Straight to Heaven Oud and Musk Special Blend 2021

I just purchased this a few days ago and I have to admit I am blown away by it. I have the original STH but wanted something a little denser for the colder months, since I primarily use the OG in the spring and summer. It is a little too cedar forward for the cooler weather. From the opening it is absolutely mesmerising and comparing it to the OG on the opposite wrist it was immediately stronger in the rum note, with a darker brooding background behind it that was almost salty and skanky. The nutmeg accord is listed, but it is not prominent. In fact it seems the whole top end is rum and the rest is patchouli, musk and oud. It transitions in about 3 hours to a very strong skin scent, which is addictive and mesmerising in the same way that Roja Enigma Parfum (not Parfum cologne) is. The Roja does not project so much, but when you get close to it you are intoxicated by a swirling dream of cognac, vanilla, benzoin and tobacco. With STH M and O, it is a swirling blend of rum, oud, patchouli, and musk. Sadly, it dies down after about 7-8 hours. This was my only disappointment. I wanted to go on smelling it forever, but its performance was not on the level of Dark Lord or Royal Leather, which I expected from the description. As for use cases, I would say that this is ONLY a date night scent. It is dark, seductive, and mind blowing, and best for intimate encounters, inviting that special person to come closer. Compared to the OG, it is VERY different, but retains some basic DNA. I have not tried SH Ex, but that sounds to me like Initio Side Effects (which I can't stand because it is too sweet), with amped up Vanilla and Rum. This is pure class, only marks against it is that it could last longer. So I give it an 9/10, while the OG gets a 8/10. As a disclaimer, I have 14 Kilians and it is my favourite brand. A month later, after comparing it side by side with Fragrance du Bois Oud offerings (like Sahraa, which costs even more) it seems that the FDB do not last all that long (8 hours or so max) and maybe we have been conditioned to artificial Oud, so when the real stuff comes along (like FDB or Kilian) we think it is not long lived enough. All I can say is that relative to these £400 fragrances, STH OM is better to my nose - better art direction, better ides. So I up my score to 10/10, simply because it is better than Sahraa, one of the flagship fragrances from a flagship Oud brand.

This fragrance gets a score of 11/10 from me. If you're on this page you probably know how the original Straight to Heaven and STHE smell. Take that DNA and add on top of it the mulchy oud from Louis Vuitton Nuit de Feu and the musk from Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur, and that is what this fragrance is. In my mind this is superior to Roja Creation E Parfum. You simply cannot beat this stuff. This is the scent of someone who is incredibly sophisticated, someone who collects art and rare bottles of Scotch and cognac. I desperately want a decanter of this fragrance and I hope they make one at some point. I think this is easily wearable year-round if you are that person that I described above. Even if you aren't that person, this fragrance will make you feel like that person. I think this fragrance lasts way longer than the people below realize. I have smelled this lingering on my skin a full day after application, and by that point is has totally transformed. This fragrance may inspire me to become a wealthy socialite. This is the fragrance of Dorian Gray.

Bought my second bottle in anticipation of this selling out soon. I've recently been exposed to dirty oud fragrances and I now love them. To the untrained nose it is challenging during the opening and when you you spray it on a blotter in a store you'll only smell the dirty notes. You need to spray it on your body to appreciate the development on skin. I love straight to heaven and this version is drier and less sweet, much more masculine leaning where I feel the original is more unisex. This potion is slightly stronger with slightly better performance overall... Key word being slightly there. Despite this I really love this juice and the oud compliments the original formulation superbly Side note - my dad is a classic frag head... aramis, korous, drakkar noir... and he loves this. To me this is a modern frag and to get that response from him about this special blend is significant. Amazing fragrance, try it if you're lucky to get here on time. Future desirable multi $$$ in the making

This Straight to heaven Musk & Oud Special blend 2021 opens with this interesting fresh Raw and Animalic dirt musk , Oud, Vanilla , and RUM...Lots of it. (Surprised it's not listed as ingredient) The Rum plays a very important role in this whole chemistry, it is amazing, more prominent then the Sth extreme. The blending of this rum is so well with the vanilla, it gives of a euphoric tingling sensation to my nose, makes you want drink this cocktail. The Drydown is pure Sweet Rum vanilla desert. This is a really amazing unique fragrance, wish it wasn't limited, but that's what makes it a special blend. Best weather to use for: Winter, early Spring, late Fall

I own one of the few bottles released and believe most people either 1. don't own or 2. expected more STH than Musk Oud. This is an oud lovers fragrance and a Middle Easterner oud lovers kind of fragrance. Initial spray is a blast of nutmeg and deep oud and after 10 minutes the STH portions show themselves. Overall, this is a keeper for me and one that would be best for cool upscale evenings. Love it.