Nemorosa

With fragrance notes like lavender and heliotrope, I immediately become curious... I have to try it! The more disappointed I was after a sample of Jil, as I perceive nothing but a musk-vanilla bath bomb. With a lot of imagination, a bit of amber, but otherwise nothing. As a room scent, it could also work, perhaps in a law office. It is cold and warm, clean and dirty at the same time. That may sound interesting, but I cannot attribute this characteristic to Jil. A typical office scent that is supposed to make its wearer appear both "unapproachable" and "sensual." This effect is hardly achieved; "unlikable" and "uninspiring" come to my mind instead. Too bad, because there are unfortunately already too many of these scents (and their wearers).

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 I don't mean to say that it is outdated.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!

For a long time, I searched for a good (= affordable) offer for this Shalimar flanker. This week it finally happened. After I ordered it, I read the comments here again. "Men's fragrance," "herbaceous," "Mexican cuisine" made me dread the worst, and my anticipation didn't really rise. Today, the post brought me this stylish blue box with an even more stylish content; the bottle is simply elegant! That's already a plus point.
Now to the scent: Internally, I prepared myself to sniff something sour, vinegar-like. A bit of sourness did come through, but not as intense as I feared. "Lemon cake" probably describes it best! I patiently waited to see how the scent would develop, although I already hate having to wait for some fragrances to become wearable - I want to feel comfortable with them right away! Sur la route du Mexique develops slowly and not particularly diversely. When it finally smells like caramel and chocolate, it is (at least in combination with MY skin chemistry) almost gone. No trace of vanilla. What a pity! I'm always amazed at how differently fragrances are perceived, even when it comes to longevity.
I will wear it more often in the coming days and test it more thoroughly. Perhaps there will be a follow-up. Let's see if I regret the purchase and whether the money would have been better invested in Shalimar Parfum Initial! A certain similarity cannot be denied, but while the Mexican leans towards bitter-sweet, Initial opts for pure powderiness!
By the way, my scarf must have gotten the full blast of Sour la route du Mexique on the first spray, because after a few hours, it still smells strongly of lemon cake, this time sweeter than on my skin and very delicious - 2nd plus point!

I have been yearning for Muguet des Bois for years. My mother had a bottle and treated herself to a few refreshing spritzes on long, hot car rides to the south. It is no surprise that I associate MdB with summer, good moods, and sun-drenched landscapes. There is a bit of melancholy and nostalgia in it, as if I were looking at an old postcard! I feel like a young girl in a breezy summer dress in a lily of the valley meadow. Here and there, a lemony-fresh breeze blows through my hair. A sense of eagerness and joy resonates... A heavenly feeling that I desperately wanted to experience again.
I am overjoyed that I recently managed to get a 50ml bottle, and I dread the day when the last drop fades from my skin. I have tried several lily of the valley fragrances, but they all seem too powdery to me, and the longevity is miserable (like with Muguet en Fleurs, the current YR lily of the valley scent). MdB, on the other hand, is fresh, still perceptible hours later, the lily of the valley neither musty, nor artificial, nor overly sweet - but freshly picked and (as the name promises) wild!
So if anyone has a bottle stashed away somewhere - bring it on!! Since YR has discontinued production, it is now hard to come by. Shame on you, YR! You won't create something so enchanting again.

I had high (perhaps too high?) expectations for this scent. Even as a young thing, when I discovered the elegant bottle in a Yves Rocher catalog of my mother's, I thought to myself: "I must have it!" And in 2013, many years later, I remembered it again and treated myself to a bottle.

At first, I was quite taken with it - as always, when I just spray it on. Powdery, herbal, yet still subtle. Something soft but at the same time warming for cold days. Mossy wood burning in the fireplace. A cabin in Ireland. And then, sad but true, a not-so-nice association. I can hardly bring myself to write it, but after a few minutes, Yria smells like cat urine. Pungent (as already noted by Ginger) and musty. This doesn't last, though; afterwards, the scent becomes milder and warmer, primarily smelling of amber.

Nevertheless, this brief interlude makes the scent unbearable, at least for me. It's a shame because the bottle is beautiful, and the initial impressions were quite positive. I was willing to like it, but I can't overlook that.