Elixir of Love

This was not a blind buy. I owned Elixer of Love body lotion and dusting powder years ago. I bought it in a little shop when vacationing w/ my husband in New England. I used it all and just didn't repurchase, why I can't remember because I really enjoyed the scent. I got a Caswell and Massey catalog in the mail a few days ago and was kind of shocked. I haven't thought about that company for years. So, I ordered the kit of Elixer of Love that comes w/ the full-size perfume, a soap and a jar of body cream. I'm happy to report it smells the same as it did back in the 90's. This is a clean scent, what clean should smell like. Not like so many cheap smelling fruity abstract floral shower gels, that smell like so much plastic that are on the market today. Elixer of Love is a soft and powdery floral. The jasmine in this is divine. There is a bit of a tangy fruit smell but only a tad. I am guessing that is from the passionflower. You can also make out the wormwoods and lavender aromatic clean qualities. There is a Victorian daintiness about this fragrance. I can see ladies dressed in white, w/ lace gloves and parasols strolling along the cobblestones. They are probably at a spa retreat for their health or on holiday w/ family. I think I have to get reconnected w/ this old historic American Brand. This is quality, class and smells like a bygone era. Edit: This lasts like crazy as well. Really good value for money.

In the few weeks since I joined Fragrantica my perfume bills are up and my storage space is down. Yes, I have committed the cardinal newbie sin, indulging in multiple blind buys. One of them was Elixir of Love which arrived today at my office. It is true that I have not had much time to explore this magic potion, but when there is love at first sight, who can wait to share their feelings? Yes, the love affair began already when I lay eyes on the beautiful eggshell and blue box with its graceful flower print and antique letters. It opens like a book, revealing a luminous blue bottle and a description of the main ingredients: "Lavender: Like magic it both soothes... and excites... the hearts of men"... "Egyptian Musk: A fabled aphrodisiac". "The original potion for love everlasting"... After having read this, I was definitely ready to take my budding romance with Elixir of Love to the next level. A few drops on my wrist and I was enveloped in the scent of a Victorian garden with sweet flowers and fresh herbs, mingling in perfect harmony. An aphrodisiac? Yes, in the same way that a delicate buttoned up lace blouse with a an old fashioned pin at the throat excites by covering and yet revealing. I believe in our relationship. No, I cannot commit to never wearing any other fragrances, but I will always come back to you, my darling Elixir of Love.

it smells like the memory of my mom's face cream from the 2010's, that we also gave my 姑姑 (my fathers older sister) in China as a gift—my brothers and I stayed at her house in the summer, and I was still young enough to shower with her in her square bathroom full of steam, and afterwards I remember borrowing the little white jar of gifted face cream on her wooden shelves. and even though it's been years since my mom used it, it's the smell I always associate with her (or at least, my memory of it)—a soft, lotiony, musky scent that I caught whenever I went to to hug her at night, after she'd just showered. Her hair still wet, and she's sitting up in bed under her coral-colored comforter, browsing on her ipad. Looking up at me with one finger curled under her chin as I enter to say good night. these days, I don't live with my mom anymore, and I haven't seen her in a while, but I still remember that smell. This is what this perfume reminds me of. And it smells just like the Elixir of Love lotion, that my boyfriend bought me for my last birthday—I bought the perfume sample in hopes it would smell the same, and it does. It's a soft, light creaminess, a little bit sweet (not like sugar, but the sweetness of cold cream or the froth at the top of a cup of milk), indistinctly flowery. It makes me miss my mom. I'll see her soon.

I am such a happy girl right now. Last week I followed information that led me to Caswell-Massey's website and "The Elixir of Love". I was intrigued. Somehow I found my way to this site, yes...I'm new here...and read the reviews of this fragrance and others. Everything sounded great about this fragrance...but I had not tried it...I was going off of other people's opinions and no first hand experience. But something kept me interested. I ordered it off Amazon and received it today. I set the bar low, so as not to be too disappointed. I told myself that maybe I might like it a little and that it would grow on me. No! I tried it on, refused to take a sniff...and then it hit me....such a glorious, soft, deeply feminine scent! So...exactly what I hoped for! I am so relieved and happy that my blind purchase has been such a victory. I now have a signature scent...and that is saying something, indeed! The floral is tempered with a soft musk and an herbal hint that is delicate and well-blended. Very well-balanced! Love it!

So many fun memories of stopping into Caswell-Massey as a teenager with my group of friends. We would sniff and spray and loved everything! I credit their sandalwood soap for igniting my love of sandalwood. I always loved Elixir of Love, but as a teenager it was always just a little out of my price range. Now, decades later, I have decided to revisit it and purchase my first bottle ever! The scent itself is the same as it always was, but I swear that like every other perfume in recent years, it is not as strong or rich as it once was. It doesn’t pack the same punch, but it still smells nice enough for me to reach for frequently because it’s so easy to wear. It’s soft, a little powdery, a little sweet and fruity (but no obvious fruit), quite musky, clean and innocent. It would make a good first perfume for a teenager. Now if only Victoria’s Secret would bring back their original Victoria perfume, my other mall favorite from that era!