Shalimar Eau Legérè Parfumée by Guerlain: Summer Dessert

/ Sandra

.

Sandra

.

Hi there APJ?

How have you been?

I don’t know about you, but it has taken me years to come to fully appreciate Guerlain’s Shalimar and some of its flankers. I am not sure what put me off of it for so long, but about a year and a half ago it was as if a light switch went off in my head. The mental block was lifted and I started to savor the current version of the EdP.

The last couple of months I have spent cleaning out my perfume cabinet and found my unloved bottle of Shalimar Eau Legérè Parfumée. I have heard from many perfume lovers that Shalimar is a wonderful perfume for summer. (Boy did I have my doubts.) As we are having a fabulous summer this year, I decided to pull it out and give it a try! This was a month ago…

Shalimar Eau Legérè Parfumée by Guerlain

Here are the notes that are listed on Fragrantica:
Lemon, bergamot, jasmine, iris, orange, vanilla and amber.

It was created by Mathilde Laurent back in 2003. She created this delectable light Shalimar and made it a perfect pairing for summer by removing many of the deeper, spicier and leathery notes that are commonly associated with Shalimar. In this day and age where we have flankers of a flanker, it is hard to imagine that this was the first Shalimar flanker and in my view the absolute best.

So how does Shalimar Eau Legérè Parfumée smell? As soon as I lavishly spritz I am overcome with the sense of having fresh lemon juice squeezed onto my skin. This is very fresh lemon juice, bright and sunny for a glorious day. It almost feels like I am about to delve into a lemon meringue pie because the tartness is tempered with a slight fluffy sweetness. There is a joyful dance in my mind and the juicy citrus reminds me of summers in Atlanta squeezing Meyers lemons for fresh lemonade on a hot day.

The jasmine and iris come into play just as I think that the art lemon is dying down. It is as if the Tuscan jasmine in my garden has been added to my lemonade to scent it ever so lightly. Jasmine is forever a summer scent for me, but I find it challenging at times. Thankfully, Mathilde Laurent mixes the florals with a touch of orange making it almost impossible to tell them apart.

On a normal day the dry down is a velvety smooth amber with wisps of vanilla leaving me with a distant memory of what Shalimar smells like. However, on a sunny balmy day which teeters on the brink of actually being considered hot, I could swear that there is more than a hint of incense still mildly clinging to the shimmering citrus opening which captured my attention and heart. This incense is warming and comforting and together with the amber vanilla lemony dry down this makes Shalimar Eau Legérè Parfumèe my favorite perfume for this gorgeous weather.

Although I do not like to talk about discontinued fragrances, I just had to give this one a nod as it has put a smile on my face for well over a month now. When the perfume is gone, it is gone and I will not seek out another bottle, I will remember the joy it brought me and hope that Guerlain will once again release something this good.

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Dr. Seuss

I have been holding onto this one for such a long time. I vow now to wear and enjoy the fragrances I have.

Do you wear your discontinued fragrances? Or do you hold onto them?

Happy summer and oodles of fragrant kisses,

Sandra xo (All photos taken by me.)

14 thoughts on “Shalimar Eau Legérè Parfumée by Guerlain: Summer Dessert”

  1. I used to hoard all of my discontinued fragrances…now I spray lavishly…because life is too short and you never know what is around the corner….so I am on a “Enjoy and Use it Up” plan 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Wonderful photos, Sandra! And I’m with you and Brigitte on this one: I own it, I like it, therefore I must wear it no matter how rare the perfume is. Half of my collection are vintage bottles or early batches of perfumes that have undergone a lousy reformulation, so, naturally, they are quite rare nowadays but I try to wear them all once in a while. I tell myself that I’ll get rich and buy a backup when needed 🙂

    As for Shalimar Eau Legere, I’ve got a minibottle. It’s a lovely version of Shalimar, especially its bright top notes. It burns out quickly on my skin leaving me with vanilla, though. Vintage Shalimar is my go-to whenever in doubt, and my favourite versions are those with sparkling bergamot and darker amber and opoponax base notes.

    Like

    • Hi Diana. Oh how I would love to see your perfume collection. One of these days I will find a vintage Shalimar to own and wear. I am just terrified of buying the wrong thing. Sandra xo

      Like

      • Sandra, I’m afraid you won’t be that impressed: I fell for perfumes just when the US dollar became much more expensive currency, that’s why I could only afford grabbing some eau de colognes & eau de toilettes off of eBay, along with a couple teeny-tiny extrait bottles. Orientals age pretty well which means buying something made in the 80es is a rather safe bet. If you ever need a piece of advice, feel free to contact me. Oh, and you could check me out on Instagram, I’m annatarbaby One of my earlier pictures has my Shalimars in it 😉 .

        Like

    • Hi Matty. Shalimar Souffle is a wonderful perfume as well. I am wondering if all Shalimar flankers are worthy now? Sandra xo

      Like

  4. I never liked the current versions of Shalimar. The lemon intro sticks around much too long for my taste. But I was at a dinner awhile ago and was gifted a vintage bottle that made me swoon. One of the other attendees remarked how jealous she was that I was given that partially used bottle. Instead of saying I’d split it with her I just gave it to her because it was clear she wanted it so much. I sometimes kick myself for passing that bottle on. But not too much since I have a shelf full of perfume, both Vintage and new. I wear my vintage perfumes. When they’re gone, they’re gone. I feel like there will always be something new around the corner.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Heya Tatiana. What a kind and generous thing to do! You are right – when its gone, its gone. I will now wear what I have with full joy. Enjoy your collection. Sandra xo

      Like

  5. Brava and congratulations on discovering Shalimar. It’s a tough love for many people, certainly was for me and then suddenly one day it just clicked for me and I have been obsessed with it ever since! And the Légère is a perfect choice for summer. I also love the Shalimar Cologne from 2015. It never made it to the States but I snagged a bottle from Canada. Welcome to ShaliLand!! -Robert H.

    Like

    • Hey Robert, glad to see someone whose path to Shalimar was similar to mine! I didn’t like it at first but a few years later it became a true love.

      Like

  6. Thank you Robert H. What a prestigious club this is. 😊 I know that I will have many years of Shalimar enjoyment to come. Sandra xo

    Like

  7. So I’m kind of new to the Shalimar thing. I never really was that keen. And I’m a total noob – I have a new EDT. I like it for how dusty it is. Dusty but not dry.
    I bought my mum the EDP and she loves it of course. I think Shalimar is better gifted – I think its time I bought her a new bottle because she went through the last one so quick!

    Like

Comments are closed.