Good Life for Men opens with relatively sweet green fig leaf coupling with an aromatic bergamot and lavender co-starring tandem. As the composition moves to its early heart the green fig leaf and aromatic lavender remain now as co-stars adding slightly tart grapefruit to the mix with additional subtle melon support. During the late dry-down the composition eschews most of its sweetness turning distinctly ambery with supporting green oakmoss and dry woods through the finish. Projection is very good and longevity good at about 8-10 hours on skin.
Ever since Good Life for Men was discontinued I have read many praising the composition, and demand must be there as prices have steadily increased. Just like many other discontinued compositions, however, the legend is often larger than the actual result so it is time to see if Good Life for Men really deserves its stellar reputation. I have worn the composition three days in a row and am again wearing it as I write this review. I am afraid despite my love of its classy bottle, for me Good Life for Men is really not so good. Oh yes, it does have some green aspects that are appealing, like the slightly synthetic smelling fig leaf, but the clover derived green sweetness that makes itself known early and hangs around with the fig through the mid-section is too sweet for my tastes. The woody amber dry-down is nothing new either, with only some green oakmoss adding an interesting twist, though far from original either. At the end of the day, this composition must have been designed to appeal to Davidoff's Cool Water crowd, as that really was their big hit (by the same perfumer Bourdon, no less) but alas, lightning rarely strikes twice and Cool Water in its original vintage form is a lot better composition than Good Life for Men. The bottom line is the approximately $170 per 125ml bottle on the aftermarket Good Life for Men is a valiant attempt by Davidoff and Bourdon to revive the house's greatest commercial success, Cool Water, but while appealing this "good" 3 star out of 5 rated composition comes up a bit short.
