Hello again, my sniffing fans :)
So, where have you all stuck your noses today? :D
I, for one, am here with a very high-quality luxury fragrance, namely Roja, which is known for offering scents that are more expensive than cars. Well, okay, one fragrance from Roja that costs 3000 euros is at least more expensive than my first car. And also more expensive than my second car. In fact, it’s much more expensive than both cars combined (Peugeot 105 and Fiat Cinquecento), argh :DD
Anyway, today I’m talking about a comparatively much more affordable scent from this brand, which averages “only” 450 euros (for 50 mL): Elixir.
At this point, I should pull myself together, as a freak and nerd like me can only think of elixirs in terms of life elixirs, which are especially needed in video games when one has been unable to play well and has lost a lot of life energy :D I could tell you stories here, but they probably wouldn’t interest anyone… *sigh*
But I’m not entirely wrong with my thoughts. According to Greek mythology, an elixir is indeed a “potion of life” that is supposed to grant immortality. Here at Roja, it’s also about preserving certain memories forever with the help of scents. After all, it is said that fragrances can awaken or recall certain memories in us. Things we might not have thought about for years or decades suddenly come back with the perception of a particular scent or fragrance composition, and we then indulge in memories. And that’s actually true for me as well, as certain scents (but not always specific perfumes) remind me of things from my childhood, for example. That’s something beautiful in itself, as those things we hadn’t thought about for ages haven’t been lost.
And that is precisely the theme of this fragrance here.
The Scent:
At first, I smell raspberries that are sweet and fruity, then come light and gentle powdery notes (probably from the violets) along with some ylang-ylang, which matures the initially youthful character of the fragrance. Just a little later, sweet lily of the valley and roses join in, emphasizing the feminine aura of the scent.
A bit later, the fragrance remains soft due to the mix of gentle notes like violet and vanilla. This causes the ylang-ylang to take a bit of a backseat, or rather, it is softened, so that the fragrance, despite these heavy flowers, doesn’t smell too cloying or heavy.
By the way, you can still clearly smell the roses later on, as they increasingly become the main note here.
So… to be honest, the fragrance doesn’t change much further on. It remains powdery and soft, smelling of sweet, floral notes like violet with a hint of vanilla, and there is always a bit of ylang-ylang in the background. Only the roses become noticeably weaker towards the end. And that’s about it.
The Sillage and Longevity:
The sillage is initially quite good, but soon you would need to get a bit closer to smell the fragrance on others. The longevity is lower than expected for a Roja, as the scent lasts about eight hours, but at least half of that time it projects quite weakly.
The Bottle:
The bottle is rectangular and feels very high-quality as always. It has a gilded label on the front, which is said to contain real gold elements. At the gilded neck, you can see Roja’s engraved signature. The heavy cap is also made of real gold elements and is handcrafted, as the many Swarovski stones are set by hand. In this bottle, all the stones are white or glassy. All in all, a beautiful bottle that also dispenses a fine spray mist.
So… despite my title, which is actually an award for the worst films and actors and is re-awarded every year like the Oscars, this fragrance is certainly not bad. My title refers more to the golden elements of the bottle, which are a trademark of Roja, as well as to the scent of the raspberry, which is the first note you can smell in this fragrance.
As I said, the scent is quite nice, feminine, and beautiful. You might have guessed it, but here comes my “but”: The scent, for me personally, somehow doesn’t smell that special. It may be beautiful, but not extraordinarily beautiful. It is nice, but there are much more beautiful fragrances out there. Sure, it has no noticeable synthetics, as is the case with every Roja fragrance, but I find that the scent doesn’t smell significantly better than similar (rose) fragrances that can be found everywhere, whether it’s Chloé or whatever. In short, despite its quite nice scent, Elixir is by no means worth 400-450 euros for me!
Well, otherwise it is a spring and autumn fragrance, as it is neither too light nor too heavy. It could be used as a carefree daytime scent. So you can certainly give it a try, but you won’t miss anything if you skip it.
That’s it again. Wishing you all a lovely evening, see you then :)
Top Notes 
Bergamot
Heart Notes 
Raspberry
Violet
Geranium
Grasse jasmine
Lily of the valley
May rose
Peach
Heliotrope
Ylang-ylang
Base Notes 
Ambrette
Cashmere wood
Cedarwood
Cinnamon
Iris
Musk
Sandalwood
Vanilla
Violet leaf
Scentwitch
SaGa
Pollita
ClarasTante
Finchen1976
Serenissima
Smellie13
Duftpuppe
LaVioletta
Azura
