Y Elixir

My first fragrance review in almost 7 months! Lol. Good to be back. This is likely going to be a shorter review by my strandards. Lol. As someone who's gone through a couple of bottles of Y EDP now, and have now owned this for almost 6 months, wearing it in the cold, and the warm, its basically a brother to the others in the line truly. You could go track down my review of the EDP and it'll give you much of the same information. I don't really like the notes of this one, because in so many regards, it's hard to really pick any of them out that easily as wild as that sounds. My nose is so used to the EDP that when I smell this, it's like "Oh.... Ok.... This is like the already fresh EDP took a shower, added a really nice fizzy uplifting gingerlike accord (again, why I don't trust the notes), while still having that green apple linen fresh vibe. This adds a slight bit more of what a lot of dudes would likely call "mature" but to me, its just a beautiful play on the EDP, adding a really nice fizzy gingery accord. Longevity is good, as good as the EDP is for me, which is something I still faintly smell on skin the next day. Sillage is also good here, for an elixir, I don't know what to trust anymore, as the term elixir with Sauvage or Le Male equates to "nuclear monster", this doesn't have that quality, this does however have what you'd expect regardless. It'll radiate from you for long enough. I've had compliments on this long after I could no longer smell it so idk. Not much else to say here. I personally really enjoy this and like to throw it into my rotation when I want to wear the EDP and want to spice it up.

Y Elixir is the newest addition to Yves Saint Laurent’s “Y” line, launched in 2024 and designed by renowned perfumer Dominique Ropion. This flanker brings a more intense, sophisticated and mysterious take on the original fragrance, aimed at men seeking elegance and depth. Performance: Y Elixir has a good performance. Its projection is striking in the first few hours, leaving a noticeable and elegant trail, without being invasive. Its longevity on the skin exceeds 8 hours, especially in areas of greater body heat and in mild to cold climates. It lasts even longer on clothing. Use occasions: This fragrance is ideal for evening use and on special occasions — dinners, formal events, meetings and sophisticated environments. It works best in colder climates, fall and winter, but can be used on cool spring nights. For the work environment, it is recommended in moderation, due to its intensity. Final score: 9/10 Y Elixir is a fragrance that combines the classic DNA of the “Y” line with a more mature, intense and intriguing facet. It is a sure choice for those looking for an elegant masculine perfume, with good performance and a bold touch, without sacrificing versatility. One of the standout launches in 2024 in the world of men's perfumery.

Y Elixir is absolutely in my top 2 favorite fragrances of all time scent profile wise. The incense note is amazing to my nose as well as the geranium and lavender. Personally I get almost 0 oud from this, which I personally like because I am not an oud fan. If you are looking for a fragrance where the oud is actually noticeable this is definitely not the fragrance for you. Like I said earlier, this is amazing scent profile wise to me, though the longevity and projection do leave something to be desired. Personally I find that it projects for around 1-2 hours. It stays a skin/intimate scent for a long time past that, maybe around 8 hours. However once it's dried down and finished projecting the lavender fades, the geranium fades, and it just becomes a woody incense smell. However, even in the dry down, while it is woody, it is still not an oud style wood smell. It is more of a classic oak and incense type wood smell to my nose. Overall I think this is a great fragrance though I would say it is not mass appealing and it is very different from the rest of the Y line. I would not blind buy and would always test in store before buying, especially with the hefty price tag of $190.

Considering with L'Elixir you're getting 90% the EDP, the MSRP is absolute bollocks. And so is the supposed "oud" note. Come on now. This is a quintessential shower gel fragrance without an ounce of anything that even nods to the direction of oud. Now, what's even more criminal is that 3.67 star rating. What? I mean yeah, you can make the argument that the gazillionth Y flanker wasn't exactly what the world needed. But objectively, on its own merits, Y L'Elixir is an outstanding scent - no way around it. Moreover, while the differences between Y flankers are moderate at best, as a man in his thirties, I welcome L'Elixir not only because, IMO, it's the best of the bunch, but also because, due to the overpowering sweetness being toned down, it's the only one that can (or should) be worn by the slighlty more mature crowd. The performance department is, well, just fine. Nothing to write home about but gets the job done. Overall a great 4x4 frag for any occasion imaginable, especially now that you can find it regularly for half the MSRP on discounters.

I think people are misunderstanding this fragrance. First and foremost for people who are complaining that this is overpriced for what it is, thats completely wrong. When Dominique was asked to create this for the house, he had to keep the fragrance within the line. Of course this is going to have that fresh, soapy clean "designer" type atmosphere to it. Its the Y by YSL line, he wasn't going to go and create something completely off the beaten path. Let me remind you this man is the perfumer behind Portrait of a Lady, he is more than capable of creating outstanding work. What you get here is incredibly high quality raw materials, the radiant woodiness is coming from raw materials that have been specifically made to do just that. Probably from a very well known chemical compound company like Givaudan which is why this fragrance is expensive. You're not buying the heights of perfumery. You're in the Y range don't kid yourself, you know what you're getting. This is well worth the money you only need one spray and it'll last all day.