Invictus Victory Elixir Review: Does it Really Deserve to be Called Elixir?
An elixir, in essence, is a highly concentrated fragrance. The term, elixir, was originally an alchemical term that often suggested that the liquid contained magical qualities. When the term is used in context of marketing, the fragrance concentration is usually Eau de Parfum or Parfum and has an oil content of 15% to 40%. The notes of an elixir usually have more depth and strength compared to Its predecessor. For instance, we saw this with Dior Sauvage Elixir and One Million Elixir.
On Paco Rabanne’s website, Invictus Victory Elixir is described as ‘The Pinnacle of Invictus Intensity’, and it definitely delivers on that, but only for the first hour of wear. It is rich, sweet and smells fantastic. The main theme is tonka and vanilla, but there is a surprising tropical edge that is not listed in the notes.
A coconut accord appears after 30 minutes of wear and leaves you mesmerised, dreaming of a tropical holiday with a piña colada in your hand with the faint smell of the wooden deckchair heating in the sun. It reminds me of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Beau Le Parfum. To be more specific, it feels as if you’ve mixed the original Invictus Victory with Le Beau.
After a couple of hours on the skin, the fragrance settles down into a nice amber and vanilla skin scent, and I feel the only area where Victory Elixir lacks is in its longevity. If I could just get 6 hours of coconutty goodness, I would be happy with the £87 price point.
Projection is moderate for the first hour. After that, you get subtle wafts of vanilla for the 4 hours that I could smell it for. Surprisingly, because of the intensity, I did go nose blind pretty quickly, but after asking friends, they said they couldn’t smell anything on my skin after 5 hours.
As for wearability, I recommend Invictus Victory Elixir in autumn and winter when going out to a bar with friends, or going on a date as it does have a very seductive edge and grabs attention, but be prepared to carry a travel atomiser as you will need to re-spray every couple of hours to maintain the intensity that was promised.
I feel that because Invictus Victory Elixir was the last official release before Paco Rabanne passed away at the age of 88, it will always hold a special place in my collection. With that being said, is it better than the original Invictus Victory? Sadly no, the original Victory smells better, lasts longer and it’s cheaper. There’s just no practical reason to have both in your collection.
What would I like to see in future releases by Paco Rabanne? Let’s take it back to basics. Paco Rabanne is known for their simple, mass-appealing, bubble gum scents that incorporate a certain freshness to them. I would be excited to see a fragrance that utilises the sweetness mixed with aquatic citrus notes. If there’s anything that Paco Rabanne is short on, it is a daily office or school day scent that is versatile yet unique, possibly reminiscent of the discontinued Invictus Aqua.
