Mainstream Monday: Sniffing a Popular Perfume

The best “cheapie” pleasant surprise that I’ve ever had with perfume has been with the ScentStory 24 series. I was amazed by the surprisingly luxurious amber, Gold. Platinum, a sugary rose, was equally delightful. They’re long-wearing and smell great while be available for under $50! That’s practically “free” in Perfumeworld.

ScentStory has recently expanded the line to include Elixirs. These are highly concentrated perfumes using more expensive ingredients. I know that may sound cliché as many brands claim this. However, these Elixirs still retail for a relatively low price. It’s ScentStory “not holding back”.

24 Gold Elixir

24 Gold was my first introduction to ScentStory. I was AMAZED by this amber oud. It smelled so expensive, so luxurious. And because of this, I’d say that it has gained quite a cult following.

24 Gold Elixir isn’t a disappointment. 24 Gold Elixir reminds me of like Valentino as “The Shiek”¹. It’s warm like the desert with ancient Egyptian incenses and delicious Middle Eastern desserts.

Gold opens as a leathery saffron, juicy plum and golden honey. There has to be a high amount of rose absolute in this because it has this floral hay/dried tobacco thing going on that I get from high quality, natural rose absolutes. The honey in this is realistic. It’s not beeswax. It’s warm, sticky honey. This honey binds together the smoky, sacred woods (palo santo, red cedar, sandalwood). At this stage, it reminds me of non-combustible incense that is usually like woods, resins, honey and cardamom. The first hour of wear is complex. It’s floral, sweet and “sticky” with a cool cardamom. With continued wear, Gold Elixir becomes a toasted coconut, toasted almonds, rosewater and honey. This reminds me very much of basbousa, a popular dessert in the Middle East. It dries down to a sweet, honeyed amber.

Notes listed include pine, cardamom, rose, saffron, honey, cocoa, guaiacwood, cedar, amber and vanilla.

Honey lovers must try this one! Give it a try if you like sweet amber scents. Or give it a try if you like perfumes like Aramis Calligraphy Saffron, Serge Lutens Chergui, Serge Lutens Miel de Bois, By Kilian Back to Black, Tom Ford Private Blends Tobacco Vanille and/or Maison Kurkdjian Absolute Pour le Soir.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Honeyed Middle Eastern desserts and incense. It’s delicious without being a straightforward gourmand. It’s a must try if you like sweeter amber style perfumes.

24 Platinum Elixir

I adored the original Platinum which made me think of roses and champagne cocktails. Platinum Elixir is of the same vein but it’s more distingué. For me, it brings to mind Art Deco decadence. It’s like a 1920’s era study of an Old Hollywood leading man. I wear it and I think of platinum Tiffany cigar ashtrays, polished malachite chess sets and luxurious leather club chairs. Platinum Elixir is suave like Gary Cooper.

Platinum Elixir opens up with apricot fruit leather, sweet yet dry. I get this Manhattan cocktail on ice. It’s like a gentian-heavy vermouth that’s chilled. I adore this opening. With time it becomes a woodsy, cedar incense with caramelized lemon sugar. Platinum 24 is primarily a leather scent. It dries down to a Russian leather with a lemony frankincense and a sheer musk.

Notes listed include lemon, artemisia, frankincense, amber, cedar, chamomile, apricot, musk, Russian leather and Madagascar vanilla. 

Give Platinum Elixir a try if you like leather or frankincense perfumes. Or if you like perfumes like Au Pays de la Fleur d’Oranger Rose Irisee, Tom Ford Sahara Noir, Armani Prive Bois d’Encens, Parfumerie Generale L’Oiseau de Nuit, SoOud Nur and/or Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777 Soleil de Jeddeh.

I noticed that on David, it’s much more leathery. And in my opinion, this isn’t a bad thing. It smells amazing on him. On me, it’s a little more fruity and has a “peaches and cream” thing going on.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Manhattan cocktails, frankincense and Russian leather that reminds me of Art Deco luxuries. It’s like a Le Corbusier chair in perfume form – chrome and leather. I love it.

I really like both of the new Elixirs. They’re really great perfumes (at any price, really). Right now, I slightly prefer Platinum Elixir over Gold but I’m typically drawn to “cooler” perfumes. I see Gold Elixir having a larger cult following because it’s sweet and for lack of a better word, it’s cozy. Both are good and both are a great addition to the ScentStory lineup.

The Elixirs have above average longevity and projection. I think they last like 24 hours or something. Maybe that’s where the name comes from instead of the Century Fox licensing….

The 3.4 oz retails for about $80 at FragranceX.com. Samples are also available for purchase.

¹Yes, such a terribly racist, prejudice and misogynistic film, but we can’t deny the allure of Rudolph Valentino because of those films. I’m not comparing the scent to the film but more of the romantic image of Valentino from this era. It was one of the first icons of sexuality and a presentation of exaggerated “Otherness” by Hollywood.

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*Product provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my review. My opinions are my own. Post contains an affiliate link. Thanks! Rudolph Valentino from timelesshollywood.wordpress.com. Gary Cooper from waldina.com.