Star USA

I liked this when it was introduced in 2011 and I love it now. It was novel and distinct in 2011. It smells almost niche and I don't think anyone knew how to take it. The problem is that it succeeded. It's NOT Acqui di bleu de sport de black de light blue de oud de ultimate intense extrême. It is unique among user-friendly, workplace-friendly fragrances. I love that it presents citrus via cedrat (rather than bergamot, lime, or mandarin) and that ginger, osmanthus, and vetiver help it stay natural all the way through to late drydown. It gets quiet, but it remains present and unveils complexity after complexity. The amber and cardamom guard against any body heat effects. I keep thinking someone has neared me wearing something very interesting and hard to name; it's the Varvatos Star USA continuing to slowly, quietly unveil its magic. Occasionally Déclaration de Cartier fleetingly comes to mind during my day and I don't know why, and then I realize it's this fragrance stimulating my memory. It's subliminal that way. I respect that a lot in a fragrance. They did a good job on this one. It got discontinued for all the wrong reasons. Don't blame it all on the lid, which is great for tossing in a bag without worry, and don't ignore it as smelling like everything else. It smells good and stays subtle, drawing the person who notices it nearer and nearer to enjoy its subtle hues of clean, pleasant manliness. It whispers good taste, which can't be said for a lot of the vulgar cheap chemical nonsense that's on the market. When consumers are used to the kind of radiant screechies that are on the market, they don't know how to discern subtlety or assess quality. Quality is neither determined by how citrusy and light a fragrance is, how risky and oud-y a fragrance is, nor by how long a fragrance wears at full blast projection. Luckily for us, it's easy to snap up at a fraction of its original price.

Since my first encounter in 2013, personally, Star USA has been one of my favorites. All the negativity though has left me feeling like my taste in scents might be "off" or maybe I should be ashamed of holding it in such high regards. Then a bit of public justice was delivered via the astute lexicon of Good Vibrations (see below)...a spot on delivery of how, I too, interpreted Star USA. All it's true strengths and abilities were vindicated, which ironically, has lead me to give much less credence to negative reviews, especially when they come from those with the most "experienced" and over-opinionated noses. This has a citrusy, woody, masculine vibe that's uniquely fresh yet warm. Other than sharing a similar vibe with D & G Light Blue, it's really quite different from many typical scents on the market. So, as long as Star USA remains under appreciated, under priced (now), and under purchased, I'll continue to wear this underutilized gem no matter the general consensus.

i saw this at macys selling for 70.00 usd 3.4 ml i found one at bargain 50 ml for 9 usd so i grab it for kicks and for review. what can i say first spray an in your face citrus ginger pine blast combo very synthetic but it smells okay as the scent settles down it becomes woodsy at the middle, base very faint sweetness summer scent for sure. i describe the scent pretty much synthetic and generic. longevity and projection almost non existant tops 3-4 hours poor projection as i cant smell the scent after 45 mins on my skin i suggest 5-8 heavy sprays on clothing to get some projection out of this thing. IMHO nothing really special a good frag for teens and new to fragrance game. I suggest not to pay retail for this one go online or check your bargain bin also i like the bottle for some reason its a nice display on my wardrobe. my rate longevity 5/10 5 hours tops sillage 5/10 poor you better drenched yourself with it to get some projection uniqueness 5/10 nothing unique about it i guess the bottle? overall smell 5/10 synthetic and generic forgetable scent . price vs quality based on retail 4/10 check your bargain bin and online. versatility summer hot days only

Read all the terrible reviews you want below... I bought this fragrance, full, still sealed in the box at TJ MAXX for like $15...I wore it several times...and I must tell you all...I got several compliments from strangers each and every time I wore it. Sometimes...that's all that matters. It may not be groundbreaking. It may not be a 10/10. It may not be anything innovative or new.... ...But it's CERTAINLY not an unpleasant aroma. I was constantly getting people coming up to me asking me what I was wearing and telling me that I smell amazing. I actually really like this. The most evident notes to me are the woodsy notes, the Tonka bean, and the vetiver. It's clean. All the notes combined to almost produce a somewhat peppery-smelling clean type of fragrance. Which is funny cuz normally I DESPISE peppery fragrances. But the peppery aspect of this one is very mild and not offensive. I don't care about the huge amount of negative reviews below. This is a solid like in my book and not one person, not even friends...have told me this smells synthetic or gross when I wore it. 7.5/10 A definite thumbs up. A nice cheapie.

On my skin this was a pretty bland,forgettable fragrance but still somewhat pleasant and there’s nothing really offputting about it but nothing that stands out either. On my skin it was pretty much a bitter,airy citrus with some woods in the background. Semi-pleasant but nothing original. Performance- a lot of of people were saying this has no lasting power but it actually lasted me 4-6 hours with average projection. It’s not a fragrance that projects out a ton but a frag you get whiffs off randomly throughout the wearing. It would be perfect for the gym ! Overall rating- 6 out of 10 ! Pleasant enough scent but also pretty boring. If I’m going to wear a fragrance I either want to smell very pleasant or have something bold and this does neither. Sidenote—If you liked this scent profile but wanted an upgrade I’d go with John Varvatos Artisan Acqua