Every time I wear this unisex fragrance, someone tells me I smell good

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Lake & Skye

• 11 11, a fragrance by Lake & Skye, is a blend of musk and white amber inspired by numerology and Kundalini yoga.
• The scent has reached cult-favorite status, with a 100 percent reorder rate from over 40 retailers who carry the product.
• Its compliment-worthy blend is unisex, devoid of overtly feminine florals and the spicy-soapy scent that characterizes many men's colognes, and wearable for all.

I'll admit it: I was first drawn to Lake & Skye's 11 11 perfume oil because of the name. A series of repeating ones is said to be a sign from the universe, a call to listen to your intuition; and as a fan of numerology (and, let's be honest, pretty much anything within the woo-woo world of magical, mystical delights), it just spoke to me. I imagined rolling 11 11 on my wrists and neck and instantly becoming a Stevie Nicks-esque bohemian; someone who only wore white gypsy dresses and sang to the full moon. And this was before I even smelled it.

It turns out, I wasn't that far off from the creator's original vision: The scent was inspired by the teachings of Kundalini yoga and the color white. (Tell me that doesn't conjure a clear image.) "While I was in the process of creating this business, I had recently completed my teacher training for Kundalini yoga which is an intense, amazing experience," Courtney Somer, the founder of Lake & Skye, tells Business Insider. "It included a study on numerology and the understanding of the energies of color - when we created the fragrance, it came together quickly with really no variations."

But where the aesthetic - the name, the minimalist-chic bottle - caught my attention, the scent is what sold me. A warm blend of musk and white ambers, 11 11 is the type of mysterious, can't-put-my-finger-on-it fragrance that smells different (yet divine) on everyone it touches. "I describe it as sheer and uplifting, with an ethereal vibe," Somer says. It's earthy but elevated, subtle but sexy.

At $48 for .33 fluid ounces of oil or $98 for 1.7 fluid ounces of eau de parfum, the fragrance isn't exactly cheap - so I held off on purchasing my own bottle for a while, opting instead to roll on the tester every time I entered a boutique that carried 11 11.

I should've known the compliments I'd garner while wearing 11 11 would be more than enough to justify the purchase. Once I finally got my hands on a roller-ball of my own, I dabbed it on my wrists and behind my ears every morning - and it was almost as if it magically transformed me into an "it girl."

"Oooh, you smell so good," random strangers purred.

"I love your perfume!" a woman standing in line behind me at the coffee shop would inevitably exclaim.

"What are you wearing?" old friends asked when I went in for a hug. "I need that!"

"Can I try it?" That one came from my husband, because, yes, 11 11 is unisex.

I think that's part of the reason I'm so drawn to this scent. Without overtly feminine floral notes or that spicy-soapy scent profile that characterizes most men's colognes, Lake & Skye's cult-favorite fragrance defies gender. "I love that it turned out to be unisex," Somer says, even though that wasn't necessarily by design. "The intention was to create a killer scent - that it is not gender-specific is an added bonus."

That versatility no doubt plays a role in the commercial success of the brand and this perfume, in particular. Lake & Skye, which launched just a few years ago in 2015, became profitable in its first year of business - with sales doubling in every subsequent year. You can currently find 11 11 in over 40 stores and e-tailers within the US, including Birchbox and Amazon, and that number is only going go grow in 2019 since the 11 11 rollerball oil has 100% reorder rate from retailers.

Also on the horizon for the year ahead? An expanded product range - which, rumor has it, will include more ways to enjoy the buzzed-about scent (currently, it's available as an oil, eau de parfum, and soy-based candle) - and a foray into to the European market.

Despite all of that expansion, I doubt 11 11 will ever become as ubiquitous as, say, Santal 33. The latter, a perfume from Le Labo with a cult-like following, went from "ruggedly cool to utterly basic," according to Fashionista, after (literally) everyone and their mother bought into the hype and wore the fragrance to death - but it stands to reason that Lake & Skye's attempt at cult classic will gracefully sidestep a similar fate. How?

It all comes down to the fact that 11 11 is fluid, transformative, open to interpretation - on me, it feels light and angelic. On my husband, it's warm and musky. Essentially, it's the perfect complement to pretty much anyone's natural scent.

Somer agrees that 11 11 adapts to suit your vibe, whatever that is. "Fragrance is such a personal thing, and people really feel this is 'their smell,'" she says. "I also have a lot of customers that don't like perfume but wear this - it's unique in that way."

Buy the Lake & Skye 11 11 Roller-ball Fragrance Oil for $48 from Amazon or Birchbox

Subscribe to our newsletter.

Find all the best offers at our Coupons page.

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.