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Adan
Top Review
44
"Afterwards, I have an adventure with her in the hotel, cocaine and champagne, the evening will be expensive for me"
Since "L'Aventure" translates to "The Adventure," this line just came to mind (it's from Farid Bang's "BITTE SPITTE 5000," by the way). Nowadays, references to perfumes are often made in the hip-hop scene, so I think it's fitting to start a comment with such an intro.
I used to own a bottle of Aventus and wore the scent a few times, but never with the desired success. A neighbor from the student dormitory where I lived at the time noticed my scent trail while going down the stairs, thought it was cool, eventually approached me in the cafeteria, and invited me to bake a cake. However, I missed that chance; I didn't put anything in the oven, so it doesn't count. And the rest of the (female) world? "You've sprayed a lot today!", "That's a strong perfume!", "It gives me a headache!".
Classy.
Nevertheless, over the years, Aventus has often been copied or at least parts of it have been reinterpreted. I believe I have experienced the copies in this order:
- Micallef's "Royal Vintage"
- La Martina's "Tierra Del Fuego"
- Mancera's "Cedrat Boise"
- Frapin's "Orchid Man"
Then there are probably more that I haven't smelled yet, like:
- Ilum Dean "Fresco"
- Armaf's "Club de Nuit Intense Man"
- Zara's "Vibrant Leather"
- Reyane "Insurrection II Pure"
- "Pineapple Vintage"
Then there are scents like "Sauvage" by Dior, and I would even say "Le Barbier De Tanger" by MDCI Paris, which borrow elements from Aventus and build them into a new framework.
Now I stumbled upon the hype about "L'Aventure" by Al Haramain on YouTube. As of now (January 10, 2018), it is available on Notino for roughly 30 euros. I wanted to save on shipping costs and thought I'd just give it a try. Many said it smells like Aventus, and a few said it doesn't smell like Aventus, but is still a great scent.
I sprayed the scent on paper, and it actually smells like Aventus. Aventus, but a bit fresher, a touch more citrusy. After 15 minutes, there is hardly any difference to smell on the paper. Only when the paper strips have been lying overnight and you breathe on/warm them the next day do you notice that L'Aventure has a few more citrus components, while Aventus has a certain sweetness (I assume it's the musk-heavy base that can be seen in the GCMS chromatogram and which also makes the difference between Aventus and Sauvage).
Furthermore, I remember Aventus being "rougher" than L'Aventure.
In principle, L'Aventure is Aventus with a bit less guts, but also fewer edges (if that makes sense). And - this might sound a bit extreme - I think if you layer L'Aventure with a scent like Sauvage or Le Barbier De Tanger, you can get close to the result of Aventus (although layering with the Barbier is totally pointless cost-wise).
But it’s fine as it is. I sprayed L'Aventure and visited my old colleagues at the perfumery in Speyer. "What do you think I'm wearing today?" - "That's Aventus!".
And no, I didn't have an adventure in the hotel with my colleague afterwards. But L'Aventure is, for me, proven to be a cost-effective alternative to Aventus and is therefore just as flexible and versatile as Aventus itself. For the price at which L'Aventure can currently be obtained, it also makes a great gift, and if someone is looking for a scent for the disco or similar, L'Aventure at least guarantees that the evening doesn't have to be expensive scent-wise.
As a closing remark, I must say: a copy is a copy. L'Aventure will never be more than a copy of Aventus. If collectors are after "the original," then you have to pay the premium.
But I am convinced that you can hardly distinguish L'Aventure from Aventus when passing by the wearer (I certainly couldn't). It's a bit like Roja Dove's Vetiver Extrait. Sure, the scent is somehow rounder and more harmonious, but people still constantly ask, "Isn't that Grey Vetiver by Tom Ford?".
So, assuming I had a younger brother who is just 18-19 years old and starts hitting up the local discos to meet girls and is looking for an affordable scent that smells good and is well-received by many people, I would hand him L'Aventure. For me, L'Aventure is the most convincing copy of the copies I have smelled so far.
Top Notes 
Lemon
Bergamot
Elemi resin
Heart Notes 
Lily of the valley
Woody notes
Jasmine
Base Notes 
Amber
Musk
Patchouli
Mihaiu
StarA1
DavidBraz
SantinoJo
Seaplus
Wrangler98
Amazon1975
RRFreysson
Rocendroll
Flyview
