Elixir Penhaligon`s for women and men

Got a sample from Luckyscent today, and I'm trying to figure it out still.Rather masculine in the opening, with a strong cinnamon note and a subtle hint of eucalyptus. After about 10 minutes it becomes more feminine, and softens and sweetens, with a clean incensey note, and roses.There is almost an inky smell to this that I really like. The woody notes are not so strong as to overpower the rest of the perfume, but gives it a warm feeling. Great for this cold, snowy day.

Elixir.... a potion of spices and poison. Love its seductive rose and dark balsamic insence... (It is oud there, although you did not put it into notes.)

In fact it is pure church insence, a breath of Byzance. It is very sweet as well.

love it so much so as to purchase all products in the range:) one of my all time favourites

According to me this Giacobetti's scent is of the same family of aromatics elixir (clinique) and dzonka (l'artisan). Incense and spices combined with balsamic notes. The three of them make me happy. A comfort for the nose and for the soul.

this is a great oriental, it is very difficult for western brands to achieve this, but this one could have been created by an oriental brand easely, but if that was reaaly the case, this perfume would not have been made so weak and light !!

the only default of this perfume is its weakness, and it is an eau de toilette not eau de parfum, and in the beggining this does not seem important cause you are stunned by the great explosion of the scent and the spicy and camphorous notes, but after minutes you looses the scent very quickly and it disappears above all if you are in presence of other scents or perfumed persons with more powerfull scents, you disappear totally, the only way to get back the scent is to be isolated in fresh local and not too windy !!

quel dommage vraiment !

I bought this scent today from the store on Regent Street. Upon first smell I conjured up pictures of a journey through India and the East; of far off exotic lands full of mystery, heritage and intrigue - alien to my British temperament, yet all the more intriguing as a result. Previous reviewers have likened this scent to that of 'Opium' which I almost purchased earlier in the day, but held off in case I found something less attainable (I can buy Opium from a multitude of stores, not so quirky niche fragrances). Images of the East complement the references to Opium, however, for me I can honestly say that this scent evokes my upbringing as a Roman Catholic; the church incense, the religious-mysticism of its incense notes and warm, spicy top notes. Comforting, warm, mysterious and definitely not run-of-the mill. An elixir indeed.

Elixir is most definitely a unisex scent, vaguely reminiscent of Opium. At first spritz I got pepper and cinnamon and thought it was too masculine and sharp. But shortly thereafter, the scent became much more woodsy and unisex. This scent very much made me think of linen-clad Brits riding elephants in India during the 1930's. About an hour later, the fragrance became rather subdued--very different from that first whiff of sharp spice. Elixir would smell lovely on a man or a woman.

For me Elixir is a fragrance full of nostalgia. It's like somebody tried to capture something from their childhood, but I'll be darned if I can work out what it was! Certainly the opening is fiery. I think the eucalyptus comes out more to me on certain days and actually clears the sinuses a bit like Vicks or Tiger Balm! It's a very stimulating intro.

I don't know why but after that all I can smell is a very true to life sandalwood and a touch of incense. There is a hint of something floral for sure, maybe the Turkish rose, but for me this is a spicy woody through and through.

The memories evoked are of an old library, the antique books, the solid wood of the bookshelves and tables as sunlight streams in and catches dust particles in the air. It's a place where you can relax in quiet contemplation, read or study, but above all it is comforting. Others may be reminded of a church or museum or somesuch place.

Elixir therefore is not a modern smell and all the better for it. If you want something different with a touch of English charm, this is the one! For me it has Holy Grail fragrance written all over it!

Elixir is a very refined spicy/oriental fragrance for men. It gives a very warm and cozy aura. If you like scents like Gucci Pour homme, you will love Elixir, because this is like the refined "niche" vesrion of that one. Sillage and longevity are above average, and the best season for this one is autumn and winter. Elixir is a must try if you like warm, "hot" spicy scents. One of the best from Penhaligon`s. Highly recommended!

This is weird, it openeed medical and herbal and I wasn't able to enjoy it at all, but decided to keep it on my wrist, so I could see how it developes. It does it nicely, resins appear and everything becomes more and more warmer/elixir-like if I can say that.
From the flowers I can feel warm rose.

I don't love it, it's not for me, but it's definetely not bad.

I usually love Olivia Giacobetti's creations but this one smells exactly like an indian stall at the flea market. Very cheap and synthetic incense sticks! Undefined!

Rating: 5/10

I love hot, spicy fragrances, particularly those along the lines of Givenchy's Xeryus Rouge with its fiery chilli notes and its raw sexuality.

Elixir opens a little similar to Xeryus Rouge with a fiery burst of spices, however it soon settles, like a fire that's beginning to burn out.

It had the potential to be a smoking hot fragrance, yet it has left me slightly underwhelmed, which is a massive shame. It's too light and polite on the skin for my tastes.

During the opening notes, I can smell the cinnamon, cardamom and what appears to be hot peppers. The scent rapidly cools down into a pleasant, subtly spiced floral with a slightly soapy quality.

The fragrance chops and changes, one minute it's spicy the next it's soft and flowery. The drydown shows some signs of the scent heating up again, but it never seems to reach boiling point. Rich woods and resins tend to dominate in the drydown, with the incense and vanilla being barely detectable to my nose.

I guess I'm still on the hunt for something similar to Xeryus Rouge for women. For those not expecting a hot fragrance for passionate wear, Elixir would most likely pass as an interesting, soft and wearable spicy oriental, yet for me this just couldn't make the mark.

Penhaligon ELIXIR is a rich and complex oriental woody fragrance with an accent on cinnamon and cardamom. Upon initial application, the first word out of my mouth was 'cinnamon', which made me somewhat less than optimistic about the composition, since baking spices do not always make for the best perfumes, IMNSHO.

However, ELIXIR has enough wood and resin and floral notes to complement the spices that I ended up liking this very much through the course of its development to the drydown. The incense note is rather light, an embellishment rather than a focus. Both the incense and the wood keep the sweetness in check--there is no sense that the wearer has morphed into a Christmastime baked good. The drydown is more woody than spicy to my nose.

All in all, this is a pleasing melange, and I'll look forward to trying it again in cold weather, since it should wear very well under sweaters and seems to hold great potential for turtleneck sniffing... (-:

I just bought this and adore it. It is cheaper than Annick Goutals new incense but I like it more. It would be very interesting to see a pure Penhaligons perfume one day.

I love this scent. It's like a modern day opium, and yet nothing like anything from the past.

Like most strong perfumes, this one takes a little while to fully settle and bloom on one's body, however once it does, it smells of sweet spiced aromatic foams that promise desire and strength in the near future for the wearer.

It's my newist most desired perfume for a number of reasons.
1. the bottle is really tasteful and delicate.

2. the scent notes all weave together like a thick brocade, becoming completely a meshed to create one powerful singular scent, then subtly shifting like little twinkling lights, punctuating a poetic harmony of the senses.

3. The brand is also less famous in the states, and tends to be cheaper to those scents that would appeal to someone interested in this fragrance. Perfumes like Tom Ford,etc.