Eau de Shalimar
Guerlain (2008)

The idea of
Shalimar at a distance
Was perfume's perfume

So we pursued it
Where cologne mom could not go
Into a future

Of extreme sport girls
With their extreme sport colognes
Not yet their next quaint

Yet to timeproof eye
Spitting image of grandma
With badminton dabs

Tiger mom, the cub
Upon examination
A paper tigress

Like all the others
We knew we were on her tail
By the Shalinade

Too many jewels
Dangling imaginary
In Shalimar space

And webinar time
Not to be reality
And complexity

We knew we were still
In Shalimar Universe
Where such wonders be

The family curse
To get better and better
With both youth and age

We'll see you again
Young Lady Shalimistress
The next time around.

(Edition Charmes, 2009)

Compared to the homemade Pain d'épice of vintage Shalimar, this is industrial Brioche, the sort of sweet, soft, vanillic white bread you find at the supermarket in a plastic bag.

This is a great flanker of the original. I don't get any orange on the top but, I do smell the bergamot and lime. Rose and jasmine in the middle - I smell those, also. the rose, in particular stands out. I think the citrus at the beginning and the rose in the middle are what makes this so different from original Shalimar. The base is classic vanilla and resin. Now and then I get a whiff of iris. A lighter version of Shalimar indeed. I'll stick with my bottles of original and the Mexican Vanilla version. However, there are one or two other flankers I may try in the future.

This fragrance gets less love than it should, I think. It's taken plenty of criticism from Shalimar purists for being insubstantial and sweet and consequently, somehow immature and less sophisticated. It's neither of those things, despite being pretty and undemanding. The Shalimar heart and base are instantly recognisable and due to the softer top notes in EdS, make themselves known faster than in the full-fat original.
I should say that I love Shalimar. It was the scent that got me interested in the world of fragrance and the first perfume I bought with the intent of understanding it as much as wearing it. 6 years later, I still find it challenging and tend to wear it only when the weather, my mood, my wardrobe, my date and the planets are all in perfect alignment. Each time I wear it, I am knocked out by its beauty, depth and complexity; each time I wear it, I am distracted from what I am *supposed* to be doing by my need to engage with the fragrance, analyse and appreciate it. I have a vintage extrait, a vintage PDT and a relatively recent EDT; all of them without exception demand my attention in some way or another. EdS gives me the opportunity to wear Shalimar just for the sheer pleasure of it, without having to think about applying 40 minutes before I leave the house, or whether it might set off someone's rhinitis, be overpowering in a car or clash with the wine. I truly love Shalimar, but I'm on a long journey with it - EdS is my pretty shortcut home.

It is always a risk, messing with a classic--especially one as iconic as Shalimar. Eau de Shalimar achieves its goal of being a lighter, fresher version of this classic oriental. The top notes are lifted with a bright and light lemon/lime/bergamot note--literally good enough to eat--and the base notes are relieved of some of the tonka and rich incense (resin notes are listed instead of the traditional opoponax) but the rest is pure Shalimar. The vanilla is still there since it wouldn't me Shalimar without it. This is not a watery scent; it has more freshness than classic Shalimar but is still an Eau de Toilette and has excellent lasting power. Great for Shalimar wearers in warm climates or for those who do not want the heavy French formality of the original but love the citrus/floral/incense/vanilla dream that is Shalimar.

Shalimar Cake (with recipe) "Let them eat cake" The utterance is attributed to Marie Antoinette upon hearing that the peasants were rioting due to the scarcity of bread. Let's attribute it, equally falsely, to Jean Paul Guerlain. Boil a lb of sultanas for five minutes, strain off water and allow half a pound of chopped butter and three quarter pound of sugar to melt in the hot fruit. Let it cool to tepid. Add 1 tsp each of almond essence, your best Madagascar vanilla essence and lemon essence and a pinch of salt. Breathe in the perfume of Eau de Shalimar. Yes, it's the batter. Add three well beaten large eggs together with three quarter lb of standard flour and a tsp of Baking Powder. Lift your perfume bottle high in the air and spritz it three times.( assuming there are no babies present) Bake in two loaf tins or one large extendable one in a moderate oven for 1 and a half hours. When cold serve with Earl Grey tea in an elegant salon similar to the one I saw Jean Paul interviewed in when the BBC screened their Perfume Series. You and the cake will be as one, better than sex, better than perfume. Pros: Let us eat CakeCons: Legere, where art thou?"

Very sweet and dense. Smells like lemon poundcake. Really good lemon poundcake. Makes me want a nice cup of tea.

This is a wonderful scent for hot weather. It has the same depth as Shalimar but at the same time it is not over powering and is very light.
I have worn Shalimar for a long long time. This particular version reminds me of the original vintage Shalimar. It has a lot of the original elements and yet it is lighter.

I really don't get the citrus in this at all. Mine is spice from the very beginning. One thing that I hate about the reformulated Shalimar you find on department store shelves today is all that lemon that hits you in the face. That is the reason I have a big stash of the vintage version.

The thing I like about Eau de Shalimar is that it is missing that big blast of lemon. Really don't understand where everyone is getting the lemon. It doesn't happen with me (thank goodness).

As a fan of classic fragrances I was excited to find a bottle of eau de Shalimar on the shelf of my favorite perfume discounter. Eau de Shalimar is a lighter reformulation of the original Shalimar (which I also love). This version is more crisp and bubbly with very lemony top note (my favorite part) that smell just like a lemon drop candy. The middle notes are more powdery while the base notes are a rich vanilla. While the top note is brief, the middle and base notes play out over several hours. This one lasts and lasts. I can smell it on my sheets the next morning.

This is the "sweetest" and most girly/innocent perfume I own. I wear it on warm days and on days that I am feeling light and airy. People who like Shalimar but find it to strong or heavy may prefer this version. Me, I like both, for different seasons- Shalimar for winter and Eau de Shalimar for summer.

Got this today, and it is more like a distant member of the Shalimar family, with a more clear, nearly fizzy citrus opening and much less depth. This of course, makes sense, given its name. It is like a cool drink of Shalimar-flavored water with a huge twist of lime and lemon. I get very little of the middle, a bit of the typical Guerlain-ish notes, and just a whiff of a light dry down.

Overall, as a lover of Shalimar, I love this one too for what it is. The iris in the base is lost on me, but am giving it a good long wear tonight to try and find the middle of that iris in the ending.