JV x NJ Crimson

Prologue: I was reading what T-MacJr21 said and initially thought "Yeaaah...it DOES smell like..." but then after spraying both, realized there is too much seaweed in my bottle of Absolu Instinct to compete with the leathery nuance of the JVxNJ. If they were people, they'd be at the same party, but hanging with different crowds (IMO). :End I did a dumb reach for this the other night, when temps were a bit lower, and sprayed it on my neck and shirt as I rushed out the door. As I drove to meet my friend for dinner, I didn't get the rum, or apple, but did keep getting whiffs of sweet ambery-woody-leather (FWIW, my bottle is a 3/2019 batch). After about an hour or so though, I couldn't smell it anymore. Fast forward to going from dinner, to last-minute Christmas shopping, and then parting ways hours later. My friend texted me shortly after leaving about how good I smelled. I must have been under some serious fragrance anosmia because I couldn't smell it at all. The following day, however, I decided to just throw on the shirt I had on for a few hours the night before to go run an errand, and when I did the required "smell check" I thought: "HOLY $#!+ THAT SMELLS GOOD!" and then remembered what it was I was wearing...and when I applied it. Almost 18 hours after I initially applied the fragrance, and this stuff was just radiating off my shirt like I had been doused it a bathtub full of it, and I maybe had 3-4 sprays on it. **Note to anyone who is reading this and currently creating fragrances and want longevity: ADD INCENSE!!** I'm convinced that's what a fragrance needs to last longer. This gave me Dylan Blue vibes with added leather/suede, and as much of a lover as I am of Dylan Blue, I now am of this. This is Dylan Blue for the Fall/Winter (would it be called Dylan Red?🤔). I don't remember where I got this, when I got this, or how much I paid..and frankly, it wouldn't matter, because I'd get it again. No matter what it costs or where you have to go to get it, if you can, you absolutely should. 🎶"You got me in chains...but, I wouldn't change, no I wouldn't change this love"🎶 10/10

John Varvatos JV x NJ Crimson is a really nice fragrance. To my nose it smells like what should be a flanker to Polo Red. I mean it has a number of Polo Red and Polo Red flanker notes. Coffee (common with most Polo Red flankers), green apple (as seen in Rush), cedar (as seen in Polo Red EDP and Rush), saffron (in Polo Red and Intense), suede (which can be confused with leather like in Intense), amber (another note common with most flankers), lavender (again is another common note among flankers), musk (in Rush and EDP) and labdanum (in EDP.) This fits with Polo Red just with a unique rum addition and the coffee hits you much earlier. That said of the Polo Red line, this misses the trademark cranberry note in the open. That said, I cannot really complain here due to the booze and coffee mix. Crimson opens with that rum and coffee mix. It comes off as a toned down coffee and the rum note dies off a bit as the fragrance settles. I notice a slight woodiness from the cedar and some apple from the rum. The mid I notice similar to Polo Red is that saffron and amber with a heavy amount of leathery suede. In the base, I really only notice the musk but I know labdanum can give off a musky profile too. Crimson is a like most Polo Reds and a great office or date scent. One good thing with Crimson is due to its pricing versus Polo Red (even in the discounters) you can spray it all day and replace it. Hell, besides Intense, Crimson performs as good, if not better than Polo Red line (haven't tried Extreme since it doesn't have cranberry.) Crimson works in fall, winter and spring days and nights. I notice that Crimson will last 5 to 6 hours. JV x NJ Crimson I rate an 8 similar to the original Polo Red. I liked the original blue bottled JV x NJ fragrance from John Varvatos, but I think Crimson is better. It is rather unique, even if it copies a lot of Polo Red flankers. The rum does it. I love rum notes and this has it.

So the first two Nick Jonas scents are kind of meh. How good is the Red "Crimson" release? One word. Amazing. If you can, go to either a Ulta, or Boscovs as I know they definitely have testers. That's where I tried it and fell in love. It reminds me of a different version of Dark rebel. This has some amazing Rum, coffee, leather notes I just can't stop smelling. It's deep smooth and sweet all together. Incredibly sexy smelling. Masculine af. Only thing I hated is that it's a limited edition and my first bottle I hunted on eBay for $50 and I definitely want a back up asap before they are all gone. This is a must have scent if you are a man. I'll wear this any time anywhere with no cares it's such a badass scent. I love dark rebel but I can see that not working everywhere as it's seriously badboy scent but this one is like the bad gentleman scent. It's so good! If you like not boring scents and wanna smell badass. Go try it out and you'll likely love it. If you get the chance at a cheap bottle below $50 consider it an instant buy. This one will be collectible for sure. Presentation is pretty with a lovely crimson paint that fades to black, metal and leather keychain, and strong metal cap. John Varvatos has earned a life time fan.

So - i have to say, this was one that i have been eagerly awaiting since i had initially caught news of the its release. I emailed john varvatos on several occasions and was told that this is a one time run and will not be re-released - but was scratching my head, as i had not come across it anywhere - not online, not in stores etc. Then, thankfully, i was alerted that people were seeing this in dillards. luckily, it was there! so...first spray... uhh...disappointment. i have to say, i was totally underwhelmed. however, i proceeded forward with my purchase to complete the collection. 10 minutes in, i'm glad i did. i don't think the note breakdown necessarily portrays this accurately. this is more of a cold-spice than an ambery warm spice. this has LIGHT coffee and musk - paired with a sharp apple - so the overall tone is on the cool side and not warm. With that said - it can sort of smell like a hair product - but regardless, i'm really enjoying it. it doesnt smell like other offerings in the line - or other offerings in the market currently (that i've smelled) for that matter. Overall i'm extremely pleased with this - it's an easy every day wear and i couldn't be happier. plus...best looking bottle out there! 7/10

For some reason, I blind bought this. No regrets at all. I have come to enjoy this scent whenever I put it on. Not gonna lie, I bought two more bottles as back-up to ensure I have two more from the same batch. I don't think this fragrance will stay in the main rotations for a long time, so I expect a reformulation or discontinuation within a year or so. The scent itself is something I love. It's cooling and fresh but has a deeper complexity that's almost fizzing out of the bottle. I do get a slight coffee note that blends well inside the juice. I do think you could wear this all year-round because of it's nicely contrasting notes. Longevity is average along with its projection. It is definitely a safe, mass-pleasing, and wonderful scent. I'm 23 and do think it is going to fit in with the younger age group. I understand where all the dislikes for it, but I honestly really like it coming from my own olfactory senses. Longevity: 7/10 (5-6 hours) Projection: 7/10 (1.5 hours) Scent: 9.25/10 (Love)

Let me give you a review that’s straight. I timed my sprays to see how long I get. I got between 4 to 6 hours, and a couple of extra hours on top of the that because it was on my clothes. The next morning when I got up and put on the same sweater pow, there it was again. To me, this is something special. It’s spicy. Not just a little spicy, but the base of this one is spicy. I get spice and leather, as well as the coffee. I walked around the mall a bit the next day after putting on several sprays, and was complimented by 3 people, and one of them was another guy (wanting to know what I was wearing). Varvatos colognes usually get a lot of hate in the reviews, and I’m assuming it’s because of some of their other scents not preforming to everyone’s standards. I don’t follow hate trends. This one’s special and I like it. Longevity-6 Silage-6 Scent-8 Components in one day 4/4 Overall-7.5-10

Just bought this today from the clearance section at my PX. I got the 4.2 FL. OZ. bottle for $15 dollars. I didn't know anything about the fragrance going in just that I was saving big on it. Figured if I didn't like it I'm only out 15 bucks and maybe one of my buddies would like it so I could pass it off to them. I'm pleasantly surprised though and I really like it. I didn't know I was getting the red version because it's not labeled, found out after the fact there were 3 versions, but after reading reviews on the other 2 I think I lucked out. Wore it out for dinner tonight with friends and got complimented on it outside the restaurant and again at the table from another friend. All in all for the price I'm really happy I bought this and plus the bottle looks great.

Went to my local TJ Maxx and Marshall’s.. TJ Maxx had absolutely nothing worth buying went to Marshall’s and I found a 2.5 oz bottle for $29.99 thought to myself no brainer.. Mannnn! This smells sooo good.. ZAP221 makes a lot of sense in his short review.. So let’s look at the presentation.. The bottle Is really nice looking with a solid lightweight metal cap.. I do not see any juice level at all even when held up to the light.. This reminds me of Big Red chewing gum at first.. with a nice smoky herbal Amber in the background.. I’m really shocked cinnamon is not a note in the opening.. The longevity is going strong for about 3-4 hours now but sits close to the skin.. This is all season all occasion.. Just incredible! Rating 8.9/10 great blind buy

While I know who Nick Jonas is I couldn't name one song he sings. I purchased this cologne because I like and collect John Varvatos colognes. You know, I don't hate this cologne. First the bottle is very attractive, as are almost all JV bottles. As for the fragrance, it is not unpleasing. This is a very busy scent and I have not developed my nose to differentiate all the notes listed here. It is comfortable and wearable in most situations. It is a warmer based fragrance but does have a fresh component to it. I suppose this comes from the apple or orange notes. It isn't a strong projector but it remains on the skin for several hours, not a full work day. It is reasonably priced and is a safe cologne in most situations.

What a fun scent! For me, it definitely gives off rocker vibes and can be worn for any occasion. The first thing I smell is an extremely strong rum that gives way to a fresh incense within minutes. It has a light quality to it that I can’t describe (Maybe that’s the more fruity notes?). It has impressive longevity! I applied it late in the evening, went to bed, and woke up still able to smell it. It also lasted all day for work application even if the smell got more intimate with time. To me, this is very unique, I don’t have anything to compare it to and it’s a shame they discontinued it, still got a bottle on Jomashop though! 😁😁

To me, the most incredible thing about this fragrance is the middle, where the saffron, suede and amber weave together to create this dreamy velvety mildly spicy sweet mix. Performance is not the best (actually blue has a way better performance and sillage), but I crave the middle so badly that am glad to re-spray. So the less-than-stellar performance actually works for me! YUMZ! As nice as it is, I agree with Oceansoflorewi that you probably won't get much specific use out of this one, but if you wear perfumes for your own olfactory pleasure, this is your jam!

Spicy. Red Hots... and like someone below said, Big Red gum. I don't get the coffee note, but, whatever this is, I like it a lot. Like the aforementioned gum can be chewed year-round, I think this can easily be worn most of the year. It's spicy but not in a way that would make it a winter-only frag. JVs tend to get panned for lacking longevity (which isn't true but everyone likes to repeat that nonsense). This one has plenty. I think this one should be rated above a 4 all day.

Love it. Just got so need to spend a few days with this. I get the sweetness of a scotch or cognac and the smell of mahogany I get where people talk about Dylan Blue but this is really like an apparitions that may or may not come and go. I was hopping to get the cinnamon in Big Red but for me that doesn't detract one wit. If you have Varvatos original then the warm spicy bar above also applies but no crappy gourmand style. Very sophisticated scent.

Like showing up to Wally World and it being closed! So this has horrible projection and even worse longevity. It smells just fine but farts linger longer than this. I don’t understand why Varvatos fragrances aren’t made with some umff..These would sell like hot cakes but as usual another 2 pump chump from the line. I hate being so negative ....so if you like a decent smelling scent that lasts for 20 minutes then I highly suggest this one.

Finally, a high-quality men’s fragrance. I was so sick of generic scents by the time I found this original character; it’s one of the best Varvatos perfumes and one of my absolute favorites. It’s completely unique and very cool—I’m surprised it’s only available as a limited edition. The liqueur and coffee notes really energize the scent, making it masculine yet perfectly sophisticated. 10/10

To me this smells like a dark/smoother version of Azzaro Wanted by Night. It smells sexy and seductive, this is something a “mysterious man” would wear. I’d suggest wearing this on a date night or a night out in general. Im currently wearing this today with 25°F weather and it’s perfect. I’m 22 and it’s definitely suitable for people 20-30yrs, but ofc to each their own.

Out of all of my fragrances, this one has gotten me more unsolicited compliments from strangers. That says a lot about this one. Playful fruits of apple and bergamot, with a nice drydown of lavender and musk is perfect on a date that starts at a park throwing a Frisbee or flying a kite, then ending cuddled up on a couch talking about how fun the day was.

JV has the best fragrances for the price and not just for beginners. JV also has some of the worst performing fragrances. You take the good with the bad. As a collector I appreciate what the brand has brought to the table. This is a fine dumb reach kinda scent that’s hard to not like! Very well blended and non offensive.

Ive got a travel spray where you load your own cologne in it and I put half Crimson and half Davidoff Hot Water and it smells absolutely amazing it's the best winter scent in my opinion if you have them in your collection and also a travel refill spray mix them it's amazing

This cologne is absolutely amazing it is a winter beast of a fragrance smells wonderful everything you want in a scent for the cold days ahead. If you come by this at some point grab it you'll be pleased with yourself as I am right now