John Varvatos
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Bitter orange peel and basil collide immediately, all green stems and aromatic oils with barely any sweetness. The lavender cuts through with a camphorous edge, while bergamot adds citric brightness that reads more like crushed rind than juice—sharp, vegetal, almost aggressive in its freshness.
Clary sage takes centre stage with its herbaceous, slightly boozy character, whilst Egyptian geranium introduces a metallic, rosy facet that meshes with palmarosa's lemongrass-like intensity. Orange blossom absolute appears as a waxy, indolic presence rather than full florality, and iris contributes an earthy, carrot-root dryness that keeps everything grounded and angular.
Stone pine maintains a resinous freshness that refuses to fade completely, supported by cedar and patchouli's woody backbone. The pistachio tree resin emerges subtly, adding an almost imperceptible nuttiness that warms the composition without sweetening it—what remains is clean skin with an echo of crushed herbs and sap-stained wood.
Artisan Blu takes the blueprint of Mediterranean cologne and strips away the sunscreen sweetness, leaving something sharper and more cerebral. Flores-Roux has composed a fragrance that pivots on the tension between aromatic herbs and the ghost of citrus—the bitter orange and bergamot never quite bloom into full brightness, instead held in check by a muscular basil that borders on peppery. That French lavender isn't your grandmother's linen drawer either; it arrives with medicinal undertones that the clary sage amplifies, creating an almost gin-like clarity in the opening.
The heart is where things get interesting. Egyptian geranium brings its characteristic metallic rose facet, which collides beautifully with palmarosa's lemongrass sharpness and the waxy, lipstick-like quality of orange blossom absolute. Florentine iris adds a rooty, carrot-seed dryness rather than powdery softness. This isn't a fresh scent that plays it safe—it's angular and purposefully off-kilter, with green, vegetal edges that refuse to smooth themselves into approachability.
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4.0/5 (98)