Rayhaan Elixir Rayhaan 2024

Do you know how some avid movie fans will make fan-made director's cut-esque versions of their favorite films, and how some of them end up as the definitive experience? Do you know how some old video games get fan remakes that knock off the rough 90's edge and make that game approachable to the masses? That's what Rayhaan Elixir does for Le Male Elixir.

There is no point in getting the OG. Rayhaan took that DNA, replicated the fragrance to a T, and then refined and improved it by removing the almost sticky-smelling maple syrupy top note, leaving a perfectly balanced version that sits somewhere between Le Male Le Parfum and Le Male Elixir. To me, it's the definitive version of this fragrance that you save nearly $100 by choosing. It's a total win-win.

A beautifully mature vanilla fragrance with a gorgeous lavender dry-down that leans heavily on the masculine side, perfect for winter, but that I can see suiting any cozy evening quite nicely, regardless of season. This and the OG are popular for a reason, to the point that this scent has become generic to most people with an experienced nose. But as a newcomer to fragrances, I get why this scent profile is so mass appealing.

To me, it's neck and neck between this and SWY Intensely as my favorite warm fragrance, since that one has a much more typical and photorealistic vanilla dry-down. But I did buy this one, and not SWY, so take that as you will.