Guerlain Shalimar

Guerlain Shalimar

Designed in 1925 by Guerlain, this venerable scent is a refined oriental, and is often said to be the quintessential oriental. This sensual, ultra-feminine fragrance contains a rich blend of bergamot, lemon, iris, and patchouli, and is accented with vanilla, sandalwood, and musk. Shalimar is exceptionally well made, and surprisingly chic for its age. Utterly classic, utterly romantic, utterly unforgettable.



I've admitted before that I really don't care for Orientals much, and I'm going to admit that I don't really like and I don't ever wear Shalimar. However, I can appreciate it for what it is: classic, sensual, elegant, and, on the right woman, stunning.

This fragrance has a long history and it's the prototype for all Orientals. Shalimar could say to Opium, "Opium, I am your father! Search your notes, you know it to be true!" and Opium would have to shout, "Noooooooo!" and leap into a big hole. Pretty much all Orientals are made in the shadow of Shalimar, which isn't to say that they can't be original, only that Shalimar is the original of originals.

My grandmother wore it, my mother wore it (I remember the pretty bottle with the blue tassel that she had on her dresser, although of course, these days we don't recommend keeping fine fragrances on your dresser because the light is bad for the perfume). Probably a couple of aunties wore it, and maybe a teacher or two. Fact is, women still wear it, older women as well as younger ones. People adore this perfume, and with good reason.

I have my own reasons for not wearing this perfume (mostly I really have a bad reaction to the strong opopanax (myrrh) note), but what I'm trying to make clear is that this is a perfume worthy of investigating. It's wonderfully made, it's rich, it's exotic, and it's been a favorite of women all around the world for close to a century. And while I believe that it's well worth checking out, I strongly recommend that you try it first. Perfume is a very individual thing, very personal, and while I don't like this (hey, I'm a floral girl and I make no apologies for that), you may very well, and you may later thank me for suggesting you try it. You might not like it any more than I do, but hey, if you do find you like it, you may find you've got a new passion for a venerable, timeless, classically feminine fragrace, and that's surely not a bad thing.