Zen for Men Shiseido 2009 Eau de Toilette

After my girlfriend has been using the women's version for months and I really like it, the men's version has been on my testing list for a long time as well. Unfortunately, Zen for men has been extremely rare for me to find, so I was almost about to order it blindly. Just before placing the order, I saw it at Karstadt and immediately sprayed it on.

Often, even with good fragrances, the desire to purchase is significantly lower after testing, as you now know it and have even left a comment here. This is different here; Zen is so special, versatile, and difficult to assess. I didn't expect that, and it has secured a high spot on my shopping list since it is also sold at moderate prices. But why does it score a solid 90% with me?

Because it represents a medium-sized mystery, and I love that after a year of almost daily sniffing, I can still smell things that are completely new and different. It smells fresh and floral but in such a novel way that the fragrance can certainly turn many heads and at least provoke inquiries about what it is. It doesn't come across as particularly Asian to me, and the longevity was not as bad as often stated here. However, it is a short fragrance where a lot happens within the 6 hours of its scent development. Too much for some, I see that similarly, but not quite so bad. The irregularity and complexity could even be seen as a plus point, but it is difficult to categorize the scent. And finding consistently suitable wearing occasions is even harder.

The bottle is very stylish and almost on Dior Homme level, very well done, Shiseido. The longevity tends toward short, and the sillage is not strong, but also not inconspicuous. It's hard to go wrong or underdose it.

The base note is vanilla with a hint of musk. Sweet, pleasant, and easy to recognize. It’s nice, but absolutely unremarkable. Everything that happens before that is hardly explainable. It’s restless in parts, also metallic. So, anything but zen-like balanced or relaxing. Rather invigorating and a little firecracker. Sometimes mint, sometimes noble wood, sometimes a hint of citrus. Extremely unbalanced and interesting.

I liked it very much!