Happy Shalimar Friday! Our community project for today: wear Guerlain Shalimar, or a Shalimar flanker, or a perfume that is related to Shalimar in some way (it does not have to be by Guerlain!)
What fragrance did you pick? As always, do chime in with your scent of the day even if you’re not participating in the community project.
I meant to wear the 2010 version of Shalimar Ode à la Vanille but I could not find my sample and perhaps I used it up. So instead I'm wearing a tiny bit (I don't have much) of vintage Guerlain Shalimar Extrait on one wrist (it smells like luxury) and Shalimar Parfum Initial (with apologies to any fans, meh) on the other.
Reminder: on 2/1 we're doing 1 Star Friday: wear your favorite perfume ranked only one star by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez in Perfumes: the Guide (if you don't own the book, you can find a compiled list at Basenotes) or in Luca Turin's Style Arabia columns. Partial credit for a two-star perfume! And if anyone knows where other lists can be found online, do comment. (suggested by Bastet) Update: you can download the index to the 2008 Hardcover version of Perfumes: the Guide here (thanks kpaint!)
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2016, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Oh gosh first to comment. Wearing Shalimar EDT from a bottle I recently re-found, at least 10 years old I’d say. It has survived too much heat and sun remarkably well and still smells rather lovely. It seems to have less of the strong opening than my more recent EDP and goes straight to a glorious smoky vanilla pretty quickly.
Meanwhile the combination of vintage and PI sounds pretty good.
Sounds lovely. The strong citrus opening of the EdT is my least favorite part. The drydown is divine.
Same here. I got a bottle of EdT for Christmas, and the opening made me worry…so strong! 20 minutes later, it’s heaven!
Agreed – I love the drydown the best.
Shalimar EdT as well. It’s a mini bottle my mom gave me that she must have gotten with her bottle of parfum many years ago. Still smells lovely. I never realized until recently what a great collection she has!
I am wearing this only because I like y’all and wanted to participate. I have been given two bottles of Shalimar ETD from a lovely French relative but really haven’t wanted to wear it. It’s nicer than I remembered, so that’s good!
Thanks for taking one for the team 🙂
I’ll be wearing Shalimar EdT later tonight when I get home….the sillage is a bit too loud on my skin for my little office. Have a coworker who is not a fan of sillage! 🙂
For now, enjoying Vera Wang Embrace Iris and Periwinkle. I love that this is a drugstore deal! It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite scents, and the lotion is amazing!
HAPPY FRIDAY!! So ready for a weekend puttering around the house, catching up on housework and maybe a little cooking….
Happy Friday! Enjoy your Shalimar this evening. 🙂
Love the sound of you’re weekend, i’m going to have a similar one, we’ve got some friends coming over for lunch on sunday.
Vintage parfum today, which surprised me by being a bit less animalic and getting to the vanillic drydown more quickly than the current edp.
Could be a dabbed vs sprayed phenomenon. A couple of weeks ago, I caught Shalimar’s unmistakable sillage on one of two mature ladies walking around the track at the gym. Even if you don’t like wearing it, Shalimar smells delicious in someone else’s wake.
Agree with smelling it on someone else – always nice.
I agree that Shalimar always smells fantastic when you catch of whiff of sillage.
I have an older bottle of Shalimar EdT, but for today I went with Shalimar Ode a la Vanille Sur la Route du Mexique. I wear Mexique much more often than the original EdT.
My husband walked into the room this morning: “I smell baby powder.”
Me: “No, you smell lemon chiffon, vanilla, and tonka bean.”
Husband: “Okay, I’ll be sure to tell my nose.”
Me: “Please do!”
:-p
At least he picked up on one aspect! My husband tends to say “smell like rose” for nearly anything.
LOL! One of my family members has taken to saying, “It’s VERY musky” about most anything. Most recent offender was Safran Troublant. 😛
Mine tends towards “smells like powder” but I was wearing Cuir de Gardenia the other day and he said “Um…big flower, not rose, and…smoke?” Which I thought was pretty darn good!
Applause!
Impressive! 🙂
Ha! When I ask my husband what something smells like, he always says “perfume?”
Ha, I get that a lot, too.
Cheeky monkeys 😉
Well, that’s a step up from what I generally get, which is “smells like flowers!”
One standard response I get is, “Smells like Nordstrom.” (This is not a compliment.) It is an improvement over recoiling back any time I get my wrist near his nose, however, which he no longer does. And the other day he even paused and lingered and thought for a while before saying, “Now this one I’ve actually smelled before.” It was vintage Obsession, which once smelt, cannot be easily forgotten, one assumes.
I love this. Mine often says I smell of flowers. Which I think means just generally pleasant!
I get either You smell like flowers or You smell like incense. Those seem to be the only two categories.
Ha.
hee hee.
That’s so sweet! My husband never comments unless he doesn’t like something.
LOL! My 2 girls LOVE perfume now, and we love to sit and smell our little stash, picking out notes.
My 10 yr son is like your husband….Everything smells like “perfume”. HA HA 🙂
Very cute 😉
My husband’s sniffer is so nuanced it really is hard to be a perfume lover in our little home. I will say he is quite gracious about it, and although will complain here and there, he pretty much lets me enjoy and also is thoughtful in picking up samples for me and even buying FBs of fragrance he’s not particularly fond of.
Sounds like a keeper! 🙂
I really enjoyed reading those comments!
My beloved is not interested in perfume and he doesn’t generally comment unless my perfume is really strong, some comments have been favourable, some less so. References to toilet cleaner and flyspray have been a little off-putting, but he recently commented very positively on Papillon’s Salome, which rather surprised me. It’s one of the more challenging perfumes I’ve tried and I thought he’d be aghast 🙂
Salome – nice! It’s interesting to hear what fragrances they pick up on and what they have to say, even if it’s not what we want to hear.
😉
Hmm, I’ll wear Shalimar-inspired Musc Ravageur! This was one of my very first niche loves. I got a sample way back when, when the Frederic Malle website would send you 3 samples based on your answers to their questionnaire!
I love the sample I got. I was not as familiar with Shalimar then but I get the connection a bit now. There is a sales man at Barney’s SF who is good about FM samples if you ever are in SF
Barney’s, so nice. Boston, likewise.
Ah, those were the days, yes? And I think MR is yummy. Wish they still made the oil – I had a sample of it and it was luggggsury.
They were indeed! If I remember, the questionnaire results weren’t even automized. You got an email a few days later from a member of the Frederic Malle team with a personalized analysis! Going from that to an Lauder-worthy global brand must have been quite a journey- I hope we get a Frederic Malle autobiography someday…
That’s an idea! FYI, my Pilates teacher is living in the Mosaic District, and I’ve gotten instructions re how to get there by Metro. I’m curious to try more CBIHs and another line you added recently.
Be still my heart!
(And this also answers my real question for the day, which is, do I hate things in the vicinity of Shalimar or do I hate things with the guerlainade? I think it’s the latter.)
I seldom have any scents to participate in the Friday project but I did today! My friend made me go to an estate sale for sewing supplies. The supplies were dated and worse for wear but, on the way out I spotted JOY still in box, Weil ANTELOPE 3/4 full, and SHAILMAR eau de cologne unopened, aprox. 1969!!! So, I am having fun this morning. I teach 7-8 years old and the only comment I have ever had about how I smell is that a SL smelled like brownies. I don’t worry about silage with these kids, it could even be a plus as we face possible raining day lunch inside the room. Curry, sushi, and school hot lunch scents get a bit thick all at the same time in one room.
Wow, what a find! I dream of finding an old bottle of Joy.
Robin, I have a bottle of Joy that was given to me in 1972. I hesitate to open it. Kind of a Pandora’s box of memories could spill out. Both good and not so good…this is life, but one has to be in the right mood and space to do it. Same with old pictures.
No Shalimar or anything like it for me.
Think I’ll reach for Volutes and maybe purchase a bottle of Skive today.
Oh, that’s tough!
Yay for vintage finds and participating. I love that Shalimar is going to make the lunch room smell better!
Oh, the EDC is my favorite actually, the only one that seems plausible to me (and I’m sorry more don’t, because I do see that they’re gorgeous.) Congrats on your find!!
What a wonderful find!
What wonderful luck! Your reward for being a good friend!
What a great story – vintage finds are just so much fun!
Mmm, I love Shalimar but I don’t own any right now. Best I can do is vintage Emeraude EdT.
Holy moly, I love vintage Emeraude.
Oh, the grandmother of mine who wore Shalimar (ha, first typed “who worse Shalimar”, not entirely inaccurate) also wore Emeraude. And the one thing I can say for her, she did have very fine taste!
Vintage Emeraude is totally lovely. It’s funny b/c I was looking at the Turin/Sanchez list for one star fragrances for next week’s challenge. And the only one that I have is Emeraude, except mine is vintage pdt, and not what they have reviewed for the worst of the current. But it’s my choice for next Friday! Gorgeous vintage Emeraude for one star Friday!
But the review also calls the original Emeraude “a masterpiece……unequaled among orientals.” To wear it on one star Friday would be….gauche! (No offense meant, Ann!)
It also says rumor had it that Coty sold the formula to Guerlain, seems to imply in the 4 years before the creation of Shalimar.
I am wearing Guerlain Heritage edp, and darned if it doesn’t smell like my grandmother’s Emeraude (circa 1970). I’d never noticed before. 🙂
No offense taken! What is a girl to do if she has no 1 star fragrances!!!
Do you have a 2 star? If not, you could always just wear anything from a LT / TS review that you violently disagree with, maybe?
Oh, I’m sure I’ll find something to wear that the consider disagreeable, lol!
Vintage Shalimar cologne for me today
The cologne’s the one that makes me sorry I can’t do Shalimar. I really see that it’s gorgeous.
twin!
I’m in the anti-Shalimar camp, so today I’m in Mitsouko edt. I absolutely must get a full bottle when I start buying again, and I also must try some of the other versions, the edp and the extrait.
A nice alternative. You smell great!
PriscillaE, how do you feel about an early birthday? (Which is to say, I was thinking about my Mitsouka last night and going “I should send this to someone who will love it more”.) Drop me an email at aekolbeckatgeeemail if you’re interested!
Mitsouko is perfectly fantastic as a substitute!
Shalimar Parfum Initial L’Eau. While Shalimar Parfum Initial did not work for me (it turned into some kind of expired makeup on my skin), I enjoy L’Eau version, although I do not find any similarities to the original Shalimar (I own and love Shalimar EDP).
Expired makeup! Thank you. That is just the scent profile I get when certain scents go bad, but have not placed it as such before.
Incidentally, Shalimar Parfum Initial didn’t pan out for me either.
Going to have to try the L’eau, i have avoided it this far.
🙂
Shalimar Parfum Initial had a very pronounced kind of plastic auto fuel smell to my nose. So I was disappointed b/c I wanted to get into the newer Shalimars. I’ve not smelled any of the other flankers yet.
Thought about rocking some vintage Emeraude (I love the parfum de toilette), but went for Shalimar Light instead. Yummy. All the cozy parts of Shalimar without the tarry stuff.
Ditto for Light. You smell great. So sad it was discontinued.
I do really like that Shalimar Light – I have a small decant that I indulge in the summer.
Maybe I’ll wear some Shalimar later, right now it’s all gloomy friday in lovely Dans tes Bras.
I have Shalimar in that nice “Fourreau du Soir” bottle with leather bow and lace decor. The scent is regulair EDP, probably my favourite Shalimar concentrarion yet.
Just tried Dans tes Bras and really liked it. Do you think it ok for work? I think it is good without huge silage so far but have to consider a full bottle.
I wore it to work, no problem. It’s not loud.
Totally agree, I have worn it to work several times successfully and with great pleasure. I feel it is one of those scents that maybe don’t actually register as perfume out and about? It kinda becomes the scent you – your clothes, hair, skin, etc. One of the aspects I love about Dans tes Bras.
I’m wearing Shalimar EDT from a sample I have. I really wish I was wearing the parfum. It’s on the list. I think my list of bottles I’d like to purchase is something like having the entire population of China walking past me.It would literally never end because of the rate of population increase.
Great way to describe the wish list. And you smell great of course.
I plan to buy the parfum version as well. That is whenever, if ever, I finish my bottle of EDP which is still almost full. I agree with SophieC, great analogy on your wish list.
My massage therapist (who is awesome and lovely and talented) is really sensitive to certain notes, and all of those are in Shalimar. We know this because I almost choked her out with it once (poor thing!) and I’ve promised never to wear it again when I see her.
All that to say I am going to wear something fruity and fresh and lightly applied today and hop on the Shalimar train this evening.
You all smell great!!!
You are a good client. 🙂
A great massage therapist is much harder to find than a great fragrance. Good choice to keep her and hold off on the Shalimar. Plus, you don’t want to interfere with the beautifully scented oils she uses.
Shalimar EdC from appx 1980-90 today. I don’t love this, but compared to that awful Shalimar Ode a la Vanille Madagascar I’ve been wearing for the past two days, this is positively dreamy.
I really expected not to like this week’s theme, because I’m not such a Shalimar fangirl, but I’ve enjoyed it quite a lot as it has given me new appreciation for Shalimar EdC. Thanks, Robin!
What don’t you like about the Madagascar version?
I think it just never seems like a coherent scent. There is a very strong lemon, and while I normally like lemon, this is too fake smelling. Then there is a very strong vanilla, which is not one of my favorite notes to begin with. And they always smell layered, they never really combine. It’s the olfactory equivalent of lemon meringue pie. If I just had lemon, it’d be great. Lemon meringue tempts me sometimes and is always disappointing.
This is a great visual for Shalimar, lemon meringue pie. Light and frothy meringue; buttery lemon custard; caramelized wheat in the crust. I’ll have to try to make more culinary associations when smelling in the future.
And I agree on the EdC, which I find utterly delectable. I wore some from 2000 yesterday and by comparison the Souffle and Mexique flankers I’ve worn since smelled distinctly synthetic. I hope I haven’t ruined myself for them…
“Lemon meringue tempts me sometimes and is always disappointing.”
+1. And it could apply to so many things. That’s the kind of statement I want on my tombstone. 🙂
Oh good!
I am rocking Shalimar EDP for me today. With this comment, I feel like I’m shouting my SOTD into a cavern and it’s echoing back to me with all of your voices. 🙂 I prefer to wear Shalimar at night and will frequency douse myself on cold nights before bedtime, so cozy.
oops… frequently… work interruptions…
Same here!- so cosy.
I do it too. A great bedtime scent.
Me, too!
Shalimar is one of my bedtime frags, although I mostly do that in the summer. I have some of the dusting powder which is great after shower and before bed.
Could not miss Shalimar Friday!
Wearing a few dabs of the perfume.
Lovely 🙂
Hope you’re both feeling well. 🙂
Well, it IS Shalimar day, after all, so what better reason to wear the vintage parfum?
Scandalous as it might be, I also put a spritz of ELDO Jasmin et Cigarette on my arm. I’m contemplating wearing both (together) as wedding scents: JeC for the ceremony and then Shalimar layered on top for the reception. Fiancé loves Shalimar, but Jasmin et Cigarette was what I was wearing when he proposed. Side by side, I actually really like them.
Ahhh!!! Oh my gosh I had no idea J&C had immediately become so important! That’s the best!!
And I actually totally see these two together. The improbably pretty, delicate tarriness of J&C and then Shalimar for more oompf. And both have a brightness to tie them together as well. I love it, genius idea.
Aww, yay 🙂
JeC was AMAZING in Puerto Rico. It had such an enveloping waft that really bloomed in the humidity. It was already on my FB list for when I finish the decant, but now the scent has made the leap to magical. Thanks for introducing me! 😀
You’re so right that the two fit together unexpectedly, and they balance each other strangely beautifully. Shalimar provides weight and JeC provides lift, with both being dark and smoky, yet simultaneously bright in completely different ways. Trying to explain why it works, I’m at a total loss for words.
This sounds great!
This sounds like a great combination. Although if I tried it, I would put Shalimar first and JeC on top, a lighter fragrance over a heavier.
I’m in a bit of vintage (70s maybe) Shalimar. I’m interested in seeing what people choose–in my mind the Shalimar family is either “all orientals ever” or “Shalimar + flankers”. Obviously I’m not well-versed in Shalimar’s relatives!
I’ve only smelled the Shalimar Light, which is really lovely, and the Parfum Initial, which I didn’t care for. But I actually think that the Bois d’Armenie is very similar in some ways to Shalimar.
I could have worn my Shalimar EDP (I like it a lot), but as it’s my birthday, I’m wearing something that’s more ‘me’: Arquiste Boutonniere No 7. It’s a beautiful gardenia scent and if you are a white floral lover but haven’t tried it, you should.
I also wanted to apologise for not responding to all the comments in recent days – it’s getting busy in the office and with the birthdays coming up (my daughter’s birthday is on the same day as mine) and staying up every night until 2am to take Lumi for a bathroom break is taking a toll. Otherwise I’m great – just a bit tired and and logistically challenged 🙂
Happy Birthday! It’s only natural you would wear something more “you” today! Happy Birthday to your daughter as well! I hope you both enjoy the day and many happy returns.
Thank you, Holly!
Having a puppy really is like having a baby, i remember puppy training well. Sounds like you’re doing a fantastic job of keeping on top of everything, and it won’t be long untill he’s fully house trained.- wow that’s lovely that your’e daughter shares you’re birthday, what an amazing gift!
I will make a note of this one, for when i finally get to London to try Nanban, i’ll try Boutonnaire as well, love a big white floral.
Is it today?- sorry, Happy Birthday to you, and you’re little girl, hope your’e having a fantastic day, and obviously u smell amazing!
Please don’t apologise – it was a very confusing comment. I lost half a sentence there somewhere… But yes, it’s today 🙂 And we have matching tiaras!
On Boutonniere: it’s not huge, but it’s not quiet either. The woody-green backdrop makes it quite sophisticated and while I have tried many white florals, I haven’t found anything that fills the same niche for me.
Annikky,
Happy Birthday to you and your daughter!
Enjoy your special day!
Oh happy birthday to you both!! What will you do to celebrate? Besides the excellent Boutonniere No 7, already a wonderful start to the birthday–I just tried that recently and gosh is it good.
Lill will have her friends over on Sunday, but looks like I’m going to have my first ever surprise party tonight. I received a calendar invite, but really don’t know what the plan is. Dinner with family first, though 🙂
!! How exciting! Can’t wait to hear how it unfolds!
Happy Birthday, you smell great!
Thank you! I was very happy with my choice, love that scent.
Happy Birthday. I hope you and your daughter have a lovely day!
We had a wonderful day, thank you!
Happy Birthday to you and Lill! How awesome that you share a birthday- I bet you couldnt have planned it if you tried. Hope you both have a wonderful day 🙂
This was the due date from the beginning, but I thought it would never happen. And then it did, of course 🙂
Happy Birthday for you and your daughter. Hope you will have a wonderful day!
Thank you! And we did.
Happy birthday to you and your daughter, what a special day to share! Have fun!
Thanks! I had possibly a little too much fun yesterday, but it was… fun.
Happy Birthday!! You should definitely wear a favorite chosen scent on your day….Shalimar is good anytime! 🙂 Hope Lumi’s bladder matures soon! HA HA
Thank you! And Lumi seems to be learning and developing rapidly, fingers crossed.
Happy birthday to you and your daughter. What a special bond to share!
I think so too! Thank you.
Happy Birthday to you! Hope you have a fun birthday weekend too!
Thanks! It has been great thus far and Lill’s party is still to come tomorrow.
Happy Birthday to both of you!
Thank you!
Happy Birthday, Annikky! I just celebrated mine two days ago. January can be such a dull month, it’s nice to have a birthday to liven things up a little 🙂 .
Hope you had a lovely birthday too! 🙂
I did, perthgirl. Thank you!
Happy belated birthday to you! I hope it was wonderful. And it’s strange, I am a very science-minded person and have absolutely no faith in astrology, but somehow am still glad that I’m an Aquarius 🙂 Go figure.
I don’t believe in astrology either, so why does the description of Aquarius fit me to a T?
Happy birthdays fellow aquarians ????
Aquarians are the best 😉 Thank you!
Belated Birthday wishes to you. I enjoy astrology but don’t live by it either, but was kind of blown away by a comprehensive report someone did for me. It was eerily accurate.(my “moon sign” is in Aquarius).
Belated Happy Birthday!
Ooh, belated Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday to you two!
Thanks a lot!
Happy birthday!!
Thank you!
Happy Birthday to you and your daughter! What a nice gift to have someone you love born on your birthday. I hope you get a peaceful day to yourself soon and a full nights sleep.
Also, you smell great!
Thank you! And I slept almost till noon today 🙂
Happy birthday to you and your daughter! Last night I stayed up late to finish _The Goblin Emperor_, and last week I read _At Bertram’s Hotel_, and I was just thinking this morning how grateful I was for your reading list to get me back in the fiction groove.
I’m so happy hear that the recommendations have been useful! And The Goblin Emperor is difficult to put down…
And thank you!
Happy Birthday to you both! Having a puppy is like having a baby all over again, it sounds like. Noting the Arquiste as something to sample as I’m becoming friendly with some white florals.
No breastfeeding, though :)!
Happy birthday! Hope you’re having a wonderful day!
Thank you!
Happy Birthday, you fabulous dear! I hope get some down time today and good rest this weekend.
Thank you! I’m resting now, after a great party yesterday.
Palju onne sunnipaevaks! And many happy adventures.
🙂 Thank you for the effort, this is much appreciated!
A very happy birthday! Having a puppie is very tiring, but trust me it gets easier very quickly.
You smell great by the way!
I’m sure it will and I’m not complaining, really. A little tiredness is an insignificant price to pay for such joy.
My daughter and I share a birthday, too. It’s always been a joy.
How lovely! And yes, it is. Although the first time also included an element of pain 🙂
Happy Birthday to both of you!!
Thank you, Pixel!
Happy Birthday to you and your daughter!
Thank you!
Happy birthday to your and your daughter! And you smell great too! Boutonniere #7 is one of my favorites.
Thank you! And No 7 is so good.
Happy happy birthday to you and Lill! Hope it’s lovely.
Thank you! We had a wonderful day.
Happy Birthday to you both!
Thank you!
Happy Birthday!
Thank you!
Good luck – I am a lot of logistically challenged recently and it really cuts into my NST time! Happy Birthday!
Thank you! Hope the challenges will be overcome.
Happy Birthday Annikky, Lilli and Farouche! Joy all around. 🙂
It is, indeed! Thank you.
Happy Birthday!
Thank you!
Habit Rouge EdT. Some Guerlinade underneath lemony orange blossom and a touch of suede. This feels like a rather grand Friday!
It sounds rather grand as well- I must try Habit Rouge.
Yep. Grand perfume it is 🙂
I’m also in Habit Rouge, aka Shalimar for Men. (I do have a small bottle of Shalimar somewhere, but damned if I can find it, although I found the bottle of Bulgari Black I was hunting for back on Bulgari Friday.)
Habit Rouge as well
Whenever I pass by the lady’s counter, I spray a spritz of Shalimar EdP on a paper strip to revel in the original glory.
Habit Rouge quadruplet.
In Victoria’s review of HR, she quoted Jean-Paul Guerlain as saying one can be a Shalimar woman, or a L’Heure Bleue woman, but not both. I think it may actually be Shalimar or Mitsouko, and I’m on Team Mitsy. This EDC of Habit Rouge I’m wearing is quite nice, though.
I think it’s Shalimar or Mitsy, because I remember when I first read that I thought ‘I’m a Shalimar girl’.
There’s also the old adage of Caron being for the wife and Guerlain being for the mistress, and I was perfectly ok with wearing what the mistresses wore 😉
hahaha oh well, I get the Shalimar being for the mistress. So sensual. Caron is prim and decorous 😉
“You’re either a Shalimar girl or a Mitsouko girl, never both” — I read that just yesterday! And maybe the same holds for boys because I am 100% Team Mitsouko and to be honest I don’t quite get Shalimar, never have. Don’t hate it, mind you: it’s just not me. At all.
I back both teams, maybe a slight preference for Shalimar.
I’m a Vol de Nuit girl – what does that make me???
Funny! Luca Turin says somewhere that Guerlain was considered vulgar in its day. Not what respectable, polite women wore I suppose. It was for the drinking and smoking girls. Of the trifecta, I’d say I’m with LhB, but Mitsy over Shali if I had to choose between those 2.
I think what he actually means is that vulgarity is in fact the ethos of the brand, then and now.
“With Chanel, believe the hype. Guerlain is opaque. It’s a weird company. It’s very French. There is a tradition at Guerlain; I think there is a spirit of the place that carries on. Unfortunately, the top level of Guerlain, Sylvaine Delacourte etc… I’d better not start saying anything about them. It breaks my heart. [pauses] But I will say this. Guerlain has always been vulgar. This is something that people don’t quite appreciate. When I first moved to Paris as a student, my landlady, who was very classy, said to me, “There are two perfumers worth a damn in Paris. Guerlain and Caron. And Guerlain is for cocottes,” meaning kept women. So it should be remembered that Guerlain was never classy. It was always trashy. So in that respect, Sylvaine Delacourte is continuing the tradition. And you can print that.”
From Persolaise
http://persolaise.blogspot.com/2016/01/perfume-is-such-irrelevant-thing.html
I struggle with the aniseed of L’Heure Bleue and the chypre roughness of Mitsouko. I like both of them in parfum concentration and on paper, though. Amongst them, I think Shalimar is the easiest to access and appreciate.
Shalimar and L’Heure Bleue are more or less tied for my adoration, so who knows what kind of girl I am. 🙂
I remember thinking when I read that quote, “It’s Shalimar and Mitsouko instead, surely?” Because to me Shalimar and L’HB have a certain richness in common, and Mitsy is an entirely different, leopard-print beast. For what it’s worth, I would probably pick Shalimar because Mitsy Hates Me and the Blue Hour Bores Me – and even then, I’d rather have Shalimar Light.
(And then there’s the corollary, for me, that I love the Coty versions of those far, far more than I enjoy the Guerlains. Guess I’m the shopgirl, rather than the mistress. Or the wife, for that matter.)
this is hilarious 😀
I guess I try to have it both ways because I like both Mitsouko and Shalimar. And I like L’Heure Bleue too. But I guess I fell for Mitsy first, so there’s that.
Habit Rouge is one of my fav of the masculine Guerlains!
The other being Vetiver de Guerlain? 😉
Mais oui!
I’m not wearing a shalimar related perfume today, as really craved Silver Iris, I will probably spritz Habit Rouge on my scarf before i leave for kids ballet tho. Planning on enveloping myself in a cloud of vintage Shalimar edp this evening, for a cosy, quiet night in on the sofa, catching up on Dickensian or War and Peace-is anyone watching the new BBC drama adaptation, it is rather wonderful!
Actually Silver Iris sounds really good for today. I have watched the first episode of War and Peace but am also engrossed in Endeavour – have you seen that?
I absolutely love Endevour!, i was so excited about the new series, he’s such a great actor isn’t he, perfect casting i’d say, although the original Morse is one of the few classic detective drama’s i never got into. We always watch Endeavour, and catch up with War And Peace. So many good drama’s on at the moment, my early nights are a thing of the past! Wasn’t the last episode good?, such a sad ending.. Sunday nights are pretty perfect at the moment for me.
Thanks for the tip! I just added War & Peace to my tivo list.
Slow burner, wasn’t that impressed to begin with, but loving it now, the settings and costumes are so sumptuous, and such a beautiful colour palette. The actor who plays Pierre Bezukhov is brilliant!, and of course Jim Broadbent is great as Prince Bolkonsky (i’ve never made it through the novel, but have had a couple of stop start’s, enjoy it more in theory than in practice!, although i’m an avid reader of classics, it’s a bit too heavy for me!)
Jim Broadbent is wonderful, and I am not minding James Norton as his son either 😉
And I will admit to being one of many who did a wee bit of skimming in the (LONG) War sections, and only read the Peace sections with any degree of attention. It is not my favorite novel anyway. Anna Karenina, on the other hand, I have read over any number of times.
I agree on both counts!- James Norton is rather nice, and Anna Karenina is one of my all time favourites too, that i re read every few years.
Your evening plans sound great to me!
Thanks AnnS, it was a great evening!
Finally Friday!
Wearing Shalimar Light which is really wonderful. Pondering if I need to hunt down more on Ebay soon.
The weekend is almost here.
Gosh- that must be selling for squillions by now :-/ I looked today at the Ode a la Vanilles and they’re already in the hundreds! Glad I got mine when they were cheap!
I need to offload a backup bottle of Shalimar Light – bought it at about $40 and it’s going for WAY more than that now. And I’m not wearing it; I usually pick up the vintage Emeraude instead.
I am wearing a tiny drop of vintage (1940s I think in a quadrilobe bottle) Shalimar extrait on one wrist. The top notes are a little odd and unpleasant, but old Shalimar was never a charmer at the application, but the middle and drydown are glorious. I am wearing another slightly larger drop of Shalimar Eau de Cologne (1960s I think) from a flat circular shaped bottle with a conical cap. This one is a real beast with the civet coming out claws extended from the get go. It is a good thing I don’t have any meetings this morning. I bought both bottles at an estate sale more than a decade ago.
I almot forgot: I am drinking some Dongfang Meiren or Bai Hao Taiwan oolong that was a gift from a Taiwanese student. It is fantastic. It is both fruity and woodsy tasting like a distilled autumn walk in the woods with a ripe pear in your backpack.
That tea sounds wonderful!, now to hunt some down in the UK..
Oooh… your Shalimar’s are awesome! Lucky you!
Both of those sound like an adventure!
Great finds on those truly vintage bottles! I’m jellies.
Tiny drops and slightly larger drops! I love it.
Your vintage bottles sound very cool. “Civet beast” will definitely get into my fragrance vocabulary LOL!
I’ve never tried Shalimar or any of its kin (and therefore am probably not a full-fledged perfumista), so will be reading the posts here with great interest. SOTD is Puredistance White, from a sample included in a gift packet that came with a FB purchase from Luckyscent recently. White is a very pretty bergamot and osmanthus scent so far – we’ll see what it does over time.
Oh, sooner or later you’ll get around to it – probably because its distribution is very wide. Your curiosity will get the better of you at some point! (And then you’ll probably recognize that you’ve smelled it on someone else at least once in your life.)
I’m sure you’re right – on all counts! 🙂
Well, the Puredistance is an extrait, and true to form it has stayed close to the body all day so far (it’s lunchtime now). Over time it has become a bit more warm and spicy, and the osmanthus effect has folded into some lovely woody-dustiness with orris in the background. I like this fragrance very much, but am not sure I can get over the price point. Yeowch. Will definitely drain the sample though!
This sounds so lovely!
It really is beautiful, and very well blended. It’s late afternoon now here, and the far dry down is mostly sandalwood with just a pinch of dusty orris. Very very nicely done.
Puredistance White is very nice. I wore it to work once and 2 of my colleagues went gaga over it 🙂
It was hot today so I had thought maybe either Habit Rouge or By Night White (a different take on citrus and vanilla), but in for a penny in for a pound.. Showered in Shalimar Light gel, then applied both Shalimar..blahblah.. Mexique and my old edt from 1993 that I’d begged my dad to buy me for my 16th bday. The edt is sharper and citrusy-er and also longer lasting, but all are Shalimar delight 🙂
We are two perfume fiends, marinated in Shalimar in the middle of summer!
Oh, now that’s interesting. I loath Shalimar in all its incarnations and always have, but love By Night White. Also love Keiko Mecheri’s Canyon Dreams, which is another slightly Shalimar-ish oriental.
Shalimar smells like petrol on me so I am in Ubar, my equivalent classic floral scent. Happy Friday!
First few times I tried wearing Shalimar I had the same impression.
Love Ubar which indeed smells nothing like petrol.
That works!
I love perfumes that smell like petrol 🙂
Petrol was exactly what I thought of when I spritzed my edt today…. mmmm… petrol 🙂 It does morph into sexy vanilla soon enough though, but maybe not soon enough for everyone! Lol
Sadly all I get is petrol and acrid smoke… No vanilla at all. My skin must have weird chemistry with that one.
SOTD is Shalimar edc and I will add a tiny bit of the edp from a sample to wrists tonight.
I’ve always respected Shalimar as one of the great classics but have never worn it nor felt the urge to own it, preferring instead, my treasured vintage Emeraude. But a few months ago, wanting to use my Walgreens’ points and reading many favorable reviews, I blind-bought (actually, it was ‘free’) the eau de cologne and I’ve been delightfully surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed it. Yes, it’s lighter, softer, but has a surprising longevity on me and the drydown is wonderful. I’ve tried some of the Shalimar flankers and disliked them all, but I highly recommend the edc to those of you who have never seen themselves as a Shalimar fan.
Thanks for mentioning the EdC, Laila. I’ll try that one in the hopes that it might work for me.
Very cool, esp. with the “free” part. It’s always nice to be surprised when you actually like something you thought you’d not.
Shalimar is my mother’s scent and so it just smells like mom to me, which isn’t bad, but not something I want to wear all day 😉
I popped in Sephora on the way to work and dabbed on a bit of Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere which has a wonderful dry down. I think a small bottle of this is in my (near) future.
Happy Friday all of you Shalimar lovers!
I understand that! My mother wore Chanel No. 5 and Jovan Musk for Women when I was growing up (for “fancy” and for “everyday,” respectively), and they’re still so tied to her in my mind that I am not entirely comfortable wearing them – even though we have a great relationship.
I am wearing TDC Oriental Lounge.
I am loving that this group of people all around the world is mostly wafting Shalimar all on the same day!
Great choice and yes, this project is so cool.
I too really got a kick out of this…imagining Shalimar wafting all over the world with all of us wearing it at the same time. Maybe a blip on some scientific devices somewhere with the spike in these molecules in the air. “What was that?”
I imagined that too: scientists rushing out to analyze that odd but wonderful smelling cloud that’s hovering over the world today 🙂
🙂
And if you run into someone else wearing Shalimar today, it’ll be like a secret handshake!
They need to invent a richter scale for Shalimar!
You mean they haven’t for Angel already? One would think that they had. Then mere calibrations would be required.
🙂
I haven’t sniffed Shalimar in at least ten years. It always developed an unfortunate medicinal cough syrup note on me, but I think I’ll try it again soon.
I plucked my sample of Cuir d’Ange out of a box, and unless it changes drastically over the next few hours it’s a no. Aldehydes, Johnson’s baby oil and raw leather of the type you smell in Spain or Turkey with a smidge of heliotrope. Okay, it’s a purse.
And…has it improved?
Wearing modern Shalimar EDP from a decant. Mmmm. I love this stuff. It’s not what I would have reached for with my outfit, but I don’t care. I smell delicious, that’s what matters.
Right now, I’m wearing Theorema and it’s similar to Shalimar. I think later on today I will wear Shalimar.
I decided not to be on-the-nose for this one and went with not Shalimar, but Emeraude (the younger, more cheerful sister; even though she’s technically older!). This girl spend more time in the outdoors (that minty-lime opening reminds me of cold air) and maybe rides horses as well, as there’s a little animalic kick. Interestingly not something you find in modern Shalimar, though I’d say that it’s still a more baroque, grand scent than any version of Emeraude. My bottle is the pdt with the crown shaped cap. I mourn the death of this concentration; every pdt I’ve tried has been fabulous.
Emeraude PdT is really wonderful – that’s my favorite concentration as well.
I have one of those little bottles with the gold “crown” cap, and it is indeed very lovely.
I’m wearing 60s Shalimar extrait. I like this sooo much better than the current edp that I have also tried… The incense in the modern Shalimar turns into burning rubber on me while the old stuff has just a whiff of pleasant smoke and then gorgeous balsamic vanilla. <3
I see what you mean about the burning rubber. Not minding it so far though. It cuts some of sweetness.
I love my sweets so the burning rubber is just too acrid for me. 🙂
I didn’t think I owned any Shalimar, but found a mini marked “Parfum de Toilette.” No idea how old it is. I’m getting gasoline and plastic doll parts in the opening…hope the dry down is better!
Found my mini on eBay, and apparently it is vintage, c. 1980 if the descriptions are to be believed. It’s turning quite smoky and nice now that I’ve had it on for awhile.
I had a similar experience with the Shalimar PdT that I found on ebay – gasoline up top, then smoky vanilla. I liked it better than the other versions I’ve tried, but I still didn’t love it and was happy to pass it on to someone who did.
Gives me something nice to offer at the next swapmeet!
I’m always wearing a “vintage” 90s PdT although I find the opening to be much softer that other versions I’ve tried.
Oops! *also. Definitely not always.
Hello, Shalimar old friend! I did not realize how I had missed you all these years. Welcome home! Wearing the modern EdP from a decant that arrived just in time for your special day.
Perfect timing!
It sounds like you are having a great time reconnecting!
Still commando, but will dutifully don my Shalimar edp. I appreciate those who commented that Shalimar can smell like petrol or plastic doll…. When I tried Bvlgari Black, my thought was that I already owned Shalimar and did not need another gasoline and rubber scent… Shalimar, to me, is Bvlgari Black’s older, smarter, and more beautiful cousin.
Yes! (I like petrol + plastic doll)
I also think that Bvlgari Black smells like a sort of stripped down Guerlain, but b/c of the violets and tea accords I get out of Black, it often reminds me of a very modernized l’Heure Bleue.
I’m pretty sure that perfumes shelved next to plastic in the library Dewey system (660s) ..so you are clearly on to something !
Nope, nope, nope. I do not like it in a box. I do not like it with a fox. I do not like it here or there. I do not like it anywhere.
Sorry guys, I’ve tried and I just can’t. I’ll give it a shot again in a couple years because I really want to like it. If I had Emeraude I would wear some (love it on other people, tolerate it on myself unless it’s used as a cologne splash in a warm bath in which case I adore it).
I’m wearing Memoir again/still because it lasted through the night and I’m not sick of it yet.
🙂
HA, this is perfection–I too dislike Shalimar with Seussian verve!
And meanwhile I approve heartily of both Memoir and SOTD-by-way-of-longevity–I am enjoying Vanille 44 by way of the coat I wore when I last applied it, two days ago!
You’ve perfectly captured how I felt on wear-Angel day 🙂
Heh, valid 🙂
I love the positive expression of your negative opinion, MikasMinion! I’m not going to wear Shalimar either. I don’t hate it, but I just can’t be bothered today to wear something I don’t utterly love.
Maybe none for me today either. I love Shalimar Parfum Initial and consider it a nearly perfect summer fragrance. I have vintage Shalimar EDC but I am not feeling it today. Maybe Lalique Le parfum later or Habit Rouge or Casmir but I have to be in just the right headspace for Shalimar and I am decidedly not there today.
Lalique Le Parfum would be good for next week.
Yay for Emeraude!! And for Memoir, too.
Memoir Woman is so beautiful! You smell great!
I’m wearing the Shalimar-esque Dior Mitzah but I’ll probably put some of the real thing (vintage EDC) on later.
Love Mitzah…yum!
Another imitator I prefer to the original!
I definitely like it better than current-formulation Shalimar!
Mitzah is so gorgeous. Over the years it has grown and grown on me to the point that it’s a top 10 of all time. At first I thought it was really great, but not interesting enough. Now I’m at a stage where I don’t require interesting, I only want really great, and scents I can wear anywhere without hesitation. Mitzah is a stand out. So classy, warm and effortless.
I’m wearing Shalimar EDP which I purchased from Neiman Marcus last year. To my memory, when I first spray it, it smells very similar to the original formula (which I once owned) but its lasting power is much weaker.
Of the 3 versions that I own (current edp, 90s edp, 90s PDT) I chose the PDT today. As others have mentioned about the opening, this one is the softer of the 3. I’ve actually grown to like the weird, jarring opening but I’m always afraid of it being too much muchness for work. Everyone smells great today!
I’m wearing Shalimar extrait de parfum, both in vintage and in the current form. It’s one filthy perfume, but in a good way.
Nice!
I get some hints of what’s to come raunch out of my Shalimar extrait too. It’s a little rougher around the edges than the bottle of edt that I have.
I’ve only ever tried Shalimar in extrait, I should really try other versions to see how they compare, but I love how indecent the parfum is.
I saw you were wearing Shaal Nur, I haven’t worn any of my Etro’s in a long time, need to remedy that, as they are good.
I can’t find my little Shalimar! I thought I knew just where it was, so I’m wearing Samsara instead.
It’s Guerlain. It’s wonderful. I give you full credit for today 😉
Merci.
Going with Hiram Green Voyage. It does not strike me as similar to Shalimar, really, but in thinking about this project I do see a relationship. Vanilla, check. Citrus, check. Leather, check.
Sounds like you found a long lost cousin!
SOTD is not Shalimar, mores the pity! But I’m off to a second interview and thought it might be a bit much (although I quite like it anytime!) and decided on a discreet spray of CSP Amour de Cacao.
Happy weekend to all and you smell fantastic ????
Good luck to you!!
Good luck on your interview, and Shalimar is definitely NOT an interview fragrance! You are full of very good decisions today and I predict more good tome come!
Shalimar in all its original forms was unwearable for me, but then the Ode flankers came out and I fell for the Mexique. Like Perthgirl, I’m glad I bought a bottle when it was really cheap.
Office meetings today and so far every sniff I’ve taken of Shalimar has put me off. So I went for a vanilla/oriental scent and ended up with Parfum Sacre and been enjoying it all day long.
Parfum Sacre is so gorgeous and so perfect for work! It has such a laid back elegance. I need to get that in the rotation soon!
Ahhh, Shalimar! I first smelled it when I was all of about twelve years old, when my mom gave me a sample she’d picked up somewhere. She told me a bit about its pedigree and legendary-ness, and I eagerly sniffed it — and couldn’t stand it. Too dense, too opaque, too *perfume-y*. I didn’t smell it again for a good twenty years, when my perfume obsession had blossomed out from Demeter to L’Artisan and Serge Lutens to the whole wide world of fragrance to my first samplings of vintage Guerlains. I’d fallen hard for L’Heure Bleue and Apres l’Ondee, and figured I should give Shalimar another chance. And oh, lord, what a change! Now I smell Shalimar and it’s welcoming and purring and hopelessly elegant all at once, a little black (velvet) dress on one hand and a plush cashmere robe on the other. I actually feel like I’m doing people a *favor* when I wear it! 🙂 Vintage parfum today; I’ve not smelled any of the newer flankers…
What a neat story and what an awesome mum.
I’d be very happy to smell your gorgeous sillage and you are right that Shalimar balances opulence and coziness in some sort of wonderful way.
Ode à la Vanille sur la Route du Mexique, 8 healthy sprays. Love, love, love this one, it’s so deliciously smoky! Being a Shalimar girl through and through, I was planning a Shalimar week, but it’ s just too darn warm for that here, and I chickened out. Would like to mention though that Yves Rocher Voile d’Ambre is a very nice and affordable Shalimar style perfume. Happy weekend, NST!
Twins, although mine is from a sample. I am not, unfortunately, a Shalimar girl.
Do like Vd’A, though.
Wearing Eau de Shalimar which would also work for next Friday’s LT&TS One Star review theme. I needed something light for meetings today and this one settles down into a nice citrus, vanilla musk. Later I might put on vintage Shalimar EDC, my favorite.
I was always Mitsouko girl and a latecomer to Shalimar .But now I love Shalimar so much …vintage ,new ,every formulation.
EDP today from the Jade Jagger designed bottle. I need to buy another bottle soon..down to my last 20 mls …..
I wore Shalimar edt, and thougth I put on kind of a lot, but it seemed to be mostly a skin scent by lunch time. I know about olfactory fatigue and I don’t think that’s what’s going on. I don’t know how old my bottle is, it’s a 15ml bottle that my mom got at an estate sale and gave to me.
Anyway – it does smell great, but I think I’d rather wear Jicky, from memory it seems to be very similar, and now I feel a need to test them side by side….
I don’t remember where I read it, but there’s a legend that Shalimar “happened” by an accidental overdose of vanillin added to Jicky. They do remind me of each other as well.
I think I read something like that too! The happy accidents….
If I had unlimited funds, I’d buy both! : )
Weird because I like Shalimar, but can’t come to terms with Jicky. Yet.
I’m exactly the opposite.
I always want to like Jicky, but I get too much sweat socks skank out if it.
I’m all out of Shalimar.
In my exhausted stupor this morning I could only think: Shalimar? no, don’t have any. Ok, Guerlain day. I’ll throw on Mitsouko.
I know we already did a Guerlain day, but that’s how fuzzy headed I was this morning. TGIF!
Hope everyone has a good weekend.
You smell wonderful anyway.
Mitsouko is good to snap you out of your stupor!
It’s a busy day for me so I’m sorry to post and run. SOTD is a close cousin to Shalimar IMHO: Etro Shaal Nur. I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Ahhh…. I just got home from work and I put on some of my year 2000-ish Shalimar extrait…. So gorgeous! I get just a hint of some leather out of this that is just wonderful!
You smelled lovely all day.
Thank you!
Morning, all. This high summer business is a bit wearing this time round. The nights are so warm that the parties spill out onto the balconies and streets, and it’s really rather noisy. It’s a measure of my advancing age, I suppose, that at three in the morning, I’d rather be asleep than dancing (jaw-cracking yawn). No matter–I can take my time today with all my projects, and I’m going to do them from within the cool green sanctuary of Silences. I wore a strange little number to bed last night: Molyneux Quartz. It was like the smell of cold metal, if such a thing has a smell, and small, humble, unnamed flowers. I rather liked it, yet I don’t even know how I came by it. Odd, indeed.
Glad to hear you’re having summer weather. Our last week of so-called summer has been tragic. We haven’t seen the sun for a week, and I’ve been really cold – largely self-inflicted, because I’m determined to wear light summer dresses in summer 🙂 On the upside, we haven’t been plagued by any outdoor partying.
Silences always strikes me as being meditative. “Sanctuary” seems just right for it.
Yes, I agree.
Silences is so nice and cool. Like sitting in the shade on a bright day. Quartz sounds interesting. I’ve meant to try it before, I know. I love the scent of cool metal, and those seventies fresh scents are always fun to sniff. Must make a note.
I think Silences also smells cool, but more like a refreshing rain on a hot day.
I think that I get a dazzling sunshine vibe from the sharpness in the opening. My uncle worked at a large commercial nursery when I was a pre-teen and I hung out there a lot. My favorite place to get out of the heat and wind was a cool concrete bench under a huge clump of palm trees on the edge of the palm-growing field. I spent many afternoons there reading out of print mysteries, petting Petunia the nursery cat, and trying not to look at the dancing bright spots coming through the leaves. For some reason, Silences always takes me there.
I like Quartz but wish it were a bit stronger. I’d be very cranky in your situation, waterdragon, glad you are more philosophical.
I’m wearing a beautiful deep blue sapphire ring, the colour of the Shalimar bottle. My father was a mountaineer and bought the stone in India following an expedition to the Himalayas that ended very badly. He then approached a wonderful jeweller who set the stone in white gold, and my dad gave it to my mum. My parents were very close, very much in love, and my mum wore it every day but gave it to me to wear on my wedding day. My dad died quite young so wasn’t at my wedding…but then it was small, only eight people anyway ( I hate big groups). So…a beautiful deep blue, a link to India and a love story. ..I guess that’s my Shalimar today.
What a beautiful story.
I’m so sorry to hear the sadness behind it, but what a wonderful gift for him to leave behind. That is so meaningful.
I’m sorry to hear you lost you father so early (my father died when I was a child), but wonderful to have something so beautiful to remember him.
Lovely story, thanks for sharing!
What a beautiful history. Thank you for sharing it with us. I adore sapphires, but none of mine have such a romantic backstory.
That’s a very moving story. Thanks for sharing that.
What a beautiful story about your sapphire ring! Thank you for sharing – such a great love story!
Classic Shalimar story – beautiful!
A beautiful story and perfectly Shalimar. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Oh, totally failed the project! I was casting around for something Shalimar related, but I happened to sniff the Hanbury decant that came as a bonus sample, and I had to spray it. So now I smell like flowers. Lovely! All of you smell great in your Shalimar and Shalimar equivalents, tho! I have to buy more Shalimar, and I realize what is holding up the process is my deep desire for a vintage bottle to have on the dresser. I love Shalimar, but I deeply desire a vintage bottle!
Maybe I’ll buy an empty vintage bottle, and put some new juice in it… 🙂
I too still need to smell the vintage. And nothing beats the vintage bottle for design.
That is a great idea Meredith.
I did that with Mitsouko – b/c I never leave my fragrances out in the light I was kind of missing all the fun of enjoying beautiful bottles. You can usually find empty bottles on ebay. I actually got a very old empty of Mitsouko extrait with a Belgian customs label on the bottom. Very cool.
I bought an empty Chamade bottle (so pretty, that upside-down heart bottle!) and put new juice in it. Makes me happy.
I had no Shalimar on hand, so instead I reached for Ambra Calabria from my Nishane sampler, as I figured that this citrusy amber wouldn’t exist if Shalimar had never been created. Lovely, but not my favorite of the line thus far. Musiqa Oud has that title at the moment.
Interesting, I just got that sample set. I love the idea of a Turkish perfume line!
I haven’t been reading much lately (and will have to come back and read what everybody else is wearing) or even wearing much perfume lately. But I remember to at least put something on today – Lostmarch Lann Ael. Not even remotely close to Shalimar – nothing elegant about fruit loops! But I love love love the bready part at the beginning.
Glad you could pop in anyway then!
I am wearing Shalimar vintage today and feel so elegant at work, I love the start to finish of it.
Wearing a tiny spray from a sample of Parfum Initial, which is the only Shalimar I have. I don’t know how it compares to other Shalimars, but it’s a bit sweet for me.
It’s some time since I tried Shalimar, I concluded sadly that it was a classic Guerlain that didn’t appeal, but I can’t recall just what it smelt like. I need to rectify that, but I’ve just realised that with the recent closure of our one upmarket department store, I’m not sure I’ll find Shalimar locally.
My local pharmacies carry Shalimar! That may not be the case in NZ, but I live in a very small US town and you can still find Shalimar at the drugstore. Walgreen’s has a tester for it, even.
They don’t carry any other Guerlain, and absolutely no Chanel, but Shalimar is there, grand old lady that she is.
Grand old lady indeed! Even though I normally wear it in dress down situations, Shalimar always conjures an image in my mind of the perfect black dress, a perfect velvet coat, some perfectly baroque strands of white pearls, and lovely red lipstick…. Not my normal wardrobe!
I wonder if David Jones will have a bigger perfume department? Hopefully Mecca will remain in store.
Fingers and toes crossed for David Jones! I’ve visited David Jones in Sydney and Melbourne, places with ten times the population of Wellington, so not a good indication of what we might get. I was hugely relieved to see that Mecca is opening soon nearby, I don’t know if that will be long term.
I own and love Shalimar EDP but I’m wearing Loulou. It’s an oriental floral with plenty tiare/gardenia in the opening that then develops into an incensey vanilla. It has that medicinal (plastic doll/burning rubber) note too. Vurry lubberly but could be a bit louder/sluttier 😀
Lou Lou Slut could be a good flanker.
Ha! 🙂
Oh, thank you for mentioning the plastic note. It discourages my impulse to buy it blind. There should be a pin for NOT enabling, as well.
She could double date with that skank Tocade!
Ha! I’ve only worn LouLou once but it’s hard to imagine it being louder 😀 I love BIG perfumes from the 80s but this one just about did me in!
I’ve made it a bit of a Shalimar week. I wore Souffle on 3 evenings, a circa 2000 EDC yesterday, and am in Ode/Mexique today. I bought a bottle of vintage EDT last night. Apparently I’m more of a fangirl than I realized. It occurred to me that in the past 6 months or so I’ve finished up 3 Shalimar decants, which is saying something.
I was considering a FB of the Souffle but I think I’ll just replace the empty decant. I’m curious to see how it wears in the summer but the EDT might do well for that, too.
Curious thing about Shalimar: I’d never worn it or intentionally smelled it until recently, but had a very visceral memory of it nonetheless. I don’t know anyone who wore it (at any time in my life) and it’s bugging me that I can’t attach my scent memory with anything specific. I guess it’s just one of the classics that everyone knows.
Totally forgot today’s project, being too busy after feeling better. Wearing Trayee, wonderful.
You smell great!
I’ve not smelled Trayee, but the list of notes on Fragrantica is very impressive! It sounds so contemplative. It must be very satisfying to the noes.
BTW, Robin – I’ve got an excel spreadsheet that’s compiled most of the data from Perfumes: The Guide (frag name, house, rating, a brief description [“tea chypre,” “soapy floral,” etc.] with references to page numbers. I found it online somewhere but no longer have the link, and don’t have any way to host it. I can email it to you if you’d like to make it available.
You found it online in Excel, or you converted it? (wondering because maybe I can find it somewhere)
It’s existing Excel file. Oh, wait – I found it. Does this work? perfumestheguide.com
Nope. How about this? http://perfumestheguide.com/documents/ptgindex.xls
Got it and added a link above, thanks so much!!
Thank you! Now I just have to decide if I’ll wear “heavy cumin”, “crap jasmine”, “bad floral”, “fruity vile (I agree, why do I still have this?), “chemical floral” (again, need to regift), or “burial wreath”. How I wish I had a bit of Elizabeth Taylor’s Passion, which I liked as a kid, so I could offend with “fog horn”!
Yippee! The perfume I am planning to wear is described as “rock bottom” and has one star! Why am I so excited by this?!
Oh goody! I can choose from “bad floral” “soapy floral” and “not gardenia.” Thankfully I passed “gum ball” to someone else a couple of years ago.
Oooh, all the heart-eye emojis for heavy cumin!! 🙂
And I love you too, sad iris 🙂
Wait, for crying out loud, Tabac Blond?! I don’t have a copy at hand, and cannot imagine what could be the excuse for that! Emeraude too?? Ok clearly I could go on quite a while: next week will be fun, great idea Bastet!
Fifi Chachnil because somebody suggested it was a spawn of Shalli this week and I love it. Particularly in jeans and sneakers somehow.
Fifi Chachnil is gorgeous! I am so very lucky to have a large decant of it, that I horde, and it is to my nose like a very sunny happy daughter of Shalimar. I wish I could afford some more bottles, but I don’t even know if they make it anymore.
Yes, thank you, it was your sample that first introduced me to this one, and I loved it at first sniff! I bought a little decant off of one of the sites when they had a one day sale, but I hope to have more some day…if I ever find a bottle, we should do a split!
I totally forgot about that! Yes split please! If one ever appears again!
I just looked this up and oh my! On to the list it goes!
I am wearing Shalimar dusting powder layered with FM Musc Ravageur oil and this is divine. I love all forms of Shalimar, my favorites are the vintage Cologne and the powder .
I also own the powder and love it very much
The dusting powder of Shalimar is really wonderful. I love that barely shell pink color and the texture is like silk. I have some that I use in the summer. It sounds like a wonderful combo with the Musc Ravageur!
SOTE Shalimar Ode a la Vanille sur la route de Madagaskar. I don’t own the original, I’m definitely more of a Mitsouko girl. Glad I bought a FB of this though when it was availible.
Wearing Tonka Imperiale, and listening to the rain.
This one is good-if I FB fell in my lap I would be very happy
I’m wearing a few dabs from my vintage bottle of Shalimar (I think extrait but not 100% sure), which I found in an antique shop in Galveston a few years ago. Not exactly sure of the age but the lady in the shop estimated ’60s or so. Yum. I don’t wear it much because I’m kind of hoarding it.. there is about 1/3 of the bottle left.
I was out and about today, so my original goal of cycling through various vintages and concentrations of Shalimar has not been realized. Now I feel like something more streamlined and decided to wear Thierry Mugler Oriental Express. I thought it might be a remote descendent of Shalimar, but it’s really an amber. Perhaps one might say that it does for ambers what Shalimar did for orientals. 😉
Your oriental express comments reminded me that years ago I tested Miller Harris Fleur Oriental, and I though it smelled very much related to Shalimar, but a big rougher.
Late checking in, Ode/Mexique today. For some reason the last few days my skin has eaten everything I have tried and I get no more than the faintest skin scent after an hour. Makes me very sad!
I’m wearing “Oriental Lounge” by The Different Company. I don’t see any relation to Shalimar as some reviews mention. I love it.
I’m sure everyone smells great! I was too busy working while having lunch that I did not get a chance to leave this earlier and now there are over 350 comments to read!
SOTD = Habit Rouge Dress Code
This is the Limited Edition made for the 50th Anniversary of the launch of Habit Rouge EDC in 1965. Reading several reviews, it was mentioned that the original was concocted to be Shalimar for Men and had since spawned many flankers and formulations. The most coveted one was apparently the parfum extrait and coincidentally, Clayton over at What Men Should Smell Like wrote about it today.
Since I have never smelled any other Habit Rouge, I can’t tell you how it compares; however, I can tell you that other than for the first few minutes of smelling like a clean barbershop right after some guy’s cheeks (of the face, in case you’re wondering) were slapped with cologne, the rest of its development is a transluscent semi-sweet oriental gourmand. According to Fragrantica, it has rose but I smelled nada. The praline note smelled more like toffee (as tonka bean sometimes smells to me) while something softly spicy darted in and out over the course of the day. The vanilla took a backseat although methinks that I am so used to vanilla that if there’s only a whimper of it in a fragrance, it is basically invisible to me. Leather? Didn’t smell any. I wore 3 spritzes from my bottle but I will add one more next time. Overall, I think it is well done, office-safe and absolutely unisex.
Hmm, and I guess there were “only” 339 comments before mine so I don’t know where I got 350.
I also wanted to add that my description of Dress Code probably made it sound meh which is the furthest from the truth as it really is very good. To read more about it, go to Kafkaesque. I really should learn how to paste links using my iPad!
Great description of Habit Rouge Dress Code. I had never heard of it before reading your post. You must have one heck of a collection.
I can’t figure out how to paste links either. At least you can type well on your iPad. I make so many typos – hate the keyboard on the screen. I’ve tried buying a separate detachable keyboard but since It’s usually in my lap the keyboard is always crooked or awkward.
:-). Between fat fingers and auto-correct, I’ve had my share of typos and unintentional faux pas! One of my favorite perfumes somehow became Cuirass Beluga.
LOL! So funny…
Shalimar hates me, no matter what iteration it’s in. Because of this unfortunate turn of events, I’m in Hermes L’Ambre des Merveilles. I figure it has a citrusy opening, and is completely vanilla centric by the end, so it’s somehow related to Shalimar.
Your reasoning is impeccable.
Wearing Shalimar Ode à la Vanille Route de Mexique, from a sample I got from the Freebiemeet (thanks, pixel!). I like it better than regular (current) Shalimar, especially the citrus opening, which seems brighter and a little sweeter, but something in the base still goes musty on me, and I’m glad I didn’t buy it blind. I’ll have to re-try Shalimar at some point to see if my more “educated” nose likes it better than it did a couple of years ago, but maybe not this year.
Does it count if I sprayed some Shalimar on my wrist at Sephora, and carried a tester strip home to tuck in a book? Close enough?
I like the idea of Shalimar, but I don’t think it loves me back, or perhaps I’m not quite sophisticated enough to enjoy the rougher notes. It’s a bit too bitter on me after the first couple minutes. But as a newbie (always loved smelling things – spices, teas, candles, scented products, food – but new to wearing perfumes), I’m trying to at least sample the classics and practice with them, even if they are not ultimately what I will purchase.
Of course it counts! Shalimar doesn’t work for me, either.