Guerlain Shalimar Parfum Initial L'Eau

Let me just voice out what a lot of people here are secretly thinking: Can a man wear this fragrance? Can a man wear fragrances marketed as feminine? Hell yes! I knew about Shalimar well before trying this flanker. I was intrigued when I read that Shalimar Parfum Initial L'eau had been discontinued, so I went ahead to buy a bottle. And I did not regret doing that. A lot of people here are saying that this (or Shalimar Parfum Intial - also discontinued) is nothing like Shalimar. I think they are both right and wrong. There are obviously different perfumes, but Wasser has kept the structure of Shalimar intact. An overdosed bergamot top, a floral-woody heart (iris), and a tonka-vanille base that reminds me again and again, that this is a Guerlain. There is no skank, no leather, no smoke in this piece, and this is going to appeal to you if you've always loved the idea of Shalimar but hated the civet in it. The opening is a blast of bergamot and other citrus notes that can be a bit rough. Once the bergamot settles down, the powdery iris starts to appear, reminding me strangely of Dior Homme. Heat activates the tonka bean and vanilla base, giving this perfume such sensuality. Being a Guerlain, the vanilla is not an edible one, but a very sensual one. The bergamot continues offers a bitter and astringent contrast to the sweet tonka and powdery iris, giving it a bright, sunny color, while the vanilla keeps the astringency of the bergamot in check and affords it depth and sensuality. This is a very balanced composition that demonstrates the skill of Thierry Wasser. This fragrance projects well. Longevity is excellent, easily lasting an entire day. Suggested wearing is spring and even summer - as long as it doesn't get too hot. Use it for an instant lift to your spirits. Unfortunately, this fragrance has been discontinued, likely due to poor sales. So do yourself a favour, go to your nearest department store, and if you see it, smell it, and then buy it.

Iris Heaven! Soft, beautiful, powdery Iris. I wasn't sure I would like it after reading through all the contrary reviews here. At times, I felt like I was reading about two different fragrances. Dry? Sweet? Caramel? Citrus? Wanting to find out what it really smelled like I purchased a card sample from frag net. Testing out this less than a ml. sample I found the opening to be clearly shot and smelled like nail polish remover. This is a discontinued scent after all and the sample small and clearly old. Then the top notes faded away in a matter of minutes and the most beautiful Iris came out and it is amazing. Soft, powdery, enveloping. I feel like a babe wrapped in a blanket of Iris petals. Really wonderful silage too. I'm barely picking up the other notes which could be due to deterioration of the sample, but it also could be that the Iris is so outstanding that my nose is focused like a laser on that note. Then, more than halfway through the wear the Iris is joined by the signature Guerlain vanilla and I know that I am lost. I have to have a bottle! After many, many hours it became a skin scent and when I smelled my wrist could smell the famous Shalimar spices. Unfortunately, this is a discontinued scent and very hard to find. Edit - I manage to find a bottle and even though it cost a pretty penny, I already know it's well worth it. For me, this is a full-blown uncompromising love I plan on treasuring and treating like the rare gem it is. Still, that won't stop me from purchasing a back-up bottle should I be lucky enough to stumble across one in the future. Edit - Found a back-up bottle but while it says L'eau on the box it doesn't say that on the bottle. I find that strange.

It's been more than four years that I have a bottle of Shalimar Initial L'Eau sitting unused and lonely on my vanity.I could never understand the rave about Shalimar Initial,I didn't like it as I couldn't pickup any caramel in it,just bug spray like,sharp,cold,bitter iris and citruses so I gave it away two years ago but kept this one just because I loved the shap of Shalimar bottles and wanted to have one from this family.Recently I decided to give it another chance and I'm shocked to see how much I love it! I have to confess that Shalimar Initial L'Eau is heavenly.I'm not into citruses but citrus notes:bergamot,orange and grapefruit are very sparkly,fresh and lovely here,not sharp or sour like in some masculine colognes,not syntethic like in room sprayes,they blend so well with a powdery,very well-done iris and soft,adorable Guerlainade vanilla.it gets warmer,more rounded,more sensual as it dries down and tonka shows up.I love it so much now that it's difficult to believe I had once disliked it.it's vibrant,youthful and modern also very classy,expensive-smelling and elegant.it lasts about 6 hours on my skin(a lot longer on fabric)and projects amazing.to me it's wearable year round and I may need a backup Now that my feeling has totally changed about Initial L'Eau I can see that not keeping Initial was such a huge mistake.I'm sure I can pickup caramel now and I know that it could be a warmer,richer,more sweet Initial L'Eau and could enter my top ten favourites.I have to find it though it's very expensive now,I have to find every Shalimar flanker I can and try them again(except the mother Shalimar EDP which I still hate) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

First, don't even try to compare it to the original Shalimar! Coz, of course it's not comparable. If Shalimar Initial is her daughter, SHIL would be her grand daughter. They are in different age, have different interests and surely different blends. In short it's a lighter and daytime version of Shalimar Initial. Secondly, if you’re into teeny, bubbly, sweet, youth perfume, PLEASE don’t even try this. SHIL would only break your heart and instead of giving a fruitfully review or critics you would end up trashing this beauty. Well, here we go... I surrendered and downed on my knee from the initial spray....captivated from the beginning. The citrus is sparkly and blends nicely with the powdery iris + burnt vanilla combo which came out heavenly. I'm not sure if I'm able to differentiate all the floral notes that are stated here, but there are hints of jasmine or rose. I don't detect any lily of the valley and I can't vouch for freesia, since I haven't smelled any of them so far. I feel that the top and the mid were woven tightly, creating a solid lingering blends that couldn't be separated. They are one in two different beings. This top-mid phase stays for like 1-3 hours. The dry down is balmy, slightly bitter-sweet, very earthy and smokey, almost smells like the wet and damp dirt. Could that be the tonka bean + iris root + vanilla?? Probably. As the descendent of Shalimar I'm expecting longer longevity, SHIL loves my skin for only 4 hours max. The sillage is powerful in the first 5-10 minutes and calmer afterward. I can’t wear the original Shalimar, but SHIL....I would guard this for the rest of my life!!

Initially I was very skeptical of this perfume. A flanker of a flanker of a flanker l'eau, please. But I am a sucker for iris perfumes, and in general I still think that Guerlain is great at what they do. So I tried it, and I can say that I love this pink tasseled flanker that has little to do with Queen Shalimar. There are no ginger notes in here, but the opening is so sparkling with bergamot and grapefruit and neroli that it is just luminous, the notes create this sensation of smelling ice cold, fizzing ginger ale. There is a bit of transient greenery as well. The citrus notes stick around for quite awhile, over the floral heart, I mostly smell hyacinith and a bit of rose and some sweet jasmine. Slowly, slowly the sparkle dies down a bit and things do become more powdery, with iris, vanilla, and tonka bean in the base. Shalimar PI L'eau is one of those perfumes that I wear and I literally just smell myself all day, I probably look crazy, I find every opportunity to sniff my wrist or the collar of my shirt. The longevity is very good, at least 10 hours it goes strong, and this is one of the few perfumes that I've worn that I've gotten compliments on. If Guerlain would have just given Shalimar PI and L'Eau their own identities, maybe they wouldn't have discontinued them? It is such a waste, I think that they could have had another L'Instant or Idylle on their hands with this one, instead of already giving up on them. I find both perfumes to be very well done in their own right, and comparing them to the original Shalimar just seems a little weird.