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Almost 5,000 posts and I've never tested...

post #1 of 18
8/25/10 at 10:51pm
Thread Starter 
Zino by Davidoff.

Until tonight that is. Wow, this scent is amazing. It's floral/dirty mix calls to mind Ungaro II although this scent is simultaneously less buoyant (in the opening) and less stuffy.

I can't believe this is being discontinued.

If anyone has some time, I'd really appreciate you looking through my tested list and point out some other "essentials" that I've managed to miss (and there are quite a number of them I'm sure).

Also, who is the nose behind Zino?

edit: Not sure if I'm the only one who picks this up but I pick up a definite myrrh vibe in the drydown.. a LOT of it. Maybe it's just the patchouli mixing with the jasmine and lily, but it smells like myrrh to my nose.
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post #2 of 18
8/26/10 at 12:26am
I don't believe any fragrance is "essential," but these are all worth knowing:

Annick Goutal - Eau du Sud, Sables
Aramis - original, Devin, JHL, 900
Cacharel - Pour L'Homme
Pour un homme de Caron
Dunhill Edition
Etro - Messe de Minuit
Romeo Gigli Uomo

It also looks like you haven't sampled the Parfumerie Generale line, which I'm guessing you'd like, but it seems to me this thread is about the ubiquitous ones you may have overlooked, not the esoteric ones you've yet to pursue...
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post #3 of 18
8/26/10 at 12:53am
Thread Starter 
Hey, I'm all for any recommendations. I've sadly missed sampling many lines as there's no where near that has them (even the closest Macy's is 70 miles away!).

I've yet to sample any Lorenzo Villoresi, Parfumerie Generale, or Tom Ford scents (although my impression is that I wouldn't *love* many from the TF line). Annick Goutal is another house I've just barely scraped the surface of.

Thanks for the recommendations Paul.
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post #4 of 18
8/26/10 at 1:00am
You haven't sampled any of the Tom Ford line? WOW man...you're missing on a lot. For the regular line, Black Orchid EdP is a must, I'll also recommend extreme and white patchouli. They're all great but I'd almost consider black orchid a classic, I feel it's a women scent that is better worn by a man, and I mean that literally, I'm not saying it in the same sense as "it's ok for a man to wear this womens fragrance".

As for the private blends, nothing fancy there, most of the fragrances are quite simple, but very very very well done. I recommend all of them, even though not all of them are good, but once you like one of them, it's very straight forward wether you should get it or not.

Man, how can you not try Tom Ford, sure I've never been BLOWN by a Tom Ford fragrance, maybe black orchid a little bit. But it's a house that has consistent quality. Amber Absolute, Noir de Noir and Tobacco Vanille are my favorites in that order. Yet to try Purple Patchouli but from what I've heard it's also amazing.

Ok, I'm rambling too much, just go and try some.
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post #5 of 18
8/26/10 at 1:16am
I dunno, I always thought that Heritage EdP smelled close to Zino...
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post #6 of 18
8/26/10 at 1:25am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ekove View Post

You haven't sampled any of the Tom Ford line? WOW man...you're missing on a lot. For the regular line, Black Orchid EdP is a must, I'll also recommend extreme and white patchouli. They're all great but I'd almost consider black orchid a classic, I feel it's a women scent that is better worn by a man, and I mean that literally, I'm not saying it in the same sense as "it's ok for a man to wear this womens fragrance".

As for the private blends, nothing fancy there, most of the fragrances are quite simple, but very very very well done. I recommend all of them, even though not all of them are good, but once you like one of them, it's very straight forward wether you should get it or not.

Man, how can you not try Tom Ford, sure I've never been BLOWN by a Tom Ford fragrance, maybe black orchid a little bit. But it's a house that has consistent quality. Amber Absolute, Noir de Noir and Tobacco Vanille are my favorites in that order. Yet to try Purple Patchouli but from what I've heard it's also amazing.

Ok, I'm rambling too much, just go and try some.

I've always gotten the impression that most of them were heavy, dense, and linear - a combination of traits that I just can't do (with rare exception, such as M7). That, and since I have to always order my samples, I've always found other things that sounded more intriguing or up my alley at the time. I will try to test Black Orchid and his regular line of scents, as those are the ones I'm more likely to find appealing. I'm also interested in Oud Wood, but feel no pressing need to sample it having M7 in my drobe.
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post #7 of 18
8/26/10 at 7:14am
This post reminds me that Im 34 and have yet to see the Godfather movies....someday.
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post #8 of 18
8/26/10 at 8:52am
it's about time you go to confess your sins SOS Zino is amazing... and it reminded me of Ungaro III and not II for some reason...

Tom Ford Black Orchid and Noir de Noir are amazing concoctions. Velvet Gardenia will challenge you with it's sheer complexity. PG...well it;s a never ending cycle!
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post #9 of 18
8/26/10 at 2:16pm
Have you tried the original Davidoff by Davidoff, SOS?? It's a really great one!
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post #10 of 18
8/26/10 at 2:25pm
Have you tried Acteur?
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post #11 of 18
8/26/10 at 4:49pm
SoS, I'm glad you like this one. I quite like it as well. It comes out across as really strong in the first few testings, but then things start to come out a bit more clear. I wish it lasted better.
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post #12 of 18
8/27/10 at 10:39pm
Thread Starter 
I got really good longevity from Zino, actually. It was still detectable, although quite a bit lighter, 10+ hours after application.

I really like the scent for the first couple hours, but I don't feel it evolves enough in the drydown and what was once interesting first becomes boring and then almost tiresome. It's a shame because the medicinal effect of the rosewood/lily/myrrh/patchouli in the heart is really, really enjoyable, especially juxtaposed against that dirty, slightly fecal note.

I really like it but I think if I owned it that, whenever an occasion would come up where I might wear Zino, I'd end up choosing Ungaro II over it.
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post #13 of 18
4/1/12 at 1:00am
plus one on acteur..beautiful rose
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post #14 of 18
4/1/12 at 1:09am
Zino is one of my favorite dark leathery, even boozy scents
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post #15 of 18
4/1/12 at 1:13am
I personally find Zino (currently version) a bit to much, somewhat unbalanced.
I would suggest you as a substitute (most likely you have already tried it, anyways) Guerlain Heritage EDT
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post #16 of 18
4/1/12 at 1:36am
I was given a sample of this recently. I liked its top notes, but thought the composition was rather heavy and 'synthetic'. I'll give it another try some day soon and report back, so to speak.
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post #17 of 18
4/1/12 at 2:13am
Zino (vintage or older formulas) is indeed a very well made and balanced fragrance.
From your Test List, I wouldn't skip over Davidoff (1984), Dune PH, TF - Grey Vetiver, Givenchy - Insense, L'Instant de Guerlain EDT...
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post #18 of 18
4/1/12 at 7:21am
Zino is a very fine scent IMO.
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