Description
Imagine to be sitting on a floor in a luxurious palace somewhere in the Middle East and eating lemon sherbet with jasmine. The wild wind is bringing the smell of blooming orange and sways the scented silk of the palace. As opposed to the classic Shalimar, this one was created in 2003. The fragrance ranges from fresh lemon in the top to the warm vanilla heart. This fragrance can not be compared with classic Shalimar, because its composition is different, although it has preserved some attributes of Guerlain’s fragrances. The top notes are lemon and bergamot, the heart notes are jasmine, iris and orange; the base is composed of vanilla and amber.
The nose behind this fragrance is Mathilde Laurent.
eXtrime – :
I am not a Shalimar fan but am in love with this. It goes on pure lemon. As the lemon settles and burns off, it turns to vanilla baked goods. A sweet gourmand. Then it dries down to a very dry vanilla then gets a balsamic quality to it.
moldovamea – :
Really similar to Eau de Shalimar with its huge lemony opening, but lasts far longer in both the citrus and the dry down than EDS and I thought EDS was my Shalimar grail until I found this.
Usenofeflousy – :
This is how Al Rehab Soft should be imo. Or maybe, how a dupe of this lovely flanker should have been?
I received a mini from a give away and I find this soft, pretty, and delightful. Lemon pound cake, powdery and no heavy MUSK which makes Soft unbearable for me. So pretty! Next on my list, way we Shalimar. I love this whole line. This is probably the easiest one to live for the masses.
uteshydyecy – :
I am in love!! Head over heels. This is by far the best Shalimar I have tried so far. It starts with such a gorgeous sunny and authentic lemon that I wished I had a scent for hot summer days just with this yummy lemon scent. Shalimar Legere then develops beautifully into a warm creamy vanilla with a little bit of incense and traces of the delicious lemon.
Chapeau Guerlain, chapeau!!
mulberryes – :
This is gorgeous stuff: a sunny fresh citrus burst,opening into sparkling jasmine, that leads into warm amber and delicious Guerlain vanilla. I don’t really see this as Shalimar “light” because it’s really not weak or light at all, it’s actually quite powerful silagewise. maybe Shalimar Summer? This is so far the best version of Shalimar for hot weather that I have tried. Beautiful!
svksergey – :
Lemon, powder, and incense with a vanilla ice cream dry down. Yum. I’ve had my bottle for 12 years. It’s a little darker and color and has a stronger smell than it used to, but still smells great.
sobolevsv90 – :
The Shalimar is still there, but you have to eat the most delicious lemon bar to get to it. One of the best flankers ever.
cavidan – :
This is a lovely lemony – vanilla fragrance, amazing longevity for an EDT concentration, the bottle design is also really interesting, the cap just flips for you to close or apply, I was lucky enough to get my hands in the last units, and now willing to let one of my legere babies go to a better home, if you want it pm.
Dimusta – :
Bright, fresh, sweet lemon. This one is definitely a Shalimar, but also DEFINITELY unique. Hunt it down if you can! It is bright, sweet, lemony, with the traditional Shalimar feel—but modernized. It’s a powerhouse without being heavy and no furniture polish feel from it (which can sometimes happen with just too much lemon in a scent). The vanilla, amber, and iris make an appearance and soften that lemon into something *almost* edible but not quite. It’s like an interpretation of a sexy lemon meringue pie. I’ve gotten compliments on it all day, and it’s lasted on my skin 8+ hours with just a few sprays. The bottle is similar to the traditional Shalimar bottles—BUT DON’T TUG ON THE TOP, that is the sprayer, the lid does not come off. Just twist it around in order to spray. 😀 (haha my PSA for you). I really love this one. Getting harder to hunt down, I say snap it up!
Trinidad – :
Not being a big citrus fan, I had lowered my expectations for Shalimar Light so when I smelled it I was shocked by how much I LOVE the bright lemony opening! So crisp and fresh but balanced out so nicely with vanilla. Conceptually similar to Ellen Tracy Bronze, but replace the vanilla with heliotrope. Usually I prefer the drydown of a perfume to the opening notes but it’s the reverse with this one. Sadly the opening is so short-lived on my skin. The drydown smells incredibly similar to the original Shalimar, just slightly “lighter” with less focus on the “heavy” notes like leather and incense. I was thinking about blind buying its successor Eau de Shalimar since it’s officially D/C but I’m so glad I didn’t because as much as I like this, I can’t justify getting a FB since it’s too close to the original to my nose.
vasilii040938 – :
In addition to the notes mention above i can sense quite a bit of incense, patchouli, musk and some very faint leather so al in all i can easily identify it as Shalimar! Maybe as you would percive Shalimar EdP with a stuffed nose due to a cold!;) It’s wonderful, suits al year round but for me best at late sunny summer days!:)
ate612InsuffBooni – :
Shalimar Eau Legere and Eau de Shalimar are basically the same fragrance, only that in 2004 Jean-Paul Guerlain thought it wasn’t quite right and changed it a tiny bit, more towards the original and stamped his name on it in the processes. You can find more, and lots more about Guerlain, at monsieurguerlain.com Also, there was a changing in the colour.
turdiev timur – :
If you remove the idea of Shalimar as you know it and allow yourself to enjoy Shalimar Legere as its own separate entity, you will find a heavenly light lemony piece of heaven. Without the civet, smoke and leathery notes, Shalimar is no longer Shalimar. It is like taking away the bananas, strawberries and nuts from a banana split…it becomes a different type of treat but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still yummy. The ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream is still there. It just becomes a sundae instead of a banana split. Think of Shalimar Light in those terms….do not expect it to be like a lighter version of the same exact Shalimar. It isn’t. But it is delicious nonetheless.
I know that Shalimar Light and Eau de Shalimar are supposed to be basically the same fragrance but I do find a slight difference, maybe a tad bit more warmth in Legere as compared to Eau de Shalimar. But maybe I am smelling a little difference because the Legere has been brewing a couple more years in the bottle as compared to the newer Eau de Shalimar that I have.
This definitely does not smell dated in any way. It is a rather timeless, fresh scent. it is more of a spring/summer fragrance to me. Very light and lemony. Safe for office wear. I can’t imagine anyone finding this offensive or annoying.
I have found that a light spray of Eau de Shalimar or Shalimar Light over Shalimar EDP (or any classic version of Shalimar) creates an absolutely heavenly scent. The dry down combo is incredible and lasts a full 24 hours.
I love this stuff.
rfhfrjkm – :
This is light and good. Incensy powdery vanilla on my skin. Easy to wear, too.
kesha2011 – :
“Shalimar Eau Legere” is one of the very few *flankers* of the original that I deeply adore. It’s an absolute beauty and a must sniff for everyone who loves the original Shalimar but wants something more suitable for everyday, or for those of us who find the original too daunting and heavy but would like to wear a Shalimar scent without losing the heart of the original. If you wanted to love Shalimar but couldn’t get passed the civet musk and cedar notes that can be perceived as quite strong by some, than this one is for you!
SEL is Shalimars softer side, the perfect mix of citrus and vanilla with a seductive base of amber. Warm, cuddly and infinitely pretty; a true charming sister of the original and a wonderful addition to each Shalimar lovers shelf.
Silage is: a cuddly and beautiful cloud of Shalimar that wont startle you with an angry civet or biter lemons — Longevity is: 8+ beautiful hours of soft yet persistent seduction of citrus / vanilla/ amber notes that get closer to the skin with time but never lose their beauty….*Hmmm*
ринната – :
This is spicy baby powder like but very pleasant to my nose. You surely see the image of the original Shalimar. The ingredients listed here are exactly what I get from the bottle except lemon. I think it’s more of lime. I like the way powdery iris and dry amber are liven up by the flowing sweet vanilla. Too light for me as an everyday scent but I enjoy a couple of sprays after shower on a cool summer night. Yummy yummy.
grekcherry – :
I warmed up to this fragrance slowly. I bought it blind based on the buzz here on Fragrantica a few years ago, and while I liked it at first sniff I didn’t really love it so only wore it every so often. Well I’ve been wearing it a lot more lately and have really come to appreciate it.
I would summarize the overall effect as lemon cream pie–the whip cream in this case is loaded with a light but persistent vanilla. This is nothing like the heavy, dripping vanilla in say Casmir, but rather a pale, almost effervescent vanilla that almost tickles your nose.
I put it on this morning and it’s still with me – just a hint of a very high quality light vanilla.
Now that I’ve kind of fallen for Legere I wish I’d gotten another bottle because as everyone knows Guerlain has discontinued it.
I would agree with some of the other reviewers that any connection between Legere and Shalimar are tenuous at best. This easily could’ve been named something completely different.
koriaxochehut – :
Typical : Shalimar + Eau de Guerlain= Shalimar Lighter 🙂
Nrikesss – :
Beautiful frangrance that I instantly fell in love with almost 10 years ago when it arrived – buying it was a decision made in minutes… funnily enough there is a lingering cloud of anise for me and I have never imagined Legere being very lemony.
Perhaps its the combination of lemon oil (rather than fruit) combined with bergamot that gives this slight aniseed touch to the top note… But despite of the freshness it has gorgeous warm base once it calms a bit. Classy, but not old-fashioned powdery sweet, with a bit of temper, but not overly loud. Very unusual in any case, although not initial Shalimar, it still demands attention and perhaps also a bit of character from the wearer, a bit of ‘diva’:).
However, its clearly not soft flowery scent, nor is it too strong and overpowering. I love it and find it very sexy, but wear it in special occasions. It lasts 6+ h on me, which is enough and projects well. I still have 1/4 left in my 75 ml bottle and having just checked out the prices, I plan to reserve it for even more special events:). Although original Shalimar is not really my cup of tea, Legere is absolutely fantastic!
456 – :
The best Christmas fragrance for me. Sweet, sweet, SWEET!!! :)smells as a lemon in sugar.
zab266intitytek – :
i prefer shalimar eau legère from all shalimar’s version, very chic without being loud and don’t have this new scent that is present in all powdery fragrances atually i think patchouly!
alex-amigos10 – :
I grabbed this at a closeout store because of the original watermark. It was indeed Shalimar. There is sparkling lemon sorbet opening it. Then, remove the civet, turn up the rose and jasmine and you get a unique perfume that you can only love! There is lots of vetiver, patcholi and dark vanilla. Its all of the elements of Shalimar that you love.
Then, in the massive destruction of Guerlain, this with so many other favorite were lost. At the time, I had no idea. 10 years later, the dust is settling on my large vintage collection! I would add no more.
diabolium – :
This one is for those of us who want to love Shalimar, but find it very heavy. This is the classiest scent I own. Their marketing of this as a scent for “rock royalty” didn’t hurt either.
nittee – :
I was able to find the body lotion, which had the blue top. I thought this would be similar to the original, of which I have, I was pleasantly surprise by the richness and concentration. This is such lovely counterpart of the original. I never got the Shalimar light edt., but the lotion is heavy with staying power. Love it!
gxc696intitytek – :
just purchased online. I must say when i first put it on it smelled like designer pledge for dusting…or moist towlettes for hand wipes… then something magical happened!!! after about 30 minutes the most devine fragrance emerged.. Lemon cream pound cake mixed with powder and spice.. Wonderful and light like summer (on me). My son thought it smelled like powder with a little lemon,,, It kinda reminds be of a sweeter lighter SOFTER Alien Sunessence by Thierry Mugler. Again this is how it smells after reacting with my body chemistry.. I love it!!!
Alizillorshot – :
My husband like this a lot more than I did. It is a bit heavy, but very nicely composed. Orris can be “loud” so the citrus notes offset this nicely. Unfortunately, there was just too much citrus for my taste, but if you’re a fruity girl who still wants to have an adult perfume rather than a teenybopper fruity fragrance, this may be a perfect fit for you.
vikot2 – :
“Old fashioned,” perhaps, but in a newfangled way! I think the notes really are: orange flower lemon, bergamot, jasmine, rose de mai, opopanax, tonka bean, vanilla, iris, incense, ambergris.
I definitely smell incense and it also seems like there is a bit of ambergris here (though probably synthetic). The opening is a bit unbalanced, but the drydown is great, and IMO, unisex (for those who understand fragrance). The guy who only buys aquatics should avoid this, unless he is looking for something very different. I have some vintage Shalimar EdC but that has a strong “synthetic” quality and I much prefer this. Don’t confuse it with the newer one, which I think is called Eau de Shalimar, and is supposedly clearly inferior. The only downside is that it may be hard to obtain at a reasonable price, due to it being discontinued for some reason (probably cost a little more to make because it had better ingredients, but who knows why they do these incomprehensible things).
ilya366 – :
I really can’t compare Shalimar Legere to the original, I don’t think I know it enough.
This perfume smells to me like lemon cookies or lemon tart + whipped cream.
A gourmand composition!
Quite interesting, great idea for a dessert or a drink, but I wouldn’t like to smell like this…
Sorry.
vlasikdj – :
I just tried this and I adore it! I like the original Shalimar, too, but it’s, to me, too overpowering to wear most of the time. I just squirted a LITTLE of this and it’s becoming one of my favorites so far! It has Shalimar’s complexity and sweetness with a touch more vanilla. It’s a “friendlier,”less potent and less formal fragrance than Shalimar and just as beautiful!
I had to add one thing an hour after I posted the above. This smells very much like L de Lolita! It’s not as strong as L which is a good thing and it’s not quite as sweet, but it’s very similar.
Now it’s October and I realized this smells more like Lemon Pledge than anything else. I have to give it away.
katanarius – :
I am not such a big fan of the original Shalimar though I truly appreciate its originality and staying power and IMHO Shalimar Legere cannot be classified as a lighter version of the original at all. It opened with a lemony punch in my nose, so overwhelming and old-fashioned that I immediately wanted to scrub it out. However, I am not so easy to scare and am usually patient with perfumes so I let it calm down and develop for some time but alas! Things only got worse – on me it smells of shaving foam plus wood polish, lots of lemons and a bit of vanilla. It does get powdery and wearable but it is definitely not my cup of tea.
serik42 – :
Heaven in a bottle! Tried this a little while ago and I was enchanted!
The lemon is discreet, the flowers are lovely and when the base notes are started to develop… that powdery scent makes me think of babies! For everyday use, from dusk till dawn.
This fragrance, from a girl turns you into a woman. I don’t find it old – fashioned at all! Classic, irresistible, absolutely!
Too bad, everyone knew about this fragrance except me! I’m inadmissible (lol)!
egibels – :
This is a lovely,rich, creamy, sweet lemony scent (sounds like a dessert!) Perfect for evenings and special occasions. A lady wearing this would invite hugs in abundance.
Keesexcarbabe – :
Classic, soft you can’t go wrong with this one.
eryoma – :
When I tried this fragrance for the first time, I was surprised. I did not find the character which would make this fragrance similar to classical Shalimar, I think, that Shalimar legere is a completely different fragrance. I even wonder why it’s called Shalimar?
Oh well, the fragrance is great anyway. The top notes can make some people frown as it’s very sour and sweet at the same time. In the middle notes the sour notes get weaker and not so prominent, letting the powdery vanilla in. And the base is the best – powdery vanilla-grapefruit. Yummy!
Shalimar Legere is a sister to Lavanila Laboratories Vanilla Grapefruit, their bases are almost identical.
The lasting power is great.
Trollheim – :
Absolutely one of my favorite perfumes. I cannot wear the original most of the year, but this is the best. I appreciate the original womanly Shalimar of 1928. It was the perfume of flappers and bad girls. The notes I love in the original have been amplified in this version. A bright citrus, soft floral, and a delicious real essence of vanilla. So it is a lovely and creamy lemon jasmine perfume. This perfume is like art, and it only gets better over time. The 2003 version is different from those bottles made since. I bought the big one and it’s beautiful with a blue tinted bottle and the cobalt cap.
pasashasan – :
I feel nice warm vanilla and…fig jam. And warmth, a lot of warmth.
Unfortunately this impressive perfume is too strong and give me a headache. So pity that I can’t wear it.
Марлинн – :
I get a strong powdery note in my skin.
This fragrance opens with beautiful and fresh citrus notes. I was taken aback, not in a bad way, it was a good surprise in a Guerlain scent. Then it setles down to a powdery vanilla that stays on for a long time. I find it original and sexy but it took me a while to make up my mind about it.
brekety666 – :
I have the second formulation of this fragrance (pale blue juice). I’ve never been able to even try the original Shalimar; I always pick up the tester and sniff and put it right back. I’m extremely sensitive to patchouli – even small amounts seem to nauseate me – and Shalimar has tons of it.
Shalimar Light (which is now discontinued) opens with a very strong lemon-oil furniture polish note, which fortunately dissipates in a few minutes. Very quickly we’re on to orange blossom, light citrus, and jasmine, with a hint of the vanillic base showing through. This is very rich, even for an EDT. The base is warm and vanilla-y, without the “dirtiness” of the original. I’ve heard some people describe this one as lemon custard, but to me it’s far richer and sexier than the idea of lemon custard. Beautiful. This may be my next full bottle, if I can find it – high praise, since I rarely buy full bottles.
EDIT: Found it on ebay and am buying ASAP. This stuff is gorgeous.
careprost – :
I have a sample of the fragrance and I am using it these two days.
It seems to me it’s a very gentle fragrance. Starts with sharp citrus notes and dries down to a very soft iris with a little bit of vanilla. I like it a lot but it was strange that the first time i tried it seemed to me to have only citrus notes.
Today I am putting it in my wish list.
Another strange fact is that the fragrance reminds me of my childhood and my grandmother’s wardrobe aroma. She had planted many irises in the garden and probably the roots that she kept during wintertime gave its aroma to the clothes in the wardrobe. That’s why the fragrance I find a little retro but very seductive at the same time.
I would wear it in autumn/winter or early spring- for the cold days.
Blackr – :
If you don´t like the original Shalimar, maybe you still could enjoy this one. This is Shalimar without oriental or with very little oriental in it. It is creamy, citrusy and deep. I actually smell some licorice in the beginning, and that is odd, because there is non listed and usually my skin kills licorice notes.
It´s like a daytime version of Shalimar and still with lots of class, sensuality and thrill.
When the vanilla comes to play, it has evolved to a woody, lingering and kind of rich smelling fragrance.
It is a bit oldfashioned and I think some could find it too oldfashioned. But I don´t, neither this one or the original.
Like it a lot and would like to have a big bottle of it. Marvelous stayingpower.
asidnenko.v – :
I have just received a sample of Shalimar Legere … verry nice perfume! It is a spicy, sweet, elegant, sensual, sexy fragrance !
It opens with some powerfull citrus notes and then they melt down into a powdery amber-vanilla base, which on me is delicious!
It is also a long lasting smell.
On my skin it resambles to Roma – Laura Biagiotti…
miha83 – :
Great scent. Lighter than original Shalimar.
dimonhoppy – :
Although it is marketed as ‘lighter’ than Shalimar, it is really still too ‘in your face and up your nose’ for day and office wear, unless you want make enemies. To me, it really doesn’t smell so different from the original, so if that one doesn’t do it for you, you probably won’t like this either
Parad0XX_ET – :
“Good for people who think that original Shalimar is lovely, but little bit too old fashion style.”
Like me! I adore this scent.
Abaichik – :
I don’t like Shalimar, or most citrus scents or many of the vanilllathings, so I tried this one with not so big hopes. Well, better, more updated, (if you dont like the original :)), but not my cup of tea either. Starts with very srong citruses and then developes to that old style, dry, powdery vanilla. Have very good staying power, over two days and nice sillage.
Good for people who think that original Shalimar is lovely, but little bit too old fashion style.
AssomAnetesty – :
Nice, but i prefer the classic scent.
stiv25 – :
I recently got a tester of this fragrance. It opens with a definite lemon/bergamot note. It then softens with Jasmine and Vanilla. Not really my cup of tea, but if you enjoy a citrus scent, this is the way to go.