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tolstak – :
Upon opening, I detect orange, caramel, balsam, and resin mostly. Somewhat heavy yet ethereal touch. I am not surprised that M. Jean Claude Ellena authored this. It is certainly an interesting scent because caramel note is strong when my nose is close to my wrist. However I get the waft of scent, primarily of balsa, resin and orange. Several hours later it is still there without much change. Long lasting, comforting and unisex in my opinion.
lerik-valerik17 – :
Charisma in a bottle. Resin/amber is very detectable, it’s woodsiness creates an aura of confidence and mystery.A very unisex or even masculine scent though.
T62z – :
This wasn’t love at the first spray. I didn’t like it at all untill a few hours passed. The beautiful, deeper notes showed up much later!
Hum4enko – :
I just got this, and I vacillate between love, like and not for me. I do not smell any orange or spiced orange (and I was really hoping too). I smell some patchouli (but it is not heavy) and lots of woods (oak or cedar).
I keep reading people talking about the vanilla…vanilla is my #1 fav scent, and I really do not detect much at all. If it is there, it is really dominated with balsamic woods.
The first spray is strong and crude…it takes on a very Paloma Picasso/Magie Noire beginning, but the balsamic woods really soften out.
I honestly think this should be sold and marketed as a Men’s fragrance, that is good for women too…or at least unisex.
This smells much more “masculine” than “feminine”.
LONG lasting and heavy sillage. 1-2 sprays should be enough for almost anyone. Over spraying this could be catastrophic, LOL.
But, impressive for a somewhat modern fragrance to last so long, and what a value…a little for sure goes a long way!!!
Denis185 – :
This is amazing.
Orange zest, amber, cedar and oak–utterly beautiful!
I do not smell caramel nor do I get a strong patchouli note.
A beautiful unisex fragrance.
mihalolik – :
All the notes sound perfect. On my skin, this is spiced orange-tinted Play-Doh.
maxximusura – :
Short review: my god, I love this. It’s resinous and orangey – no need to break down any further.
It’s just good.
Unisex, in my opinion.
karloserik1995 – :
This fragrance is between like and dislike for me. It opened very sharp and pungent, and I really disliked it. 4 hours later, I get sweet resinous, balsamic scent that I like. But when I get a closer sniff at my arm, I can still smell the pungent note, that I didn’t like at the beginning. It reminds me of Burberry, that I had to give away because of this note. I believe it must be the spicy cedar that generally doesn’t agree with my nose. A NO for me.
zhumahanov_erken – :
Very interesting fragrance. Not loud, but remarkable. A man could wear this without problems. I can easily see this fragrance being someone‘s signature scent. It has a lot of character and is not a crowd pleaser, even though it is not an aggressive perfume (just different) . I can imagine a mystical and opulent personality wearing it ( and almost no one else).
On my skin, i can detect most amber and incense. The other notes are so well blended that i can not pick them apart.
Sillage is soft, but longevity is impressive.
If you want to make an elegant and memorable statement, this is your juice.
Саня Лпкр – :
This is aptly named and bottled Elixir, it feels like wearing orange and amber at the same time. And even though this one is marketed towards women, this is really unisex, and GUYS CAN WEAR THIS, and it’s really really nice scent that intrigues people around you.
Very great longevity, with moderate to heavy sillage. Always get compliments wearing this.
PRYANIC – :
My favorite winter perfume. I bought a back up. It has a more complex blend of citrus and woody notes than is often found in women’s fragrances.
fliertintip – :
Mini splash bottle which is super cute! The masculine side of this doesn’t bother me,,,but I’m learning,(unfortunately too slowly,lol) that the sharpness is what bothers me in this.
It hurts my nose! Like Burberry Brit Rythmn did. I fail to pick up on the caramel note too.
Nice perfume,but too sharp for me!:-/
Also suspect Im not a fan of orange.
Edit: I’ve grown to really like this one ALOT! Quite classy and bright! Quite unique for me,,as I have nothing similar!
Gmod95 – :
How can it be sweet and dry at the same time?
Expensive and “perfumy,” but young, too.
Wild stuff.
Edit
Well… I can’t stop wearing this.
So satisfying but mysterious, hard to pinpoint.
Like Peter Gabriel’s voice — how it seems to hit two tones at once.
Or a kitten’s paws — sharp and soft.
It’s spicy enough to hold my interest, yet fresh enough to meld with hot weather.
I. Love. This.
vasilevka – :
More of a vintagey feel amber, especially drydown somehow feels a little dated to me. Opening is lovely amber orange peel, but quickly turns into the drydown which is like an old style Rochas Femme which I am not so keen on.
мага – :
FABULOUS. A warm, sweet balsam mixed with spices, orange peel and an amber essence with great longevity, I can wear this even in the summer heat and I’m not choking anyone out. In part, this is due to alll of the ingredients smelling very natural. This could only be a Jean Claude Ellena composition.
sanek_av83 – :
Beautiful unique master piece, like nothing else I have ever smelt.. Gourmand orange caramel candy , resinous, smoky and very woodsy.. warm, sophisticated, very sensuous and sexy..It could easily be unisex..
The sillage and longevity are both Vgood.. لو ألقيت نظرة سريعة على مكونات العطر سينتابك حتما شعور غريب بالفضول حوله.. كيف يبدو؟ كيف تجتمع مكونات من العيار الثقيل في عطر واحد.. مصنف للنساء لكنه لا يحتوي اي نوتات زهرية!
لطالما اعتقدت أن جان كلود ايلينا ملك الحمضيات الذي يتقن صناعتها و اظهارها بطريقة مختلفة في كل مرة يطلق فيها عطرا جديدا لكنني اشهد له بالتفوق حتى على نفسه.. مقدمة العطر برتقالية خضراء حادة غريبة مبهمة كرائحة زيت قشر البرتقال مخلوطة برائحة عشبية ترابية نفاذة.. ربما كانت المقدمة اضعف مراحل العطر لكنها لن تدوم لأكثر من دقائق.. تظهر بعدها رائحة عنبرية مسكية رائعة تمتزج مع الراتنجيات و التونكا فتعطي رائحة لذيذة جورماندية لحلوى البرتقال بالكراميل الدسمة وكأنها تُطبخ في قدر كبيرة فوق الحطب المشتعل.. في القاعدة يتحول العطر الى خشبي سبايسي و تظهر الى جانب البرتقال لمحات باودرية من الصندل و البخور و الفانيلا.. العطر متفرد جدا.. متميز لا يشبه عطرا اخر .. تدرجاته رائعة.. أداؤه ممتاز بحيث يلتقطه انفي بوضوح حتى في اليوم التالي.. مثير جدا ومن الظلم اعتباره عطرا انثويا فهو يونيسكس تماما.. و اعتقد انه يبدو اروع كلما اشتدت برودة الجو.. امتلك زجاجة منه لكني سأسعى حتما لاقتناص واحدة أخرى بحجم اكبر فهو عطر لا ارغب أن ينضب من خزانتي ابدا
ЗАПЧАСТИ – :
This is a glorious delight of a fragrance…in fact, I love the entire Merveilles line—and while they are all similar and share family traits, they are all quite different enough from each other to justify owning every one.
What makes Elixir special? The peru balsam mixed with caramel, resins and incense. A spicy citrus treat, yet almost a gourmand as it warms on your skin. Rich tonka, vanilla, patchouli and amber ground it–but never in a heavy way. This one is so beautiful I almost can’t describe it. I get the occasional whiff of expensive soap, especially when I spray the back of my neck. Suitable for men or women, this one is just divine. It lasts all day on my skin, as well. A+
NikiticH – :
This one was a pass for me. I sampled it yesterday at Saks and upon first spray, it smelled very sharp and…generic. The orange smelled so artificial and overpowering, it reminded me of orange-flavored cough syrup. I could not detect any other notes, other than the strange mix of patchouli and incense that created a stale kind of smell, like it was an old bottle of perfume that had been sitting in the sun. Very harsh and unappealing. I did sample a lot of fragrances yesterday, so maybe my olfactory system was worn out by the time I got to this one, but it was disappointing and not at all what I expected. I expected to really love this, especially after hearing the “chocolate-covered orange” comparison. Personally, I get a better orange experience from Clinique’s Happy. It is amazing how we all differ in what appeals to our senses!
chipas – :
This is so lovely, so different, a lot of resin, a magic. One of my favorite. Very unique!
smueabpolg – :
I had a sample of Elixir a few years ago and didn’t like it- I enjoyed the scent, but thought it was too masculine. Fast forward to a few days ago when I smelled this on a friend and was struck by how unique and bold Elixir came across. I had to have it! It is a gender bender, absolutely no doubt, but I do see the femme in this now. This is for the rebel, the eccentric, the sharp witted woman who boldly owns herself with no apologies. As for the scene this scent evokes, it took me a while to get the beach vibe from this line. I own the Eau and Ambre and just now am beginning to understand this particular shore, and for the contrast I am beginning to prefer this atmospheric rendition. Forget the fruity drinks and sunscreen, heck, forget the sun. This is a northern, rough shore. Craggy rocks, mist and wind, with a forest of tall pines buffering the cool spray. This beach is not for spring break, it is a wild, untamed beauty.
Edit (June 12): I have to add that in humid heat this becomes a chocolate salted caramel that is just scrumptious!
rober193 – :
A couple of years ago I smelled this on a woman in a waiting room of a dentist. I asked her what she was wearing and she said it was Hermes. The same day I went to Sephora to locate the perfume and tried identifying it from memory. It was this. I always have a bottle in my bathroom. I love it. I do wear it to work , even though not as much as before as I became more involved with different scents.
My coworkers who come after me always know if I am in the office because the elevator and the way to the door smells like me! The scent is complex and longetivity is impressive. This perfume makes me feel very feminine and mature, which I need sometimes. It gives me boost of confidence as well.
I think you can wear it to a special occasion as well not sure if it belongs only to one season since we all have A//C in buildings, definitely not appropriate for a beach.
rusdim – :
This perfume smells amazing I love it! Also on me the lasting power was crazy long, it lasted till the next morning! For me I think the sillage is moderate to above average depending on how much I use. This also was a blind buy because I love L’ambre so I figured since I loved that I would like elixir. Well turns out I love it on me I get a lot of the incense, amber, sandalwood, Tonka, and the resins. I cannot smell the orange while my boyfriend said he could smell it no problem.
To me the vanilla, sugar, and caramel rounds out the wood and resins edges making this just so delicious. For me this was a safe blind buy because I know I love balsamic scents and since I have l’ambre I thought it would work out. If you’re not into these notes normally or own another fragrance from the mervilles line I would get a sample, For me I adore this and a side note when I want a touch of floral with this I layer EdM with Alien. I kid you not they smell so good together. Love!
KOSTALOM100 – :
I can’t believe this came out in 2006 and I’ve ignored it for 12 years. This is why you should never assume, I just tried this and it’s perfect, immediately bought it. Sweet, unisex perfect for cold weather
rediyevg – :
I love the cheerful orange orblike illusion of the bottle, for an extremely visual and tactile person like myself, the glowing deep orange bottle itself is a huge draw, it beckons you to grab and touch it. The scent itself is quite unique, you are expecting a burst of juicy oranges but instead you get, just a hint of orange that never gets juicy or acid but instead rounds out a salty, very peppery, warm resinously slightly woody amberish sweetish not gourmand light bodied syrup.
Lovely mmmm! It’s a little cuddlely, edgy, sophisticated at the same time, quite unisex. The sillage is closer to the skin and it’s a bit linear. Much prefer this to the original eau de merveille as that one is too sharp with the citrus.
BIM1977 – :
Sweet orange and salty amber on a resinous woody base. The scent is very unique and kinda hard to imagine until you try this one. I loved it at first, but there are two cons. Firstly, it’s pretty linear during its relatively short lifespan and that hypersweet orange quickly becomes tiresome. As you might have guessed, the second drawback is the performance, which is not as good as you’d expect. About 4 hours of longevity (if you’re lucky) and there’s no projection to speak of after the first hour.
My initial love for it turned into like. It’s special and very nice, but I don’t really need it in my collection
ervetiks – :
Perfectly sweet and a little spicy, but I can’t detect any cedar or patchouli in this. Shame, because those notes might make the scent last longer. As lovely as it is, it lasts maybe 4 hours on my skin, even with hydrated skin. Not fully bottle worthy, as beautiful as it is. Too bad.
valera41066 – :
This is what I call interesting. Beautiful beautiful orange scent with a really good depth.
kilapoun – :
Horrific on me. Smells dirty on me, like a zoo animal enclosure. What note is doing this?! If I only knew, I could avoid it forever…
BeetleSadseva – :
Not what I expected at ALL!
So woody & sharp!
I went in thinking it’d smell citrus-y & fresh, something like Clinique Happy but no! It’s nothing like Clinique Happy.
Just a warning for those who have the same expectations.
pompyceh600bedyWelty – :
I blind bought this based off the reviews and notes listed. It was beautiful to unwrap—the box was inside a silver shipping envelope, and when you opened the initial box there sprang open another, cushioned box, in which was a box wrapped in tissue paper with a delightful little ribbon tied in a bow. Of course, that was the actual perfume box and it felt just like opening a present to myself. I’d buy it again, just for that.
But on to the scent, shall we? The top notes go by quickly. Initially there is a rush of caramel orange patch, which settles down quickly to reveal a spicy, clean amber with hints of the caramel orange patch caught as I move about. There is something slightly powdery about it on my skin, which isn’t my favorite element, but that seems to settle down quickly as well. From there it wears like a deep, clean (but thick), spicy orange, emphasis on the spice. I can see how some see it as a slightly masculine scent and it’s true—I think it would be to die for on a man. Sex appeal doesn’t discriminate.
All in all it’s a beautiful scent. I like a lot but don’t love—yet. My husband loves it though, and he never comments on my perfume but commented twice on this, so I may have found a winner.
vorobecaleksandr – :
A certain… natural feminine musk, shall we say.
At least that’s what I thought on my first wearing. Ah, what a young nose. It didn’t put me off too much, as I’m into that kinda stuff. But that was about two years ago, so it must have left an impression. Maybe I wasn’t willing to walk around smelling like I’d just enjoyed a marathon lovemaking session. Love that smell, but not as a lingering, all-day presence.
Transitioning from retail work to an office environment has been fun times for my fragrance wardrobe. It’s given me the confidence to break out my more challenging scents, as in retail the wrong note could entirely put off a customer and ruin your whole day. In an office, no one cares unless it’s loud and in your face.
So with high hopes, and some leftover apprehension, today I wore Hermes Elixir des Merveilles. It’s a scent of surprising contradictions. Breezy, sticky. Sweet, salty. Soapy, dirty. Feels more like an aura than an afterglow. Comforting in a way I didn’t expect, based on previous wearings.
Recently I’ve noticed that amber takes on this dusty playdough vibe when I smell it. I get that here, combined with a sticky, caramel orange. Sounds like it would be heavy, but it’s light enough. Works for me. I dig it.
d7o7c – :
I loved the opening notes; a warm embrace at Christmas-time. The orange combined with the amber, caramel and tonka reminded me of a ceremony in England when I was a child ‘Christingle’ where we placed a candle inside an orange, adorned it with sweets and dried fruits. Almost sparkling.
I was absolutely loving this fragrance in the cold atmosphere; drinking coffee and keeping warm in my bright red winter coat – this fragrance feels luxurious and comforting.
Elixir des Merveilles lasts many hours; unfortunately the drydown on my skin was a little milky – perhaps from the vanilla, it must be my chemistry? I did not like it at that stage at all.
I recommend getting a sample for a test before buying. Visually the bottle is beautiful; like a sparkling Christmas bauble hanging on the tree.
Jimmi62 – :
I received a tester of this fragrance. I was very on the fence about trying it out due to the orange being voted as the most dominant note. I absolutely dislike anything citrussy or orangy, however the orange in this is not at all citrussy but instead a very gourmand candied orange.
The fragrance opens with patchouli, which seems to fade quiet quickly into a very soft background note. Than the sweet candied orange kicks in with amber, resin and caramel to give it a warm, very comforting and alluring feel to it. It is a very enchanting scent and I associate it with winter and christmas holidays. It is definitely fitting for a strong woman with character. The perfume is loud and you will be noticed. As many have mentioned this perfume to be unisex, I do not think this will be well suited at all for men. On me at least it smells very sweet and gourmand, which may be a bit too feminine on men. However, I guess every body chemistry reacts differently of course. Overal a beautiful blend by Hermes and an incredibly pleasant surprise for me !
GrinnileJem – :
This fragrance is strong and as a sparkling edge to it. A fragrance for a confident woman. Sometimes I like it and other times I find it overwhelming. It effects my mood in that it makes me rather serious. It is a very long lasting fragrance and a winter fragrance.. I like to wear it when I need that confident and serious edge.
lolol – :
Sadly, this perfume doesn’t agree with my skin at all. What I smell is only powdery salt and amber, maybe some patchouly. It’s so salty, it feels like I am in a salt mine or something like that. Or in the middle of the ocean. I’m sure it depends on my skin, since the same happens to me with marine perfumes.
Strong sillage and long lasting.
Exticajaita – :
If après-ski had a scent Elixir de Merveilles would be it. Balsamic, toasty, expensive, yet natural. Melds with your skin for an unbelievable golden glow feel. Picture a roaring fire next to a leather couch, cashmere throw, sipping on an Old Fashioned. Earthy, rich. and utterly sexy on a man as well.
123йуцек123 – :
A masterpiece in every aspect.
NRuslan – :
Autumn in a bottle.
Autumn days, nights.
Winter days, nights.
Assortment of forest wood scents bring to mind cutting of timber, holiday trees, stacks of firewood.
Orange, caramel, vanilla sugar giving sweetness.
I think it easily can be worn by men too. Would be a nice layering item, to mix in with other scents. I’ve tried adding in Black Suede (Avon) and Cuba Gold (Cuba Paris).
Again, both of those combinations are quite complementary on myself, a woman. I already know that all scents don’t work for all people, but I am completely satisfied with the scent of Elixir des Merveilles. And I love the ability to add it to women’s and men’s fragrances for a new twist.
cariba_85 – :
I just received Elixir des Merveilles today again!! The first time I bought this, I didn’t think too much of it. It just did not smell right on me, so I gave it to my mom. I am so jealous, because it smells so heavenly on her.
A year later, I decided to give it another try….I am so glad I did!! I am just in love with this. I don’t know what happened, but now it smells so amazing on me and I am already having compliments on it!
I just love the ambery orange take on this. You can also smell the buttery caramel topping it off. You can also detect the soft woody base to this which makes it not over the top sweet. And later a soft vanilla.I find it to be a good comforting, clean, softly spiced fragrance. Great for fall wear.
q00711 – :
Very, very classy and interesting – and to win me over (an amber-ambivalent woman) this must have something pretty special. What bothers me is that it’s not *quite* as special as I had anticipated. The orange burst is certainly in there, as are the woods – in fact, whatever the woody elements are, really makes their presence felt – like others here I had an awkward window within the first 2h when this seemed on the brink of getting too masculine even for me – though I usually wear almost exclusively unisex-tending-to-mannish stuff).
This is never less than lovely-smelling, though it’s so smoothly blended it’s hard for me to pick out the other aromatic elements past amber and orange. Once it calms down and mellows out, the amber base is beautifully moderated, not remotely headachey or too pushy.
There is nothing here to dislike, but somehow it didn’t tip me into dizzying desire either. From me it’s not so much a marvel; more something to quietly appreciate and savour.
Sillage is big at first, but contracts quite dramatically after a couple of hours. Longevity isn’t massive but it does hang on – still detectable on skin 4-6h later.
77660540267 – :
I wore the original EDM back in 2004-5, as I’ve now realised, I like scents that I consider “moody” and “dark”, but also a little sunny and sweet, so that my mood stays as elevated as possible; anyone who’s ever fought the good fight against lifelong massive depression will concur that it’s fairly imperative that we give our serotonin/dopamine receptors a boost as much as possible—WITHOUT the use of mind-altering substances, as those inevitably backfire at some point. So, along with surrounding myself with as much pleasantness as possible, I tend to shy away from scents that are too dusty, too…antique?…smelling, although I’d be hard pressed to dump my original Shiseido “Zen”, as mossy as it is, and likewise Mitsouko…gotta have that oak moss there when I need it. However, my great dislike of most aquatics, ozonic, “marine”, “clean”, behind whichever tab these silvery, airy, scents are being filed these days, added to a big NO for generic white floral/white musk/fruity/synthetic vanilla-with-a-dab-of-green, and nearly every chypre out there (aside from Nikki de St. Phalle, which I lived in the late 80s, but can no longer embrace due to scent association. Sad panda.) means I can’t get a little lazy about my scent choices, reach for the obvious “pick-me-ups” in the light-blue or yellow, grass-green bottles, with names that aim to force me to cheer the hell up.
Enter Eau des Merveilles, Theorema, CdG 2, etc…spicy, amber-hued, dirty—and occasionally inky (LOVE you, CdG 2)—golden oranges. I gave up on the edt version of EDM, as my only co-worker and I shared an office in 2004, and she bathed in the stuff. So here I am, 13 years later, and I keep seeing EDM popping up as a suggestion of scents I may like. I own a big bottle of CdG 2, and had found an original Theorema, but sold it on due to its low silage and longevity (I’d forgotten about this, and it’s such a SHAME, but my marking it off of my list for good will save me a bit of cash and stress in trying to acquire a discontinued scent), and so, I decided to buy a small bottle of this.
The first time I smelled it, what immediately came to mind was opening an old, lacquered Chinese chest of ebony wood, the dusty kimono silks inside carrying the scent of an dried, musty, orange pomander, studded with cloves, a bit of cedar thrown in to protect against hungry moth larvae, and that’s what I get, all the way until the end, with Eau des Merveilles Elixir. It IS a. bit “masculine”, if your nose smells on those terms—mine does not, and 99% of my collection is “unisex”, leaning to the male side with a lot of woods, smoke, incense, pine, bergamot, spices and resins. Yes, I wear a lot of Lutens, and own 7 full bottles, but sadly, none of them lasts long on my scent-eating skin. That’s why I was so looking forward to loving Elixir, but…it depresses the heck out of me! So, unfortunately, as much as I abhor selling via eBay, I refuse to hang onto any scents I don’t use…what’s the point?…and this will be listed. UNLESS one of you wants to swap, just let me know. I’m now thoroughly convinced that I have one of the worst body chemistries for wearing ANY scents that lean toward the medicinal and also include amber. I’ve created my own comfort scent for calming my mind at home, using mostly essential oils in a diffuser: benzoin, cinnamon, a drop of bay & cedar, and lots of sandalwood, a little vanilla if I can find a good synthetic mock up of the true aroma. I’ve gotten close to locating a Lutens that mimics this combo, and L’air du Desert nearly nails it, but doesn’t stick around very long on my skin. If you’ve made it this far in reading my short story here, bless you, and can you tell me something? Do YOU smell a distinct “skank” alà castroneum or possibly civet in this, or am I misreading patchouli?
Sportfreundchen – :
This opens with a zesty orange but has undertones of chocolatey woodsy ozonic notes. I like most of the notes but the chocolate — it is the one note that makes me feel strange about smelling it. I just picture someone dirty, sloppily gorging themselves with bars of chocolate, and leaving behind a gooey mess of melted chocolate smeared all over themselves. But after 2 hours, I barely detect orange and chocolate and really smell mostly ozonic notes with hints of something warm (perhaps the chocolate just muted). After the first 30 minutes, I didn’t think I’d like it, but after a couple hours, it grows on me and i can’t stop smelling how wonderfully intoxicating it is!
Sillage is medium / longevity 6+ hours
7.5/10
svjatoy – :
This gem is truly unisex. On a man, the candied orange and woods really mesh well and just works beautifully. I wouldn’t necessarily limit this to colder months as the citruses sparkle bright! When your man sweats lightly and the beads of sweat trickles down his neck, I dare you to smell his neck when he’s wearing this. It’s quite an aggressive aphrodisiac and will induce erotic feelings! (which is basically a more sophisticated way of saying this will make you horny!) On a woman, strangely it picks up on the orange and more so the amber than the woods! It’s gorgeous! If you and your man buy a big bottle of this, you will both love it! An absolute must have!
crim_crim – :
Like other reviewers I find the opening of this to be very masculne. In my case it continues in that vein, which makes it unwearable for me. Unisex yes – masculine no, is my motto. Thank goodness for samples and swapping, as this is just the kind of thing I would assume I’d love and spend £££ for in a blind buy, only to regret it.
And as with most Hermes fragrances, this is very serious, if not sombre, with the high quality ingredients prominently displayed. Very French and very bon chic bon genre. So it probably says more about me than about Hermes that I don’t find this style at all engaging. When I want to seem aloof and Parisienne, my vintage Caleche hits the spot – otherwise the house of Hermes is not my speed it would appear.
Quel dommage.
Mc_Cezarj – :
I spent a bit of time with Eau Des Merveilles last week and realised I really love it BUT only on the dry down. I’ve been researching the whole range and got to try and buy the Elixir and L’Ambre (which is gorgeous too) This has everything I was looking for and MORE. Its absolutely beautiful and addictive. A lot sweater, more citrus and Ambry smooth with added yummy vanilla and at the same time more amped up than Eau, without the harsh opening of Eau which I don’t like.I cant get enough of this , it looks like this is definitely signature worthy. My husband compliments me all the time. Wish I could describe it in more detail but you will have try it to see what I mean.
So, if you looking for something sweater than Eau and more delicious (not in a food way) try Elixir.
Maizel-50 – :
The flower free fragrance… Juicy oranges, wood, amber and a tiny little bit vanilla (part of a flower,I ignore that). Especially the drydown is very unisex. Wearable in summer, refreshing, or in winter, uplifting. Great sillage and staying power. Every time I use it, I receive positive feedback. The best one by a collegue: “I could walk behind you the whole day just to smell this fantastic scent”. She really couldn’t because of multiple sclerosis, this was her kind of black humor.
dtf594intitytek – :
The entire Merveilles line is becoming my favourite fragrances. I love how natural they smell. Outdorsey ,woody and ozionic . The idea behind them is the concept of ambergris , and each flanker does a fine job of it.
The Elixer is somewhat salty,bitter ,sweet ,woody ,balsamic and musky .Smells similar to eau de Merveilles but heavier ,stronger ,more rounded and resinousy , a little less fresh but still fresh and still outdoorsy and natural. Somwhat earthy and bittersweet.
The elixer ,like the other Merveilles are all unisex in my opinion. They all reperesent a natural outdoorsy fresh Ozonic aroma rather than a perfumy smell.
They all don’t contend flowers but only ambergris and woods ,herbs with some citrus.
Very natural pleasant and sexy skin scents. They linger forever but won’t fill a room.
Perfect daytime fragrance.
Signature worthy !
yar000 – :
Elixir des Merveilles is the sourest fragrance I have ever come across, and to my nose, it smells like tamarind and a very sour acidic fruit leather or Lavashak(in Persian). I’m very familiar with these smells because in my country of origin, Iran, these sour snacks are very popular among kids. In the summer, a lot of moms get plums, berries, apricots, etc.; boil and cook them, then Purée and pour into sheets and let them dry. Elixir des Merveilles smells like a fresh mid-drying sour fruit leather. So to my nose, it’s a sour gourmand.
I don’t hate the smell, but I wouldn’t want to smell like fruit leather myself. None of the sweet notes ever come out on my skin or on the paper that I tested it on, and I look at the notes wondering where are the tonka and amber and patchouli and caramel?! I just get the bitter sour orange, along with resins and cedarwood. Once it gets to the base it smells like a very natural smelling salty and sour ambergris.
I don’t think this smell does have a gender. It’s not feminine, but that doesn’t automatically make it masculine either. The sillage is between soft and moderate on my skin. Maybe it’s necessary to add that I tested Elixir des Merveilles from an original sample.
Maybe it’s a chemistry problem or just a matter of taste, but unfortunately, I am yet to smell something from the house of Hermes that I like. I have a long road ahead of me, and I’m hopeful!
MemKeydayrell – :
The top notes comes off strong and masculine I love mysterious scents deep and dark. It reminds me of walking through a damp forest with a black scarf smelling fresh oranges and spice sin the air. This scent is unique seems to be unisex n my opinion any sex can pull it off. It’s different, bold and unique notes draws me near the cliff of the smell of life.
I layered it with Sublime Vanilla Creed and it took my breathe away in a beautiful whiff
windynguyen1911 – :
I have said in nearly every review that I’m a floral woman. This has to do mostly with what does well on my skin but also because I have always preferred florals over anything else, even as a child and my early body splash days. My sister preferred Loves Lemon Fresh cologne, and I liked Avon Wild Rose.
I asked my husband for an Hermes perfume for a birthday. He must, after all this time, know I love florals, but he gave me Hermes Elixir des Merveilles. I suspect he just asked for an Hermes perfume and this was handed to him.
It has many things I tend to dislike in perfumes and yet I fell in