DigDeeper

So, I've tested Elixir Absolu on my left hand and regular Elixir on my right, both with two sprays on the same spot. I first smelled Elixir Absolu and I liked the opening much better than Elixir because it wasn't harsh, but... Because it is so much fruitier and sweeter, it very quickly created an "olfactory wall" meaning I literally could not smell Elixir on my right hand AT ALL until the next morning.

Absolu is definitely and without a doubt, a more intense scent profile than Elixir. Heck, two days after, and I still smell Absolu on my left hand but Elixir was gone in around 16 hours, give or take two hours.

Absolu is fruiter and IMHO, more feminine. Elixir is more manly, spicier, and a better blend. I would recommend Elixir to everyone over this one.

And if you like mulled wine, good for you, you will love this scent. Me though? Not really, but we might have a bigger problem here...

There is not a single occasion where I would wear this, even if I liked it. Obviously, this is for the winter, but would I ever choose this over, let's say the winter powerhouse - Sauvage Elixir? Or the sophisticated special occasion winter masterpiece like Prada L'Homme Intense? Or the sexiest fragrance of all time, the YSL La Nuit De L'Homme EDT? Nope. Heck, or even Khamrah, which is like 30$ compared to 380$ for Angel Share?

Would I wear this to work? Absolutely not. Too distracting and expensive for everyday usage.
Would I wear this while going out on a date? Not really... It is not really a sexy scent, and it is leaning towards a feminine side a little bit too much.
Would I wear this when I am hanging out with my friends somewhere? I don't think so, because it is a bit too heavy/cloying and distracting.

I can appreciate the quality of the ingredients, I get it, but for what occasion is this made for?
Chilling at home, doing nothing and just spraying yourself with this because you can? Ok, maybe for this purpose I would understand the purchase of this. But then again, 380$ for 100ml just for this?

It is a pass for me...

What happens at the end? It becomes powdery and that's it. Nothing from the start, that made this scent so amazing is present at the very end. You can only smell the harsh powder, the dry smell with no depth whatsoever. There is no sweetness at the end that was present at the start.

Because of this, and only this, I must recommend a different scent based on my experience such as SWY Intensely or Absolutely if you prefer a bit more boozy-ness (which I do) or JPG Le Male Le Parfum which keeps the sweetness component even after 3 hours of wearing it. Azzaro TMW Parfum is an amazing scent in the first 2-3 hours. After that, it is not worth it.

Sauvage EDT was made to be a synthetic (robotic) beast. It did it's job the best it could and that is why it is one of the greatest scents ever made in the history of parfumes. Ignore what the wannabe fragheads say and downvote Sauvage EDT just because it is Dior and Sauvage. What Dior tried to do with EDP and Parfum is to breathe in life into something that was made to be synthetic. Problem is... While you can try to do that, you will fail.

A robot will always stay a robot.

I do have to say that Parfum is somewhat better than EDP who's notes are just EDT's notes on steroids (in a bad way) that somehow projects less than EDT.... EDT remains on the top and it's not even close. I don't count Sauvage Elixir because that is a scent of its own category, just like Eau Forte.

And it's still going strong 10 years later...

They tried to make it better with EDP. They tried to make it better with Parfum. Failed in both cases.

Why?

Sauvage EDT was made to be synthetic/robotic. Dior tried to make it more lifelike with EDP/Parfum. Problem is...
You cannot make a robot more lifelike. A robot is meant to be a robot.