John Varvatos XX

Love this stuff, it's so simple, yet so pleasant. I thought it was really weak and boring when I first got it, but over the last year, the strength has greatly improved and I have come to appreciate it a lot more. I had received a sample in an order from Fragrancenet and my wife loved it, even though I found it to be quite boring, especially next to the tester of Initio Rehab it shipped along side of. I love my wife so I bought a bottle and over the last year and a half it has really grown on me, and ironically she doesn't even notice when I wear it these days. I guess both of our tastes have changed. To me, this smells extremely similar to YSL l'Homme Eau de Parfum with a hint of La Nuit de l'Homme, but has much better performance than either of them. It's basically a sweeter take on l'Homme EDP with the oak note dialed back, minus the hint of orange zest, but also has an overripe red apple note and some added cardamom. It definitely has some YSL DNA. This is one of those fragrances where it's difficult to pick out individual notes, but they all blend together seamlessly. Performance is just fine, I get about 5-6 hours with strong arms length projection in the first 2 hours. The projection pushes out but does not fill a room. This would ideally suit Fall and Winter or date nights. It's sweet but also clean smelling. If this was released by Yves Saint Laurent, it would costs 3x as much. It's a very high quality scent for the cooler months, that's smells great and doesn't scream for attention. It's sweet, dark, and clean. It is somewhat generic, but I still enjoy it more than a lot of generic men's fragrances from houses like Coach, Montblanc, and Jimmy Choo which are generally in a similar price range.

This fragrance opens up like a spicy, juicy red apple. The cardamom gives the red apple this spicy characteristic. It is just lovely. For the first couple of minutes, this is really all that I can smell. Then, as the dry-down begins, the black-currant comes through, adding almost a boozy, cider-like quality to the apple and cardamom in the beginning "smell-smack". As the dry down continues, the woods come out to play. The woods both tone down the currant, but also amp up up the spiciness. This amping up of the spiciness allows for the floral notes to also come forward, and ride on the cedar, and sandalwood. The main floral scent in this fragrance for my nose is the orange blossom. The white violet is there, but for my nose, not as present as the orange blossom. The geranium, it gives the florals a bit more depth, but also adds to the tang of the black currant note.... Then in the deep deep drydown.... The coffee finally makes itself known. It is not the smell of brewed coffee in a coffee shop. It is that dry, almost woody, roasted smell of grinding fresh coffee beans, in the kitchen of an old wooden house, early in the morning, as the first light of an autumn sunrise shines warm, orange, and amber through the old milky glass of the kitchen window. Blend this autumn-sunrise coffee experience, in with the warm-boozy-spicy cider smell, smooth & smoky wood, and light touch of florals... You have "autumn apple-orchard, in the country-side, at sunrise" nostalgia in a bottle here... If you are curious about this scent.... I say "GO FOR IT".... I am happy to have this one in my collection

This smells amazing. It's definitely best suited for nighttime wear, but that doesn't mean you can't wear it during the day. It's vibrant, loud, sweet, and sophisticated. It features fruity notes without being citrusy and has a prominent essence of dark chocolate and coffee. I was curious why some people dislike it. To me, It gives off a vibe that's like the color black but not in a dark, mysterious, or ominous way; more like a vibrant black personality scent if that makes sense. Imagine Billy Joe Armstrong from Green Day, rocking out on his guitar, performing 'Holiday' and that's the vibe I mean by black yet vibrant. I enjoy wearing black clothing; most of my wardrobe consists of black or dark colors, yet, my personality is quite vibrant. So if you are not that type of a person then it's probably not for you and may dislike the scent. It's a truly signature worthy scent that complements both my appearance and personality perfectly. I love it. This is an amazing and unique fragrance. 9.5/10

Most of JV show their potential with oxidation. Half on an hour after application. XX is after Original, Dark Raider and Vintage my next favorite one. I would say it’s close to JPG Le Male DNA. Buzzy at opening with red apple hiding something that is deeper. Applying for the second time You feel this cheat and it’s easier to accept. Then with time the heart gets the voice. Smell becomes sweet almost like coconut with strong coffee and sandalwood at the base. With sweating smell shows it’s power keeping it’s profile (white man, brunette, “middle” sweating). On the skin still detectable 12h later. Tricky done. I would recommend instead of Invictus or Le Male ... less common and more male. For colder days or dates, less for clubbing. Rather not for the office and it’s not fresh and clean type.

A vibrant and fruity yet still warm fragrance. I get mainly the apple, black currant, and cardamom top notes throughout, then a floral and fruity, soft sandalwood dry down. Not as much coffee as I’d hoped for unfortunately. In the realm of Coral Fantasy but cheaper. Projects well at first then eases back into a softer dry down. I put it on after a shower then drove 7+ hours and the girl that hugged me when I arrived demanded to know what fragrance I was wearing. So I don’t think longevity is as bad as some say of Varvatos. Fall/Winter/Spring, Day/Night. 8/10 Agree with the seasonal picture JaggerTheScientist painted below.