, it is absolutely worth the money if you can easily justify wearing it. Fyi, I also received "Reflection man" by Amouage, which I plan on purchasing, But I knew JV Oud was the better investment from a practical perspective. About Me: College educated Profession - Securities/entertainment/Investments Owned JV artisan