Oetzi

After long consideration and initial displeasure, I must revise my first statement about the fragrance and raise my rating of it.
My previous statement:

"Quite a lot of patchouli and cedar. As earthy as the scent smells, one should reconsider the name!"

In my comment, I refer to both the regular Straight to Heaven and the Straight to Heaven extreme (a big thank you to Exaltatus for selling the bottle!!!). Since the Straight to Heaven extreme is unfortunately no longer available, I wanted to at least convey my opinion on the regular Straight to Heaven for posterity, which does not differ negatively from the "extreme variant."

So, now to my previous statement. It is, of course, not entirely untrue: The base/the heart note of the fragrance is clearly dominated by woods and a lot of patchouli. Initially, I had a sample sent to me by a user, and when I tested it, I simply found it too earthy and musty and set it aside for a while. After much back and forth, I finally bought the Intoxicated by Kilian and thought I would give the Straight to Heaven another chance. And what can I say: Even though it smells woody and earthy, it does come quite close to heaven. The overall notes ultimately combine to create a wonderfully harmonious, dark, and woody scent. Towards the end, it becomes warmer and even a slight sweetness comes through. And regarding the rum: Sure, the first 30 minutes are practically dominated by rum, but then the rum clearly takes a back seat and then puffff.... it's gone. And here we have the significant difference to the Straight to Heaven Extreme: Here, the rum note carries through the entire fragrance journey and harmonizes excellently with vanilla. It is noticeably "boozier" and sweeter than the regular version. If you are lucky enough to own both fragrances, then it's like with Aronal and Elmex: In the morning, the regular one (spicier and fresher in comparison; suitable for everyday use) and in the evening, the extreme (more alcoholic and sweeter; who wants to smell like alcohol at work?:D).

I find the longevity to be somewhere between mediocre and good. But I think that varies from skin to skin.

Sometimes you don't have to look up to see (or smell!) the sky!

Cardamom...
That's probably the last thing you'd expect in a perfume. At least, that's what I thought for a long time. The first time I saw cardamom (it was green cardamom), I was just a little boy. My father showed it to me, and I got to smell it right away. Mh...interesting. And hey, it didn't stop there: My father explained that people would chew it to get rid of bad breath (well, in the village back then, you had to come up with something :D). I'll probably never forget my father's laughter when I made a face at it. It just tasted like aftershave (the fact that I once tried aftershave is probably another story :D).

Well, let's get to the scent: It starts with a pleasant spiciness "right in your face" (a sweetly wrapped cardamom). In the current reformulation, it’s a bit milder compared to the batch from 2013. Over time, the scent becomes more harmonious, and lavender joins in, which probably gives the fragrance a certain powderiness and, in my eyes, rounds it off and refines it. Overall, it is a true work of art, and I have rarely smelled a fragrance that conveys such sensuality. With the bitter taste of aftershave in my memory, this scent has nothing in common with it. I would have never thought that cardamom could smell so good in perfumes.

A word about performance and reformulation:
The performance is absolutely miserable. Unfortunately, the perfume version does not smell like the EdT, so it falls out as an alternative. The batch from 2013 is a bit spicier and lasts a bit longer...but only a bit. In all batch variants, the scent is only detectable close to the skin after 2-3 hours. Unfortunately, this seems to be the Achilles' heel of the fragrance. Nonetheless, the current reformulation is worth purchasing. You just have to take a small travel atomizer for reapplication. I hope that YSL releases a more intense and long-lasting version of this fragrance: There will certainly be no lack of buyers!
From my side, it gets a full 10 points for the scent. Outstanding!

After testing Layton Exsclusif as a modern oud scent, I revisited my old box of samples to smell this fragrance again.
Right after spraying it, nostalgia hit me: I can still vividly remember the first time I got to know this scent. It was the time when Nasomatto was very high on the charts at Parfumo, and of course, I had to test the Black Afghan.

Cannabis in a perfume? Oud? What on earth is oud?
I was completely fascinated: I had never smelled anything so unusual in my entire life up to that point. For me, it was a fragrance composition that I had never thought possible: herbal, dirty, sweet, and seductive all at once.

So... then I was hooked. The oud fever. And that’s how I stumbled upon "Black Oud." Oh yes... this scent packs a punch! Although I never liked going to church, I have always enjoyed the smell of incense. The incense note runs throughout the entire fragrance and is supported by an incredibly beautiful spicy sweetness. In contrast to Black Afgano, there are no herbal undertones here. Black Oud is the decent brother of the Afghan, who goes to church every Sunday. For me, this scent is a masterpiece, and even after years, I see no more beautiful and sweeter oud-incense fragrance.
The longevity and sillage are outstanding.

So why haven’t I bought it or worn it regularly?

Unfortunately, I must bitterly acknowledge that incense in a perfume does not appeal to many people. The scent is (perhaps with the exception of a church visit) rather inappropriate and might be too overpowering for some.
I still enjoy spraying it at home and get "high" from this scent even without cannabis.
A dream in black!

Even though there are already numerous comments about this fragrance, I still have to say a few words about this hotly debated scent. There are rarely fragrances that can excite the masses while simultaneously irritating them.

I would like to share my experiences with this fragrance. I belong to the group of people who like to buy decants/samples from other users to test them in everyday life. I took a long break from perfumes, so I didn’t even notice the hype surrounding this fragrance. When the decant finally arrived and I applied the first spray to my skin, I thought only one thing: "Phew... what is this intense stuff!"
Something really bit into my nose and was so peppery, sharp, and unusual that I simply liked it because I had never smelled anything like it before. That must be the Ambrox(an).

Well... off we go to practical application. Topical application on the skin and off to the hospital. It should be noted that I work as a doctor in the hospital and on that particular day I had night duty on the ward and in the emergency room.
The shift started quite calmly and became wilder and wilder over time. The sprayed Sauvage, which I had strongly noticed in the first hours, was increasingly gone... or so I thought! About 6 hours later, when I was on the ward to clarify some things with the nursing staff, I was stopped on my way back to the emergency room:
"Doctor!"
I turned back: "Yes?"
"What’s the name of the perfume you’re wearing?"
"Dior Sauvage. Is it that bad? Can you still smell it from that far away??" (I was about 3 meters away)
"No! It smells incredibly good!"
I was completely fascinated by this fragrance for a few minutes. I certainly hadn’t showered with this scent. The shift lasted a while longer, and I actually received a total of 4 compliments that night (one nurse even approached me to ask for the name of the fragrance).

One thing was certain: The bottle will be purchased! And so far, I have not regretted it. Perhaps it is precisely this medical-chemical note that deters some hospital-phobes, but it creates euphoria among those who work in the medical sector. I can say with certainty: Even with a certain synthetic quality, many people will like it, even love it!
Even though this fragrance should be known in Parfumo or in the "Frag-Community," it is still relatively unknown to most people. If you like the fragrance, wear it and don’t let anyone tell you that everyone wears and knows it (and even if they do... so what?).
The longevity and projection are outstanding. Even if you can’t smell it anymore yourself... it’s just there! Therefore:
Topical application at your own risk. For risks and side effects, read the package leaflet or ask your doctor or pharmacist!

I want to make it clear right from the start that there will be no detailed scent description with individual notes following. Over the years, I have tested many fragrances, but I am definitely not a "super nose," and a fragrance is always perceived differently by everyone, so I can only speak from my own experience. I would like to share my experiences with this scent with you!

The first time I tested this fragrance must have been in 2013. Back then, I had signed up on Parfumo and was testing various scents across the board. Of course, I stumbled upon Aventus due to the many positive reviews:
Citrusy start with a slightly smoky background....nothing special, I thought, and set the sample aside to pass it on to another Parfumo user.

Years later, specifically last December, I was picked up by a friend in his car, and as I settled into the car....
Wow...What a scent. It smelled so creamy, fresh, and fruity at the same time. When I then found out that it was Aventus, I was simply more than surprised. I can't exactly say why I didn't love this fragrance years ago! Sometimes you just have to give a scent a little time or not smell it directly on the skin. The fact is that Aventus fills the room and smells good. Of course, I bought a bottle (actually, two).

I would also like to say a few words about the different batches. After countless hours in forums and on YouTube, I, of course, couldn't resist. Unfortunately, I now have to conclude after trying 3 different batches since 2017: The differences are ridiculously marginal. For every Aventus newbie, I can only recommend one thing: Just pick any bottle! How big the difference is to the vintage batches, I unfortunately cannot answer. Maybe in 2013, I was smelling just such an old batch that I ultimately didn't like.

The longevity is unfortunately not as outstanding as described by some, but every skin is different.

Overall, it is a wonderful fragrance that knows how to please. The compliment magnet, as always advertised, is unfortunately not the case for me, which I don't really mind: I like it, and with this scent, you simply exude a certain level of confidence.
Sometimes you only recognize the beautiful things (or scents) in life with time or, in my case, at second sniff!