Perfume Review: Shalini Parfum by Maurice Roucel+ Haute Couture Fragrance Draw

shalini

Shalini

Shalini Parfum is the concept of Bombay born couture fashion designer Shalini. Composed by award winning Master Perfumer Maurice Roucel, it is a supremely high quality  fragrance of such exquisite delicacy that it has cast many of my previously adored white florals into shadow.

 

Shalini from Andrey Piontkovski on Vimeo.

Shalini began her career as an architect, before her innate longing for texture, mood and colour lead her into the world of high fashion and fragrance. As a child she was surrounded by scent and it seems that those memories have been integral to the creation of her eponymous perfume launched in 2004. "From an early age, my mom introduced me to all the flowers in the garden, the way they grew from bud to full bloom and how their fragrance changed through the passage of the time. Tuberoses were my favourite – they only emitted their gorgeous scent in the evening hours. As a child I would sneak into the garden at night so I could inhale them by the moonlight."

lalique perfume bottle shalini

Shalini Parfum Lalique Flacon

Shalini features notes of neroli, tuberose and tiare, on a base of sandalwood and musks. On paper I can imagine many seasoned perfume lovers to think that they had smelled this fragrance before; however, the balance between opulence and tactile softness present in Shalini sets it apart from many other perfumes of this genre. The use of tuberose, a notoriously polarizing ingredient, is so refined here; it perfectly embodies the concept of a perfume as Haute Couture. The finest quality materials and no expense was spared, “Of course when you can put in very good raw materials, this is perfect. Like Shalini, it is really worth it, because I made it and I know what is in it”, Maurice Roucel wrote.

fashion editorial gardenia

 Orange blossom fused with Aline Weber for Numero magazine #132 (Susie)

The beauty begins with delicately green neroli, each white petal etched clearly into my mind's eye as it unfurls and releases precious pollen into the evening air. Tuberose is presented sheathed in emerald, which shatter in slow motion as her sensuously tactile nature reveals itself. Tiare, with its gardenia-like fleshliness, tucks tiny, unseen stitches into the bodice of the fragrance, giving it curves and structure. I find a slightly waxen touch in the first stages of Shalini, proof of the exquisite quality at work in both the raw materials and the composition.

Tim-Walker fashion editorial   dance vogue

Tim Walker Snow Queen for Vogue UK

Tuberose, when left untamed, can create a heady white explosion of debauchery that colours the whole fragrance. Here it is as if that energy has been stroked and soothed into relaxation, without taking away its essential sensuous nature. Shalini has both the long, lean lines of a supermodel and the curves of a modern day odalisque. Those beautiful blooms sing all the way through this perfume's very long life, musks and sandalwood seeming to act as invisible cushions upon which the three white queens languorously croon into the night.

I am completely enamoured with Shalini, in much the same way as one might covet an impossibly gorgeous gown. The joy of it is that, although it is a top-end perfume in terms of price, it is effortlessly wearable, for any occasion.  I have a feeling that it may steal many of your hearts, just as it has mine.

Disclaimer- Sample gratefully received from Shalini. Opinions my own.

Susie Baird- Editor and editor of Epiphany.

firmenich  frank voelkl michelyn camen cafleruebon ilias ermenidis  firmenich

Frank Voelkl of Firmenich, Michelyn Camen in Shalini, Ilias Ermenidis of Firmenich 6/17/2015 Red Carpet The Fragrance Foundation 2015 Awards 

Editor’s Note:  Shalini (pronounced SHAH Lynn A) is available at Aedes de Venustas and Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie in Harrod's. I was asked by quite a few perfumers at the opening cocktail party at The 2015 Fragrance Foundation Awards Winners Ceremony what scent I was wearing; this was closely followed by women who wanted to know the name of the designer of my exquisite satin couture cocktail dress. Both Shalini-MC

shalini  lalique   perfume

Thanks to Shalini we have a .34oz flacon of Shalini Parfum (10ml/$290) with an etched crystal stopper; (the gold cord tied around the neck of the stopper is known as baudruchage) for a registered CaFleureBon reader anywhere in the world. To be eligible please leave a comment with what appeals to you about Shalini Perfume based on Susie’s review and where you live. You must be a registered reader to be eligible. Art Direction-MC Draw closes 6/25/2015

 We announce the winners on our site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume

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65 comments

  • Beautiful review. I very like the ingredients of this perfume, and the bottle is beautiful too. I would very like to win this wonderful perfume. I live in Europe, and of course I’m a registered reader. Thank you for the draw!

  • Robert H. says:

    SERIOUSLY????? I am DYIN’ here!!! a Shalini giveaway. Wow. Shalini is the top of my Unicorn list, and your marvellous review has just sealed the deal! oh HELL yes!!! In the USA and Michelyn….um….that picture of the three of you? You look amazing!!

  • Beautiful, refined and elegant with an vein of playful, joyful, sensuality flowing throughout the scent. I would love to win a sample of this masterpiece. Thanks Tati- I live in the US

  • Sounds beautiful and I love tuberose! Then there are the flowers that are paired with it, I am intrigued. I am in the USA.

  • Genie Gee says:

    I LOVED the review!

    Tuberose has been a HUGE favorite of mine ever since I smelled it on my grandmother’s front porch! She called it NARDO, which is Tuberose in Spanish!

    I fell in LOVE with the fragrance!

    After reading the review & the ingredients, this fragrance sounds like something that HEAVEN itself would smell like!

    Thank you for the opportunity & the information. I hope to smell this one day VERY soon!

  • silvrolive says:

    Stunning! An opulent and elegant perfume for summer. Love to sample it! I am in the US. Thanks for the draw!

  • A relaxed tuberose sounds like one I could wear! No debauchery for me. I live in the US.

  • I love how Shalini has produced a scent that is a personal memory of her childhood and is now allowing the wearer to be part of that collective memory! What a beautiful chance for one of us to experience her night-time rambles. By all accounts this scent is redolent of summer, and is ultra feminine! Perhaps I shall be lucky enough to experience one of Shalini’s childhood memories. I live in the UK, and thanks so much for the chance to win!

  • I love white flower fragrances but only when they very well made. From what I read here, Shalini is one of the best. It would be wonderful to try it!I live in the US.

  • fazalcheema says:

    It is interesting how Shalini noted in her childhood that the aroma from the flowers evolve over time…she would also smell tuberoses in the evening when they would be at their peak…when perfumes are inspired by memories, they often turn out to be beautiful..and this also reminds me how skilled Roucel is..I still remember Roucel;s interview in which he said how it took him just minutes to create this perfume..it seems Shalini explained quite expertly what she wanted and Roucel knew it immediately how to translate Shalini;s memory into a perfume. thanks so much for the wonderful draw. I am in the US

  • I love big white florals. The mere mention of orange blossom and tuberose is enough to make me drool. Also, the bottle is gorgeous!

    Thanks for the draw. I’m in Canada.

  • BlessedTA says:

    it was composed by award winning Master Perfumer Maurice Roucel.

    Thanks for the chance. I’m in Canada.

  • ringthing says:

    Lovely review, thank you. The video lends a visual punch to some of Susie’s exquisite phrasing – tuberose being so refined that it “perfectly embodies the concept of perfume as Haute Couture ” and my favorite,”Tiare…tucks tiny, unseen stitches into the bodice of the fragrance”. It sounds breathtaking. Thanks for the opportunity, and the photos; I’m in the US.

  • Barbara Carter says:

    I think I would die and hit heaven with this beauty. It embodies all I adore in a fragrance, and I am such a fan of great tuberose! This is such a wonderful draw, please consider adding me – it would have the finest place on the dressing table!

  • I remember trying this a while back and though I must own this…..if I had to sell everything in my collection and only own one perfume, I truly think this one would be the one. Its delicate yet powerful, I love the description: Those beautiful blooms sing all the way through this perfume’s very long life, musks and sandalwood seeming to act as invisible cushions upon which the three white queens languorously croon into the night. This is an absolutely perfect description. This perfume embodies beauty and sophistication. Its for those special moments in life. I am in the US.

  • I’m growing tuberose in my garden for the first time, so the explosion of white flowers promised by Shalini sounds perfect right now.

    Thanks for the generous drawing!

  • Barbara Carter says:

    I am so excited to be able to enter this drawing. This fragrance embodies all that I adore in perfume – the creation, the tuberose, the description is what I long for. It would have the highest place of honor on my dressing table – exotic and poetic, my heart be still!

  • MikasMinion says:

    I have long been a Shalini fan and to hear of the perfume release is really exciting! I adore tuberose when it’s done well and high quality and this sounds like the good stuff. I’m in the U.S. Thanks!

  • I am intrigued by the description of the tuberose, as something smooth, with a quiet strum of sensuality.
    The art work accompanying this beautifully-written review is stunning.

    I live in the U.S.

  • I would love a perfume that reminds me of high fashion in an effortless way 🙂 I am in the US, thank you!

  • Everything I’ve read about Shalini perfume has been rapturous, and my only fear was that it might be too much for me. I love the combination of neroli and tuberose, and Susie Baird’s characterization of the tuberose in Shalini as refined, and the perfume as a whole as easy to wear, despite its opulence, has made me determined to try it someday. I’m in the U.S., and thank you so much for this drawing.

  • Maurice Roucel is one of my favourite perfumers: he understands sensuality. His treatment of neroli, tuberose and tiare seems to be gorgeousness bottled. I am also very curious to seewhat Shalini’s childhood memories smell like especially as I alsbolutely love tuberose.
    Thank you so much for this draw…I live in France

  • Oh my. Great review!! This sounds utterly amazing. Just the combo of those 3 notes sends me into a Tizzy. I live in the U.S. Thanks for the draw!!

  • Valentine Girl says:

    Loved the image of three white queens, crooning languorously on their pillows of sandalwood and musk. Neroli opens the sultry song at dawn, the day brings the harmony of Tiare, and to close, dusk brings us the final strains of the Tuberose. The perfume notes and flacon just sing of white floral elegance! Thanks for an exciting draw opportunity. USA resident.

  • I love white flower perfumes, especially tuberose and tiare, and never pass up the chance to smell one. I can see Shalini’s love of texture in her choice of Lalique to house her perfume-a gorgeous bottle for a gorgeous scent. I’m in the US and thank you for the draw.

  • burntsiennna says:

    I love white florals and this sounds truly exceptional. I am loving the shalini aesthetic – what a gorgeous bottle! If the perfume is half as beautiful it will be amazing. Thank you for the draw! I am in the US.

  • The imagery of the three white flowers dancing is so enticing as tiare and tuberose are my favorite florals. Susie’s review was so elegantly designed expressive with comparing couture to the creation of Shalini.
    Please enter me in the draw I live in the U.S.

  • Soft, subtle, sensual yet very elegant & feminine, I have fallen in love with this creation made of white flowers. I live in EU and I would be more than honoured to have the chance to win it!

  • Donna Spiegel says:

    Love, love love beautiful florals. Done perfectly, such as Shalini, they are truly wonderful to wear. I did not know that Shalini was once an architect. It is always so interesting to me to learn of one’s journey in life as it takes them on their road to the world of fragrance making. Having tuberoses as her favorite flower and sneaking into gardens at night to enjoy their beautiful bounties must have been fun. I would have liked that too! Childhood memories are always very special. Those special times always carry forth in what you do in life I find. Thank you for sharing that. This is a very nice offering for the draw and I would love to be lucky enough to win for sure!!! I am a registered reader and am in the US. The stopper sounds lovely and I would try to wear it somehow as well 🙂 thanks again.

  • Oooh, thank you for the review and draw! The notes sound great to me! I’m in the U.S.

  • rodelinda says:

    I never knew that tuberoses were more fragrant in the evening, but I don’t think I’ve ever encountered one in a garden before. I sampled Shalini when it first launched and know how lovely it is, so I’d love the chance to win a bottle of my own. I’m in the US. Thanks!

  • Laurentiu says:

    I love Maurice Roucel’s work, especially his Dans tes Bras which is a very strange perfume. I am curious how he played with tuberose in Shalini because I have never tried anything from him with tuberose or something that is a big floral. Shalini sounds really good.
    I am from Eu. Thanks for the review and the giveaway!

  • This sounds utterly amazing. I absolutely love the reference to a coveted gown that’s amazing yet wearable. I adore white florals, but sometimes they can be too much. This one sounds so refined while sensual. I’d definitely love to give this one a try!

  • Dubaiscents says:

    I know I will love anything Maurice Roucel can do with Tuberose and I would absolutely be so grateful to be able to own what sounds like another masterpiece. I live in the UAE.

  • The delicacy and intricacy is what appeals to me about Shalini. That sounds deceptively simple however to me, achieving this in any realm would appear to my mind, a challenge. In cooking which I love delicacy is too often achieved with one or 2 ingredients therefore when I hear all the notes used in this perfume I am somewhat astounded to listen to the outcome. It sounds truly wonderful. I am a registered US reader.

  • luvmarley says:

    Lovely review,’Shalini has both the long, lean lines of a supermodel and the curves of a modern day odalisque.’ What a beautiful sentiment. I am in the US.

  • Lately I’m on a tuberose and orange blossom kick, so if a perfume contains both ingredients it’s defintiely a must try. I also have a body oil with tiare and it smells wonderful. Combined with musks and sandalwood it must be really good. The review makes this sound very precious. I live in the Netherlands. Thanks for this gorgeous draw!

  • Oh wow. I love white florals, especially tuberose and tiare; and the opulence of sandalwood. The Roucel quote probably sums it up best “Of course when you can put in very good raw materials, this is perfect. Like Shalini, it is really worth it, because I made it and I know what is in it”. I live in Singapore. Thanks for the draw.

  • I love tuberose, tiare and sandalwood so this sounds like a sure ‘love’ for me – thanks to Cafleurbon for the draw. Tuberoses do smell stronger at night, I once lived near a woman who had a 20×20 huge bed of tuberose and it was stunning in the evenings.

  • So lovely! Shalini sounds like a tactile, well-structured, well-balanced elegant scent. There is a special quality to flowers that bloom in the evening, and the way their perfume billows in the cooling, growing night. Shalini sounds like a perfume for an elegant lady in a couture gown strolling in a garden at twilight. The sensual but restrained tuberose appeals to me greatly–and so does the gorgeous bottle!
    Thank you for the review and draw
    USA

  • Chapeau Clack says:

    Beautiful, evocative review! I’m of the firm opinion that when people trained in exact sciences, and those with a technical background like architecture turn to art, the results are often spectacular. Of course, architecture and couture are a pairing made in heaven, as both require meticulous judgement, taste, and an eye for detail. So does perfumery. The notes in Shalini sound as beautiful and refined as her immaculate gowns look. I would be ecstatic to get my nose on even a drop of this golden potion.
    Thank you for the fabulous draw, and the wonderful review. I’m in Russia.

  • Francesca says:

    currently in Fiji and I can feel Shalini swirling around me in the sway of the Coconut Palms. The description fits perfectly. There’s always a delicacy amid the florals in the tropics, hidden notes that PPP when the time is right. This sounds truly magnificent, again, in a delicate but powerful way. Hey the dress I’d want as well 🙂 I’m a registered International reader. Thank you for the very generous draw and lovely review.

  • I loved the writing in this review, the beautiful intertwining correlation between the careful stitching and creation of clothing and the perfumes’ stunning composition. I loved the line beginning with “Tuberose is presented sheathed in Emerald. . .” I would be so honoured to win this. Thank you so much for the chance. I live in Australia.

  • A white floral, especially with tuberose and neroli, composed by Maurice Roucel has me yearning to add this to my collection! And the essay was beautifully written. Thanks for a chance at this unbelievable draw. I’m in the US.

  • I,m a Maurice Roucel fan and a lover of white flowers …then I’sure I would like wearing this parfum: delicate flowers with the queen tubereuse but “soothed into relaxation”, not an explosive tubereuse….. it seems a beautiful parfum! Thanks for the draw. I’m in the EU.

  • I like how it is opulent yet wearable for every day. Also my daughter’s name is Shalini. I am in Florida. Thank you!

  • Julie Price says:

    I loved the video attached to this review. It was a pleasure to watch. I would love to win the Shalini. Thanks!

  • I tried Shalini some time back and this review perfectly matches my memory of its refined beauty. What a great draw! I’m in the US.

  • JazzBelle says:

    It’s so interesting that Shalini started her career as an architect I wonder how she has taken those skills and transformed it into the art of perfumery. I’m sure the art of perfumery is similar to architecture in that it’s the building of scents, layering and constructing a fragrance.

    I love white flowers. The mention of tuberose and tiare excites me. I first encountered the scents of these flowers in Kauai, and to this day, the wift of these scents takes me right back to paradise. It’s amazing how scent is so connected to memories. I agree that tuberose can be very overwhelming and dominating, so it’s a testament to Shalini and Marcel’s skills that it’s balanced delicately with the other notes. I’m also a huge fan of neroli so Shalini sounds divine!

    I live in USA, have liked the CaFleurebon page and would love to win this fragrance. Thank you!

  • I am in the US.
    I love how Susie described Shalini as a dance: “delicately green neroli, each white petal unfurls and releases precious pollen into the evening air. Tuberose shatters in slow motion as her sensuously tactile nature reveals itself. Tiare, with its gardenia-like fleshliness, tucks tiny, unseen stitches ” It sounds divine!

  • The quality of the tuberose in this fragrance sounds incredible! This scent sounds like it would boost the confidence of anyone.

    I live in Canada and thank you so much for the draw

  • The three white flowers in Shalini appeal to me. It sounds like being bathed in sunlight. I live in the US.

  • Tuberose based scents are incredible! Plus we all know that Maurice is a genius. I’m really looking forward to this fragrance! Canada

  • Greg Mayne says:

    This was a beautifully written article. I think this fragrance will be lovely. I really like notes of tuberose and neroli, so I’m really excited about this one!

    I’m international (Canada)