A Steamy, Medieval Remedy for the Mind, Body and Soul

There's no ginger in the notes, but right away I get a distinctive mulled ginger ale accord. It's quite fleeting, but provides a lovely opening, and soon gives way to something much more persistent: the uniquely camphorous green freshness of eucalyptus.

The eucalyptus has an invigorating, lightly mentholated, spa-like quality, reminding me of some kind of pastel-green crystal exfoliator, yet it still feels like perfume. Alongside it emerges a non-sweet, dewy rose, stripped of any jamminess or overt femininity. Rather than evoking petals, I imagine wet leaves and cool greenery.

Then comes one of the airiest incense notes I've ever smelled. It feels more like steam than smoke, almost crystalline in its lightness, as though the rosy wisps were made from pure glass and the eucalyptus had been vaporised. The whole thing rests on smooth, pale woods, lightly dusted with benzoin.

There's a beautiful sense of weightlessness throughout Elixir. It reminds me of taking a relaxing bath in the days leading up to Christmas, yet somehow, that bath happens to be hidden inside a Gothic cathedral.

It's gorgeous stuff, and probably my most adored Penhaligon's.