Shalimar and Books

 I haven't really done a ton of reading this year. With Covid, instead of having more time to read, I somehow have less time to read. I have either 3 or 4 books on my Kindle that I haven't even read. Hopefully I can find some kind of time to read them. A while back, I took a quiz for a $3 gift card for Amazon and now they send me the code to redeem the stupid credit. Funny thing is that even though I have books to read, I want a few more books. You see that my Chase account has these offers where if you spend some money at certain stores/websites, you get some kind of credit to your bank account. The catch is that you must use it before certain dates. I am sorely tempted and most books that I want are more than $5. What was it, my last post I blogged that I really have to watch the spending and no frivolous spending? I do have a couple that I am want to get and with the $3 and some cash back, I will keep it really cheap and limit myself to one book but keep it under $5 or less.

I am still trying to finish decants and bottles as well as candles at this point and I was looking for things that I haven't worn in a while. Yes, I want to try new things but can't afford to fall in love with anything at this point and wore some Shalimar Ode a la Vanille Madagascar last night and this morning. I like the original Shalimar but I adore the Ode a la Vanilles, especially the Madagascar one. For the longest time, all that seemed to be available was the Mexique one and it I did stumble across the Madagascar, it was and still is more cash that I am willing to part with. What sucks about the Ode a la Vanilles is that they were limited edition. Nothing can aggravate me more than limited editions and flankers. Flankers don't always smell good and nothing can sell out faster than a limited edition. I hope that the perfume gods send a message to Guerlain that they should release the Ode a la Vanilles again. I would love a bottle or two of the Madagascar one, especially if the price is right.

Guerlain Shalimar Ode a la Vanille Madagascar

I have always loved the original Shalimar since I first sprayed about 8 or 9 years ago. I keep wondering about why I am not wearing Shalimar more when I do reach for it. But I was a little late to the party and a little miffed at why Guerlain would release two flankers of Shalimar. I was asking on what were the differences and why were they needed.

I already reviewed the Mexique and managed to snap up to bottles. It was time for me to seek out the Madagascar version to see what the difference is. This version of Shalimar smells like Shalimar but there are differences between all three (original, Mexique, and Madagascar). The Madagascar version doesn't have the huge citrus note. The citrus is still there and noticeable but not overwhelming and not as sharp. After a while, the citrus does fade way back into the background and lets me smell the rest of the composition. The vanilla is much deeper and much more smoky and I haven't really noticed it in the other two. What I really enjoyed was how slutty this version of Shalimar is. Mexique and the original Shalimar are pretty slutty but Madagascar takes this to a whole new level. The skank level is almost on the level of vintage Bal. It's a pity that I only have a pretty small decant of Madagascar. It's also a pity that Mexique and Madagascar are only limited editions, long discontinued. It's much easier to find the Mexique version for a somewhat decent price where when I find the Madagascar version (it's rare to find it), it's an arm and a leg. I will try my best to console myself with having the Mexique version.