Shalimar Guerlain for women

Goddess of orientals. I circled around Shalimar for a few years before falling completely and hopelessly in love with it. Citrus, incense, vanilla, wood, softened by a little powder. I can't get enough of it. I can see why some say it is a love it or hate it, because it takes a state of mind and attitude to wear it, but I've never been happier with a decision (perhaps a similar infatuation was and is with Mitsouko). It is one of those perfumes that have such a fascinating character, it makes me feel very sexy, strong yet feminine, alluring. It has a very captivating character that invites you to explore its mysterious nature, like a piece of art that draws your curiousity further into its sublime depths, from which you will refuse to return.

Even after all this time, Shalimar still drives a lot of heated discussion and debate LOL. This is a love-it-or-hate-it perfume that can evoke your most cherished, treasured memory or the worst I-drank-too-much-tequilla-last-night morning sickness one. Well, as a grown-up man in my early 30s, I personally LOVE the perfume. I guess I always gravitate towards oriental-flavored perfume, whether on me or someone else, esp if it has such a strong smell like Shalimar. The one thing I really like about Shalimar is its staying power. No I never use it myself but some woman that I used to have a crush on long time ago wore it and eventhough she only dabbed a drop of the liquid, the smell stayed for so long from morning to evening.

Thus I wonder, is there a masculine perfume which is similar in characteristics to Shalimar? I'm not talking about Shalimar for Men or Shalimar Homme (though I wouldn't mind if Guerlain produces it), but I'm talking about a perfume that has a strong, sensual, spicy, smoky smell/fragrant yet with enough touch of sweetness to it like Shalimar (and I mean VERY STRONG here - SHALIMAR STRONG if you will - that even a drop is enough to make anyone around me dizzy - LOL JK - but at least the smell ought to have a good projection/sillage) with the same LONGEVITY as Shalimar (this is mightily important). Perhaps anybody knows?

I haven't exactly found the perfect perfume for me to tell the truth. Back when I didn't know (or care) much about fragrance family, my nose always picks up any smell that is "nice" at the first sniff. I never really knew or understand about the whole base/middle/top notes and how to choose the right perfume, so I ultimately always ended up with the wrong perfume. The perfume may smell nice but somehow it just doesn't "blend" with me. Right now, I'm currently using A*Men since my GF bought it and she loves the smell (she's using Angel herself). The smell is nice although a touch TOO sweet for me. I prefer something a bit darker but not overly dark since I love the brightness of vanilla smell. Thanks.

I was given a 3 piece Shalimar set many years ago when I was in my late teens. The set included the perfume, silky body lotion and the bath powder.

At first try, I didn't really care for this scent. Then I finally wore it to work; I received so many compliments. I layered it after my shower with 1st powder, lotion & perfume. Then to refresh the scent I just used the silky body lotion on my hands.

Since then, I have grown to absolutely love Shalimar. My maternal grandmother wore Shalimar, it was her signature scent. She had great taste in jewelry and perfumes. She was a very elegant, yet simple lady. Now, Shalimar is one of my 5 favorite perfumes. I now wear it for occasions that I always want to remember or that are special.

Don't judge Shalimar by your sample stick...Shalimar must be worn close to the heart. ;)I always get compliments from people when wearing Shalimar.

Have you ever seen the 1992 French film called 'Indochine"? The character played by Catherine Deneuve is what Shalimar all about! French, refined, and above all else: ELEGANCE!

I tried this in a pharmacy late last night, and I must say it is STRONG! I thought my beloved Lolita Lempicka was strong, but this really steals the show!

Even though I have showered, my clothes still smell strongly of this scent. One squirt on my wrist was enough to envelop me, and I sprayed another on my throat to keep me company. It is approaching winter here in New Zealand, and this might be my next must-buy.

Shalimar is a revered classic. I respect it in every way. I have detected it on ladies with good taste. I feel it is the first real gourmand. The vanilla reminds me of the dark bottles of extact that you took a wiff of in your momma's kitchen.

Sadly, every time I try it on my skin, it goes terribly wrong. It smells like rancid linseed oil or worse. The beautiful notes get lost. I have tried it on scarves and it works wonderfully. I cannot wear it on my body at all. I love you Shalimar! I wished you could love me back!

If you like vanilla perfumes, chances are you will like Shalimar. Deeply woody, vanilla incense perked up by citrus.

I'm not into vanillas... make me think of deserts and nothing more.

p.s.-the PurePerfume of this is not as good as the edp and edt- which are complex. The PP is just a big vanilla cake coming very very close to Hypnotic Poison, only sweeter, almost a sweet creme brulee, which is not good from my point of view, I'd rather get 2 hypnotic poisons instead of a small bottle of Shalimar PP...

P.S.2-letting Jade Jaggar fool around with the shape of the bottle is a mockery to all the fans of this perfume. Enough said/...

Are there straight men in this whole world wear Shalimar as his signature scent on his wedding day?

Coz I wore this Masterpiece on my wedding day. My wife wore Fleur De Cristal Lalique and I wore both Shalimar (PDT & Parfum). Guerlain Shalimar has become one piece of history in my life.

One day my kids will know that his father wore Shalimar on his wedding day :)

I just tried some of this and it totally disagreed with my skin chemistry. So far, I've only had a strong negative reaction to this scent and to Poison. I hate the phrase "old lady perfume", because I AM an old lady. But that's the phrase that sprang to mind. Maybe the piano teacher I had at age ten, who scared me so much used to wear this? Or a mean teacher.... Who knows, but it caused a very strong visceral reaction in me and I had to remove it right away.

love lara0905's review, and it wouldn't have been as complete without "mother" in the description in my opinion. After all, it was made in memory of a women who bore 14 children.

This is a women's scent, and many women are mothers.

A multi-faceted personality- nurturer, confident, comforting, strong, classy, seductive.

When i was youger i hated this perfume... What a mistake... Few months ago, i smelt it and... Wow... This is one of my favorite fragances now... So wonderful, the leather and the vanilla for the sweetness and the bergamot and citrus for the fresh and strong... I LOVE IT.

In response to balzac:

Is a mother couldn't be sexy, mysterious, temptating at the same time?:)Just if I look around me, many-many pretty women I see, who are beautiful mothers also.:)..and yes, they are sexy, and the mens turn around after them on the street..:) And I could increase :the REAL woman,-in four naked walls-ahould be a whore,friend, mother, partner..and everything for that person who in love with Her.But it's another story..

So...I'm really sorry, if I was ambiguous, but in this case this perfume is a "statue "for a lady,who gave her life for her 14th child.
Through her husband 's eyes she was the most beautiful woman in the world...(..and in every "normal" realtionship should be like this in nowadays as well..or should be work like this vica-versa..)

...and please, don't die, it's just a rewiew!!;)

In response to lara0905

on your review for Shalimar, I have to say, love love love...but you lost me on the
"Mother" description, that just killed it for me.

I've tryed this perfume some years ago and did not like it at all. And a few weeks ago I was trying some perfumes on a store and wanted to give another try to Shalimar. First, I sprayed on paper and didn't like it again. I did not got rid of this paper right away though and while I was still on that store just a few minutes later, than I was able to appreciate Shalimar incredibly beautiful sent! So that is why is so popular and so many people like it - I was thinking... So I loved it! It is on my wish list for next fall, winter. Probably to people who doesn't like this perfume, I would say to them - Just spray and wait a few minutes! This is the secret to love this perfume. At least it worked one me this way.

A very long time I planning to write about my experience with Shalimar..I have the EdT version.

What could I say about this iconic perfum, as others already told almost everything at all..? Just my feelings and impressions..

Shalimar about a deep and pure love, about respect, honor, care,and eternal beauty..as the name means: Temple of love.

Shalimar is a marvelous oriental fragrance with it's thousand faces.Like a perfect women has to be:beautiful, sensual, tempting,misterious, caring, fragile but powerful in the same time.The shelter, the mother and the perfect affectionate lover.

Shalimar is a portrait about Mumtaz Mahal (after her death, her husband built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife), reflections of a hearhtbreaking love story from the past.

Every single note is the projection of these propertise.The citrus notes are simbolize the strongness, they are opens the scent loudly, mixed with the misterious leathery incence note. Then musk,pale jasmin and sandalwood evokes the caring mother's smile, this soapiness is changes into a warm, sensual, dry, comforting, soft embrace, what is just lingering around enigmatically and graceful.( Due to iris,amber, opoponax, vanilla and vetiver on me).Feminin, sexy and extremly longlasting essence, the time has not worn out Her beauty.

Could I say more, than this..? I have no more words..I just stand at the altar of that fictional temple and I bow my head with admiration for Shalimar.

I am reviewing Shalimar vintage EDT, worlds apart from the modern reformulation now available. My vintage bottle dates from the 1970s I'd guess from the design of the bottle. My recent EDT reformulation is about 6 years old. The vintage opens softly, (not harsh with brash notes of citrus like the newer version)with notes of cedarwood right upfront with the softened citrus fragrances. That potent cedar seems to be lacking in the reformulation. Each stage of the vintage is softer, more well rounded and deeper in tone than what I find in the new bottle. The newer version has little depth; it seems to crackle with sharpness, the florals smell thin, while the vintage continues to gently unfold its riches. The vintage drydown is lovely,the animalistic phase with its touch of leather, sandalwood, vanilla, and resins makes this an extraordinary beautiful fragrance that's unforgettable. The reformulation lacks this richness and is a watered-down version of what it should be. There's no doubt that the vintage retains the magic that is the Shalimar that I wore 30 years ago. So glad I can still find vintage bottles online. Now I can fall in love with Shalimar all over again. (The vintage EDP is even richer and lasts longer.)

I purchased this perfume after reading a number of reviews. My verdict: Too strong, makes me think of cheap perfumes from a $1-1 Euro- 1Pound store, and no hint of vanilla.
Many do love this fragance though and truly, I know perfume to be personal. I've literally sprayed on this perfume 2x (to test)and am willing to send it (at a cost) to someone who loves it:)

Shalimar is one of those classic scents that almost everyone has smelled at least once in their lifetime. To more mature women, this scent is a classy lady in f*ck me shoes. To teenage girls, this scent is their grandmother's vanity.

The fragrance starts out with some citrus and powdery iris, but that is soon whisked away by more powerful notes. Shalimar's most distinct note is the burnt vanilla. The vanilla is raw and not childish or artificial-smelling by any means. The vanilla is smoked up with a lovely and exotic-smelling incense. As it blends in with your skin, the leather note makes the fragrance all the more "come hither-ish."

I have a huge love for this fragrance. This fragrance tells a story of romance, passion, mystery, and sensuality. Some inexperienced noses won't understand this fragrance at first, but young-ladies, please give this fragrance a chance. It is absolutely lovely.

P.S. I was wearing this the other night while I was out to eat, and my little sister (who is 15) told me that I smelled like a root beer float! This just goes to show how others interpret fragrance :)

Oh! There is nothing like Shalimar! Powdery, with classy flowery notes, warm vanilla, insense, woody, and civet! What else can you ask for? Only, it is getting harder to find it, hope it will not be discontinued.

As Robin wrote in her NST review, "Shalimar is so iconic that there isn’t much to be said on the subject that hasn’t already been said." Writing about it is simply an indulgence on my part, because it is such a dreamy, inspiring scent.

My journey into perfume can be traced back to my desperate attempts to replace my signature scent (first J'adore, then Hypnotic Poison) with something new. Guerlain's site has a "Fragrance Consultation." I took this while living a bohemian lifestyle in Berlin, and I was recommended Shalimar: "You like the voluptuousness of sensual notes." (Amusingly, when I went to find this quiz again to write this review, my test results were Mitsouko: "You like mysterious, woody scents", which somehow makes sense considering my quieter, New England existence right now.) After receiving my test results, I went with my French friend, Yoann, to a department store in Alexanderplatz. I found Shalimar, and certain that the online quiz had yielded my new signature scent, I excitedly sprayed it on my wrist, only to recoil in horror- what was this dense, animalic, woody, smokey, oriental- old lady?- scent?? To my nose, used to the squeaky clean fruity florals and watery scents of American department stores, this was just too much. Yoann, on the other hand, was smelling the bottle happily. "Mmmm, Shalimar! My mother wears this- a classic!" I tried to wrap my head around his acceptance of this scent, and couldn't.

After returning to Boston, I went with my fellow perfumista Megan (who had scored Mitsouko too) to a department store to show her how strange Shalimar smelled. This time though, the scent of Shalimar was not horrifying to my nose, but to my surprise, rather alluring! Smelling it against the backdrop of Versace Bright Crystal, Marc Jacobs Lola, and other loud, shiny synthetics, there was something very mysterious and sexy about Shalimar. The dark, animalic base gave it more humanity than the other fragrances, a sensual appeal underlying the spicy, vanilla top. I ordered a bottle with my next Fragrancenet order, and it has been love ever since. I now understand Yoann's familiarity with this scent. Shalimar has a bold, almost crude, sexiness, and as Robin says, it "hails from an era before fresh-from-the-shower became everyone’s notion of sexy; Shalimar is sexy precisely because it smells unclean." Yet over that raunchiness is the sophisticated composure of a classic oriental. The harmonious oriental spiciness gives it an effortless sophistication, while the dirty edge makes it human and sexy, so that almost a hundred years after its creation, it is still a recognizable classic.

The history of Shalimar is as fascinating as the history of Mumtaz Mahal and the Shalimar gardens, but what I find even more interesting is the fact that Shalimar was created the same year as Chanel No. 5. The common myth is that Shalimar was created when Jacques Guerlain poured a new synthetic vanilla, ethyl vanillin, into a bottle of Jicky, thus bringing us into a new age of perfumery. In 1921, both Shalimar and No. 5 paved the way for the classic perfumes of the following decades. Somehow between the two, I find myself gravitating towards Shalimar. I love the story of No. 5- the creation of an androgynous perfume for a flapper generation- yet I find No. 5 to be very feminine. Maybe it's the aldehydes, the fame of being Marilyn Monroe's favorite perfume, or simply because it's a popular floral embraced by so many contemporary women, but whatever the reason, No. 5 feels a little stuffy to me, whereas Shalimar feels more sexy and wearable. Or perhaps No. 5 really is the more modern and forward looking perfume, but I prefer Shalimar because it is timelessly nostalgic. Shalimar looks back to a dreamier, sexier past of mythical gardens, love stories, and fantasy. It can be easily reinvented for these backwards times, pairing well with a wardrobe of vintage leather and lace, easily replacing a Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab scent for those who prefer Grimes to Adele.

I wanted to love it. I truly did. I knew it was a classic, and that people adore it. When I smelled it in the bottle, I was somewhat in like. The citrusy vanilla appealed to me. But then as I wore it, and it progressed, it really does come across geriatric on my skin. I'm sure it smells divine on other people, but i just can't do this one.

I think of Shalimar as a portrait of a relationship, for me it`s like a poem of love. It begins full of hopes with fresh citrus accords, then it warms up in the most beautiful vanilla ever created in perfume history, and finally it matures in the base in leather notes.

Of course, as in every relationship, there are many twists and turns here too: the seductive incence is playing the temptation role in between, the roses bring a touch of decadence and the oppoponax gives a warm embrace to the whole composition.

It`s persistance is well known, I would just add that if you use it with light hand, not too much, it could be also a perfect scent for summer evenings. Imagine having a romantic dinner with candle lights in a beautiful garden and your Shalimar is floating in the air, you`ll percive it like a silk scarf on your goddess shoulders.

I`ve read that Shalimar Initial is created to introduce young ladies to the legendary Shalimar. I don`t need this kind of training, I`ve jumped allready in the mystery of the classic and never regret it. It`s ageless and timeless and it will forever remain so.

This review is for the vintage Shalimar, which i have a sample vial of. When i first put it on, I got a horrendous blast of pledge lemon spray, prune syrup and stale baby powder. Then came the leather, and the incense. Maybe it is my chemistry, and I so wanted to love this! But its not for me. Im into vintage perfumes, and i absolutely love Cartier's Panthere, but Shalimar truly reminds me of my great aunt Abigail. :(

This has been my signature scent for years now, and everyone who knows me recognizes the Shalimar scent as my calling card. I have been entranced with Shalimar's animalic, yet warm and vanilla coziness; on my skin I pick up the warm tonka bean, vanilla, civet and musky notes, it's like wrapping myself in a tiger pelt all mixed in with glamour, diamonds, and femininity.
I have tried Shalimar in it's new formulation in EDP, but ever since receiving a genuine Baccarat crystal pure extrait vintage bottle (circa 1932) from my fiancee for Christmas last year; I have been hooked on the vintage Shalimar.
The vintage Shalimar has so much depth, the ingredients are so far past what is being used to make it now, and you truly capture how truly amazing this scent is. So I fork out the cash to keep buying vintage pure perfume; it is beyond worth it.
I constantly get compliments, especially from men whenever I wear this perfume; my fiancee adores it and made me promise to never stop wearing it.
For myself, I wear it because I adore how it smells, and I love how it makes me feel glamorous, sophisticated, truly female, seductive, sexy, powerful and like I own who I am. I will never stop wearing this perfume, it is the only perfume I feel absolutely naked without; if you haven't tried it, you need to.

This is a scent I've always wanted to like, thought I should like but never quite could. It just makes me feel queezy. Recently I encountered a woman who was wearing it, most likely half the bottle and I litterally started to cough, I was having an allergic reaction, I felt I could not breathe.

Wow . im in Love .. tryed this one after testing the shalimar Initial which i liked so much. i think i only smelled this off the bottle and thought nehh not for me , But lovely Allinug sendt me a sample and now im hocked ;) . i NEAD a bottle off this edp version.. at first i was a little put off by the lethery note , but after it settles down , . just about 10-15 minuts on my skin, the most lovely perfume steps forward and i am in love ..
I did not think i could find any off this shalimar attractive at all after owning and disliking Eau de Shalimar. But this to me is so soft , warm pleasent , Vanilla , slightly lethery , slightly spicy, just the right amount off citrus ..I even dream about this perfume now:)how crazy is that . I ended up ordering a bottle off the Initial , And now i nead to have this to . So if you have and thinking off swapping (or selling) please let me know . im desperat..:) This is a true classic , a bliss to wear , a Gem to share a Perfume to wear:)

Misskaylapaige:

You really should try a different concentration! I assume if the citrus notes were too loud, you tried the Eau de Toilette? Give the Extrait or the Eau de Parfum a try; they're quite different.

On me the citrus notes were too sharp. I enjoyed the woodiness of it, but was hoping to get more vanilla from it. After several hours the citrus notes died down a bit, but because I am not a citrus fan I will pass on this one.

I can certainly see why it has become such a classic though!

What can I add to all those wonderful love-letters to this scent? I can only add my own love and admiration for this Queen among perfumes. I knew from the first time that I smelled it that I would love Shalimar forever.
It is not just a smell, it is a feeling! When I wear it I feel warm, sexy, mysterious and luxurious. Once applied on the skin, its warm vanilla opens up and becomes a seductive, powdery scent with a floral heart that is evoking and alluring. It's my favorite perfume for dates & days when I want to feel good.
One can tell that Shalimar was inspired by one of the greatest love 'letters' of all time: the Taj Mahal. It's a classic but there is nothing outdated about this perfume. It's one of those rare scents that are truly timeless. I too have a love affair with Shalimar. Thankfully, Shalimar can accommodate us all with her love.
As for me? As long as they'll make Shalimar I shall keep purchasing and loving it.

This timeless fragrance is simply gorgeous! It was my father's 2nd wife's favorite and I like it a lot myself. An oriental classic, very feminine and powdery, the dry down is sweet and precious! The dry down is the best, because when first sprayed the powderiness sort of smells like a baby diaper wipe! But that dies down pretty fast to leave a sweet feminine floral. Thank Heaven's Saints!

Beautiful bottle and even the eau de lasts a pretty long time. I now have 4 bottles of it in my bath! Two miniatures, one purse spray and now a big 1.7 spray! My next venture is to win a vintage crystal bottle of it and try the new "initial".

I would recommend this fragrance to anyone who likes feminine, soft, powdery scents with a nice touch of woods and a little bit of sex. Suitable for women of any age. Sort of similar to Misuki (which isn't being made anymore) or Chanel no 5 (but softer), powdery like Tresor or Ombre Rose but less rosy. It sprays out nice and powdery, but the dry down is my favorite, soft, sweet and feminine.

Mixes ok with other powdery or floral fragrances, but doesn't mix well with other high fragrances so well. So I've found if you want to mix it up, keep it simple when using this one. Although it is good on it's own. Love it

This is the only perfume my grandmother ever wears!!!! It's beautiful soft, powdery, vanilla with musky undertones. The new bottles are hideous looking why do they always change a good thing??

I am a self confessed guerlain freak but heavens to betsy this is so beautifully made with such high quality ingredients I think it can be admired as a piece of art. When I first bought it in the nineties my partner asked if I had been doing some dusting as he could smell furniture polish. I never dust. Never. So the guerlain was shelved for a few months until I realised I like that lavender polish note. My more recent bottles smell softer somehow, weaker perhaps and as a result probably more wearable. One to try at the very least, warm, soft, sweet and sexy. I conceived my new baby wearing a mix of this and jovan sex appeal-no guarantees the same will happen for you but hey, she is a beautiful, sweet baby with a marvellous serenity and I like to think it's because her DNA may well be part guerlain.

I saw this beautiful ad in a magazine and decided to try out this right away. The bottle is fabulous, so retro. It seemed very unique. However, the smell is too woody for me. I have some smoky perfumes, but this is not mine. I would give it another try when spraying it on me and after a while sniffing it again to see what turned out.

I agree. The fragrance has changed! I bought the edp thinking it would be like the edt but deeper, richer, more gourmand and spicy. At first I loved it, but realized after a day or so that it was not what i remembered...The old Shalimar was sweet, vanilla and powdery, and yes, the new formulation is heavier on the sandalwood and cedar. At first I thought it was just the difference between the edp and edt, but when I sniffed the new edt, it was much like the new edp. I was shocked. Am I losing my mind?

i agree with adesoprano. the current formulation is bad. lots of burnt rubber and dust. i find the new parfum initial much better.

My manager got Shalimar as a gift, and I liked it so much that I bought one for myself. She had the old bottle, butterfly shaped, but I got the new one, released in 2010. So... it is very strange that nobody said nothing about the fragrance reformulation, because mine is different than hers, and not better, but worst. Hers smells like powdery vanilla,but mine like dust with some citrus. Im am not the only one that had seen the difference, all our coleagues agree that the smell is not the same. So ... now I bought on ebay a bottle of EDT Which looks like the EDC bottle. Hope it is what I have dreamed of...

Love. To sniff it but I can't wear it. Like so many others it makes my head ache.

This is a beautiful fragrance! I am 21 years old and I still feel like this fragrance is too epic for me to wear yet..perhaps when Im a bit older after my husband and I have a few kids : )

The woman who wear shalimar are strong, feminine and also mysterious and loving. You want to be near her but you dont KNOW her.

The fragrance is (on my skin) a sultery caramel with hints of leather, incense and vanilla. Its wonderful!

Hi MyLancome, sorry it took so long to reply. After knowing Mme Guerlain, I never thought I could wear Shalimar because she seemed to me so unique, pretty iconic, really. These were in the days just prior to the selling of Guerlain to the Vuitton conglomerate, so perhaps Madame was visiting our law firm for her legal advice? I don't know, just a conjecture, and I was only a humble secretary, not privvy to the goings on. But I do remember that she was tiny, with hair blond and grey all piled up in a bun on top of her head, very red lips, tanned skin, dripping in gold jewellery and as I said, top to toe leapord skin coat! The Shalimar seemed to come out of her very pores, and having rediscovered it, I love that facet (of many) of this scent - it becomes a part of your skin. I wish I could bathe in it! Good luck, MyLancome!

For me, a woman who wears Shalimar knows who she is, is comfortable in her own skin and is strong in her femininity. When I first got it, I thought it was too powerful for daytime use, but I have actually been wearing quite often even for office, for those extra-stressful days when I needed a bit of a confidence boost, or just to add a bit of glamour and class to the day-to-day drudgery.

I feel no need to explain the smell of Shalimar as so many of you have done it in an excellent way already, so I thought I could share my personal Shalimar story. It was a complicated journey, and it took many many years.

When I was little my mother wore Shalimar, which makes it a nostalgic and very meaningful scent to me that I wanted to carry on wearing when it was "my time". First time I wore it myself I had just turned 18 and lived in an old 17th century house in northern Sweden with my parents. By that time I started growing up for real, life got a bigger purpose than school and friends and I started working on my career, thinking about moving and just building my life up. Creating myself a greater view of the world. By that time I also started growing into Shalimar. An early age according to some, but that's when it happened.

When I wore it the first, second, third and fourth time I was devastated, it smelled horrible on me. The leather just burned my nose and I couldn't wear it for more than half an hour before needing to scrub it off. Why why why would this happen? It just had to work, but I decided to tuck it away.

Years later, living in a big city in southern Sweden in a beautiful, new apartment with my love I decided to give Shalimar a second chance. Starting over on a blank page. And there it was, Shalimar with a big S. I almost cried with joy, FINALLY!

After investigating this whole thing I have realized that the 17th century house was the big problem. Certain scents that I've bought and loved when living here is unwearable when brought up to my parents house. Dirty patchoulis, leather, deep musks and similar notes just can't be worn in that environment. Isn't it interesting?

Shalimar is without a doubt the sexiest perfume ever made! I adore the idea that there is a love story behind its creation. Shalimar is sensual jasmine and smoky vanilla with a lasting power of a full day. It is decidedly feminine, in a lingerie clad bombshell kind of way. There will always be room in my wardrobe for this beauty!

While I can appreciate the artistry in this fragrance, it is just too domineering and loud. Even in small doses, this feels very heavy for me.

Appena ho spruzzato l'edp sulla mia mano, in profumeria, ho pensato che fosse veramente ORRENDO, il peggior profumo mai annusato... Ma dieci minuti dopo...magia! Ha cominciato ad essere meraviglioso, odore di talco e colonia per bambini, vanigliato e cremoso, confortevole, un pò legnoso, e più lo annusavo e più mi piaceva: insomma sono tornata alla profumeria e me lo sono comprato! Un pò caro in effetti, 46 euro per 30 ml, ma mi piace proprio tanto, anche adesso che sto scrivendo ogni tanto mi annuso. Grazie per le vostre recensioni che mi hanno messo la curiosità di scoprire questo stupendo profumo!!
Aggiornamento: più lo metto e più mi piace, mi annuso di continuo, sono diventata Shalimar-dipendente! E' eccezionale, buonissimo, dura tutto il giorno... non lo cambierò mai!!!

Not all fragrances are created equal. Shalimar is among the few divinely and exquisitely elevated into a perfume's equivalent of a state of enlightenment a.k.a nirvana. It need not come back into any further incarnations to learn its lessons and/or repair its karma.

Shalimar is not merely a fragrance. It is a secret passageway into an exotic world where one might just fall into an intoxicating adventure from One Thousand and One Nights, or run into Sheherezade herself. Dark outlines of palmtrees on an indigo north-African sky, flowing brilliantly colored drapes in the warm night breeze, a shrouding veil, the smoky, heady fragrances, hushed voices and rushed footsteps in the night casbah. Mystery, adventure, magic, legend.

My deepest gratitude to Mr. Guerlain for creating this masterpiece.

Shalimar... The name alone is beautiful. After reading all of the reviews here I decided that I simply had to try it. But where to start? This is... an absolute wonder. I envisioned a delicious vanilla scent but my daydreams came nowhere close to reality.

I have a vintage decant of Shalimar EDC (and currently looking to pick up a full-size), so the top notes are gone, but that drydown! My word, I've never experianced a more blissful sensation from a scent. Smooth, creamy vanilla, sandlewood, powder, a bit of incense. It wraps around me like a shawl or the warmest of hugs. It is abslutely perfect.

To me it is a comforting scent, not a sexy one. It makes me feel warm and completely at peace. I'm going through the toughest period of my life right now and Shalimar is one of the few things that manages to put a smile on my face.

It has very impressive staying power as well. Dabbed at the nape of the neck it lasted for more than 12 hours. On the wrist it faded a bit quicker, but I wash my hands quite frequently so that's not a surprise.

I do have one question, so if anyone can help me out I'd be very greatful. Is the current version of Shalimar greatly different from the vintage variety? I'm afraid of picking up a new bottle and being disappointed.

SHALIMAR, THE fragrance amongst the fragrances, THE KING, the EMPEROR : nothing will never be hardly in the same league as you !!!
You are an icon, you are a gem, you are a treasure : thank you so much Mister Jacques Guerlain !!!
You represent on your own all the elegance of the Guerlain's house, you are a true piece of art and you are a truly memorable creation as well as a real represent of History !!!
You are unique and carry with you all the history of the Guerlain's house.
If I was to picture you, I would say that you are the Guerlain's boutique in the Champs-Elysées : so historic, so elegant, so beautiful, ageless, timeless, with all its surely period marbles that takes us back to the time when you have been created.

If I was to choose only one perfume (what a tricky decision !! ^^ ), you would be the one !!!

<3 <3 <3

After reading on how Legendary this Perfume is I decided to go try it out for myself. This was supposed to be my birthday present from my better half, but thankfully we decided to go fragrance shopping together just in case I didn't like it. At first whiff it felt old fashioned, pleasant, warm, citrusy, but then soon after it started to smell strongly of Citronella, and I couldn't get out of my head how much it reminded me of those big ugly bucket size citronella candles. My husband agreed. Although I did not hate it, as it's not entirely an unpleasant smell, sadly the association to those gawd awful candles just ruined it for me. :(

This was a blind buy, and at the first sprits it reminded me of a 60+ madam in a long fur coat and a fancy hat. I wasn’t sure what to make of this old-style perfume. I am 27-year-old, but I have always been wearing mature perfumes due to my allergies to the newer perfumes with overwhelming sweet notes. When this perfume settled into my skin, I fell in love with it. It is a powdery perfume with a slight hint of dry vanilla and incense. It all depends on individual body chemistry as on me this perfume smells like natural talc powder after a shower and there is nothing old lady about that. I feel very sexy and sensual wearing this perfume and it is unlike anything that I have smelled before. This is the second blind buy perfume that I am in love with, and I think my two successful buys resulted from the great details that the reviewers on this website give. Thank you all for your input!

old fashion perfume but I really like it.I am not big fun of Chanel perfumes as they are old fashion to me but Shalimar is completely different in my opinion.Changes every minute on you to more mysterious fragrance. Not for young girls though.

Definitely an old school perfume: ultrafeminine, strong, powdery and warm spicy: I seem to smell a room full of burning incense sticks, or an Attar ready for a sacred ritual.

I think it's wonderful, delicious if smelled on its own, but I think also it's unwearable: it's too solemn and matronal to my nose.
With regard to the leather note (which is the main reason why I tried Shalimar), I can't smell none of it.
It's not the perfume for me.

Update: today, after a week, I smelled the jacket I was wearing when I tried Shalimar, and an intense marvelous scent of leather flooded my nostrils... what a beautiful leather!

Thank you @nopasho!! What a great review! Now I will definitely give my Shalimar another trial. I really want to love it, but now realize I just must have time to let it evolve. I must wear it, at home, to let it speak to me. I don't really want to get rid of it, otherwise I would have by now). Your review was fantastic, and true. Thanks for reminding me what a beautiful creation it is!

Let's get this straight. This is a timeless perfume. A Classic. Not for the older crowd, not for the younger crowd, not for women, not for men... But for people of all ages, gender, color... who don't think in boxes and who can appreciate a thing of sheer beauty and for whom 'sex' is not a four letter word. Be it a painting, a fragrance, a landscape, a dish, a dress, a great conversation, a warm friendship, a lovely touch... it can be enjoyed by everybody. Do you say: 'The Mona Lisa' is 'an old lady painting'? Van Gogh is' an old man', French cooks Escoffier and Bocuse and Julia Child and James Beard, couturières and creators Coco Chanel and Estée Lauder and Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger are 'old ladies and men'? Do you say Billie Holiday makes 'old lady music', Leonard Cohen makes 'old man music'? Madonna makes 'wannabe young' music? Do you say Lagerfeld is an old man or do you say: his creations are great or ugly? Age has nothing to do with classic artful creations. Be it paintings, music, food, clothes... You like it or you don't. But age has nothing to do with it IMHO. Whether it is created in 2006 (Tom Fords 'Black Orchid'), in 2011 (Serge Lutens 'Jeux de Peau'), 1998 (Westwoods 'Boudoir'), in 1988 (Lauders 'Knowing'), in 1985 (Diors 'Poison') in 1977 ('YSL's 'Opium'), 1962 (Desprez' 'Bal à Versailles', in 1953 (Balmain's 'Jolie Madame'), 1929 (Patou's Joy), 1921 (Chanel nr 5), 1919 (Guerlains 'Mitsouko), 1906 (Guerlain's 'Après l'Ondée')... or in another year, it doesn't make a difference at all with classics. They are timeless. And 'Shalimar' (1925) is one of the most famous timeless classics. You can't dispute that. You can like it or not, but it is and will always be 'A Classic'. Whether you personally like it or not, you have to admit that it is something special. Even 87 years after its birth it still stirs up as much heated debat as modern frags like 'Angel', 'Womanity', 'Addict'... It is a tribute to its awesome creative power. 1925, think about it. No gaschronometry, no marketing agencies, no magazine smelling strip ads, no TV, no nothing, no artificial notes, no new chemical compounds that amplify existing natural smells. Only the taste and genius of one man in a crummy Parisian lab.
'Shalimar' was created by 'maitre parfumeur' Jacques Guerlain, the founder of the legendary Guerlain fame himself, to celebrate the love story between one emperor 'Shahjahan' and his wife 'Mumtaz Mahal'. And it is a fitting composition. 'Shalimar' breathes at the same time the mysterious vibe of what was then called 'The Orient' and the animalistic, sweaty passion between a man and a woman. Yes, young readers of this, as surprising as it may seem to you: they had sex in 1925! Also your mother and father must have had sex, as impossible that this may sound to you, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. It is this marriage between eastern mysticism coupled with basic earthy animalistic passion and human lust that makes 'Shalimar' the masterpiece that it is. It is 'The X-rated Tales of 1001 Night' translated into a fragrance and bottled. Even if it was a paid job and even if it was for blue blood, Guerlain dove straight in with abandon and without compromises and didn't hold back.
This was the 1925 version of a 'celeb scent'. The difference with now is that then a celeb scent was created by a real perfumer, not an accountant that worked together with a marketing firm who called the shots. The perfumer was the boss of his creation. Also the perfumer got free reign from the one who gave the order, to create the fragrance to do as he pleased. There was full confidence in the craftmanship of the perfumer. Now the 'celeb frag makers' receive strict guidelines based on market research: for the broadest audience, for maximum sale for this age group and made with the cheapest ingredients. Another difference with the celeb frags of today, the '1925 celeb frag Shalimar' was and still is made with the best ingredients, not supervised by penny pinching managers whose interest is not to create great timeless classics but to make as much money possible for the shareholders.
So what's the magic of 'Shalimar'? What is it that stirs up controversy even 87 years after its birth?
Top: Citrus, mandarin-orange, cedar, bergamot, lemon
Middle: Iris, patchouli, jasmine, vetiver, rose
Base: Leather, sandalwood, opoponax, musk, vanilla, incense, civet.
Two immediate 'wows'! One: a very fresh, effervecent, citrusy top. Two: a very, very strong base heavy in the animalistic department (leather, musk, opoponax, civet). It is the contrast between the fresh top and the 'beastly' strong and openly animalistic/sexual base that makes whoopie and gives 'Shalimar' its power, uniqueness, love-or-hate aspect and... balls, pardon my French. 'Shalimar, mon cher, est un parfum avec des couilles, Monsieur et Madame!' Most people who love fresh citrus frags are not attracted to heavy animalistic combo's like Shalimar's base. And most lovers of dense 'heavy hitters' are no fan of citrus notes in the top of a fragrance. So Maitre Jacques Guerlain showed his originality, perfume prowess and sheer single minded genius by bringing these two totally opposite fragrance worlds and their fans together. And that for a ordered scent. I don't see the hired guns of todays celeb frags showing so much guts. By for instance making a stark incense frag for Britney, a dry woody one for Jessica and a spicy chypre for Katy. But no guts, no glory. Only bland interchangeable frags.
Between the clean top and the dirty base Monsieur Guerlain built a bridge by adding on the 'clean top side' a fresh, green note like vetiver and on the 'dirty base side' patchouli. He then cleverly added some soothing florals to smooth this in theory deep gap between 'beastly base' and 'toodeloo top' out. So he added rose, a peppery jasmine and iris. They gave a much needed rounded, creamy complementary aspect that cemented everything together and etched this masterpiece perfectly in perfume history. The result is masterful. You get the clean fresh top where he smuggled in some cedar to prepare for the libido of the base. So after the fresh virginal green blast you get the lecherous Don Juans and Casanova's and John Holmes' of the base stampeding in, full of energy, lust and testosteron: leather, opoponoax, civet, musk, incense... Enough heat here to warm up even the coldest feet. The little bit sweet sandalwood and naturally dry vanilla (not the artificial cotton candy here) temper the sexual energy and shameless libidious lust of base a bit. And then when you are torn between two lovers -the clean top and the dirty base- to the rescue comes the soothing middle so that it ends not in a sterile Disney production nor a splattering X-rated one, but a PG-affair for a broader audience The result is complex, intricate, original, masterful.
Of course you should take in 'Shalimar' as a whole. Give it time to develop on your skin. So that you can fully consummate the coupling of the clean top and the dirty base and smell the roses of the middle all through this tour de force. Applying and smelling 'Shalimar' is like building a love affair. Slowly, slowy, slowy... Let the desire build and bloom. Let the senses smolder, ignite and then flame up full bast, devour you, let you forget about your daily worries and transport you to another, exciting world. Give it time to discover all its intricacies and hidden secrets, nooks and crannies. Longing, slowly building... makes the love affair, loving itself and also a high quality evolving, living fragrance more interesting. The longer it lasts, the better. And as a high quality Guerlain perfume, 'Shalimar' lasts long, has an impressive evolution and great sillage. Of course if you concentrate on one note only -'civet': aargh!'- or -'lemon: bweuurk!'- you'll never get the total beauty of 'Shalimar'. It needs time to blossom. You need to savour it like a delicacy, not hastily and impatiently bite and swallow like fast food. Treat this frag like you would treat an 'amourette': going slowly at first, savouring the growing desire accelerating as lust builds and takes over and then consummate with abandon. Test it and be ready, not only to fall in love with 'Shalimar', but to fall into the arms of your lover/bf/gf/husband/wife and devour him/her passionately. Such is the power and the magic of 'Shalimar', the first great libidinous fragrance of modern perfumery. And at age 87, it's still an 'energetic cougar'/'dapper don Juan' that has enough energy and chutzpah to let a whole army of young toy boys or party girls see all the corners of the room and wear them -and their aquatic fresh or floral fruity frags- totally out.

I tried this one at the store... It's not for me. Something in it, I think the incense, for me, is too overpowering. I don't smell the vanilla for some reason, on me only a woody, incense smell.
Lastingpower is incredible though! Even when I washed it off, I still could get a little bit of shalimar. It's distinctive, recognizable. But I didn't like it, it's very heavy, very very present! But if you like woody, incensesy perfumes, this one is a good one.

I wanted to like it. I've tried it now and again throughout the years. It's not destined to be. I really cannot stand this perfume. Way, way, WAY too much vanilla.

And it seems to me that when I encounter someone who is wearing it, they are wearing far too much of it.

Maybe that's just because I dislike it.

Shalimar is a truly beautiful perfume. It is WONDERFUL.

But, I was expecting something different, because it was created in 1925!! This smells, to me, like a modern perfume.

I don't know if I can explain myself, but when we smell Chanel Nº5 (created in the same year)we can "see" that it was created in the past. (I'm not saying it can't be used right now, Nº5 is a beautiful perfume, but it does smell like past.)

But I don't feel the same with Shalimar: it is a beautiful vanilla/incense perfume that is really timeless.

Shalimar is wonderful for the nights out at Winter, bringing a cozy energy to the person who wears it and to the other around her.

I highly reccomend this perfume. It is a Classic, everyone should try it.

Lolipophead: Can you please tell more story about this legendary woman? I like to hear about Madam Guerlain.

When I worked in Paris, Madame Guerlain was a client of our law firm. She seemed quite old to me, always dressed in fur, and drenched from head to foot in Shalimar! I thought you all might like to know!

It smells like vanila with hints of warm spices, feel very happy and delighted after spraying it. it stays on skin whole day and it chanages with your body temp and natural body odor, Nice work!!!!

This is a fragrance that young women like myself (22) are not supposed to like.
-we are supposed to go for they fruity-florals of celeb perfumes, not that I'm knocking them (okay i kind of am)
true, this could be my mothers perfume (although it is not), it could have been my mothers mothers perfume, heck it might have even been my mothers mothers mothers perfume...but the history of Shalimar is part of its unique mystique, you have to respect that people have thought this one worth wearing for 87 years! (how many modern fragrances will be able to say the same in 87 years?)
and after all who doesn't want to smell like a naughty flapper ;)
anyway to the scent itself!!
Shalimar is one of the most interesting vanilla scents i have ever smelled, it is a sophisticated sultry vanilla, with lots of exotic spices, rich incense and amber-ish. It has a lot of the same notes you would expect in a modern oriental, however it is not sweet as many of them are- this one is definitely drier smelling- by which i mean powdery/spicy. As others have stated this seems to come in waves- wearing this you will catch drafts of this sultry frag all day.
I think this is wonderful- like exotic warm sandy desert smell :)


I would advise other younger women to not be afraid to give this a try, i keep loving new scents that are deemed too strong for a younger woman- the lady at the dior counter actually warned me away from midnight poison and poison- and i love them both

the first time i smelled the lemon mixed with the patchouli and musk i fell in love. powdery, warm, comforting and delicious- the burst of citrus really compliments the opposite warmth. drys down to a nice hot burnt vanilla after a few hours. makes me feel sensual, would wear on winter or fall nights. a summer day might be nice too because of the citrus. just don't spray too much or it can get very overpowering!

Delicious complexity ends in a powdery smell that reminds me too much of Johnson & Johnsons Baby Talcum Powders.

This fragrance has all the magic and complexity I've been looking for. The description above says it all. Lovly fresh citrus in the begining, amber, tulubalm, insence and leather. The lovliest vanilla. Some spice and flowers. This was what I hoped for when I got habanita, so lovely the perfect fragrance for evening wear.

Passion, poetry, the scent of passionate true love. It represents a harmony of tutches in love making poetry. So deep, so sinful, so oriental, a scent of indian love. Kama sutra should smell like that:DD
Seduction and uncontrolled passion and a secret in between.

My vintage bottle of Shalimar came in the post today. This is an amazing fragrance. I barely touched the wand to my wrist. I have read she is strong, powerful and can overwhelm. The initial scent was lemony, but faded fast. Now she is shimmering changing. A hint of baby powder, no she is moving again. Now she is mellowing iris, rose, musky vanilla, and something just beyond reach. Each time I smell my wrist she is different.

I am so glad I invested in the bottle. I am going on an fantastic journey. She is soft, mysterious, sexy, warm. A beautiful complex fragrance. I do not want to sample the new one, I think the new version would be a let down.

Shalimar has stood the test of time for a reason...

When it first came out it was worn by the bad girls of the 20s, and it was a scandal...I guess bad girls like good perfumes...

Shalimar is luscious, intoxicating, addictive...

On the opening it starts with a blast of sharp citrusy notes followed by leathery vanilla...after 5 minutes it settles on the skin and the incense and the patchouli are easily identified. However I must say I don't smell any civet, maybe some musk...In the late 80's I smelled Shalimar for the first time and I did identify the civet note and maybe some musky undertone, that I feel current Shalimar lacks. Well, back to the description, it dries down to a powdery vanilla, nothing grandmotherly, but more like a cloud of velvety vanilla with a very mild lemon note peaking through every now and then..

I won't complain about today´s version, I like it..But I still find the contrast of the heavenly vanilla and the dirty notes of civet/musk of previous years very attractive to my nose...

Shalimar is purringly soft and yet it projects a dark, deep sensuality at the same time...how can a perfume manage to be soft and sharp, innocent and dirty at the same time? That is the magic of a truly unique Parfum, our Shalimar...

People talk about the "foodie" type perfumes they make today and mostly in a disparaging way. True, many of the "fruity florals" make me cry, wheeze and sneeze - I can smell them a mile away and they put me in a bad mood because they lack any and all imagination. I walk into a classroom and I smell the evil melange of j. lo Glow, Ed Hardy's, etc.

But I digress, I was genuinely surprised to realize that Shalimar is as "foodie" as anything but smells like something I might actually want to eat. I smell eggs, custard, vanilla, cake batter - frigging delish! How awesome is this?

This smells yummy and classy at the same time. I get a similar vibe from L'Heure Bleu but Shalimar is more user-friendly (and is a quarter to half the price of LHB)- I've said before that there is a suffering, melancholy quality to LHB which makes it hard for many ladies to wear comfortably. This is LHB without grief.

Gorgeous - they really don't make 'em like they used to!

This is the grandmother of all powdery fragrances! powerful powdery, classic vintage and mature scent. it's a bit too strong for my taste but i can see this smelling not bad on some.

This classy, oriental queen, rumored to have been created in 1925 for ‘ladies of the night’ has not been surpassed in my opinion. Never boring, fresh enough for any age, this charmer may be mostly appreciated by someone brazen enough to scream sexy. It’s not for wallflowers or shrinking violets.

A blast of tangy lemon and bergamot is tempered by sweet myrrh (opoponax). Soon after, a soft leather takes the stage with smoky vanilla following close behind. At this point the vanilla stays put to the end of the show, changing ever so slightly as the sandalwood, opoponax, vetiver, flowers, musk, and cedar mingle with it.

Long lasting, great sillage, elegant, affordable, a true one of a kind treasure.

I have suddenly and totally fallen in love with Shalimar.
I smelled it at a Guerlain counter last year and was just mystified. It seemed to smell so different to the powdery smell I used to catch in passing at the counters in the 80s. Instead it just smelled like a big oily soapy heart and not much else.
Then, earlier this week, I sprayed some on at an airport and that's when it got me. Not sure what was happening time I smelled it before that!
I've ordered a bottle online and I do hope I picked right in the EDT (should have checked airport bottle).
Yes, there's a bit of citrus, but it's so nicely blended that it doesn't scream 'I'm citrus!' (not that I mind citrus, in fact I really like it!).
Yes, it has vanilla but that comes into its own later, in the base. It doesn't scream either - 'Hi, I'm VANILLA!', in a coconutty (true vanilla), or ice-creamy (imitation vanilla) way - it's subtle and lovely.
Can't wait to get my bottle!! The remnants on my travelling day scarf smell heavenly.

The first time I smelled it was nice and it was smelling vanilla but next time it wasn't very good. Maybe is the civet.

I keep trying new fragrances.
I keep come back to you Shalimar.
I'm so happy you exist.

I tried the EDT today. Really wanted to like it but couldn't :-( It started off smelling like baby wipes and the drydown was very sweet vanilla. My four year old said I smell like cake. Also tried Mitsouko which I preferred. Perhaps I'm not good with too much vanilla.

I really, really, really want to love this. So far I hate it, but am willing to keep going back for more...

2/3 perfume gods + 1/3 man = Shalimar.

Absolutely incredible!

I snagged what I thought was a bottle of Shalimar EDT or EDP at Marshalls yesterday, only to find out that it was the Eau de Cologne version. Ah, well. That's why it was only 45$. I really do love Shalimar, and I will probably invest in a bottle once this runs out. The bad thing with the EDC is that you have to spray a lot in order for it to last. The parfum concentration is a lot lower. However, it's still "Shalimar" in all its glory!

My sincere apologies to my enigmatic Shalimar! My ignorance almost makes me throw it away! Last night I sprayed it on the air and stepped into the mist...and a miracle occurred! SHALIMAR FINALLY ACCEPTED ME! I slept with it on… the soft, magical woody vanilla wrapped me all night long! …Now it’s in my love list!

I purchased this for myself a few days ago, as have wanted this particular perfume for ages. I wanted it mainly for the vanilla, the soft sensual vanilla dry down. But, alas! how I hate the beginning notes! The sharp lemon, flowery, almost like a cleaning agent)., scent. But I kept it on, and after about 45 minutes, the vanilla finally emerged. I was really surprised at how soft and lovely it finally became, and then it showed itself as a true classic. I am still in two minds about this scent, maybe it just doesn't agree with my body chemistry (the first part anyway), just as Chanel no.5 doesn't agree with me. I guess I will just have to apply it very early, before leaving home, until the first layer disappears!:)). I'm glad I only bought the 1oz bottle EDP, and maybe it will grow on me, who knows!

This is the classic you will love to have for your use, eventually you will want to appear like an elegant exuberant mysterious sexy fatal woman, this is definitely for that moment you will want to be remembered. Great choice. i love it and we have a great relationship :)

Even if many vintage Guerlain are among my favorites, Shalimar was not love at first sight.
The first time was a EDT from the ’90. It smelled like petroleum, synthetic & frankly unbearable.
Unfortunately, to my nose all the Guerlain from the LVMH era, I mean Guerlain from the’90s on, are unbearable, a thin, scratchy, chemical & hollow shell of their former self (that I know very well, so I can have an opinion about).
Than, the second time, it was an Extrait probably from the ’50 if not earlier. I bought a vintage extrait bottle, with the baccarat mark on it, that arrived in my hand in pieces & all the fragrance soaked the velvet box. Not the best way to sample a fragrance. Well, the smell was very good (you can see the lack of enthusiasm in my words) but all I could smell was a huge lavender & a lot of delicate & subtle, but neverending, vanilla. That’s it? I thought. Where’s the oriental mystery? Where the seduction proclaimed in the ads?!. Much ado about nothing! A lavande ambré with a lot of vanilla is not my favorite cup of tea. It smelled like a perfect scent for a debut de siècle démi-monde dandy. Masculine and feminine enough to be à la page: a metrosexual fragrance ante-litteram. Nothing to die for.
Than again, & now it’s the third time, I had the very sad experience to go to the Guerlain counter at Saks in NY & try the Guerlain scents in extrait concentration. The sad part was not Saks, that I love (after all, NOBODY HATES SAKS) nor the Guerlain’s counter that is very chic. The sad part was about the fragrances themselves: again, if you want to know why Guerlain is Guerlain do not start from the LVMH era. Is like thinking you are going to go to bed with Gilda & wake up with Rita Hayworth (if I can steal her own words…) or thinking that Marilyn can be reduced to her Warhol portrait only. To me the Guerlain fragrances of today are a hymn to hatred against Guerlain itself. Of course it is possible that many vintage Guerlain fragrances today smell old fashioned & out of time or unwearable. But everyone can see the beauty of a Veronese painting, even if nobody wants to have the same abundance of forms anymore. So you can think you can’t wear anymore a certain vintage Guerlain perfume but you can always admire the supreme art & beauty in it. Anyway, the Shalimar extrait found at the counter was again a huge question mark: why so much fuss on a harsh, chemical, scratchy, angular fragrance that cannot be related in any form to the creamy & dreamy perfection of vintage Vol de Nuit & the murderous seduction of vintage Mitsouko or the silky, soft touch of a hypnotizing snake’s skin of vintage L’Heure Bleue? Sampling the other fragrances on the counter I had an answer, since the LVMH Vol the Nuit, Mitsouko & L’Heure Bleue are harsh, chemical, scratchy, angular fragrances too, being Vol de Nuit the less offensive, Liu the most decent of the lot, even if reduced to a fake copy of the spectacular Balenciaga’s La Fuite des Heures, & Vega, rather expressionless. Derby is not Derby anymore, not even slightly. Chamade has something acrid it was not used to have & so on…
At last, as my fourth & last to date experience trying to like Shalimar, I had my epiphany with a EDT from the ’80.
Again a blast of vile rubber scent, Bulgari’s Black-like, assaulted my nose at the very beginning. & I asked myself: why vile? I like leather & rubber a lot, being Bulgari’s Black a favorite of mine. And how I smell rubber as a top note when it is supposed to be a base note? Mysteries of the nose… Then I realized that what still unbalance me is that I smell leather (or better rubber like in CdG Garage, another favorite of mine) as the first blast, as the very first note, not being prepared to arrive to the rubber without any introduction. It’s a break in my expectations over Guerlain language. I always expected from Guerlain softness & seduction, not the feel of a whip. It’s like an intercourse without being kissed before & without the mercy of a little spit.
Then, when I’m still shocked by the brutality of the assault, the rubber quickly fades to the most creamy, gourmet, sunny & inebriating mandarin I could never dream. It’s sweet mandarin in 3D, that lacks any tanginess or zest of the other citruses, until I realize this is the splendid entrance of the opoponax: now I’ve found all Babylon’s decadence & seductive treasures, and nothing stirs the perfection of this soli opoponax during hours, except that incredible rubber note that plays hide & seek with my nose appearing & disappearing with the quickness of the crack of a whip. Now you can feel it; then you can’t feel it anymore. AMAZING!
Well, I think that, today, vintage Shalimar is really unisex: for the woman who can wear her leather without turning into a dominatrix, and for a man that shamelessly can deal with the decadence & softness of opoponax. After all, it is said that opoponax was Alexander the Great favorite fragrance: did exist a more perfect blend of maleness & decadent personality than the Megalexandros?
So please try a pre LVMH Shalimar (or any other Guerlain’s fragrances) to feel the state of extasis a fragrance can put you into. There’s no need to go back in time to the ’20. The ’80 are really enough. Now, if you can find bliss in Guerlain nowadays, tell me how you do it & I will listen with all my interest, because I really can’t find any magic in today’s Guerlain; not even a decent smell.

Wearing a 1969 extrait de parfum example and it is absolutely night and day compared to today's extrait and EDP available in stores - something I quite expected, but wasn't completely prepared for. Quite extraordinary and absolutely out of place in today's world, but to a true aficionado of perfumery and quality, it is head and shoulders above the rest.

It's a deep maple syrup/caramel brown and the top notes aren't like today's lemony rush. It's more of a resinous, cured-peel like affair of an aged bergamot. The floral notes don't really point to any one flower, but meld together languidly and sensually. The deep, rich vanilla and amber sit atop an unabashedly animalic civet that stays with the scent for hours until its tapering demise. It's almost sad, wicked, carnal and powdery in a very old world sense - it simply is what was what it was initially intended to be. A queen among orientals - nothing else can compare.

Like liquid gold, it exalts, projects and exemplifies the class of person meant to wear it. After scoring this 1/2 ounce of elixir - I immediately went back online to secure two 1 ounce examples of the same era. Again - every TRUE perfumista should experience this in their lives. It is THAT special and extraordinary.

i read so many reviews, mostly positive i should say, - and decided to have a 'sniff'. was in the shop today.i can see why people call the smell gross. my sister said to me OMG - u stink like u want to disguise ur own smell, like u have smth to hide, dont tell me u getting Guerlain.... ha. yes, it is a very severe one, and even though i do like strong perfumes, - 24 Fabourgh is my favourite, - Guerlains are always the 'winners" :-)). Now, please,Shalimar - lovers, do not be cross with me- it was my 1st introduction to the perfume today, - so this is the 1st impression: lots and lots of 'modern' baby powder in this 'old school' perfume. i was waiting for the smell to unfold, and it did come through. only now, after nearly 2 hours i am fully content with the smell that has developed on my skin now. i am going to get both versions EDT and EDP, cos i like to possess :-)). plus the value i found - is unbeatable!90ml EDT 50 euro, 90 ml EDP 57 euro. so it is really shame not to buy. i know that with the time i will develop a 'relationship' with this perfume, as it has all the prerequisites to be on my top 5.

Have to add on to this one:

I have recently got 2 lovely 90 ml bottles of EDP ( i never buy 1 bottle, 2 - minimum....of everything, i have a multiples' syndrom....). And I love it!! The only thing i can add is that i do not smell it on me much!!!i mean - it is present, but perfume doesn't speak ou loud!!! an i love 'loud' statements!!!But i think it is just me, as people around smell and notice it. and after 6-8 hours my scarves and tops, - all smells Shalimar....

I sampled a decant of Shalimar pure parfum. I was almost afraid of trying it as I don't have a good relationship with some of the all-time classics. But Shalimar was a sublime experience. Some people have mentioned that it's a gourmand fragrance, with a smoky vanilla note. Typically I don't like gourmand or very sugary fragrances and I did not get the vanilla note. The citrus passed by very quickly--I barely noticed it--a good thing as far as I am concerned. I got this intense smoky rose that stayed for quite a while, then incense and myrrh, a bit powdery, but smoky and mysterious enough to be enchanting (I usually dislike powder). The next morning I have a hint of musk and the opoponax. This is an amazing fragrance and I can understand how it has stood the test of time and why it was adopted by flappers and had such a scandalous reputation. Having visited the Taj Mahal several times, I can easily envision the inspiration for this. The gardens in front of it are filled with roses, and the gardeners who tend them rake dry vegetation that they then burn. So the smoke and the rose and the musk of the smell of humanity all come together. Just enchanting! Magic carpet in a bottle!

I tested this and i didn't liked the begining because it felt like an alchoolic drink, an expensive one thow, but after that was gone i was thrilled about the smell. I wouldn't buy because of the top notes smell on my skin. i like more shalimar initial.

A very sweet, vanilla, amber fragrance, it is lovely but not in my top 5, in the late 1970's early 80's it was a huge celebrity favourite with Shirley Mcclaine, sigourney weaver, amongst it's users. A big fragrance for the over 60's age range, the new Shalimar has been launched for the younger age group, but this does not last on my skin and reminds me of household detergent.

Smells like Caron loose powders, or like the oil version of En avion, but seems the sillage is better ... lovely. I just descovered it, and I wonder why I've avoided it so many times!

Even in the clothes of a pauper (EdT), Shalimar's imperious nature shines through.

She begins with a blast of powdery citrus which on me, soon leads into a vanilla/flower bouquet with hints of civet and leather that lasts and lasts. Excellent longevity for a EdT.

She is beautiful throughout, from the initial spray, down to the last molecules evaporating. This takes about 10 hours on me.

Also, even though it's marketed as a women's fragrance, I've received many compliments from people that have no idea it's marketed for the opposite sex. The flowers are very light.

Shalimar is one of the immortals in the field of perfumery classic, the fragrance is pure velvet striped with gold, resins, woods, vanilla and citrus bouquet make it a unique masterpiece that every woman should, because it is wind Shalimar and heat is joy and poetry.
From the days of spring in my tower I could see young women walking through the gardens of Shalimar sheltering from the rays of the sun with paper umbrellas, I could hear their voices of wonder in front of the hedges in bloom, but my astonishment was even greater because their scent coming up there ...

I don't think there's much I can add to the reviews of this golden wonder.

I think this is a terrific fragrance. I find I like it best in the lighter concentrations, EDC or EDT. In the more potent forms, I detect some sort of tarry, dark note that makes me a little queasy: this is on my own skin, for I have not detected this on others.
In the lighter concentrations, I don't pick up on this note at all so these forms are what I use.

Lots of compliments on wearing this. But Shalimar has such a strong persona, I think it wears me; the classic Guerlains are basically serious fragrances, and I sometimes get the church giggles if things are too, too serious. Hard to pull it off, but it smells good...! And what it lacks in humor it more than makes up for when it dries down and begins to fade into that dark/warm/vanilla/amber/lusciousness. It's delicious.

A note on "old lady" reviews. I normally write off any review where I see the term "old lady". To me it just means the reviewer has not developed enough of a frame of reference to know what they mean: some say it means soft and powdery, others say it means animalic, still others lump anything classic in this catagory. All they can agree on is they don't like it.

It's okay not to like a fragrance. But you can say that without this gratuitous slap at any and all women you personally feel are old and worthless...(like your mommy?) And if you are a woman, know that if you just live long enough there will come a day when someone will saddle you with these stereotypes too. Treat people with respect if you want them to respect you!

Shalimar's stunning array of citrus top notes is the brightest and most satisfying fragrance intro that I've encountered. The bergamot, lemon, and neroli accords sparkle and have my nose begging for more. Eventually the animalic notes peer through this bitter haze, with civet and opoponax warming its heart. These notes coalesce into a very rich, leathery, inedible vanilla, its musty character both archaic and modern, and pure class. This accord hangs around until the incense and rose appear and highlight the late dry down. I'm reminded of Caron's vanilla in Pour un Homme, a dryly stark note that never shouts but also never shrinks. Good sillage, excellent longevity, and the perfect vanilla oriental for adult women of all persuasions.

aaaaahhhh, shalimar, la grande dame des parfums! there is not much more to be said... :-D

This one is fantastic, it smells divine. It used to be associated with bad girls, well, who wouldn't want to be a bad girl wearing Shalimar and not giving a damn?
It's not for demure women, you have to be a confident one, not caring about what others make of the way you smell. If they can't handle Shalimar or find it too much in your face, it's their loss. It's vibrant and sweet, sexy and it caresses your skin. I love it!

I've only been reading perfume stuff online for less than a year now, but what I've come to realize is that I don't like things that quite obviously funky. I totally understand that an animalic off note that smells terrible in concentration can be used to round out, enhance and extend the life of other, conventionally beautiful notes. But I simply do not enjoy smelling literal body odor, feces or the scent of an animal's anal glands, also known as something my dog might deposit on the carpet. Call me a poseur an uptight American suburbanite. It seems that a note which works well in passing can start to grate quickly when worn. And honestly, those people who work the word "fecal" into every review on Basenotes? Paging Dr. Freud, Dr. Freud you are needed at the perfume counter.

In fact, I want to love this because it has so many of my favorite notes. Every time I test it on my skin, I smell the wonderful vanilla, amber and smoke. Then within five minutes, diaper pail. I think that as the perfume develops that will go away, it seems to work in passing. But I can't get past it. This isn't like Ambre Sultan or even Dior Homme, where there is that tantalizing bit of something dancing around the edge. It's just right out there in front for me.

ETA: I keep testing this. I think the problem is not that the civet smell is so overpowering, it is that the combo of something poopy + powder is always going to equal diaper for me. The civet here isn't nearly as strong as in Jicky, the problem is combining it with powder. I think that Guerlain could stop the endless flankers seeking their Eau Premiere hit by simply toning down the civet to almost nothing, calibrating the powder to be less like conventional baby powder and call it a day, it would sell well and be perfectly "modern."

In my view, Natalia Vodianova is not the right face for Shalimar. She is too cold and child-like. Citing Perfume Shrine: "Natalia's current image of super-polite ice-princess with a deer-in-the-headlights look somehow doesn't suit the idea of Shalimar as the uber-seductive, cunninigly selectioned potion in the galaxy of orientals; nor the brunette type of orientalised romantic ideal that Guerlain has been cultivating for years through the associations of the name with the Indian Gardens on which a great love story flowered. After Shalom Harlow and Fernanda Tavares, Natalia seems too blonde and too innocent(?) for this kind of job.
Additionally, there is also the issue of always choosing the whitest Caucasian women for big advertising campaigns of European houses, when it would be nice for a change if we saw a gorgeous black model or a Latina -I am not counting Tavares because she's not- for one of those brands (like Eva Mendes for Calvin Klein's latest Secret Obsession) or a genuine oriental type (remember Jasmin Ghauri?): if not for Shalimar, then for what? I am asking you!"

I can appreciate how beautiful this fragrance is, like a lovely framed work of art, but like Chanel 5 while it is beautiful it wears me and does not really gel with me. It is always Shalimar with her vampy long eye lashes and lbd, and I am just along for the ride. I feel sidelined by it. I have the edp and it is nearly finished now, and I don't think I will replace it. I keep trying it again but there it is, Shalimar sitting on my wrist, something I appreciate but don't enjoy wearing. I think a fragrance should enhance the wearer, not upstage them. And as for the bottle: the one I have looks like a knock off of something classier, cheap and tacky looking. I guess it is just not for me. I am much happier in Coco.

I've tried this scent in various strengths and years of production, but this review is for the modern parfum.

Trying to describe the worlds' #2 best selling fragrance is plain silly, and my take is that we're just here to share our experience.

Shalimar parfum wears quiet, warm, and sensuous on me. Sillage is tenacious, as even a small touch of the wand to my finger lingered for over an hour. I have to believe that only women with class and high standards would reach for this; and this is what I would think of them if I passed in their wake.

But one point: Guerlain's Bois D'armenie introduced me to the joy of perfume obsession, and served to jump start my love affair with all things fragrant. Looking back, if that Las Vegas sales rep directed me to Shalimar instead of Bois... I don't think I'd be here today. Shalimar doesn't send shivers down my spine like Bois did, it just makes me think, "this is a nice fragrance".

But a good sales rep intuits these things.

I just have so much love for Shalimar that words can't express it. I totally agree with the reviewers who say that these "old lady" references are just ridiculous! You don't have to smell like tutti frutti candy to smell like a woman for goodness sake! It saddens me that some people are going to grow up thinking that way because of the current trend for saccharin sweet candy scents. Don't get me wrong I like a wide variety of scents myself, including some sweet and delicious gourmands, but NOTHING comes close to my adoration of Shalimar. It is THE ONE.

It's a dream of mine to one day try Shalimar in the vintage formula (especially the extrait) I think I would die and go to heaven! I own the EDP and the EDT and I find myself wearing the EDT during the daytime if I need my Shalimar "hit" and then luxuriating in the EDP in the evening. The difference to my nose is that the EDP is deeper and more complex smelling with more of the leather and incense notes coming through whereas the EDT is more about the citrus/vanilla combination. However, there is no mistaking that they are both Shalimar. I also find the EDT just as long-lasting on my skin as the EDP.

Shalimar is a classic for a reason, because it has stood the test of time. Generations of women (and men) have loved it and I'm certain that many many more will continue to appreciate this masterpiece of perfumery.

Shalimar is more than a perfume to me...it's a way of life.

OMG! I tested EdT today and I found it more pleasant than EdP!
This shows that with the Guerlains multiple testing is a good option. It takes some time to develop affection to them but it is highly worthy to do so!
I usually go for EdP for L'Instant, Idylle and Samsara. Especially the latter I don't like in EdT because it smells harsher. I gave for granted that EdP of Shalimar could be the best one, but I was wrong in my case! I still like EdP very much, but it smells musty on me for the first 2 hours before revealing the great smoky creamy vanilla which Shalimar is so famous for. Besides EdP always left me with a sense of too much consciousness about my smell among people. Of course, I received the typical silly reaction of the "old lady" stuff, but that's not my worry. My bf doesn't like Shalimar. I don't care much.
In spite of being quite aged himself he's attracted by fruity-fresh-trendy perfumes. Or rather nothing on me, which is better than fruity-candy-freshy in my book.
It seems that there is psychological attachment to what is considered "young" and even younger and younger. Kind of obsession that leads some ladies to dress in a childish way or to do worse things to their body.
That said, the problem is that EdP makes me feel too conscious about myself when I'm not in a mood for it.
EdT is much simpler and fast working on my chemistry.
I don't have to wait a lot. Only 10 minutes and Shalimar in this form blooms into a snuggling lovely skin scent! It stays close to me and makes me feel clean in a very womanly sense, not squeaky clean nor baby clean, but more of a good feeling of woman scent.
Much more wearable in everyday life and always Shalimar!
My advise is to test all versions so that you can see which is the best for you!

Well said lilinah, It's absurd...all this old lady rubbish. I am far from old and absolutely adore this. I totally agree and find it unnerving that one has to smell like a jolly rancher in order to project youth. I appreciated Chanel COCO as a preteen so maybe I am just a freak, but I find Shalimar edp absolutely divine. I personally didn't think it to be overpowering. Today I wore it and had the first person I walked by comment on how wonderful I smelled, they said it was pretty sweet and got a touch of honey from it, which was interesting to me, but I guess that is what is so great about this perfume. Later I was asked to give up the name on what I was wearing. I like to think I smell great all the time, but I can't remember the last scent I was complimented on.I not only can respect Shalimar's composition, but am in love with it!

I would like to point out, as some others here have, that Shalimar the perfume (which i adore) and the eau de parfum smell fairly similar. However the perfume and edp smell VERY different from the eau de toilette (which i dislike) and from the various new outliers (which i cannot stand - since when was Shalimar a lemon candy?).

So i think it would help everyone if we note which variety we have tested - parfum, edp, edt, one of the several new outliers...

As far as "old lady"... Seriously? Just because this great old classic does not smell like the current fashion for fake fruit and vanilla excess does not mean that it smells "old lady". Perhaps some people are just too young to appreciate it. I began loving Shalimar when i was a teenager, when i was "supposed" to like light sweet safe scents.

I strongly dislike all the new fruit-tootey scents and i am excited to see that some perfume houses are making new fragrances that do not smell like a fruit salad preserved in sugar and vanilla. New perfumes, however, tend to be much simpler in composition than the great old ones - perhaps the true art of the parfumeur is dying.

Shalimar is getting close to 90 years old. I suspect few of the current artificial candy perfumes will still be around in 90 years - perhaps Angel, which i detest, will survive, because it was something of a trend starter; but the vast majority of celebrity-named, composed-just-to-make-a-buck, fragrances will fade away.

Scents such as Shalimar and Chanel No. 5 - not a fave of mine because i'm just not big on aldehydes, but, hey, it's good to have variety - have survived so long because they were innovative, not just jumping on a trend, and they were composed by fragrance artists.

If Shalimar is an "old lady", she is one FINE old lady.

I tested both, EDP and EDT, today and they are totally different to me.
It was said so many times, EDP is powdery vanilla with earthy incense and EDT citrusy, bergamot vanilla-very sultry.
I prefer EDT and it's already on my wish list, as high as possible could be!

I am a perfume geek,big time, so will say what Shalimar is to me: I searched and read about it,know the Mumtaz and Jahan, Taj Mahal triangle, loved that historical part. The next thing is the Flappers part,they smelled Shalimar in the roaring 20's,with the petit RoseBud,and BeeStung lips,long false lashes and pale face and vampy smoky dark eyelids(and I geekly adore Flappers).Last but not least thing is the bottle,I can say it is the most beautifull perfume bottle in the new history(Bacara)
and uncopyable. I have tow of them,extract perfume,one of them is vintage.
Abode of Love
by the way,Guerlain are genitacally brilliant in marketing,I can say that the smell causing me headach and nasal problem(didnt wear it,exept once and regreted it) but looking to the real vintage bottle is a bless,I swear

Well...I bought it! I found the eau de Parfum in an amazing discount price. Compared to the eau de toilette I had smelled, this is really stronger and intense. I can wear it only at cold nights!!
My only problem is that I can't smell any citruses at the beginning. So, I wonder if It would be a good idea to wear it together with a sour smell or I will spoil Shalimar?

I have Shalimar EdT and EdP and I love them both.
EdT - stands out more and I love the citrus smell in the beginning and the leather and vanilla later on.
EdP - is deep, soft, only a little leather smell and vanilla.

a complexity of layers ... mysterious lingering, combing floral bouquets with musky earthy almost feral notes. as beguiling as the story behind its inception

I went to the shop to smell Shalimar and to see what all the fuzz was about. I am so sorry for all you Shalimar lovers out there, but this is really horrible to me. Way to smokey, old lady like, unfresh smell. Not for me.

When you spray this on your skin [edt] you want to put on your black dress with high heals, because it makes you feel all woman. It says sexy, mysterious, seductive because its leather with incense, perfect orris and sandelwood and slightly powdery. Wear it and you want to transform in to a vamp.

Erotic and sensual. Warm and tender. I like it's top and base notes. On my skin the middle notes are too leathery and smoky.It has something sharp and powdery together, that time and I have to let it dry down so as to become sweet again. I have smelled the eau de toilette and I hope that the eau de parfum may be more sweet. In any case, it is a perfum, I would buy!

It's hard to find anything new to say. Shalimar makes me think of a fleshy opera diva, centre stage, in the limelight, belting out an Italian aria. It's such a big fat sweet flamboyant perfume. It seems to expect rapturous applause. It sits on the skin and never ever blends with the wearer, Like Angel it is a successful weird mix, a rich gooey vanilla custard topping on the pungent herbal lavender of Jicky. It's a massive achievement and not a perfume that you can own, it owns you.

Shalimar is something I enjoy on other people only.

On me it takes on the smell of a large vat of cat piss. Its really unfortunate because I sure don't get that from smelling the bottle! Each time I've tried, is the same so I know its just me and not the perfume!

For the right skin chemistry its utterly divine. Too bad I'm not amongst those people!

Shalimar in EdP smells wonderful on me only after 3 hours and merely as a soft skin scent!
After that time I would fall in love with my skin if I was someone else! Anyway my bf doesn't like Shalimar at all!
Unfortunately it doesn't work at many stages with this incredibly misterious fragrance, so I won't re-purchase, even if I'm sure I will always go back to smell it from time to time.
I can understand the charme of Shalimar even if most people around me calls it "old granny".
What I cannot stand is the recent choice for advertising, totally uninspiring about the scent itself (nothing like old poetic Guerlain's ads) and quite an example of modern vulgarity.
It's that kind of campaign that will be on tv at every break from now to Xmas, so that guys intrigued by naked models and women hoping that their men will see them as models will buy the classic set as present.
Big no, Guerlain! This is not art, this is low marketing!

******** Let me cut the long story short. *********

4me ====> SHALIMAR = VIAGRA

I finally got a sample of this and I must say that I am not completely blown away.. My expectations for this was very high, but unfortunately I expected way too much and was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that this perfume is a complete disaster, what I am trying to say is that it doesn't live up to my standards and expectations. Its a lovely scent. Smells very vintage and has a beautiful vanilla base, but there is definately something missing. Maybe some warn coffee or chocolate base note would do the trick. Or maybe jasmine in the middle notes.

EDIT: My mistake, I have noticed that there is jasmine in the middle notes, but it should have been more dominent...

Shalimar...

I think this is going to be the most difficult review I've written so far.

This is a fragrance I want to love. As soon as I think I understand the fragrance, I find something in it that makes me uncomfortable. As soon as I decide that this fragrance is not for me, something draws me back to it.

The reputation preceeds her. The impeccable pedigree,
the masterful perfumery: rich, opulent, the classic of classics. I give my respect.

This is the first "real", grown up fragrance I tried as a girl, in an attempt to project a sophistication I did not have.

Actually, it smelled terrific. Lots of compliments. Great from the git go to the last, ,lingering,velvety drop ( this was EDT, back in the 70's ). I won't bother to attempt a dissection of the ingredients: there are plenty of reviewers out there who can do a better job in that department than I. Shalimar is a lady with great presence. And if you have the right body chemistry for it, the WOW factor is indeniable.

About a year and a half ago, I decided to try Shalimar again. Bought a small bottle of (new) EDT. And it just wasn't quite the same as I remembered...
There was something in it that smelled like Tincture of Iodine! And when I put it on my skin and let it develop, the Iodine did not go away. I don't understand, really: either it's a refomulation or my body chemistry has changed. Either way, A perfume I love no longer loves me.

This has moved into the catagory of those perfumes I really ( REALLY ) like on some other people, but not on myself. I hope you are one of the lucky ones who can wear it.

My love for a scent dies easily when I feel I have fully developed a comprehension about the scent. Therefore, it is very hard for me to settle a signature scent because my love is so fickle and short-lived. However, I have been trying to see through Shalimar for 10 years but never have I succeeded in doing so. It's so mysterious, complex, and bewitching that I'm always allured back to wear her in hopes that I will finally have a better understanding of her one day. For this reason, it has made a rare exception to become my signature scent. Life is always full of many unexpected but sweet coincidences.:)

After several tests of the EDP, i found the naphtalene almost nice! Jeez, how I love the Belle Epoque. Shalimar is a perfume of the gorgeous ladies from Mucha's beautiful paintings.

Blast of juicy citruses with bergamot, load of olibanum and then bunch of sweet and soft vanillin.
It's like drinking Cinzano with vanilla sugar rim and a slice of lime - in a church.
Actually: Cinzano + lemon juice + olibanum = Shalimar!

It took me years to start loving it. It first smelled like old clothes to me, dusty, moldy, nasty. Then i found out, that it's not naphtalene, but the combo of incense and lime. The longest lasting authentic citrus of all perfumes i know, it's yummy juicy sour the whole time, not only top notes. That's why it smells so good in hot weather. Refreshing pleasure. It has old fashioned vibe in it, and i just like Cinzano :D

EDT is lighter on the incense too, but also vanillin. Its lemony fresh.
EDP is the good old load of olibanum, and the vanilla bliss. Lime juice is stronger in the top, but then it settles down. Its warmer and smoother than EDT.
Pure parfum is thick and smooth, smells most old fashioned of all concentrations i've tried, but once you get used to Shalimar, you will probably like parfum a lot.

Keep testing, don't give up, give it a try in the summer! You can start with Eau de Shalimar, which is modern and least smoky.
I absolutely agree with one of the comments - it might take years to fall in love with Shalimar, but once it happens, it's forever...

I like shalimar. It reminds me of Rochas femme at first but it soon becomes softer.
Trying this today just reminded me of how much I miss Rochas Femme. I am Going to get it back.

I've smelled various concentrations and formulations of Shalimar ranging from the 80's to now, and while each version is a little different, maybe with more citrus, more depth, or more (insert whatever) based on the concentration, Shalimar still smells like Shalimar.

Shalimar is popularly considered to be the first oriental. While I won't argue that, keep this in mind: the first rock music didn't sound like the "classic" rock we know of. The first cars were more like wagons. When breaking new ground, laying the stepping stones for a new genre, you have to build from what's there.

So, what did Jacques Guerlain build from? Jicky, of course. Shalimar's central accord, that I've smelled in virtually every formulation, is the lavender-civet-vanilla smell of Jicky, with a BIG, plush, salmon-colored rosewood note on top. That's most likely the source of the "lipstick" smell some people are getting from Shalimar. Otherwise, the current Shalimar is pretty much Jicky with more civet and a more pronounced Guerlinade base. It's not something I'd wear, but Shalimar is a quality fragrance that everyone needs to smell, if not at least for education purposes.

P.S. My preferred oriental from Guerlain is Vol de Nuit, or Habit Rouge. If you dig Shalimar, check out Vol de Nuit. You'll be glad you did.

I am actually embarrassed to say that the scent of this makes me sick to my stomach...something soapy and sweet about it... Guerlain is a fabulous fragrance house...Love the Aqua Allegoria line and am hoping to try Samsara some time soon...but sadly, a popular classic like Shalimar just doesn't do it for me in the least. Love the bottle though!

I LOVE this classic perfume, but it is too strong, and sticks to my clothes, so I can't wear it! I have really tried! I use Eau de Shalimar, wonderful during summer, and Shalimar Parfum Initial, doing well during the rest of the year, instead. With these two I can at least get a Shalimar-feeling! Thank you, Guerlain, for these two flankers!

Jag ÄLSKAR denna klassiska parfym, men den är för stark, och den fastnar i mina kläder, så jag kan inte bära den. Jag har verkligen försökt! Istället använder jag Eau de Shalimar under sommaren, och Shalimar Parfum Initial, som är underbar under resten av året. Med dessa två så kan jag åtminstonde få en Shalimar-känsla! Tack, Guerlain, för dessa två flankers.

I finally smelled this... So beautiful!! Yes, it's very heavy. Yes, if you overdo it you could kill someone. But the scent compensates all of that! It doesn't smell a tiny bit mature to me. Very seductive, I almost lost my mind because it smells so, where are the words, edible and delicious? I sence mostly vanilla and incense, everithing else blends into a very tender scent. This is epic and unforgettable, my eternal love.

I have a sample of the edt formulation, and I think I'll have to buy a bottle soon. At first, I was neutral about Shalimar, but now I can see why it is a classic.
I can't really smell any of the funky animalic notes, but I can still tell that it isn't squeaky-clean either. After the citrus top note wears off, I smell a rich, smoky vanilla that lasts for hours. Shalimar reminds me of Habanita, but Shalimar is darker, smokier, and less powdery. I can see this becoming one of my favorites.

Shalimar augments my personal scent so beautifully, almost like it was made for me; amber, lemon, cedar, powder with a smoky sweetness. LOVE it.

I tried this perfume after seeing it had such a history... It didn't mix with my chemistry well... It smelled like someone rubbed a piece of burnt wood on my arm... does anyone know what ingredient could cause that type of reaction? there are other perfumes in the list beside "if you like- you might like" and some of the suggestions are great! Looking for a new scent. I like things a bit seductive, ambers, musks, vanilla... Looking for something a bit diff. I had a cheap roll on of egyptian musk and my bf goes crazy for it. No lasting power though. So would like a proper scent :)

I keep coming back to it. Haunting and IMO one of the most exquisite perfumes ever created.

smokey citruses at first, after that comes the leather and vanilla with a trace of sandalwood and vetiver. Very nice and wearable. Superb for autumn. Very warm special and cozy scent with the "wow" affect.

i must admit i didn't like it at first
but after a while the smell changed in something sweet yet mysterious ,just facinating me !i was like WOW,OMG
Now i'm totally in love with this perfume!and i already start receiving compliments wherever i go !
i'm sure i'm gonna have this again in the future
it's more a night time perfume and for cold seasons also
totally in love with you Shalimar

The EDP is a leathery vanilla, but it is not so nice in hot weather: the powdery-lemon aspect is very old lady like. The drydown is soft and very unisex. I do get some oud like notes in this one and it is very nice and dreamy. It should be also marketed to men, as it is less powdery and old-lady smelling than Habit Rouge EDT.

The perfume, extrait, is pure heaven. The EDT or EDP are not so great as they don't have that exquisite drydown of amber and vanilla I love. Great perfume.

Oh how I love this beautiful and sensual scent! My husbands favorite Aunt loved this perfume and wore it beautifully. I have made it my own and wear it in fall and winter and I always feel so put together and sophisticated. I use to not appreciate this beautiful fragrance and opted for florals and sweet scents but I find my taste in perfumes has taken a turn toward the orientals and florientals although in summer I wear flowery scents. I received the dusting powder as a gift and I love it but I find that Emeraude powder also goes well with Shalimar and is much less expensive. Thsi perfume is truly a classic.

I love this scent, was my first "real" perfume and have had many bottles of it since! Its NOT an 80`s perfume!! Its made in the 1920´s! Thats it!!
Nothing compairs to this classic that i think is the most popular and longlasting scent ever!!
My first and strongest impression is the fresh lemon/bergamott followed by incense and vanilla! Very long lasting with great sillage but in such a classy way i hardly think it can offend anyone!

Shalimar Eau De Parfum

Like the last reviewer, I am young and I like Shalimar. I’ll go a step further; I love Shalimar. This is my second review for it. I check the reviews every now and again, and am consistently surprised when people don’t like it. To each their own, but I sometimes wonder if they’ve tried the wrong concentration and stopped at that... Worse, what if they scrub after the opening and never know the heart of Shalimar... It’s true that it isn’t for everyone, but I'll tell you why I love it. (I think it’s even my favourite fragrance. This could become a signature for me.)

I love the lemony blast. It’s so unlike the rest of the fragrance, completely incongruous, but it offers the perfect entrance for the musk, which in turn leads the way for the vanilla, the part Shalimar is known and loved for. It is woody, musky, fresh and potent in the opening, which is why the heart is so astounding. In the heart, truthful, sincere, warm, enveloping vanilla plays with the hints of wood and the more subtle scent of musk and incense, creating this sweet, lightly spiced, comfortable, tender and long-lasting heart. Like a fire on a cold night, no longer is it the overpowering force it was to begin with, mellowing to a warm, sparkling glow.

The embers of this fragrance are sweet and light-hearted; the vanilla is no longer darkened by musk or wood, it is a fine, spirited vanilla scent, staying close to the skin, like the pale rays of sunlight that turn cooler after a burning orange sunset.

I love Shalimar in the fall, but it’s so delicious that I’ll admit to wearing it in full summer too. It is better in cooler weather I find, the notes linger longer at every stage, whereas the summer heat speeds that process along a bit. I also love the bottle: the golden writing, the golden liquid within, the shapely curves, and especially the illustrious blue cap... Shalimar is such a pleasure to wear. It changes so much, in such lovely ways, it really blends with my moods. Also, it can be comfortable, something nice when staying in. If I get dressed up and go for pretty or sexy, it can go there too. Shalimar is my rock. I can’t go wrong with it. It serves me well. It is a bit daring in the face of the more popular fragrances today, but if given a change and looked at in a different light than the rest, Shalimar might suit you too.

I've been wanting to try this classic for a while!
I am a 23 year old who adores Cabochard, but after reading many reviews Shalimar has me so intimidated that I couldn't even open my box...let alone test it out. Such strong opinions on this one because of the history it has; the reformulations, different vintages, and different concentrations has my head spinning!


But I gathered myself and opened and tested this out today!
(Let me mention that I picked this up in the EDC as it was at TJMaxx and I thought it would be best to ease myself into this one)

Oh goodness, this is a classy, sophisticated lady!

It is quite powdery on me but it has this sultry incense/wood/vanilla to warm it up. I also get a bit of lemon and patchouli. So soft and feminine on me. The way you think a comforting hug should smell.

Love it!
Will have to try the EDT, EDP, and Parfum as well!

We all have our classics that are nothing like we remember from back in the day. ('I used to wear [insert classic] until they RUINED it!) I tend to get more wistful than angry over this (Odalisque.) But just as I've sat to write about Shalimar I've found another reaction, which is to notice and then not particularly to care. I'm on a plane right now and passing through duty-free earlier spotted Chanel Antaeus, my first fragrance, my only signature fragrance, the one I wore exclusively in my junior and senior years of high school (81-82) and then intermittently for years. My first thought on sniffing it was 'this is quite literally nothing like what I used to wear.' My next thought was, 'Oh, look! They've got No 19 EDP!' and I went and spritzed.

The upside of digital perfume communities is the sharing of experiences. I have learned so much reading Basenotes reviews and threads---had more laughs, more ah ha! moments than I can count. The downside, though, is that a perfume hobby seems to engender a nostalgia/anger about how things used to be. There's that sense that contemporary perfumery has taken something intrinsic away from us. Our response is often a fetish for distinction and provenance, and of course the ensuing butt-sniffing and pack hierarchy. You know: 'I'm sure you THINK you love your current Mitsouko EDT, but you'll never truly know her until you've smelled my 1967 extrait.' I'm as guilty as the next person.

But Shalimar unexpectedly elicits in me an attitude I've tried to foster. Things do change. But I just love perfume and find immense joy in it. Call me common, call me simple, but I currently wear the most recent Shalimar EDT and love it. It just makes me tail-waggingly happy to smell it. Citrus, growl, smoke, scratchy amber & vanilla, opopanax, a sly incense. I'm sure it's not the parfum from 1925, but then again I'm not a 20s flapper. How wonderful that that era had its Shalimar. But they didn't have our Bois de Violette, my Insense, my Secretions Magnifiques. This is no pollyanna desperate optimism, no deflection of resentment. We live in a spectacular era of perfume.

My 2010 Shalimar tells me to screw the iconography and embrace the perfume. It also makes me imagine the fun of watching the apoplexy of the current generation of young perfumistas going as shrill as we have over the resctrictions on our beloved oakmoss. Imagine the heel-clacking and outrage among the Angel set when ethylmaltol, identified as the causative agent in the future medical diagnosis of Acquired Intolerance Syndrome, is outlawed.

This was my favourite for ages - I bought it regularly. Its a very confident perfume. But nobody ever stopped me in the street to ask about it.

Surely, I can't share the admiration this perfume receives by so many people as it makes me feel (believe it or not), slightly ill.
It is a classy, powdery, kind of baroque and sweet like 'sultanas immersed in vanilla' smell, with a fresh side that gives it subtlety and balances the whole!
For me, "Shalimar" is a perfume that speaks more about its creator than it speaks about itself; an educated man with a fine taste, even though I know nothing about him. Respect.

On me, Shalimar smells like a sauna at a nudist camp. It's so overpoweringly dark and woody and patchouli that it reminds me of naked hippie men sweating. Because I've actually been to a few nudist camps with a few sweaty hippies, it's not completely unpleasant.

But I know this impression is the opposite of all that Shalimar is supposed to represent.

It scent is of the most perfect of days...recall , if you will, time with friends sharing hopes and ambitions...care and warmth...laughter and tears (sometimes)...great moments in ones life that have...I am sure you have warm moment to recall.
Simply Wonderful.

I so just loe this, what a gen, so seperate from the others... at first it's a bit medicinal... yet wait and it trns into a gorgeous, complling, worth while scent maturely sweetened by licorise... Nicely blended... smooth Ii'd say definetly a must have... But feel it's important to really test it on your skin, and wait overnight, try again for a few days, before deciding if this is a purchse you want to make.

The bottle is one of my altime favorite too.. lovely! Elegant, suggestive

When I was a litle girl, I used to carefully lift the stoppers of the perfumes on my grandmother's and great-aunts' vanities for a sniff of each scent. Shalimar was one of them, and I didn't care for it then. Fast-forward to my adult years; many times I sniffed the Shalimar bottles on the perfume counters of stores, and I didn't care for it. Then I got a sample of it free with a purchase of something or other. It lay in the samples basket for, oh, years. One day, in a moment of randomness, I put it on...and didn't care for it for a minute or two. Then the heart of it began to bloom and I realized why this is an iconic scent. Rich, unimaginably complex, unique, warm, sensual, beautiful---I can't imagine adding or taking away anything from this perfume. It's like a perfect artwork, complete and exquisite from any angle. A classic for every possible reason. And no, not at all "old lady-ish" once it dries...A classic like this really didn't need another review, but if my two cents can save one other person from missing out on the wearable beauty that is Shalimar, it's worth it.

I am glad I am one of those lucky bitches who can wear this legendary perfume and stop traffic. Thank you Shalimar! I love you, always...

Over the years I have acquired various formulations of Shalimar in the hope of finding one that actually agrees with my body chemistry and presents in the same way as the sublimely beautiful body cream.

The EDT and EDP versions do not react well with my skin despite smelling promising from their bottles, (the EDP smells divine from its bottle). Once the perfumes make contact with my skin I resonate that "rotting lemons" aroma many people associate with Shalimar, myself included.

The bath and body product presentations of Shalimar however, are a completely different experience. The flowers spring to life and the rich vanilla undertones see daylight, the citruses are happy to play nicely with the other notes when worn this way.

I envy people who can wear the Shalimar perfumes and smell enchanting (Lucky Bitches!).

I have resigned myself to only ever glimpsing the promise of this iconic masterpiece via the layering duo method.

I am continuously humbled by its grace.

Rfountain: Compare the Edt with Edp, Edp is sweeter, and nose itchy. The citrus opening is stronger and the drydown is more vanilla, begamot and tonka bean. Edt is a little bit waterdown version on the Edp.

I'm wearing this right now. It's the EDT version so I'm not sure if the EDP might be different. I think it smells very good and sweet from some distance away, but whenever I put my wrists close to my face - I can't help but sneeze! I don't know what it is - maybe the incense or sandalwood. I'm not one to have lots of allergies or have a sensitive nose either.

If you want to try this scent - buy a vintage one. Trust me. There is a HUGE difference between modern and old version.

This USED to be the most elegant, classy, sexy perfume ever - since LVMH changed the formula, Shalimar and all its money-making derivatives (parfum initial, eau de shalimar etc.)are just watered down shopping mall fragrances. To enjoy the intriguing facets of this masterpiece, go for vintage flacons (before 1990).

This is what Cleopatra should wear. In the evening she would take a bath, scented with precious oriental oils, then she would comb her silky black hair, sitting in the garden, in the shade of lemon trees, incense is burning on the ebony table next to her... Mysterious, exotic, seductive and timeless, Shalimar is a true masterpiece.

Went to a store and sampled the edt and really wanted to like it but just couldnt. It smelled like it was divided in two; the pure shalimar which was nice and whatever it was diluted with. The latter smelled astringent, almost like witch hazel and didnt really go away too much until the complete drydown. I think this is the "gasoline" note people talk about. To be fair it didnt smell THAT bad but it wasnt pleasant. With my stomach in knots and so desperately wanting to like this scent i ordered a small sample of the pure parfum from the perfumed court and it smells amazing!! If you find yourself in a similar position, go for the throat an try the parfum. If then given time you still dont like it then maybe its not for you, but it doesnt seem to me to be the aquired taste people think

I found a EDC of Shalimar in a boot fair and it just made my day, I cant believe nobody noticed this amazing fragrance before, better for me I got it for a couple of coins!
Well Shalimar is very elegant, ladylike and adorable.
I dont think this is a masterpiece of a fragrance, I dont find it to complex or too dificult to wear, maybe because I got the EDC...
Well Shalimar is all about what women like to be, sweet like vanilla, mysterious like insence andstrong like leather. Is quite enginious the way this perfume was made. The top notes are very scary and strong, remind me the old face powder my mom had in her budoir. After this strong blast, Shalimar becomes the most exquisite (somebody siad it before) expensive French soap with a leather tone. A couple of hours later it smells like a delicious cream and caramel pudin.
In my opinion Shalimar is very simple to wear and its perfect for classic casual to sophisticated occasions.
The most enginious thing about Shalimar is that is totally modern, comparing Shalimar to Miss Dior or Femme Rochas, the look like impossible to wear in a confortable way.
Shalimar is great because of that, its simple, wearable and after all has women favourite notes.
I love it and I'm going to wear it a lot nowadays.
Great perfume, the perfect signature fragrance.

Thank you Guerlain and thank you karma to give me the chance to buy this for 3€! :P

This is truly a most exquisite perfume, i happen to have an edc bottle from the 1950's that was for my great grandmother so it is even more comforting and special for me. Perhaps one of the best things about this elegant, mysterious fragrance is the way in which it changes over time with the chemistry of the wearer. It is citrusy and floral in the opening and then it slowly develops into a sensual, warm, smokey, vanilla laden experience. I love the way the Civet, insence,leather and vanilla make this such a sexy scent, i do get a lot of action when i wear this one. It is truly what a real woman should smell like.I intend on getting this in extrait in the future as i want to experience this in all its glory, and how it was intended.

I have had a weird relationship with Shalimar. It did not start out pretty! The first time I sprayed it on, it was a write-off. I found the bergamot in the beginning to be very off-putting and almost (forgive me) garbage smelling. It only took about an hour before I got the beautiful vanilla heart. It is a thing of BEAUTY.

There is something so vintage about the dry-down. It smells like vanilla straight from the 20's. I feel cozy, warm and luxurious with every spray of this beast. I feel like I am standing in the 20's in a Victorian home. There is an air to Shalimar that not even my cheesy words can do justice.

Shalimar is truly a masterpiece. I am very glad I discovered it. All of the flankers - while wearable - are only mere wannabes of the original. There is nothing that will ever come close to nor ever outshine Shalimar.

It is a classic that should be put on a pedestal with Chanel No. 5 and others alike (which I cannot properly attest to since I have not smelt any of the true classics [Joy, Arpege, etc]).

I recommend this fragrance for more mature women. I do not mean mature as in age but in a woman who is self-confident and able to carry herself and a scent like this with confidence, ease and poise. I am only 20 and I feel well beyond my years when I wear this! This is a sign of refinement and taste.

Shalimar, I love you. Don't EVER change.

C xx

It's been after 2days, i refer back to the testing paper i kept, give a good sniff. My load, the smell is so unbearable! Maybe i'm too young to know this classic smell. It leaves the strong smell of sweated leather. Thank goodness i didn't rush to buy this classic perfume. Look forward to try the new version Shalimar that has the incense & leather notes removed & replace.

An fall in love on the spot after have a few spray at isetan mall, but too bad it is out of stock, bummer, i had woke up early drive to the mall for this.

I received my 30 ml EdP today - blind buy after reading review upon review upon review.
This is instant love! It is to die for, all the way from opening to drydown.
I've seen it described as a "grandma-scent". IF that is the case, thank god I'm old! :)
Shalimar is too fantastic for everyday wear. Now I have to invent more special occasions...

Tried to like this classic fragrance but could not bring myself to. Overpowering.

The opening is quite intense and, for me, hard to take. Shalimar is ambery sweet, incense-like smokey, and packed with vanilla-enhanced flowers ... with a hint of citrus.

It's potent, classy, confident and magical. It's constantly changing. I thought I smelled citrus; a few seconds later I don't .. but then when I sniff again that pleasant lemon re-appears.

Shalimar dries down to a totally sweet woody smokey amber. On my skin that hint of citrus remains until the end. This scent is very multidimensional, deep, generous (sillage wise), and VERY long lasting. It will take me a few more years to learn to appreciate a perfume like Shalimar for I have not yet owned a garden filled with aromatic flowers ...

@muskymale

thank you for answering
your comments are very helpful to make clear my question:)

Hi Ecerusen,

The Shalimar EDP and EDT are slightly different. The EDT is, of course, lighter, and fresher, and more citrusy on top. Whereas the EDP is more 'leathery' (like the smell of your skin) on top, and dries down into this gorgeous and seductive amber vanilla baby powder woody smell.
I much prefer the EDP myself, as I find it more 'elegant' to wear. Please read my 3 reviews on Shalimar.

I hope that helps you! :-) If you have never worn Shalimar before, I would recommend the EDT, as it is instantly likeable. The EDP can scare people off a bit, as top notes are very strong! Having said that, please do not let that put you off instantly. Please give it at least 10 minutes to settle down. The top notes of the EDP only last for 10 minutes, and soon it transforms you into a highly elegant woman! Guaranteed! :-)

is there huge difference between edt or edp? because some fragrances' edt smells different to edp.
of course there is more alcohol and less long lasting in edt,but my question is about the smell type.

I like this scent somewhat. It reminds me a lot of Organza Indecence but with a strong insecticide note that I can tolerate but don't particularly care for. It's a bit too Grandma-ish for my taste. I much prefer the smokier, more modern Organza Indecence to this.

Shalimar...when I have to talk about it, I'm speechless. To me Shalimar is THE FRAGRANCE, the perfection, though I've never sniffed the original one, I hope I will someday...It must be something out of imagination!When I wear Shalimar I feel like an elegant, sophisticated women, even if I'm home wearing a tracksuit!Shalimar has to me an enourmous power, not on the environment but on the persone who's wearing It..

I bought Shalimar out of curiosity, as Shalimar & Samsara's fame is often mentioned altogether a lot by my surroundings. I've already had a decant of Samsara, which I love very much, hence the purchase of Shalimar.

My reaction upon first sniffing is: PEPPER! It opens up very spicy that I thought I'd sneeze. Before long, the lemon fizzles out as refreshing lemon soda, accompanied by spicy, woody notes (cedar? It's too dry to be amber). Then it quickly turns & settles into baby powder, with a hint of vanilla, jasmine & rose touch. Need to remind you, those three notes are very light that U might not catch it unless U give an extra attention while sniffing the scent. Nobody else will catch all those by the trail of Ur fumes while U're walking by.

I didn't like Shalimar at first. It's not before the fourth spray that I finally realized, I should not expect Shalimar to be "pretty" like current era's superficial point of view. She's unlike today's regular perfume. Her strong characteristic is her power.

She's a mature lady with way-above-average power of endurance, as she's been through a lot in her life. Shalimar is a woman of life experiences.

Give it to a female pro-bono lawyer. Or a doctor who decided to go to Iraq or other war-site to heal innocent victims without pay. Or a wife of a businessman, who has accompanied the husband to start the business from zero, yet has been cheated by for hundred times. Or a young single mother, taking care of her toddler while at the same time working & trying to finish her graduate study.

Shalimar represents every manly characteristics a woman could have. A man in a woman, or vice versa. Very genius way of expressing the story behind its creation, indeed. I adore it, though it's not the fragrance I'd wear myself. Like a couture creation, I believe Shalimar is only meant to be watched, enjoyed, and learned from instead of worn.

Babypowder top, heart, base
That's what I experienced.
Nothing for my skin type.
Very disappointing.
One of the most beloved fragrances from The Guerlain House and I can´t stand it.
Sigh....

I *finally* received my 90ml Shalimar-EDP in the mail yesterday. Yesterday was also the very first time I ever smelt this as well. Obviously, this was a blind buy for me, but because I am a fragrance collector, it doesn't matter so much how it smells(just so long as I own it). I sprayed this on last night before going to bed, so here goes with my take on it:

Shalimar opens up with a great deal of incense, lemon, 'old talc powder', woodsy notes, & leather to my nose, which make for a not-so-great combination. There are many other notes I smell, but not as strong as the ones mentioned. This perfume is very heady & strong, as in Chanel No5 strong (though I much prefer No5), and it's not so much my cup of tea.

Fast forward 8-9 hours: While still faint, I don't smell so much of the incense and leather, thankfully. What I do smell is a mix of lemon, vanilla, beautiful powder, and sandalwood.

I really like the drydown of Shalimar,.. but whoa, it sure takes a long time to die down! While I do appreciate its beauty, I don't think that I will be wearing this perfume for a while, except for the odd time at home.

This perfume is one of the many pleasures of being a (wo) man! This is my third review of Shalimar, and words are just useless to describe the majestic beauty of this legendary perfume.

Today is a hot and humid day in London, and I sprayed my self this perfume (the edp) on the bus, and the whole bus suddenly smelled of Shalimar, and it was such a divine experience, and many people wanted to know what it was that I was spraying.

It sits ever so close on my skin in warm and humid weather and that ambery vanilla dry down just won't go away even 5 hours later now.

I love you Shalimar. Always, and forever more.....

I adore Shalimar. I just picked up a small bottle today to have close by but I don't wear it often. This on me is a creamy round scent. On dry down I get vanilla and lemon but not of the kind we find in fragrances today that are more foody. This is vanilla blossom and a soft lemon not tart at all. No leather, no woods and no smokeyness. Just creamy soft vanilla lemon. I get no sillage and it hovers very close to my skin. I have to put my nose directly to my flesh to catch the scent. This and Chanel #5 I wear only for myself.

If stars (astral ones) had a scent, it would be very close to Shalimar. But since Shalimar is a human privilege, stars need to make do with some replica.

I have a small bottle of Shalimar that I use as aroma therapy. While I would never wear this fragrance, I put it on a kleenex and place it nearby. This heavenly fragrance lifts my mood and gives me a feeling of well-being. Shalimar is a timeless masterpiece.

Oh dear Shalimar - you have been retired from my collection.

Why have you morphed from a stunning dry lemony vanilla to rancid leather and urine.

Ill store you for 10 years and revisit you in my 40's.

We can easily say that the house of Guerlain is french perfumery personified and, possibly, Shalimar is among its most successful and legendary creations. If you smell it for the first time you immediatley notice its outstanding quality and complexity. Wether you'll like it or not this is, by all means, an outstanding fragrance and one of those perfumes you encounter every once in a 100 years.

An huge amber/vanilla driven composition that is particularly remarkable for its kaleidoscopic aspects. Animalic and smoky, oriental and penetrating, delightfully sweet, mysterious, intriguing....simply immense.

If you happen to wonder if "objectivity" is appliable to perfumes you should try Shalimar as it's one of the most successful examples of how a GOOD fragrance can go beyond genres and even personal taste.

Rating: 10/10

Its 1924. The world is prosperous. Jazz is sweeping the globe and Shalimar debuts in Paris. It makes perfume history with wild popularity. It was a gamble. Jacques Guerlain presented this sexy stunner with minimal flowers. Jasmine and rose make you wait a few hours and then shine for a few minutes, if you have a really skilled nose! Instead, vanilla, sandalwood and civet dominate this rather avant garde creation. This is why the 20s roared!

It has this perfect comfort zone that makes you wanna snuggle. It is has a baby-mother quality to it that has never been matched. Somehow, it is always in my mind. My mother wore this when I was born.

I was lucky enough to find a rare extrait from the 1960s in a Baccarat bottle! Its dark amber contents reveal secrets of deep smokiness and seduction in a bottle. To wear this is to wear a bit of history-indeed you can make your own with it.

I did not understand this great beauty at all until I tried it in the pure perfume. I sprayed the tester on my skin, the bergamot, vanilla, jasmine, and incense melted into each other, and I heard angels sing. Despite the name, there's nothing Indian about it. Only pure French, early-20th-century opulence here. I believe that everyone has a Guerlain that is perfect for them, whether it's Jicky or Mitsouko or Chant d'Aromes or even Idylle. Shalimar is mine. I also like wearing it in the EdP.

I usually love these old fragrances but this one smelled like rubber. I could smell rubber dolls like whenyou were a kid and you got anew doll the plastic smell was strong until you had played with the doll for a while. I don't understand what everyone is smelling when all I get is rubber. I do see from smelling it that it is a quality perfume. I am just going to have to keep trying.

This is a perfume which exists in two layers. It seems that this is almost physical, giving credence to the notion that scent exists in wave form like light.

one is the innocent yet interesting skin scent, the other is the veil of perfectly blended iris and vanilla hanging about two or three feet from you.

the veil is what you catch hints of from time to time but which cannot be smelled even after bathing in it when sticking your nose into the fold of your arm/your wrist.

i know because i tried this. heheheh

I received my bottle of shalimar EDP minutes ago, I bought it only to resell with a profit because I was expecting a very old lady perfume and I am not personally that much confident to wear them out of home. When I sprayed it on my wrist I was expecting sth very vintage (from 1925!!)and stinky and to my surprise, I found it delicious,deep, modern and lovely.I cant beleive they made it in 1925!
I will update later but I wont resell it at least in a short time for sure :)

This is one lovely beast of a perfume. Clearly a quality concoction. And I understand this was marketed to men and woman. I can not add much to the reviews and I congratulate those that love this fragrance. What I get after the dry down is Powder, somewhere between an old barbershop talc and baby powder. Lovely if you want to smell like baby powder. Sorry to say this one is not for me. I love it on others but I could never wear this...except I did today. (Searching for an alcohol bottle right now so I can try to get this one off!)

This IS a positive review. I like this very much and I see this as one for a woman over about 30. It is just not for me, a man...

To those of you who are not keen on Shalimar: You must not give up. You have to let Shalimar invite you, rather than the other way around, and this may take sometime. This is the classiest, elegantly poised perfume in the world! I call this perfume 'My French Liquid.' It is my absolute essential!

Like I said in my earlier review of Shalimar: "If Belle De Jour had a perfume, She would certainly wear Shalimar!"

this one is a LADY!!!
here she comes in her golden dress showing every curve she has with CLASS!!!
she knows that she is sexy and she knows that she can have anybody she wants! so watch out, she will catch you and you even don't know what is happening with you but you are intrigued by her and when you realize it is too late, baby!! she has already wrapped you around her finger dancing under the chandelier.

are you ready for that special lady?
she comes like a hurricane and goes with a trail of smokey warm vanilla you cannot resist.

she accompanies me to special evening events and leads me through the night.

SIMPLY CLASSIC.

I have never thougt you may fall in love with a perfume to the point when you think about it, dream about it and miss it when it's gone. But that's what happened to me with Shalimar. I did not like it at first. I picked up burned leather, smoke, some kind of a spice.... But I gave it a chance.... or, rather Shalimar gave ME a chance and after a while it presented itself to me with its most beautiful performance - creamy, soft, gorgeous scent. The most beautiful I have ever smelled. Just one of a kind.... I can't compare it with any other perfume, Shalimar is too special. I am lucky, because in my country not too many women wear it. And actually I should discourage anyone from trying it... I'm so jealous and possesive of Shalimar... :)

My oh My!!! Yes, I am soooooooo in love with Shalimar. I am a man, and this is my second signature perfume. Such a classic, warm, seductive, smoky and sexy all in one. If Belle de Jour had a perfume, she would definitely wear Salimar. I love the EDP more than EDT, but both are lovely. This perfume makes me feel like Homme de Jour! :-) lol. The EDP has a more 'leathery' smell quality to it, and the base notes are all amber and vanila....Oh, I feel I am in Heaven when I smell this perfume on my skin. Totally euphoric.

Whenever I wear this, I get stopped by men, women, girls and boys, young and old, and I am not kidding. They love this!!! But of course, I never tell them what I am wearing!

Love it love it LOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! J'adore Shalimar!

PS: Please also read my review on Shalimar Parfum Initial.

Thanks. :-)

I just love it!!!!! It's never old!

I've been wearing it since I was 20. Men always llove it on me! :-)

This scent will never go out of style its been around for 80 something years and i know why once you wear it you hooked for sure i love this perfume with a passion all the women in my family wear it

So seductive...love it!!!!

This is my favorite favorite perfume. It's my creamy smokey shield from the world-- not only to protect, but to give me that unforgettable soft-focus cocoon that surrounds me with an irresistible mixture of friendliness and a delicious sense of distance of that unforgettable stranger.

Every time I wear this perfume, no one specifically compliments on how I smell, but almost everyone, especially men, are transformed into gentlemen. I've been offered help and gratuitous kindness whenever I wear this perfume.

I just can't say enough about this perfume. It's perfect, feminine, and creamy in the most mysterious balance of dry and luscious. It's the ultimate feminine perfume (but in contrast to a perfume like Fracas, not completely inapproachable).

Many comment that this smells "old" or "mature". I completely disagree. Not everything that veers away from overtly-fruity or sticky-sweetness is only reserved for your grandmother's xmas stocking. This perfume is for everyday, inadvertent seduction--if you're a woman, a real woman, wear this.

Growing up in my grandmothers house I remember coming across a almost completely empty bottle of this (not know what it was). Believe the bottle was from the 40s or 50s (the glorious heyday for my now late grandmother). It smelt of cigars, and smoke and florals. I do remember that much. Good memories and all I have to see is the bottle.

I have to say something strange has happened with me. When I first started wearing perfume all those years ago, a perfume like this just was out of the question. I couldn't stand it. Now many years later I have smelled and tested many many perfumes. I find now when I test celebrity perfumes they just do nothing for me. Something like this one I find I can't stop smelling it. Now I can only be bothered with complex perfumes and old classics because when you smell them next to todays nonsense you can really appreciate how much better they were. I don't know it's a shame the way perfume has gone today down the road of not wanting to offend anyone, office safe linear boring smells. There really isn't anything that compares to these. YSL tried by introducing a new opium but again it just doesn't compare to the old one. I do like some things that are created today but somehow I always go back to Chanel 19, 5 and Samsara, shalimar, Ysatis etc they just give you that feeling that the generation of today just can't. And the LAST!!

If you are a Shalimar lover but would have loved it to be more SUBTLE, go for Patou Sublime.
It is exactly the same family but softer and very sophisticated!

I wore this perfume for several years,but the fragrance quality is not the same. IMHO House of Guerlain is not what it used to be when the family ran it. I searched for a new fragrance and found Shantoung by Galimard. I love it and have put a review on the site. It is not available in department stores or most online sites, but can be bought easily in the USA at the Village Parfumery in Indiana.

I used to wear this everyday until i started to wear
different fragrances,i loved the leathery musky vanilla notes that came out mostly on my skin thats why ill always love this its a beautiful fragrance.

Everyone touts this as a classic, but to me it's a duet between incense and insecticide. I've tried to like it, and I just can't. Like a fortune tellers bedroom in a recently fumigated building.

My colleague wears this fragrance (he is a senior staff in my office)...then I told him that I would give a try. Sprayed it on my wrist, it is very thick and lingers on and on. Longevity is superb, but somehow for me the staying power is longer than I expected. Great perfume, classic!

This is my mothers favourite scent,it reminds me of her everytime i smell it.Its a very old school scent and strong/long lasting.I think if you enjoy a classic or deep sultry fragrances this is one you might want to try.Shalimar is not a personal like but i can say it is not a bad perfume.

Tried this for the first time today, and I must say, it is nice, rich, smoky-smooth, salty, buttery and powdery, in a very pleasant comforting sort of way. I like it, but Im not head over heels, but it is beautiful. I cant detect any flowers or sweetness at all, but this is definetly very feminine perfume. Sort of incensey, yet soft. Like a very expensive baby powder is what comes to mind. Havent tested this one on my hubby yet, but something tells me he will like it. Absolutely nothing offensive about this one at all to my sensitive nose, so thats a plus. May have to make this one a staple. Classic.

I tired this on and there was something in it I didn't like, and I wanted to get it off as fast as possible.

I tried to figure out what it was I didn't like, but I'm still not sure. Was it the iris maybe? Eau de Shalimar also has this note that I dislike.

Very strong sent that I could only use like once a year, if I was having dinner with the king or something. Which I don't do too often.

I tried Shalimar EDT in a department store a few months ago. I doused myself pretty liberally with the stuff, which was my cardinal mistake - I was literally left gagging for the next 30 minutes till I could wash it off! Naturally this left me with the notion that this was the Shalimar effect on me and have been considering investigating the Shalimar flankers instead.

What a difference a few months and a sample of the EDP make! This time I was very careful to apply sparingly, and I finally get what all the fuss is about. This is a warm, seductive and intelligent fragrance. The ladylike powdery notes of rose and amber are given heart by the citrus notes and there is a strength in the character in Shalimar which I detect as leather note.

Sublime, and I'm glad I gave this a second chance (and remembered to apply with caution!).

The Grande Dame. The very first perfume I ever smelled. My mother wore it on special occasions when I was little and now my sister wears it (which is the ONLY reason I do not -*sigh*) so it is still a part of my life. Soooo rich, wonderful, and exotic. To me it is the little black dress of perfume. I adore it.

Oh dear, this is not for me. I've only applied a furtive heavy spritz from a store display, and maybe I used too much. All I could think was: baby powder. (I hate hate hate the smell of baby powder.) Not only baby powder, but on me it smelled like someone set the plastic container of baby powder on fire! and that, my friends, is what it smells like to me.

This smells so terrible on me, I'm not sure why. This is my mother's favorite fragrance and on her it smells wonderful. She wears it a lot to church and the sillage and longevity are both very good. On me though.. I just don't think my chemistry agrees with Shalimar. I want to like it because of how well rated this fragrance is but unfortunately Shalimar and I aren't friends. It's a shame though

Absolutely sensational, classic fragrance and without any shadow of a doubt, one of the most complex creations in all perfumery. Evolves dramatically on the skin morphing from one contrasting colour to another in bewildering, virtuoso style.

altho, i reviewed this beauty before i'll just say,the vintage shalimar is such a special perfume and imo, for special occasions. regardless if your 18 or 80 this is a beutiful perfume that many can wear. very powdery, very floral and very long lasting. a little is all thats needed. a drop behind ears and on wrists will make you feel lovely and feminine.

shalimar WAS a great perfume,now it's changed,i don't like that,i think it is not honest to change a formular ,shalimar became so light,booooooooooooooo

Shalimar is beautiful.

Absolutely gorgeous. I love this scent, always have, always will. My brother had a girlfriend in high school who wore this, and I remember my mother commenting on it, because she had always loved it. When I first smelled it, I remember thinking it was heavenly, and I still do. I save it for special occasions. It used to be a scent that only "rich people" wore.

I can appreciate this fragrance, but it's not for me. It smells too mature and from a different time. I had a bottle but didn't finish it, as I felt it wasn't my own fragrance but borrowed from another, as if I was a child wearing my mother's perfume.

Hi.

I absolutely love this fragrance and definitely it is in my top 10 of all great fragrances for ladies.It is a classically timeless rich floral fragrance.A sensual and provocative fragrance that oozes femininity. Masterpiece,Seductive,Warm,Magnetic, Artistic,Rich and Feminine

The opening is classic floral with a citrusy note,which harmonizes with the note of Rose,Jasmine and Patchouli.A base of Incense, Vanilla,Sandalwood and Leather brings an air of Sensuality as it is warm and full of depth. The dry down is wonderful.

You wear it when you are going somewhere very SPECIAL and you want to make a Great impression.This fragrance might be best for AUTUMN/WINTER seasons.excellent for perfect lady. Anyway in my mind it is an intoxicating bosom smell,it is just phenomenal and a definite must have.

Sillage?Fantastic.

Longevity?Great on my skin.

THANK YOU GUERLAIN

8.5/10

I've had a bottle for over 20 years. I've only worn it ocasionally in that time. Mostly, I smell it from time to time and think of my friend's very sophisticated, elegant Southern mother, when I was growing up 50 years ago in Los Angeles.

It's a very warm and elegant scent. And it's definitely a signature scent,as it seeps into clothing, hair, and skin, car upholstery, furnishings, sheets...I always knew whose home I was in or car I was riding in because of that scent.

Frankly, it's a little too sophisticated for me. I prefer someting a bit more exotic. Or maybe, it's because it was so much the signature scent of that lovely woman I grew up with that I just can't adopt it myself.

Very feminine and depp scent! I recommend.

I love this perfume! Very old fashioned, perhaps not for everyday. Its really unique and has a strong personality! powdery smelling and really conjures up images of the 1920s flapper scene.

I got a tester of this out of curiosity. I really like this scent, but I didn't initially. I picked up on a lot of cedar in the opening (one of my least favorite notes), and it went on very overpowering. This isn't a perfume that should ever be sold as a spray, as it goes on very strong and needs a light touch. I imediately wanted to wash it off, but I waited, and after about 15 minutes it became softer, slightly powdery, and the cedar disapeared. It is a beautiful, classic scent that reminds me quite a bit of chantilly, which I love.

I have just discovered the naughtiest fragrance possible. I layer Kouros under Shalimar. Heaven help me.

There is an old saying from the 1920s, when all the flappers would wear Shalimar, that enabled you to distinguish who was a real lady: A real lady never smokes, she never does the tango and she never wears Shalimar. This saying rings through my head whenever I wear it and appropriately, I feel like a seductive flapper until the scent wears off.

I really, really wanted to be cool enough to like this fragrance...like the daring ladies of the 1920's...but I just can't stomach it. I have discovered that anything with Leather notes nauseate me! This reminds me of Prada (original)which also has Leather note. It's a big NO!

For many a Christmas my ex and I gave his Mother Shalimar. One year I remember giving her a crystal atomizer to go with the splash Shalimar. I always thought it was very lovely and very mature.

Thanks to Sherapop I have a mini Shalimar EDT. It smells great! It is a bit intimadating though. I felt I needed to be perfectly groomed (which I rarely am) to wear this Queen of Oriental Florals. Today I broke down and purchased a 1.7 oz. of the EDT. I will fill you in with my "confidence" leval when it arrives. Truth be told, I am now very mature.. in years at least. My Shalimar time should be at hand.

One thing is for sure. This gets "exceptional" in both sillage and staying power. Because of this you get a lot of bang for your buck!

I think it would almost be impossible not to love this graceful, elegant bottle.

Update: Received my bottle yesterday and it did not disappoint. This is a lovely fragrance. I find my Avon Timeless body lotion and powder blends very well with Shalimar. Timeless has many of the same ingredients.

Further Update: Loved the EDT so much I ordered the EDP which just arrived. It opens with a wonderful citrus and dries down to a divine oriental floral. I will not waste one drop of this fragrance. The EDP is so superior to the EDT it is worth the difference in cost. Keep in mind that I enjoy strong perfumes. Maybe I am from the much maligned "old lady" set. I will let my senior flag fly high and proud in the face of gourmands any old day!!!!!

Bold, intriguing, almost arrogant is this unique fragrance that was consecrated as a work of art both because of its exquisite composition and the infinite and precious details of its bottle and its box, something that never neglects Guerlain.

Opulent, voluptuous, sophisticated, transcending the culture of his time to be always chosen not only for lovers of oriental fragrances, but for those seeking discreet luxury in Shalimar. For me, though many consider the scent sexy or romantic, it is first and above all sensual (stimulates the senses): open the bottle provides a visual experience, touch and smell than other EDP (vintage version, circa 1977) can not provide.

I think it is wrong to limit it to the night or winter, we enjoy the fullness of their own notes and charisma when we want, how many times a perfume so rich in notes reveals to us in stages if we are not experts, all together in their magnificent contradiction between citrus, vanilla and incense?

Myth or history that vanilla was added by accident to the disturbing and delightful blend of fruits and flowers? May never know, but is irrelevant to the time to enjoy an irrepressible classic of all time.

PS: I heard some time ago a girl talking about his only flaw: to provoke jealousy in others, envy against the lucky lady who wears it and is in return adorned by Shalimar. Be true? I think not know that answer, but here it does not matter: we are among friends.

I tested the EDT, and on me it smells like leathery, resinous vanilla. There is a slightly citric opening that is light (and not overwhelming) and it quickly settles into a more intimate scent.

In a way, I find it similar in style to Habanita, but I like this one so much more. It feels much more rebellious and edgy.

Shalimar does indeed have many faces but remains timeless and forever young!

It is a fragrance that has earnt its 'classic' status by seasoned perfume lovers who have enjoyed its honesty and complexity. A true classic.

Doubtless, it's a classic. Obviously, one of the best perfumes ever. Yet, Shalimar is the most depressing perfumes I've ever smelled. Yes, DEPRESSING. I can only get the smell of incense and nothing else. I feel like I'm in a church or, God forbid, at a funeral when I wear it. To me, Shalimar is a cold, black and dreadful perfume.
EDIT; November 2,2011. I tested it again and I was so wrong : this perfume is exquisite. Beauty, sensuality, sexuality- all these ingredients in a bottle of Shalimar.

The first time I tried this, I was enraged and affronted at the pure evil that punched me in the face... How could anyone want to smell like a pile of burning tyres with baby powder thrown at it! Plus that off putting 'old lady' smell on top of that! What were you people ON about!!!
I stalked out of the department store, muttering to myself in fury at being a dupe. At least, I thought, I tried it so i wouldn't be tempted to buy it blind!

On the drive home all I could think of was "MUST WASH WRIST"...and then suddenly...the most wonderful scent started drifting towards me. It had changed into this smokey vanillary incensy awesomeness. All the horror was gone and it was the Best. Scent. Ever.
I couldn't stop smelling my wrist and thus my relationship with Shaliar began.

I suspect the tester bottle was 'off' as I've never had that dreadful startup again.

For me, it was the same experience that I had with Angel. When I spritzed it on, I wondered how I had gone as long as I did without smelling such an awesome fragrance...I will never be without a bottle ever again.

Shalimar is as classic as classic gets. A fragrance with depth, and though strong, is not artificial.

I was first attracted by the name, then discovered its long reputation. Upon reading all of the reviews, I was so curious about this, but they don’t sell it where I live. So, months later, I was travelling, and finally got a chance to test a bottle. The scent from the bottle matched the scent in my mind that I had formulated from all of the reviews! It was, incredibly, exactly what I had hoped it would be!

Shalimar opens with citrus notes and spice, which are quickly intercepted by the smell of fresh cut wood and warm musk. Green notes mingle in a bit after a few minutes. The mix of vanilla, musk and woods reminds me of my grandfather, who has passed away and whom I miss very much.

The vanilla comes in stronger in the heart. Vanilla, wood scents, and the entire composition never at any point loses its atmosphere of musk. In this respect, it is an old time perfume, but all the while exotic, like the gardens of Shalimar. I can see where the inspiration lies when I wear this; the essence of romance in the Orient. A beautiful story, a beautiful, dramatic fragrance filled with exotic passion.

The dry-down reveals a chalky note, and after several hours has settled quite a bit compared to the initial spray. At this point, it smells a bit like an ointment. Very organic, very grounding. The combination of leather and incense creates this very docile note. It’s sort of comforting, and there is still a touch of vanilla lingering there.

Shalimar is my rainy day fragrance. That is to say that I wear it once in a blue moon (but I often sniff the bottle!) and it is also a great fragrance for actual rainy days. The word Perfume, ever since I was small, is something I equate with something strong and musky, and Shalimar Eau de Parfum is a very Perfume fragrance, but not it a choking way. This is why I say that it is Classic. It’s an old time scent, and it is so warm and so refined, considering its strength, and it actually softens a great deal in a short time, but it doesn’t fade from there. It maintains that medium strength for hours. This is not floral in the way you might expect. If there are floral notes, they act only as accents to compliment the woody and spicy notes. This is the epitome of oriental fragrances. Any less floral or any less vanilla, and women could not pull this off. But Shalimar sits perfectly on that edge, a smoky (not in the literal olfactory sense) musky slightly woody masterpiece (a word I don’t use liberally) with a hint of vanilla which gives this fragrance just enough style and class to be the perfect evening – or rainy day – fragrance.

Shalimar is for me a balance of innocence VS sensuality. It`s a fragrance full of contrasts, which is citrus, powdery, sweet, smoky, all at the same time. It seems, specially on the older versions, a fragrance that you need to smell some times before you can understand it and then discover if you love or hate. Some lucky persons will love it from the first time, but i think that most of us will need some time with it. It`s citrus aroma is lemony, slightly fizzy, slightly dirty, and it`s a sparkling curtains opening for the main theme, the vanilla heart. The Vanilla is sweet, but not foody, and it`s wrapped in powdery, resinous notes. On skin, this sometimes is translated into a vanilla sensual aroma, and then sometimes there is a innocent baby aroma that emerges from the combination. I think that it translates perfectly the contradiction of tenderness and sensuality that love generates.
The EDT version seems to have a slightly rubbery/leathery accord on the beginning, and is more sparkling too. The current EDP is for me less interesting the the vintage one. Is still amazing, but some cleaning on the notes makes it more simple, more dominant on the vanillla and on something powdery. Seems like the contradction of the original is almost lost here. But is still the shalimar that some love. I have the impression that fragrances are like the ones we love. They sometimes change and we have to see if the changes haven`t taken away the person we love. In my case, i still love Shalimar even after the weight loss.

Beautiful, ethereal, stunning, classic. A perfume to seduce your spirit.

Very distinct opening with almost astringent, animal overtones that extend right into the heart.

I like the drydown much better with its mysterious incensey, sweet musky trail.

A little too much character for me however. I like my perfume to compliment and not compete with me. Overall though, most unique and one to be respected for such a brilliant and complete composition with very deliberate notes throughout.

When I was a girl, I had to go to charm school. I learned etiquette and social dances while wearing pretty dresses and white gloves. My mother would curl my hair with hot rollers, arrange it with some barrettes, then dab the tiniest dab of Shalimar parfum in the hollow of my throat. In an instant, I was transformed. No longer a gawky, gangly, buck toothed 12 year old, I could see the woman I was going to grow into. I would be tall, long limbed, and lovely. My features were going to make sense in 10 years. I was going to be a stunner. I knew it as soon as that parfum touched my skin.

Naturally, as soon as I was a grown woman and had the resources, I bought a bottle of the EDT. It wasn't the same as the parfum, and I didn't replace it when I ran out. But one day soon, I will have to go buy a bottle of the parfum, so that when my gangly, awkward 12 year old daughter dresses up, I can dab the tiniest of dabs on her too.

The initial spray does smell like burnt lemon and rubber, which could possibly be construed as a cat-wee odor. Nonetheless, on my skin, Shalimar settles down into a warm incense, think sandalwood, nagchampa and amber(to my nose anyway) combined with a sugary, airy vanilla.I also get hints of floral activity as well, jasmine and rose, but very very fleeting at that. This is my husbands favorite fragrance on me. Drives him nuts. In fact this one does get more compliments from men than women. Never have recieved a negative response on this one(I have on others!). However wait a half hour after spray to go out in public-good advice for any perfume! thankyou

The third time I tried it I fell in love.
Then I bought a Guerlain mini-set (found at the airport in Geneva, joy!), wore it again and will surely buy a full bottle soon. I think this may be my new signature scent.
It's not immediately inviting, it's not simple, there's nothing common about it, but it's beautiful.
On me there are no hints of citrus in it and very little flowers, but it's still warm and soft after a quite harsh beginning.
First: Leather, smoke, tar, incense, soap. Very smokey/leathery tar:y, but with enough incense and soap to give it femininity.
Then: Soap, incense, vetiver, patchouli, vanilla. It's sensual heart is revealed in about 45 minutes. It makes me want more!
Finally: Vanilla, tonka, soap, incense, leather. Warm, soft, inviting: addictive.
The base is what first made me love it, but I'm loving the heart- and top-notes more and more every time I wear it.
Sillage is good but seems to stay quite close to you, and it lasts for a full day, but in different shapes as time passes by and it evolves.
I'm amazed that a perfume created more than 80 years ago can still feel so current!
Update: I went to the Guerlain counter to try the Edt and Edp simultaneously and had the lady clerk smell Shalimar on me, she agreed it does indeed smell smokey and not at all citrusy on me. In other words, I'm not very typical. She also smelled L'Heure Bleue on me and said wow, unusually nice (I agree), so for all those who cannot wear Shalimar, try L'Heure Bleue, it might work better!
Edt vs Edp on me: the Edt was actually a bit softer initially, more rounded (surprising). After the top notes they smelled the same, but the Edp lasted much longer.
Update 2: Yesterday I got my first vintage scent, Shalimar Eau de Cologne, 1970's. It's beautiful, much like the modern EdT, but more delicate. The drydown is like a soft Shalimar whisper on my skin. Lovely. But for evenings I'll need something more potent...

Shalimar is my #1 perfume!!!
the creator of this perfume is very genius and i'd like to meet him and thank him for this absolute feminie, romantic and immortal fragrance!!!
Some of my family didn't like Shalimar but when they smell it on me they say it's amazing and sexy!!!
Actually, my husband's started to love Shalimar too!!!

I think the video was way over the top, they think it's sexy but I thought it was cheap, no class for a classic like this.

I really do want to love this perfume, but I just can't stand it.. Dont know if it's because Im too young to appriciate it (20y) but to me it smells like vomit.. Im sorry for describing it this way, I do feel stupid for feeling this way

I wore it a whole day but felt very ill, had to jump in the shower to get rid of the smell

Ah, Shalimar. It's a mystery to me. I tried the EDP recently, and I couldn't stand it. It was inexplicably horrible. It smelled completely synthetic, syrupy, medicinal, a bit like antiseptic or mercurochrome mixed with uncured leather. I had to wash it off after 15 minutes.

I recently purchased an EDT from a thrift shop. The bottle was too cute, and I thought I could make myself love it. I sprayed my wrist and found the EDT to be kinda nice, even likable. I could smell incense, leather, and vanilla. I thought I was in good shape, so the next day I sprayed it on my decollete as well as my wrists. A couple of hours later I began to wonder why I smelled so much like body odor. I realized it was the Shalimar. The civet stands out in a way that it doesn't stand out in Chanel No.5. A bad way. An unblended and unbalanced way.

Now I am back to being disgusted with it and wish someone would trade with me. I could appreciate it for its complexity, but honestly, I don't think I would enjoy smelling this on anyone, much less myself.

I would recommend wearing this on a night in autumn, due to its woody, yet lightly citrusy scent, which - for me - fits that season perfectly.

It's a classic and if you are into oriental scents, definitely put it in your collection.

Shalimar is truly a time capsule of the 1920's. The moment you smell this one, you are completely whisked back in time. I've only tried it out for the first time today, but it's an aroma I have long been acquainted with. Don't you love when you can finally put a name to that whiff of perfume you smelled years ago? So what can I say about this classic fragrance that hasn't already been said? Shalimar is dark, smokey, defiant and undeniably erotic by the time you get to the dry-down. Discordant and impious she may be, but its what Shalimar precisely revels in. She's got sass, wit and a love for the irreverant. It no wonder this little number was deemed the "bad girl" fragrance of the flapper era. Could you imagine any decent, respectable woman wearing it and pulling it off?

Maybe it's just my body chemistry, but the opening of this one did no favours on my skin (tried the EDT). The citric notes were just that touch too harsh, a bit on the caustic side. It goes straight to the base thereafter. I didn't get any of the middle notes for some reason. Give it about 15-30 mins, and the resiny incense smell begins to emerge. I'd liken it to frankincense (edit:apparently, it was opoponax I was smelling). From around this point the civet note is also very prominent. This is the stale buttered popcorn smell so many aren't used to - giving Shalimar that veritable vintage smell that some have often crudely put as "old lady" smell. But it is an acquired taste, I grant you that. Sandalwood, musk and leather come to join the party 3-5 hours later. It's faint, but the vanilla is there.

Shalimar is not a perfume for little girls. This is a woman's fragrance. On the wrong woman, Shalimar smells tawdry and out of place. But on the right woman, this could smell truly glorious. She would be the type that's stylish, romantic, witty, and with a
glint of mischief in her eyes. Hopefully I will be able to revisit Shalimar one day when I'm that little bit older and wiser. But not yet.

I can see why so many have been captivated by its magic for nigh on a hundred years. Sensuality and romance distilled in its purest form and then bottled.

(Edit: I got a chance to smell the EDP dry down on a bit of card, and I am stunned by the subtlety and beauty of the vanilla and incense base. I mean... wow, I'm speechless. It smells absolutely divine like this - maybe this is just a taste of the glory that once was Shalimar? Simply exquisite.)

I think I like this perfume because of it's beautiful story. I had this perfume when I was about 19 or 20, it's a lovely scent ( not for everyone ) and if you use more then a drop, it could make you sick. But when you use just a touch, you really get to enjoy the fresh lemon then you get the sweet rose and at the end, that soft romantic musk that just stays with you all day.

Shalimar is a truly QUEEN. Like it or not. So, you can love the queen, or hate...or you can just respect her longevity and her straight way through the decades...

Ah Shalimar, this is truly such a unique fragrance and of such a potent almost vulgar personality as to toe the bounds of what is known as tasteful. Despite the general idea that this scent can only be worn by mature women, it smells absolutely wonderful on my skin and I am 19. I first discovered Shalimar in my grandmother's powder room, hers was most definitely the vintage scent as it was a dark syrupy color similar to beautifully aged Cognac, and it was in one of the older bottles that had a lovely sapphire blue glass stopper; my grandmother applied it with an antique frosted crystal dipper, and usually wore it behind her knees and in the crooks of her elbows, she always smelled wonderful.
It is almost repulsive when you first apply it as it has this 'in your face' hit of deep citrus tones, but when it mellows and dries down in about 30 minutes it takes on this beautiful woodsy spice that certainly has the warm vanilla present and obvious. This fragrance is certainly worth the try on your own skin as it reacts differently on everyone. It truly hasn't remained in production for so long because it's boring, it has it's own personality, and if you aren't confident and an incurable romantic, it wears you sometimes rather than you wearing it. Such a gorgeous fragrance, I truly hope they never stop making this as it is such a classic.

SHALIMAR is undoubtedly THE PERFUME. It is an exquisite alchemy of craftily blended selected ingredients. For the connoisseurs this is certainly the epitome of perfumery - it is most certainly not the result of a young or overenthusiastic perfumer yearning for glory or rapid fame and money (the nowadays show-biz recipe). It is for a woman who knows what her fragrance aura should be according to occasion, context, company. It is not for young women, this is the aura for a seductive woman who does everything with class, diplomacy, style, refinement. She must be of perfect manners, posture and attitude, like the scent she chooses to surround herself in. For those who read Suskind's novel - Perfume, I am positive I can ascertain this is a perfume to sum up the utmost beauty in THE WOMAN, whatever the One had in mind when creating the woman to stand for grace and beauty. Utterly poetic, perfect.

It has everything that I like in it, and I kind of like to smell the bottle, but I cannot wear it. It has too much of something that is distracting not in a good way. I must be my body chemistry. If you can wear it, go for it.

Shalimar is an oriental bouquet classic! Truly a beautiful timeless fragrance, and a special treat for us perfume lovers, it comes in a gorgeous classically shaped bottle with a sapphire glass topper! I used to wear Misuki, and I'm down to my last drops of it and since it's no longer made I can't find it for sale anywhere! Now, Shalimar was made decades before Misuki but smells very similar, so for anyone who misses being able to purchase Misuki, I recommend trying Shalimar, it does not disappoint. It is as luxurious and timelessly romantic as it's reputation claims. Warm and sophisticated, but airy too.

One spritz only and you will feel like "Queen for a day" I tried this first when I was a young woman in my early 20's and thought it was "too much" As I matured I realized that I was wearing a masterpiece that needs to be rationed and savored. A small spritz between my breasts and a half spritz on each inner elbow is all you need. People will ask what you are wearing and sniff the air around you. You will enjoy being caressed in a warm vanilla and spice scented blanket. You will find yourself asking "What is that delicious scent?" and then realize with surprise "OH! It's me!"It starts classy and reserved like an evening at the opera. It ends dark and smoky and leathery like the interior of a handsome man's expensive sports car. The fragrance lingers on your coat for days and on your sheets and pillows.And on the mind of the man who took you to the opera in the first place. LOL! Absolutely sexy!

Incredibly rich, old fashioned and a little dirty! I have to ride the opening out with this one as citrus doesn't agree with me, but Shalimar really warms up and melts into the skin given a little time.. a glorious, powdery vanilla comes through. There is a hint of the 'old talcum' guerlinade but it passes quickly into the rich, slightly patchy vanilla base. The flowers, other than the iris, are very subdued here. The far dry down is a gorgeous, buttery (ylang?) vanilla. Sillage and longevity are outstanding. If you are not used to classics Shalimar may take some getting used to but it is worth the effort!

When I first smelled Shalimar over 20 years ago, I thought it was too much to wear. It seemed like something an older sophisticated woman could wear but it was not for me. I recently tried it again and now it really does smell exotic and sort of casts a spell of mysteriousness with it's incense and lemon and other interesting notes. I think maybe it's not for everyone and may be too much on some people but it really is a classic perfume.

i found this went on strong, but dried down into a soft, exotic jasmine/powder scent. this was my exotic night-out perfume. i always loved wearing this for special occasions. a classic.

Smells just like baby powder to me, therefore my mind inserts a "dirty diaper" connotation that turns simple dislike into disgust...the mind says "hmm, was that a whiff of baby poop?" Alas, I know it's a classic, but it is not for me.

So this is what happened. I'm at Macy's with my very patient, roll-with-it boyfriend, and I already am testing out 2 different scents of each arm. I also want to test Shalimar, so I simply apply two sprays to his right arm. It turns out to be so wonderful on him, so insense-smoky vanilla with citrus and florals on the sides that I can't stop smelling him. It simply smelled wonderful on him. He liked the scent as well.

Fast forward a month or so, and I am the owner of a 2.5 oz bottle of Shalimar EDP. I try it out, expecting the same experience I had that day with my boyfriend. Instead I got a shallow citrus with a flat grey seeming smoke, on top of Johnson's baby powder. I try again. And again. I have to say that nothing changed for me and that I don't grow to liking this strange baby wipe powder thing with no mystery or intensity that I experienced before.

Eventually I got rid of the bottle. Is it wrong to say that I have Eau de Shalimar EDT and I like that formulation (on me, anyway) better?

I am so disappointed. Before I gave away the bottle I asked my boyfriend if he wanted to keep it for himself. He said that he like Shalimar a lot but he's not really a colonge wearing kind of guy.

I will chalk this up to chemistry. And I still have Mitsouko, Chamade, and AA Mentafolia.

Oh Shalimar, you classic Guerlain vanilla, I want to love you so much, but I dont like you as much as your similar smelling newer counter part Elixir Charnel Oriental Brulant, which lacks the awkward citrucy/powdery beginning and goes straight to the fantastic vanilla tonka, musc, amber and opoponax part. I love the pure Shalimar parfum but have a harder time relating to the watered down versions, and even with the pure extract, I have to be in special a mood for Shalimar. I have found that young men do not like either of the fragrances listed, and its a fragrance I wear for myself, to bed or when I record. I could see myself wearing Elixir Charnel Oriental Brulant with some vanilla on top to a fancy event, it is actually very pretty and wearable. Shalimar is maybe a bit too mature for my tastes? I am 21. I love my pure parfum Shalimar, I got it pretty cheap on amazon, but I wish it had a spray- thats my only complaint about the pure version. I cut off the annoying ribbon. I need to layer this fragrance heavily with vanilla (usually my favorites Jalaine's Vanilla and Tihota, but sometimes with the much more reasonable CSP Vanille extreme- with fantastic results.) Anyway, a big thank you to Guerlain, for making such wonderful fragrance, I feel like owning each of their fragrances, new and old, is a part of history and I love that they feel so special. It deserves mention that I also love Guerlian's Coquin Gourmand (its my second favorite fragrance in the entire world, only surpassed by Tihota, and sometimes I am in a different mood and it is number 1), La Petite Robe Noire (another top 10 in my book), Insolence pure parfum, tiare mimosa, cherry blossom, and many others that I have had the privilege to smell. I also think if you love Shalimar but wish it didn't have the citrus opening to try Elixir Charnel Oriental Brulant, it is quite similar but much more beautiful and wearable in my opinion. Good luck, and please feel free to msg me if you have any further questions!
I got the antiperspirant roll on deo of shalimar and it is my new favorite, I purchased on amazon and was so happy with it I will be trying the spray version next. This is the best smelling deo ever, a softer vanilla shalimar that really keeps you dry!

You don´t know how much I would like to be the correct woman to wear this one, but.... unfortunatly I am not. A queen could wear this, a sexy strong woman could use it too, but I am only a poor teacher...What can I say?

strong fragance and very elegant too

I love Shalimar, although it took a little time. At first I found it slightly harsh and craggy, as if the notes weren't behaving themselves. But something drew me back to it (I had a deluxe sample) not once but several times, and finally I realized that I'd fallen in love with it. I find it warm, womanly, interesting, dramatic, delicious, sexy, and comforting all at once. My husband loves it on me.

To others who love Shalimar as much as I do: Don't be disheartened by the negative comments on this site (I love my Shalimar so much that I was a little offended by some of the comments here). No real work of art will please everyone. Have you ever noticed that the more popular a perfume, the more bland it is? It's not that some people have better taste than others. It's just that everybody is different, and a perfumer may take out this and take out that, to avoid offending all the different noses in the world, and what are we left with? An averaged-out fragrance. No thanks.

Shalimar is not for everyone, that's all. It remains its misbehaving self. I'm glad.

I was all set to love this. Several people said to me 'If you love ambery orientals, you must try Shalimar'. Well, I did. The opening was nice, and I was able to pick up that this is a complex scent indeed... However, after splashing myself with it I discovered the one, prominent note that ruined it for me :( The powder note of doom! It was intensly strong, and smelled *just like baby powder*.

People who love baby powder will love Shalimar. I hate the scent of baby powder with an intense passion that most people reserve for burning dog poo or strong cat's urine. I would never normally mix perfumes, but I doused myself with 'Evelyn Rose' to cover the smell so I could get home without having to smell the baby powder scent. Nothing like a strong, pure rose to block out unwanted scents :)

I know many people love this, but I'm afraid the powder is too strong for me. I'll be sticking to my beloved Mitsouko :)

What a beautiful old lady she is - after all these years still stunning for the senses : beautiful appearance and an even more attractive personality.
Heavy load of benzoe and vanilla with only a few flowers in between. A somewhat sharp and bitter note in the background (similar to burnt vanilla) but it adds to this passionate fragrance. Shalimar is not at all about powder fluffs and pink ribbons.
This is a lady who knows that real beauty lies in the mystery not revealed at once.
I recommend the EdP version as it gives this classic oriental an adequate "volume".

Oh yes, Shalimar was a gift from my husband, I have nice memories from the times I wore it. The smell is divine, the staying power is wonderful. Indeed, a classy perfume, for a 35- 90 woman. It has no age, you can not blame it for "gradmama" smell- cos the fragrance is beyond all times (Chanel No5 has not the same property). The citric notes from the beginning is very refreshing, the final notes- vanilla and incense- calm down in a splendid aura.

This is the scent which I wore to comfort myself. At home, in the workplace or anywhere, most of the time I wear it not to impress others or to show off myself. I purchased EDT from online. Mine is a tester, without cap and 50ml bottle. At first I don't like it. But after some time, i began to appreciate its uniqueness and long time history. My male colleague complained that I smelled like an old woman with typical Indian smell (no offense, probably he was talking about the jasmine in Shalimar). But I like it so much, especially its dry down. Like a soft cashmere wrapping around me, i felt so much comfortable every time I inhale the smell. There's a time when I don't feel really well or sick, Shalimar is the only fragrance that I'm looking for. Above all, Shalimar is a classic scent, not all people can pull this fragrance with them. If you can pair up with Shalimar very well, then you're very lucky.

Strange, I keep stalling my review of this one. I guess it's out of respect and reverence for such an icon but got to face it sometime so here goes.
I had a bottle gifted to me 15-20 years ago. I used it a couple times but it smelled cheap and loud to me so I tossed it. Not sure what strength it was but I remember it stunk up the whole room.
So, after reading up on what a masterpice it is I decided to give it another try. I'm no Hilton, so a bottle of EDT was ordered.
1st spray, all I could think of was powdered orange drink or lemonade in a can. Synthetic and caustic. I decided to grin and bear it but all that came forward was vanilla. Plain old got-a-whole-big-bottle-of-it-in-my-kitchen-cupboard vanilla.
I'm not sure if the problem is that I'm so hard to please or that I should have waited and splurged on the EDP. But I have so may other frags that I really love, I can't bring myself to waste the money if I still don't like it.
I know...I'll wait 'til I hit the Lottery and try the vintage stuff.
It can't be any worse.

Today is a big day for me as I'm finally testing Shalimar. I've afraid to do that as I thought - what if I hate it? What will I say then?

At the opening I get loads of lemon and oakmoss with some really animalistic stuff disturbing the lemony opening. I can even feel some spices from the patchoulli and I swear, I feel cinnamon. And I don't like it. See? I said it.

It get's better when it developes, but it's still too dirty and animalistic for me to enjoy. I do feel vanilla, it's creamy and I love it, but I cannot run a way from the animalistic/leather note that disturbs me so much.

I'm so sorry Shalimar. I postponed our first "date" as long as I could and now we have to face it - we are not meant for each other. Too bad. I tried and I know that you did too.

Someone recommented this to me as like powdery perfumes and i bought it without trying it first, which was a big mistake.
I don't hate it but i don't like either.
It is not for my age for sure. my mother doesn't like too.
At first it is citrus (but i don't like it),
then it becames powdery (not in a good way,too strong)
and at the end (propably the best part) i can clearly smell the musk.
I can understand why so many people love it.
It is a love-hate perfume for me.
I'll keep it for the future in case i'll change my mind.

If I only could I would write a poem fully devoted to Shalimar. Our love story is rather long and contradicting. It all started one day in a parfum store, big and expensive. I tested it and was shocked with its smell of burnt tyre. I hated it on the spot and decided never to buy it.
One year later, inspired by ahs and wahs of my parfum-mates, I tried it again and didn't like it at all...
What's the hell, I thought and started seeking for the appropriate concentration.
And soon I found it! That was Eau
Deo perfumed vintage 1985. I was really excited! And that was only a crazy start! Today I am a happy owner of Shalimr EDP,Shalimar Flowers Eau de Parfum,Shalimar Eau de Cologne 1967,Shalimar extrait 1968, and surely, my first Shalimar Deo perfumed vintage 1985. These are definately my favourites .

Ok, I tried this for the first time today. Certain associations had been made before spraying this on. There's this lively and lovely Scandinavian lady who wears a playboybunny necklace at the mature age of 60 and took a Latino to be her husband. She wears Shalimar to work every day. I bet she used to be a femme fatale in her 20's-30's. Shalimar wasn't made for the faint-hearted, I can conclude that.

A Blasting Lemon note at the very beginning; after an hour, vanilla and amber combined with beeswax. Beeswax, beeswax, beeswax. My experiment is partly like a repetition of Chanel Antaeus. Unfortunately Shalimar couldn't live up the legend. I'll give it another try later.

Shalimar and I have a very strange and rather long history. I smelled it on an ex-boyfriends mother almost twenty years ago- was mesmerized, but I really did not like it.Just to be polite and to make a good impression (and conversation as meeting a boyfriends mom is always awkward,)I told her I liked her perfume, she replied "Thats my Shalimsr, it's wonderful huh?"Well due to my feigned optimism she gave me a bottle. As I was out of all of my perfumes I wore this to work one day. Immediately one of my clients asked"Are you wearing Shalimar you know thats an aphrodisiac?" "Oh really" I replied shocked, not at his forwardness but that this perfume had such an effect on him(I wa a cocktail waitress after all) Well after my shift was over I discovered this perfume was stolen out of my purse(I forgot to lock my locker)apparently, one of my co-workers hsd watched me spritz it on prior to our shift,preferred this perfume over our friendship and nabbed it. I still was not crazy over Shalimar, however since others seemed to covet it so much I knew then that I had an unknown treasure, so I pitched a fit in front of all my co-workers threatening to tell management of a theif in our presence and it was returned anonymously on top of our lockers the next day.Bottle was used up moved to other perfumes as I never really felt comfortable in Shalimar.Fast forward twenty years. Gave it another try,turns out it drives my hsband crazy in a good way and recieved quite a few compliments from others as well. Due to my husbands love of this fragrance I'll never be without it.On a personal note I can only wear this during cold months, Can anyone tell about Eau de Shalimar?

Shalimar is my favorite scent of all time. It's a family tradition. I love vanillas, ambers, and oriental spices. This is and will always be my signature scent. Oddly, I can't really find the cirtus notes in Shalimar, just the deep, warm, seductive tones.

Can anyone recommend similar scents? I'm particularly seeking affordable alternativesMy mother switched to Mackie, but it's a little too sweet for me. I used to really love Vanilla Berry from B&BW, but it is long discontinued.

Cheers! This is a fantastic forum. I'm so happy to have found it.

You need time so as to be friend with this one... I have never encounter something like shalimar...the seduction in a bottle... what i smell mostly is vanillia and lemon, and i love both,in a very deep, dark and mystery version.I was searching for an every day perfume and this one it was suggested. Although i cant imagine myself wearing this one for everyday among a lot of people, i am sure i have found my seduction secret. I am talking for the EDT version, i am not sure i am yet ready for the EDP. The EDT is lighter , watery and lasts a long time... what s really unique in this one is that shalimar eau de toilette is not powerful but it has the power of reminding its presence every now and then with a gesture, with a move...Shalimar is satin dress and long black hair, jewellery and smooth moves. it doesnt shout, it doesnt run, it whispers to your ear and moves in an elegant and sensual way,..it is a perfume saved for special occasion, because it makes you feel special.
UPDATE: How much ignorant and totally wrong is the idea that this perfume is an old lady perfume! I just wore it today (and after 3 hours approximately) young men at the age of 17-19 told me how wonderful I smell. Not a bad thing for an "old -lady scent", don't you think?
Now I am a proud owner of both EDT and EDP, I am ready for the EDP since last winter, so I am wearing EDT for the day and EDP for the night-out. Unfortunately, I haven't met the vintage one, only the reformulated, so as to really get to know the original allure and beauty of shalimar, but I love the reformulated ones. The only good thing is that I am not dissapointed by them, since I never smelled the vintage, I am only curious...

Really smokey from the 1st spritz, personally I love smokey smell, but this is over the top smokey. I hope that potrays the impression that it gave.
There's other obvious notes like vanilla and jasmine underneath the thick cover of smoke however you'll have to make your way through the blinding smoke to find them.
After the smoke dispersed, a dry of Thierry Mugler's Angel is left behind.
A very headstrong and confident scent.

I must say: I'm in love with Shalimar! It's my first bottle and I'm a begginner with those "immortal" parfumes and I couldn't agree more with all those women that are very found of this unique parfume: it has dephts that just now, after 5 hours of wearing it, I am start to feel and they are awsome, beautiful, and it's becoming better and better. I found myself so luck that I love it! My husband loves it as well. Thanks, Guerlain!

I first received Shalimar in 1975 as a Christmas gift and I have used it ever since. I love it. The minute I put it on no matter what time of year it is I instantly go back to that Christmas and the first time I put it on. It always makes me feel to good. I am sensitive to most scents and rarely ever like any but Shalimar is one I can always wear and enjoy!

Intriguingly unique, a raw lemony vanilla more earthy than edible.

Comforting in a cool climate, refreshing when humid. A fragrance so exquisite it morphs from a clinical bottled liquid into its wearers soul. Shalimar becomes you and as you differ in subtle ways from day to day hour to hour minute to minute so too does Shalimar.

It took a full days wear to fully engage and worship the remarkable complexity of this divine scent.

Frustrating. This is how I would call this special unique one-of-the-kind fragrance. There was some of this frustration in my previous review and now it has grown. I've been knowing it for so long time since I was a shy teenager and I still own a bottle from '80s which I'm sure smells better than the new ones. Samsara became my signature of 12 years, now dismissed, because I preferred that to Shalimar and also because it worked so much better on my chemistry.
That's why I say that Shalimar is frustrating. I went through a big bottle of EdP, used maybe once every 2 months for 2 years and now that it's almost finished I don't feel like buying a new expensive one just to have Shalimar around, because I don't think that Shalimar love me so much :-(
Everytime I smell Shalimar on paper and on some people I think I'm smelling heaven! Then on my skin and others smells just like powdered baby diapers which is horrible! Not a stink in itself, but nothing I really want to smell like. Or alternatively it smells like grand-father cologne. Why?? On right people Shalimar smells so divine, multi-layered, enfolding different stages and it smells warm, enveloping and fragrant, almost as maternal love.
Actually nobody ever told me that Shalimar was not good on me. It's just my opinion.
I often heard that Shalimar is sexy. The ad is just out, while some of the previous one were more intriguing. Anyway, beautiful bottle, beautiful name&story&blabla, beautiful jus... wrong skin! So I won't insist.

This has stood the test of time, its been around since the mid 1920's and still going strong. Some people just won't ever understand the wonder of this scent but for those of us who do its a pure pleasure scent from the beginning to end. I find is alluring and seductive but its also a comfort scent too. It has many faces. Shalimar has become a tradition in our family from my grandmother who was born in 1900 to my mother who was born in 1921 then on to me born is 1958. Hopefully one of my daughters will carry the tradition. I will always have a bottle on my vanity.

this morning on my way in to work, a tall blonde woman probably in her mid to late 30's was walking ahead of me, into the building and up the escalator. I caught a whiff of the most gorgeous scent..so of course i had to ask what wonderful perfume she was wearing...She said Shalimar..i hope this is the one she meant because i want to try it for myself now..

@ guest me, who asked the diff betw EDP & EDT. I just tried both - I have long used the EDT and have the parfum and the Sensational Body Lotion. I was allured by the EDP's sculpted flacon, and tried both. I found the EDP to have an overly sharp smokey quality, so I went with the EDT once again; it layers nicely with the parfum and the lotion and adds a little citrus at the top. It's been three hours since I tried them - one on each wrist. They are more similar in drydown, and both last. The EDT is a bit more economical.


If anyone out there has never tried the body lotion, I can't recommend it enough. It is creamy, sweet, and heavy, less leathery than the other formulations. In the winter I put it on before bed. Sweet dreams!

ps - eezepeeze is right! This is the most sexual fragrance IMO.

I havn't worn Shalimar since high school 25 years ago. I absolutely loved it way back then but after my bottle was gone I never bothered to replace it and moved on to other scents. I was in Macy's today exploring the Givenchy line. After I had sprayed both wrists with a couple of their scents I happened upon Shalimar sniffed the bottle and walked into the mall to do some pre Christmas shopping. The other perfumes wafting off my wrists were nice but I kept thinking about Shalimar....so naturally I Had to go back to Macy's and spritz my arm. I remember back about 5 years when I tried to revisit Shalimar and got an overwhelming burnt pig smell wafting from my wrist (I kid you not....burnt pig!). This time it was almost as good on me as back in high school a nice strong powdery vanilla, though there is still something about it close up that irks me.....faraway (from my arm to my nose) it's beautiful!!! My 16 year old son and my husband both like it. I may invest in a sample from theperfumedcourt but don't think I'd wear it enough to justify a full bottle.

I so so wanted to love this and I just didn't. The somewhat spicy opening with citrus is just so off-putting when combined with the powdery iris which is so dominant. And I get a distinct smell of anise, though I don't see it listed in the notes, which I normally love but doesn't work here. What's more, the vanilla base that attracted me to Guerlain perfumes in the first place smells merely musty to me. Too old fashioned. I guess it just belongs to a different generation.

I've only ever had a sample and tested it several times in the store, but that was all the convincing I needed! And each time I have been capitvated. Such a mysterious and alluring scent on my skin... I have to keep sniffing my wrist because I can't get enough. It has luscious hints of smokey vanilla, soft spices, and a powdery finish. It's very exotic and has a lot of personality for a scent... This is one of those that you & your skin will either love or hate. Word of warning: Not everyone can pull this fragrance off. What smells great on someone else might not be so hot on you. Test it a couple of times, them make up your mind.

Oh, and be patient! The opening can be a bit of a shocker ... burnt wood ashes & dried lemon rinds. I know first impressions are hard to overlook, but spray lightly, WAIT, and then watch the magic unfold!

Just the other day- I thought I'd give my husband a lemony, vanilla, leather and smoke treat that is Shalimar.(See, punkin,your wifey does have a teensy bit of class!). Amaz8ingly, he noticed almost immediately, even though I dabbed the merest smidgen on my throat. Boy, I was thrilled and awaited his comment with bated breath. It finally came. "Wow, baby...you smell..." (FABULOUS? REMARKABLE? OUTTASIGHT?)"You smell like...a just bathed gramma in a nursing home!Overdosed on baby powder,right?" No,it's just one of the world's great perfume classics. I still like Shalimar and will wear it on occasion, but not around my other half.

Oh Shalimar! You are the Femme Fatale of the perfume world. Mysterious seductress with dark secrets buried beneath the classy surface. I think about La Femme Nikita series. A gorgeous spy enters the sophisticated party. She wears little black dress and high heels. Her little designer purse carries a gun but no one knows it. She slowly makes her way through the room as everyone glances at her with admiration. She is sexy but also extremely intelligent, powerful and in control.

When I purchased Shalimar I thought that it would smell classy but old fashioned. This vixen is as modern today as she was in 1925. Timeless. I am totally and deeply in love with this fragrance.

It is complex and yet it is unified. It is dark but extremely attractive. The mandarin orange, lemon and bergamot opening is like a walk in the southern garden under the stars. The patchouli, orris root and vetiver are strong but they do not feel medicinal. I normally do not like patchouli but I love it in this fragrance. The heart notes work together so well to create this dark magical potion. And then dry-down comes with the complicated notes of leather, woody vanilla, touch of musk and incense. I never used the word “sexual” about the perfume before but this one definitely fits the word.

specific ...
flavor with a hint of patchouli
India in the French fashion -
"Gallant India" Rameau
+ Nouveau early 20 th century, motorization and
Stravinsky)

I really wanted to like this but for me it just doesn't work. It is a stunning creation (I bought a bottle for my mum who absolutely loves it) but I do struggle to wear 'classic' scents. I do love Number 5 though. This just does not agree with me. I think its the civet and leather which are two notes I have never been able to wear. But it is a classic and worth trying.

noo wonder i dislike it, the leather..the civet >_< sucha shame! these notes will never agree with me

To wear Shalimar is to ride a magic carpet back through time. It is definitely not a scent of today--nothing clean, sweet, electric, or synthetic--but then again, it is, just not in the expected ways. Shalimar always speaks in riddles. Shalimar is a full moon swaddled in blue velvet. Shalimar is the smoke that erupts from the genie's bottle. Shalimar is not for every person, but every person should try it at least once. The silky body lotion is a divine alternative.

Wearing the EDC yesterday, i've come to the conclusion that Shalimar is a tricky pony. It didn't resemble at all to the scent it used to be when worn in colder weather. I smelt most of the time the top and middle notes, while the base notes where nowhere to be found. What an intriguing fragrance!

One of my favorite scents for women. In this review I am referring to edt version.

Shalimar: Oriental, spicy, woody tones absolutely fantastic. The recent reformulation has made "lighter" and less complex, but, nevertheless, continues to please me.
The base notes of opoponax make it sensual and base notes of vanilla - never banal and predictable - make it gentle and poetic.
I tried the version EDT (gift to a woman go out with), but I think that the EDP version is able to better capture the essence of the original Shalimar.

What is the difference between the EdP and the EdT in this one and wich one is better in your opinion? Btw i love this site:)

@ vanilla patch: Why don't you stick a sign on your forehead saying narrow-minded hater?!

Anyone who judges something classical in modern terms is a nit-wit, and has no class in my opinion; and I usually respect this forum enough to only offer help and guidance to those who ask it or want; your twerpitude has gotten my ire up and I think the fact your "review" was buried says it all!!

EDIT: Serious members please forgive my impertinence and emotional outburst. I am a 40+man and I just love this oriental beauty so, I had to defend her, and if I smell like an "old Lady", so be it!! Call me Granny Gypsy...

I have a vintage version of Shalimar - the Parfum de Toilette as a splash, which disappeared in the mid-1990s. The fresh opening lemon notes are such a surprise for me, then it goes into the deeper, animalic, powdery notes.

I feel I can wear Shalimar anywhere, at home, in the office, at the weekend, at a party. A great classic, but not for everyone.

Masterpiece, but for me at my age, all I associate it with is little old ladies in fur coats. For a new generation to explore.

Shalimar was my first love. The first perfume I ever tried in a perfumery, all by myself. It was a revelation. Up to my encounter with Shalimar, the love I had for perfume was naive, childish, although packed with deep fascination. Shalimar came just in time to open a door that would radically change my perception of fragrances and the art of perfumery.
After spraying it on my wrist, the impression that it made on me was so powerful that I immediately said to myself that I would never like it. It was like nothing I ever tried before and being the novice that I was, I failed to realise that the secret of it lies much deeper. However, I took home a perfumed blotter and kept it for several months in a notebook. I used to sniff it from time to time and soon enough the revelation unfolded. You might say it was like a passion that slowly grows inside you, enveloping you without you even realising, until one day you find yourself bound by it.
Shalimar is a fragrance that requires time, in my opinion.
The drydown is magical and I have yet to find a scent that can match Shalimar.
It is vanilla, but here it has a particular allure, with a smokey-woody texture. Also, it has the same "retro" olfactory aura that surrounds all perfumes made in the interwar period and evokes the atmosphere of the time. Trying Chanel no.5 will kindle the same overall feeling.
It's mysterious and sexually appealing in the way of a 1920's and 30's femme sophistique de la grande bourgeoisie. Not for everybody. It calls for a refined, elevated woman, sexually and spiritually mature, with her femininity in full bloom.


A true beauty!

With its prickly opening and anemic vanillic base, the charm of Shalimar was mostly lost on me in the EDT formulation currently available on the market.

Shalimar EDP however is like skinny-sipping in vanilla cream and towelling yourself off with silky ecru cashmere. Glorious!

The opening of Shalimar in EDP form is pleasant but very old-school. Irrespective of all the citrus or other notes listed, all I get is a smooth, blended floral until about 30 minutes of wear when it transforms into the most comforting, luxurious vanilla possible, short of divine intervention.

Positively blooming from the heat of your skin, I find the vanilla to be nurturing and maternal, which is probably why I don't find it sexy despite its 'cashmere against bare skin' tactile appeal. It speaks to me more of the deepest bonds of familial love & safety and brings forth feelings of dizzying happiness when I wear it.

Shalimar opens with loud citruses and wood notes (though the latter takes a back seat). It has a slightly masculine edge to it, with no sweetness whatsoever. But it's not overpowering or nauseating... it smells like a unisex fragrance that somebody would wear who loves the outdoors. Fresh, but still spicy. It dries down fairly quickly (at least on my skin) and transforms into a lovely, feminine, powdery floral with a hint of incense, and vanilla at last to smooth it out. I found the experience very enjoyable :)

(EDP)

The first few minutes of Shalimar is a blast of bergamot-citrusy freshness. It is an oddly “scrubbed and showered” opening for an oriental – unexpected and honestly delightful. Later, as the perfume blooms, the smoky, dirty floral cloud takes over. The transition has a clumsy moment when the civet breaks through, smelling for a brief moment of that man who neglected to wash his hands after using the toilet, but the rosy-jasmine florals take the reins for the heart of the fragrance. Shalimar’s smoky, vanillic florals have a lightness that is absent in many modern interpretations of the genre, which use boozier vanillas and sugar their fruits. An understated vanilla is the core of Shalimar and has only just enough presence to lend the fragrance a warm glow. It smells cozy, lived-in and comfortable. Perfect on someone who feels the same way.

One of my first and enduring loves, Shalimar is pure Geurlain: exotic, deep, warm and well-balanced. The vetiver, civet and cedar dance enticingly with the incense, iris and mandarin, transporting the senses like those old black-and-white silent films where the Arab horseman captures the heart of the self-assured and adventurous Western beauty, and they retire to his tent where he reveals to her that he is really a handsome sheik with a kindom full of riches... Shalimar is everything a woman is: headstrong, passionate, exotic, enchanting, sexy, and commanding admiration.

Ahhh, Shalimar. Am I the only person who remembers the 80s ad campaign, with the woman in the 1920s convertable traveling down a tree lined French Boulevard while a Chopin impromptu swelled in the background? More loveliness than could be easily processed at one time--I usually am not swayed by advertising campaigns, but this one intrigued the teenage me enough that I went and tried the fragrance. And to my Anais Anais-accustomed nose (ah, the callowness of youth!)Shalimar did not captivate. Too smoky, too dirty...too old. OK, I was 14 at the time--sue me!

Fast forward 15 or so years. I recieved a mini coffret of Guerlains and Shalimar was represented. I loved Mitsouko and Jardins de Bagatelle and liked all the rest...including Shalimar. I began to appreciate the transformation it underwent on skin and began to appreciate, if not love, this classic.

Now...Shalimar is a go-to scent for me. There is something akin to Leonardo Da Vinci in Guerlain's great classics...a sfumato in which notes are distinct but blended together. I get the lemon,the vanilla, the animalic notes, a whisper of leather, all married together...and the whole is more than the sum of its parts. If you have ever tried this and put it aside, give it another go, or try it in a different concentration. You will not be sorry.

I'm one of the fortunate ones who wears this scent well. I was given a bottle of the eau de toilette 30 years ago by a co-worker's mother (she purchased it on a cruise). It clicked with me immediately and the vanilla tones are the ones that people comment on -- not that it smells like vanilla but that it really smells great. More men ask me what I'm wearing as they want to purchase it for their wives!
I haven't worn any other scent since the first bottle.

OMG!!
Skin chemistry really does wonders!
I read most of the reviews and I say to myself "This must be another Shalimar that I tested!".. But, how come , I'm sure!
Anyways, the points I agree with are: strong lasting power & being very powdery.
On my skin, it smelt (mainly) like : men's shaving foam, mixed with soap & (of course- powder )
I wish I could see the beauty everyone is talking about...

To tell you the truth, I just don't "click" with this perfume... It smells completely different on me... I'm reading your reviews and can't say I'm not sorry because of the commonness it has on my skin...
Only bitter citruses,Eau de Rochas smells the same, only better... Sorry Shalimar...

Would be an extraordinary scent yet for the fact that I had a friend who used way too much, so that the smell became cheap, and common. The scent should enhance the wearer, not viceversa. The friend overapplied so much that you could smell Shalimar miles away. It choked others. Please Shalimar users, understand that with this powerful scent, very little goes a long way.

Shalimar.....My lovestory with Shalimar began about 6 months ago. Based on the reviews of this site I went and tried it. Imagine, I consider myself a perfumista and I have never tried Shalimar before. Well, everytime I have tried it I have found it to be downright offensive and disgusting. I couldn't seem to "get" it. I couldn't understand what everyone was writing about it being such a mysterious and sexy fragrance. Until 6 months ago... I finally took the time and let it sit on my skin(and not scrub if off immediately) and not to smell it immediately after application either. And I finally "got" it. After 30 minutes or so, divine,simply perfection. Fresh, citrusy notes combined with sweet vanilla. But the best part of it is the drydown. On me pure vanilla and musk heaven, very very sexy.... Especially the parfum, which is so much smoother compared to the eau de parfum. It is my beau's favorite scent on me. Shalimar is here to stay and I hope this perfume will exist forever.

Oh...how I wish I would be able to like, no... to LOVE this scent. But every time I trie to...I feel like I'm failing...
'Why bother?' you might ask...
Well...I can't explain...the bottle, the fact that it's from Guerlain ofcourse, its history...
It's not due to Shalimar...no, it's something I lack why I just can't come to terms with it...

So sorry...

I will have to say... I do like it. But it's too feminine and strong in character for me to wear (too often), that's what I feel.

Synthetic sweet vanilla, some citrus, cedar and baby powder... than comes dust, (and yes...) lamp gas, burning fire, rust... lipstick on a woman's lips, filthy rags of a beggar.

P.S.- EDT opens citrusy and goes on like that. The EDP has less citrus notes and more WOOD.Both dry and fresh-more dry though-like old wood furniture-like you could get all the smell encapsulated, trapped under the time coloured burnish... Wich is a splendor I can'd describe, and with all that dry vanilla... ugh...

It acts very diffrent acording to humidity/temperature- very weather sensitive.

Yesterday at the Airport at Rome i finaly tried Shalimar EDP....
Stronger than edt, true,the lasting power is amazing !
I couldn't detect any diference between EDT and EDP , besides the intensity !

I really can't "understand " Shalimar at all !
It doesn't smell nice or feminine ...no...it smells old, powdery ( talcum ), a bit sweet, leathery...my hubby didn't liked it much ...he thinks it smells like "old lady "...please no offence...but since Shalimar was created back in the 1925...i think everybody got the "idea "...lol...

So...i will have to pass this Big old classic...unfortunately not for me ! for now...

Still..i can't quit of testing it .
Maybe i will fall in love with it ...again, as i did in the 90's, when i first test it ....i felt the most velvety, sweet, powdery - vanilla parfum ever !
Now i feel it more spicy, leathery..;(
I don't know why i feel this atraction for Shalimar ...must be the exotic name, the beautiful bottle, the blue color , the add...any way all that i know is that i must have it one day !

well i have ordered a bottle of this and kind of hope it smells more powerful than the EDT which I find very pleasant but slightly tame, with too much emphasis on the vanilla and not enough on the incense/wood which is what I was looking forward too. It's a very feminine velvety rose/vanilla to me like a more sophisticated Tocade. I still find my 'Femme' much sexier but will re-review when my EDP arrives!
Aside from this I didn't realise there were so many flankers and I hope I've ordered the right one!!
Well, the EDP arrived and this has the depth that the EDT lacks! Smoky, vanillic with a resinous air alluding to incense. It's less sweet and much more affecting; Really nice and unbelievable that it's such an old composition- it actually feels pretty modern to me. Not as arrestingly erotic as my fave Femme, but unique, beautiful and very evocative of a timeless place we all have in our imaginations.

A old time classic, but way to spicy for me

I don't like this fragrance. On me it smells like an old vanilla powder. But the lasting power is great. I wish all fragrances to have such amazing lasting power.

Guerlain's Shalimar conjoures images of
an Luxurious Garden at Midnight on a
clear dark Sapphire sky a full moon with it's beams shines above a bush of
fragrant Jasmine the marble statues of
angels kissing and looking wistful
the ground is elegantly Displayed mosaic
of Different colored stones red roses in
Bloom. Hedy Lamarr doing her dance of the Seven Veils with clouds of Incense of Sandalwood swirling around her seven
Shades of Blue Veils of Navy to baby Blue To match her Eyes Jet Black hair and Pale skin trying to seduce the sultan in one of those old 1940's Techicolor Movies or the Immortal
Erotic power of Rudolph Valentino that
graced upon the Silver screen in the movie the Sheik when he aducts and Tries
to tame a British Aristrocat and the
scent of Musky Leather from a sadle blazing in the sun and the two run off
into the sunset.

It's Sexy in a classy way. i love the
Vanilla turns into an oudish woody reisin that is genious the drydown of
Powdery Incense and Sandalwood makes this a Masterpiece BON VIVANT!

I really have been wanting to test Shalimar for a long time, cuz it's so classic and so many people love it. But when I went specially for testing it... on the first sniff, I ran away...

It smells so similar to Chinese traditional medicine (I'm a girl from China and I know that smell well), which is too bitter and powdery to me, so, I don't even want to give a second sniff to find its changefully "chameleonic" nature.

Oh, Shalimar, it's too difficult for me to appreciate your beauty, though I know you're a time-honored masterpiece.

Shalimar is so beautiful that I feel intimidated by it. I feel like I'm not good enough for it. The day I make Shalimar my signature scent, I will truly consider myself to be a perfect woman:)

I'm reading a book where the author claims that Shalimar was actually created when Jacques Guerlain accidently tipped vanilla essence into the already existing Jicky cologne.

Warm, profound, mystique, gentle, trusting. The smell of Eternal Love. Shalimar.

Ahhhhhh. I loves me some Shalimar ;)

Thanks to my 90yr old grandmother for introducing(yet again)this wonderfully rich and opulent scent to me in all its vintage glory.
I have smelt Shalimar many times over the years,but never has my nose appreciated it more than it has done in recent times.
I CANNOT tear my wrist away from my snitch when wearing this perfume as it has (on me)got the most beautifully deep and dark 'incense' aroma i have ever had the fortune of witnessing.
When sniffing this scent, i am transported into a quaint little hippie boutique, full of gently smouldering incense sticks,flickering scented candles, Henna, antique wooden trinket boxes and figurines and the people who frequent the shop have deep red henna dyed hair,wear long tye-dye skirts and complete the look with doc martin boots....then i wake up!!!
I love the image this scent gives me and how it makes me feel when i wear it. An absolute must for incense lovers with a sillage that is second to none. It is without a doubt the 'daddy' of all perfumes, which has proudly stood the test of time,and is a fabulous edition to any perfume wardrobe. One of my favs x

i own an EDC bottle, released in the 80s. I'm a man and because this frag is changing every time when i'm wearing it, i'm more and more inclined to use it. It also depends how many times you spray it on your skin or clothes. Right now i'm smelling my arm and i get a powdery vanilla floral smell. When i over-apply it, i get this intense suffocating smell, which i adore and go for all the time. This scent always keeps you guessing and that's why i looooooooooove it!

Shalimar turned out really dusty and smoky on my skin, the scent is familiar but wasn't pleasant...Like the scent you get in a museum. I will try more and update, sometimes you just rediscover some scents :)

Shalimar is hands down the sexiest, most seductive perfume a woman can smell of. Beautiful, stunning. Must be accompanied by a nice outfit and a pair of heels.
Hair in waves, perfectly painted lips..
Not for a gum chewing airhead whose thong is showing above her jeans.

What can I say other than this to me is a masterpiece - to me it is more than a perfume, it is a personal feeling that is so near to my heart.

I have the EDT & EDP but today I received a small parfum and what a difference to me. The EDT & EDP develop into the soft fragrance I love, but the parfum, well it is instantly soft and beautiful. No initial sharpness for me at all. I hope that I can always afford even the smallest bottle just for those special times and moments.

The vanilla is perfect and so smooth, the musk and incense give it a depth, the bottle is beautiful. I feel wonderful and sexy when I wear it, and the compliments never ever stop. Of all my fragrances, my husband loves this one on me the most. It is lovely, suitable for any age (in my opinion), and any event.

If I can call a fragrance passionate, this elixer would be it. Shalimar is perfection that all the generations of women in my family have greatly admired. You really get quality, that withstands the test of time, and I hope it is around forever. This is a real real winner. Can you tell I love it :)

The parfum sillage is fabulous on me and the lasting power is great, lasts all day on me with the smallest dab.

For me it is Perfection!

Shalimar is a ghost in the dungeon. Where monarchs and revolutionaries lay imprisoned. The dust on petroleum lamp, the smoke of cremation, oil in the Buddhist temple. It is a black flower that blooms endlessly, independent of air, sun or human touch. The bird who lives in elephant corps and signs tunes from Persian stories of 1001 night.

Shalimar is a prophet without vision, smell or hear. The storm above the ocean. The first beam of light in the valley of death.

Shalimar is a king of ghosts in the dungeon. I salute him.

at first i wasnt too sure of this fragrance, but tried it and loved the drydown, old fashioned, and comforting scent

im 21, when i wear this one i get mixed comments, some say its nice, others say i smell like an old lady...i dont care though i'll still wear it :P

Not to be crude but....Sex in a bottle, baby.

This has got to be THE sexiest scent ever produced. And yet, oddly, it is so wearable. I have smelled this on librarians during the day at the school where I teach.

That's what I love about Shalimar. More so than the actual way it smells is the way it makes a woman feel...sexy, confident, supreme, in control, her own woman. Who hasn't felt the strut in her step after spritzing this behind her knees?

Go ahead, Obsession, try to copy it...Try Tabu, to cheapen it...There is only one Shalimar.

Ah, Shalimar!!! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.....

You are so warm, lemon-y, vanilla and earthy, yet sweet, smoky and seductive! Many, many, many have sought to imitate or surpass you, but NONE have ever succeeded!!

I allow myself to think back to the sweet time in my life when you were a part of many "firsts"....memories of my very first "grown-up" perfume and the butterflies I felt as a junior in high school at my first formal, when my date (later my boyfriend) gave me my first kiss. Wearing you made me feel like a beautiful "woman" for the first time.

I remember first encountering you as a mysterious and glamorous bottle in the dressing room of the neighbor woman for whom I baby-sat. I knew as I held you and wondered at your beauty I was violating a very personal space, but I couldn't help myself...Fascinated, I snuck a few drops from your achingly exotic bottle (something I surely could never be) and applied them to my neck and budding decollete. (I'm sure the lady of the house NEVER smelled it on me when she came home...LOL!!!) Your scent was mesmerizing; it pulled me down to that trembling place in my immature fantasies where seductiveness, lust, teen awkwardness, confusion, longing, and dizzying crushes on unattainable men and boys all swirled together. Being just a shy, nerdy, tomboy-ish girl from the Arizona desert, I really knew nothing about such things...yet, my 14-yr-old imagination exploded at the feelings your scent was awakening in me. Once I tried you on my own skin, I felt I had harnessed a strange, powerful, womanly force which was terrifying and supremely intoxicating all at the same time. You were different from my mother's Chanel No. 5 - more heady, exotic, indolent, powerfully seductive - yet sweet and magical. Not well-bred, mannered, and "lady-like" as Aunt Judy's Norell, either. Shalimar was the entrancing belly-dancer, all eyes riveted upon her....with every move seemingly effortless and naturally hypnotic. None can avert their gaze lest they break the spell of her sheer feminine art.

No, you were in a class all by yourself. I was in love.

I absolutely COULD NOT believe it when my parents presented me with my very own bottle of Shalimar the next year at Christmas.

Over the years, there have been other fragrances I have loved...but NONE will ever replace my FIRST LOVE, dear beautiful, splendid, epic Shalimar. You are forever entwined with the bittersweet memories of my teen-age years - along with their pain, joy, fear, and wonder.

Your impact on my fragrance personality can never be diminished.

I was catching whiffs of nice gentle flowery/citrus scent throughout the day, before i realized it was my perfume)) When applied Shalimar in the morning, the initial opening appeared to be herbal, and then it transformed into blend of citruses and something like vintage soap smell. Then, I was too busy to pay any attention to how my perfume smelled, until several hours later. I used EDT, it stayed close to my skin, but I was amazed by longevity. I found it to be very sensual chypre fragrance)
however, the soapy scent was still there, may be it's bergamot? Shalimar's top notes seemed to be very long-living on my skin.
In any case, I don't think i tested it to the fullest, I've got this feeling like i have yet missed something.

I love Shalimar, it smells so soft on my skin. Shalimar is so special and wonderful. I have always a bottle of Shalimar, can´t be without it.

Shalimar, for me, is a very personal fragrance - in the meaning that I feel as if I was in a better and more friendly world while wearing it. Shalimar opens the door to dreams, love, serenity, makes you smile to yourself and all around and takes you to imaginary exotic places. But the best thing is that it can be worn everyday and never looses its appeal and charm.

Its so timeless,a true classic that works so fine today and always! First sprayed on ,its very citrusy ,an almost masculine scent,but give it a while to settle! After half an hour it fades down,the citrussharpness goes away and here she comes : The queen,the lady shalimar ! A comforting,warm delicate vanilla , so classy. Not the overpowering sweet vanilla you can feel in todays perfumes,no no -but a natural,genuine vanilla with just a little sweetness in it - a very comforting scent,perfect for winter ,feels like a cashmereblanket around your body.

After drydown:
Even more lovely and much more my speed. The initial bitter punch of the citrus and cedar becomes the soft caress of vanilla and flowers, a rose-powdered leather with much less abrasive animalic qualities. The wood and musk merges with the skin and pulses sensually with each passing moment. Driving in the breeze made the sweetness open up to me on the chilly spring day. Lovely and very much a sophisticated, complicated scent that you have to love at one stage or another.

To defend those who may initially find this scent reminiscent of an "old lady," I will admit that my memory of the scent was of my Grandmother's wearing it. The first time I bought it as an adult, my first sniff was horrified. Cedar and citrus/bergamot; woody, sharp, and demanding, assaulted me. It seemed to stay bitter sour and not at all powdery. This is my second time wearing it since my adult purchase of it and this scent is absolute proof that a second sniffing is necessary to appreciate a formula. This is due, I believe, to our being used to a particular formulation, style, and notes rendering our sense of smell unwilling to open up to new concoctions. If you were to wear red tinted glasses every day for months, even years, removal or replacement of the glasses with another color would not, upon first inspection, be as colors would be seen as usual.
Ghost scents and expectations can make things difficult to appreciate on first sniff.
On second sniff, the smell is ever so slightly masculine (woody, musky, smokey, leathery) with tones of powder and cream. The sharper notes still make its blending with my biochemistry very difficult as my natural scent is more sweet than musky. The scent is sexy, not sweet. It is mysterious and dusty, spicey, moody, brooding, growling. It is Cleopatra in a cloud of incense with a sharp tongue and intense, kohl-lined dark eyes. This can be difficult to wear if you're not a femme fatale.
I think this is more suited for evening than day or office. It is made for a redezvous, not a meeting.
It can seem overpowering (and therefore "old lady") for it to be worn in a professional or casual environment, but it is perfect for romantic interludes.

Love it. Glad I tried it twice.

I return to my first love, Shalimar. Retested it today and it feels the same: amazing, divine.It makes me go back to the 20s,bobbed hair, red lipstick and nails, jazz and charlestone.It doesn't make me think of the Shalimar gardens, but it's true I didn't test the original version. To me it is perfect, I know many people saying that it isn't anymore what it used to be, but I can't imagine something better than this. I could say I was born for it or Shalimar was made for me!

Clean, warm bodies after a night's gentle rest. Suckled on milk & dusted with baby powder, sweet & soft, gentle as an mother's embrace, deep as the night.

This is a scent of layers, dimensions, strength & stamina. The animalistic qualities are thankfully very domesticated - a silken cat's paw, the suedey scent of skin on the nape of your lover's neck.

Very velvety, opulent, powdery, rich & voluptous with enough resins & spice to tame the caramel sweetness & keep it interesting from its blasting bergamot start to glowing finish.....& what a rich vanilla finish! Wonderful!

I did not think I would like Shalimar as much as I do....even though I think she "out-wears" me. I feel a little naive in her presence - a girl, not yet a woman.

To me Shalimar is not an "old lady" scent - it is the perfume of a mother & a lover.

I tested it today because I was very curious.I am really dissapointed because I expected more according to the reviews.The opening was awful, it really smelled like rubbish to me.Then it settled down like a baby powder, nothing special, not bad for an old lady but certainly not for me.(I am still thirty)

MAN, this stuff is sweeeeeet!!!! Way to much on the sweet scale for me, in fact it tips the scale beyond sweet! It takes a certain person to pull off waring this stuff, I myself cannot ever get away with it because its too heavy for me but it's not altogether awful, Im just going to ware it thats all.

For months now I've kept myself buying Shalimar because every time I smelled it, it brought back my memories of my Grandmother, who wore this perfume with style and grace. But today I saw a bottle of the EdT on sale and I couldn't resist it any longer.

I love the smoky vanilla in the base, the depth that the incense and opoponax adds, and the powdery softness of the dry down that rounds out the scent perfectly. Shalimar is also the only parfum with leather notes that works with my body chemistry. Huzzah!

This perfume does seem to make your skin glow, as other reviewers have mentioned. It's both a comforting and a sensual perfume, a timeless classic. I'm so glad I finally gave in and bought a full bottle. What a wonderful treat on this snowy winter day.

A masterpiece :-)
Bewitching and mysterious, smells like a heavy veil full of resins and spices lingering in a opulent oriental bath.

SHALIMAR, EDT....i like it and i don't..., intresting fragrance indeed, a clasSic, on my skin feels like a mixt of vanilla, incense and baby-powder(talcum)... a man could easily pull this off...yes...a unisex...
but i need to try EDP though.....;)))

If you're looking for a powdery perfume which also could be signature of you, stop looking and buy it. I always like Guerlain style. This perfume is unique like Samsara and Mitsouko. When you wear Shalimar, you will find yourself walking in streets of Paris. You will only need Hermes scarf:)

dear... vanillapatch... I really feel pity for you.

go on with fruitsalads and chemical bombs... let the big crowd of "old folks" ejoy shalimar, chanel 5, joy and opium peacefuly.

they're still here after many decades. yours will be gone withing 2-3 years.

such amazing perfume , has been my signature perfume for 40 years , floral , fresh citrusy , smokey , vanilla heaven without being overpowering or sickly-sweet , a true marvelous mysterious creation ,,, superb !

Shalimar is the fragrance that makes me feel so good, confident, calm, yet seductive and even fragile. It is werid how it can give me such opposite feelings!

Shalimar does have a baby powder/vanilla smell on me, especially when it dries down. I love it, as it isn't too sweet. Oriental floral seems like a perfect description. I used to wear the EDP, but it has more incense, and it is stronger then the EDT. I now wear the EDT and must say, I think I have found my signature fragrance. My boyfriend loves it, and I receive many compliments when wearing it.

People who know me might not think Shalimar would be appropriate, as I am more of a shy girl. But I find Shalimar can be so personal, so feminine, and the dry down is just wonderful. Great chemistry with my skin.

And I love the refillable bottle too!

I dont understand the fuss surrounding this perfume - it has a distinct sickly heaviness about it and it gives me a headache.

Some of these so-called classics don't live up to their names at all.
The retirement home where my gran lives usually reeks of Shalimar, Chanel No 5 sometimes interspersed with a whiff of Opium and Joy.

There are so many nicer perfumes out there that dont trade on their past glories.....
Wear the perfumes listed above and you might as well stick a sign on your forehead saying 'old lady'

This is the perfume for the woman I am looking forward to be.

One of my top vanilla oriental.on me rose jasmine vanille leather.so somptuous and voluptuous and womanly perfume.love it.

I really wanted to like/love this one....the story behind it, the great reviews but unfortunatelly it gave me a headache. Too strong. The lasting power is great thought. I tried to rub it away but I could still smell it and guess what I really liked the vanilla in it...so I a am bit confused.

Its so timeless,a true classic that works so fine today and always! First sprayed on ,its very citrusy ,an almost masculine scent,but give it a while to settle! After half an hour it fades down,the citrussharpness goes away and here she comes : The queen,the lady shalimar ! A comforting,warm delicate vanilla , so classy. Not the overpowering sweet vanilla you can feel in todays perfumes,no no -but a natural,genuine vanilla with just a little sweetness in it - a very comforting scent,perfect for winter ,feels like a cashmereblanket around your body.

Hard to beat-best scent to date. The vanilla in Shalimar is wild and crazy sensual. A perfume for a real woman only.

I love Shalimar and the vanila smell.The predilet perfume by Greta Garbo .Atemporal and classic,and I consider unisex.

Shalimar edp - my new great love. I always thought that this would be too strong for me and that it would rather fit an older, more noble and ladylike person. How wrong could I be? Ever since I put it on the first time I've got compliments from friends and strangers, it perfectly merges with my chemistry and personality. It is fresh and slightly citrusy in the start. The heart is flowery, warm, spicy and sweet without beeing cloying. The vanilla is dominant but still in perfect in balance with the flowers. I keep sniffing my wrist when I go to sleep because of the addictive drydown and the next day I smile when I wrap myself in my outdoor shawl as it still smells from beautiful Shalimar. Adorable!

WARM and LOVE. This is what Shalimar reminds me of. Somebody whos LOVING, a nice person who doesnt put their needs before everybody elses. Like a mother, grandmother or a loving friend, lover.

I've heard Michael Jackson used to wear it. So, today i found it and i tried my idols perfume for the first time.

At first it was strong, after some minutes it had a fresh scent. In the end it developed to a warm, deep scent. 10 hours later i can still feel it, and when i close my eyes I see myself in my 30's, in a beautiful home as a loving mother.

The age doesn't matter and i really wouldn't say it's an "old lady perfume". As i said before, Shalimar is a perfume for somebody warm and loving. It has a mothers/friends comfort and at the same time it's sensual and mysterious.

I'm in love with Shalimar and I'm so glad it works with my chemistry.

Just beautiful...Classic,feminine,sweet,spicy.At first it is very strong but after a little time it is wonderful.

Shalimar is my best friends signatur scent and on her it is gorgeous. Very sophisticated and mysterious. It smells of soft vanilla with incense, quite elegant and noble.
Unfortunatly it doesn´t work with my chemistry (though other guerlains like e.g: Samsara do).
On my skin it turns into a cold chemical stench and I feel like I have been traped in an old pharmacy for several days.
So I keep enjoying to sniff on my friend everytime she wears it.
Therefore I advice everyone to test it on your skin before buying it, even if you love Shalimar on others.

I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to find the right words to describe Shalimar. One whiff and I'm instantly transported to 1928 Paris. It's the premiere of Dyagilev's "Les Ballets Russes". Nijinsky is dancing, still at the paramount of his talent, the disease hasn't derailed him. Not a sign. Divine music by Stravinsky and bold unusual costumes by Coco Chanel. I'm Natacha Rambova (my avatar), a tall dark mysterious beauty clad in oriental fashion, and my husband - the most handsome man in the world - Rudolph Valentino is sitting next to me. Two years ago he survived a ruptured gastric ulcer and we're still together. This is the happy end, it didn't go sour for neither of us. He kisses my hand in a long black glove lightly perfumed with Shalimar. This perfume is my imagination of how things could be and what things should be in this world. Perfection. My signature. I own it in vintage parfum extrait.

i have loved this perfume for years. i remember as a child my mother's cousin use to wear it, but of course at that time i had no idea what she was actually wearing i just knew i loved the smell so as i got older i knew i had to have this perfume when i actually found out what is was that she was wearing. that was years ago and i still wear shalimar to this day.it is a timeless perfume.

As a child, I remembered smelling this and making the association to the smell of baby oil. Growing up, I've smelled it on others, and enjoyed its creamy and resinous smell. I've purchased the Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum, and even the Eau Legere. None of them seemed to work on me. The EdT was wonderful in the beginning, ambery, sweet, and resinous, but then turned into baby powder, and then poof--gone! 2 hours is pretty much the longevity on me. The Eau de Parfum is resinous and powdery from the get-go, not as smooth as I wanted it to be, and longevity was pretty much in the EdT category. The Eau Legere is lemony and less resinous and powdery, and has a nice vanilla trail, but lacked the sensuality that is Shalimar.

But finally in my last ditch effort to love Shalimar, the Parfum was nothing but sublime! The most perfect incarnation that bears the Shalimar name. Its overdose of bergamot in the beginning lends a slightly animalic and bright note that balances the resinous and powdery notes. And when you think it fizzles away, the powdery notes fade and reveal the most noticeable and sensual Guerlinade marked with vanilla. Ten hours later, I can still smell its trail on my skin. This goes alongside of my favorite Guerlains, namely Jicky, Vol de Nuit, Mitsouko, and Chamade. The classic Guerlains are only of worth in Parfum form. Well, I take that back--Jicky is best in the Parfum de Toilette form--the lavender is a bit overbearing in the beginning in parfum form.

Strangely, it is a wonderful feeling of knowing that Shalimar can be wearable by me, and that one can wear good perfumes like this.

How badly I want this! I got a little vial and I just adore it! On my skin I smell smoke and burnt rubber and lemon, mixed in a hard to explain timeless charm. Incense mixed with very soft, delicate leather, and after the lemony zest passes, smoke and a bit of cloves. It smells so weird my nose keeps going to my wrist where I sprayed it, and I inhale deeply, trying to find flowers, or fruits, or vanilla, or something to describe the femininity of it, yet I cannot find it... or maybe it's in the powdery smoky drydown. Still it's addictive and mysterious. Yes, I will have it, I must have it. It's going on my wish list until I can have it, the biggest bottle!

In old-guerlain triade i place Shalimar between L`Heure Bleue and Mitsouko. Not so beautiful as L`HB but much better than Mitsouko. I know that many people has big l'estime towards this scent, I like it too but not overprice its charm. For me Shalimar was perfect scent for my courses :) so i use it as day-frag than special night scent. It's brightly, sparkling and make comaparisment with rich yellow tones of Orient. It gives positive kick of energy - with big class. I've got EdP version, much better than EdT (buying bottle, check which version you take :) ).
Unfortunately Shalimar is deprived that truly magical guerlain-note which is so present in L`Heure Bleue :( It's pity because it's one of the main reason I like Guerlain products so much (fortunate, Insolence EdP has it also ;) ). Shalimar is more vivid, citrusy, sporty. Not velvety, intriguing and alluring. Of course, I appreciate this younger sister of Guerlain family but my heart was stolen by L'HB beautiness.

I so badly wanted to love this-- I love all things retro and adore some classic fragrances. Chanel No. 22 is one of my all time favorites. However, Shalimar smells like pure acrid cat pee combined with violet-scented baby powder, both on my skin and off. I can't understand how this fragrance is so beloved. It's absolutely putrid!

I wanted to see what all the fuss was about Shalimar, so I sprayed this on a card and accidentally got it on my fingers.
It was warm, deep, vanilla, and...familiar.
It smelled like my grandmother used to when I would stay at her house on weekends as a child, which isn't a bad thing. But the fragrance is more of a fond memory for me, rather than something I would wear myself.
Maybe I will wear it when I am older, and my grandchildren can have fond memories of this fragrance as well.

I finally have shalimar!!

I'm 23 and i don't understand the reason why people around my age name this fragrance ' the old lady type '
¿What the hell were they thinking?

Shalimar, Mitsouko, L'Heure Bleue .. are classics fragance that remaind famous because they have no time, just like a good song.. and baby if you think shalimar would smell like Paris hilton pop teen fragance you are really lost.. cuz this classic has a lot of personality and if you want to enjoy Guerlain you must have a trained nose.. Shalimar even change on your skin several times after few a minutes, is just Fabulous..


First of all Shalimar reminds me a lot of Chanel N5, maybe because they have in common 10 notes, but i think shalimar is a bit more intense because it has incense and leather..

The first notes of this pretty perfume is like a Citrus shock, that maybe could make a bad impression, but wait!! because after a while the flowers of the midle notes would take the spotlight and start making a soft smell. Finally the leather and vanilla combined with the incense finish in a wonderfull way this fragance.

The most interested about shalimar is that a man or a woman could use it. it's a unisex type for me, cuz sandalow, patchuli and vetiver are notes used in many men's fragrances. Perhaps this unisex part is the reason why a lots of people can not fall in love at first sight with shalimar.

I found the edt version more sweet and citrus than the edp. As allways the edp has more fixation and intensity compared
with edt. I like both but maybe a bit more the edp.


Shalimar is an adventure.. just love it..

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New Review:

Is so difficult to wear Shalimar, the leather and the incense part are to strong. Shalimar vanilla dry down is marvelous but this happens after two hours!!

I love perfumes, like Opium, Shalimar, Femme by Rochas, Hermes by Rouge, I have 30 ml of each one, they are quite different from the rest of the scents, because this fragrances combine so well the complex notes, leaving a unique composition, and this is the reason for my admiration, but I know they are difficult to wear, so I have them as relics. And when I want to relax and fly away, i allways smell this beautifuls compositions, and sometimes I wear them, but that's only like twice a year.

Shalimar is not a fragrance to go to nighclub, or for a first date, I think is a personal fragrance for when you go out alone, or when go out with fragrantica friends who can appreciate the beauty and complexity of Shalimar.

I remember very well snooping in my mother's perfumes when I was a very little girl and how I especially liked Shalimar; even to my baby nose it could'nt be denied the beauty of it. I need to get this for myself very soon.. - lilinah - you hit the nail on the head about the whole 'old lady smell' reviews on classics - you put it all so eloquently , so right on!

Shalimar is Divine! It is the most precious fragrance to me. Wearing it makes me feel happy, relaxed, joyful, in peace, ... . I make so many associatons with this perfume that I can get the feeling back again of being a newborn. I have never tried the Eau de Toilette or the Eau de Cologne. I need with this fragrance a strong and intense aura, so I can smell it for hours when I wear it. I always apply some drops of pure perfume on my neck, and then I spray the Eau de Parfum on top of it. It makes Shalimar even more special. I like to use the massage-bath and shower oil, body powder, body cream and deodorant-body spray. Even the last one has an excellent strong smell, so I have to try the Eau de Toilette too. But with Guerlain I always love the pure perfume. It's a elixir that goes beyond all common sense! Shalimar is the fragrance of a perfumer who had a golden nose and the fantasy of a dreaming innocent child. Jacques Guerlain remains one of the biggest artists in the Perfume Industry.

Just a hint on Shalimar: I always thought that only the EDP version is beauiful and unfortunatelly this version is practically not founfd in my country (maybe some of the new edition of it which I don't know yet). Since I love the smell of Shalimar I finally bought a bottle of the edt. I have to admit that it is gorgeous too, altough a bit sharper and the beginning is more citrusy than the EDp. But after a while it warms up almost like the EDP and becomes a very comforting, beautiful classic scent which I wouldn't ever call "old lady-like". Indeed, I think some people should know better themselves and if they prefer basically those niceily light, fresh and grilish perfumes, they should know that some of the classics may be too far from their taste to write an objectiv review on them.

I still don't fully understand all the "old lady smell" remarks in perfume reviews. Just how DO old ladies smell? Do they smell like unclean underwear? Do they smell like stale cigarette smoke? Do they smell like what they just cooked? Do they smell like moth-balled fur coats?

Or do the girls who use this epithet really mean old-fashioned? Because i find in reading review after review that often it is classic perfumes that are classified as "old lady". They are perfumes with a long history - often created by famous noses and produced by quality houses - perhaps better suited to more mature (i DON'T mean "old", but rather psychologically and emotionally mature), more confident women, who don't care whether they are wearing a currently "fashionable" scent.

The current and commonplace, overwhelmingly vanilla, sugary candy, cheap chocolate bar, gummy worm, artificial fruit - and so often shallow - perfumes named after celebrities exist to be marketed, i.e., created purely to make money and not as a fragrance work of art. I understand that perfumery is a business and if they don't make perfumes that sell, they'll go out of business, but currently there are so many fragrance "clones". (Aside: If the current trend for gourmand foody smells continues, since girl's perfume smells like candy and artificial fruit, perhaps young men's fragrances will smell like rare beef, barbecue sauce, and beer.) I have to confess, i prefer to eat dessert rather than smell like one. And i suspect few celebrity scents will survive to have a history of use as long as perfumes like Shalimar. (i can't imagine Britney Spears' named stuff being worn for 85 years)

I adore Shalimar. Yes, it is strong, so besides using it circumspectly, i guess one needs to be a strong woman who is sure of herself to wear it. No perfume is for everyone and naturally some self-assured women will not want to wear Shalimar.

But Shalimar does not smell like "an old lady", at least none of the old ladies i know. But it does perhaps smell old-fashioned, in the way that Leonardo di Vinci's "Mona Lisa", Monet's "Waterlilies", the Bugatti Atlantique, or Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum are old fashioned.

Shalimar perfume is heady, rich, complex, deep. It cannot be judged by how it smells on a piece of paper. It cannot be judge by how it smells in its first 15 minutes of wear. A traditional and perhaps "old fashioned" perfume is complex and changes over time, even over several hours. Shalimar is one of these.

I agree with susieqrj that Shalimar doesn't smell lemony. I've been wearing it off and on for 45 years and it has never smelled like citrus to me or on me (only some of the new outliers smell citrus sour). I also agree that it smells a bit smokey (cedar, vetiver, and patchouli, and perhaps leather). But it also smells sweet (tonka, vanilla, and balsam Peru).

I also agree with susieqrj that Shalimar is not a daily-wear fragrance. It would be highly inappropriate to wear to the average office - it can be oppressive in small spaces. But it's certainly good for elegant evening wear or romantic situations.

To me one of the qualities of greatness about Shalimar is that it manages to combine scents some may perhaps consider contradictory and marry them comfortably together - sweet and smokey, animalic and innocent, vanilla and leather.

Bought mine today, unsniffed. Was so curious about this one because of the so many interesting reviews.

Well, I´ll start my review by saying that it´s not that easy to wear. I just sprayed a minimum amount on my hand and it was very strong!

The very first impression was realy bad: too much smoke, almost salty bitter. And an annoying note that screamed "OLD LADY STUFF" to me.
I also could smell rose, but just like an old Brazilian soap called Phebo Odor de Rosas (Smell of Rose), that is very concentrated.

After 2 hours it become pleasant: lighter and still smoky but in a very good way,

I cant associate the following words to the fragrance: "succulent" / "juicy"/ r "lemony" / "sweet" / "delicious": I describe it as "smoky", "dense", "gothic", "powerful", "vintage", "extravagant".

It´s absolutely not a daily fragrance: it suits better cold nights.

It´s a good fragrance. The problem is that I had to "suffer" so much time to get a nice smell (and it was just a
little spritz).

I´ll wear it fully some other time and then I write my comments about it.

I've been wanting to test this one since forever, finally I did it today :)
I thing it's a nice, old style fragrance, I prefer it to Chanel 5 though.
It's very powdery; actually, 10 minutes after spraying it on my wrist, all I was able to smell is baby powder; very similar to Bvlgari Petits et Mamans. I expected much more after all what I've read about it... Could it be my skin ? Don't know.
Anyway, it's a good catch for powdery fragrance lovers.

This is just pure love for me, my skin/ph level absorbs it and play on the wonderful accord for hours and the drydown is amazing. I stole this from my mom when I was 13 years old, naughty girl...
Since then I have bought it myself again and again. The essence of it is a sexy sultry woman that stands her ground. No other perfume has given me so many unforgetable moments and compliments from both men and women.

Greetings to all from puerto rico.u.s.a. This is my first post,it is 12:30a.m. I recently gave my wife a bottle of shalimar as a gift,and when she removed the wrapping her eyes just glowed by the shape of the edp bottle,she like i have recently started collecting fragrances that are iconic so we were very anxious to let our senses be swept away by this mysterious scent,we were not dissapointed in the very least.The opening was very enamouring to her because it slightly reminded her of my own cologne jaipür.We ended the night sniffing each other,until twilight.Buenas noches/Good night?

This provoked an explosion on me, I can’t believe I waited this much to try this wonderful piece of luxury, at first it smells very leathery, but after some minutes, OMG! The flowers burst, and I feel in heaven.

Shalimar is perfume to me and not just a fragrance. Beautiful mystical, soothing scent of powder, but one of the finest. Has such a wonderful name that is supposed to be a heavenly scent. Incense gives special mysticism and a subtle femininity which is rarely found in fragrances from more recent times.Always imagine how a man can hardly resist a woman who wears Shalimar. Even months to pass it we'll always remember the fragrante note. I think that many powdery perfumes want to be like Shalimar. Some may resemble...but Shalimar is unique.

It is not difficult to see why Shalimar has stood the test of time.

Shalimar is still unique after all these years. Such a beautifully done fragrance, composed with careful consideration and oozing sophistication and elegance.

This fragrance is a warm, smokey and slightly spicy vanilla scent, with all the right qualities to make this sensual fragrance irresistible.

The opening is a wonderfully obscure citrus blend complimented by cedar. This combination surprisingly works. The top notes are strong but not overly so.

The heart of this fragrance is where the magic begins. On my skin I get a warm, somewhat leathery and spicy blend of floral notes. At first this scent reminded me of calamine lotion. Thank goodness that I like that medicinal type smell. Later I got something that smelt like a mixture of cigar smoke, powdery incense and fragrant woods.

I love that Shalimar continues to change and surprise me. I love that this fragrance is so unpredictable. Guerlain has certainly outdone themselves with this masterpiece.

I used to love strong scents like Shalimar-but as I grew from adolescent to young woman, I came to appreciate the subtlety of femininity. I sniff my wrist, and I find some pleasure in the resiny somewhat cinnamon-y aroma, but this is too strong for me to wear. It reminds me of one of my friends, a strong and interesting personality. She speaks her mind without worrying about whether or not her views are controversial. This makes me happy-it reminds me of her, and I love her.

Besides being strong and evoking nostalgia in me, I also find the "old-fashioned" feeling surrounding the scent to be deeply true and in my mind, undeniable. Sometimes a reminder of days past can feel ever so nice, other times it makes me think of the despair of the local antique shop owner, and all of the classy rich older ladies who shop there-everyone and everything whom I don't wish to emulate. So I will say I like this scent, because I feel some moments of love rising from smelling this, and some moments of displeasure. On average, I must like it then.

I got this perfume on my 21st birthday, lol many years ago but I still remember it as if it was yesterday.....I love the powdery and warm scent of it....no other perfume has come close to the smell....it brings back a lot of good memories and the bottle is a very interesting....

Not my cup of Darjeeling, although i can appreciate it's iconic status- and the bottle looks like something from the Arabian nights- very roaring 20s!

I have the edt, very powdery, feminine and the dry down, alluring vanilla.The scent stays on my skin for a couple of hours. Must try the edp.

Finally got my hands on a sample of the original Shalimar parfum, and for the first couple hours I smelt like I had rubbed petrol on myself. Its a pungent smelling scent, like men's cologne but even worse, like leather and petrol mixed. I can smell opoponax and its very overpowering. The drydown was a softer powdery scent, slightly vanillic but I could still detect the opp right until the end, I'm glad I have now tried this and got it out of my system. I would never wear this again and it didn't last that long on me, esp considering it was Parfum.

I always wore this for when I went on nights out.I just love the delicate powdery fragrance.A real winner for me.As per my usual luck,another one that's no longer readily available on the high street.

While I adore the bottle I detest the scent. Yes, it's a classic but it's one that you either love or hate. I can pick out even if the wearer left the room hours ago. I think of it as a scent that some hidious old rich pain in the ass women would choose. My apoligies to all that love it. I adore perfume but if this was my only option I'd happily go partially naked. If I don't have perfume on I'm not finished dressing.

Shalimar has been a very troubling fragrance for me, haha.:)
I always wanted to give it a try whilst at the perfume stand but always seemed to forget.The bottle is beautiful and very eyecatching and the juice inside...Well I dunno what to make of it.:P

The first time I smelled Shalimar, it smelled like this old lady perfume complete with rotten berries, not very nice, haha.Ok, I have this tendency not to generally like classics, but I was still surprised how unnice it smelled.

Well then I was at the perfume stand again sometime later and decided to give it another chance.Now I understood the whole Shalimar-hype! It was very vanillay and gosh, I am like such a huuuge vanilla fan!I didn't get any oldlady smell whatsoever and was totally in love and added it happily to my wishlist, knowing that yes, this was totally a potential perfume for me!

Well two days ago, I was at the ship's Tax Free shop and again decided to smell Shalimar, just to make sure that it really was as good as it had been the last time I smelled it.
Unofrtunately...I sprayed it on my hand and immediately this rancid indescribable bad smell hits my nose, I still detect the delicious vanilla hidden there somewhere, but unfortunately this ickiness dominates over the lovely vanilla...
I was very saddened when this happened, I guess I still need to think about whether or not I should get it and test it out a few more times.:)

Shalimar has class, its timeless and the queen of orientals.
Warm,sensual,creamy but never overwhealming. Oriental,mature and so beautyful ...

Guerlain rocks, and Shalimar is its queen. So elegant, sensual, exotic. It's like riding on a magical Indian carpet to some foreign romantic land Truly a well-deserved classic, and a must for super-special occasions.
I favor spicy orientals, so I knew I'd love Shalimar before I used it. There's no turning back- a fabulous scent.

nothing compares with shalimar!
i love all guerlain"s creations, they are , no doubt, a masterpiece and this is definetelly a chef-d'oeuvre.i wanted so much to liked and when i first smelled it it surprise me, it asn't whati expected but even bette and it became even better with time.
it's not agrresive in my opinion it strong and yet delicate just like shalimar garden.
it caries you on a magic trip in india without blowing your head like kenzo jungle.for me it's a very femine parfum and it's not as every body says just for strong women but for those that know what a woman means.

As somebody said, Shalimar makes me remember old ladies hugging me at the church, when I was a child. Well, at least it's a good memory for me!
I have a bottle of it in my collection, but can't wear it. Too powdery!
Gonna give it one more try!

How can you not love this?An ultimate classic you never get tired of.
Starts with a citrus-vanilla mix and turns out to a powdery vanilla smell,i like wearing it at wintertime.I wore to new years eve once with matching bodylotion,its just great.

The Shalimar is great, i'm wearing it now.. at first sniff there's a touch of something like styrax, something resiny, and then it goes into pure baby powder and vanilla, then a mixture of the greenish styrax, baby powder and vanilla... With out wanting to upset anyone, as a mother who breastfed for two years, I detect something very similar to breastmilk in here too. A lovely balance of the coolness and warmth. It's very soothing. My boyfriend loves it. He's definitely smelling my neck when we hug, which is great as our 4 year anniversary is coming up!
It's very appropriate for the young wife of Shah Jahan who inspired it... she had 14 children with him... so it's lovely for a woman with children, to smell beautiful, and timeless, and have her motherhood in no way detract from but only enhance her beauty. I think thats something which is missing as an idea in modern culture... the timeless ness, beauty, and personality of a family woman. This perfume is not about raw sex appeal. It's about love, and the whole person.
Definitely a keeper for me, and I think might even subconsciously encourage my partner to think about more children to add to our little family of two adults, one child and a very pretty cat.

I began wearing Shalimar perfume 44 years ago when i was 16 and confiscated my mother's beautiful bottle.
.
On me i have *never* noticed strong citrus or vanilla notes. Instead, it is a rich, dark fragrance of the woody and incensey base notes lightened somewhat by the florals. This is the Oriental against which i compare all others - and few are its equal.
.
Alas my ancient perfume bottle has only a tiny amount of oxidized oil left in it. I tried it on recently and it just didn't smell the same until i warmed it up well, and then it smelled like the Shalimar i adore.
.
Now i need a new bottle, but i've heard rumors that it is now only a shadow of its former self. Is this true? A real tragedy if it is. Or perhaps some have just mistaken one of the eaux de toilette or legere versions for the genuine perfume.

This one takes some getting used to. I've only tried this fragrance in its EDT and pure extrait form, and the difference between the two is a pretty big leap.

The EDT smells, to my nose, of band aids and baby powder - at first. After about 30 minutes or so, I'm surprised to find that that warm, buttery vanilla wafting through the air around me is the same perfume that smelled of the stuff found in a medicine cabinet, earlier. The dry-down of Shalimar is beautiful and if you can stick around for the first several minutes while this formulation develops, you're in for a treat that is worth the wait.

As for the extrait, well, if you can afford it, it's worth its weight in gold. You can knock twenty minutes off the clock in the time it takes to develop, and the sweet, spicy, vanilla dry-down is amplified by about a thousand.

I have yet to try the EDP version, as perfume stores tend to have only the EDT available to test, but I expect it to be somewhere in between the other two formulations. There are a whole lot of notes here and the only thing I can say for sure is that the dry-down is heavenly; it brings to mind the happiness of holidays, the luxury of extravagant desserts, and the richness of the color gold.

As its taken me some time to discover, Guerlain's parfums are not merely cosmetic accessories, but rather works of art, and they need time to bloom on the skin. The notes will develop and tell a story along the way, if you're careful not to judge a book by it's cover, or rather, the perfume by it's first impression after spraying. It seems to me that the perfumers at Guerlain don't really put much effort into top-notes; they instead seem to focus on creating lovely perfumes that will transform and exceed their first impressions. If the top-notes aren't appealing, it's worth a few patient moments of endurance if it leads to something beautiful and unexpected, as this one does. Good things come to those who wait.

Shalimar is a rich decadent velvet. A walk in an Indian spice market. Smoky, with a slightly floral centre, and smooth guerlinade base. The topnote of bergamot lends a fleeting freshness to this elegant classic oriental perfume, before opening out to a rich incense-like powdery woody spicy vanilla.
Beautiful for winter or evening wear but can easily be worn during the summer or daytime if used with a light hand.
There is a touch of leather in the base which gives a sexy animalic feeling to this fragrance.
Men seem to love this as has already been mentioned, and it is extremely longwearing with a smooth composition and gentle meandering drydown.
Men could easily wear this one too IMO.
A favourite to be sure.

I am 56 years old and as a child/teenager hated vanilla! My mother used to give me awful tasting vanilla pudding and ice cream. Then in the mid 70's my boyfriend (husband to be) bought me a bottle of Shalimar. I took one sniff and was hooked on the vanilla. It was a wonderful aroma .. the sort you can never get enough of. I am so glad it is back I keep meaning to get some. But I wonder if it smells the same as in the old days? I must find a shop where I cn try them out.

Shalimar is for me a mythical scent of daydreaming of long journeys in eastern lands, a strong imagery for a slightly unsocial clumsy romantic teenager who spent lot of time alone... This is my feeling for Shalimar because of memories. I fell in love with the perfumed cards into magazines, the scent was just amazing! it was the time when Shalimar was marketed by the lady with a black hat in the "armenian" church. Such a strong mysterious, bold and powerful female vision! then I managed to buy a small 30ml bottle of Parfum de Toilette, a dream come true like a previous reviewer wrote. Anyway it didn't work well with my chemistry, not even my appearance at that time. Shalimar stayed there like a small golden hidden treasure. I still own that bottle and the juice inside has only got better. Actually I need to say that both Shalimar and Samsara (my fave!) smell different in modern bottles than they did back in time, let's say 15 years ago. what happened?
I have a pale olive, cold Mediterranean skin for reference and since then Shalimar worked better. Many years have passed and I'm a different person. Still Shalimar is not totally me. It's something I'm used to smell, but on me is not a happy smell or doesn't make me feel happy. I wear the EdP and it changes a lot according to days. It goes from harsh citrus start+sexy refined vanilla to old stuff grandfather's wool sweater smell to masculin after-shave! Sometimes harsh and sour, sometimes mellow. I agree that this could be the scent of love as long as it works for you, otherwise it could be the smell of sadness.
Guerlains classics are the real stuff compared to new releseas, still they can be heavy to carry around on your body, they can be stiff and very serious, making you look serious.
I would see these fragrances on exuberant young elegant ladies, more then mature women.
If Shalimar doesn't work right with your chemistry you will smell gross, like old powdered ladies or baby diapers! Unfortunately many people insist in wearing it all the time just to say they're wearing Shalimar and feel classy.

Such beautiful bottle, such interesting story, such wonderful mystery. Yet it feels old lady like, I don't mind but this is the wrong way.

I've decided to give it a second try as I have learned that most Guerlain fragrances need time to develop and I was truly intrigued by this amazing story here,Taj Mahal, love, death.
Anyway, the opening is still almost unbearable to me, so sharp citrus cedar that it tells my nose to move back, but after like a half an hour it changes to something like old wood, leather and spices, something still sharp but I want to explore my wrist for it's intriguing!
The best part, believe it or not, comes only after two hours (some fragrances are all gone by the time I get the best of Shalimar :)
The final best part is elegant and warm , more incense, woody scent is less dominant and a bit of vanilla leather. It is still distinct and comes to my nose in warm waves but much more calm, not so aggressive like the opening.
I guess my story here can be summarized metaphorically as a fight of Shalimar ingredients about a dominance on the stage. They seem to push each other around trying to grab the microphone and sing the story of a tragic love.
Very intriguing fragrance, classy and unusual.
I'm thinking of getting a small bottle for special occasions only since it's too sophisticated to wear it on an ordinary day.
Definitely one of a kind.
Everyone who thinks she hates Shalimar see what I have learned since my first review :)

Finally!~I tried this perfume on my skin. What can I say? It's very citrusy with cedar at first (almost like 'lemon' candy but there's not just lemon smell, there's various kind of citruses. The top notes gives out really impression of word 'oriental'. It's oriental, it's name is Shalimar (great name!), it's bottle and juice color fits the perfume perfectly. It can even without doubt worn by a man. (Hello, Robert :D) It's serious, it's sensual, also has some 'creamy' feeling to it, that's what I think of top notes. But later, you get treated with heart notes too. I can feel vetiver, rose and iris and incense and something spicy as well. It's so stunning! Then there's something woody and leather too - it is a perfume I'd love to wear in any age. Also it has the feeling that it was created a long time ago, but it's never outdated. I love it so much! I can imagine wearing it in September or October, it reminds me of beautiful time when leaves are colorful -red and yellow- and are falling down making circles on their way to ground. It reminds me of how wonderful it's to take a walk in the Old Riga and visit some shops you can imagine not much people know about them, this perfume is so comforting and really wonderful.
I'd like to have a Parfum or vintage bottle of it... eh...

The bottle gives me the image of royalty, after reading the story above it makes sense. BUT..this was awful on me a medicine like smell of strong a vicks like essence. Don't know where I got this scent but it was terrible on me. Great lasting power because I could not get it out of my nose and off my wrist. I was so wanting more out of this, the reviews were so nice of this and all I got was a medicine scent. Very disappointing!

I tried Shalimar recently and had a really not nice experience with it. It's way too strong for me and too old fashioned. Maybe it's my skin chemistry but it's really highly unpleasant, but it's lasting power is remarkable, could not get rid of it. Bottles on the other hand are gorgeous.

got a tester today.
what can I say-this perfume is for those who can wait.
it takes a looot of time to develop!

The first notes are so strong, almost unbearable, too cedary and woody and there is one other note I cannot identify that is distracting at the beginning. However with time Shalimar reviels its powdery, musky, warm sensuality, it settels on you as it reacts with you skin:)
I can compare Shalimar with an evening dress, not a cocktail one, but a full evening gown:) its difficult to wear, but sometimes you want big time!
would definitely reccomend to test for all the perfume lovers:)

i have been using perfumes since my teenage years n now i intend to buy shalimar.i luv to read your all comments abt any kinds of perfumes my favourites are ysl n guerlain

I'm so surprised at how much I don't like this. Some of my favourite perfumes are Guerlain (Vetiver) 'powdery' (Cabochard), vanilla-ey (Dior Addict) or even Citrussy (Boucheron, which I wear to do dirty housework or gardening- times when it suits to smell a bit like disinfectant!). But this- the EdT with an hour to develop-strikes me as hard edged baby powder going nowhere.

This has the most beautiful dry-down of any floral oriental I've tested recently! Although chocolate isn't listed in the notes, I got a white chocolate mixed in with the vanilla and musk. It was heavenly.

BUT...I hated the first half an hour. I almost had to do a scrub-down. I've never liked lemony scents, and I can only rarely tolerate citrus scents in general. The opening notes of this perfume were not only very, very lemony...they were very, very strong! I applied a small amount from a vial, came downstairs, and within ten seconds (still being about ten feet away), my fiancee said, "Are you testing ANOTHER perfume?" He didn't want to get anywhere close to my arm to test it. I told him to be patient and give it awhile to settle! :)

So...I'm still trying to decide if I should buy it. I feel that it requires a spot, but I just don't know how often I'll wear it. I need to think about this one.

I unfairly avoided this scent because my mother always complained about that "horrible old Shalimar" that could be found in great abundance, and felt that Shalimar's popularity somehow undercut her own favorite Guerlain scent Chant d'Aromes, which was almost impossible to find. I finally tried Shalimar a while back, and I must say, I like it. I would have hated the strong, old-fashioned floral opening when I was younger, but now I find it heady and intoxicating. The real magic of Shalimar, though, is in its glorious vanilla base, which is so warm and golden, it fairly glows.