John Varvatos for Men

John Varvatos EDT was released over 15 years ago and has enjoyed plenty of popularity since then. In fact, it’s still in production, which can’t be said about many of its contemporaries.  However, is it actually a worthwhile cologne for men? What does it smell like? What are the notes? Does it even last for a long time?

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What does John Varvatos Cologne Smell Like?

Notes include: leather, vanilla, amber, malt, dates, tamarind tree leaf, balsam, and more

Click here to try: John Varvatos for Men

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My Full Wear Review

Before we get into my review, let’s see how the brand describes this cologne: A bold, modern and sophisticated scent with a refined, masculine intrigue. 

John Varvatos for Men opens up with its leather note coming out in full force.  The leather is the strongest part of this fragrance, and is going to be a mainstay throughout. So, if that’s not your thing, look elsewhere.

Now, in the opening, the leather is joined by its spicier/woody notes. I get a nice dose of fir, oud, and what I guess is tamarind. I’m not really familiar with the scent of that wood.

Actually, when I spray this cologne on a t-shirt, it comes across as much spicier than on my skin. On the skin, it feels warmer and sweeter. The sweetness initially is from the dates and amber, but then, vanilla and a touch of caramel come into play.

Vartvatos for Men feels very smooth, dry, and always has that sweet finish. The spicy feeling fades away on my skin, about 15 minutes into the wear, and then it moves completely into its sweet phase.

I don’t want to make like it seem as if its a gourmand type of scent, it is not. You are mostly going to get leather, woods, and amber. About after an hour, the smell is about what it’s going to be for the rest of the wear.

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Sillage, How Long it Lasts, and Versatility

Sillage wise, John Varvatos is a light to moderate wear. It starts off really solid, but then, it will be detectable from about 3-4 feet away. That is, unless you go heavier on the sprays.

Which, I absolutely would go heavier than usual with this fragrance.

How long will Varvatos last? Well, somewhere in the 4-7 hour range. If I double or triple up the sprays, I can hit the upper limit. Under most conditions, I would expect it to be in the 4-5 hour range.

It’s kind of got a wide number of potential outcomes versus a lot of other scents. It’s not the most consistent performer.

Is the performance good? Not particularly. It’s not absolutely terrible, but fairly mediocre. Which is disappointing, because the aroma is very enjoyable.

It’s still useful, if you happen to have a bottle, just not going to be an elite level wear.

Seasonally, I’d say that you can wear it anytime outside of summer. It’s not a great cologne to have on in the heat, but it is when the temperature drops off.

Versatility wise, it delivers a great smelling and masculine smell, that can be worn in a wide variety of situations. It’s mature enough to have on at the office, but has that edge to it, to be called ‘sexy’. I can wear this out for an evening or dressed more formally.

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Overall Impressions of John Varvatos Cologne

Do I enjoy this fragrance? I do. I think that it smells really nice. I like a good leather fragrance and this is one with mass appeal. Beyond that, it uses notes like dates or balsam fir, which give it a unique profile versus your standard cologne.

The only real problem that I have with it, is the performance. Which, again, isn’t completely awful. If you can get a discount on a full bottle, that’s when I would recommend picking it up.

Full price? Probably not, just based on the performance. This one can for over $100 per bottle at full retail. I’d be trying for a pretty substantial price break if I wanted a bottle of Vintage.

The amber and leather are great here. I also really like the transition from dates to more of a vanilla finish. John Varvatos is a good fragrance that could’ve been great.