Shalimar Souffle Intense
Guerlain (2017)

In my opinion, as far as gourmands go, they don’t get much better than this. It smells almost edible, but just as it’s getting close to crossing over too far into realistic food/dessert territory, it stops shy of that and leans back over ever so slightly into the perfume realm. It is definitely sweet though, and while I don’t think this is the sweetest out there, I do think it’s sweet enough to make some people dislike it. If you’re familiar with Xerjoff gourmands such as lira, dolce amalfi, or casamorati, it’s not as sweet as those. It’s probably around the same level of sweetness as Angelique Noire, though the scent profile is different.

To me, this smells like fantasy of a lemon pastry. I get a pretty good dose of vanilla, a sweet, lemony icing type of smell, and a little bit of the powder and spices from Shalimar peaking through. If you’re a die hard Shalimar fan and really want to smell that strongly, you will probably be disappointed. I feel like this only has a hint of Shalimar. It’s there, but just a whisper. On the other hand, if Shalimar scares you or you find it challenging, I think you will find this an easy wear provided you like gourmands.

This is one that I can’t stop sniffing my wrists when I wear it. On me, longevity is decent but not great… maybe about 5 hours or so with the last two hours being a light skin scent. While the projection is more pronounced, it seemed to create a small bubble around me, around 2 feet. So not a very loud fragrance, which may or may not be a good thing to you.

For me, this is a winner without question. Absolutely love it!

The modern Shalimar Flankers are very good. There are good ones, Parfum Initial and better ones, Shalimar Cologne 2015 and then there are best and that is Shalimar Souffle Intense. It's the way it wears, a straight arrow of Bhudda's Hand mixed with a fragrant yellow Quince and then the Guerlain vanilla, my favourites all rolled into one. I'm just mad about Souffle, call me Mellow Yellow.

I had the chance to test Shalimar EDP (current version), Shalimar Souffle de Parfum and buy a 70s vintage version Shalimar, the first version of Ode à la Vanille, sur la Route de Madagascar and sur la Route du Mexique.

The current Shalimar EDP was a bit disappointing. A lot of bergamot with some cardamom and then a powdery rose (almost itchy). Then it settles down finally but doesn't give a good sillage. What's funny is that it smells different if you smell it one cm away from another spot.

Shalimar from the 70s is so much better. Both softer and spicier, with an amber, cashmere feel. You get the bergamot and the rose, but nothing is too strong.

Souffle de parfum shouldn't be compared. This is not Shalimar, don't expect Shalimar. There are some common notes, especially if you wear vintage Shalimar on the other wrist. But it's very good on its own! A wonderful floral with some spices and a gourmand dry-down. I get a lot of mandarine. I'm happy I randomly got a sample of this and I hope I'll get a full bottle. Sillage could be better, though.

I tried Souffle Intense at Guerlain's shop in Brussels. I had one on each wrist. It shares notes with the original Souffle de Parfum, which I liked a lot. But it's very different in the same time. More fruit (citrus-mandarine), more vanilla. Sillage is very good and longevity is way better. I was going to buy the original, but I will go back for Souffle Intense.
I still have no idea what 'pungent jade' smells like.


The original Ode à la Vanille opens in a very bitter way. It's balsamic. Then it goes towards a powdery bergamot. The acid vanilla comes later. It's a bit sweeter than the vintage Shalimar but quite similar in the dry down. It also has more fruit.

Sur la Route de Madagascar shares a lot of notes as well, but it's more floral than fruity. It's more animalistic. Dirtier in a very sexy way. It has more vanilla than the others as well.

Sur la Route du Mexique opens with more pepper. It's something between rhum and gin, with spices. It might have a more itchy, synthetic feel for me.

Note that the three bottles are exactly the same. You've got to keep the boxes to differentiate them.

The opening of all those Shalimar, except for souffle de parfum, is the biggest difference. The more they dry, the most similar they get.

Disappointing. Not much to do with Shalimar or Souffle. I don't detect any of my adored Guerlainade in it. Rather, a very average, almost cheap smelling, broad-stroke duty-free fragrance in a pretty blue bottle. The fact that I bought it for next to nothing from a reputable discounter less than a month after its release indicates what you need to know about the juice and the house at this point in time. Sad. And sad for Wasser.