Shalimar Parfum Initial

if anyone can sell me a sample or decant from this in the big 2026 please DM me!

This scent is a Vargas pin-up girl - all retro cheeky with hair in pin curls, powder puff in hand, wearing a marabou trimmed sheer robe while sitting in front of her vanity, oblivious to the affect she has on the viewer. Initial doesn't ask for your attention - it is just a beautiful, powdery scent with a gentle sweetness that doesn't overwhelm, even the patchouli blended in such a way, there's nothing off-putting to be found. To take the analogy a bit further - Initial is the Sandra Dee in loafers and a sweater set to Shalimar's Sandy, the femme fatale in skintight pants crushing out a cigarette with her high heeled shoe. Thankfully, there's a time and place for each.

I almost don't want to call it that because it sounds somewhat negative, but to me this truly is "Shalimar Light". Easier to wear, it doesn't really require a breaking-in period. It is airier, heavier on iris, and lighter on incense/smokey notes. Perfectly acceptable as a day-time, perfume. OG Shalimar is deep and sensual, Parfum Initial is romantic and powdery. Initial has a tad bit of sweetness (although I would never call it a sweet perfume) that the OG is lacking completely. And no leather. Yes the iconic Shalimar DNA is 100% there. If I smelled this without knowing what that was, I would immediately think Shalimar. An absolute glorious flanker, and I am extremely lucky to have found a high partial bottle on ebay recently.

I find this to be a neutered deconstructed version of the original. As a fan of the original I don't care for it. It lacks character and smells like a generic designer profile of that 2010s Era. It is Shalimar for those who don't like Shalimar. I recommend it for that person but otherwise it isn't worth tracking down a discontinued bottle.

I'm selling a bottle, message me if interested (based in UK).

To my nose, this is a citrusy patchouli. I’m not this grown. This is grown grown.

Had this years ago and people loved it on me I was hit and miss with it. There was times that I sprayed a bit much and it was overpowering, and other spring crispy days that it performed beautifully. Shalimar also smells incredibly different across people. I found it too unstable and took years to finish the bottle.

I was visiting my sister and asked her if I could photograph her Shalimar Parfum Initial for my Fragram. Her bottle is 15 years old, 70% full and she lost the cap. We started talking about it and she told me how it is too strong and overpowering and how she doesn't really wear it and do I want it?...do I want it???!! Absolutely. So I take her up on her offer, and decide to spray some on my hand. At first, I smell pungent alchol and I am thinking that it is probably off...within 10 minutes, the wonderful beauty starts to appear. I notice the huge sillage, I keep smelling that one spray, I can't smell anything else. Within 1 hour it smells beautifully powdery, it is the smoothest and most elegant fluffy Guerlain vanilla, it is divine. There is nothing sharp, synthetic, old fashioned, strange or off, just perfection. Huge longevity. Very pleased my sister gave this treasure to me🩷💛💙

Of all the perfumes I've ever tried, this was the one that I wanted to love the most. I tried and tried through multiple wearings to make it work but in the end, I couldn't. I thought it would be right up there with my beloved Dior Homme Intense (2011) and even though it does smell like a cousin, it's more powdery and the citrus really stands out to me in this. It triggered a migraine every single time I wore it and it became evident that it just wasn't for me (sadly.) I have to be careful with citrus that comes off sharp on my skin and powder that takes over everything else, it just makes me feel suffocated and nauseous. The Dior is blended better and smoother so I'll stick with that. It's truly my "desert island fragrance." Such a shame for me but I'm sure the lucky person who I gave it to felt like they had won the lottery because this stuff isn't cheap!

Is it in shops nowadas???

I enjoy this fragrance and version of Shalimar. I bought it at Nordstrom years ago because the SA told me it was limited edition and it will be taken away eventually. Well that did come true, it’s discontinued and if you do find it, the prices will cost you as much as a new car! Lol Now this version to me is the best of the Shalimar range, so soft gentle and airy on my skin! It has a powdery almost lipsticky scent (iris) to it. It is a close to skin scent on me and lasts about 3 to 4 hours until respray! The drydown is where the magic happens, it’s a vanilla/lemon mix on me which I love. Now this is not a lemon cake scent but a more sophisticated vanillic/ lemon! So beautiful and very non gourmand, as the modern vanillas are doing! If you can get your hands on this it’s a high recommend! It’s perfect for summer and winter (that’s when I spray on my scarf). A 10/out of 10 here!

My love for this hard to find beauty only deepens with time. Her gentle sister L'Eau, too. Sadly, I can't wear the original Shalimar as, much as I admire it on others, on my skin it turns tragically to fly spray. The iris and vanilla in these two flankers shine like sun on water. My original bottles are now at low levels and I'm eking them out by using an oil dupe from Perfume Parlour as a base. The dupe is called Garden of Love and is about a 95% match which still contains vetiver and so smells closer to me than L'initial with its almond instead. But I shouldn't have to do this! PI and L'Eau should never have been discontinued. Please bring them back. I'm begging here.

Since this was already discontinued anyway, why not just use the EXACT SAME JUICE for Shalimar Millésime Iris?? This is very irisy and MILES better than the ethyl-maltol loaded trainwreck of the actual Millésime Iris... I know they repackaged it as Guerlain Parfum Initial and just removed it from the shalimar lineup which at least shows they knew how GOOD this one was.... The l'eau version is (was) also beautiful and they should resurrect that one as well... I got REALLY lucky and grabbed a bottle just last month for $139 USD... (100ml from 2011)... The price of these online is insane but I can see how some big fans might be willing to splurge.... It's VERY good...!!

@luchabiao What a beautiful description! I have been eyeing Shalimar for the longest , since I see her as a rite of passage to perfume-hood. But, I couldn’t really make myself fall in love with those notes. However, this version seems like the best of both worlds, and your take really sold it .

I'm a man and wear this for it's soft comfort factor. I get tons of compliments when I wear it out. Pity it is discontinued! I will cherish my bottle.

I️ recently had the opportunity to add this flacon to my other Shalimars. I️ have and adore the Shalimar Initial L’Eau Si Sensuelle (aka Shalimar Initial L’Eau) and wanted to try this one. My impression is that Initial and Initial L’Eau are the same perfume, a granddaughter of Shalimar, at two different phases of life. Shalimar Initial L’Eau Si Sensuelle is a young, pure woman, a bit coquettish, but sweet and sparkling. She isn’t recognizable as Shalimar, but the smooth vanilla and powder hints at her heritage, like she wears her grandmothers makeup. L’Eau is softer, muted, and far smoother than Initial. Shalimar Initial is L’Eau at an older age. She loudly barges in wearing her grandmother, Shalimar’s fur coat. I️ was hit by a very strong leather and iris accord and could immediately recognize Shalimar. The soft, smooth, muted powdery vanilla of L’Eau has disappeared. She’s too mature for me and I️ was tempted to scrub it off. I’m glad I️ didn’t. When shed of the musky, powdery fur coat, an addictively bright, sparkling, bergamot-heavy citrus and vanilla accord remains. There’s still a hint of the slightly skanky, animalistic scent of Shalimar. While I enjoy the original Shalimar I don’t find her to be wearable. I️ would say Initial is far more wearable but too mature for me at this time. I’m going to hide her away and perhaps revisit her in a few years.

This is like wearing a silk slip at my dressing table and sipping a London Fog latte made with the softer version of Earl Grey tea, my favorite Lady Grey. Wears moderately close to the skin on me, not a loud projecting fragrance but two sprays is enough to have a cozy scent bubble. I have many fragrances but this is the one I want my children to know me by. Contact me if you’re selling this version please.

A strong contender for my favourite Shalimar flanker. The current formulation, L’initial doesn’t do it justice

Hi all, I am selling this on Ebay for 42£ (UK only) if anyone is interested. I have always loved this fragrance and I still do, but currently, I gravitate towards lighter fragrances (anything that Luca Turin would not like). I am de-cluttering by getting rid of anything that is a bit on the heavy side.

White chocolate meets vintage Shalimar eau de toilette. An amazing scent. I have a rare vintage bottle available for sale. It is exquisite and in excellent condition ❤️ highly recommended 👍

Shalimar’s baby! What’s not to love, when underneath the tender sweetness, you can already see the cheekbones of the saga? One of the best flankers -in general- ever made!

this is the only amazing version of shalimar for me, too bad it was discontinued

This Shalimar Initial edp has a beautiful caramel and tonka, it gives it a sexy modernity, I love how it evolves, it calms down but never loses the flirtatious sweetness nor does it lose the elegance of the iris. One of the best Shalimar created, a flanker worthy of staying forever, what a shame it was discontinued. Although its new version in the Art Nouveu bottle is not as deep and caramelized-tonka (it is lighter) but it is also very original, a good option if you can't find this bottle anymore.

For me this was my very first 'grown up' perfume. I thought it would be easy to transition from light Victoria Secret and Bath & Body Works fragrance mists and body sprays to this more refined perfume house of Guerlain. I was already into florals and fruity florals or floral musks. So this was just heaven on me. The bottle is so cute like a 'pink Shalimar'. As it opens it is very Shalimar with the citrus top notes. Lemony, zesty. Bergamot orange. Bright and refreshing, sweet citrus. The Shalimar connection is later reaffirmed when you get to the vanilla dry down. But the heart of this scent is far more feminine floral than Shalimar which can be unisex smoky vanilla. This smells very pink and rosy, like a powdery pink powder puff in the vanity table of a ballerina. Sweet soft rose and jasmine in the middle stage. There is something subtle about it so despite the powder it never gets heavy or old lady ish. Smells like a young girl with powder and lipstick on. It has a cosmetics vibe and I go for those kind of scents. As the flowers of rose and jasmine begin to fade away, the vanilla comes through. It's not as dark and rich and smoky as the vanilla in Shalimar. It's sweet and gourmand vanilla, creamy and delicious like vanilla frosting on cake. There could be amber here but something about the dry down is delicious and light, not heavy at all. There is soft white musk. I don't detect any green notes or patchouli. It's like a soft musk and feeling the inside of a handbag made of leather. This feels like you are well dressed not necessarily formal but in a nice blouse and pencil skirt, like a very pretty feminine and elegant secretary. It's not sexy just a clean floral with a powdery body, very subtle and womanly. Smells great and good for wearing in semi formal clothing, a dress, a skirt. It's perfectly safe for office/work. But also on dates or to be with either your man or your girlfriends. The season to wear this is spring and summer and early fall. The sillage is not great it sits close to the skin and only someone you allow close to your skin can detect it. Longevity is also pretty poor at about 3 to 4 hours or less. But I really love this perfume. I wish they could still sell this mainstream but one has to find either the flankers or reformulation. The original first edition is best. You can still find authentic ones on ebay by sellers who have them.

This is beautiful and does remind me of a sweeter, louder feminine version of Dior Homme (older version) at first I didn’t like how much the patchouli was amplified- not because I dislike patchouli but I was hoping for more waxy Iris. The more I wore it the more it settles down. I love wearing this to bed. I agree it doesn’t remind me of Shalimar at all and it makes sense the re-released it without the Shalimar name. I only have a 5 Ml deluxe sample flacon. Definitely full bottle worthy for me. If you have a bottle full or partial, please message me.

Very nice, I like this ones. But it’s Guerlain. What’s not to love

This is beautiful. After my shower tonight I wanted to wear something that I haven’t worn in a while, and this caught my eye. I have to be honest. When I first got this, I was little disappointed that it wasn’t more like my first love from the Shalimar Initial line, L’eau, and I also didn’t like that it smelled very much like Shalimar EDP on first spray. But as soon as this dries down it becomes a soft citrus with a creamy vanilla and beautiful jasmine and rose fragrance. The earthy patchouli and vetiver grounds this fragrance and with the iris balances out the citrus and vanilla keeping it on the dry, powdery side. Just like its namesake, this is very much an adult womanly scent sharing a similar opening and seductive profile, but this veers off into a softer, more romantic direction. This is the lady after a night on the town, bathe and powdered and ready for bed in her prettiest negligee. Femininity in a bottle. Just lovely.

It's a wonder there is no cherry note listed here, because for the opening salvo of this I get a strong cherry/almond with the fizz of bergamot...quite different than the medicinal, bitter cherry/bergamot combination in La Petite Robe Noire, for example, which I do not enjoy despite many tries. The powdery almond and cherry give way to breathy vanilla and iris, the vanilla taking on a fleshy, enriched caramel quality as the drydown progresses. At the end you are left with a tonka/vetiver/patchouli combination that smells nearly identical the last gasps of Dior Homme Intense. Initial is creamy, gentle, and yet tenacious -- completely girly without being frivolous. Caramelized but without activating the taste buds. A nearly perfect "cosmetic" scent! My only hesitation being that the late drydown is more peppery than I'd like, an effect I often experience when vetiver and patchouli team up. I've only had a decant and a mini of this, but every time I see a bottle for resale, I almost pull the trigger just to get my hands on that gorgeous, tasseled bottle. That mini bottle (no tassel, sadly; I might just make one for it) is delightful in its own right, even if gets dwarfed on the vanity. Maybe someday I will quit this hobby for a time for all the havoc it wreaks on my endless desire to own beautiful things!

This is the only Guerlain perfume made after the beginning of this century that is worth anything. By far my favorite and the others do not compare, sadly. I've tried almost all of them. Today's Shalimar is a disappointment, in my opinion. Judging by the price on eBay and Amazon, others agree with me, that Shalimar Parfum Initial is superior.

This is the perfume for all the sad individuals (like myself) who love Shalimar but cannot wear it because Shalimar can be nauseating. In short, it is Shalimar without the smell of.... POO. Maybe that is the secret of being an exclusive classic - create a fragrance only a lucky few can wear without feeling as if they are trapped in the bowels... of hell. I love this fragrance although I do not love vanilla in a perfume as a rule. I am very, very sad that this is the version of Shalimar which Guerlain chose to discontinue... Sigh