Shalimar Souffle Intense

I should start by saying that I haven't smelled original Shalimar in years, having always dismissed it as too mature for me during my early 20s working in the cosmetics department at Macy's. But in the last few years, having renewed my fragrance obsession via reading the amazing articles and reviews here on Fragrantica, I began searching for a high quality vanilla based fragrance, like so many I had in the past that are either now discontinued or reformulated beyond recognition. And surprisingly, all roads seemed to lead me to Shalimar. As you may already know, there are dozens of listings for Shalimar and all her variations. But which one would be the right one for me? I didn't want to fall in love with something discontinued, which eliminated a good chunk of prospective juices right off the bat. I liked the idea of a newer, maybe more modern take on the original, so Souffle was a contender... until I discovered the Souffle Intense reviews a couple weeks ago. The reviews described her as less citrusy and closer to the original Shalimar than Souffle, while retaining her own identity. So since I've always loved rich, vanilla-heavy orientals, and with winter right around the corner, Souffle Intense sounded like a perfect new seasonal addition to my collection. I pulled the trigger and blind bought, and she arrived today. It's been a few hours since the first spray, and I'm still a little overwhelmed. Shalimar Souffle Intense is absolutely beautiful. The first couple minutes are citrusy and bright, but almost immediately the top notes dissapate and lush, white florals begin to emerge. They are creamy, dewy, and a bit powdery. But the floral notes never overwhelm the true star of this fragrance, which are the base notes. The vanilla in here is to die for, and while sweet; Souffle Intense never veers off into gourmand territory, as there's something a little spicy/smoky to keep her in check. I wish I had the vocabulary to accurately describes the sumptuousness of how she dries down, but I don't so you'll just have to trust me. It's heavenly. I remember in the early 2000s there were a slew of gorgeous Oriental fragrances introduced: Dior Addict, Armani Mania, Boucheron Initial, Givenchy Organza Indecence, just to name a few. I had and loved them all. Most have sadly gone the way of the dinosaur, and I'd all but given up the search to ever find anything comparable. Until today. If you're new to Guerlain, or Shalimar like me but have always wanted to give her a try; or if you just love a good vanilla based oriental without the sickly sweetness that can accompany some of the newer gourmands, Souffle Intense might be for you. I actually ordered two back up bottles because at this moment I don't ever want to be without this! Oh, and speaking of bottles, the midnight blue glass is simply divine. 10/10

This smells like Shalimar Cologne to me with a heavy dose of benzoin. Unlike some other Shalimar flankers, like the Initials and even Souffle and Lumiere, there is no doubt this is a close relation of the iconic original, sharing the same citrus, spice aka. Guerlinade, and famous Shalimar vanilla. As such, it shares more than a passing resemblance to Shalimar Cologne. In fact, without the addition of benzoin, it would probably smell almost identical to my nose. Since I wanted to get a back-up of Shalimar Cologne anyway I no longer think it's necessary as this is so similar it would be redundant. While I like this a lot and think it's very pretty, out of all the Souffles my favorite is still Lumiere. I find it softer, fluffier, creamier, and somehow more rounded, despite having bergamot as a note running throughout. Like the aforementioned scents it also has vanilla, but is much lighter on the spice, only becoming apparent in the dry down as it becomes a skin scent. It shares the benzoin of Intense but whereas the benzoin subsides greatly in Intense as the scent progresses it stays throughout the life of the scent in Lumiere. As a result, the fragrance remains light and fluffy from beginning to end. I also find with Intense that like Shalimar Cologne it has a strong citrus presence that stays strong from beginning to end. Sometimes I find the Shalimar Cologne citrus too sharp in hot weather (I actually prefer wearing it in cooler weather) and I fear the same thing will happen with Intense. Despite Lumiere starting out with a strong bergamot opening it greatly subsides as the fragrance progresses becoming softer, and as such I think will be more versatile for year round wear. My personal opinion – if you have Shalimar Cologne you probably could do without Intense and vice versa. If you have either (or both) and want something different, I highly recommend Lumiere.

And the next morning I woke up wrapped in a very sensual, floriental scent. The pillows give off Shalimar Souffle Intense, the hair has locked the scent and there are still traces of it on the wrists and the palms of the hands. It's a bliss, like a heaven. I haven't really worn yet Shalimar. And this was one of my favorite moments in Sephora: when they don't see you, douse with a perfume. My hand grabbed the dark blue bottle, that stood out. I don't regret it. It's a true floriental, that has a very nice sillage for the first three hours and then stays close to the skin; it lingers and lingers and lingers. Combines two vibes: a vintage green citrusy and florals with vanilla. It is aromatic, nothing foodish or gourmand; my worst fear with vanilla is the foody aspect. There is no such thing here. No cakes, no cookies, no cheap tacky vanilla. It's a smooth combination of vanilla, totally upfront, honeyed; I'm a sucker for honey,it's not listed but I sense it, a subdued caramelic sweetness that actually complements a composition when in proper dosage. The opening is green and cologney, there is the vintage vibe, classic, nose-filling, a wake-up of the senses. The last thing is the florals. Shalimar Souffle Intense doesn't win in complexity, but that's not a problem, we've got Shalimar for that. A lovely blend of jasmine mainly and less orange blossom. Honeyed. Somewhere metallic. White florals can do that. The perfume it reminded me of is Allure EDT Chanel, I wonder how anyone hasn't spotted the similarity though. The difference lies in benzoin, that makes Shalimar Souffle Intense thicker. Not a heavy scent, actually it's youthful, undoubtedly feminine and sensual without smelling cheap. Contemporary with bits of the past. I really really liked the effect it left on me, well done Thierry Wasser

It's often contested whether these Souffle fragrances can truly be considered flankers of the original Shalimar, given how strongly they diverge from the original scent. I think the answer is that Guerlain considers anything based on citrus and vanilla to be a Shalimar variant, regardless of how it smells. As a lover of the original I must admit this doesn't come close. Souffle Intense, however, is very pleasant in its own way and seems somewhat avant-garde to me. I get a burst of non-acidic lemon on the opening, which swiftly progresses to a very floral, soapy centre. I suspect it's the fabled orange blossom absolute, but to me this smells like magnolia-scented soap in a bath: citrusy, foaming, and sweet. Running through the scent from top to bottom is an extremely strongly resinous, sweet benzoin note which is granular, crystalline but in the process of melting. This benzoin alone conjures the same fantasy of the East as the original, though here everything is 'wet' as opposed to the dry leathery quality of the original. Vanillic benzoin takes over almost totally towards the dry down, and is the star of the scent and the most attractive element to me. The original Souffle de Parfum has musk in place of this benzoin note, and I think that's why I prefer this Intense version. Having gone through 50ml of this, I can say that as lovely as it is, it's not going to be a repurchase for me. It is extremely good as an alternate take on Shalimar, however, preserving the structure of the original (citrus yielding to sweetness) but not the scent. Lemon soap on top of purring resin.

Absolutely divine. This was a blind buy for me after carefully review and comparing/contrasting it to other Shalimar flankers (since the EDP was slightly too mature for me and the EDT a tad too smoky); I was in desperate need of a new fragrance so I took the plunge, and I am so so glad I did. The first time I wore it I was reminded of the holidays for some reason? And at first I was worried that it was going to be more of a "like" than a "love" because it was a tad too sweet for me in the beginning...making me think it may be the kind of fragrance for special occasions only, not daily wear...but the next morning it was still lingering on my skin and had transformed into something I quickly couldn't get enough of. It didn't smell Christmas-y anymore, it smelled like home; not like a childhood home, but rather a feeling. It wraps around you like a warm embrace, staying close. If I had to describe what I'd imagine heaven to smell like, this would be it! It comforts the mind, soothes the soul, and lifts the spirit. My one and only complaint is that I need to reapply throughout the day, more than I'd like to; not the greatest projection on my skin, but on the flip side it makes for a more intimate experience, which is also nice. I'd describe Shalimar Souffle Intense as an "introverted" fragrance...but maybe once temperatures rise a bit, that will change. Regardless - 10/10 would recommend this beauty! EDIT: I realized my skin had dried out quite a bit, which is probably why at first this seemed a bit elusive. Not anymore :)

Such a luscious, feminine benzoin heavy vanilla with a little jasmine floral/citrus/musky balsamic thing going on the background. I don't get much orange flower, but jasmine has a tendency to overwhelm other floral notes for me. I'm sure I've left a review before, but it's taken me about 8 months to really appreciate this beauty. It's not a sniff and decide kinda scent, it's not overly complicated either, though. A bottle of fragrance always needs time to sit, I've learned that the hard way. A spritz or two right after you get the bottle (or large enough decant) and then let it sit in a dark closet, preferably in its box and the next time you try it you'll be amazed (or not, lol).... This is not Shalimar to me, it's different, but I'm thankful they put it in the flankers simply bc it's in the "bat" bottle and that gorgeous deep blue. Such a satisfying presentation. I've always found Thierry Wasser fragrances not to be simple or simply understood. It takes a bit of time to acclimate yourself. They aren't for the faint of heart, for the trend surfers or for the "pretties". If you can understand that, you'll be rewarded with a beautiful, elegant scent that defies easy categorization and keeps your nose engaged. I like fragrances of all kinds, I hate limiting myself by not fully engaging my nose. Why have this hobby if you don't do that? But having said all that, this isn't a hard fragrance to get along with. It boils down to a pretty vanilla with a lovely path.

I really always did love the original and always thought that was the only Shalimar, until just recently, and I know Guerlain has many other fragrances, but never ventured too far away other than L'Instant and L'Instant Magic and some of the others and Oriental Brulant which they did discontinue and sadly so, because I love that one so much, but every now and again I find a bottle popping up on here and there. I will say, that I took a chance on this, and as Shirley Temple, the little national treasure during WWII used to say OH MY GOOOOONESS, this is lovely. Yes, I love it more than the regular juice. I stocked myself up. It is such a fragrance that takes me back to a time where I do believe reminds me of something my grandmother must have used back when I was little. So, if you like BOE beautiful smells of the women of yesteryear, who were all dolled up, get this. Then I looked to see who the nose was behind this and was not surprised. I'm going to try to find the other Souffle's. This is really gorgeous. I might add, the right gentleman could pull this off entirely with quite a bit of sophistication. Gosh it is gorgeous. I can't believe a blind buy, wait, yes I can, miracles do come true. So they discontinue Oriental/Asian Brulant but this I found...ah thank you Guerlain. Don't mess with this. A very safe blind buy for me.

Hi ismellsogood, my guess is that your Sensational Body Lotion more closely matches Shalimar Parfum Initial. The Guerlain website says this of the Sensational Body Lotion - Oriental. Voluptuous, sensual, spellbinding. A flight of flowers and bergamot whips up the top notes with a breeze of freshness. The heart is warmed by enveloping and delicately powdery notes of iris, jasmine and rose. To conclude, the presence of vanilla, rounded balmy notes and the gourmand warmth of tonka bean orchestrate a sensual symphony for the dry-down. As there is no Tonka in either Shalimar Souffle or the Intense, I think that the lotion is more like Shalimar Parfum Initial which has Tonka, iris and rose as well as the citrus you mentioned as being noticeable in the lotion. I own all three of these flankers, and there isn’t a huge difference between the Soufflés. If you were considering buying the original Souffle to try to match it to the Sensational Body Lotion, my advice is not to bother, because it isn’t markedly different to Souffle Intense. You can still get Parfum Initial on the web from time to time. BTW, the Shalimar body cream in the flat round bowl smells intensely of incense, and does not layer well with the Souffles, just in case you were thinking of getting it. I hope this helps a bit. Cheers

Tried it on my wrist today and BANG! What a positive reaction!! What a beautiful scent! My work colleagues (used to my many approaches on their nostrils, some might call it attacks) all loved it. Not sure whether I can pull it off as a man, but I adore it, especially on this year's most miserable day, weather wise (London drowning in rain and blustery winds of 6-8 degrees Celsius), this beautiful creation of a Shalimar flanker, can be wrapped around your neck like a thick and luxurious silk scarf. I happen to have and use today a beautiful peacock blue silk scarf with a forrest/ hunting theme (deers & foxes) and this EdP goes perfectly in terms of theme/ colour with it. Basically a lighter, more tea biscuit wafer, dusty, pillowy, heavenly, take on vanilla, with some of the typical Shalimar components. However, not as dense, sexual and vampy-trampy as its godmother (the original), but more of a dreamy-sensual pleasure that cocoons you into its intimate allure. The banana-leaf moment in the very beginning is exotic and interesting, but it fades soon into the early vanilla-pillow-powdery territory. A true work of art for a flanker, and for me, yet another near masterpiece in the world of GUERLAIN. If only it lasted longer on my skin. (Maybe, do an ULTRA INTENSE VERSION?) Verdict: 9.5/10

If you love Shalimar and the so called guerainade effect at the end of a Guerlain frag, this is a safe blind buy for you. I disagree with the poster directly under my review, it's definitely not the strongest fume, or really even close ~ I mean OG Shalimar's lighter fluid blast is way more intense than this. But on to the perfume review. If orange flower tends to go a little skanky on you, you might want to test first. It's one note that I have to be careful with and SI wasn't an exception. Luckily it's only for a few minutes, then the beautiful resinous vanilla tames it for me. It's one of the ways that this flanker differentiates itself and when it joins forces with the jasmine, mandarin, lemon and bergamot, you get a semi-floral Shalimar. This one doesn't have tonka in it so it never really hits that satisfying depth, but I don't think this one is meant to. I won't rebuy bc I'm sure Wasser will have many more beautiful iterations before too long, but I'll just spray happily until it's gone and then go looking for my next fix of this iconic fragrance. By the way, if you like to layer your Shalimars, this one is very nice with the OG, just wait until the jet fuel phase is over, lol.

I ordered a sample of this expecting to get that lemon merengue/cookie gourmand scent that so many described here and was very disappointed that it smells nothing like that. It has the OG shalimar DNA for sure, I'm not sure why I didn't expect that. On me, this is very musky and incensey and there is something in the opening I dont love, perhaps the citrus note that is more bitter than sweet. On the final dry down I do get the vanilla, but not in a gourmand way. The vanilla in this is more airy and oriental due to the incense. I can appreciate this one on others but my body does not project musk pleasantly so its a pass for me. projection is moderate to strong on me but fades into a skin scent on dry down. EDIT: when i first tried this I was in frigid cold temperatures (4 degrees c) and I think this perfume needs a little more warmth because Ive tried it a second time in 19 degree weather with a cool breeze and WOW my opinion has totally changed and I love it. This now smells so much warmer and spicy. so comforting. Id wear this in cool but not cold temperatures. EDIT 2: officially obsessed and need a full bottle of this...it just keeps growing and growing on me and it is so sexy.

Just sublime. The opening of this is pure happiness. On me it's soft and airy. Citrus without sharpness, lemon cushioned on a cloud of vanilla rather than the bright and sparkling star of the show. Sweetish but not at all sugary. Calm and demure, but in no way forgettable. I can't pick out anything floral, but the whole effect is so smooth I don't really expect to, perhaps in time and with more experience. I'm very much enjoying this in the warmer weather as i'm a naturally cold bodied person, so that outside warmth helps to radiate it more. I do find it ever so slightly edible, but rather than being served a fabulous dessert, it's more opening the fridge and being greeted by the delightful contrast of the scent of warm vanilla/buttery lemon pie being lightly carried on the cool air. This is what I love the most, I find that cool/warm effect to be so magical. I will happily wear this year round, and i'm particularly interested to try it in winter when there will be the cold of the outdoors and the warm comfort of home to experience it in. The wonderful opening lasts well on my clothing and hair, and fades fluently and slowly without anything jarring on my skin. True love.

The closest I can get to heaven might be Shalimar Souflee Intense... I have cherished this one since the day I first laid my nose on it.... souflee without the accent mark actually translates to “breath” in French and to me this perfume is a breath of cooling vanilla and lemon powder. Typically I’m not big on scents this powdery but this one really has this light and fluffy airiness that transports me to a fairytale kingdom. I think the cold vanilla aspect might be one of my favorite elements in this perfume, the other vanilla scents in my collection are warm. The bright part of this scent is what I call “lemony” because it isnt a typical sharp citrus, it smells like lemon custard but not in a custard way... lol that doesn’t seem to make sense but I’m trying to say that this has a more rounded and smooth lemon scent that is powdery instead of creamy. The quality is exactly what you would expect from a Guerlain and the performance is great as well. Another plus is this gorgeous deep sapphire colored flacon in the shape of the iconic original Shalimar bottle. Seriously this is one of my top favorite fragrances in my collection 💙

I love how approachable this version of Shalimar is. I think this would be a favorite for many age groups, I think men could absolutely pull it off too. I get the burst of citrus at the beginning, first the lime, then mandarin orange, then lemon unfolding. This citrus scent is like the real fruit, not window cleaner at all! I normally dislike citrus top notes, but I just kept sniffing this... After about 10-15 minutes later I get the soft notes of orange blossom, then jasmine. They are not distinctive florals, rather already wrapped in the warmth of vanilla that is to come. Sillage is moderate, it doesn't scream sweetness or vanilla off my skin. I absolutely wear it in the office during the day in the colder months, however I only need one spray for the day. I only have Shalimar pure Parfum from the Shalimar line, so I can only compare it to that. This doesn't smell like Shalimar at all. I would say this is much more youthful, the vanilla here is not the burnt / creme brulee kind, but vanilla bean kind. It's not too sweet, but sweeter than original Shalimar. I definitely recommend it, I would repurchase.

Gorgeous stuff! I bought this blindly based on reviews and my love for Guerlain, and received my bottle today. I need more time to fully appreciate all the stages of this fragrance and will give it the customary time to settle down before I really get to know it, but I still gave myself a bit of a heavy spray and am just enjoying it's beauty, especially in the cold night air. She is a Shalimar alright, but a kinder, gentler, and lighter Shalimar as the name Souffle would attest, even with Intense tagged on. The beautiful Guerlain vanilla is the star here, and the benzoin adds to the oriental lushness. As for the floral aspects, I will need to wait to really discover and fully appreciate. Surprisingly, I love this even more than Initial, which is no mean feat! This is a reminder of Guerlain at it's finest, and much preferred to the sweeter gourmand offerings the house is producing these days. It can be found for a very decent price and if you are a Shalimar and/or Guerlain fan, I think it's a safe blind buy. Oh - and I love the blue bottle!

This is Shalimar's younger, sweeter sister. I adore my Shalimar EDP but got this as a decant to try out one of the flankers. Kind of regretting it because I really love it and want a full bottle now, but it seems to be selling on clearance as a discontinued flanker‽ Anyways; I find that that one's initial spray ruffles my feathers a little less than the OG Shalimar EDP does. With the EDP I feel like I'm getting choked out in the first 30-60 seconds by something strong, veering toward a screeching lemon pledge, although it settles quickly. Souffle Intense is distinctly lemon but not the same intensity nor screechiness of EDP. To me, it smells like lemon drops, then lemon cookies. I absolutely love the drydown of Souffle Intense as it goes into delicious cookie territory without being obnoxiously sweet. There's no smokiness at all, and thus I find Souffle Intense a little more linear than the EDP but definitely not ordinary or boring.

Adore this scent so much! Honestly I wish this was in the 100ml size as I will have to buy more. This is the 1st flanker in a long time that I'm so loving! I have the original souffle and this I like way more. Actually I love it.The floral in this is beautiful where's with the other souffle it's more lemon and musk, I also didn't pick up on much floral. With this I smell such beautiful jasmine a little dirty and orange blossom. The citrus is balanced but I wish I did smell more bergamont. That's something that is minor to me as the whole composition works together beautifully. Finally with the dry down I get the most delicious spicy vanilla floral with a beautiful non soapy musk. The bottle is gorgeous I love the dark blue glass. I will be buying more no doubt. There are so many occasions to wear it for. Plus I could see myself using this on the daily besides my vintage Shalimar. Love! :)

On me, this is a soft and fluffy lemon pastry and I find it absolutely divine. I think if you’re someone who wants a ton of Shalimar to be apparent, you will be disappointed. The Shalimar dna is there, but it’s a whisper. This is only ever so slightly powdery on me, and the spices of Shalimar are only serving to bring out more of this pastry type of gourmand. That being said, it doesn’t lean quite so heavy into gourmand territory that it would totally alienate those who dislike gourmands. This may be a gourmand for those who don’t normally like them, and a more perfumey fragrance for those who typically only like gourmands. It straddles the middle where I think many people can find comfort and joy in it, and the only people who I think it would disappoint are the ones who specifically want a strong shalimar-esque flanker. I absolutely adore this and wish it was permanent.

STOP THE CAR!! I could just sink into this smell. It truly made me go mmmmm... There are quite a few flankers so I might be mistaken, but I had thought there was a reported lemon cake element from the lemon and vanilla. Not to my nose. This is an incense and perfumey vanilla, not edible. I could see the nod to dior addict for scent type (the person who wears either fragrance takes no prisoners) but I don’t think they smell alike personally. Incredibly sexy, musky. There’s a sweetness from benzoin. Does have an old school elegance, but very wearable. It seems more fit for cold weather, but I’m late to the party so I’m going to celebrate now regardless. If you like the OG shalimar you’ll love this... I might name my first born shalimar souffle intense. Edit: I’ve had this on for 34 minutes and I’m already back on here to tell you this is amazing

One word - enchanting. This perfume will take you to a magical place in the Orient where you will wear it like a precious jewel. It leaves a beautiful trail that makes you feel like a princess in a big palace. It should have been the first Shalimar and be called Blue Sapphire because this fragrance is dark blue - sensual, deep, mysterious. I understand where these descriptions about lemon pie, French patisserie, cola and garage come from. But they miss the complexity and nuances of this perfume. It's way more sophisticated, so well blended that it's impossible to describe it in just one way. And don't just focus on the opening or middle notes. Wait several hours until it dries down. That's when the magic happens. I don't think it's only for women. Guys can rock it too.