Shanghai Lily

I'll begin this review with a warning -- this one has been discontinued for a while and can be difficult to find/expensive. (Which is why I'm trying to avoid loving it, and resigning myself to just liking my decant instead. At least, that's what I'm trying to tell myself. How's that working out for me? It isn't.) This one opens with a distinct clove note on me, which is actually quite likeable, and plays with the gentle swirl of spices; my skin seems to amplify the subtle pepper note for the first half hour or so. Once it settles in, I am treated to a mix of still-spiced florals that calls to mind lilies, but doesn't imitate them precisely -- there are other blooms in play here (most notably, hints of jasmine and tuberose, but it may unfold differently on you). It feels like an idealized portrait of the flower, not an actual flower, with a hint of resins and smoke that is meant to enhance and doesn't overwhelm. This one stays fairly consistent and doesn't change too much throughout the day -- it merely grows softer and sits closer to the skin as the hours pass, leaving the wearer with a pleasantly spiced whiff of a deep, rich, bouquet that people might notice if they get close to you. I didn't find it to be a room-filling scent. (Others seem to have had different experiences, though, so test this out on a day off before wearing it out. Maybe I'm an outlier and my skin just eats this perfume for breakfast.) This is a nice quality for a perfume to have if you want something that feels opulent, but doesn't announce your presence before you enter the room. (I love vintage Opium, but there's a time and a place -- Shanghai Lily is more adaptable and less forward than Opium.) Fragrances often paint a picture in my mind, and make me imagine a place or a person. Shanghai Lily feels like a character in a film noir -- in fact, that's what the people in her social circle call her. She's an independent woman of means who has traveled extensively, and she fluidly incorporates the customs and charms of the countries she has visited into her own routine. She's warm, but you have to get to know her before you experience her softer side. On the rare occasion that she smokes, she uses a long, elegant cigarette holder made of bakelite. Her hair is smoothed and perfectly waved, her fringed lashes frame intelligent eyes, and her eyebrows are plucked and arched like a 1940s Hollywood starlet. Everything is in its place. A glittering brooch adorns her bias-cut black velvet dress. The private detective whose office she strode into is enchanted by her bearing and self-possessed demeanor; if, indeed, she does have a problem, she will solve it by hiring the right person and taking prudent action. Another thing to bear in mind -- the perfume itself is a vibrant color, so be careful when spraying!

Nov. 2015: Just discovered Shanghai Lily. I wanted to celebrate the purchase of a new car, a relocation to a new home state and transitioning from summer to the cooler seasons. And what better way to commentate than to get a new fragrance? What a multifaceted little gem SL is! On this particular day I had sniffed and sampled probably 10 scents. I was considering the purchase of a Diptyque (34) and Jo Malone's Mimosa and Cardamom. The Diptyque was heavy and spicy, the JM light and floral. Then I met Shanghai Lily. I was captivated. A bit sweet, a bit spicy, a bit floral, a bit warm, a bit bright. It was EXACTLY what I was looking for. I think this perfume is versatile in every way. It's not loud or heavy, but it is by no means a shrinking violet. It will evolve as you wear it. For me, the sweet and floral notes are what stand out, resting very comfortably on a warm foundation. I can smell the spices too, but they are far in the background and add dimension/facets for me, which elevates it from just a sweet, pretty scent to something more interesting and exotic. SL can be an every day or special occasion fragrance. (That's not commion for me to find.) And I believe it will be appreciated anytime of year, in any temp, day or night. It has a steep price tag, but I coughed it up because I think I will get a lot of use out of this juice. 4/4 stars. Not because it is my new fragrant scent, it isn't, but because it is SO versatile. It gets 4/4 because I can/WILL wear it anytime, anywhere! This one will create the memory for you when you wear it rather than it evoking a memory when you first sniff it, if you know what I mean. Some fragrances take you on a journey the minute you sniff them. They transport you to a memory. THIS one is a blank slate. SL is perfect for you to wear and CREATE a memory with her, WHENEVER and WHEREVER you choose to wear her. If you are like me and take several bottles of perfume with you when you travel because you don't know what you'll want to wear from day to day, Shanghai Lily solves that problem. Take her when you travel and you won't need another. Plus, you'll have room in your suitcase for the new perfumes you find on your travels. Lol. Happy smells!!! PS Other TF's I own, White Suede, Velvet Orchid, Black Orchid, Jasmine Rouge, Noir Noir. For me, SL lingers most of the day, but I like to smell my fragrance until the end of the day. I found I would most likely want to respritz to refresh as after 4-5 hours its projection has softened, considerably. I can still smell it on skin and clothes, but it is much more subtle and I'd like to smell it more. BTW: I wrote my review before reading previous reviews. I was quite surprised to see how so many others felt similarly to me about this fragrance.

Tom Ford’s Shanghai Lily from his Atelier d’Orient line is an exotic, stunning entry into the Oriental Floral garden. It is languorous, lithe and liable to lead to trouble. I have no idea if the inspiration behind this perfume is the Marlene Dietrich character of Shanghai Lily from the Josef von Sternberg film “Shanghai Express” (1932). If not, well, this perfume certainly carries all the mystery and intrigue that is found in Dietrich’s portrait of a lady who one character describes as a “Coaster, a woman who lives by her wits along the China coast.” The perfume is loaded with more notes than Lily’s steamer trunk is filled with French unmentionables. They come at you all at once in a locomotive rush. Bitter orange, pink and black pepper, cloves, spices and incense kick of the exotic journey, I get a definite mince meat pie accord here that is delicious and long lasting. In the center of the perfume there is exotica galore as the perfume continues its excursion along your pulse points. Floral notes push in on the opening notes layered over with a sensual labdanum, jasmine, rose and a hint of tuberose. It goes together with the spicy mix so well. And the peppers and cloves laid out in the opening meet up with olibanum, a light layer of barely perceptible vanilla and benzoin keep it from being too pretty. The dry down at journey’s end is a solid base of cashmere wood, sassy castoreum, guaiac wood and vetiver. This combo keeps this perfume sexually ambiguous and as enticingly daring as Marlene Dietrich was in a man’s tux in the early 1930’s. It is a well blended perfume that works to the advantage of both men and women. Lasting on my skin a good ten hours and leaving a va va voom sillage for those looking to make an entrance. And what an entrance this perfume makes. Pure star power all the way from opening credits to fade out, as directed by Tom Ford this Shanghai Lily is a box office hit. SHANGHAI LILY BY TOM FORD Four Gold Stars **** (FOR THE MYSTERY BEHIND MY REVIEW CHECK OUT MY BLOG, SCENTS MEMORY)

Lovely, classic Oriental. Exceptionally well blended. I feel very exotic wearing it. While it doesn't list lily as a note, which sort or made me hesitate to purchase, I'm glad that I was able to get a decent sized decant from the subscription service I use. As far as a true lily is concerned, within the Tom Ford range, I prefer Lys Fume, though these couldn't be more different than night and day. While I agree that it calls to mind old school, spicy Orientals, I don't think it is similar at all to Opium or Youth Dew. Perhaps there is a slight similarity with the OG Nu, which was a Tom Ford offering at YSL, I find this to be quite singular. That doesn't mean that there aren't others like this out there. I just haven't found one yet. Will likely perform best in the cool weather. The longevity and sillage are pretty decent as well. All in all, a love for me. EDIT 8/28/23 - After a few wears, I have changed my mind. This is very similar to OG Opium. Also, now that I've read other reviews saying so, I can definitely smell stargazer lily. I suppose I had white lily in my head, which is why I never noticed it before. I realize how fortunate I was to get a generous spray on decant from my subscription service, because when I checked to see if I could add it to my queue, it was no longer available.

This definitely has YSL's vintage Opium and Nu in its DNA. But it adds a lily note to make it unique. Some who have tried this have stated they get no lily and that it's not in the notes, but as there is no such thing as lily absolute, each perfumer has to construct a lily fragrance from a variety of chemicals. We all must use our imaginations to create a lily fragrance in our minds, so each of us will have a different interpretation. I get more of a stargazer or tigerlily rather than a soft, green white lily such as in SL Un Lys or Cartier Baiser Vole. Tuberose comes out as well as jasmine, which blended with the vanilla creates the lily. The spices in this are beautiful and intense. I detect ginger and clove and pink pepper. Not as much incense as in Opium. It's sensual without being overtly sexual, something even wearable to the office with a light spray. Yet it would also make a lovely evening perfume. It has that edible sort of deliciousness that's also in TF Tobacco Vanille. I hope they don't discontinue this, because it's such a more versatile and wearable perfume than older version Opium. It also doesn't have the leather in Shalimar, which makes that perfume relegated to evening wear. This is just a great, seasonless wear-all for someone who likes spicy, exotic fragrances.

No idea why this one says for women, as it’s unisex and much more clearly unisex than a lot of others that claim to be. Its one of the best Tom Fords! Not super young smelling, but not overly mature either. The opening is a little feminine, and it matches the color of this juice—a light reddish orange. It’s very clean and smells sultry and oriental. Within an hour max, it transitions into an oriental soapy, almost barbershop floral smell. It’s got some zing, but not in a spect way. Just very unique! My bottle is probably from the last batch made, November 2017. Got a 1.7 oz for cheap, and I’m glad I held out for the right deal ($134, Christmas present from parents). Honestly, this is one that is worth full price if you’ve got the money. You aren’t going to smell like anyone else! I think it’s a dressy fragrance and office friendly if you go light. This stuff is strong and very long lasting! I’d say it’s best any time of year except Summer, but still acceptable in Summer. The season I think it would most shine is Fall. Just as at home on a clean, well-dressed man as it is a classy lady. 9.5/10 scent, 9/10 longevity, 10/10 sillage. Overall rating fluctuates from an 8.5/10 to 10/10 for me.

I fell in love with this sophisticated and elegant floral-oriental immediately upon first sniff. On my skin, there was definitely a lot of spices (cloves were very prominent); and a light freshness from the lily. During the dry-down, a soft sugary-sweetness was most apparent, peppered with a touch of spice. I love spices, and honestly, I wished for a little more bite. I was surprised by how intimate this fragrance was (especially considering the price point); I also expected it to be bolder (probably because of my experience with Black Orchid), and for it to at least have moderate sillage. Although I am someone who prefers a soft to moderate sillage, I do like to be able to smell myself (my favourite sort of sillage is one that gently wafts around you as you move). In about 45 minutes this became a skin scent, so I am a little disappointed. With all this being said, I have just tested this in the autumn, and I am not finished with Shanghai Lily yet. I really would love a sample, because I strongly feel that the notes would blossom in the heat, so I can't wait to retest this again during the summer months. Sillage was soft; lasted for about 4-5 hours.

Shanghai Lily is an intense fragrance that is spicy, oily, floral and feminine. The warm spices are like an electric zing with hard blows from cinnamon like cloves, pepper and incense. I smell thick white & pink florals that are waxy, fresh, and bright. The flowers cut through the dark and oily spices with clean slices. I also smell a twist of orange, lots of incense smoke, and resins/amber. Longevity is outstanding, lasts for hours without changing much. All the notes are presented from the beginning and weakens from then. But this is still a complex fragrance, it's just that everything is given in one big dose, which is very much my style, go big or go home! Shanghai Lily is like having thousands of layers of silk on top of you, both heavy and soft. Goes perfect with modern, short length Chinese dresses, modernized Vietnamese Ao Dai, airy kimonos...anything veiled yet revealing. Shanghai Lily is irresistibly seductive, exotic, mysterious, adventurous and major sex appeal. Edit: This is very much like YSL Opium, but not as spicy and more floral. If you like Opium, or want to like Opium, then Shanghai Lily is a another great option.

يعد شراء هذه القطعة المريحة نفسيا من أفضل ما قمت به على مستوى العطور. يرسم لي تذوق هذا العطر شكل سيدة أرجوانية شابة وأنيقة. لا أدري لمَ هي أرجوانية. لكنه يعطيني ذلك الاحساس النسائي ، الشاب ، الفخم والبسيط في ذات الوقت والذي يشبه اللون الأرجواني. يبدأ العطر بمكونات حارة وحادة إلى حد ما والتي سرعان ما تنخفض للسماح للقرنفل بأن يكون اللاعب الاساسي مع قليل من الزهور التي تقفز هنا وهناك حوله. أحب هذا العطر. أود استخدامه يوميا؛ ليلا ونهارا ، في مواسم السنة كاملة ؛ لكنني حقا أخشى عليه من النفاذ. Buying this comforting piece is one of the best things I ever do regarding perfumes. Tasting this perfume give me the sense of young elegant purple lady. I don't know why is she purple; but it gives me that womanly, young, lux. but simple feeling which looks like purple colour. The perfume is starting with spicy & somewhat sharp notes that rapidly go down to permit cloves to be the main player with few flower notes jumping here and there around it. I love it. I want to use it everyday; day and night, in whole year seasons; but I really afraid it may run out.

I have not written any reviews in a long time because my taste and opinion on perfumes changes all the damn time but I have to make an exception with this one. I tried it because Tobacco Vanille is probably my favourite scent at the moment and therefore I want to test as many Tom Ford perfumes as I can get my hands on. I believe they embody a true love for perfumery and you cannot ask for more quality-wise. I certainly did not expect to love this, especially since the only notes that caught my eye were vanilla and cloves. Boy oh boy was this a surprise! It is an absolute masterpiece and I find myself lusting after it everyday. The sweetness and smokiness of it reminds me of one of my old loves, the original Dior Addict, but less cloying and tiresome. It is such a complex scent that changes throughout the day and is hard to describe. Definitely try this even if you do not fancy the notes but beware, it might become the love of your life!

sampling this right now and i cannot stop smelling my wrist. like every minute. this perfume is so addictive. i've never had this reaction before...i just can't get enough of it! i agree with the below commenter that it is generously blended. i can pick up on the incense, spices, and vanilla though for sure. maybe a bit of black pepper too. the other notes are definitely there, you know that because it smells like a complex fragrance. this is just really beautiful, so sophisticated. I would imagine this is the perfume that Severine from James Bond Skyfall would wear. It's not heavy, but there's something really mysterious and otherwordly about it. It smells expensive and it's totally intoxicating and call me crazy but i'm thinking about ordering the whole decanter and wearing just this scent for the next 8 months.

Smokey, sweet ,spicy ,powdery! Delightful , opens with a small dose of aldehydes , its a white floral with a dark side , opening notes of jasmine tuberose and morphes into peppery slightly velvety powdery olibanum, (,francinsens )Cloves and orange mingle in the background , it has a carnal fleshy floral odor mainly due to the tuberose and the Labdanum and the castereum with a slightly waxy smokey feel to it. . An oriental floral with an animal edge, suitable for day and night and anytime anywhere. I also love the vanilla in this . This is becoming one of my favourite Tom Fords. It's such a great warm , sweet animalistic lily / tuberose , I can't get enough of it. Its addictive. Love the cloves and the animal note as well as the Labdanum vanilla dry down. The perfect winter fragrance of all times.

A perfume with the name Lily in it, yet on this site Lily is not even listed in the notes. According to other sites I found the following note profile: Top Notes: Bitter Orange, Pink pepper, Black pepper, Clove Heart Notes: Jasmine, Rose, Tuberose, Violet, Lily Base Notes: Vetiver, Cashmere, Benzoin, Castoreum, Labdanum, Guaiac Wood, Incense, Olibanum, Vanilla I knew there was Lily in this since that is the main note I smell. I love Lily and here, despite all the other notes, it stands out and is really the star of the show. The spice, incense, woods, vanilla, florals, and every other note seems to serve just to accentuate and compliment a creamy Lily note, turning it deep, dark, mysterious, and sensuous. I really love this. I need a bottle. This decant is not going to last.

I’m not even going to question why would TF go and discontinue this gem because it’s pointless...he just like to p*** people off period(.) Shanghai Lily and Plum Japonais are masterpieces and it’s a shame that we have to overpay for a bottle on eBay etc since TF private collection perfumes aren’t cheap to begin with. I’m not gonna go on and on how gorgeous it is because so many already done it but I’m just going to say that SL belongs in the same crowd with Coco, Opium and all the classics...I’ll say it tends to be on the feminine side but a confident male can easily pull this off. I’ve a 50 ml bottle which I’m trying to make it last forever and if I’d had to only pick up 5 fragrances and get rid of the rest , SL would definitely be a keeper.

Reminiscing about this absolute gem - I miss it! To me this was like a spicy, luxury Coca Cola! It was fizzy and energetic while still being warm, syrupy and a little sweet. Airy, fresh lily and florals kept it from being heavy or sticky, while the spices kept it feeling deep, dark and mysterious. A whole mood. 🐉 I only had a small decant which I kept I my bag. One day it broke and my whole bag smelled of this forever. It seemed like if I accidentally fell into my bag, like Alice down the rabbit hole, I’d end up in a film noir where I was the only person in Technicolor. 💃🏻 Gorgeous. Tom Ford if you’re listening please bring it back! If you’re not listening, Amouage, Kayali, SOMEONE remake this spicy effervescent dreamscape please 🙏

Ooo, on me this is Opium toned down with flowers. It's lovely, I get a TON of clove (love it). It's spicy and warm with a floral breeze blowing through it. Actually really enjoyable on this warm sunny summer day. (But warning I wear my vintage Opium EDT in the summer too.) It's not a terribly strong scent, I find this whole line is about gentle wafts of scent not "punch you in the nose" perfume. It's the sort of thing you'll think has gone and then you'll catch a lovely wiff of it at random. I have three of this line, I did not pay full price for any of them as I do believe the whole line is over priced. But they are indeed lovely, especially if you love vintage orientals but want something a bit more modern.

Shanghai Lily was the character played by Marlene Dietrich in the movie "Shanghai Express". Lily was sultry and dangerous. She swaggered unapologetically through life. She played by her own rules and took no prisoners. Was Tom Ford inspired by La Dietrich's portrayal? "Shanghai Lily" is the perfect fragrance for such a woman: a potent blend of heady flowers, spices, vanilla, and smoky incense. It is reminiscent of Youth Dew, Opium, and Tuvara but with a liberal dash of pepper that supplies a knock out punch. This is a really heavy oriental with enormous sillage and longevity. It is not for the office or church. It is also not for the timid. This is not a girl's perfume, it is for the full blown woman.

To me this smells like a flower patch or flower boutique, the scent of assorted flowers and an undertone of forest (wood and cloves) with some slight pepper. It is beautiful and easy to wear, I would say it is a feminine fragrance, but it could easily be worn by a man. I would say this a spring and autumn scent; as it is now sweet enough for summer, nor deep and loud enough for winter. I find this scent enchanting and to be so authentic to the scent of a flower boutique, that I think I will always keep some of the fragrance. My only issue is that it is discontinued and that has affected the price.

Think Opium if you took out 90% of the spice, and thats what Shanghai Lily is to me. It's a rich really smooth floral with a little something spicy (maybe very subdued clove) in the background to make it interesting. While it's technically a woman's fragrance, I have no problem wearing it. It has a natural, sophisticated and expensive air to it. I guess it can be put into the "sweet" category, but it's so layered and complex, one can't call it strong or overpowering. Its also extremely rich, buttery and decadent. It's for anyone who wants to smell interesting and exotic. I love it.

According to Asian mythology, dragons symbolised the strength and dominance. Huge creatures that were strong and invincible. Here you see the sensual scent that comes out of blooming red dark flowers that bloom in the deep cave that a huge dragon guarding. Cloves and spices, spice up the velvet petals of these flowers and their fumes reminiscent of a magic filter, that can make you loose your memory. Intense, disobedience with a wild Asian nature in its DNA Shanghai Lilly is a fragrance that you should definitely try. If the guardian dragon allows it