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I wish I could remember the first time I encountered Shalimar. It feels as though it’s always been in my life, and yet I know that isn’t the case. I certainly wasn’t aware of it growing up in the UAE; as I think I may have written on these pages before, Guerlain didn’t really ‘arrive’ in that country until I was just a few years away from departing for different shores. I didn’t know anyone who wore Shalimar in Poland. I suppose there’s a possibility I may have caught it sashaying through the air in Iran when I was very young. But the Islamic Revolution – which broke out not long after we arrived in the country – ensured that no fragrance was ever worn outdoors, which means the only time I might have come into contact with it would have been inside someone’s home. The chances of that happening would have been low, I suspect.
To read the rest of this post, please click on this link to my Substack: Guerlain Shalimar review.
Update 24th May 2020
Here’s a special episode of Love At First Scent broadcast to mark the 95th anniversary of Shalimar. You can watch it below or by clicking on this link: Guerlain Shalimar review 2020.
Persolaise
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My mom’s favorite.. .
Great choice!
Thanks very much for reading.
Thanks for your videos!
Not at all. Thank you for watching.
Many thanks for your review. Is it more challenging to review a benchmark classic like Shalimar, given that so many people have already espoused about it? If there is one specific point to take from your review, it is of Jacques Guerlain’s finely calibrated balance between the “lightness” and “darkness” in the creation of this classic and reference Amber.
I definitely feel more affinity to Chanel No. 5 (and the Les Exclusifs collection) but that does not prevent me from admiring the quality and longevity of Shalimar. Do you happen to know if there have been any significant reformulations to this fragrance due to IFRA regulations?
Also, just wanted to say that you are doing a great job on “Love At First Scent”. I was thrilled to discover that 3 of my favourite Chanel Les Exclusifs made it to your list the other day!
Michael, it’s very kind of you to write, thank you.
It’s interesting that you bring up the issue of reviewing well-known scents, because it’s something I’ve been thinking about myself. In one sense, it’s definitely a difficult thing to do because, as you say, a great deal has already been written about the classics. However, in another sense, it’s much easier, because the oldies are perfumes I tend to know extremely well, and which have become a part of my personal ‘scent-scape’. I guess this makes the reviews more autobiographical, and therefore more subjective. But perhaps that’s also what might make them more compelling to read…?
Dear Persolaise,
Yesterday, which was Christmas Day here in Brisbane, my perfume-loving pen-friend from Hawaii, Peter, emailed me the link to this post on Shalimar. He knew that I would enjoy reading/watching it, and I did indeed. Thanks to him, I have seen a few of your other videos as well. I frequently comment on Bois de Jasmin as Tourmaline, and now I shall check out your blog regularly as well.
Unlike you, I do happen to remember the day I first smelled Shalimar, and I thought you might be interested to hear about it.
While I was working as a receptionist at a doctor’s surgery back in 1981, the doctor had a brief affair with a nurse who was one of his patients. I had suspected that something was going on, but the following incident confirmed this, and also introduced me to the voluptuous Shalimar.
One morning, I saw what I now know was the older Guerlain packaging (black and white) for a small product, possibly the half-ounce bottle of perfume, sitting on the lunch table in the back room of the surgery. Early that afternoon, the nurse visited, and about half an hour later, a strong fragrance wafted its way into the reception area where I was sitting and across the waiting room. Later, after the nurse had left and I walked back through the other three rooms of the surgery to make a cup of coffee, the scent was intoxicating. It was the sweetest, richest, “roundest” perfume I had ever smelled.
Another half hour or so later, as I walked through the rooms again, the sharp smell of ether was overtaking the perfume. It appeared that the doctor had released the ether in an effort to disguise the perfume, which the nurse had apparently sampled. It didn’t really work. In retrospect, it smelled like a much stronger version of the rather medicinal Shalimar top notes! The fact that the doctor’s wife was liable to drop in at any time of the day was no doubt relevant. The doctor mentioned something to me about his use of the ether, but I kept my mouth shut about having seen the perfume.
Some weeks later, the doctor’s wife informed me, “Ms X is doing the best she can to bust up our marriage”. In no time, the nurse had been banished from the surgery, and the wife had written, “NOT TO BE SEEN AGAIN!” in large capitals across the front of the nurse’s patient file. Sometime later, the doctor told me of his dalliance, which he probably realized had been fairly obvious to me, but was rather dismissive of it. (Recently I learned that the doctor’s wife had eventually ditched her philandering spouse, and later married someone else.)
When I rediscovered Shalimar in a department store about four years later, and sprayed it into the crook of one arm, the dry-down smelled like burgundy silk-velvet. I bought my first bottle and began wearing it whenever I wore my burgundy crushed velvet jacket. I became addicted, although it is probably a bit rich for a very pale blonde. Fortunately, the older I become, the more confident I feel about wearing deep or rich perfumes, and, frankly, just wearing what I love, as long as it suits the time and place.
Ah, fragrant memories! I hope you have a very happy New Year.
With kind regards,
Tourmaline
Oh my goodness, Tourmaline, this is one of the best comments EVER! Thank you.
I’m sure I’ve seen some of your comments on BdJ. You’re very welcome on these pages, and I’m grateful to your friend for introducing you to my work.
My very best wishes to you too.
Hi Persolaise,
I’m glad you enjoyed reading about my memorable introduction to Shalimar.
I’m the one on BdJ who can’t write a brief comment to save her own life! (Well, perhaps just occasionally…)
I, too, am grateful to Peter for introducing me to your website. I look forward to reading and viewing more of your work.
Well, I certainly look forward to more comments from you.
👱🏻♀ 🌷
🙂