Guerlain has launched Shalimar Ode à la Vanille Sur la Route du Mexique, a new gourmand oriental flanker to 1925's Shalimar, and the latest in the series that began with 2010's Shalimar Ode à la Vanille.
Shalimar Ode à la Vanille Sur la Route du Mexique was developed by Guerlain house perfumer Thierry Wasser, and pays tribute to the origins of vanilla in Mexico. The notes include caramel, chocolate, iris, incense, opoponax, tonka bean and vanilla.
Guerlain Shalimar Ode à la Vanille Sur la Route du Mexique is available at Marionnaud in France, in 50 ml Eau de Parfum for €84.
(via marionnaud, additional information via parfum-femme.prime-beaute)
Dear Guerlain.
Tenuous+link≠Shalimar.
Yours sincerely,
Shalimar Devotee.
I am a huge fan of the second ode à la vanille (the Madagascar one). It was identical to my extrait for a fraction of the price. I even bought a back up!
That said, I am scared to think what Shalimar + caramel + chocolate might smell like.
I feel queasy just writing down the combo!!!
But I am brave, and I will cautiosly smell it when it will reach my shores (with an empty stomach and preferably in the evening, or better: in a chilly evening)…
I did not smell the Madagascar, but then — did smell the original Ode, but now sadly I cannot remember it.
I am so getting my hands on this one! I loved my Madagascar but so regretted not purchasing a back-up. Hope this is just as good or even better! (Read somewhere its fruitier than the previous one)
Thanks, good to know.
Being a proud owner of the 2010 version I would love to test the other two too. It would be a great experience to sniff the differences. But here in this sleepy little town there probably won’t be any opportunity. Even if a tester showed up there still would be those stupid SAs who always ruin my visits to the best perfume shop over here…
The 2010 version reminds me of the vanilla flavoured pipe tobacco old men used to smoke when I was a kid. It is a lot softer than the current Shalimar EdP version but you cannot deny that it is a Shalimar. Warm and hugging from a distance but if you come closer it is all bergamotte and no-nonsense…
Thinking I will not have the opportunity either.
I liked both 2010′s Shalimar Ode à la Vanille and the second version, Madagascar. In fact, I like them both better than the current formulation of Shalimar. The notes in Sur la Route du Mexique do sound a little strange for a Shalimar flanker, but I’m more than willing to give it a try, based on the last two.
damn, sounds like a proper gourmand Shalimar
can’t wait to try this one
As an old-school Shalimar lover, this caramel chocolate confection sounds way too tweened for my grown-up, bomb-shell lovin’ self! Besides, shouldn’t a Mexican chocolate have hot chilis mixed in with it? That might move it back into the right age range, anyway.
But it’s Mexican vanilla, not Mexican chocolate!
Ah yes, you are correct.
You could add a liberal dose of A*Men Pure Chili for effect 8D
I didn’t like that A*Men flanker but maybe layered with some Shalimar …
For vanilla, my mom swears by vanilla extract from Mexico so I was excited when I saw this one announced. I haven’t found a Shalimar that plays nice with me, could this be the one?
Lys, you may like to try Carthusia: Ligea la Sirena.
Shalimar is not good on me either, but Ligea smells on me like Shalimar smells on people who wear it well.
Thanks Merlin, I’ll look for it!
This sounds Devine ! I hope the incense note is done well…. I am a new parent of Shalimar , perhaps a new sweet sister?
This is quite nice, its my favorite of the three flankers…..gourmand but not too sweet. Beautifully done.
This sounds toothachingly sweet but right up my alley. It is too bad that the distribution is extremely limited (why Guerlain, why?). Maybe Saks NYC will have it – a girl can only dream
I had a chance to try it on skin yesterday. At first it was really similar to the Madagascar one, so I forgot it. But after a couple of hours later, it grew really interesting. The chocolate notes were turning it into something bitter, not too gourmand at all, almost ‘boisé’, and it felt like a real new version of Shalimar itself! Since we forgot to smell it regularely we might have missed the vanilla core, but anyway, it was very gorgeous. Whereas on the tiny piece of paper where I sprayed some as well, the chocolate and caramel notes are a bit sweet; you can still recognize Shalimar of course, but it’s like a boring version of it. Oh and on a side note, I didn’t try it on my own skin but on a guy’s one – his skin actually reacts incredibly well to perfumes including good vanilla notes, and any Shalimar version evolves way better than on me. I might give it some other tries (on my own skin this time!) but I know I’m already likely to buy it one day or another.
Sorry for bad description!
What an extremely long name.