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Shalimar or L'Heure Bleue?

post #1 of 10
11/1/06 at 5:31pm
Thread Starter 
I've got to cut down on my perfume budget so that I can Christmas shop. But, before I stop buying, I think I need one more piece to finish off my collection... a really great Guerlain. I've narrowed my choice down to L'Heure Bleue and Shalimar. My preferences in fragrance run toward good (slightly earthy, not overly sweet) vanilla and delicate, powdery florals. Both of these fragrances seem likely to fit. I've tested Shalimar but L'Heure Bleue would be a blind Internet buy. What would you advise?
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post #2 of 10
11/1/06 at 9:45pm
L'Heure Bleue is just gorgeous and there is nothing else like it on the market, but I've noticed a tendency for it to turn a bit oniony (????? yep) in the very, very later stages. I wish I had a better word for this, but I do not. The same occurs with Bois des Iles. The heart notes seem to crystallize on top of the base and become sharp and perhaps pungent. I still wear it, but by the next day there is a decided vegetal quality to it. Obviously this is a factor of skin chemistry since I have never heard anyone else remark on it.

If you decide on Shalimar, try to find vintage, or at least not recent. I've noticed a softening in the newer EdP, as if the leather notes are dumbed down and the top isn't quite as crisp with bergamot as it once was. It's still a unique and classic scent. I find it more powdery and mellower than L'Heure Bleue, and also more nocturnal and opulent, whereas L'Heure can easily be a daytime scent.
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post #3 of 10
11/2/06 at 1:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by djuna

I've tested Shalimar but L'Heure Bleue would be a blind Internet buy. What would you advise?

If I am reading this correct, you have not tried L'Heure Bleue yet? I would strongly advise you to buy a sample vial (enough decent sellers) and try it first. Shalimar was my first Guerlain and I still love it intensely. Only since a few months my skin seemed to be ready for the, in my opinion, much more powdery scent of L'Heure Bleue. I still prefer Shalimar. But it really does not not matter what I prefer, you are the one who will be wearing one of these. So please, test first. And I agree, when you prefer Shalimar it would be best to buy an 'older' bottle (if they still exist *sigh*). Maybe in a shop that does not sell many Guerlain's?
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post #4 of 10
11/2/06 at 1:42am
To give you an idea L'Heure Bleue is somewhere in between the semi-oriental notes of the classic Oscar by Oscar de la Renta and soapy notes of Bijan. L'Heure Bleue in edp lasts all day and gives lots of sillage, if you prefer something more discreet choose the edt.
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post #5 of 10
11/2/06 at 2:06am
If you are planning to get an EdP or EdT I definitely think L'Heure Bleu suits the description best, especially since Shalimar can be quite sweet in the weaker concentrations. They are both beauties though, and Shalimar in perfume is divine. Of course, it is best that you sample first though. L'Heure Bleu is quite special, I'd say.
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post #6 of 10
11/2/06 at 3:38am
If you really liked Shalimar, then buy it. It always makes more sense to buy one you DO like instead of one you MIGHT like. Somewhere down the line you can get L'Heure Bleue if you decide to open up your buying again in the future and want it.

If you did NOT like Shalimar, then get the L'Heure Bleue. What's the sense of owning something you don't really like?
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post #7 of 10
11/2/06 at 9:29am
Well, I think Shalimar is gorgeous. I even don't mind the newer EdP- but there is a bit of a difference between the old and new. I think the old had a bit more zing in the topnotes and the spice comes out a bit more. The vanilla dryout on both is still excellent and one of the most beautiful vanillas out there. Either way, try to get at least EdP concentration. The parfum, is, of course, exquisite!

L'Heure Bleu is a nightmare on my chemistry, so I'm not a personal fan. However, on the right chemistry it is a lovely, frail floral with a meloncholy bitter/sweet edge. I would defintely not blind buy this- sample if you can. If you find you like the EdT at all, then try to find the EdP. It is so much better in the EDP, the florals tend to stick around a little longer before the dryout.
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post #8 of 10
11/2/06 at 10:05am
Have you tried the Shalimar Light? It is not a watered down version of Shalimar. It has it's own charm. It seems to leave out the one heavy note of the regular Shalimar and I have heard some say that some Jasmine was added. So it does end up being a lighter scent. It is a wonderful scent in my opinion.
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post #9 of 10
11/2/06 at 1:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Riannon

If I am reading this correct, you have not tried L'Heure Bleue yet? I would strongly advise you to buy a sample vial (enough decent sellers) and try it first.... So please, test first.

Ditto.:bounce:
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post #10 of 10
11/2/06 at 3:27pm
Thread Starter 
To be fair, I usually have as much luck with blind buys as I do with anything else. Sometimes, I sample a scent several times, commit to buying a bottle, and then put it away on a shelf, never to see it again. (This happened with Lolita Lempicka and Stella, both of which I loved at first sniff and have come to actively dislike.) Then again, there are fragrances that I bought for their reputation, their name, or their bottle, which I found slightly disappointing at first and which I have come to appreciate, and even love. (Anais Anais, Mitsouko, and Narcisse Noir were all bought blind simply because they were associated with the work of Anais Nin, and I consider them staples of my wardrobe now, in spite of the fact that I wrote a really nasty - and, at the time, heartfelt - review of AA not so long ago.) I think that the key thing, for me, is to find a scent that's complex and multi-layered, so that I can get to know it over time. At the moment, I'm leaning toward L'Heure Bleue, simply because it's harder to find and I want to take the opportunity to smell it when I can, and because, after sampling Shalimar several times, I sometimes find the vanilla a bit too sugary for my taste.
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