Artisan Pure 
John Varvatos (2017)

I found myself looking at top 10 videos from 2018 in desperate search of a spring/summer fragrance that was unique enough for me to enjoy and also mass-appealing enough so I could wear it without worrying about bad reactions, and affordable but also not cheapie smelling. I see the Lacoste L1212 and Abercrombie First Instinct called out often, but smelling like melons is just such a strange concept to me. AdG Absolu is extremely popular after the big bottles went 60% off on black friday 2022, but a sweet aquatic smells so "cologne-guy", a category almost as bad as "old man cologne guy".

After seeing JVAP called out in multiple videos, I tried on 4 sprays in Macy's and went right in. It's Neroli Portofino Forte! If you don't believe me, check out the perfumer for both and notice it's the same gentleman behind both, and they are both his most popular fragrance (single). It definitely gave me a headache because I can't stop enjoying this. It's herbacious and floral enough for spring AND citrusy and floral enough for summer, AND cheap enough to overspray, AND a fairly safe scent (unless someone hates the smell of citrus blossom, in which case you should probably avoid that psychopath anyways).

Even though it's nothing like Sauvage, it still gets compared to the king of citrus and the king of ambroxan. Oversimplifying, Sauvage EDT takes the lemon cleaner smell edge off with black pepper the same way as JVAP does with floral and herbal notes. This makes JVAP a more floral springtime scent whereas Sauvage is straight up "blue" that everyone "expects" a men's fragrance to smell like.

This is praised as the definitive vacation scent, but to me it's the definitive *beach* vacation scent with that south european twist and I almost feel like wearing this anywhere else would be out of place. My closing remark is that this feels like Versace pour Homme minus tonka bean and 4x the neroli - they are really that similar even though VPH lasts about an hour, is plain and boring, but also cheap.

Unfortunately, if you watch Fragrance Room's videos where women react to this, nearly all of them hate this fragrance and rate it below 4/10. While I definitely believe in wearing colognes for yourself, it's not a good idea for a hetero guy to wear something women are repulsed by. I actually ended up buying Versace Man Eau Fraiche, Hermes Eau Givree, and Sauvage EDT (EDP is too weak, Parfum is trash, Elixir is more trash, don't @ me) for my summer arsenal.

This, friends, is what we call a “summer banger”. And a head turner. Could never call this boring and without character. Are we talking about the same product? This is bold, confident perfumery. And like it or not (I like it) it’s original and unique.

Artisan Pure zaps you with Italian citrus - I get mostly a deep, cloved orange that never leaves - and then adds woods that get smooth and creamy by the end. There’s an herbal quality to Artisan Pure, but it’s not the least bit green. That dark orange adds so much character. It’s tangy, spicy and sophisticated.

Pretty linear, and JV isn’t known for their projection, but this performs decent, and just smells sooooo good.

Not much citrus to my nose but I like it. I can't differentiate individual components like so many on here but it's a scent that seems to fit nicely on a cloudy day. It has a light but unique smell that won't knock people down, which is a plus for me, which fits one aspect of my personality and is something I can just enjoy.

Oh, this perfume is really worth be the best luxury rich feels smelling I've been looking for my whole life. This citrusy story is very unique and unforgettable. Been in my heart all the time since I've try it! So please don't discontinue this Artisan Pure. Pure love, Pure memories. Love quality and rich composition, bravo Rodrigo. Hi from Russia, Moscow.