Hocus Pocus [reviewing Elixir | 11 edp, by Kayali [Huda Beauty]].

"An ultra-addictive scent, ELIXIR | 11 opens with sweet notes of Red Apple and Rose Petal Essence, before revealing a floral heart of Rose Centifolia and uplifting touches of Jasmine Sambac from India. Adding depth to the romantic fragrance, warm woody notes of Indonesian Patchouli and velvety Amber are enveloped by accents of Vanilla, leaving behind a long-lasting trail" - Huda's Blog

Patchouli is another one of those love-it-or-hate-it-with-no-inbetween scent notes for me, as I've had had migraines since childhood and they get more frequent the older I get. 

I do like patchouli even though I struggle to wear it, so want to find a fragrance featuring it that I'm able to enjoy. Since I enjoy Kayali's other fragrances, it made sense to check out the brand's patchouli-laced offering...





Elixir opens with a splash of apple, enveloped in rose. If you don't like rose, then you won't enjoy Elixir as rose is the strongest and longest scent nose - at least, it is on me. I do pick up on the promised jasmine too, but it takes a backseat to the rose; I prefer rose over Jasmine and don't mind the imbalance, but if you love Jasmine, then this might not be the fragrance for you.

I'm not sure which kind of woody notes are present in Elixir, but there is something here that adds some depth and a tiny hint of greenish freshness to the otherwise dark & earthy patchouli. The amber and vanilla are both distinguishable, but are still subtle, allowing the rose and patchouli to rule.

Official key scent note list: red apple, rose petal essence, rose centifolia, jasmine sambac, Indonesian patchouli, velvety amber and vanilla.

Elixir stands out in the collection of the four original layering fragrances from Kayali [Citrus, Vanilla & Musk are the others] for it's depth  - it's fuller in comparison to the others, and is more of a darker, more evening/special occasion fragrance. It is my least favourite fragrance from them the brand as the others are all any-time-anywhere fragrances, while this is bolder and more "I'm here". I do still enjoy it enough to have quickly gone though a 10ml bottle and be a third of the way through a 50ml bottle, as the sweet-but-dirty blend is very moreish. I am likely to rebuy it when I run out, as finding a patchouli-based fragrance that I can wear is a novelty.

For the brand's newest release, they described the number in the name as being the number of final formulations it took to tweak for them to be happy with the balance between notes, so I'm guessing that the number next to the name means the same thing here.



Elixir | 11 is available in 50ml bottles for £67 and 100ml bottles for £84, as well as a 10ml in a 4-piece set [Citrus, Elixir, Musk & Vanilla] for £75.

You can buy the fragrances from Feel Unique, Cult Beauty, Boots [online only] and Selfridges.