Elixir 11

TL;DR: This is for the woman that wants to smell alluring and unique-- she’s not for everyone, but for some, she’s an instant obsession. The dry down is where the magic happens. Definitely incense-y/oriental floral rose/jasmine blast with a skin-like spicy patchouli-amber dry down. 11/10 all around. Full Review: Something about this perfume was so alluring and called to me-- maybe it’s the sleek black bottle and fascinating note blend-- I couldn’t tell you. Elixir|11 is by and large the riskiest and most rewarding blind buy I’ve made to date. I am absolutely BLOWN AWAY, and it’s all for the dry down. The first spritz is not my favorite (sooo much jasmine and rose, it’s a bit vintage), but the dry down is a knock-out show stopper on my skin. She is not for the faint of heart and she is not everyone’s favorite, but she is bold and you can't look away. I’ll start with my impression of the notes and end on the vision this gives me and a few loose comparisons because this is a unique one! So, I have to say, this gives me the slightest crush of fresh juicy SOMETHING on first sniff, enveloped in flowers and something spicy and deep, almost peppery. My nose does not identify it as Red Apple-- it’s just so smoothly blended. I will say, as the first blast lands on skin, this smells exactly like a New Age shop I used to frequent, oddly enough. You get the incense-forward blend of rose, jasmine and patchouli, with amber keeping a smooth base but never taking center stage. The flowers are dominant at first, and I think the “dead flowers” vibe some people commented on comes from the jasmine, which reads a bit dated at first. I wish I got jammy rose, but really the rose is very clean and soapy, pulling a tad mature when mixed with the jasmine. I get zero vanilla, but I have to imagine she’s blended in with the amber, keeping the patchouli from being too dirty or animalic. Very, very soon after an initial spray, maybe 30 min- 1 hour, the full dry down blooms on my skin into a spicy, skin-like, almost salty patchouli/amber that is modern and intoxicating-- not at all granny, vintage smell on my skin. It smells like my boyfriend’s cologne mixed with mine (though NOTHING like Boyfriend by Kate Walsh), and WOW is it both unisex and darkly feminine at the same time. This is a WITCHY concoction, spicy and uncommon and totally alluring. The dry down lasts nearly all day, still lingering when I go to shower. The sillage is definitely slightly above average on my skin. I do not think this leaves a trail as I leave the room necessarily, but my fiance keeps walking past me and commenting on how good I smell. I keep getting whiffs of myself when I move. Intoxicating is definitely the word. As for the general impression, the development is similar to Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDT on my skin, but I would not say they are very similar or even remotely dupes. Similar to Elixir, NR For Her EDT, on my skin, loses the sharp florals after an hour and dries down to a cleaner patchouli musk, again, akin to a boyfriends scent mixing with mine, but if that scent were somehow appropriate for the office. I know it sounds odd, but just walk with me! If Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDT is the musky/patchouli floral that a confident, top notch exec would wear to a board meeting and refresh on the way to meet a date at a hotel lounge later that night, Kayali Elixir|11 is the spicy/patchouli amber floral worn by the confident, alternative woman who unwittingly enchants everyone around her and definitely privately pulls Tarot cards for herself at home surrounded by plants and a black cat. To me, this has a gothic, alluring and mysterious edge-- one I hoped to find in Dior Poison, but was overshadowed by medicinal woods and sharp tuberose, a complete no-go on my skin. I think the black bottle speaks to the dark, vampy edge to this scent. Maybe it’s just my association with a local New Age shop speaking, but this scent reads like an incense-y, oriental with lots of soapy rose and powdery jasmine with a modern, spicy dry down that gothic dreams are made of. Morticia Addams would absolutely wear this scent. Elixir|11 is exactly what it says-- an enchanting, addictive elixir that is undoubtedly oriental with a modern flair. I am certainly purchasing a full bottle as soon as possible!

WOW! I couldn't try a sample of this because of covid and I had to risk blind-buying it. I read countless reviews before deciding and many weren't favorable at all, it doesn't seem to agree with a lot of western noses. I am not really western though and this reminds me of many familiar smells. Don't get me wrong, it's not the most oriental fragrance ever, but if you don't like them then you won't like it. The best way I can describe it is that it smells like a bag of pastries with two boxes in it, one box is full of Turkish delights and the other is full of baklava. Now imagine the scents of the two mixing together. The rosy scent of Turkish delight is what you get when you move around, and if you smell close to where you sprayed you get the scent that resembles baklava. It reminds me of my dad bringing sweets at home. It smells edible and absolutely delicious but not in the typical western vanilla/ cake/ caramel type of way, it's the oriental version of smelling edible. The notes I get the most are rose, patchouli and apple. Other people who smelled me said "Turkish delight powder" and "rose scented wine", I think the patchouli and the apple can make it smell a bit like wine. I swear I also smell some faint whisper of oud even though it's not in the notes. All in all I can see why it smells weird to some people but I love it, this is probably my most successful blind buy so far. This is a great scent if you want to stand out and in my opinion there is absolutely nothing grandma-ish about it. It's actually very sexy and intoxicating and makes me picture a beautiful brunette woman. Also, BEST SPRAYER EVER.

I really enjoy this one, similar to my nose as sweet diamond pink pepper. Also reminds me of NR fleur musc. Really wearable. Update: i really love this and all of the other kayalis. They smell great and are very wearable. I love the apple in this one. I really like this the more i wear it. I think this is definitely signature scent worthy bc it is fine for all seasons and all occasions. It isnt super complex or challenging to wear, but it does smell different. I love layering it with NR fleur musk. Funny, if you would have asked me prior to my fragrance journey what my favorite notes would be? I prob would have said amber-spicy. But the more i try and experience, the more i find surprise notes i love that i would never have expected. I absolutely love rose, musk, and i love fruity scents too. I love to drink coffee but i really haven't enjoyed wearing it at all. I think what i learned is u have to stay open to finding surprises along the way. Today i refreshed ani by nishane with this and they really do compliment each other. I hope soneone tries this combo and likes it. Elixir is def a sig scent, it works for any season, any time

Okay. So I get a total Snow White vs The deadly apple with this! Or even Adam and Eve Forbidden Apple vibe. It's a dangerous apple/rose smell! If I was going to wear Elixir I would be wearing MACs Russian Red lipstick, a tight black dress with red bottom Christian Louboutin shoes. This is a Gorgeous take on a rose perfume!! To better describe what I smell, this is a juicy, rose & apple scent with a patchouli that smells like silky insence, its also a base that is feminine, smooth and almost oud like. The overall scent has jam sweetness but has smokey elements to it as well. It's truly polarising but understand it won't be for everyone. I love Rose perfumes that transform into something out of this world, you can smell the rose note but it's a rose that you imagine from a fantasy movie like my all time favourite Midnight Poison did. This does the same too. Definitely projects that Snow White vs Deadly Apple vibe I mentioned before.. This has become my dark, sexy rose scent in my collection. Topping JHAG Lady Vengeance (which tbh wasn't always a top pick). Also finding it works better in colder weather, it smells more seductive.

If I was reviewing just the smell itself, I actually think I'd put the scent in my top 10. HOWEVER.... IT. DOESN'T. LAST. For how much this costs, the longevity is abysmal. It is really huge when you first spray it. You would think your 2 sprays is going to be MORE than enough. Then 1 hour later it is gone and you have to bury your face in your clothes to catch a whiff. I thought perhaps it was just me that couldn't smell it, but I've asked others and they can't smell it either after a couple hours. If I give myself about 10 sprays an hour before I leave (to let the initial blast die down), then I will have like a "normal" fragrance performance out of it, i.e. smell it for 4 hours then skin scent for another couple hours. I find myself only wearing this when I'm at home so that I can refresh it through the day. Also this scent is very linear. It is dark red apple skin and roses the whole way through. It's delicious, but simple. All in all, if this cost me $40 I'd be ok with it. But at over $100 for a bottle and not even giving you the performance of a celebrity perfume from TJ MAxx.... It's just way overpriced.