John Varvatos XX Elixir

I have 4 other John Varvatos fragrances. I consider myself a big fan of their offerings even though they aren't long lasting. This is the first JV fragrance that has truly eternal longevity. It's now 13 hours from the time I applied XX Elixir; I still smell it strongly on my wrist. My wife enjoys the scent and says it radiates well. I do not detect any leather in this whatsoever for the first 10 hours. As I am a lover of leather notes, this is a bummer. However, this surely makes it more wearable and crowd-pleasing. I detect interesting and refreshing citrus notes at the top, which is to be expected of a Rodrigo fragrance. Cedarwood seems to be the main component; I smell it strongly at the start and the cedar doesn't begin to fade until at least 10 hours into the wear. I didn't smell the rum, tonka, or the faint hint of leather until the cedarwood starts to die out, at which point the scent finally starts to sweeten up. Intriguingly enough, this is the only fragrance I own that has numerous essential oils listed on the ingredient label. Predictably, there are several citruses noted among these. There's also Virginia cedar, sandalwood, and a few others that aren't listed in the note breakdown. Very solid release. Better for cold weather, but due to the citruses, this is wearable in the warmth. The bottle is gorgeous. It has tremendous heft to it. The golden emblem integrated directly into the bottle is a design I prefer over the original JV XX bottle -- OG XX had the awkward dangling silver chain thing hanging off the cap. It was cool conceptually, but it made using the bottle frustrating. No such issue exists here. The cap has great weight as well. Overall I give this release an 8.5/10 for the price. It is expensive, but if you've got a decent nose, you can tell this is full of real fragrance oil. I'd have liked some real vanilla over what appears to be a mixture of tonka bean and vanillin (which is much cheaper). Cedarwood isn't my favorite note, but I can't deny the sheer potency Rodrigo achieves with it here. I think the amalgamation of cedar with citrus and rum notes is quite unique. I don't believe this has been done before in men's fragrance. In a way, this scent makes me appreciate cedar despite it being a note I'm not terribly fond of. P.S. -- anyone who is saying the lasting power of XX Elixir is anything other than "eternal" either has olfactory issues or did not actually wear the fragrance. I have over 50 fragrances on my shelf and this is easily top 3 in terms of longevity. Edit after 4 months of use: this has to be one of the most concentrated fragrances I own, second perhaps only to Arabians Tonka. This has absolutely an monstrous sillage. One single spray fills my entire house with the scent. My wife loves it, but do not use more than one spray or you will choke everyone out. Same warning applies to Arabians Tonka, another lovely but supremely concentrated parfum. To anyone complaining about the price, one bottle will last years if you take my advice. One spray only.

This is an excellent release from this house and easily shit up to my top spot from this house. It’s unisex leaning masculine, constructed beautifully, it’s not super unique but it’s great for what it is for sure. It’s bright, airy, a little fruity, sweet, but not overly or in gourmand territory, it’s a little spicy, leathery but not animalic it’s more like a supporting note like the rum. And there’s a bit of some woods. It’s sophisticated, sexy, a little flirty, and gentlemanly to my nose. And it’s got great performance. Don’t listen to these ppl in the comments they haven’t even smelled it and it’s quite obvious lol the perfumer dud his thing with this one.

Tried it at John Varvatos store, the retail was 160$. Hmm. I thanked the sales person and walked out. I had smelld a few other colognes that day. to me it smelled like Ed Hardy Born Wild. I really liked EH BW. It smelled like old grand father's books, musty, earthy, woody, that take you back memory lane kind. I got it for 18$ at TJ Maxx. Unfortunately, i can't find EDBW now anywhere. Now you can imagine paying 160$ for JV XX E ?! Will wait when it gets discounted.

Great to see Rodrigo back for another Johnny V release. Hands down my fave perfumer!

Another Elixir? Let’s be honest. The bottle looks gorgeous to me, very vintage in style and with that English royalty vibe. Reminds me of the medals of honor on old war veterans' uniforms. The sprayer is not the best in the world, but at least it’s better than Artisan Pure, so I can’t complain too much in that regard. Now, the important part: the scent. I have to say I’m not a fan of the leather note, and this fragrance opens right away with it. However, it’s not a heavy or aggressive leather. What I get is more of an aromatic, clean, soapy kind of leather. In fact, my very first impression was the smell of the interior of my Honda Pilot, with its leather seats, but in a fresher and easier-to-wear version. Nothing like a mechanic’s workshop vibe, and definitely no kerosene-ish. After that opening comes a very particular nuance: something like a distillery scent, almost like rum liqueur with chocolate, which gives it a very attractive gourmand touch. At that moment, it even reminded me of a less sweet version of Ferragamo Uomo or Liam by Lattafa although here it feels a bit more refined. I also clearly notice a powdery-iris nuance, but let me be clear—it’s not baby powder or grandmotherly powder. And it’s not like Prada L’Homme either. It’s more of a vanilla-like, soft and elegant powderiness that blends with the rest of the composition without overwhelming it. Overall, I think this is a very elegant fragrance, classy, perfect for a gentleman. I see it as ideal for cold nights, romantic dates, or evening events where you want to leave a good impression. It doesn’t strike me as something super innovative, since it’s a type of scent we’ve smelled before in one way or another, but the quality is definitely there. For now, I’m still testing its performance in terms of projection and longevity, though it seems like both will be quite good. I’ll give an update later on. My current rating: 8/10.