Zino Davidoff 1986 Eau de Toilette

Zino Eau de Toilette is one of those fragrances that I came to because of the approachable price tag, and I stayed because of the beautiful scent. It carries that vintage barbershop vibe from the late 80s like few others do, and the composition itself is done masterfully. It's probably Davidoff's best juice ever and my definition of a "feel-good" scent.

Now, let me start by saying that if you're not too fond of lavender, then this might not be for you, because the opening hits you with a blast of intoxicating lavender, aided by some citrus and spice in the background and a herbaceous/sweet clary sage. The rosewood brings its own character to the play, enveloping the whole scent in a warm woody-floral aura. It's honestly one of my favorite openings in a fragrance. Also, did I mention the lavender? I did? Good.

Moving on, the heart notes make their apparition, very smoothly so. You get the slight floral freshness with green nuances from lily of the valley, the darker and iconic rose spicy-sweet odor, and a touch of jasmine sweetness. The geranium blends in with the rose, adding maybe a more notable herbaceous edge. Either way, the lavender is still the main protagonist, easily overpowering the rest of its peers.

Lastly, Zino Eau de Toilette treats us with a delightful base of creamy, warm, soothing sandalwood, paired and balanced perfectly with the vanilla and tonka bean. The patchouli is held in a leash, not overpowering the rest of the notes with its typical earthy, musky, rich odor, but it is still detectable. You'll hardly pick up on the amber on its own, given how well it blends in with the rest of the notes that share accords. The lavender keeps going strong for like the first two hours of the wearing, after which you're left with a creamy, warm base of goodness.

But all good things have their endings, unfortunately. And Zino Eau de Toilette's arrives too soon. Its performance is decent at best, getting about 6 hours on my skin. Others seem to get better longevity out of it, while others even worse. Is it skin chemistry, is it batch differences, is it both... who knows? All I wish for is a couple of more hours. Similar story in terms of projection. About two feet of projection for the first half an hour, after which it takes a step down to about one foot for one more hour or so, and then it pretty much becomes a skin scent. Hardly impressive performance overall, but in the end, even good things in excess become bad for you, so... I'll take it as it is.

Back on the positive route, Zino Eau de Toilette also proved to be one of the most versatile fragrances I've tested. Its softer projection surely aids it in this, but even the scent on its own, it fits nearly any context I can think of in any weather. Leisure wear, school, work, dressed-up events, dates... Not really Swiss Army Knife-level of versatility, but it is damn easy to wear.

And given all that, it's no wonder how Zino Eau de Toilette became one of the fragrances I reached out to the most in my cabinet (samples/decants included) in just a matter of days. It's soothing, calming, gentle; it's easy to wear, it's smooth and well-blended, it's EXTRAORDINARILY priced ($20 for 125ml)... If only that performance was a nudge better, it would've been signature-worthy for me. But nonetheless, if I'm ever unsure what to wear and just want something simple yet comforting, I reach for Zino Eau de Toilette.

Overall Rating: 6.7/10