Zino Davidoff (1986)
by Davidoff

Unfortunately, I purchased blindly as did a few others and that's such a dumb thing to do. Sometimes you get lucky sometimes you don't. In this case I didn't. It sits in my drawer stinking. I tried again today to give it another chance and oh boy does it smell. Oh I certainly can smell fecal notes in this as someone earlier posted mentioned. Interesting and complex doesn't begin to describe the odor. There are many adjectives that come to mind to describe this one. I can't imagine giving it away because I don't know anyone who would want to smell like this.

The sharp, crisp scents of lavender and sage are quite shocking. I wish that lasted forever instead of getting the sandalwood and amber base accord.

This review is under revision.

The aesthetic here is very 80's, "more-is-more": the opposite of Jean-Claude Ellena's transparent recent fragrances, which give the impression of a steady murmur. <br>Zino talks circles, talks crazy, talks sexy, talks its way through all the sections of the Times, and then begins to explain occult diagrams from the Hermetic Museum. Zino motions you into a back room, claiming it has a flagon made of Byron's skull, it's a joke in dead earnest. <br>Zino is a beautiful companion for a dark and busy mind, a mad distraction for the already distracted.

This was a blind purchase and i failed don't like this one bit this is the first fragrance i actually washed off myself might even be the worst i ever smelled

Zino Davidoff starts out with a very bold lavender and citrus accord that recalls such classics as Bois du Portugal, The Third Man, and even Jicky (without the civet). Some sweet spices and woods join in over the next few minutes, followed quickly by a very rich and rounded rose note. Settling into its heart, Zino Davidoff becomes a sweetened rose and wood scent, seasoned with geranium and resting on an oriental base of vanilla and smooth sandalwood.

Zino Davidoff does not turn soapy as it dries down, as do Bois du Portugal and The Third Man, nor does it veer toward hyper-masculine leather in the manner of, say, Antaeus. It seems to me instead quite balanced - even classical - in its poised approach to the woody oriental genre. Granted, Zino Davidoff is potent, especially in its first few minutes, but it evolves into a versatile and wearable scent that's far less overwhelming than its oriental successors Opium, A*Men, Le Male, and Pi. These days Zino Davidoff is probably underused, under-rated, and deserving of a wider public.