Top Notes 
Fig leaf
Citrus plants
Green notes
Heart Notes 
Jasmine
Ylang-ylang
Currant
Base Notes 
Sandalwood
Tonka bean
Amber
Vanilla
WendisParade
7 Reviews
WendisParade
1
Samsara Dressed Up in Fruits and Greens
Samsara is my favorite perfume, ever. I love it. I purposely bought enough vintage bottles, in both EDP and EDT, to last me the rest of my life. Probably the rest of my afterlife, too, if I could take them with me. I have the clear glass bottles from the 90s, and the true expression of Samsara, the iconic Red Samsara bottles.
It took me the longest time to get to Samsara Shine, I'm not sure why. Normally I'm a flanker ho. Yes, they can get irritating and redundant and formulaic, but if I like a style of one, I'm willing to look into a reimagined framework of another. Anyway, Samsara Shine came out in 2001 and has been discontinued for how long, but its managed to be one of those perfumes that reliably hangs out on the grey market for years, at an affordable price, too. It seemed like Samsara Shine existing on Ebay was enough, until recent years when perfume prices across the board have been skyrocketing, even the vintage ones. So I carefully waited until I could find a bottle at around $65 before pulling the trigger.
They could have named this Samsara Douce Delices or something, as Shine is undeniably, unabashedly a sweet version of Samsara. Sweet notes have always existed in Samsara, but they were in tandem with all the other things going on in the fragrance. Immediately I can smell almost caramelized red berry fruits, bright, sweet red, I've seen some note list it as "pomegranate" which I can really see. This isn't a dry, bitter blackcurrant, this is Red Berries we're talking, lit up by bergamot, and a wash of sunny green citrus that turn into a beautiful note of fig leaves. Citrus - red berry - green - figs. And already I can feel the vanilla on board, the vanilla shows up the entire time.
As Shine wears a bit the jasmine and ylang ylang come out, and the woods. The jasmine is very pretty, and still floating with the green fig notes, with the ylang ylang lighting everything up. On the dry down is the Samsara sandalwood with a LOT of vanilla -- it's really an ambery vanilla accord with a lot of sandalwood propped up with polysantal. That's when this perfume smells most like old Samsara.
I had a hard time wearing this the first few times I tried it. It's really too rich and sweet for hot weather, but in the cooler months I've liked it a lot. I also think that this perfume is really unique. Sure, Samsara Shine is sweet, and we live in times awash in sweet, but it's not sugary nor "gourmand" as the sweet is all from fruits and a true vanilla. There aren't a ton of fig perfumes, and here Guerlain was sneaking it into Samsara almost 25 years ago.
I'm glad I finally got a bottle before it disappears completely. Anyone who LOVES Samsara should maybe seek this out. Thanks for reading!
It took me the longest time to get to Samsara Shine, I'm not sure why. Normally I'm a flanker ho. Yes, they can get irritating and redundant and formulaic, but if I like a style of one, I'm willing to look into a reimagined framework of another. Anyway, Samsara Shine came out in 2001 and has been discontinued for how long, but its managed to be one of those perfumes that reliably hangs out on the grey market for years, at an affordable price, too. It seemed like Samsara Shine existing on Ebay was enough, until recent years when perfume prices across the board have been skyrocketing, even the vintage ones. So I carefully waited until I could find a bottle at around $65 before pulling the trigger.
They could have named this Samsara Douce Delices or something, as Shine is undeniably, unabashedly a sweet version of Samsara. Sweet notes have always existed in Samsara, but they were in tandem with all the other things going on in the fragrance. Immediately I can smell almost caramelized red berry fruits, bright, sweet red, I've seen some note list it as "pomegranate" which I can really see. This isn't a dry, bitter blackcurrant, this is Red Berries we're talking, lit up by bergamot, and a wash of sunny green citrus that turn into a beautiful note of fig leaves. Citrus - red berry - green - figs. And already I can feel the vanilla on board, the vanilla shows up the entire time.
As Shine wears a bit the jasmine and ylang ylang come out, and the woods. The jasmine is very pretty, and still floating with the green fig notes, with the ylang ylang lighting everything up. On the dry down is the Samsara sandalwood with a LOT of vanilla -- it's really an ambery vanilla accord with a lot of sandalwood propped up with polysantal. That's when this perfume smells most like old Samsara.
I had a hard time wearing this the first few times I tried it. It's really too rich and sweet for hot weather, but in the cooler months I've liked it a lot. I also think that this perfume is really unique. Sure, Samsara Shine is sweet, and we live in times awash in sweet, but it's not sugary nor "gourmand" as the sweet is all from fruits and a true vanilla. There aren't a ton of fig perfumes, and here Guerlain was sneaking it into Samsara almost 25 years ago.
I'm glad I finally got a bottle before it disappears completely. Anyone who LOVES Samsara should maybe seek this out. Thanks for reading!
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