Shalimar Guerlain (1986) Eau de Parfum

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8.3 / 10 874 Ratings

Shalimar (Eau de Parfum) is a popular perfume by Guerlain for women and was released in 1986. The scent is oriental-spicy. Projection and longevity are above-average. It is being marketed by LVMH.

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Perfumer

Jacques Guerlain

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Blossoms, Bergamot
Heart Notes	Iris, Jasmine, Rose
Base Notes	Vanilla, Iris, Opoponax, Tonka bean

Ratings

Scent

8.3 (874 Ratings)

Longevity

8.9 (585 Ratings)

Sillage

8.1 (553 Ratings)

Bottle

8.9 (610 Ratings)

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Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 19.09.2018

Interesting Facts

The Persian word Shalimar means "The purest of all human pleasures" It is the name of an Indian garden which was extended by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his beloved main wife Mumtaz Mahal. After her death he erected the famous Taj Mahal mausoleum which today symbolizes the dazzling grandeur of the orient. Thus, the name Shalimar invokes love, beauty and a perception of the orient.

Shalimar is an iconic oriental fragrance.

According to the often told - but not very reliable - legend Jacques Guerlain accidentially added too much vanillin when blending a batch of Jicky. It smelled unexpectedly good.

Variant of the fragrance concentration

Shalimar (Eau de Parfum)

This is a variant of the perfume Shalimar (Eau de Toilette) by Guerlain, which differs in concentration.

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Reviews

09/07/2018

10.0/10

7.0/10

10.0/10

GitaOgg

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GitaOgg

Greatly helpful Review 37

The other day at the neurologist

"Good day, Mrs. Ogg."

"Good day, Doctor."

"Do you know why you're here?"

"No."

"Your social environment is very concerned about you. Your relatives fear that you have some adjustment problems and are not quite up to standard."

"Oh?"

"Yes, look... i was told you leave the house one day in old chucks, shredded jeans, leather jacket and black nail polish and the next you go out in boots, a lace dress and cashmere coat."

"Yeah?"

"Mrs. Ogg, this doesn't add up! You should decide on a style, otherwise you never know which drawer you belong in. And that's not all! Your family thinks you're always a little extreme... Smokey eyes in the early morning only partially match your terribly messy bun on the head."

"Aha... and where exactly is my problem now?"

"Your problem? Mrs. Ogg, you are a business economist and - especially at your age - should not appear in Chucks or with Smokey Eyes in the company. That's completely out of place... The crowning glory, however, is your fragrance! What were you thinking? Couldn't decide whether you should have a warm vanilla perfume or a harsh citrus scent, could you? Frankincense and myrrh are also included, which are far too many corners and edges for everyday life - everything creaks and smokes. And first of all this sillage, they just can't get past you. Discreet restraint would be much more appropriate in your position... what the hell is that perfume anyway?"

"This is Shalimar."

"Shalimar? But Mrs. Ogg! You know there are three things a lady can NEVER do!"

"Yeah, I know that."

"Well then! Then I'm sure you know what I'm suggesting and what you need to change in the future, don't you?"

"I think so... i should learn to tango."

15 Replies

07/31/2017

Germanblonde

The queen of my nights

Oh Shalimar, you are the queen of my nights and always will be. Femme fatale in a bottle, not the cheap femme fatale, the sophisticated one, the one that knows she is all woman and not a bit apologetic about her female powers. She is my favorite fragrance right after my signature fragrance Jil Sander Sun, and she is my favorite night time beauty. Enticing and alluring. There is a reason she is an icon that will never fade into the background. When I wear her I flip my hair enticingly, blink with my lashes a bit more than I normally do, and all that without blushing. She is glorious, and her spirit comes out with every well placed spray every time. It is a perfume that rather carries you than you wearing her, that's the magic of her powers - and that's just fine with me.

04/05/2015

10.0/10

7.5/10

10.0/10

Avoirdupois

Helpful Review 3

The Timeless Classic

Shalimar will live forever.

It is a truly inspired fragrance from its wonderfully fresh flowery opening through to its vanilla drydown. One magical touch is the inclusion of opoponax in the recipe.

In this restless world, it's reassuring to know that there is Shalimar. And we all say "Amen".

02/27/2015

10.0/10

Briarthorn

Very helpful Review 7

Still blowing minds, all these years later

There are so many reviews for this one. I was on the fence on whether it would be worth adding another one, but here we go anyway.

This is not what I expected. I really don't know what I expected, just that it wasn't this. I expected to be sorta "eh" about the Shalimar EDP.

It opened up very powdery and just as I was thinking it reminded me of baby powder, It developed into a smoking campfire, but then almost right away I got the most amazing incensy, smoky, leathery, tonka beany delight. I was amazed at how quickly it developed. It finally settled down on an incense, woody note. I love it. I want it. I am surprised by it and even more delighted by how wonderful it gets along with my skin. There is no question why this scent is so iconic, well known, and universally loved. This is a work of art.

We are definitely gonna be good friends.

Dec
01
2013

10/31/2014

7.5/10

8.0/10

ScentFan

Helpful Review 5

Vanilla Garden

They say Jacques Guerlain poured a bottle of vanilla into Jicky and Shalimar was the result. Maybe the story is a tongue-in-cheek way of expressing just how much vanilla Shalimar contains because, if their pyramids are correct, Shalimar only has 4 of Jicky’s 21 notes, other than vanilla. Shalimar is a sweet oriental, missing musk. Sultry-spicy, somewhat camphorous opoponax stands in for warm, golden amber. Without animalic notes or woods, Shamilar ought to be sweeter than it is. However opoponax is the dominant note, softened by florals and vanilla. It is a very interesting fragrance, an accomplishment certainly . . . sophisticated, involving. Not love on first or even second try for me, but one I might come to love one day.

It's named after the Shalimar Garden in Pakistan, which the Mughal emperor, Shah Janan reproduced around the Taj Mahal because his beloved wife, Mumtaz who is buried there, enjoyed Shalimar so much when she was alive.

Shalimar dries down very much like it starts. Opoponax is still strong, but softer. Now the vanilla stands out. Somehow, my soul yearns for woods and musks.

Original notes from Thierry Wasser pyramid--Top:Vanilla, Leather, Bergamot, Lemon. Mid: Jasmine, Rose, Vanilla, Orris, Patchouli, Vetiver, Incense, Civet. Base: Vanilla, Tonka bean, Musk

05/12/2014

7.5/10

10.0/10

Prosperonlin

Helpful Review 5

And the Gods gave us Shalimar ...

As many others have already said, shalimar is a classic, perhaps the most classic of them all, and equaly a work od a genius perfumer. For me is smells more msculine than feminine, what is no surprise after Prada pour Homme Intense, Eau Sauvage Parfum, Burberry Brti for Men, Tom ford noir and many scents in the same oriental veil. Shalimar seems a blueprint for so many scents we all know and that's why I cannot perceive Shalimar as dated, old fashion and even less, praise God, old lady-grandma-ish. No need to go through the notes, it has been done very well indeed by some others. I just think everybody really keen on fragrances should try Shalimar. It is beautiful, it is an art form, it is perfection. I feel very fortunate to own an EDP bottle of this relic and yet so present, uptodate scent that is Guerlain Shalimar.

05/04/2014

7.5/10

5.0/10

8.0/10

Efemmeral

Helpful Review 5

Like a Version

I'm wearing the 1990s EdT, the one in the very upright chiseled fan shape bottle with the comically huge blue plastic lid. Of all the Shalimars I own in different concentrations and vintages, this one is most bliss-some beginning to end.

The rindy citrus tingle begins it, and it is my private pleasure, enough to energise and propel me into the Big World.

Out there I ride the warm rich vanilla and smoky leather. I might never leave the house if it began so, thank heaven for bergamot. The warm base wears pretty close, but the fragrance casts also a floral veil - sillage enough to draw comments when hugging and dancing. One hugger mentioned iris, but couldn't ID the fragrance (which he *does* know well), and it is true, the iris is clear and lovely, a little mist weaving its way through the composition.

Although it may be true that I perspire IsoE (my skin seems to floralise and prettify everything) I do feel the florals are a little more pronounced in this version than others I've tried, and yesterday, although the notes say Tonka Bean, I was aware of a delicious light heliotrope.

I felt wonderful wearing this. I can't say how long it lasted, it was a background bliss for hours, but when I went swimming under a dark sky I felt sure I smelled it breathe its last 8 hours in.

On a scale of 10 I give it an I Love You (and how very nice, you love me too).

04/25/2014

10.0/10

7.5/10

10.0/10

Mujo

Helpful Review 6

My closest thing to a signature scent

I consider this a perfume for more mature woman. When I was a teenager Shalimar didn't suit me, much to strong and mature. Jardin de Bagatelle suited me much better. Now I'm older I absolutely love Shalimar. It makes me feel confident, save and secure and even a little more prettier. I love the soft flowers and the dark powdery vanilla drydown. The darkness of the incense, woods and leather are very well projected in the (older) extraits. A great perfume indeed...

02/06/2014

10.0/10

7.5/10

9.0/10

MasterLi

Helpful Review 4

Masterpiece... The Original "Bad Girl"

Typical example of a fragrance that you need to let grow on you before you can fully appreciate it! Fist time I tried this... a very strong, very dirty, almost bitter vanillic leather aroma hit me and I found it quite pungent and almost overbearing. But after a few days, and other applications... I really had to agree with everyone here in that this is quite an elegantly made, beautifully blended, sophisticated fragrance, and I can see why many call this a masterpiece. There is not much more to add to what others have said, but I would say to first time users please give it a few tries on your skin and leave it the time it needs to fully appreciate it. Trust me, if you do this you will be rewarded, but be patient and you will see why so many people call this a masterpiece.

2 Replies

01/31/2014

10.0/10

Oberon21

Helpful Review 2

shalimar

simply a work of art in every sense ,deep oriental and unique ,sensual and it helps to dream about ancient eras and luxurious people

09/06/2013

10.0/10

Sorceress

Very helpful Review 10

Can You Accept The Responsibility Of Wearing Shalimar?

Shalimar evokes such pleasurable memories for me. And it's scent is so deliciously decadently devious. Guerlain designed this perfume to be that way. It is a woman's scent. It is for those who know they are a woman, when they want to be a woman and when they luxuriate in being the woman they are. Because it is a perfume that brings to mind the human body as a pleasurable thing mixed with sweetness. For me, it's dry down won't attack with any sick sweet cloying floral scent or overpowering muskiness either, but rather, entice with a suspicious mixture of naughty and nice. It belongs to a faraway time, perhaps in a Sultan's tent, mesmerized by the fragrances adorned on oiled bodies, of incense lightly burning somewhere in the night.
When I wear this wonderful scent, I can take on the world. There are but a handful of perfumes that make me feel that way. Shalimar is one of them. There should not be many that can give a person such a feeling, either. Power can be a wonderful thing, yes, but it must be handled with grace. Amongst other things. The person that wears Shalimar must be prepared to do so with strength. Should you decide to wear this potion, you are accepting the responsibility of being a Shalimar woman/man.
Created in 1921 it has withstood the tests of time. Shalimar should never be confused with any designer fragrance of the moment or used as a popular scent. It is so much more powerful than any magazine, television advertisement or hype that today's fragrances attempt to parlay into sales can ever dream to attain.
It is a sexy smell that you can layer on with its accompanying lotions or creams. It's considered an Oriental with a headiness of musky vanilla that does bring others to their knees. wondering how such a thing happened to them. It was said back then that a lady didn't do three things: "smoke, dance the Tango and wear Shalimar". So for those that think of Shalimar as an old lady's perfume, think again. There really is no such animal. There are only scents that bring out one's own beauty and confidence when mixed correctly with the wearer's pheromones.
Shalimar was one of my first perfumes as a young woman and I'll always delight in wearing it. It was a wedding day perfume for me, yes. It always makes me feel special. Wearing Shalimar reminds me of whom I am and who I want to be at the moment. It gives me a smile to wear, with the confidence to wear nothing else. It just has that ability. It will always be my favorite.
Jacques Guerlain knew what he was doing when he created Shalimar with the new scent of vanillin.

4 Replies

08/23/2013

Beachgirl2

Very helpful Review 11

Seductive

The few sniffs I've had of this in the past did not thoroughly prepare me for for the complete seductive qualities of this perfume. I'd tested it on paper and sprayed a little on my wrist from time to time and thought wow that's really nice. But after taking this beauty home I found I need to use at least 2 or 3 heavy handed sprays to achieve true satisfaction.

Some perfumes smack you in the face before making friends with you. Shalimar however does not want to be your friend, she wants to be your lover. Her goal is to seduce you slowly. Sure, she grabs your attention at first with her citrus opening, but it's pleasant, only slightly seductive like a kiss on the cheek. The opening citrus is not an orangy pop sickle on a stick sweet but rather a dry sophisticated citrus, keeps you interested and craving more.

The vanilla becomes apparent rather quickly, but this particular vanilla does not in any way remind me of today's lovely, sweet beauties. It seems a lot more sophisticated, more refined and softer. The leather notes then enters the room and lies down with the vanilla and other assorted notes like wood and incense. The combination stimulates your imagination, and as it develops on your skin, you feel as if you've been drawn into an erotic dream. I adore this perfume! Longivity and sillage are wonderful. It's not an overpowering sillage though, just seductive enough to lure but still a lady.

2 Replies

01/16/2013

10.0/10

Eurochic

Very helpful Review 5

Memories of a timeless beauty.

I never had the pleasure of trying the original Shalimar on myself, but it was my dearest grandmother's signature scent. I remember one day, as she opened the velvet box in which a bottle of pure perfume was nestled in dark blue satin, I saw her face lit up like a little girl's. She loved Shalimar, I loved her, and to me this perfume will always be a gem, because of the memories tied to it. I would love to try it on me too, but unless I can get a hold of the vintage (70's or 80's), I don't want it. It just wouldn't be the same.
And now Guerlain is feeding of Shalimar, releasing flanker after flanker after flanker and even flankers of the flankers. The current version of Shalimar is, from what I have read, already a pale copy of what it used to be. So why tweak the formula even more? They had a great classic beauty (several actually), couldn't they just leave it at that? Concentrate on what they already have, try to stick to the original formula, or at least try to recreate it as best as they could within the new IFRA restrictions.
This is just my opinion, but I think that when people are presented with a choice between a classic original timeless beauty and a modern generic "of the moment" cutesie, they will choose the first, because the latter will be forgotten in no time.

01/07/2013

NSku

First Impressions and Day 2

This perfume makes me think of the drink orange julius that was all the rage when I was a teenager. I get more of a food scent rather than a botanical scent from this perfume. And I completely don't get any Middle Eastern or Oriental aspects. I would expect an Oriental or Middle Eastern quality to be more spicy or aromatic.

Day 2:
what lingers on my wrists on day two is rather different from yesterday's experience. The scent places me in the hills above Los Gatos, CA, wandering through grassy oak glades the sun sparkling, pouring down on everything. Wow!! Makes me homesick for the hills of the Bay Area!

11/15/2012

LiliumLibido

Very helpful Review 6

Like no other

I won't even try to comprehend what they did to Shalimar in its IFRA complience reformulation, so I am reviewing the Shalimar I have, which is a 1936 bottle of extract.

It's a typical Guerlinade opening, bright, sunny and juicy, which quickly descends into a sumptuous gathering of slightly spicy flowers. Even just in the heart, Shalimar already takes on an liquid velvet tone, ridiculously soft and compelling.

But the base is what ties every note together, from top to bottom, in a world of hazy indulgence that seems to slow down time to that one moment where everything feels absolutely perfect:
It's a tactile scent, sueded and silky, with a powdery aura where the sweetness is in perfect contrast with the carnality of the civet.
Shalimar is indeed a grand vanillic oriental, but its corporeal nature cannot be denied. It's a fragrance that constantly plays the variance between innate and extrinsic elements.

The overall impression is one of skin fragranced with the sensual longing of centuries of love stories: the exoticism is as much from the eastern feel of the scent as it is from the primordial emotions it evokes.

1 Replies

07/15/2012

jtd

jtd

Very helpful Review 9

What should we DO with the classics?

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.

1 Replies

07/07/2012

10.0/10

7.5/10

10.0/10

LadyRogue

Helpful Review 3

Love of a lifetime...

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.

::NB::
There is a big difference between the EdP & the EdT. The EdP might be too lemony and / or bitter for some people whilst the EdT is softer and more 'sensory friendly' to some people. It is wise to try both versions on your skin before purchasing. Good luck! : )

02/12/2012

10.0/10

7.5/10

10.0/10

Callas

Helpful Review 4

Distance

The Orient calls. I am beguiled. As an absolute smell newcomer here in the large round I 'only' am able to follow these substantial, terrific comments this time and ask for understanding;-)

What else shall I greatly contribute to it?
Shalimar is an unusual, excellent smell for me.
The first smell which I feel really Middle Eastern.
I would immediately like to pack the suitcases and go away. Far, far, away . . . . . .
My darlings Chypre, Patchouli, leather, smoky and woody notes are all united.
I also can confirm the Resin of Opoponax.

All in all, Middle Eastern wonderful.

This is already the second dream to the wonderful Bois of the Iles tonight inclusive of list of things desired which gets 100% from me.

What a luck that my birthday follows soon.

02/03/2012

7.5/10

5.0/10

9.0/10

Lola82

Helpful Review 4

A Jewel of the Sahara

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!

01/24/2012

6.0/10

Awesomeness

Helpful Review 5

OMG. What has happened to Shalimar?

There's not much I can say about Shalimar that hasn't been said before ... but I do have two suggestions.

First, try all the concentrations, even some of the flankers, judging them - not on the opening, but rather on the drydown. Of the Salimar concentrations, I like the EdT the best. As it dries, it becomes vanillic, almost gourmand, and melds into my skin nicely. I wear it, it doesn't wear me. On the other hand, the EdP wears me & seems a bit dusty and out-dated to me. The EdC is just a bit harsh but would make a nice masculine, I think. The EdC is wearable in summer. However, I much prefer Eau de Shalimar, which has a gorgeous opening but a light and affable dry-down. The Legere version is even more my style but it's very difficult to find bottles of this limited edition.

Second, sample before you buy, even if you have been buying and wearing Shalimar for years. I recently tried Shalimar in Macy's. OMG, what has happened to the new formula? It is harsh, far too leathery, just not nice. I own a vintage EdT and EdP, a new EdC formulation, and a new Eau de Shalimar EdT. Each of them beats this new formulation, hands down. So disappointed in Guerlain. So disappointed in the new formulations in the department stores. Looking to buy a new bottle? I highly recommend a sniff before a purchase.

Show all reviews (22)