Clinique's Aromatics Elixir: The Top 20 Women's Fragrances of 2011 - A Scents of Self Production

*Current Fragrance: 25:43 by Lush
*Currently Listening: Awake My Soul by Mumford and Sons

Let's dive right in shall we? (I explained the list of questions I'd be examining in my post yesterday.)

1) Prior experience: I can't think about anything Clinique without thinking about High School. So many green and white swirly compacts, so many silver ridged tubes of red lipstick. (The red lipstick was for twirling, yes twirling. Do I need to explain this somewhat odd "sport/art" to anyone? *The grass in my parents front yard has FINALLY grown back between my sister and I.* There will be a semi-humiliating picture in just a bit...) I KNOW I had a bottle of Aromatics Elixir when I was in High School, though I'm not exactly sure why, as my fragrance world at the time revolved around Victoria's Secret Raspberry Glace' and B&BW Sun Ripened Raspberry. (Not gonna lie, I really miss the Raspberry Glace', no shame in my game!) I'm guessing it was a combination of all the time I spent at the Clinique counter in HS and the fact that I'm pretty sure I thought it smelled "mature." I had a big ol' chip on my shoulder during my time in high school and wanted to be ANYWHERE other than where I was, and for that, I knew I had to be older.

In the stands for a football game in my field uniform, complete with red Clinique lipstick.

 2) My thoughts now: It smells spicier than I remember, but the nose can forget quite a bit in 15 years, I suppose. After awhile I started to smell a much more prominent rose than I was anticipating. In my fragrance journal I made the following note, "I like this a lot more than I remember." I must have spritzed Aromatics Elixir very close to my fragrance journal while it was open, because the paper smells very strongly of it. Dare I say that I like it more on the paper than I like it on my skin...? I get chamomile, rose, moss and a little patchouli (I'm actually going to add a smelling strip element to the rest of my smell tests, as I think I may be onto something having to do with fragrance popularity; forcing me to go into stores with nerdy pre-labeled baggies to keep things organised and "sterile") In my mind, CAE is what women smelled like in the late '70's. Well, I may be onto something as it was originally released in 1971.

3) Could I see myself wearing this perfume? If so, for what occasion: Yes-ish. For a serious meeting or for Church if I were visiting my parents at home. It's a bit on the serious and austere side to me, still like I would be trying to be someone I really wasn't. "No really everyone in the town I grew up in, I promise - I really am a grown-up! See!?!? I mean...Sniff!?!?!" More on that in the next question....

4) Could I see myself buying a bottle of this now: No, not really. I don't think that CAE is really my cup of tea. I'm looking for a chypre, but I don't think this is MY chypre. This doesn't smell like me. I like it, but it's not me. I get why it sells, and I'm curious to to how long it's stayed in the top 20 fragrances since its' introduction. I'm going to apply a bit of my South East Texas logic to it (because I know my own person fragrance logic isn't the best to go with): it's middle of the road luxury, "You can't get it at Wal Mart, you have to go to the mall. It's something familiar, but not "designer-y." I see its market.

5) What did Al say: "You know, it smells like perfume. I guess it sells because it smells like....it smells like every other perfume out there." I find there to be something astute to his thinking with this. I'm just curious that he's going to say when he smells Wonderstruck and Someday?

Seriously though, Aromatics Elixir does smell elegant whenever I turn a page in my fragrance journal.

*Currently Listening: Never Going Back Again by Fleetwood Mac

**Also, don't forget to read this entry in memory of my Grandma Grace and enter the awesome givaway.

***Photo credits: 1) thescentsofself.com, 2) my own, 3) clinique.com