[productsample] Spring is really my favourite time of the beauty year – all the gorgeous, citrussy fragrances land, bronzers emerge promising my skin some tonal uplift from winter pasty and everything gets brighter. There are certain brands, Guerlain being one, that have seasonal markers that are etched on my brain; when Terracotta arrives, it IS spring. However, before I get onto Terracotta (sneaky peek tomorrow) I’ve got this heady new version of Shalimar to tell you about.
Either you like Shalimar or you don’t and I suspect that if florientals aren’t your thing, this may not be either. But – if anything can bring you to the other side, I’d say this version is the most likely candidate. It’s powdery, deliciously orangey (a combination of both neroli and orange blossom absolute) with a creamy finish.
Similar to this
I’m sure that combination sounds hefty, but in fact there is sparkle to this and a freshness that sits over jasmine notes. Petitgrain essence (derived from the leaves and twigs of the orange tree) is what provides the brighter, greener notes and sandalwood with a dash of vanilla smooths the base. More importantly, if it’s to your taste, it’s a fragrance that captures the summer mood of languid movement, iced drinks and endless sunshine. The orange blossom and jasmine make it more holiday-with-sand-between-your-toes mood than sticky days in London, but overall it’s a scent that captures the joy of fleeting indolent moments that only happen when the sun shines. The bottle, by the way, represents the Shalimar garden and the fruit, flower and seeds of orange blossom.
The fragrance has only just launched on the Guerlain.fr site so I think we have a few weeks to wait before we see it in the UK.
Thierry Wasser, Guerlain’s Master Perfumer, orchestrates a partition that is both
familiar and novel, based on a House masterpiece. In this unprecedented sillage,
the sensuality of SHALIMAR embraces a joyful, sparkling and innocent dimension.
Aptly named, SHALIMAR SOUFFLE D’ORANGER pays homage to the orange tree
in all its beauty. It blends orange blossom essence – the famous neroli – with
orange blossom absolute and petitgrain essence, obtained from the leaves and
twigs of the orange tree, infusing the creation with green, fresh and citrusy accents.
In this sassy and luminous floriental, orange blossom takes flight in a burst of freshness,
enveloped in bergamot, mandarin and petitgrain, and enhanced by indispensable
vanilla, the iconic Shalimar ingredient. The sparkling and radiant top notes, revolving
around petitgrain, are illuminated by bergamot and mandarin. Then, the heart swells
with exquisite Calabrian neroli, flirting with the sunny facet of Sambac jasmine. Finally,
orange blossom wraps itself in cosy vanilla and creamy sandalwood in the base.
Leave a Reply