Oetzi

After long consideration and initial disapproval, I have to revise my first statement about the fragrance and raise the rating of the fragrance again.
My previous statement:

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

In my commentary I refer to both the normal 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 give at least my opinion to the normal Straight to Heaven for posterity, which does not differ at all in the negative from the "extreme variant".

So, now to my previous statement. Of course, it is not untrue: the base/heart note of the fragrance is clearly dominated by woods and lots of patchouli. I had sent myself a sample from a user in the beginning and when I tested it, I simply found it to be too earthy and musty and simply put it aside for the time being. When I bought the Intoxicated from Kilian after a long time back and forth, I thought I'd give the Straight to Heaven another chance. And what shall I say: Even though it smells of wood and earthy, it comes very close to heaven. The overall notes ultimately combine to create a wonderfully harmonious, dark and woody fragrance. Towards the end it gets warmer and warmer and even a little sweetness comes through. And about rum: Sure, the first 30 minutes are dominated by rum, but after that the rum goes clearly into the background and then puffff.... He's gone. And there we are with the clear difference to the Straight to Heaven Extreme: Here the rum note runs over the entire fragrance and harmonizes excellently with vanilla. It is clearly "bootier" and sweeter than the normal variant. If one is lucky enough to have both fragrances, then it is like with Aronal and Elmex: in the morning the normal (spicier and fresher in comparison; suitable for everyday use) and in the evening the extreme (alcoholic and sweeter; Who wants to smell of an alcohol banner at work?:D).

I feel the shelf life somewhere between mediocre and good. But I think that again varies from skin to skin.

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

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

Well, let's get to the fragrance: It starts with a pleasant spice "right in your face" (a sweetly wrapped cardamom). In the current reformulation rather milder cardamom, if I take the batch of 2013 for comparison. Over time, the fragrance becomes more and more harmonious and lavender is added, which probably gives the fragrance a certain powderiness and rounds it off and refines it for my eyes. 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 fragrance has nothing in common. I never thought cardamom could smell so good in perfume.

A word on performance and reformulation:
The performance is absolutely miserable. Unfortunately, the perfume version does not smell like the EdT, so that it is dropped as an alternative. The 2013 batch is a tad spicier and lasts a tic longer...but only a tic. In all batch variants, the fragrance can only be smelled very closely after 2-3 hours. I'm afraid that's the Achilles' heel of the fragrance. The current reformulation is nevertheless worth buying. Then you have to take a small pocket sprayer with you to spray. I hope that YSL will bring out a more intense and long-lasting version of this fragrance: There will certainly not be a lack of buyers!
From my side there are full 10 points for the fragrance. Outstanding!

After I tested the Layton Exsclusif as a modern oud scent, I went to my old carton with bottlings to smell this scent again.
Immediately after spraying on I was gripped by nostalgia: I can still remember well how I first got to know this fragrance. It was the time when Nasomatto at Parfumo was very high in the charts and of course I had to test the black Afghan.

Cannabis in a perfume? Oud? What's oud?
I was completely fascinated: I've never smelled anything so unusual in my whole life. For me this was a fragrance composition, which I did not consider possible up to this Zetpunkt: Herbaceous, dirty, sweet and seductive at the same time.

So... then I was grabbed. The oud fever. And that's how I came across Black Oud. Oh, yeah... the scent's got it in it! I never liked going to church, but I've always liked the smell of incense. The incense note runs over the entire fragrance and is supported by an incredibly beautiful spicy sweetness. In contrast to Black Afgano there are no herbaceous undertones here. Black Oud is the decent brother of the Afghan who goes to church every Sunday. For me this fragrance is a masterpiece and even after years there is no more beautiful and sweet oud incense fragrance in my eyes.
The durability and the sillage are outstanding.

Why didn't I buy it or wear it regularly?

Unfortunately, I have to bitterly state that incense in a perfume does not please many people. The scent is (perhaps with the exception of a church visit) rather inappropriate and could be too penetrating for some.
I spray myself nevertheless gladly at home with it and become also without Cannabis "high" of this smell.
A dream in black!

Even though there are already many comments on this fragrance, I still have to say a few words about this hotly debated fragrance. There is seldom a fragrance that can inspire the masses so much and at the same time annoy them so much.

I would like to tell you about my experiences with this fragrance. I belong to the group of people who like to buy bottling/samples from other users in order to test them in everyday life. I've been taking a break from perfume for a long time, so I didn't even notice the hype about this perfume. When the bottling finally arrived at my place and I put the first sprayer on my skin, I thought only one thing: "Pooh...what is this heavy stuff!"
Something bit its way into my nose and was so peppery, sharp and unusual that I just liked it because I had never smelt it to this extent before. That had to be the Ambrox(an).

Well... off we go into practical application. Topical application to the skin and off to the hospital. It should be noted here that I work as a doctor in the hospital and had night duty on the ward and in the emergency room on that day.
The service started quite quietly and became wilder and wilder with time. The sprayed Sauvage, which I had heard a lot myself in the first hours, had increasingly disappeared....at least I thought! When I was on the ward about 6 hours later to clarify things with the nurses, I was stopped on the way back to the emergency room:
"Doctor!"
I went back: "Yes?"
"What's the name of that perfume you're wearing?"
"Dior Sauvage. That bad? Can you smell it till then?" (I stood about 3 meters away)
"No! It smells incredibly good!"
For a few minutes I was completely fascinated by this fragrance. I certainly didn't take a shower with that scent. The service lasted for a while and I actually got a total of 4 compliments that night (a nurse actually approached me to ask for the name of the fragrance).

One thing was for sure: The bottle will be bought! And I haven't regretted it yet. Maybe it's this medical chemical note that deterrs many a hospital muffle, but causes euphoria among people working in the medical sector. I can only say one thing with certainty: Even with a certain synthetic, many people will like him, even love him!
Even if 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 it and knows it (and even if...what the hell?).
The durability and projection are outstanding. Even if you can't smell it anymore... It's just there! Therefore:
Topical application at your own risk. For risks and side effects, read the package insert or ask your doctor or pharmacist!

I would like to make it clear right from the start that no detailed description of the fragrance in individual fragrances will follow. Over the years I have been able to test many fragrances, but I am definitely not a "supernose" and a fragrance is always perceived differently by everyone, so I can only speak of my sensation here. I would like to share my experiences with you about this fragrance!

The first time I tested this fragrance should have been in 2013. At that time I had registered with Parfumo and tested myself through different fragrances. Of course I stumbled across Aventus because of the many positive reviews:
Citric start and with a light smoky background....nothing special I thought and put the sample aside and passed it on to another perfumer.

Years later, more precisely last year in December, I was picked up by a buddy with the car and when I sat down in the car....
Wow... What a smell. It just smelled so creamy, fresh and fruity at the same time. When I found out that it was Aventus, I was simply more than surprised. I can't say exactly why I didn't love this fragrance years ago! Sometimes you just have to give a fragrance some time or not smell it directly on the skin. The fact is that Aventus occupies the room and smells good. Of course I bought myself a bottle (actually even two).

I would like to say a few words about the different batches. After numerous hours in forums and Youtubes I was of course also carried away. Unfortunately I have to find out after 3 different batches since 2017: The differences are ridiculously marginal. For every Aventus novice I can only recommend one: Just take any bottle! How big the difference to the vintage batches is, I can't answer. Maybe 2013 was exactly such an old batch to smell, which I didn't like in the end.

The durability is unfortunately also not as outstanding as described by some, but also there each skin is different.

All in all, it is a wonderful fragrance that knows how to please. The person who brings compliments, as always praised, is unfortunately not in my case what I don't care about: I like him and with the scent you simply radiate a certain amount of self-confidence.
Sometimes one recognizes only with the time or in my case on the second Riecher the beautiful things (or smells) in the life!