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Elixir (perfume)

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Elixir
Fragrance by Shakira
ReleasedJuly 2013
LabelPuig
TaglineThe new fragrance
PredecessorS by Shakira Eau Florale
SuccessorWild Elixir
WebsiteOfficial website

Elixir is a women's fragrance by Colombian singer songwriter Shakira. After the release of her first fragrance S by Shakira and its successor S by Shakira Eau Florale, which were developed in a collaboration with international fashion company Puig, Shakira aimed to capture her "most sensual and exotic side" in the form of a perfume. As a result, the singer developed Elixir, which is classified as an oriental perfume. The scent of the perfume is based on various spicy and woody sources. The flacon of the perfume is inspired by apothecary bottles and is made to resemble a magical potion, featuring a light golden colour scheme. A commercial for the fragrance was directed by Jaume de Laiguana in the Sahara desert in Morocco.

Shakira launched the fragrance at a press release in São Paulo, Brazil, in July 2012. In August 2013, Wild Elixir was released as a flanker fragrance to Elixir. The floral oriental perfume is largely similar to the original one in appearance but instead is made in a contrasting black and golden colour scheme. It was promoted through a commercial which features Shakira encountering two cheetahs in an arid landscape.

Development

Background

After my first two fragrances, I wanted to do something different - I wanted to push the idea even further and develop a fragrance that would express my most sensual and exotic side, and Elixir is the result of that. We worked on the concept of a "second skin," a fragrance that becomes a part of you.

- Shakira, on her inspiration behind the perfume.[1]

In 2008, international fashion and fragrance company Puig announced that it had formed a partnership with Shakira and had signed an agreement "to develop a line of signature products produced with and inspired by the artist".[2] The first product to appear was S by Shakira, which was released in September 2010, followed by S by Shakira Eau Florale.[3]

After developing her first two fragrances, Shakira decided to create a scent which would display her "most sensual and exotic side" and sought inspiration from the deserts of Morocco.[1][4] Alexandra Kosinski and Sonia Constant, perfumers from Swiss fragrance manufacturer Givaudan, collaborated to create the scent with Elisabeth Vidal, a perfumer from Puig.[1] Vidal had previously worked with Shakira on S by Shakira Eau Florale.[5]

The flacon of the perfume is similar to an apothecary bottle

Scent and packaging

Elixir belongs to the oriental olfactive family,[6] which is known to contain intense and long lasting fragrances.[7] The top notes of the perfume were described by Shakira as "floral and spicy" and include neroli, white pepper, and white flower; the heart notes were said to be "velvety and fruity" and are based on the scents of flowers like freesia and paeonia, and apricot; the base notes contain amber, benzoin, musk, sugar cane and white cedar wood.[8][9] The ingredients of the perfume are mostly based on spicy and woody elements which overbear the sweeter floral elements.[10] Shakira herself stated that she kept the "sweetness" in Elixir to a limited amount.[8]

The flacon of Elixir is made of clear glass and has a slender gold-tinted neck.[1] According to Jose Manuel Albesa, chief brand officer of Puig, it is inspired by the bottles used in the historic medical practice of apothecary.[1] In an interview with Latina, Shakira revealed that she wanted to "depict the kind of bottle that was used in ancient times, but that looked modern and chic as well" and come up with a design similar to a magical potion, which is the definition of the word 'elixir'.[11] As the scent is inspired by the desert, she chose the tint of the bottle to be golden so that it can "evoke the memories of sands and sunsets".[11] The packaging of the fragrance was designed by Colombian artist Catalina Estrada and features colourful illustrations of various birds and leaves printed on a pale background.[1]

Release

Released in late-July 2012, Elixir was made available for purchase exclusively in American department store chains Kohl's and Sears.[1] The two stores served as exclusive retailers of the fragrance for two months, after which it was released to mass market stores like CVS Caremark and Walgreens.[1] Elixir was released in approximately 19,000 stores in the United States alone.[1] Elsewhere, Elixir was released in Eastern Europe, Italy, and Latin America.[1] The perfume was aimed at a younger demographic, according to Albesa.[1] Elixir was made available only as an eau de toilette, and its prices ranged from US $17.50 to US $36 with respect to the size.[1]

The promotional shoots of Elixir took place in the Sahara desert in Morocco

Shakira launched Elixir at a press release in São Paulo, Brazil, on 17 July 2012, where she discussed her inspiration behind the fragrance and its development process.[12] The commercial for the fragrance was shot in the Sahara desert in Morocco by Jaume de Laiguana, who had previously directed music videos for various songs by Shakira, like "Loca" and "Rabiosa".[1] The advertisement features Shakira in the middle of the desert wearing a long skirt; she opens a bottle of Elixir and performs a dance routine, attracting an eagle towards her which perches on her arm. A competition was held on the official website of the perfume to determine a winner who would be rewarded the long skirt Shakira wore in the commercial.[10]

Products

Elixir was produced in the following range:[1]

Reception

Samantha Lea from Latina praised the perfume's versatility, saying it is suitable for use "whether you prefer fruity to floral scents or want your scent to transport you to a tropical beach".[15] She chose the usage of freesia and peony as the highlight of Elixir and included the perfume in her list of "Five Amazing Summer Scents and Perfumes".[15] At the 2011 Academia Del Perfume Award ceremony sponsored by the Fragrance Foundation, Elixir won the award for "Best Female Perfume General Public Category".[16]

Industry analysts predicted that the perfume would make $14 million through global retail sales in its first year.[1] Twenty percent of this amount was credited to sales in the United States.[1] In April 2013, Puig released a press statement mentioning that Elixir had performed well commercially, which the company said helped to "maintain its prominent position in the masstige fragrance category in Spain and abroad".[17]

Wild Elixir

Wild Elixir
File:Shakira Wild Elixir Fragrance.jpg
Fragrance by Shakira
ReleasedAugust 2013
LabelPuig
TaglineDiscover the new fragrance
PredecessorS by Shakira Aquamarine
WebsiteOfficial website

Background and scent

Wild Elixir was released as a flanker fragrance to Elixir on 25 August 2013.[18] Categorised as a floral oriental perfume, Wild Elixir features top notes of cassis and mandarin; heart notes of honeysuckle flower, orange blossom, and peach fruit accord; the base notes comprise of benzoin resin, patchouli, and sandalwood.[19] The flacon of the perfume is largely similar to the original one, but instead features a contrasting colour scheme of golden and black.[20] The packaging was again designed by Estrada and features illustrations of flowers and wild cats set on a brownish orange background and is similar to the look of the African savannah.[21]

Promotion

Shakira appears alongside two cheetahs in the commercial for Wild Elixir.

On 23 June 2013, Shakira released a teaser of the commercial for the fragrance along with a photo of her posing along with two cheetahs.[22] A full version of the commercial was released later, and begins with Shakira, dressed in dark burgundy dress, walking in an arid deserted region where she encounters two cheetahs. The two animals prepare to attack her and begin running towards her. However, when they come near to Shakira, they abruptly stop and are later seen prowling around her while she is standing atop a rock. A bottle of Wild Elixir is then shown placed on a log of wood.[23] For additional promotion, a game was also made available for users to play at the official website of the fragrance.[24] Every person who played the game would also donate a brick to Shakira's Barefoot Foundation automatically.[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Naughton, Julie (12 July 2012). "Shakira to Launch Elixir". Women's Wear Daily. Fairchild Fashion Media. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  2. ^ Morgan, Kera. "Shakira and Puig Partner in Newly Formed Beauty and Personal Care Enterprise" (PDF). Puig. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  3. ^ Wenn (2 August 2010). "Shakira Smells Success With Perfume Launch". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  4. ^ "Shakira Launches New Fragrance "Elixir by Shakira"". Latino Daily News. Hispanically Speaking News. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  5. ^ Showbiz, Bang (13 June 2011). "Shakira - Shakira Launches Second Fragrance". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  6. ^ "Elixir (Click on the Fragrances tab on the right-hand side of the page, choose the Elixir bottle, and then select the Inspiration tab)". Shakira-Beauty. Scents and Senses. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  7. ^ "Definition: Orientals". PopSugar Beauty. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  8. ^ a b Drago, Lauren. "Shakira on Her Newest Fragrance, Elixir". Teen Vogue. Condé Nast Publications. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  9. ^ "Elixir (Click on the Fragrances tab on the right-hand side of the page, choose the Elixir bottle, and then select the Fragrance tab)". Shakira-Beauty. Scents and Senses. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  10. ^ a b Katrina (20 July 2013). "Shakira Elixir Perfume Review". Celebrity Perfumes. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  11. ^ a b Flores, Amanda (14 September 2012). "Shakira Shares Her Notes About New Perfume "Elixir"". Latina. Retrieved 7 November 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ "Elixir: Shakira Lanca Novo Perfume No Brasil" (in Portuguese). Pleased Mag. 17 July 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  13. ^ "Elixir (Click on the Fragrances tab on the right-hand side of the page, choose the Elixir bottle, and then select the Range tab)". Shakira-Beauty. Scents and Senses. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  14. ^ a b "Elixir by Shakira Gift Set". Amazon.com. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  15. ^ a b Lea, Samantha (17 June 2012). "5 Amazing Summer Scents & Perfumes". Latina. Retrieved 8 November 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ "Premios ADP'12" (in Spanish). Academia del Perfume. The Fragrance Foundation. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  17. ^ "Puig net revenues up by 11% in 2012, net income increase by 12%" (PDF). Puig. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  18. ^ Ristic, Karinda (27 August 2013). "Wild Elixir by Shakira". DestinyConnect. DMMA. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  19. ^ "Wild Elixir (Click on the Fragrances tab on the right-hand side of the page, choose the Wild Elixir bottle, and then select the Fragrance tab)". Shakira-Beauty. Scents and Senses. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  20. ^ "Wild Elixir (Click on the Fragrances tab on the right-hand side of the page, choose the Wild Elixir bottle, select the Design tab, and then choose Bottle')". Shakira-Beauty. Scents and Senses. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  21. ^ "Wild Elixir (Click on the Fragrances tab on the right-hand side of the page, choose the Wild Elixir bottle, select the Design tab, and then choose Packaging')". Shakira-Beauty. Scents and Senses. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  22. ^ Jill, Jodi (24 June 2013). "Shakira poses with Cheetahs? New perfume set to embrace smells from the wild side". Allvoices. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  23. ^ "Elixir (Click on the Fragrances tab on the right-hand side of the page, choose the Wild Elixir bottle, and then select the Communication tab)". Shakira-Beauty. Scents and Senses. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  24. ^ a b "Wild Elixir by Shakira". Shakira-Beauty. Scents and Senses. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
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