Dodo Edition 2020

I purchased a sample of this recently along with Bat (2020) and Musk Deer, expecting Musk Deer to be my favorite. Instead, Dodo 2 is the stand-out. My first sniff of a spray on some cotton gave me a rush that only a few other fragrances ever have – something truly joyous and vibrant. The pineapple, sage, cardamom and cumin are all vivid and natural-smelling, almost like you are burying your face into a huge bowl of a strange salad, crisp and inviting. Once it was on my skin, I found that different facets of Dodo 2 waxed and ebbed throughout the day, so that one moment I smelt all the tropicality of the fruit notes, then a bit later would smell the oak and cumin in a pungent and somewhat masculine mélange. The performance was, for me, just right: respectable-but-not-overpowering sillage and presence, with around 10 hours of projection and a longer intimate drydown. I was concerned that the fruit notes would be too sweet for me, but they are well-balanced and blent with the aromatics and base. Still, I think the fruitiness is what might keep me from wanting to own a full bottle, since it doesn't often suit my mood. I see that the cumin note is controversial – I personally love it, and I think it adds an edge of grunginess that suits a Zoologist release. I think this may be the new masterpiece of the Zoologist line, up there with Camel and T. Rex for me. The previous formulation was artistic and challenging, but not something I wanted to _wear_, or even smell for more than an hour or two. Wearing Dodo 2 is like taking vacation.

It's not beautiful, it's an experience. On my skin: At first it smelled like someone spilled their drink on me, a honey vermouth-y gin based cocktail. There's a real funk to this scent that is reminiscent of my B.O. and a competent floral scented deodorant battling each other to the death on a crowded dance floor. The funk is elevated with the scent of pine needles and sap. (maybe that's the rosemary?) Cheap body spray like Axe with surprisingly sophisticated notes of deep purple florals and overripe tropical fruits blend everything together. This scent on my skin smells like a hot drunk mess in the best kind of way; sugary shots dribbling down my chin mixing with the salt on my skin, hooking up in filthy bathroom stalls, making out on the dance floor, sweaty bodies grinding against each other in dark spaces filled with loud music. A sudden sobering burst of baby power erupts like the lights turning on when the club closes or the sunrise after a night of dancing and debauchery. The morning after is filled with hazy visions of the night before. There's no time to shower, the fresh application of a powdery deodorant harmonizes with last night's flesh frenzy. I search for my shoes, keys, gather whatever is left of my dignity and stumble my way home, dehydrated but happy. Would I wear this scent in public? Probably not. It would be too polarizing, possibly offensive. Would I forever keep a sample or a small bottle to relive my 20s? Hell yeah! It's memories in a bottle and I love it.

Ah! Dodo, my last Zoologist acquisition; the least liked and most polarizing scent of this (my) favorite house. On my skin Dodo begins with green fresh notes that quickly fade into the smell of perspiration, but pleasant perspiration, like clean sweat (the kind you get just after a shower in the middle of a Summer heat wave, or after sex sweat). This "sweat" is, however, more akin to overripe fruit (pineapple), ripe to the point of rotting (which I can only perceive when I put my nose to my skin, and not in the air). A very intriguing scent. Like a salty overripe fruit salad, strange but weirdly addictive. On my skin, this funky period lasts about 45 minutes. I don't think it smells horrible; it smells unusual but interesting, and I certainly don't get cat urine. The dry down is really interesting, as Dodo transforms into a refined and dense scent without the funky part, and it smells very good: fruity-resinous, peppery, spicy, woody, earthy, animalic, green. This is not a beast mode fragrance, and on my skin projection is moderate for about 2 hours, and then becomes a personal bubble. Longevity is around 8 hours. I really like this Dodo, Zoologist never disappoints (at least not me). As always, try before you buy, and in this particular case, let it reach the dry down.

Love this! Dodo(2020 version) is my second favorite Zoologist! (Civet the top) The black currant buds in this is so delicious realistic and mixes great with the cumin. Very different and I just can ́t stop sniffing the cap on my sample, addicting! For me saying these ammoniac blackcurrant buds smells something like ammoniac catpiss is like saying that rotten bananas tastes like strawberry ice cream just because both tastes kinda sweet and fruity. But I guess I am good at differentiating black currant smells as I have picked those berries my entire childhood and it is one of my favorite notes in perfumes. Might end up with a full bottle of this in the future, but right now I am passing for three reasons. 1 Many seems to really hate this so maybe I can only wear it at home alone. 2. I love how this smells but I feel for the price of this the scent seems a bit simple and not as complex as I would like. 3. I already have a wonderful blackcurrant scent. Omanluxurys Wanderlust is all about blackcurrant. But more the leafs than the buds and mixed with olibanum instead of cumin. And not just me, but also others seems to love that one(after the sharp opening)

I'm reading that this perfume was discontinued recently which is a shame because it's the most interesting and compelling sample I've tried from Zoologist yet. Just my luck, everything weird that I like goes away.... This opens with the rosemary, bergamot, and clary sage setting the scene for a masculine scent, but then opens into a glorious chorus of RIPE juicy tropical fruit as soon as it hits warm skin. It continues to evolve: giving way to hints of musk, spicy herbs, and slight woody notes. I did not experience the 'cat-piss' notes that others complained about, and I am very glad for that. I think some people complaining about sulfur notes aren't remembering that the ripest tropical fruits have a definite 'funk' to them, and that just adds character and depth to the scent imho. Definitely a warm-weather scent, the more humid out the better. Feels like crunching through steamy tropical undergrowth.