Shalimar Parfum Initial Guerlain 2011

Please don't get me wrong. I don't mean to say that it is outdated. I can't really picture it on a lively young girl in worn-out jeans, but definitely on young and young-at-heart ladies. I don't know why, but at first sniff, Sissi came to mind! If I had to associate a scent with her, it would definitely be this one! As if I had fallen into Sissi's powder puff... Yet, I'm not a Sissi fan, nor am I a fan of the films. But I imagine that elegant, well-to-do ladies from that era must have smelled like this! The mental imagery goes something like this: a noble dressing room with a (very large) jar of powder on the vanity, right next to it a lavish bouquet of flowers (from a secret admirer, of course), and through the open window wafts a hint of fresh spring air from the streets of Vienna... That’s about all I can perceive in Shalimar Initial: lots of powder, a few flowers, and a tiny bit of citrus fruit. I don't find it sweet or overly sugary.
Another association is chalk... only at the beginning, but quite intensely. But somehow I like it?! I don't quite understand what Shalimar Initial does in my brain, but I enjoy it!!
The only downside: it gives me a headache :-(
Still: I must have it! Because once it's gone, it's gone!