Shalimar L'Essence

Here in Kuwait, Bloomingdale's has exclusivity on sales till 15th Sep, & they were all sold out. I was happy to be able to test it out though, & placed an order through a procurer. People who got on the bandwagon for this solely to deck up their social media & pretend for 5 mins they understand classic French perfumery are going to be sorely disappointed. I on the other hand am not, I cut my teeth on Guerlain, & Shalimar was the first ever perfume I bought with my own money, the EdP i.e., as an 18th birthday gift, a celebration of adulthood & nearly a decade ago. Now over the years I've saturated my collection with all kinds of Shalimar, the vintage EdT, the old Cologne, the new cologne, the Eaus, the Parfum Intials, the Souffles, & lastly the Millésime Tonka (which I recently sold off). THE SCENT OF GUERLAIN SHALIMAR L'ESSENCE - Shalimar's 100th Anniversary Edition (REVIEW STARTS HERE): As is the norm with the Extrait, the vintage EdT & prevalent in the EdP, there's a lemon-pledge like burst of Bergamot, Shalimar's original formula often puts it to 30% of the concentrate being just Bergamot itself. God forgive me but this Bergamot top of Shalimar is what I absolutely HATE. I actually like everything about the dirty-baby-diaper non-gourmand-powdery-smokey Vanilla, the resins (Opoponax or sweet myrrh at the foremost, followed by a commixture of Benzoin tears + Peru balsam + Tolu balsam), the blended floral heart (Jasmine + Rose), the powder compact Iris/Orris, the rough animalic stench of the Civet-Leather-Castoerum axis (supported by a Labdanum, this is important) & the minute bits of Tonka. Though TBH I don't think I've been able to isolate Tonka in the composition until Millésime Tonka, which I didn't take a shine to, 'interesting' to say the least. FINALLY, a 100 years later someone decided to recreate Shalimar bereft of the boisterous Bergamot & that has made me truly happy (so happy I'm alliterating, sigh). L'Essence is Shalimar, very much so, opening with a far more muted Bergamot (still present & hasn't been done away with completely regardless of what the note pyramid says), 1-2 hours into the first spray - only specks of the Bergamot remain, by the far dry-down its pretty much just gone home, good bye & good riddance ya green citrus goblin. The Vanilla of L'Essence is powdery, mildly gritty, & NOT gourmand - definitely not the lipsticky-caramel sweet of the Parfum Intials or the lemon-cake-meringue laced Benzoin warmth of the Souffles. It steals the spotlight, neither light nor oppressive, simply ethereal & quite opaque. The usual floral heart provides a mildly honeyed overtone. Of the resins, Opoponax + Benzoin + Peru + Tolu balsam all remain, however I do feel the the Labdanum has been significantly reduced or done away with, thus reducing the resinous 'warmth', making it a slightly 'colder' vanilla when one compares it to the EdP. It does warm up a bit on my skin though, whereas on the tester strip it's a cool, aloof, & calming powdery vanilla. Also, Shalimar has always contained Ethyl vanillin from back when Jacques Guerlain created the original formula, so no novelty in that. It has a sweet, powder, mildly chocolatey (?), floral vanilla profile. Vanillin is less 'clean' & a bit more woodsy. Also, the press release mentions Ethyl vanillin only. There's a 'Suede' in L'Essence substituting for the Civety Castoreum-laced Leather of the EdP. It is these differences in composition & perhaps the addition of the Madagascan vanilla tincture (which I've read comes from the Vanilla planifolia orchid, so if you do find this most similar to either the Ode a la Madagascar or Millésime Vanilla Planifolia flankers, now you know why) makes this far smoother, rounded & colder. This not modern though, there is still enough powder in here to be reminiscent of a art deco boudoir. Also, the lettering on the bottle IS faux-Art deco, I mean it literally looks like they took inspiration from the older bottles of Vol de Nuit, so not sure why all the complaints? On the Labdanum + Leather: Mind you, labdanum even in small doses dominates a composition, & it does so in Shalimar EdP, precisely why a whole bunch of people found Chanel Le Lion - which is pretty much all labdanum, quite similar to the EdP of Shalimar. Also, not only is labdanum one of the trio of components of a traditional amber accord (vanilla + benzoin + labdanum) but it also usually complements a 'leather accord' with its resinous funk alongside trusty castoreum. These are parts of the EdP which do not follow through in L'Essence, thus L'Essence is more vanilla vs the warm amber of the EdP. Also, in both the old cologne & EdP, the Bergamot + Leather interact to create this odd juxtaposition of tart, sour, dry, scratchy, slightly latex-like scent, for inspiration think (or maybe not) of a 'burning/smokey car tyre being sterilised in a hospital with disinfectant'. These nuances too aren't a part of L'Essence thankfully. All in all a Shalimar I can truly love without reservations, maybe its more for the Shalimar connoisseur & the regular wearer than the dilettante, but hey you've got to start somewhere, no? Girlies, give up the gourmands, menfolk stop weeping over MFK butchering DHP, succumb to Shalimar already. This is the right start to French classics, & it'll always be a far more solid composition than a dozen of the overpriced hyped-up niche & artisanal brands that have time & again tried to enhance the Shalimar DNA, & have been hilariously unsuccessful I might add. It was once said as a veiled critique of flappers of the roaring 20s, that a 'lady' (read Victorian prude) did NOT do three things: i. Smoke a cigarette ii. Dance the tango iii. Wear Guerlain Shalimar All of which was once considered rather vulgar & provocative. Here I am though advocating just that, give into temptation maybe & sin softly with Shalimar L'Essence? Be at least a Marilyn if not Mae West. Your very own, The Perfume Vigilante

Shalimar L’essence : I resisted the urge to jump on here and share my thoughts immediately after my 1st impression of this beauty. I wanted to live with it for a bit and get to know Shalimar L’essence (SL’E) It’s been a few weeks, and I’m ready to share my thoughts. I will do my best to express what I’m smelling, the notes I experience most, and my comparison to Shalimar Millésime Vanilla Planifolia (SMVP) rather than just singing its praises. Of all the Shalimar flankers: (edt’s not ode a La Vanille, which are EDP flankers) SL’E is closest to Shalimar EdT. However, now it feels modernized, and I believe that lies in reducing bergamot and removing smoky balsams whilst amplifying vanilla and Iris. The vanilla in SL’E feels woody and leathery. Actually, I sense a lot of leather from the Shalimar Millésime line. When Guerlain removes the smoky balsams from Shalimar, it develops a leathery nuance and takes on a glossy luster. I’ve noticed this with Planifolia, Iris, and now SL’E, all having the most leather. SL’E has a lot of movement for me. It opens with toned-down bergamot that almost feels spiced with pink pepper (perhaps the rose?) alongside the unmistakable Grlawn vanilla. As the bergamot fades, the Iris comes forward—slightly powdery, with glossy leather that creates a smooth, suede-like effect on my nose. In the middle, the vanilla moves away from a woody vanilla and towards a fluffy/doughy texture. Before I go into the dry down of SL’E, I’d like to now compare SL’E to Shalimar Millésime Vanilla Planifolia (SMVP) Ah, SMVP. I love this one so much because I adore Iris and Orris, and SMVP is equally vanilla and Orris. I want to talk about Orris for a bit. I’ve noticed a nuance about Orris I’ve never heard mentioned. When I wear a high-quality fragrance with Orris concrete, it smells like the bloom that covers the outside of a triple cream Brie. There is a bleach-y tone to it. I smell it in Francesca Bianchi’s Angel Dust, Roja Dove’s 51 Parfum, Enigma Parfum, RDHP 15, Britannia, Guet-Apen, and it’s in the opening of Shalimar Millésime Vanilla Planifolia. I’m not saying Orris smells like cheese; instead, it has a bleach-like tone that I’ve only experienced on the bloom of ripe cheeses—I hope others know what I’m talking about. Okay, Tangent over. SMVP is linear to me. It opens with Orris, quickly making way for the doughy/ custard vanilla. The vanilla has a leathery nuance, but it is mainly in the background. The composition gives me zero bergamot. Instead, the Orris gets a little lipstick (waxy) in texture, which lends itself to the leather, but the vanilla shines in VP as it should. The Orris fades to the background as it dries, and the vanilla sweetens but stays the same. When I wear SMVP next to Shalimar L’essence, the differences really jump out. Next to one another, the Orris jumps out of SMVP, and the bergamot/leather jumps out of SL’E. Another big difference that I haven’t spoken about yet is the musk. SL’E has a very sexy musk that comes out in the dry down. It’s not a fluffy musk; it’s a bit naughty and animalic, making the fragrance feel more lived in. The dry down or SL’E is very close to SMVP, but these two are different, and I’m happy for it. I really love Shalimar. My first Guerlain was a 1969 Goutte Flacon of Shalimar edt. It’s aged like a fine wine, smooth and complex. I’m thrilled that Delphine Jelk created a new and modern take on Shalimar that makes the wearer feel just as sexy and mysterious as those in the roaring 20s. P.S I don’t smell Cuir beluga here at all. Yes, they share that delicious doughy Guerlain vanilla but that’s it

Edit: another thing that also impresses me about this perfume is that I feel that almost every single reviewer understand it. Never have I read review after review and thought that "I agree!" I tried this and liked it. Then I tried this again, and again and again. I understood that this one was something special - never have I ever sampled something this many times and wanted to follow its whole development all the way untill it disappears. So I got two 3 oz bottles. I thought I would maybe sell one, as they are expensive... but I have a feeling that that won't happen unless Guerlain comes out with an even better flanker, but this one definitely got me interested in this whole line. I heard "kitten fur" fragrance will be popular. Well, to me, this is that :) This smells so classic that I currently can't quite imagine it suddenly becoming outdated. To me, It's in the same category as Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere - an improvement on the original. Plus, I can give myself 20 spritzes of this without feeling like it's over the top X) It starts out dramatic, develops into beautiful, and exits with a food-grade vanilla. The vanilla gets stronger and sweeter over the wear time of this. I really, really don't like the original Shalimar EDP, and despise the EDT. They both smell like insect repellant to me, with the medicinal, sour, strong bergamot. The EDT especially has a super strong indolic (poo) smell. So, I do agree that this is a Shalimar for those who don't like Shalimar. It still has the Shalimar DNA, but it smells like the whole notes pyramid has been turned upside-down: Shalimar dries down to a powdery vanilla as the last remaining note, while this one has it as the main note. It's a balm, ambery vanilla. It's powdery, but not chalky - a musky-tonka powderiness. The bergamot is present, but it sits close to the skin and makes me feel nostalgic when I press my nose into my sweather. I have heard some people say this is too smoky for them. On me, this isn't leathery or incense-y at all. I don't know whether this is due to my skin chemistry, or if some people have tried this is warmer weather - I started testing this in cold weather. Maybe there's enough smoke smell in the air to overshadow the slight smoky accords in this. Overall, this is a warm, inviting, amber-vanilla-musc smell on me. Yes, on me, I can smell the musc quite well. Next for me will be to compare this to the Tonka Millessime-version!

Even though I don’t get along very well with Shalimar, I really loved L’Essence. It feels as if the sharp, smoky, and animalic facets of Shalimar have been softened and covered with an airy, very luxurious vanilla. The vanilla here isn’t as intensely sweet as the vanilla fragrances we often come across today. Instead, it is powdery, elegant, and unique. At the same time, I can also detect the same smooth iris that I smell in Mon Guerlain. Overall, it’s a very high-quality and sophisticated fragrance. Even so, I don’t think it’s suitable for a blind buy, so I would recommend trying it before purchasing. This has become my second favorite Shalimar. Shalimar Souffle still holds the first place in my heart. When I first spray Shalimar L’Essence, I immediately notice the fresh bergamot. Right after that, the incense timidly steps onto the stage. Then, the powdery touch of iris settles over a vanilla base like a cloud, one that almost has a calming effect on me. I can’t really detect the leather very much, but I can tell it’s there. The combination of that unique iris and the vanilla is truly magnificent... All in all, this is a well-balanced take on Shalimar. If, like me, you’ve never really gotten along with Shalimar, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this one. I think it’s a fragrance that works well in all four seasons. I’ve only been wearing this fragrance for a few days, but every time I wear it, I notice a different side of it, as if it has different moods; one day it feels more distant, one day softer, and one day dreamier. It’s like someone you’ve just started getting to know gradually opening up to you over time... This isn’t a fragrance that reveals itself all at once, and that’s exactly the kind of experience I expect from a perfume. On my skin, the longevity was around 9–10 hours. The projection isn’t room-filling, but it can easily be noticed from an arm’s length away.

I still can't get over that one outrageous, snob commentary about this fragrance somewhere bellow. Perfume community can be so fricking toxic and that person was a perfect example. She literally called this fragrance horrible, can you imagine? This is objectively a BEAUTIFUL perfume. Subjectively the best fragrance I have ever smelled, the fluffiest, most ethereal vanilla with the cleanest powdery notes. Yet in the background you still get that Shalimar DNA - balsams, incense a touch of leather. But this is its more wearable sister, the pretty an effortless one. It does have a vintage style which I absolutely adore but on skin and sillaging, you get mostly beautiful Guerlain vanilla. This is the fragrance which made me become a guerlain girlie. I praise this house for eternity. I have purchased the original Shalimar EDP after buying L'Essence. I had to have it and I was quite scared. But the reality? Another mesmerizing scent. And it has the exact same beautiful background, it's just less mass appealing and more of a statement fragrance. However if I'm taking an exam, I can't smell that animalic in front of the professors. That's why L'Essence is not just something similar. It's a fragrance on its own. Very much needed as well as the original Shalimar. It's a beast mode as well. Truly a 10/10 So once again to that one woman, yes, scent is very subjective but this wasn't subjective at all. You just wanted to share your entitled sentimental opinion which was very hateful and emotional. I don't believe you didn't like the new fragrance, I just think, you wanted to be different and poison this a little bit on account of the original Shalimar.