By Kilian- Straight To Heaven

It's not a surprise that on the Luckyscent page of By Kilian's Straight To Heaven, one of the "If you like Straight to Heaven Eau de Parfum - L’Oeuvre Noire Collection you may also like..." suggestions is Idole de Lubin (EDT). The first few minutes after applying By Kilian's fragrance have a similar boozy spicy atmosphere, which also reminds me of the top notes in Donna Karan Black Cashmere (pre-reformulation). It's a pretty dark stuff for a moment, even smoldering, which makes you wonder about Kilian Hennessy and his sense of humor.

It's when Straight To Heaven shows that it's not just any booze but rum, and there's far less darkness going on when everything turns into an incredibly smooth cedar. If Kilian's idea of heaven is a long cedar paneled passage, I'm all for that. It's an interesting transition from the booze and hint of stewed fruit and spice to a very incensy wood, that in my mind takes a cinnamon color, perhaps because the last rays of sun hit it. There's a sense of an opening space as Straight To Heaven develops on the skin. It happens gradually, but what looked like a wooden passage or room turns out into a wood cabin near a beautiful beach. Some say they smell coconut, but I get salty air on warm bronzed skin. The Caribbean vacation of my dreams is just a whiff away; I guess Kilian and I do share the idea of heaven after all.

Notes: Martinican rum absolute, dried fruits accord, Javanese nutmeg oil, hedione, cedarwood, Indonesian patchouli oil, ambergris, vanilla absolute, white musk.

Straight To Heaven from L’Oeuvre Noire Collection- By Kilian ($70, 4 vial refills of .25 fl.oz. each, 1 fl.oz total EDP. Bigger size and swankier packaging available for lots more money) can be found at MiN NY, Luckyscent, Saks, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.

Vintage travel posters: hprints.com