Shalimar (1925)
by Guerlain

One of the most perfect fragrances in any and every form it is available in, period. I agree the scent is very unisex and is every bit as sexy on man as it is a woman. In fact, IMHO, it (in whichever form you like EDC, EDT, EDP, etc...) is simply a must have for EVERY collection.

5 stars

I tested both the EDC and EDT. I wasn't too fond of the EDC, it was a little too powdery. However, the EDT on my wrist was amazing. At first, it was a little too feminine, it might have been the powdery iris heart, but once the base came through, it was amazing! The ambery dry down persisted 24 hours on my skin and was heavenly. I finally see what everyone is talking about.

Got a 1.7 oz EDT tester at Manhattan's 'fragrance district' for US$17. I absolutely adore this fragrance on my wife. Love how the fragrance unfolds. I wear one spray sometimes when I want vanilla and tonka. I do not get much of the stated bergamot top note. Shalimar just starts immediately with the opopanax on me, producing a powdery scent. Then the AMAZING vanilla and tonka notes develop. On my wife, the vanilla smells very comfortable. Great sillage but not cloying. I am going to buy a Shalimar parfum at the same store, I was given a US$32 quote for 3.4 oz! Thumbs way up.

I first sampled Shalimar back in the 80's and I adored it! I was a teenaged girl trying the expensive fragrances in Boots, back when they used to stock Guerlain, and I promised myself that someday I would purchase a bottle. I think it was the bottle design itself that drew my attention but the fragrance was amazing, to me it was ice cream floats but at the same time something terribly luxurious.

It took me twenty years to finally purchase that bottle, but I have no regrets as I've grown into it, I still adore Shalimar and on my skin the vanilla really comes through with the tang of bergamot peeping out. My husband also loves this fragrance and says it smells of summer evenings.
I have the EdT and I find this works well although I do have to spritz again around 5pm. I will try the EdP and extrait next time I'm near a Guerlain counter

1925!? And still so popular? Well it's sexy and magnificent so that might be why. I like the parfum extrait best, it makes me swoon, but I use the perfume and cologne versions too, for daytime. I like the incense and tobacco notes in the extrait version that are like the pure parfum version of Habanita but not as smoky or rich. The lemon makes Shalimar sparkle. Magic potion.

A true Guerlain classic. I find it to be extremely unisex, in that it is much less feminine than many of the popular offerings marketed to men in the past decade. Whether or not you wear it, it is an important milestone in perfumery and as such is "required sniffing" for any serious student of modern perfumery, just as Mozart string quartets should be required listening for all modern musicians or music lovers. The notes have been discussed ad nausium; just suffice it to say that this is an icon and is one of the most influential fragrances in history.