Shalimar by Guerlain

Shalimar by Guerlain
What does it take for a fragrance to endure 75 years as a best-seller?
Introduced in 1925, Shalimar, by Guerlain, is everything a high-quality fragrance should be:

• Intoxicating,
• sensuous,
• rich,
• exhilarating,
• timeless
• and long-lasting, with a fascinating history and a beautiful love-story behind it (see bottom of page).

Shalimar, created by Jacques Guerlain at a time when fascination with all-things-oriental was sweeping Europe, is the quintessential oriental fragrance; a distinctive "make a grand entrance" fragrance, for a sophisticated and uninhibited woman. A Tribute to the Love That Grew in The Great Gardens of Shalimar

While visiting Paris, a traveling Maharajah related a love story to Jacques Guerlain, that became the inspiration for Shalimar:

More than 300 years ago, Shah Jahan succeeded to the throne of his father, Jahangir, and became the third Mogul Emperor of India. Jahan loved only one woman. Her name was Mumtaz Mahal. Some say he loved her unto madness, that she was not his wife but his fever. Victories, empires and riches were as dust compared to her. In his eyes, she alone was the balm that made life bearable. When she died, Jahan's hair turned white. He would burst into tears at the mention of her name. In her memory, he built one of the world's greatest wonders - the Taj Mahal at Agra. But the Taj Mahal is only an empty monument. While Mumtaz was alive, Jahan created a series of gardens for her at Lahore, gardens the likes of which had never been seen before. He called them the gardens of Shalimar, the Sanskrit word meaning "abode of love". From every corner of the Earth, the most fragrant and delicate blossoms were brought. Deep pools were built with crystal fountains and terraces paved in marble. The rarest birds were summoned to sing here, and lanterns were hung to rival the stars. In the gardens of Shalimar the lovers were truly happy, and Mumtaz bore fourteen children to her beloved Jahan.

During Shalimar's development, it had a working name of Taj Mahal. Guerlain eventually changed it to Shalimar, because Taj Mahal was the end of a story, while the gardens at Shalimar were about a never-ending love.

- Live like there's no tomorrow. Love like it's your last.