Manifesto l'Elixir

Finally, a YSL fragrance I like!! It smells like Dr. Pepper! 😂 I know that isn't a very flattering descriptor, BUT consider that a lot of dark sodas lead with spiced vanilla. It's very pretty and very feminine. I'm very close to giving this 5⭐, but I just can't quite put it at the level of my absolute favorites. It's so close though. I wish I could give it 4.5⭐.

I bought this fragrance in the 30ml version back in 2015 and, out of curiosity, didn't unbox it until today, so I have a brand-new bottle. I can say with certainty that this perfume smells 99.5% identical to Out at the Opera by Philly & Phill.

The scent of vanilla with the hiltrop is very beautiful and luxurious. I hope YSL will come back and shed light on this group.

YSL Manifesto L’Élixir is a gourmand, though conceived in a very different era of the genre. It was launched in 2013, and belongs to the earlier wave of the current gourmand perfumery trend, long before today’s saturated landscape of ultra-sweet, crowd-pleasing scents that are in my opinion more suitable as car air fresheners than perfume. Despite being a gourmand, it does not smell edible. The sweetness is abstract and textured, and restrained, so not like a dessert. The fragrance has been discontinued, so it is not something I would actively recommend hunting down unless you are intentionally curating a gourmand-focused collection. Personally, I would not wear it myself, and I only own a small sample. Still, it holds a legitimate place in the evolution of gourmand perfumery and deserves recognition for that. If it were still available, I would recommend it to gourmand lovers who appreciate depth and restraint.

They need to release it again but suppress the heliotrope giving it an acidic-granny vibe. But overall amazing fragrance

What can i say about this one? Perhaps this is what the 5th Dimension smells like! Or a heavenly being. People here saying it smells similar to dior addict now i cannot remember how that smelt because it slipped by me in its original formulation as i was too young to have owned or tested it back then. But the current dior addict dosent smell anything like this to my nose. Dior has this harsh dry green note with a night blooming flower that smells very wierd to my nose. Theres nothing wierd about this one. This is just straight up heavenly! Dior is not nearly as thick rich creamy royal and opulent and just so deep and beautiful smelling. Atleast not the new formulation. Manifesto elixir is got this dark vanilla with thick jasmine not thin airy jasmine. Its got this cashmeran wood soft sandalwoody smoothness with vanilla smelling like vanilla extracted from a pod melting in sweet jasmine petal nectar with warm smooth thick amber with a slight slight dusting of powder. This powder isnt dry or dusty or baby powder like but its this ever so slightly soft white fresh fresh powder that does not irritate the nose. Its a beast this one 12 hrs plus lasts on clothes for 24 hours performs for the full 12. This is the best vanilla and ysl made it and discontinued it. No dupes come close nothing does to this vanilla. Perhaps except thierry muglers alien essence absolue another thick deep vanilla with jasmine and resinous amber. Another one which is in the same courtyard is jpg classique essence. However this one is the very best of the best. It brings sadness to my heart that it dosent exist anymore. The trinity of perfume notes for me is jasmine, vanilla and amber and this one does it best, followed by tm alien absolue and 3rd spot to jpg classique essence all discontinued. Because theyre all flankers. Its not childish with a sickeningly sweet vanilla or gourmandy with that caramel toffee note in most now. No this is a PERFUME. IT DOES NOT SMELL LIKE FOOD AS IT SHOULDNT. Its just a masterpiece. Yet to come across someone who dosent like it. Even the ones who dont like perfume like this one. Its intoxicating in its own way without trying to seduce of hypnotise. It does on its very own. No one can hate this one even if they dont like the notes when they smell this one they have no problem smelling it. Except the ones with ambroxan sensitivity but even to those this will rarely cause a problem. This will perhaps be the best perfume that has ever existed for women to me and at best someone can come close to it but this one cant be beaten its the top of the charts. Its that one vanilla smell i can never forget.

Why did they discontinue this?! :( I used to wear this when I was about 20 years old and clubbing every weekend (that was approx 13 years ago now…wow…) It made me feel like THAT girl. I don’t understand some of the reviews saying it’s for a mature woman because I think it’s just plain sexy and sophisticated. I still have a little bit left and it has lasted an absolute treat. Smells exactly the same and when I smell the lid, it takes me back to those days dancing the night away in a tight mini dress with sky high heels and hair … while fast forward to now and swap that for fluffy socks and night gown on a Saturday night haha. I miss the sophistication yet simplicity of these types of perfumes.

This flabker smells like the original to me. I just happened to get a fresher bottle of this so I returned the original because it was starting to smell old. But I remember dousing myself in the airport with the original and my bottle smells the same as elixir but stale. So I would recommend Katarina light blue by Armafs enchanted line. $20 for a huge bottle. I've inad it for 5 years, and it says it expired in June 2025. Not true. Still smelling exactly like a fresh bottle of manifesto. Or elixir or whatever. I scored with that brand. I oughta try armaf again for any outrageously expensive or impossible to find scent

This had no business smelling this good. I had a crush on this guy in high school and asked him if I should buy Black Opium or Manifesto. Surprise, surprise he said opium…duh As the people pleasing teenager I was I listened but the moment I finished that basic, annoying scent, I saved from my allowance and got this one. Best YSL fragrance to this day, don’t @ me, you know I’m right, lost this gem to the normies, she is missed… 😭

I'm not a vanilla girl. I lean more towards fresh scents, chypres, fougeres. But if I'll have vanilla, it'll be Manifesto L'Elixir: a cloud of fresh, green, powdery, balsamic vanilla. It's a love from me.

The intitial spray is strong and somewhat citrusy with an overwhelming cloud of fresh grass. The dry down is more tolerable, but it is hard to smell through the grassiness of it. It is quite repulsive to me unfortunately, The vanilla, cashmere, orange, and jasmine all are favorites but must be the "green" of the tuberose and ambroxan that are killing it for me (in a bad way). Scrubbing off

I have a brand new 30ml and a 30ml opened bottles i would let go. The opened one is like new, complete with box, only misses maximum 10 sprays. If anyone is interested, just text me! I’m in EU! I like this perfume a lot, but I never use it. I agree with the review below mine, it is rich and sultry and very long lasting. But i find it more appropriate for an adult woman. I mean adult not (just) about age but more about clothing, manners, mindset.. even mood, if you get what I mean to say.. I am a jeans and t-shirt girl, this is more a “woman in high heels and black dress” perfume, to me. But beautiful indeed.

Amazing. Beautiful, balmy vanilla. Lasting power is 2 days on skin, even longer on clothes. Opens a bit herbal, but dries down rich, custard vanilla, spicy and warm. SULTRY, that's the word. Rich, sexy and beautiful fragrance. Hard to find something really alike, but if you like Manifesto L'elixir then definitely check out Britney Spears Fantasy Intense.

Siv7stars, Im so sorry that happened! I do get why you got backups, this used to be my favorite. Most luxorious scent. Made me feel confident. Now even OG can't be found anywhere.

I have just opened both back-ups of this n I'm sorry to say both have died. I bought them from a department store closing down sale for not v much a couple of years ago n they have sat in a cold dark cupboard.. One is total celery, yes that sad celery smell of dead perfume n the other is a pale little shadow of itself, breathing it's last, about to go to fragrance valhalla. Has anyone managed to keep this I wonder? Such a shame this appears gone forever, it was FABULOUS. Compliment city. RIP.

I have 50ml bottle to sell. 45/50ml

@shannfernando I just wanted to say.... yes. hahah you nailed it. That is all.

Kafkaeque blog has interesting article on oakmoss/banning of ingredients.. as I understand it, it's a sort of circular thing.. consumers generally increasingly want allergens removed, an utterly futile exercise as you can become allergic to anything at all & some people manage to be genuinely allergic to alcohol or even water (!). By this criteria peanuts should've been banned for general consumption long ago. IFRA has heads of chemical companies on it's board.. so banning nature in order to sell more synthetic equivalents is likely happening.. Plus there is cost cutting. Safety looks like an excuse when you look at the (cumulative) dangers of synthetic musks. But it appears more weighed from corporations than governments.. ?

Here's the review after the angry rant: This is a beautiful, balmy vanilla with the same blackcurrant accord in the og manifesto. The balmy vanilla almost has a leathery and buttery quality to it. And the currant is bitter. But this is 10x more stunning than the og. Do not fear reading reviews that says this smells like celery - it does not. It does smell slightly bitter and green, just as the original does, but far less green. It has a soft, but very present dry down of vanilla balm, cashmeran and some type of wood (sandalwood? cedar?). In the deeepest part of the dry down, a soft ambroxan lingers. Nothing like the ambroxan in the likes of Dior Sauvage (yuck). There's nothing mineralic in this ambroxan - it's more like a deeper amber than anything. It moves when you move. Dances when you dance. Becomes brighter when you sweat. What a bloody gorgeous creation this is!!

I get that designers need to be mass appealing to the majority. But a designer fragrance is still between $85-$125 right? And in some cases, even pricier. WHY THEN DO THEY DISCONTINUE THE CRÈME OF THE CROP, AND KEEP REITERATING GOD AWFUL VARIATIONS OF MON PARIS?! I get that you need to appeal to the younger crowd but, hey idiots up top. Us 30 something and upwards? Yeah that’s where the big money is at!! Cater to us than the teenagers who have to decide between food or a new perfume?? (Been there :p) Bring this back! Ps. Sorry for the rant. I’m just fed up of the crap these corporations are pulling!

@rachelsweets- If you're smelling celery then this has gone off big time, it never had even a hint of celery when new. Paranoid my unopened bottle might have gone off now..

CELERY...I moved to Germany and somehow was able to buy this from a local seller for an AMAZING price even though it's discontinued now. I thought it was a solid blind buy because the main vote says vanilla and I don't mind a bit of powderiness. I sprayed it on myself today for the first time and I smell a smidge of sweetness but most of all..CELERY?!! I have resniffed probably 20 times and yep, definitely celery. So strange. I'm not getting vanilla at all. Highly disappointing. It must be that citrus note, but distinctly yes I smell celery. After 30 mins still. The bottle is less than 3 years old, not sure of storage conditions.

I love this perfume to pieces but it turns extremely masculine and aftershave like on my skin after 15 minutes. I wish I could find a dupe that didn't do that.

Both the normal Manifesto and the Elixir one smell way too powdery on the dry down, its unpleasent and makes me almost gag. Too bad, because it starts very sexy and nice.

An easy to wear and easy reach perfume. It’s not groundbreaking or unique but it is sensual, classy and mature. That’s about it. The heliotrope really gives it a lil umph of inhale to the vanilla from being flat. It is modestly sweet and cozy. This scent calls cuddle time.

I discovered the Manifesto line of YSL a bit too late and by that time, this gorgeous masterpiece was already discontinued. So I had to pay almost 3 times the original price to get my hands on a bottle and I don't regret it because it became one of my favorite perfumes ever! 😍❤️ Manifesto Elixir opens with a citrus scent with a balsamic vanilla at the background which quickly become the dominant note in the perfume. The floral notes blends very well with this non-sweet vanilla and the heliotrope and the cashmere notes keep it very cozy, warm and sexy throughout the entire time. It is somewhat similar to the original EDP minus the green note. But this is more intense and you have to be careful about how much you spray, especially if you wear it indoors. It lasts on me 6~7 hrs, with strong projection in the first few hours. I only wear it for special occasions because I'm scared I will run out of it and whenever I wear it, it makes me feel classy, confident, beautiful and sexy 😘😎

So gutted that they have DISCONTINUED this MASTERPIECE. (Just checked my last review on this...where I've mentioned that this WAS my signature...which was on 03/2019.) Unfortunately, the OG Manifesto is just a shadow of it. In fact, I find the OG a rather safe woody base-fragrance (good for layering) and over all a quite boring fume. SO MY SEARCH FOR A NEW SIGNATURE BEGAN... D&G The only one Intense (black bottle) is pretty - but different to Manifesto L'Elixir. Even though it has coconut in it (which I usually not like), it is very classy! A bit nutty, creamy white floral vanilla. Plus it has a fresh/sweet green tone (apple) to it, which Is very uplifting. And it has good projection. This quickly became a favourite - but not my new Love. Dior Addict edp (2014-Version). Is also quite different to Manifesto L'Elixir (and very different to D&G) . A very classic luxe perfume with great projection. It is def. mature but also seductive. It has this white floral, heavy vanilla-creamyness (but is also balmy/powdery and bit oriental spicy). Plus the opening with its zesty orange (green orange leaves) tone to it makes this very modern. To me it screams: classy and luxurious. And that was what I was looking for. So far my search has ended... ;) But been checking in for other comments here which I find very interesting. XoXo

At first, this smells like absolute heaven with notes of rich vanilla, soft powder, delicate flowers, and a hint of musk. It’s like dusting yourself with the most luxurious vanilla powder. But after a while, it started to smell like fenugreek.

Manifesto L'Elixir is one the few modern-mainstream perfumes that has a unique and distinct DNA. It is a high quality vanilla creation, my main summery night time choice, very feminine, sensually playful perfume that never fails giving me lots of compliments from men & women. I will enjoy it till last drop but I will propably not repurchase it, although it has the potential of a signature perfume. Bravo to YSL house! P.S: It has nothing to do with Dior Addict, two different perfumes.

I love Dior addict and this perfume is 90% similar to it, but a little bit softer. I love it, but i don't see any idea to have both, if you like dior addict, but its a heavy for you this perfume is perfect for you.