Vetiver Citron Cologne Intense
Art of Shaving (2016)

I purchased Vetiver Citron Intense from Burlington Coat Factory for $1.99. I also purchased Coriander & Cardamon for $3.99, along with Green Lavender for $14.99. The first two are 30 mls and the third is a 100 ml. I haven't tried the latter two yet,but I'm glad I got the deal on the Vetiver, for at full retail it's certainly a pass.
The citron in the opening is sharp.The vetiver is rooty/earthy. I do enjoy an earthy vetiver,but there are better options out there. There is a tonka presence that smooths it some, but I wouldn't want to spray this one on my chest.It's to sharp.It's not necessarily astringent, but certainly citron.

If you can find Vetiver Citron at a TJMAXX, Burlington, Ross or Marshall's, I wouldn't hesitate,but anywhere else,no.There's others.
You can get a tester of Guerlain's Vetiver for like $26 to $29 .
Guerlain's Veitver is refined and easy to wear.
The Art of Shaving states that Citron Veitver is,
but it's not.
I just sprayed Vetiver Citron on a napkin.
Ummm, if you like citron candles , you'll be ok with a purchase of this one . Just don't overpay for it.

Just sprayed Coriander&Cardamon on another napkin .
Oh , that's nice . Kinda fading already. I need to keep moving the napkin.That's ok. Spray some on the my jeans . It will be good with a breezy day.
BTW, you'll need to decant.
Happy hunting all.

Edit . March 2nd 2021.
Wore Vetiver Citron on skin , and I did spray my chest.On skin the citron isn't sharp at all .Very earthy, Lasted ok.
I did a side by side with Guerlain's Vetiver and they are more than different enough to own both. Guerlain's projected off my skin longer.
Both nice , if you can find The Art of Shaving's at a good price, and since I found this one at a great price ,which means they'll pop up on the boards, then you'll most likely be able to also.

Vetiver Citron is a solid addition to TAOS's fragrance line. It delivers on both fronts--a lovely, rooty vetiver and some fresh lemon and grapefruit. The other notes--pepper, tonka, etc.--play supporting roles. Vetiver Citron reminds me strongly of the scent which probably inspired it, Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver, but at a fraction of the price. Part of the "Cologne Intense" line, I do not find that this is a sillage monster or particularly intense in any way which actually makes it a perfect all-rounder, completely appropriate for the office. As the notes suggest, this works extremely well in warm weather.

This is a good, uncomplicated masculine green fragrance. You could end the review right here and not feel misled, but there is always more to something than the initial reaction. The Art of Shaving has been slowly taking themselves upmarket in the world of wet shaving since their inception, whilst also trying painfully to maintain their post-modernist hipster "grassroots" edge, being as the edges of their actual razors are already pretty sharp. Unfortunately, the "gentrified hipster" is a real and actual creature, and mostly represents a high-earning Caucasian male in his late 20's or early 30's the tech industry trying to keep in touch with a sense of humility by surrounding himself with outmoded working-class culture from the previous century. It's almost as if spinning vinyl records on pricey vintage Hi-Fi equipment and driving a restored 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme would make such a fellow fit in with "the poors" when the same demographic he unwittingly parodies can't even afford car or home ownership anymore, let alone concern themselves with "vintage blue-collar" anything. However, some of us out there do unironically enjoy cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and look to establishments like Art of Shaving as a convenient way to test drive wet shaving products we'd otherwise have to buy blind off the internet, so it can't be said that they only serve their target demographic. In the case of Vetiver Citron Cologne Intense (2016) it looks like the brain-trust behind their fragrances (Proctor & Gamble) have tried their hand at a proper vetiver fragrance for men, rather than some mega-citrus blast overloaded with Iso E Super that many designers pass off as vetiver scents these days, and for that I am appreciative. This won't knock your socks off if you're a veteran of classic vetivers from all the old names like Carven, Guerlain, Lanvin, and Givenchy, but it is better than most things in the price range it dwells and touches upon niche style.

The overall gist of Vetiver Citron Cologne Intense is to be a "whole vetiver" fragrance, much like the vetiver products Roja Dove offers, although it isn't made with anywhere near the same level of blending or richness. In some ways, I see the style of Vetiver Citron Cologne Intense as a "poor man's" precursor to Roja Dove Vetiver pour Homme Cologne (2019), as it exhibits a similar full-bodied style and lightness. There are more synthetics going on here than in the $300 Roja Dove take on the same idea, and no litsea cubeba (a star player in all of Dove's vetivers), but this is 90% similar at 1/3rd the price. Perhaps P&G reverse-engineered the older EdP version of the Roja Dove, or just got really close to the same conclusion using different ideas, but to say they're kissing cousins isn't far from the truth. The smell of Vetiver Citron is opens with bergamot, lemon, and grapefruit, but quickly settles into the grassier aspects of vetiver in the heart which most of us recognize. There is black pepper, artemisia, and cardamom to offer a spicy herbal masculinity, with a touch of animal warmth in the base from a well-placed labdabum/patchouli combo. Not quite chypre thanks to judicious tonka usage, Vetiver Citron Cologne Intense then rolls in the nuttier, earthier vetiver root into the final dry down, with synthetic wood notes like javanol and cashmeran showing up to remind you this is still basically a mall fragrance. Of course the dry down is where most comparisons to Roja Dove drop out, although I'm not suggesting that the dry down isn't perfectly nice, as once again The Art of Shaving have put many similarly-priced designer offerings to shame by demonstrating that something well-crafted and believable can be marketed at this level. Wear time is a little shorter on this than other Art of Shaving Cologne Intense versions at about 6 hours, as is performance from a projection standpoint, but considering Vetiver Citron is keyed mostly for warm-weather aromatic freshness, it can used outdoors or layered over top something like Green Lavender Cologne Intense (2016) or their popular Coriander & Cardamom (2016) range in colder surrounds.

The good thing about Vetiver Citron is how approachable and unpretentious it is compared to some of the Art of Shaving line, since it doesn't try to pass itself off as being something that it's not like Oud Suede (2016) or Sandalwood & Cypress (2016), instead just smelling like it sounds. Another good thing (or potentially bad thing for future availability) is how often this one seems to get discounted or end up on gray market sites like eBay for low prices, which may mean eventual discontinuation for lack of sales like L'Occitane's Eau de Vetyver (2001) if it isn't already by the time you read this review. However, for the moment this means you don't have to pay $100 for a full bottle if you end up enjoying a sample you may get from their stores. I'm not sure I'm on board with a full suite of available shaving products in this scent, as I see vetiver as more of something worn during the day and I mostly shave at night, even if I could see someone in love with the stuff going all-out on it. Vetiver is a hard subject to tackle with authenticity and distinction because it is the most commonly-used note in men's perfume, and so many cheap bogus vetiver scents attest to that fact, although The Art of Shaving have done an admirable job of bringing something better than your average designer vetiver flanker to the table with Vetiver Citron Cologne Intense. This definitely won't replace anything like what Etro, Diptyque, or Lalique does with vetiver in the quality and performance department, but satisfies within the intended wet shaving/casual fragrance context as a valid addition to vetiver genre. The best part of all is you don't need to be a fan of Mumford & Sons, use pomeade in your hair, or have a large collection of old Commodore PCs from the 80's to enjoy it! Thumbs up.

Nice with a very modern woodsy take. I just purchased this as I saw it discounted for a really good price, considering I have Sandalwood and Lemon from the TAOS line, I really enjoy this one. I didn't get the old-fashion vibe as others mentioned.
What I do get is a strong vetiver cardamom mix with a woodsy, citrusy flare tucked underneath. Vetiver Citron is nice, with a promising stay.

(Reminds me of a stronger Prada Infusion Homme; Prada is lite and powdery with a soft laundry aroma that envelops. Vetiver Citron is woodsy and heavy, yet is has that laundry feel, however not like Prada...again, just what this reminds me of.)

Performance: 7/10
Longevity: 7.5/10
Silage: 8/10
Projection: 8/10
Overall: 8/10