Good Life for Men Davidoff 1998 Eau de Toilette

""Everything was better in the past!"" my father always says. And I always feel like the two kids from the TV series "How I Met Your Mother" when "Ted Mosby" as the older narrator wants to tell them the seemingly millionth story about their friend group. Eye-rolling is the least of it.

Well, so be it. I too will probably annoy my fellow humans with my wisdoms when I reach a certain age. If I’m not already doing so...

Was everything better in the past? Well, the "Rivaner" was still called "Müller-Thurgau," people played "Federball" instead of "Badminton," and "Twix" still caressed my palate as "Raider." In short, before it then ensured that my waistband became ever tighter.

On Saturday evenings, one would first watch one of the multiple episodes of the cozy "Schwarzwald-Klinik" and let one’s life be determined by the almost "oracular" wisdoms of the equally indestructible and white-coated Professor Brinkmann (always with a stethoscope around his neck). One didn’t even have to change the channel, as "Wetten Dass" followed with beautiful regularity on ZDF. Back then, it was still with the always friendly Frank Elstner, who could only be criticized for the shape of his glasses.

On Sundays, a similarly red-haired and white-clad Boris Becker would chase colorful felt balls on green grass (mostly very successfully), and one could still cheer along in front of the TV. And innocent men were not yet exposed to infamous seed theft in dark broom closets.

So one sat there and knew: The world is in order. Even if the above-mentioned kids (from HIMYM) didn’t yet know how their father had met their mother. Nevertheless, their world seemed to be in order.

That was, of course, a mistake. Because: The world had not yet seen "Good Life," which only made its way to the shelves in 1998. Sure, there was Davidoff's "Zino" and "Cool Water." Also great milestones of perfume art. But the world was - I hope you’ll allow me this little pun - obviously still too "timid" for a masculine fig scent from Davidoff.

And anyway: "Davidoff!!!"
Everything was really better back then: I’ve already mentioned "Zino" (1986) and "Cool Water" (1988). Of course, also the great "Relax" that was released in 1990.

And today? Well, even though we men are known to be creatures of habit and certainly do not possess the flexibility of a woman, I would have gotten over this matter with the "Raider" and the "Twix." And Thomas Gottschalk on "Wetten Dass" was still great cinema. And I don’t drink so much "Müller-Thurgau" that the renaming by the bulbous-nosed winemaker I trust would have decisively led my life astray. Not to mention my badminton... pardon... "badminton skills."

But when Davidoff started making us men adventurers in 2008 ("Adventure"), I sensed something ominous. Even in 2010, I didn’t quite feel like a "Champion" when spraying the latest creation. Maybe it was also because I already failed miserably at lifting the bottle, which was designed in a sporty dumbbell shape, and thus had to shamefully abandon my intention to match Arnold Schwarzenegger at least in a sporting sense right at the starting blocks of bodybuilding. Not to mention his political career...

In 2012, Zino Davidoff still invited me to an olfactory game ("The Game"). Well, this turned out to be as much fun as a Wimbledon final with table tennis paddles. Or with badminton... I guess I will never get used to it. Or, to stay with the image of the artistically designed casino bottle: In "Casino Royal," James Bond's adversary "Le Chiffre" also only had brief joy in the shared card match. Quite right: He was indeed a nasty fellow!

Speaking of "nasty fellows": What followed from Davidoff were multiple flankers to "Cool Water" and just this "The Game." But by then, Zino Davidoff had already lost me.

But now to the actual topic of this essay: The masculine fig! And indeed in one of its highest forms. Namely in "Good Life."

This is advertised on the internet as follows:
"A distinctive fragrance of honest, original character. A mirror of the desires and wishes of the modern, self-confident man. He seeks the balance between material success and deep emotionality and finds his harmony through inner satisfaction. Davidoff Good Life embodies what is most important to him: joy and happiness."

Am I such a man? Do I thus belong to the olfactory prey scheme?

I cannot say for sure. In any case, I always felt not only "joy and happiness," but found my "harmony through inner satisfaction" when I sprayed this fragrance. Oh, what am I saying! Every time I got to hold this wonderful bottle artwork.

Already the first spray from the bottle (have I mentioned how wonderful I find this bottle?) reveals a gentle refreshment through bergamot, grapefruit, and black currant. To prevent it from drifting too much into the "Tutti Frutti" direction (which also used to be on TV!!!), a bit of lavender is added to these fruits.

But what comes next? A wonderful fig!
It is not a green fig like the colleagues from Acqua di Parma ("Blu Mediterraneo - Fico di Amalfi" from 2006).
It is not a delicate-creamy, almost feminine fig like in the "Armani Privé" line ("Figuier Eden" from 2012)
No!!! It is a masculine fig. A ripe and thus sweet fig. However, not too sweet. For that, we still have a breeze of magnolia, which - as already mentioned - takes away the sweetness without drifting into the feminine.

And then? Then it gets really masculine. Of course, without drifting into the "Chuck Norris feeling": Noble sandalwood, dry clove, warm amber.

And what else? Tea! Yes, indeed: This fig-tea combination is outstanding: In the base, when the tea is being brewed, this wonderful fig-magnolia combination fades out and merges into a total artwork.

I have not found a masculine fig scent of comparable quality until now.

I just sacrificed the last drop of my "Good Life" for this test. Farewell!

Everything was probably better in the past...