Hey, friends. The under-house plumbing replacement is ongoing – by last Friday we were on day thirteen of a three-day job. The good news is they finally got the kitchen faucet working properly; it was my complaints about the low water flow there that started this whole living nightmare long overdue project. I’ll have to invite those gentlemen back eventually to make another huge mess and drink beer while finishing the work, but I needed a break from them more than I need a water filter or functioning ice-maker in the fridge. I’m taking it easy this Labor Day (US) weekend.
So here’s a brief babble rather than a legit review.
Shalimar was never my Guerlain. (LHB isn’t either, but I digress.) I couldn’t “get” Shalimar. It smelled okay, I guess. Didn’t hit me in the feels the way Mitsouko does, or Jicky, or some of their fancy newer LEs. Shalimar seemed kind of pointless to me as a fragrance, which is heresy, I know. Well, Cinnamon mentioned Shalimar again recently, she loooooves Shalimar, and I asked Carolyn if she had a bottle cuz I sure don’t. She whipped out her vintage EdT in short order and I sprayed some on as a reminder of why it didn’t click for/on me, and whoa. It’s gorgeous! It’s the perfect lemon floor wax vanilla? Of course I mean that as a compliment.
I think it was probably meant to be “sexy” or “alluring” back in the day, or maybe you just threw it on before you went grocery shopping, I have no idea. It feels timeless. I don’t get a ton of development. There’s bergamot at the top, and some florals (iris, jasmine and rose, apparently) and then in short order we land in Heavenly Lemon Floor Wax territory (vanilla, balsam, tonka.) I don’t know why it’s lemon floor wax since there’s no lemon in it, some trick of the nose or scent association. It’s still not “my” Guerlain but gosh it’s pretty. I have no idea what changed for me. Have you had a complete reversal about a fragrance?
cover image via Pexels — I wanted a photo of clowns but they were all TERRIFYING, Pennywise from “It” has left its mark on the clowniverse
First time I wore Shalimar, I initially thought it wasn’t for me. That night I woke up repeatedly wondering where that amazing lemon/pastry scent came from. Turned me into a huge fan! Now it is one of my favorites.
Ha! The same thing happened to me, sort of! I put it on, thought oh that’s lovely, then I stopped smelling it constantly in the background, just little clouds of it periodically as I went about my day, and it was such a fun ride.
Glad you’ve got the kitchen faucet working, at least!
I have tried hard with Shalimar, but I just really don’t like it. Of those famous classics that I think of as a group of dowager countesses, I love Jicky, respect Mitsouko, enjoy No. 5 and Miss Dior on occasion, but Shalimar? No. I was given Emeraude when I was in high school (and that was maaaaany years ago), but disliked it, and Shalimar seems similar. But that’s okay! because there are so many other things to sniff and wear!
For sure, we don’t have to all like All The Things! I get along … not especially well with several Diors, and the base of Caron is a no-go for me. Jicky and Mitsouko are in my top tier as you know 😀 Most of the vintage Chanels are too chilly for me. Vingage Emeraude is pretty but not really “me.”
I did have a Shalimar phase and I don’t wear it so much anymore. It smells nice enough but not my vibe so much anymore. I would rather wear Jicky.
Plumbers can be the worst.
I would rather wear Jicky too, and plumbers ARE the worst. I’d be a lot less irritated if the access were somewhere other than my bedroom closet, which made a mess of the rest of the house with all my stuff strewn about.
I had a Shalimar episode. I wore the EdT, as a small child eldest son liked to smell it on his pillow, it helped him sleep.
Then I caught Chanel Lion on my watch strap. It got stuck in the baby poop phase. Watch was quarantined for months.
After that Shalimar appalled me. The previous bergamot/vanilla poopiness was momentary. Now it’s all I can smell.
So yes a full reversal but not in a good way
oh that’s so interesting! So sorry it broke Shalimar for you! Fortunately there are sooooooooo many other things for us to love.
Whoa! That plumbing work sounds brutal. Sorry you guys are having to endure that. Yeesh! As for Shalimar, maybe someday I’ll give it a sniff and a skin test, but that day is not today. I’m glad to hear my scent twin liked it — that gives me hope!
Isn’t it nine million degrees there, plus humid? My daughter was complaining. I hope today you’re wearing something like Cristalle Eau Vert.
WOO HOO! So excited for you March. Shalimar is QUEEN! As are you.
Portia xx
I think Mitsouko and Jicky are still a bit more QUEEN to me, but Shalimar is indeed a pretty princess!
What do the plumbers themselves say? Is your landlord paying for this and they are just milking him/her?
Ah, love when that happens with a perfume — and it is the most beautiful lemon floor wax ever. I do recommend trying the perfume as well. Haven’t heard as good things about the EdP.
My landlord is paying, I’m only paying with headaches. I’m pretty sure the scope of what’s wrong expanded, which is no surprise really. I doubt there was even a code when they slapped this mud hut together, the majority of the house is true adobe. There’s just stupid stuff (like part of the kitchen plumbing has no access, under the driveway) they have to deal with. Next time I’m in a real city I’ll find the Guerlains.
Two weeks! And not finished? That’s horrible! At least your faucet now works properly.
I love vintage Shalimar, the parfum. I think the edt is just so-so.
I have a good Shalimar story. I once worked for a small newspaper. There was an older women, “J”, in her late 50’s who worked there. A very pretty young divorcee “P” started working there too. One morning “P” came in wearing Shalimar and “J” was appalled! She went a bit crazy and was running around complaining to everyone that “P” was wearing Shalimar perfume………It seems that you weren’t supposed to wear Shalimar except on a romantic evening date or in the bedroom. Never never ever during the day. It was too sexy! And she could not have been more serious.
That… is … wow! Sounds like “J” was a poster girl for Get a Life! magazine!
Great, funny, WEIRD story!
She was the equivalent of the old time village gossip. What a field day she would have had with today’s social media!
But a perfume you could only wear at night AND under specific conditions?! it’s ROFL laughing worthy.
…. a boudoir fragrance! I mean I don’t think it’s THAT sexy. I’d cheerfuly wear it to Trader Joe’s tbh. Probably not the gym though.
What a great story! I mean I have no sense at all, I was wearing Poison to the office in the bad old 80s, but I definitely feel like once upon a time there was more of a sense of propriety for occasion. Yeah I am SO over the plumbers but I will have to invite them in eventually, like vampires.
Oh yeah. Jicky. I tried for years and it just didn’t smell that great on me (I remember trying it with a friend at the South Coast Plaza Neiman’s and she said “that does not smell like $300.00, which tells you how long ago it was. The one day it just worked.
Oh I LOVE Jicky! Glad/sorry it finally worked out for you hahahaha
Also… Shalimar was never my Guerlain, either. My mother wore the EdT ( in the blue and white canister) snd it smelled lovely on her. Then again, so did Norell and on me that one smelled like I’d been on a 3-day bender, finally waking up in the back of someone’s car!
But now I am curious- and somewhere here there’s a beensy bottle of vintage Shalimar ( fingers crossed). …
My mom wore Norell and My Sin, both of which have a place in my heart but neither of which is “me.” Let me know how you get on with the Shalimar!
Well…
standing by hehehe
Why did you want clowns?
Because the plumbers are CLOWNS
Ah! Well…
… mostly uncommunicative clowns, right? The work itself is good ( fingers crossed)?
I think their work is fine. Just stupid stuff like they didn’t plug the kitchen appliances back in.