Sorceress

Shalimar evokes such pleasurable memories for me. And it's scent is so deliciously decadently devious. Guerlain designed this perfume to be that way. It is a woman's scent. It is for those who know they are a woman, when they want to be a woman and when they luxuriate in being the woman they are. Because it is a perfume that brings to mind the human body as a pleasurable thing mixed with sweetness. For me, it's dry down won't attack with any sick sweet cloying floral scent or overpowering muskiness either, but rather, entice with a suspicious mixture of naughty and nice. It belongs to a faraway time, perhaps in a Sultan's tent, mesmerized by the fragrances adorned on oiled bodies, of incense lightly burning somewhere in the night.
When I wear this wonderful scent, I can take on the world. There are but a handful of perfumes that make me feel that way. Shalimar is one of them. There should not be many that can give a person such a feeling, either. Power can be a wonderful thing, yes, but it must be handled with grace. Amongst other things. The person that wears Shalimar must be prepared to do so with strength. Should you decide to wear this potion, you are accepting the responsibility of being a Shalimar woman/man.
Created in 1921 it has withstood the tests of time. Shalimar should never be confused with any designer fragrance of the moment or used as a popular scent. It is so much more powerful than any magazine, television advertisement or hype that today's fragrances attempt to parlay into sales can ever dream to attain.
It is a sexy smell that you can layer on with its accompanying lotions or creams. It's considered an Oriental with a headiness of musky vanilla that does bring others to their knees. wondering how such a thing happened to them. It was said back then that a lady didn't do three things: "smoke, dance the Tango and wear Shalimar". So for those that think of Shalimar as an old lady's perfume, think again. There really is no such animal. There are only scents that bring out one's own beauty and confidence when mixed correctly with the wearer's pheromones.
Shalimar was one of my first perfumes as a young woman and I'll always delight in wearing it. It was a wedding day perfume for me, yes. It always makes me feel special. Wearing Shalimar reminds me of whom I am and who I want to be at the moment. It gives me a smile to wear, with the confidence to wear nothing else. It just has that ability. It will always be my favorite.
Jacques Guerlain knew what he was doing when he created Shalimar with the new scent of vanillin.

Aquolina's Pink Sugar is a pleasant, fun favorite of mine. I'm not a floral person, I love my vanilla scents and will also gravitate towards anything that drys down to my favorite vanilla. Pink Sugar does that for me in a musky way.
On me, Pink Sugar drys down to vanilla, caramel, woodsy, musky and licorice notes. It's more complex than I actually would have thought. As with any fragrance, let its aroma waft through the air and don't let it's initial scent sway you. Wait a good 20 minutes before you decide how it interacts with your own body's chemicals. There are three phases to a fragrance. Delight in all of them. And if you enjoy them all? The fragrance is for you.
I spray Pink Sugar and it reminds me of going into a candle shop and finding just the right vanilla candle. Of opening the candle jar, smelling it and saying that's just the right one. It's not obnoxious to me or cloyingly sweet. It's light enough to wear year round. It transcends age. It's not a young girl's fragrance or a grandma's fragrance, either. If it suits you, it simply does.
After about 30 minutes I do smell the scent of licorice lightly on myself. But it's mixed with a very light muskiness of butter cream caramel vanilla. It has a good lasting power of 12 hours or more, and that's with one spray. I've used the Eau de Toilette and the Parfum.
Frankly, I think the name turns some people off because it sounds young and frivolous so they think it's not sophisticated enough to wear. I'm a firm believer in wearing what makes you feel good, smell good, feel cozy, feel sexy, or whatever you want your mood to be. It shouldn't matter what the price is, or who makes it. After all, are you wearing the label of the parfum on your neck? Or are you wearing a parfum simply to make yourself feel good and lift your spirits?
Pink Sugar makes me feel good. It's a fragrance I enjoy wearing. One of those I'll wear to bed to feel snuggly, too.
I know it's one of those fragrances that fall into the "embarassment" categories and that's too bad that people apologize for wearing something that makes them feel good. How much money is spent on designer fragrances for the name, or design house perfumes again, because of the name? No apologies are made there, are they? But Pink Sugar has such a bad rap because of it's "pinkness", but it's really a delightful fragrance. It's much more complex than one realizes. I love that bergamot, vanilla, and musk , three of my favorite notes, are mixed with licorice and cotton candy. What a gourmand treat. You just wouldn't know unless you try it, and I have and I enjoy it. I'll admit it. I love gourmands and this is one of them. I'm just not embarrassed to admit it. And I'm far older than the target audience, too.

I refuse to be a fragrance snob. What I'm saying is I won't judge a fragrance by it's cover or who makes it. In the annals of perfumery, many famous women have worn fragrances that were not very expensive but were noteworthy for their provocative or sultry callings. Or chose a scent because it was just fun. Mariah Carey's Lollipop Splash Vision Of Love is just that-fun.
For me, it tops of as a fruity, tropical, balmy, summery and fun scent that likes to play. It's immediate blast is powerful and begins to dry down to a heartier oily type scent where the Neroli mixes with the jasmine and macaroon. The base notes of vanille, sandalwood and musk soon popped out and stayed for about four hours.
It's a pleasant enough fragrance that's not too sweet but more on the fruitier side, which for me, is it's saving grace. Think beaches and pina coladas, the surf in the background, sand under your toes, the sun descending on the horizon and seagulls surfing the mist of the ocean.
Pretty little bottle that's a pretty,deep pink with a butterfly on top. I'm happy with my purchase and glad I spent the money. It's a happy scent in the world of decadent, sensual scents I own. It's different from my regular perfumes. It stands different for me. It's one I'll reach for on a rainy day when I want to be reminded of the shore or when I need a pick-me-up.

So disappointing for my favorite old friend, my Shalimar. Initial is so young, so bold but yet so shy. Initial comes on strongly, visits for a bit, chatters voraciously as usual with her sweet notes, then exits almost as quickly as she entered the room. She's pretty, she's sweet to be around, but you cannot depend on her at all. She's just too young and innocent, batting her eyes flirtatiously, sweeping her skirts, then running away leaving a trail so faint you hardly remember she's been there.
She is nothing like her older sister. She's pink after all. But then again, no one could ever compare to the original. And no one should ever try to compare, but unfortunately, because of the name, the comparison constantly occurs.
Shalimar Initial to Shalimar Eau de Parfum gives me these analogies: silver jewelry to gold; ponies to thoroughbreds; ponytails to chignons; fields to the moors; pantyhose to garter belts and stockings; pink to a deep burgandy; young lady to a woman. It's the inexperienced younger sister of Shalimar that hasn't yet garnered the worldly knowledge needed to attract the sensual, deeper, basal desires of a Significant Other. She's just too wistful and fleeting.
Initial is beautiful as others have said. I enjoy the delightful fragrance, slightly reminiscent of the original in a more fruitful way to me. But this one lasts no more than an hour on my skin. Try as I might, I cannot get the musk or patchouli or the vanilla from this to settle for me, it simply disappears. I wish it would linger longer. I really do love the fragrance. I really do love the house of Guerlain.
Definitely try it a few times at a counter to see how it blends with your own body chemistry.

Elegance in a bottle. Powdery, gentle floral with civet notes was my first impression, but there is really so much more going on. My Sin begins with soapy overtones that burst with little floral explosions. But not in a huge way that is overpowering. It's as if you're walking in an English Garden and you stop to smell flowers along the way. You pick up different scents. The Bergamot, the Ylang-Tlang, Rose, Musk, and Vanilla are all delightfully delicious. Civet comes into play amongst the flowers. I adore civet in my perfumes. Civet is a note that seems to border on a love/hate relationship with people from their descriptions. We've all seen the wording that some use to describe cats at their most horrible and I'm guessing those are not civet lovers. It's strong and delicious in My Sin. So are the aldehydes, which are quite prevalent. There are so many wonderful notes that pop up in this gloriously creamy perfume at times, it's difficult to pinpoint each one. Oh, but it's fun to try! This is a sophisticated perfume for a sophisticated woman. The type of woman who has chutzpah. That's the woman that can wear My Sin every day and every night if she wants. Lasts about four hours for me and sillage is noticeable with the right amount. They just don't make them like this anymore. Such a pity. With so much talk of perfumes for the young, old lady perfumes, perfumes only a mature woman can handle, in all honesty, those are only semantics, mere words that people use to try and describe what they are feeling about a fragrance. People attempt to describe what they feel. Perfuministas give their best to describe perfumes to the discerning public. But a perfume that has stood the test of time and is still wanted by so many, is still used and revered... now that's something incredulous. Something to be in awe of the maker. Just imagine the generations that have delicately traced their earlobes with this glorious scent, dotted between their breasts with a scant few petals of perfume, annointed their wrists and inner elbows? Yes, perfume is My Sin, indeed. And thus, I Sin, every day of my life. And I'm happy to do so. Be it with My Sin or some other fabulous juice that I've found to complete me, what truly matters is that perfume and fragrance is a very beautiful part of my life that I shall always nourish. And you should, too. This one is delicious and if you're able to score one, you're know the delights of My Sin.