This Shalimar fragrance is inspired by a story of romance that’s full of tenderness love. The Muslim emperor Shah Jahan loved his wife Mumtaz Mahal for 20 years, and after her death, spent another 20 years of his life to building the mausoleum known as the Taj Mahal and Shalimar gardens in Pakistan in her honor. Perfumer Jacques Guerlain made it in 1925 with notes of bergamot, vanilla, tonka beans and iris.
The opening is quite timeless, with tones of classical lemon cologne, bitter orange and non-citrus aromatic tangerine in a body of water, with a rather fresh and summery powdery floral scent, something sweet and in line with the iris which carries the trend from bitter orange cologne. Interspersed, we can note a fruity, tonka bean type vanilla that is well-integrated with hints of orange. In the middle phase, the powdery iris tends to dominate over a fresh layer without distinguishing the oranges as much and giving a sensation that is a lot like the scent of a certain brand of baby wipes. About 5 hours after applying, the fragrance takes on characteristics that play a softer role, evolving from the aroma of baby wipes to bitter vanilla with a still powdery iris with a slight tendency to violets. The bitter tone seems to go beyond the influence of the iris, giving the idea of a talc-like chypre with dark notes somewhere between animal and resinous with at least one dry wood. Now in the final stages, the bitter tones with the animal and chypre notes give way to a still resinous talcum that is well-linked with what feels more like a tonka bean than vanilla (with the feeling of coumarin providing more intense tones to the resins). After about 24 hours, it remains soft with a low profile consisting of May rose with less presence of talc and more tonka beans in the form of resinous coumarin.
A mix between an ageless summer cologne at application and talcum with innocent tones reminiscent of a baby or even a mother towards the end. It feels like a good choice for daily use in spring and summer, even for ordinary occasions to wear alone despite the price of the perfume, becoming more wintery in the final notes. On the romantic side, while the inspiration of the perfume is related to a love story and it was considered a sensual aroma at the time, according to current standards the perfume tends more towards a relaxed personal style than a seductive fragrance capable of challenging the status quo.
It’s a perfume used by a fairly large group which we could place between 25 and 50 years. Opinions are very positive; most women who have tried it find it pleasant and delicious.
The opening is quite timeless, with tones of classical lemon cologne, bitter orange and non-citrus aromatic tangerine in a body of water, with a rather fresh and summery powdery floral scent, something sweet and in line with the iris which carries the trend from bitter orange cologne. Interspersed, we can note a fruity, tonka bean type vanilla that is well-integrated with hints of orange. In the middle phase, the powdery iris tends to dominate over a fresh layer without distinguishing the oranges as much and giving a sensation that is a lot like the scent of a certain brand of baby wipes. About 5 hours after applying, the fragrance takes on characteristics that play a softer role, evolving from the aroma of baby wipes to bitter vanilla with a still powdery iris with a slight tendency to violets. The bitter tone seems to go beyond the influence of the iris, giving the idea of a talc-like chypre with dark notes somewhere between animal and resinous with at least one dry wood. Now in the final stages, the bitter tones with the animal and chypre notes give way to a still resinous talcum that is well-linked with what feels more like a tonka bean than vanilla (with the feeling of coumarin providing more intense tones to the resins). After about 24 hours, it remains soft with a low profile consisting of May rose with less presence of talc and more tonka beans in the form of resinous coumarin.
A mix between an ageless summer cologne at application and talcum with innocent tones reminiscent of a baby or even a mother towards the end. It feels like a good choice for daily use in spring and summer, even for ordinary occasions to wear alone despite the price of the perfume, becoming more wintery in the final notes. On the romantic side, while the inspiration of the perfume is related to a love story and it was considered a sensual aroma at the time, according to current standards the perfume tends more towards a relaxed personal style than a seductive fragrance capable of challenging the status quo.
It’s a perfume used by a fairly large group which we could place between 25 and 50 years. Opinions are very positive; most women who have tried it find it pleasant and delicious.
