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

First impression; I love the bottle but hate the cap. It just gets in the way as it doesn't come off completely. I go ahead and get a bottle anyway. As far as the scent goes, it's all too familiar. Is it Gucci Guilty Hommy? Ed Hardy? Burberry Sport? JV Star USA is a fresh, soapy, clean, and sporty scent. I don't like it at first but the scent get deeper and a bit woodier as it settles. I enjoy it more later on. My friend say it smells like a light Bleu de Chanel! Anyway, I have not wore it long enough to give much detail, but so far I can say that there is no oriental aspect in here. I don't mind it tho, and I plan on keeping it.

Alrighty! I can see the comparison to generic and mainstream colognes for men. I think it depends on the nose though, for me I catch just enough cedrat and osmanthus to give it enough of an off center aroma to keep it interesting. Okay, I'm close to giving it a "sorta like" and "somewhere in the middle" vote. It's been compared to Quiksilver, well I think this has no sandlewood, so go figure. Edit: Just want to add that if you're wondering about its lifespan or staying power I can say that seems to have a strong one, woke up the next morning and it was still very noticeable.

I rarely reach for this one these days. Because from memory it was a poor performer.. With age, my bottle seems to have matured. I can now get a little over an hour of performance ;) It is fresh and zesty, a tickle of that vetiver does come through but this fragrance is best suited to a quick gym session and a stroll down to the Mall.. I'll always own it to keep my Johnny V collection complete but it'll go back to the rear of my shelf for atleast another 12 months before I whip it out again..

A serviceable office/school/casual fragrance of the woody, citrus, spicy variety. The "problem" is that one can spend considerably less on a scent like Aura for Men by Jacomo and obtain a stronger fragrance that is just as "good" (I like it better, actually, due to the sandalwood note). If you are an aficionado I suggest sampling the original Varvatos fragrance for men; Star USA has a yawn factor rather than a wow factor.

Different bottle design to the Johnny V frags we are used to and also a different scent to match it. This is the worst performing JV frag, 2-3 hours. But saying that, the scent is pleasant and is priced accordingly. This will live on my shelf as a citrusy fresh scent for the gym. Non-offensive and should last a good 1 hour workout.. Overall pleased, but a little disappointed as i'm a big JV fan.

It's a great citrus scent that doesn't last long. This may be a benefit in some cases, but it's cheap enough that you can spray again in 2 hours if you want... or if you can get the lid open :P Basically, it's a "cologne water" kinda thing. Think 4711, CK1, Jaguar Classic, etc. It's pleasant but forgettable. At least it's not an aquatic.

I'll tell you I like the smell though it's nothing unique. Great office scent since it stays very close to the skin. Worth the small $'s it cost to wear has a light around the house/office scent. Other than that the silage and longevity are forgettable and smells a bit alcoholy

To me its a nice cheapy fresh citrusy perfume! Its not unique but totally safe! You can wear it on gym or in a normal day! So for presentation(it has really nice bottle) juice and price i will rate it 6.5 !!

A good non offensive safe for work scent. On me, it projects as a clean citrus with a touch of wood. Certainly not unique, but a solid comfortable fragrance suitable for a busy workday.

I got a sample for my boyfriend, but he didn't like it, so I used on myself, and honestly, I'm not sure why it's not counted as unisex! It's nice.

Why bother? Honestly, this fragrance disappears before it can dry on your skin. After a strong wiff of alcohol i get a mild fruity scent, I assume this is from the juniper berriers, and the fresh aspect probably comes from the citrus. All the other listed notes are lost into the atmosphere as this fragrance dries down into non-existence. Most after-shave has better longevity when compared to this. I honestly don't know why JV would release such a product? The scent profile hints at what could have been a good active wear fragrance but as performance is almost non-existent I just don't understand why JV would release it. I don't mind the bottle. It takes a minute to figure it out and then opening and closing it is not big deal. Not a bad idea really, if this was to be used as a gym fragrance or active wear fragrance than the heavy glass, slim bottle, and lockable cap makes it a easy cologne to toss in the gym bag. Good concept but poorly executed.

Rodrigo Flores-Roux certainly knows his way around light, naturally organic, airy fragrances, judging from his already solid resume. The mastermind of Zirh ́s two great, if not short lived creations and the entire John Varvatos line, Flores-Roux does not venture too far from his comfort zone with Star USA. Designed to compliment the twenty something fashion line targeted at middle-class youth looking for an alternative, retro DKNY look but seeking a bigger price tag, Star USA packs much of its punch in the marketing and bottle design, conceived as a vintage beer bottle, and leaves little for longevity or staying power. The opening salvo of ginger, juniper and citrus is organic and pleasing enough, if not a bit formulaic, but never really projects and lacks any substantive personality or bite beyond being resigned to a skin scent. The ginger features nicely early and is certainly inviting and seductive enough over the juniper, but unfortunately doesn ́t stick and fades to the background around the thirty minute mark, a harbringer of the overall lack of staying power for Star USA. The middle notes never really come to the forefront to balance the composition and give Star USA structure or personality. Once the ginger fades to the background, no other element in the middle or base notes steps up to assert itself, leaving a rather hollow balance of accords. It is at about the thirty minute mark, just after the ginger disappears that Star USA digs deep into the skin and becomes evermore untraceable and indistinguishable, ultimately flaming out within two hours of application. Star USA lacks any strength or force and seems far too light, even for a fragrance conceived as a light fragrance. Warm, soothing, charming and subtly sexy. Star USA can work very effectively as an intimate skin scent but doesn ́t project or breathe long enough to work as an evening or day-wear fragrance. Certainly a great deal of potential here if it was devised to have any stamina whatsoever. But unfortunately the current released version was released without the foresight and attention to detail necessary to justify its MSRP. A reformulation with emphasis on stronger projection and longevity could be a real contender. Unfortunately the initial release is a skin fragrance without much bite, classy enough in its assemblage of organic notes but far too unassuming, linear and generic for its own good. Very transparent in its attempt to appeal to 20 somethings more taken with packaging and perception than quality and substance. A pleasing, sensual and organic scent that may in fact work better for women, inoffensive if not also untraceable after a couple of hours.

I am a bit hesitant to be the first reviewer of this, but here goes... I sprayed this from the sample bottle at Nordstrom's and I applied quite a bit. Two sprays to the chest and one spray each on my forearms. First impression was that of citron and ginger, I honestly did not smell the juniper but got the feeling it was hiding someplace. then it progressed (slightly) to sweeter middle notes of a mix of things flowery. Nothing stood out so I suppose that means it is well blended. In the end it became somewhat more ambery to my nose. I did not get the feeling that this was a fragrance that projected much or had much silage. I expected that with four healthy sprays I would be leaving a trail, but no, I don't think I did. It seemed rather mild, weak even to me. A somewhat sweet and unoffending scent. Different from other men's scents I would say but pretty mild, a little sweet and very middle of the road. I guess I would say I like this one, or at least am not put off by it, I am just not impressed enough to put this in my wardrobe. Can something be different and boring at the same time? This has the most irritating and hard to use cap I have ever seen. These swing-top caps are hard to pour a beer from, As a cap for a fragrance, holding and trying to spray is so cumbersome as to be almost impossible to use.

There's a reason why Star USA doesn't get mentioned with the rest of the Varvatos fragrances. Although the clasp that supposed to be evocative of old beer bottles may look cool, you'll soon realize after trying to open and close the bottle that whoever came up with this idea must have been drinking on the job. If you somehow manage to get the thing open—and not tear the clasp off in a fit of rage—you'll be rewarded with one of the most bland fragrances ever created. I get a bit of citrus with an iota of woods and tonka and that's about it. This smells like some sort of vat of men's perfume made to appeal to everyone out there. Not offensive, but also not exciting whatsoever. Star USA's unremarkable scent is only compounded by how terrible the performance is: I get maybe a few hours on a good day. I can't believe they sold this for full retail at one point, since I paid $10 for a 100ml tester and still spent too much on this terrible fragrance. Star USA is a bathroom scent at best.

Star USA is an example of the fragrance with an adequate opening, but poor development. It starts off with an interesting combination of citruses and fir tree (pine? spruce?). This coniferous accord makes me think about christmas tree and by the way it is masculine enough. Unfortunately, the opening note fades away very soon, and generic citrusy spice base (that echoes Cool Water a bit) begins to play. The projection is bad, the longevity is very bad.