This has been my go-to fragrance for over thirty years. In that time, one person has told me that it smelled like "bug spray." Everyone else, and that includes numerous complete strangers - LOVES it and asks me what it is. It is definitely one of those fragrances that differ radically depending on body chemistry. I never tire of it and adore the way it smells on my clothing. The packaging is unremarkable, although I like the simplicity of the bottle itself. A large bottle will last nearly two years for me, and I wear it 364 days a year. Definitely try it before you buy it. You will most assuredly either love it or detest it.

I love fragrance. I like a light, clean fresh smell that lingers, but not overbearing. I'm not good at describing scents, but it's not floral or fruity, but a bit musky, IMO.

I often get nice comments on my scent when wearing Clinique's Elixer. You need use this VERY sparingly, otherwise too much/too heavy. But a light spritz with the moisturizer under it, and I think I've got the perfect balance of a scent that stays with me BETTER than any other.

It's one I keep going back to. LOVE the bath gel with it. Very silky and softening, adding that extra layer that keeps the fragrance lingering for hours.

If you like a scent that will stay with you, this is a great one.

DH was reading reviews over my shoulder a few nights ago, and Lepin's review of this one made him laugh so hard he almost cried. The result of this, to me, was that I had to smell this for myself for myself. Good for masking carrion? Seriously?


So we went out to the CCO this weekend, and there it was... The bottle is okay looking, the price not half bad, and the smell? Ye gods, how can anything sold on the value of its scent smell like that?


Just to be fair, I sprayed some on the back of my arm, to see if the drydown was better than the scent in the bottle. The end result of that? I had to live with the smell for hours. I guess if you really want to defend it, you could say that it deserves another lippie for the staying power?


If you have carrion that needs masking, this is definitely for you.

This perfume just did not work for me.
Rather harsh smelling, all aldehyde and acidic.
Not something you want to smell like.
Got the 7.5ml bottle as a gift 2 years ago and its still more than half way full.
Enough said.

This is simply a pungent, bitter atrocious liquid best worn during autopsies or crime scene cleaning to mask the odor of rotting flesh. My condolences to those who love this, for the sake of humanity if you insist on wearing this do so in the privacy of your own home. Please.
My best friend of nearly 30 years used to wear this. She stopped after elegible men stopped her and politely told her they'd ask for her number but assumed she was a lesbian because of this odor, I mean, fragrance. That said, if that's what your wanting to attract spritz away. Otherwise use to mask carrion.

An oldie but a goodie ! I love this classic chypre scent..... it did not work for me before - it smelt tart and strong. I know it turns on different skins - so sample first but if it does agree with you, this is glorous. This is what pefume is all about . Mossy, deep, enchanted green landscapes and all that dreamy stuff.
Sillage is great, longevity is wonderful,the dry down is magnificient ....if this works on you. My skin chemistry has changed it seems because now, I can wear this and love it.

Impulse buy, never again. Comments when wearing this: you smell like an old lady (roommate) please don't wear that scent anymore(my boss) PU you smell like air freshener.(boyfriend) So that's what I'm using it for.

I absolutely love this fragrance. When I was younger, this is the type of perfume I detested but now can't get enough of. I tried Aromatics Elixir based on previous reviews. Whatever you do, don't judge this fragrance based on how it smells in the bottle. The initial spray is mostly aldehyde but on the skin it warms to a beautiful fragrance. Herbaceous, floral (I detect mostly rose), a touch of powder, and slight peach-like sweetness. I find this comforting, yummy, complex and just plain smells good. My DH says this smells synthetic and perfumey but I'll be buying a full bottle anyways.

Once I accidently bought the men's version of this-i guess neither the salesperson nor i were paying attention- and i have never received so many compliments on a fragrance! It's not my HG (Opium is) and lately I'm on an oil blending thing, but i WOULD buy this, in the MEN'S version again!

This was my first lasting relationship with a chypre, worn as it was during my presumably precocious twelfth and thirteenth years. I wore it at a time when I was very influenced by an intense consumption of Twin Peaks, and in my way, wanted to think Aromatics Elixir, with it's spices and flowers pressed against dark woods, made me into Audrey Horne.
I put it aside for nearly twenty years and eventually noticed that Mitsouko had taken the place of Aromatics Elixir as a perfume I wear when I want to assert the will of my moodiness and simultaneously alleviate it's tension.

While on my way to Edinburgh for a short holiday, I found myself making an impulsive purchase in a Boots branch at a railway station, guessing (correctly, as it turns out) that Aromatics Elixir might go very nicely with the immanent chilly, damp, wooly, dark days.
Aromatics Elixir, not unlike Mitsouko seems to be a very polarizing fragrance to most of my kith and kin.
My sister, who was one of my companions on this trip, has a way of establishing her perfume tastes in a trenchant manner. All of my intellectualizations, pretenses, and fantasies regarding a scent are quite usefully tested against her very butch and concise editorial.
She said something less discreet than I will herein write, with the usual complaints about mustiness, triteness, and headaches. To which I replied with an argument that included comparisons to Angela Carter's The Erl King, and The Company of Wolves. It seemed to work; without any deconstruction of the notes within, or further sniffing, she loosened her judgement.