GUERLAIN Shalimar Eau de Parfum

PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD, DO NOT TEST SHALIMAR IF YOU HAVE NOT PROPERLY PREPARED YOURSELF!

This is directed to the harsh, almost violent anti-Shalimar reviews that are peppered in among the adoring, gushy, positive reviews here.

It almost seems like nonsense to review Shalimar, but I feel like more than a fragrance review, it is essential to tell my experience.

Once upon a time, not too long ago, I was a fragrance newbie. I loved light, sweet fragrances and anything with any silage whatsoever was "too much." Now that I look back I realize that I was culturally acclimated to believing that strong silage was a sign of age (not in a good way) or cheapness. Interestingly, I thought that high quality fragrances were subtle and watery.

But then I "accidentally" met Shalimar Parfum Initial. I had smelled Shalimar at Sephora (I believe it was only the EDT at the time), and I almost retched right in the store. But being the collector I am, I thought I "needed" to have at least one form of this fragrance, so I did some research and decided that at the price I got it for and with the reviews, PI was the way to go . . . and boy, was it!

I adored PI, mostly after I started getting rave compliments from people. It wasn't the initial top notes, but the drydown that was so stunning. And I thought "why not get right to the drydown," but realized that the top notes were essential or you'd have just a powdery, vanilla scent like so many others.

As time has passed, I determined to try the hated Shalimar again, partially because of the rave reviews for its leather note. I gingerly sprayed a test strip, and let it dry down before carefully sniffing. Okay. There's my beloved leather! I can now put this in the "like" category.

But then I got a decant of the EDT, and after avoiding it for several months, I started to spray a teeny bit here and there. Usually before a shower or before bed. I started to notice the development from one moment to the next, and was startled at how amazingly complex this scent was. Much more than any other scent I had tried (or probably more than any I've tried to this date), this fragrance continued to morph and change and wrap around me like gorgeous (and sometimes "stanky" in a good way) sparkling, seductive, serpents (ok, stupid analogy, but I had to use all "Ss" for effect).

By the time I tried the EDP again, I was already in love. Now I don't wear the EDP yet, and don't know that I ever would. It's stunning, but almost like you don't wear your fine china. This one is a masterpiece to be admired, not for casual wear (for me). But all the other Shalimars are fair game.

So please, please, PLEASE! For your own sake, do NOT spray this on, sniff, cough, and then write scathing reviews after disposing of what you consider to be toxic waste. This is art! And it's gorgeous to myself, who was once a hater.

If you have not learned to love civet, oakmoss, aldehydes and other "big-girl" notes, start with some of the easier flankers. Souffle, PI (any of them, but especially Si Sensuelle), and Eau de Shalimar are a much better way to start. These are all beautiful granddaughters of the Grand Dame herself.

As a perfume lover, you owe it to yourself to learn how to understand this one.

I hate the ageism that's so rampant when it comes to perfumes. It's ridiculous!

Shalimar has been around a long time yes, but it's loved by many women of all ages, including those in their early 20s like me. :)

Shalimar is timeless, smells in general are ageless, end of story.

My Grandmother, a beautiful and elegant lady spent most of her working adult life behind the Perfume Counter at Famous Barr in St. Louis. To many, she was known as the "Perfume Lady". To me, she was my "Mimi", and I owe my love of finer fragrance all to her.

We lost her nearly two years ago. It was heartbreaking to say "goodbye", and I am so grateful that I had the chance to laugh with her just one last time before she took her next step in this amazing journey. It was her dying wish that we all take a little something (or things) from her home by which we could remember and cherish her--and enjoy.

The day of her funeral was mostly a haze. It was February in St. Louis, frigid, cold, yet hopeful. We honored her in a spirit of joy and laughter. I wore Neela Vermeire's Mohur. I knew Mimi would approve. My mom told me that I smelled "lovely", and took me in her arms and cried. My Great Aunts remembered with pride Mimi's Lunch with Elizabeth Taylor--not on one, but TWO occasions. It seems that she had sold the most White Diamonds AND Passion in the City, and that was her prize.

Getting back on track--Shalimar. Where does this fit in? For Birthdays and Holidays, Mimi always gifted my Mom with Shalimar. She had all of the concentrations, Extrait in the gorgeous, small Baccarat bottle. So heady and luscious. I remember Mom telling me the difference between the concentrations, and smelling them all back to back as a child, all the way to the Eau de Cologne, with its conical top. I was hooked.

After the funeral, we all went to Mimi's house, the home she worked hard to build and pay for, for so many years. There were no reminders to take off our shoes, or not to run by the stairs, in case we might fall down. No gentle voice reminding us to stay away from her succculents, lest the spines "jump out at us" and stick us. Just silence and reverence for a life well lived. I stepped into her bedroom, and on her night stand, I beheld her SOLE bottle of perfume displayed. A gold Guerlain atomizer. I picked it up, opened the lid and smelled the incense and leather, the vanilla and musk. I was home. Tears fell from my eyes, and I knew what gift Mimi wanted me to have. I treasure this bottle. When I want to feel close to her, I indulge myself, tenderly kiss the bottle that her hands held and again I feel her presence nearby.

This is the beauty and magic of Shalimar for me. A fragrance of unparalleled beauty and refinement, just like my Mimi.

I’m a college professor, and my niche is in aging and the end of life. My students all know about my perfume hobby, as I always spritz the papers and assignments I hand out. It’s even included in an “about me” part of my syllabi. (I think I’ve converted a few to becoming fragrance enthusiasts too!) Today we went to a nursing home for a “meet your neighbors” roundtable so my students could get a glimpse into the lived experiences of elderly community members. I overheard one of my students talking to a lady in her 80s, telling her that their professor likes perfume. I walked over, asking the resident if she too shared the hobby. She nodded, but due to cognitive impairment or social anxiety, had difficulty conversing with me. I asked about Chanel N°5. She balked at the suggestion. “What about Shalimar?” And with that, her eyes lit up, her head nodded, her mouth whispered, “Shalimarrrrrrrrrr...”

My eyes, too, light up to Shalimar. And my new friend has a mini bottle coming her way on our next visit.

Shalimar is an all-time classic. Perhaps the sexiest scent ever. May the vanilla, leather, citrus, incense, smoke—and yes, even the civet—seduce you too. Disregard age; throw out gender. Shalimar doesn’t exist for those boxes. It’s transcendent.

I smelled Shalimar for the first time ever a couple of days ago. There's a local perfume shop right across where I live, I've always wanted to go there but I, as a fairly socially awkward person, avoided it. That's until I took a peek inside and saw they had some Guerlain classics I've always wanted to sniff.

The owner of the shop is an older woman, she greeted me very warmly. I got to it and sniffed all the fragrances I've always wanted, but there was one missing, and that was Shalimar. Thinking this yet again wasn't my time for that, I was going to thank the lady and leave. But that's when she approached me and asked me if I personally liked Guerlain. We started chatting about our shared interest in perfumery for a bit, until I took a chance and asked ''Do you have Shalimar?''

Her face lit up and she said ''No not here, but I'll go check in the back for you.'' I waited until she came back with a bottle of this beautiful perfume and sprayed it on paper for me to sample. Then she told me: the bottle wasn't from the shop, it was her own bottle. Vintage. From her personal collection.

I was so, so happy really I can hardly describe it. I guess she saw that on my face and asked if I wanted to sample on skin, took my arm, and sprayed my wrist. We kept talking. About perfumes she had on her shop, national brands, her own life and customers, along other things for quite a while. It got dark outside, and she gave me some sample decants to take home and we both thanked each other for the quality time together, and headed home.

I really can't describe how happy I was. This lady was so kind to me, and I don't even know her name! At least yet.

Shalimar is, honestly, everything I hoped it was. The reviews made no exaggeration, it's incredible. The citrus opening, the flowers enveloping the citrus, the vanilla and incense dry down that smells divine. I went to sleep, and after I woke up, the incense and leathery notes on my wrist were still there. I would call it a masterpiece, but I feel like my youth and little experience in this fragrance world doesn't make me worthy of that yet.

What I can say for sure is, it's ageless. Timeless. I don't normally share my age online, I'm a young adult. My age still ends in teen. I love Shalimar. The lady I talked to, a much older woman than me, said that was her go-to scent most of her life, and that she treasures the current bottle she has. She loves Shalimar. We both love Shalimar.

I'm not sure why this made me quite emotional I confess. Maybe the kindness of the lady, maybe the perfume itself owning up to all my naïve expectations, maybe the feeling of connection with other women throughout time because of love for a particular perfume. Maybe all of it. Maybe something more. I just know it did. I will treasure that day, that lady, and this perfume on my mind for as long as I can. Until one day, another young girl might ask me ''Do you have Shalimar?''