After Portia wrote about it here, and Tom here, I put testing Clinique’s I guess iconic Aromatics Elixir on my to-sample list. I was deeply sceptical so didn’t buy a sample – just put it on my to do list when I went into town late last week, along with a micro travel umbrella and some other things.
Did John Lewis for a spritz and forgot to take off my weird, sort of Terminator sunglasses so the SA at Clinique took a step back when I reached for the bottle of AE. She recovered well though, finding me a blotter (well, half of one – how weird is that? We’re now instituting savings by cutting blotters in half?).
Anyway, as noted, I spritzed some on my wrist and on my blotter, did a quick smell and then another 15 mins later, and dismissed the fragrance out of hand as the opening was a strange combo of sparkly and really really herbal. Not my favourite combo.
So, off I went to my orthodontist consult for braces, a few more errands, with a stop at a lovely bakery for an ice tea (did I mention it’s been hot here – and humid humid humid?), a couple of takeaway croissants stuffed into my bag, and 45 minutes to read before the consult. Got the train after all this and while I was walking through the field shortcut to get home (so three hours after I initially sprayed the fragrance on) I remembered the AE and smelled my wrist again.
Oh, whole new kettle of fish.
Gone was the no-thank-you opening. Now, it smelled like a weird, absolutely gorgeous melange of modified-by-fizz-moss huge lush white flowers. I did some more smelling when I got home and that BWF was underpinned by pong. A wonderful, smoky, you-haven’t-showered-since-yesterday-but-still-smell-good thing.
In the drydown, I get a bit of sweet but only a bit and it’s still skanky as all get out.
I wonder if the fragrance would have smelled like this on me if I’d tried it in 1971 when it first came out – I know I sampled it at some point on my perfume journey but no memory whatsoever. So, I can’t imagine it did smell like this. Or did and I simply wasn’t ready for it.
I totally get why this is iconic – but it is also a shape-shifter as far as I’m concerned and that’s really compelling. Tom speaks of ‘from the cauldron’ in his review and I think that’s what I was thinking of in an abstract way. On me, it is that … sort of. It’s more that person who would be bombshell if they took off their glasses and conservative clothes but the thing is you know this when they are still all tightly togged, so they don’t need to do anything but be ever so quietly bombshell.
I did a gander at amazon and there’s a 30ml bottle for £19 which cries out for popping in the cart (the 100ml is much stronger on a ml/price basis but I don’t really want 100ml of much right now). But, I’m being good this month as I travel in September.
This gets a 3.2 rating on the Clinique site – and the majority of the one and two star reviews point to the current perfume not smelling like their older bottles. For readers who have both current and older, what are your thoughts?
The nose was Bernard Chant who also did Halston and Cinnabar, and per Fragrantica the notes include chamomile, aldehydes, clary sage, coriander, geranium, lemon verbena, Brazilian rosewood, bergamot, carnation, rose, ylang, orris root, jasmine, tuberose, orange blossom, oakmoss, patchouli, incense, vetiver, sandalwood and musk.
In any case, though, this goes on the to buy list. Smelling like that, at that price, how could it not? I’ll accept the not love opening for what I get later.
Pics: Pexels and mine
“ever so quietly bombshell”
You win..
I seriously liked that line too!
Thank you. I’m still wishing I’d come up with the cauldron line and plan to steal it for use elsewhere.
the fact that they’re cutting the strips in half blows my mind. Y’all are making me want to re-try AE. I mostly remember being shocked that it’s from a brand that does such minimal/clinical makeup (and which is now aimed, at least to some degree, to a younger audience.)
The negative reviews on the website looked mostly to be from older women frustrated with the changes made to the fragrance over the years. But, yes, AE is a bit out there vs Clinique makeup and skincare’s usual demographic. I stopped using it in my late 20s, I think, and moved on to stuff that felt a bit more luxurious.
I wore the original years ago, and still have a small bottle, and then a more recent late 80’s iteration. I hate to sound like a snob, but the original Elixir was in a class of its own, like original 1960’s Shalimar, the old Tabu.
There is no comparison of the original to the current version. They are nothing alike. I would not wear the stuff today. It was heaven, a very potent heaven at first spritz to dry down, and it smelled wonderful in the opening until the end leaving a distinct trail. It was a perfume that when someone left the room, you would pick up the scent wafting through five minutes later. It also lasted until your next shower 12–or–72 hours later, yet it avoided being screechy like Big 80’s Georgio style perfumes. Aromatics Elixir was the girl with kaleidoscope eyes in 1975.
Not a snob at all. So much has changed with what’s allowed in a fragrance and what is not over the decades. and that’s a wonderful description: girl with kaleidoscope eyes.
This is the great thing about vintage scents, in my experience. They develop, they transform and shift, grow, bloom as you wear them. So much modern stuff is flat and linear. I’m glad you found that it’s a keeper for you.
Indeed, this was definitely not flat and linear. In addition to its development, the longevity is really good. It certainly makes an impression in a good way.
Woo Hoo! Welcome aboard the Aromatics Elixir love train Cinnamon. Considering how much they must have had to change to keep up with modern standards I think it’s still in pretty good condition. Less mossy and spicy maybe but still fabulous, and nothing stays the same forever. That sharpness in the opening is not in my older bottle but that could be degradation.
Portia xx
I do wonder if the ‘sharpness’ might relate to it being a sample bottle which sits there in the sun and gets sprayed every once in a while. I’ll find out eventually once I buy a bottle.
AE is a long time love. Older stuff was much more earthy, dirty patchouli, spicier carnation & foresty, foresty moss.
The 2019 version had a new oak moss substitute. To my nose it smelt of chip fat. The latest version has remedied that.
One of my top ten
Yes, I forgot to note the carnation as apparent in the BWF melange. Def didn’t get chip fat aspect so hope that is gone completely. Hope all is ok up where you are.
I’m with you, cinnamon, I’m sure I’ve smelled AE but it left no impression. There’s also an Aromatic Elixir White that I know nothing about. I really want to try the original now.
There have been a few flankers, Black, White & Black Cherry bear no relation to original AE.
The limited editions, especially the Perfumers Reserve.
There was a load of bottles sitting around the original AE which I didn’t bother looking at. Maybe next time I’m in town…
Isn’t it great when you’re skeptical and are proved wrong in the best of ways. I didn’t expect much either and now I own a 30ml bottle.
It is great — but it’s also a bit annoying. I did that with Shalimar — ie, didn’t test it for ages for no good reason and when I did, fell in love. This isn’t quite on that level but it still made me gently kick myself for being stubborn.
Hehe, I know that kind of stubborn (because I have it) all too well.