This birthday, my dear brother sent me the Shalimar Parfum Initial gift set, which contains the modern version of the Guerlain classic fragrance Shalimar and the ‘Shalimar Parfum Initial’ Delicate Body Lotion.
Shalimar Parfum Initial is the modern interpretation of the popular fragrance, Shalimar, created by Jacques Guerlain in 1925.This creation of Jacques Guerlain was inspired by the love story of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is said that Shah Jahan had built the Shalimar Gardens for Mumtaz.
Given that this fragrance has a touching love story as its inspiration and the fact that the fragrance itself has a history of about 90 years, I had fallen in love with the concept of Shalimar Parfum Initial even before I actually got it.
As soon as I opened the packaging, I flipped seeing the pale pink classy tassel clutch which carries the beautiful bottle of Shalimar Parfum Initial and the elegant blue and golden tube of the Shalimar Parfum Initial Delicate Body Lotion. The clutch has lovely detailing with beige fabric holding the golden disc with the Guerlain Logo.
The first whiff of the perfume quickly conveyed a lot about the character of this fragrance. There is a distinct old world charm to this fragrance. It is unique in the sense that it is warm, very romantic, very sensual, elegant, vivacious, intense and delicate all at once. Purely from a fragrance perspective, it felt like sweet, spicy, musky, fruity and as well as flowery. I think it is this diversity of elements that gives this fragrance a broad appeal. But yes, to some, the fragrance may have a rather strong opening….the kind which gets a little overwhelming for those with fragile olfactory senses and hence I cannot say that everyone will like this fragrance. This fragrance becomes sweeter as it dries down. In fact the dry down reminds me of Thierry Mugler Angel. Shalimar Parfum Initial is categorised as an Oriental Fragrance.
This is the kind of fragrance I’d love to wear for a romantic candle light dinner.
This fragrance contains bergamot, orange, jasmine, rose, iris, musk, tonka bean, and vanilla.
The bottle is simple yet elegant. It has a blue crystal like stopper with golden lettering and a blue tassel on the neck of the flacon, which holds the delicate golden warm pink hued fragrance.
The ‘Shalimar Parfum Initial’ Delicate Body Lotion is a lightweight moisturizer. This lotion matches the perfume very well and it smells as delicious as the perfume itself. It is a beautiful pale pink colored lotion. Those with sensitive allergy prone skin need to be careful with this lotion since it is strongly perfumed compared to the other regular body lotions that the skin is used to. I could see dormant rashes on my skin flaring up a little when I used this lotion. It is best to use it sparingly – a little on the shoulders, nape of the neck and wrists would work best, in my opinion. If you like the Shalimar Parfum Initial fragrance, this lotion complements it very well. The fragrance of this lotion is slightly lighter than the perfume itself, so one can use the lotion as an alternative during daytime.
Guerlain Shalimar Parfum Initial is available via Flipkart – 100ml for Rs 5700. The gift set was also available on Flipkart but seems to have vanished now. The Nordstrom website also has this fragrance available, 60 ml for Rs 5875 (plus delivery charges). Surprisingly, I don’t see the gift set combo on any website now. However the ‘Shalimar Parfum Initial’ Delicate Body Lotion is available on the Nordstrom website , 200ml for Rs 3786.
US customers can buy this fragrance via the Amazon Website – 60ml bottle is currently available for $44.15. A 200ml bottle of the Shalimar Parfum Initial Delicate Body Lotion is available via Amazon for $85.00. The gift set featured in this post (set contains a 60ml bottle of perfume, 75 ml tube of the body lotion and the Guerlain Tassle Clutch) is also available via Amazon for $89.97.
UK customers can buy a 60ml bottle of this fragrance via Amazon for £49.90. The gift set with the 60ml bottle of fragrance, the body lotion and the Guerlain Tassle Clutch is available via Amazon for £52.92.
Yays!
- Classic romantic fragrance
- Little goes a long way so the bottle will last a long time
- Great longevity (once you wear the fragrance, it lingers for hours)
Nays!
- The opening of the fragrance may be too strong for some
