XX Artisan

Blind buy. Finally. First thought - Not bad! This does smell at least 75% like Grey Vetiver. So much so that if your not a vetiver freak like me, you may not be able to justify the purchase of Tom Ford if you own this. I get a lot of compliments. Moreso than TFGV actually (go figure). You don't see this one on the fragrance review channels, like ever, which I like. This actually has more character than Grey Vetiver, but that's not to say it's a *better* scent. XX Artisan leans much more casual, laid back, and suitable for everyday use, whereas Tom Ford is more formal, sophisticated and suited to specific occasions. **edit: after a few months of wear, it's not *exactly* a clone of TF Grey Vetiver, although somewhat close. XX Artisan is like if TF Grey Vetiver had a little less vetiver, more woods, and more character, more "other stuff" going on. Still - XX Artisan is a decent, cheap (I think i got it for $30-40 USD) daily driver. I use this as a dumb-reach for times I don't necessarily need to use a $100+ designer cologne. **edit #2: After even more months of wear, I've come to stop 'adoring' this. It may be purely phycological based on price/brand, but upon application - I can't help but think it smells more synthetic than the Guerlains and Tom Fords of the world. I've come to realize that there are few scenarios in which I'd rather wear this than a Guerlain, Dior or Tom Ford. I do get compliments every time I wear it, but we wear fragrances for ourselves, not others, right? TLDR; It's an affordable, nice-enough, vetiver-woody fragrance with a bit more character and a more casual/laid back vibe than Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver. However, if you're like me and already have some of the best designer vetiver/woody frags out there (Tom Ford Grey Vetiver, Guerlain Vetiver), I would NOT classify this as a "must-have".

A FABULOUSLY bitter, spicy fragrance. XX artisan opens with a big blast of bitter orange that will at first slap you in the face. But stick with it. Soon the vetiver opens up, and gives the bittersweet orange a green, earthy, smoothness that makes the original face slap feel more like the fragrance is just caressing your cheek. The bergamot and sichuan pepper start to show themselves after about 5-10 minutes, lifting this fragrance to an aromatic height. The worm wood just floats softly in the background, giving the contrasting spicy, and citrus-sweet, an herbal backdrop to play around in. Slowly, as the deep deep dry down of the fragrance comes in, the cedar steps forward, and boldly proclaims itself. This is not some hamster cage cedar woods shavings... This is freshly cut cedar logs, sitting in the hot summer sun. Their fragrance filling the air around them. It doesn't overpower the existing dance of contrasting aromas. It simply deepens, and grounds it. When this fragrance dries down, I imagine setting up camp, on a warm summer day, deep in the woods. I've just finished arranging the camp site, and I sit down to slice open a juicy orange. The cedar trees surround me. Pine needles on the ground. The herbal scent of the underbrush foliage drifting on an almost barely noticeable breeze. This is rustic summer in a bottle. It is a lovely warm weather fragrance. It is not overpowering. It is definitely office safe. And, it will stand out among most of the cookie cutter men's summer fragrances out there!

XX Artisan by John Varvatos This fragrance made me realise that a masculine smell doesn't have to be that "typical fresh men's cologne smell" I don't know what it is about this but its so clean, earthy and fresh, it gives the same vibes as a foggy rain forest. Once the fresh top notes fade it gives a spicy, woody, earthy, sensual and dark but green kind of vibe. This scent will make you smell put together no matter the occasion, formal wear or in the office? Its got you, casual wear with the misses or the lads? Its got you, hot summer lunch? no problem, Oh its raining and you're in a library/cafe? No worries, even in the gym it will have your back!!! This scent is deceptively versatile, I wouldn't wear it much in winter but honestly depending on where you're going and what you're doing it could totally work, its my signature scent now, its affordable, not typical and again pretty versatile, it lasts decently long, 8-10hrs and projects nicely for the first hour or so but its really more of a up close bubble scent, like you wont be filling up rooms but if someone walks past or is next to you then they will 100% be able to smell you. I love layering this with Jo Malone Vetiver & Golden vanilla when I want to sweeten up the scent a bit, if you have V&GV and XXA try layering them you won't be disappointed. DO NOT BLIND BUY THIS IF YOU'RE NOT A BIG VETIVER FAN. Beautiful scent, 8.6/10 I would recommend.

Based on the reviews on this page I thought xx must be vetiver dominating. But my first try reveals otherwise. It's heavy on citrus, too — ripe juicy citrus, which is why some say it smells like 'overripe fruit'. The vetiver here is not earthy nor sandy or smoky to my nose, but, due to critical herbal decorations, smooth and cool and even slightly powdery. It reminds me of Pure Artisan. They share some characteristics. I didn't get sichuan peper, to which I'm sensitive because I'm not into it, although I may admit a connection to sichuan pepper if I'm told so. Good longevity and moderate projection. Nice bottle. Possibly discontinued as I can find only batches produced in 2021. -------- update: after a few tries, I got used to the overripe citrus, and find the vetiver smokier and sandy — or it's just the cedar adding some smokieness. Anyway it's evelved in a direction that fascinates me. I love smoky vetiver, just the opposite of thin and papery vetiver like Vetyverio. A five star love.

Rating : 10 / 10 Boom! Price : Affordable I have never smelt such fresh but not zingy, yet woody smell in my fragrance journey Easy 10 / 10 How does this not mentioned via frags channel? It opens with well blended, non offensive bergamot citrus notes and the geranium just perfectly regulates the pepper "toned" accords that is just... soooo fitted with citrus top notes and then as it dries down vetiver kicks in, not heavy very light and fresh vetiver sits on my skin and overall OMG So masculine, fresh, green smell but not like mowing smell at all which is obnoxious Simply outstanding during hot summer days in my office or on weekend occasions I love fragrances with Zero sweetness and I found this gem by accident and I ordered a full 125 ml bottle. It's EDT, I mean u folks know how to apply EDT by now, u gotta spray frequently it's nothing of an issue. I can't get enough of smelling it, it's simply My kind of cologne.

whoever mentioned it plays hide and seek and 'whispers' in your nose was spot on (Still a Strong! fragrance ESPECIALLY FOR A JOHN VARVATOS ARTISAN) This fragrance is exemplification of #1 rule of fragrances are to be discovered not announced. Bold not overbearing; Sophisticated Clean and Masculine without Screaming "IM HARD AND TOUGH" Highly Refined as most John Varvatos, Tux Worthy sent. So versatile and Full of character in a fragrance world full of redundant synthetic swirls this is a refreshing yet warm find. Especially at this price. Small negative it be a bit much/dense on the nose which is why its great that it 'whispers' and plays hide n seek kinda solves that negative. If You DO NOT OVERSPRAY this! Can be ‘in your face’ if oversprayed (Its NOT like the freshie artisans.) My Top 3 out of 50..

The citrus, vetiver and pepper absolutely ping. Nice zesty, peppery opening. The dry down brings on the dry vetiver vibe. Also a small amount of booziness off my skin. Lovely blended scent. About 5-6 hours before you’ll need to reapply. Solid for the first hour (off 4 sprays). Dies off after that but you’ll get the occasional waft. Great for the office or date night. And, yes, there are some similarities to Tom Ford’s Grey Vetiver, especially after the 20-minute mark. If you’re a fan of TFGV, you’ll love this. For the price, this is a frag you’ll want in your collection.

Okay, I literally bought this one to put an order over $1,000 so I would get a better discount. Did not have high hopes, I own other JV stuff and like them all, don’t really LOVE any of them with the exception of artisan pure boosted with molecule 01. This one really surprised me, the bitter orange in the opening is rugged, so I was thinking that this was gonna be a shelf-king, but NOPE. The dry down is incredible! The citruses play off the cedar and musk incredibly well, all back up with light, masculine floral notes. I absolutely love this one. Sleeper for sure.

If this had better performance it would be a top tier vetiver fragrance alongside Grey Vetiver and Guerlain's Vetiver. Still, i love this from the first sniff. Easily top 3 best Varvatos scents, no doubt about it. It's a dry, but also very soapy vetiver with aromatic tones that smells more expensive than it is. It has this subtle ruggedness that makes it very masculine but at the same time very pleasant and calming. Even with moderate performance, the DNA is so good that i don't really mind the average longevity.

I really like this scent—I just wish it had more push. Beneath the fresh yet non-sweet citrusy opening, there's an earthy, almost metallic nuance that emerges on my skin. After a few minutes, the scent seems to play hide and seek with my nose: one moment it's there, the next it's barely detectable. But when it returns, it's such a pleasant surprise to rediscover. I sometimes wear it to bed, as the scent has a calming quality.

Artisan Pure mixed with Grey Vetiver. Outstanding fragrance. Dry, green, woody, a bit bitter which will be perfect for spring and summer. Way better than JV XX, which is super synthetic to me, this one harkens back to the glory days of the beautiful and unique Artisan line, only this time it lasts longer. A great light tonic you can spritz anywhere, anytime, to feel that uplifting fresh soapy zing.

I found the 125 milliliter size for $24 dollars. I had no idea what I was getting myself into and was pleasantly surprised when I tried it on. Very interesting scent. It smells great in the heat and I imagine it will be pleasant year-round. This is one of the better fragrances I've found at stores like Marshall's. Despite the price you may find it at, this is a well done fragrance.

I agree with most of the other positive reviews here and this one is less spicy and more green than the John Varvatos Limited Edition and I like it much better because it lasts longer. Also I believe the vetiver in the base notes is what I thought was cypress scent and I love cypress. It reminds me of Banana Republic Cypress Cedar but not as loud and is longer lasting.

This stuff is fantastic. 10/10. My go to work frag. It's pretty long lasting too, probably 6-8 hours. I was surprised it lasted that long after seeing some complaints here about longevity. No complaints from me. Love the bitter orange at the start and you are left with a nice woody, vetiver after an hour or so. Highly recommend.

what a masterpiece, did PDM Perseus got the idea from this? since PDM was released after XX? it starts off with a similar DNA to Epic Man Amouage, Lalique White, Agatho Fauno.. then about 20 mins later it settles as Perseus DNA. I really wanted to get this, but it would be redundant since i have all the mentioned above.

Lovely, fresh, fruity, spicy, woody. Better performance than some of the Artisan line. This juice has more character than a lot of department store citrus-woods, especially with that peppercorn note, while still being easy to find at low prices. Good bang for the buck.

Fantastic fragrance! I tried first in Spain and I absolutely fell in love with this fragrance. Very masculine, versatile, dark, bright, spicy...have it all. You are going to feel very unique and sexy with this one. I absolutely love it!!

If you are into Vetiver then this is a no brainer. It is sophisticated and well refined daily driver. The quality absolutely phenomenal. It surely doesn't smell cheap. One of the best blind but I ever had. And yes it is for Men only.

What a true gem I found! Amazing citusy musky woody vetiver that is true masculine, no kidding kind of perfume. Smells great and performs really well on me. Not your typical sweet bombs fragrances at all. So manly.

XX Artisan John Varvatos really does make me think of TF’s Grey Vetiver EDT. I already love my GV EDP so this XX is a much more affordable alternative than for me to get the GV EDP. So happy with this!

LOVE IT starts off like percival mixed with encre noire then turns soapy like that of bleu de chanel EDP. Definitely the best JV along with the original XX

Better than I expected. Nice dry and woody scent. I was expecting worse from this fragrance, but I’m actually surprised how much I like this.

Wow!!!! Just purchased this from Marshall’s at a really good price. Reminds me of GV from Tom Ford!!!! Really close.

What a phenomenal fragrance... Vetiver lovers dream!

In a similar vein of bottle and marine themes as Tommy Bahama Fragrances, Artisan collection is more luxurious and the fragrance is of quality and made in the USA. Artisan original got me hooked to JV, its soft and subtle almost like a cologne splash. I am not a fan of many citrus fragrances because they are usually typical, or generic or boring. When I smelled Artisan it was fresh, soothing and inoffensive for every occasion wear even after shower and bedtime if you're into wearing fragrances at night. When Artisan Black came out I needed to try it. Love at first whiff. Very similar to Artisan but stronger and had an added note that made it stand out and ready to take on night wear. it contains the same notes and orange essence but added a woody leather base with. This fragrance itself is ok as well as the Artisan Acqua. But I prefer Artisan Pure (or the original if you like more of a soft cologne splash. Artisan black, if you like something that lasts more and new notes) from all the Artisan collection. But Pure is much more fresh, stronger and with woody notes introduced at base so it works great for the day, summer, home, office even nights. I just got the Artisan XX Silver rattan bottle. Although it has orange and bergamot as top notes, to me its def not a citrus fragrance and nothing like the other Artisans. It smells like what platinum would smell like. But not metallic or synthetic like many other ordinary fragrances. Hence the silver color for the bottle possibly. Maybe its the pepper with musk and vetiver, it gives it a masculine musky working with metals scent. it dries a bit woody at the end with its cedar note. In the beginning the top bitter citrus notes with the pepper note in the background coming through balancing the notes gives off a windex cleaner vibe until it dries and the heart is revealed and pepper is dominant. Dont let this process put you off. This is a great unique masculine scent best when dried and when middle and base is dominant and reaches its happy medium. Always remember fragrances should not be judged upon first initial spray as your only whiffing the top notes and not when the heart balances all and leads you to its base which is after an hour and beyond.

Have you ever smelled pepper spray in the air? The main thing you need to know about this fragrance is that it is not for beginners. This is not your typical freshie. In fact, its fresher side goes away after a few minutes. The opening is a blast of bitter orange and spicy pepper and its bitter.. Once it dries, you are left with vetiver and pepper. The mid is the best part of this fragrance. It's the fresh part that only lasts 5 minutes. Very masculine. I just picked up a bottle a few days ago so I have ignored this fragrance since its release in 2020 and Im not upset about that. this is not blind buy worthy. I wouldn't wear it around a lot of people due to the level of pepper. If you are new to fragrances, you may not like it at first sniff but give it a couple wears and then decide. Also, this does not smell like TF- GV

Huge blast of vetiver in the opening then it calms down and I'm able to sense the whole composition. I like the geranium here giving it a soapy clean vibe. I could do without the pepper. If that had replaced with lavender or another soapy element to amp up the clean factor this would have hit it out of the park. Its slighly chemical smelling up close, but in the air this will still be very nice! If you're a young man who likes vetiver, but you feel like Guerlain, Tom Ford, and Encre Noir are a bit too dark, mature, or expensive, definitely check this out. Would also make a good introduction to Vetiver. Get this, and Encre Noir Sport, and you'll have a pretty good vetiver reference point. Like all Varvatos fragrances, its cheap as cheetos, and has a nice presentation, but you might need to bring a decant.

Light soapy floral spiced vetiver. Tom Ford Grey Vetiver mixed with YSL Lhomme Ultime vibes but lacks TFGV's punch or longevity, and quality. You'll smell good. Nothing unique. Its an office or casual scent. Not a date night scent. I like it but I have too many options I would choose over it to get a full bottle. I got a 10ml decant and will most likely sell or trade it. Truly I would have liked to have seen JV put out something more original for a 20th anniversary package or do an updated version of the original. Scent: 6/10 Longevity: 5/10 Performance: 5/10 Use: casual/office

Consistent to what others have said, this is a great vetiver scent for serious folks or serious situations. Not very synthetic or harsh, the woody notes are nicely balanced against some smooth florals and soft citrus. Not very strong but very gentlemanly. In this price range, it would be a good competitor for DG the one grey which is slightly brighter, And for just jack vetiver which has a stronger vetiver note. Not my favorite Varvatos but very good for office days.

This citrus based fragrance is very green and not at all like the other fragrances in the Artisan line. Since it is so much different it may take the user a moment to adjust expectations to fully appreciate this product. I love it, it is fresh but not overly bright and it lasts a full work day. If other Artisan scents are considered "juicy" than this would be considered "dry" in its nature. That is what makes it so awesome.

This is a great vetiver based summer perfume. I don't think it is a Grey Vetiver clone. I would rather say it comes in the same category as Grey Vetiver- fresh sparkling vetiver fragrance. The performance is decent. With about 10 sprays, it gives me around 6-7 hours of longevity with first couple of hours of arms-wide projection. I over-spray it if I am going outdoors. All-in-all it is an amazing perfume.

It's like Tom ford Grey Vetiver but there's a bitterness to this one and the floral element is very toned down, at least to my nose, suttle citrusy opening, clean but almost bitter vetiver scent. Good clean Low key type of scent which I like, really solid pickup for $30 bucks. it's a solid vetiver scent very neutral clean and "grey".

Pretty linear, but instant dry down of PDM’s Perseus. I love it as a dumb reach for daily wear, that fades and is fine to layer over with another scent for later in the day to evening. Makes it super functional for me to scratch my itch and to be able to wear different scents through the day.

Very austere and gentlemanly. The vetiver here is metallic and dominant, and the citrus bright. The performance is superb. On me this lasts as a skin scent for over 24 hours. If you can find this at a discounter or rack store it’s a no brainer for those who enjoy vetiver heavy scents.

Got my bottle today, love the presentation as with all the JV bottles, nice fresh , woody , masculine scent and very versatile . The opening and dry down is outstanding, performance could be better but I don’t really care 🤟🏻🤟🏻🤟🏻

Really light spicy/peppery scent. Smells like you put on nonscented lotion and sprinkled pepper all over yourself. With a dash of freshness. Not bad but not my vibe, I imagine a college professor wearing this. Office scent.

If you're in the market for a vetiver-dominant scent, this one won't let you down. Masculine and versatile. You can get a 4.2 oz. bottle for under $40... The word "no-brainer" comes to mind...

Perfect office fragrance for men. Nothing too special, smells very corporate, but it's a good pickup if you want something inoffensive and easy to wear.

I like this! Its quite affordable and a nice citrusy earthy scent, its not overly strong but dont overspray it. Bottle is really cool as well. 7/10

I got some mont blanc explorer vibe to this artisan anniversary. It smells great.

Really good bang for your buck, really longlasting. 8-10h

Agree with @rerthegreat - fresher, lighter Encre Noir, especially in the opening and mid. However, the drydown is dry/woody transparent/airy, similar to Bois Imperial (maybe akigalawood which has been used in other Varvatos fragrances and by the same perfumer, Olivier Gillotin), whereas Encre Noir drydown is more tart/bitter similar to Dior Homme Sport 2021. It’s much lighter and less green than both EN and Grey Vetiver. It lasts just as long for me, but does the disappearing/reappearing act. When I think it’s gone, others can still smell it.

Very dry vetiver. Similar to Lalique Encre Noir or Tom Ford Grey Vetiver. Nothing sweet, nothing easy. Punky vibe as all JVs. Spices and citruses hardly noticable and quickly gone. It's all about vetiver with no doubts. Not a blind buy. You need to learn Your brain to appreciate it. Rather for casual and offcial occasions.

It’s a vetiver bomb like Lalique Encre Noire. It remembers me the Sport flanker but less inky and a little bit more fresh, but the dry down is almost the same. It is better than EN Sport and makes me fell less sick but still too strong for me. I will return it because at least this one I can, the ENS unfortunately not lol.

I just picked up a 125ml bottle from Marshall's yesterday. This thing is supper peppery! I'm not a fan of this fragrance because it smells synthetic and has this annoying sharp vetiver that lingers through out its lifespan. Performance is very poor also. doesn't project at all. And it is headache inducing.

It's a woody/spicy Aromatic. It opens up with soapy citrusy then it changes like spicy in the background , dry down is woody spicy. It is not my cup of tea ! This perfume is synthetic ! Don't blind-buy it. Rating : 4 / 10

If you like vetiver you'll probably like this but if you don't I would not blind buy

I tested perfume before buy then i was liking it. Then i bought and use few times. After 1/2 month i start getting Sudden headaches for xx artisan. I don’t know why because i own 30+ perfumes I don’t get headaches from them.

Perspective: Seeing things in a different light or seeing them as they really are. If you have a large collection, you own grey vetiver, encre noire, then yes, you would see this as nothing unique, ho hum. If you are chasing the youtube reviews, scouring this page for information, then yes, I guess you could find this nothing special. Where I push back is that there is nothing like this sitting on most designer counters. I say most to factor in the fragrance counters that carry Tom Ford. This is an earthy, rooty, woody vetiver-forward vetiver fragrance that includes some of the soapy aspects of the artisan line. This is long-lasting, mature, a year-round signature scent. The longevity is good on this as well. Xx ligthens up a bit as it goes on. Unique because usually a fragrance like this starts out ligther and gets darker. There is some subtle bits of spice that come out but this fragrance is all about the vetiver and soap combo I mebntioned above. If you are the average consumer perusing the frag counters at a macys or boscovs, there is nothing like this. This is a one of a kind fragrance. Much the same way that Mont Blanc explorer is incredibly unique to everyone except the folks in this community where this is their passion, someone like me. I readily admit that from my perspective, this is not unique because I own the vetiver fragrances I mentioned. But there is no denying this is a unique fragrance given what is available and popular in your local stores. This is begging to have a flanker made of it. Dull gold wrap, and turn the flanker into a rendition of spice and wood. You sweeten this frag up just a bit, add some spices and you would have an absolute designer hit on your hands. Love the varvatos house and so happy to own this. Think of encre noire but not as intense and a bit fresher.

I agree with the reviews comparing this to TF Grey Vetiver. Considering the grey bottle, there’s no attempt to hide the connection. This also came out around the same time as Ganymede and Bois Imperiale and I’m sure there are similar aromachemicals in it (Akigalawood?), very likely a result of having another Givaudin perfumer (Olivier Gillotin) behind this. This takes the grey vetiver style and freshens it up in the manner of Ganymede and Bois Imperiale with that fresh airy quality while still remaining very woody, and then adds the very nice top notes of the original JV artisan. If you like grey vetiver, you’ll probably love this. If you dislike grey vetiver, this is still worth a try. Yes, it can have a cloying quality like all the above mentioned relatives, and if Grey Vetiver gives you nausea, this probably will, too, albeit to a lesser a degree and probably only up close. Having said all that, I’m not sure how much I’ll wear this. I own Bois imperiale and I never wear it because it’s just not my thing. However, I’d definitely reach for this over GV or BI and if you like those scents this offers a nice fresh alternative.