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| John Varvatos Artisan Black |
John Varvatos Artisan Black
Do not be distracted by a monk’s habit, a doctor’s white coat, a king's scepter, or a judge’s black robe. By putting on a habit, one is not instantly infused with wisdom and understanding. Why do I bring this up? Cause
John Varvatos Artisan Black is allegedly a dark, woody interpretation of Artisan, which introduces a surprising symphony of contrasts with an initial brush of citrus evolving into a deep masculine structure of warm spices and abstracted musk with sensual woody and leathery accents. Actually, black is the color of the handcrafted rattan habit that covers the flask, ain't no the color of the scent's soul.
Artisan Black is far from being the perfect misty fragrance.
My first approach with
John Varvatos's colognes was Artisan original, which captured my senses with the fabulous bland of beachy citrus fruits, juices, peels, leaves, and blossoms and the distinctively handcrafted flask. It's without a doubt a floral scent but with fairly citrus and greenness to feel masculine and wearable. Later, I collected almost all the other JV colognes and Artisan's flankers, yet
Artisan Black was a scent I craved to try for a long time but was not available at shops or online, perhaps being a limited edition. Suddenly, a few weeks ago, I was advised about an eBay seller who submitted it, I did my bid and ultimately I won. The final price tag was very advantageous for such a spur-of-the-moment blind buy, merely less than 20 bucks, no matter if it was unboxed and tested a couple of times.
So, I'd be gleeful... Oh man, what a scent. On the back of my hand's skin,
Artisan Black is a woody, fresh cologne suitable for warmer weather, perfect for spring and summertime. You'd probably be shocked by looking at the olfactory pyramid but the scent itself is actually not so complex at all and moderately linear.
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| John Varvatos Artisan Black |
It opens up with the aroma of bright bittersweet mandarin, lemon, and plenty of blood orange, which is ruling and gives the sparkling vigorous taste of the Mediterranean isles. Blood orange is also known as Arancia Sanguinello or Rossa di Sicilia, is mainly grown in Sicily, south of Italy, and its juice is akin to fresh blood. This wonderful bitter and refreshing opening characterizes the composition even when neroli makes its entrance, and is tinged with a “water” note, but for once, I’m not at all upset by the melon-like calypsone. For a moment, I thought I was smelling Old Spice Classic, they share the same orangey spicy accord. I got some aromatic green notes, the mix of basil, mint, and thyme is fresh yet not outstanding. It is obvious that this is not going to be another citrus cologne.
The heart keeps the orangey tones, spicy green ginger, and lemony coriander seeds melt gracefully with night-blooming floral jasmine, neroli, and African orange blossom, and sometimes it is closely akin to
Custo Barcelona. Neroli is not the most masculine nor the most discreet note for a man’s fragrance and it takes a lot of discipline to keep it bright and calm, not allowing it to drown into sweet and dusky waters. As it warms on skin neroli blooms cheerfully capturing the essence of spring. The mixture remains light and dry and in that sense stays closer to the essence of the flower than other neroli scents that focus on the opulence of the extract and end up smelling like heavy musks instead of delicate flowers, yet the bitter orange blossoms in
Artisan Black are just blooming.
Then, in the blink of an eye, this spicy and citrus opening turns a bit darker and dusty thanks to the support of the woody and manly base notes such as synthetic orris root reminiscent of woody iris, modern patchouli that does not intrude on the show, white amber, sensual white musk, synthetic
Givodan Kephalis, rooty vetiver and various woods finish the scent with an earthy, heady tone,
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| John Varvatos Artisan Black |
Artisan Black is much stronger than original Artisan, and if you already own Artisan you could very well add
Artisan Black to your collection without feeling you’ve got scent twins on the shelf. Artisan is light and bright, juicy and breezy;
Artisan Black has more depth, feels a bit more “masculine” and has better sillage and lasting power, even if it is not a beast. Artisan Black is borderline sweet, but not too sweet for summer wear, and it doesn’t smell like dessert. The recurring criticism, however, is that the scent has poor projection and longevity. But, the weaker projection could actually be an unexpected bonus if you like colognes that are subtle, ones that are not meant to catch the attention of an entire room of people.
In the end, this is the perfect cologne for me not similar to any other scents in my wardrobe and I am extremely content with my purchase. If you are looking for a subtle gentlemen’s cologne with spiced, citrus, and vaguely floral notes, then this is the cologne for you.
-Elysium
orangey ·
citrus ·
spicy ·
floral ·
woody
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