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.

Summer scent. Coconutty and a bit of Vanilla. But still very manly. Perfect Resort wear scent in the tropics. Wear it on a Beach or Yacht Party while sailing or cruising. Lol. There is a hint of musk with coconutty notes. The moment the botique attendant sprayed this on me I wanted it. Living in the tropics made me want this as I find it rare to have a coconut inspired scent worn in the city. Wearing it makes me feel like Im working near a beach or ocean side in the tropics. It's a good scent that can transition from daytime to dusk. But maybe not for clubbing.

This one has really grown on me. From OK to Like to Love. From boring to pretty good to great. It is a really nice generic masculine scent, nicely balanced staring black current. Excellent year round affordable dumb reach. I don't smell the d&g the One comparisons at all. Performance is surprisingly above average (and certainly better than The One). Sillage is great... I am still catching it in the air 3-4 hours after application. I can't speak to the polo red comparisons but for $25, you can't go wrong. Blind buy worthy.

This is autumn goodness in a bottle! When first applied, the fruity aspects of it are more prominent (30 min.). Then the coffee, woods, and spices slowly take over the rest of the duration. I get a pinch of the florals, but only during the dry down. Performance was pretty surprising for this fragrance; this is due to the fact that most JV fragrances have a history of poor performance. This would be excellent as a scent-of-the-day fragrance for Halloween 🎃. Scent: 8.5 / 10 Projection: 7.5 / 10 Longevity: 8.5 / 10

Excellent ‘fall in a bottle’ fragrance Nice and warm inviting. Gives me pumpkin spice coffee vibes Not in a feminine way! Pumpkins and Scarecrows even a little halloween, the beginning of Christmas. Kinda smells nostalgic, that’s the best kind of fragrances right? You could wear this all through winter but it’s best in the Fall! or beginning of winter. Very Calming and should make her want to cuddle up by the fireplace with you & a buffalo plaid blanket Magnificent, pair with a Vanilla. Exceptional value

Such a unique, interesting cologne, I would say it's mostly 4/5, not one of the best out there or anything, but the smell is pretty fantastic, and if you want a memorable, lesser known fragrance as a signature that will pull compliments and many people begging you for the name of the fragrance, go for this one!! Edit: the performance on this is INCREDIBLE for the price, lasts easily 9 hours with me still being able to smell it, and a huge compliment getter, probably because of how unique it is

Pretty good stuff especially for the price, warm and inviting. Performance is decent for the price, overspray is usually required. It definitely gives me Nuit de l'Homme vibes and is of similar quality. This is a super easy wear and I think it's pretty much safe for any occasion, except very high heat and humidity. I like for just casual wear around the house or running errands, my wife goes crazy for it, yet turns her nose at some of my niche frags. I would give it a sold 7.5/10.

Loved it so much on the week of its release I ended up buying three more just for backups. Yeah projection is moderate it’ll lay on your skin for around 3-5 hours then starts to really disappear but it’s so beautiful smelling. Pretty identical to the one edp. It’s sweet, bright, aromatic with apple and coffee in a fruity grasp you by the nose kinda feeling. You crave it. Try it. It’s a must. I have around 300 frags, for whatever that’s worth this is my opinion it’s in my top 10.

The apple really hits on the opening can come off pretty sweet, but I'm pretty sure I'm just not an apple note type of person, it's rounded out by the other ingredients and to me is pretty masculine. Love the Drydown on this that's where it shines to me, if you get some on your clothes it will stick around for days and smell amazing, get the wood and coffee there. best in cold weather for sure. Too many sprays and it can get cloying.

I really have to quit making judgement calls on fragrances until I've worn them a couple of times. This really is a beautiful apple/coffee fragrance. Despite the warmer notes it is rather bright, probably due to the apple. I get a full work day use out of it. It isn't a strong projector but those within an arms length will notice it. I've even grown to like the bottle with its flashy medallion. Truly, a nice scent!

This is a very unique scent to me. It's a fruity, spicy, floral, woody scent. The coffee adds darkness, and aromatic depth to the dry, woody base. It's somewhat powdery and dry, so it feels like a nice texture for cooler weather. It's fitting with Varvatos aesthetic. It's not like BIR Coral Fantasy to me. That's much sweeter, juicier, blonde tobacco like.

Typical Varvatos. Uniquely performs in a beautiful way. Instantly becomes a skin scent. 5 sprays (on clothes helps). Very subtle beach coconut vibe. Also a good subtle office vibe if you don’t want to be the every day blue and green guy. Very pleasant and relaxing. Worth full price if you like unique and interesting smells.

a dark roasted coffee blended with fruity red apples and juicy black currant, without feeling too sweet. The sandalwood is pretty prominent too adding a touch of powderyness mixed with the violets. The dry down is much more wood forward, keeping remnants of the coffee and a hint of that red apple.

I absolutely adore this fragrance and I'm blown away by the performance. More people need to be talking about this! XX opens to a spicy cardamom and dries down to a sexy woody coffee fragrance. I can't stop getting compliments in this and I will be adding it to my regular rotation. A MUST try!

Just received this 10 minutes ago 9/10/2020 Upon first blast it's apple and cardamom. Honestly it's not a super unique scent. I'll report back with longevity and projection. As I'm writing this the sandalwood is coming up front with a slight coffee warmth. Overall atm I'm giving it a 7/10

Not sure why there is so many “blah” reactions to this; I think it’s delicious! I’m wearing it in late spring, cool days, but this is going to be perfect in the fall day & night. Just the right amount of gourmand going on here, without being overly sweet or cloying. I love it.

It does remind me of eternity parfum but it’s richer and the geranium is quite noticeable as well at times which is a note I struggle with as I find it a bit old school. Rich tropical coconut scent with a fougere edge. Pretty damn good. Performance is average for me.

The OG Varvatos XX is one of the few colognes I'm proud of. It has a very unique sweetness. And it lasts very long! I could still smell it on my skin after 10 hours. For a Varvatos EDT, that's saying something. Value-for-money is superb. Don't hesitate to get one.

Fell in love when this settles like 30 min on clothes. It has the same drydown-catch-in-the-wind-strength as YSL la nuit but a carribean/fruity version of it. I love it

it’s very nice it’s unlike any other cologne i’ve smelt but it gives off very masculine vibes would definitely recommend but wouldn’t call this a date night fragrance

The black currant in this really shines. A very well-made versatile fragrance with solid performance. Give it a sniff if you see it at your local mall.

Similarity with D&G The One: 45%. With JPG Scandal: 85%. In a way it's brighter and less sweet than Scandal. But both smells enticingly delicious.

I'm a female in my 30s. I kept smelling cherries in my drawer and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I have many bottles of perfume on the top of this dresser and thought it was one I have that smells like cherries and leather... but it wasn't it. Sniffed around and realized it was a sample of XX. Sealed and from a few inches away, the vial smells like smoky black cherries. I put some on my hand and it's completely different. Suuuper strong cedar smell. Once it dries, the sandalwood appears. Hours later, I now smell the smoky fruit smell again. Compared to modern scents - this is not sweet, at all. I don't smell coffee, but instead the smoky fruit notes some coffee beans have, minus the coffee part - if that makes sense. The bitter floral citrus of orange blossom peeks through sometimes, but now that it's settled, it's 85% cedar/sandalwood, 10% smoky cherries, and 5% bitter citrus floral. It smells very masculine. Mature, but not "old". Serious and confident.

Sorry folks but, this is a more modern and slightly youthful reiteration of the OG John Varvatos. There is a bit more sweetness in JV XX with a floral and amber effect, almost tuberous like if you will. The drydown then offers a semi caramelized coffee note with soft woods to give it some body. There are no green type notes in this where in the OG you get that aromatic tinge from the tamarind which gives it a fresh crispness as some herbs tag alongside it. There is still a soft leather with a balsamic undertone in XX just not as pronounced and deep in JV Original. This creation is still masculine just not as rugged, deep nor as dark and rich as the OG. Still, if you can find one discounted at say under $40US, this can be a youthful signature fragrance for anytime and anywhere regardless of age. I still prefer the OG but, this is a gem flying under the radar. No regrets....

Most JV scents have something very distinctive about them: JV Vintage - SWEET TOBACCO! JV Dark Rebel - SMOKE! JV Dark Rebel Rider - smoke & LEATHER! JV Artisan Pure - citrus SOAP! In fact, one of my favorite scents of all time is JV Vintage. Love, love, love it! This one, however, I can't even remember what it smelled like, writing this a week after I got my sample, other than it smelled good. I'm sure it is very likeable. I just can't see myself going out of my way to buy a full bottle of it over everything else on the market. It just seems like a crowd pleaser without anything that stands out -- in a good or bad way. I read there may be a coffee note? I don't remember that. I definitely got coffee (and enjoyed it) when I finally tried Halloween Man X. At least it doesn't stand out as an identifiable, memorable note if it is there. Maybe when it hits discounters...

Really nice scent. I get mostly the red apple with cardamom and creamy sandalwood. I don't get any coffee here (which is fine with me), but perhaps it's just blended in well enough that I can't detect it separately. (This smells nothing like Halloween Man X to me. I did not enjoy that one.) This is best for cooler weather but could be worn year-round if you work in an air-conditioned environment. A few people mentioned a similarity with D&G's The One EDP. I didn't get it at first but have since realized they're right. I only get it after it's been on my skin an hour or so, and the resemblance get stronger as it dries down. Very cool. John Varvatos makes so many great, masculine fragrances at equally great prices (on discounters). Their leather scents, like the original and Dark Rebel Rider, are phenomenal. This is another one worth picking up.

This is a fantastic masculine gourmand fragrance. The apple and coffee notes are prominent, resting on a warm cedar base. It evokes the cozy feeling of a crisp fall evening—like sitting by a campfire, sipping on vanilla-infused coffee. XX is a bold, memorable scent that genuinely brought a smile to my face. Some fragrances stand out because their note combanation or quality is unmistakable. Some shine through their freshness. XX, however, taps into a deeper level—it stirs positive associations with familiar, comforting aromas that many consider universally appealing. In many ways, XX captures the very essence of fall. Interestingly, I’m writing this review in the middle of spring, enjoying long, warm days, yet catching a whiff of XX almost makes me wish autumn were already here.

Tried this at Ulta. 2 sprays on my forearm. Up top it is Sweet coffee cardamom apple mix with dry woody base. Mid the sweetness fades a bit but keeps a sweet scent throughout the dry down. Projects for about 2 hrs then stays close. Surprisingly I can still smell the base woods and sweetness 10 hrs later as a skin scent. This is night out scent. Not a classy scent and definitely not an office scent. I can see this being good at night any season maybe summer the least. It doesnt smell unique, slightly different but familiar to many other fragrances and it does smell more synthetic than not but you will smell pretty good to most people. Not a must have for me JV original is still my favorite. Scent: 6.5/10 Projection 6/10 Longevity 8/10 Beats most JV offerings

The opening on my skin comes off a bit spicy and slightly sour, which might catch you off guard at first. However, once it settles, the fragrance really starts to shine. The mid and dry-down are where it becomes smooth, well-balanced, and genuinely enjoyable, with a slightly sweet and fruity touch from the orange blossom and apple notes. After letting it macerate, the performance improved noticeably. I now get around 4–5 hours on skin, compared to when I first got it—it smelled like straight alcohol and only lasted about 2 hours. Overall, this is a solid everyday fragrance with a great dry-down that makes it worth wearing. Edit: I know there note of coffee but as a coffee drinker, I can barely smell it at all.

This is a solid fragrance that no one really talks about so it flies under the radar. I've had good feedback from others when I've worn this so it's likable/mass-appealing in my experience. It's also one of the few fragrances that I have tried that has a coffee note that actually works for me. Definitely not a mind-blowing, ground-breaking fragrance, but solid and easy to wear. Got my bottle at retail at Ulta, and I have no regrets. I actually haven't seen it around the discounters, but I'd imagine when or if it does you could get it for a good price because JV fragrances are generally discounted significantly.

John Varvatos always has frags that are beautiful and/or just overall different. This one is no exception but for the first time I felt one was a bit too powerful on my nose. Not sure if it's the performance or my sensitivity to a particular note. It DOES smell good. I just have to be careful to spray lower then I normally do so my nose doesn't get cloyed by it. It can start to hurt my nose if too intense. Otherwise it's a nice scent and I'm glad to have gotten a sample to think about it. I may get a bottle if cheap enough at discounter. I don't think I'd buy a bottle of this anymore then like $30-$35 tops.

Smelled this beauty today at Bloomingdales and it was a MUST buy. Super sexy! Can’t wait to play with this one. Definitely full bottle worthy UPDATE: I sometimes think that the tester bottles at the retail stores are better/different than what u get when you buy it. I got home and sprayed this and it’s definitely no magic here. Not a unique fragrance. I will be returning this for sure. Not bad but not full bottle worthy

It's a nice fragrance but is not unique! If you like 1 million Paco Rabanne Parfum and Ferragamo Uomo, you will like this one. The Coffee is dominant in this perfume. It opens up with like sweet fruity and warm spicy then dry down is like Coffee and woody. It's pretty synthetic ! This perfume reminds me of Polo Red Intense EDP and perfect for the spring, fall and winter. I like John Varvatos XX . Rating : 7 / 10

I had ordered a sample of the regular John Varvatos and was mistakenly sent this instead, but was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. The black currant and cardamom do the heavy lifting in this scent and the violet is more present after an hour or so of drying down. Lasts a while and sillage is somewhere between skin and arm's length. Can def see this as a daily wear to the office.

This was the first fragrance I ever owed, and I still enjoy it to date. To me it’s a nice, warm, fall and winter fragrance that smells like eating apple pie by the fireplace. Very apply and woody and spicy. This fragrance has decent performance for an EDT at least on my skin, and the ladies I’ve been with all love it. Decent pick up at discounters.

This isn't as cool weather ready as I was hoping. It's a bit youthful but still smooth and approachable due to the softer coffee, orange flower and sandalwood notes that are most prominent on my skin. It's got a 4 hour life, sits close to skin and is well balanced between the stronger notes. I like it but don't love it.

In the bigging very fresh like a aqua di gio, than dryes down into versace eros!!!nothing new here!! If ya collector ok!! Theres others out the line are better than this recycled molecules versace eros been out since 2012 get over it!!

Very well-blended fragrance. On a card I got all black currant, but on my fiance's skin it blossomed into a sweeter, woodier scent. Somewhat generic, but it smells rich. A good choice for just about any man.

How has nobody mentioned the similarity to diesel only the brave tattoo? The drydown is exactly the same. Love the smell but I shoulda saved some money and just got the diesel instead of this.

Opens pretty much like an aromatic apple pie filling, without cinnamon. The fruit then recedes, replaced by a powdery and slightly aromatic smell Nice, but not for me

Man the atomizer on this sucks but the fragrance itself smells really pleasant. Last about 6 hours on me but I didn’t mind having to refresh after

This smells like a fragrance I can't remember, when it comes to mind I'll update this. I like how this fragrance has a dark and masculine tone to it but it's not in a loud or harsh way. It's not the most natural smelling fragrance but what takes this down several notches for me is the powder. It comes on too strong and stays dominant. I don't get much of the apple. It's cardamom and some of the currant. Geranium shows up then the base notes slowly take over. To me this is pretty much powder cardamom very slight aromantic with a tiny bit of floral, coffee and creamy woods. I can totally see this being liked by the masses. It does smell good especially for the price. To me it's just too powdery for this type of fragrance and it's not very unique. Performance isn't bad. A solid 5 hours and it will linger for 7+. I give this a 5/10

Not a strong performer, but the fruity opening is pretty good. It's the mid and base notes that don't really agree with me. These cheaper colognes with coffee notes in them, like this one and Halloween Man X, smell nothing like coffee and more like roasted nuts. Combine the nutty smell with florals like violet and it's just not that good. Maybe it's just my skin/nose that doesn't like synthetic coffee scents. I like most of JV's frags, but this is a pass.

Not bad for post summer evening scent. It has a similarity with it's own JV Vintage but more heavier. Also has a likeness of D&G The One and Zara's Fleur de Patchouli for Men. It does stay on my skin for more than 6 hrs. Not bad for the price as it's within the usual JV collections.

XX opens very fruity and dries down to florals. I don't get much of a coffee note in the base at all. This vaguely reminds me of YSL Y and may appeal to fans of that fragrance.

Dark fruits and coffee, interesting to be honest but it just doesn't last the longest, overspraying is not a good idea as it becomes overwhelming. otherwise, quite nice.