Shanghai Lily Tom Ford for women

It's a masterpiece, perfectly blended and absolutely well balanced! One of the best if not the best of Tom Ford. The spicy oriental lily accord is rich and realistic but at the same time tender and sophisticated. The vanilla and rose notes give a delicate undertone to the main solo of the lilies enriching the floral sound of the scent. Resins, being a natural and inseparable part of the whole, ground but do not weigh down the composition. Generally, Shanghai Lily sounds very monolithic despite the fact that it consists of many various notes of different registers. Jasmin, cashmere, castoreum, citrusy and woody notes and many others play one beautiful melody - an oriental song of the lily, heavenly stunning and unforgettable.

Spicy hyperrealistic lilies, the spice and floral accords do a sort of tango; vanilla and benzoin may switch partners but the spice and florals are the stars of the show.
Very lucky to have been gifted my bottle years ago, I don't think you can find this anywhere for any price these days.
Major projector, emanates in waves off the skin, definitely leaves a trail.
Best suited in cool/cold weather, major compliment getter.

Wonderful scent. Unique, intense, romantic, unforgettable..... Work of art. ❤️

Sillage : 7/10
Longevity : 8/10
Scent : 9.5/10

Overall : 9.5/10

Anyone selling their Shanghai Lily? Please message me. I really love this scent. I find the dry down perfect for the tropical weather of the country where I live in.

this is the best fragrance ever made. this is the best most hyper realistic lily fragrance i have ever smelled in my entire life. it is spicy floral and one of the best fragrances and i own 34. its such a shame this was discontinued . imagine going to the florist in the deeply blistering and hot weather and smelling and just being in that cold cold florist shop , imagine picking some of the freshest and biggest lily blooms with the best fragrance ever with a hint of spice. this is shanghai lily.

Unfortunately I found this repulsive.

On my skin it is overwhelming cloves and pepper.
After forever it settles down into some eastern floral woody smell that is nice but doesn't seem to project very much at all on me.

I am glad I got to try it but I don't really care that it got discontinued if I'm honest.

First of all, I would like to say that this does not have any semblance to Opium EDT. I don’t need to do any kind of comparison because I know Opium EDT by heart. I blind bought a used bottle of this for a near ridiculous amount of money because I read some of the reviews here that claim SL smells like it and in hindsight I guess I was so desperate I chose to believe them *screams*.

A day has passed and I am calmer now and I told myself that I was not going to write a review until I have experimented more and wear it under different conditions. Today was a chilly day so I used 3 sprays on my shirt. Started with floral notes, some spice. Reminded me a little bit of TF Venetian bergamot and TG reve opulent but only the floral part which is kinda creamy. Don’t ask me if it’s Lily or not, it didn’t last very long. Couldn’t really catch a lot of the scent as I could only smell other people’s perfume when I went into a lift. But after 6 hours, I smell YSL Nu. I could sense that the heat from my body is helping me smell this without needing to put my nose to my shirt. I think it is an outdoor scent, suitable for warm evenings.

Lovely, classic Oriental. Exceptionally well blended. I feel very exotic wearing it. While it doesn't list lily as a note, which sort or made me hesitate to purchase, I'm glad that I was able to get a decent sized decant from the subscription service I use. As far as a true lily is concerned, within the Tom Ford range, I prefer Lys Fume, though these couldn't be more different than night and day. While I agree that it calls to mind old school, spicy Orientals, I don't think it is similar at all to Opium or Youth Dew. Perhaps there is a slight similarity with the OG Nu, which was a Tom Ford offering at YSL, I find this to be quite singular. That doesn't mean that there aren't others like this out there. I just haven't found one yet. Will likely perform best in the cool weather. The longevity and sillage are pretty decent as well. All in all, a love for me.
EDIT 8/28/23 - After a few wears, I have changed my mind. This is very similar to OG Opium. Also, now that I've read other reviews saying so, I can definitely smell stargazer lily. I suppose I had white lily in my head, which is why I never noticed it before. I realize how fortunate I was to get a generous spray on decant from my subscription service, because when I checked to see if I could add it to my queue, it was no longer available.

Looking for one bottle as cannot find it here..please pm me just in case ..

One of my favs! I am lucky to have purchased 6 bottles back in 2013. I am happy to sell one of my full bottles if the offer is reasonable.

Well, this is undoubtedly one of the best Tom Ford perfumes if not one of the best perfumes I've ever smelled.

Why on earth this was discontinued I'll never understand, it's warm and floral and spicy in the most natural and beautifully blended way. While not smelling similar it still has a Black Orchid style with the warm dark floral smell, so it's definitely unisex aswell as long as you like florals.

I was lucky enough to get 50ml of this at an extremely reasonable price and I love it so much I think I'm barely going to use it.

Summer + Night time.
Yellow lillies. Spice. Incense.
Super sophisticated, ultra urban + high tech, riding a motorcycle through a futuristic city like in Westworld season 3 at night, black glass, steel, leather gloves, lily fumes, black sky. For Night time adventures only!

On me, this is a monster, hyper-fragrant, Stargazer Lily- the bitter green and meaty notes included when you get right up on one of those flowers and take a big sniff. Technicolor real on my skin and that show lasts a good hour or two before settling into the drydown. The drydown is a lovely spicy floral vanilla amber. For me, a reference lily scent - even if it is not a "love."

A masterpiece. Best Amber in the World 🌎

Stunning. One of the most beautiful Tom Ford fragrances ever.

overdo on cloves which gives it metallic vibe . But fascinating .I'm in Edinburgh now and it seems to fit just right to local damp ,dusty climate ,Love ,but not everywhere ,every time.
Edit:This one-it really grows on you. I just ordered new 50ml bottle because it seems to be hard to get and I fell in love

This is such a gorgeous scent and always garners compliments. I wear this strictly when I need an extra boost of confidence. I wish TF would discontinue some of their more recent offerings and bring this back instead.

I'm not going to go into the details but I'm just here to say that I absolutely love this fragrance! It's been cloudy with a bit of rain where I live, cold and pleasant weather for a tropical country and I've tried layering this with mon Guerlain and today with santal 33 and this smells beautiful. Stands out, it's just a kind of perfume that I enjoy. Well blended, quoting from others here 'mysterious, complex and a classic' for sure. Just love this, it does not change too much in its dry down ; the soul remains throughout which i love.

This is a resinous, spicy amber that is executed extremely well.Very much in the same family as Coco Noir, by Chanel. The animalic touches are subtly executed, the spice is well blended and enhances rather than dominates the composition. It's classic, without feeling dated.

I’m not even going to question why would TF go and discontinue this gem because it’s pointless…he just like to p*** people off period(.)
Shanghai Lily and Plum Japonais are masterpieces and it’s a shame that we have to overpay for a bottle on eBay etc since TF private collection perfumes aren’t cheap to begin with.
I’m not gonna go on and on how gorgeous it is because so many already done it but I’m just going to say that SL belongs in the same crowd with Coco, Opium and all the classics…I’ll say it tends to be on the feminine side but a confident male can easily pull this off.
I’ve a 50 ml bottle which I’m trying to make it last forever and if I’d had to only pick up 5 fragrances and get rid of the rest , SL would definitely be a keeper.

Named after Marlene Dietrich’s femme fatale character in Shanghai express. This mysteriously spicy, sweet perfume is perfection. The cloves and vanilla take center stage on my skin. The sort of perfume you wear for dinner with a lover. Each time I’ve worn this gem I receive many compliments.

I finally received my decant of this! An absolute masterpiece! This is old Tom Ford which I love! It smells quite old school in terms of his work, and to me it reminds me of Noir de Noir a tad! Very sexy and I can’t wait to wear this one soon!

9/10!

This is devastatingly beautiful. After sniffing this I literally dropped to my knees, fell to the floor melodramatically, and laid there. speechless.

Red carnation(original). That's why he's so wonderful.

You know that Old Spice in the white ceramic bottle? I loved that scent as a kid, my dad had it. It reminds me a little, but a little of that, but in a mild form and with sweet flowers(I guess because of the carnation, I can feel it, but it's not listed).
It is very beautiful feminine scent, just as they say below, very floral and mystical.

EDIT: Fraghag7, I'm sorry, I'm also mentioning Old Spice, I didn't see you write. It's true than. :)

This is, to me, hands down, my favorite Tom Ford scent. It's spicy, it's incensey, it's cloves, it's mysterious. It's divine! I'm not really sure why Lily is in the name though. I don't get any Lily from this at all. But it's amazing!!!!!!

Intense burnt incense smell, gives me severe headache makes me completely sick I can't stand to be in the same room as it.

A perfume with the name Lily in it, yet on this site Lily is not even listed in the notes. According to other sites I found the following note profile:

Top Notes:
Bitter Orange, Pink pepper, Black pepper, Clove
Heart Notes:
Jasmine, Rose, Tuberose, Violet, Lily
Base Notes:
Vetiver, Cashmere, Benzoin, Castoreum, Labdanum, Guaiac Wood, Incense, Olibanum, Vanilla

I knew there was Lily in this since that is the main note I smell. I love Lily and here, despite all the other notes, it stands out and is really the star of the show. The spice, incense, woods, vanilla, florals, and every other note seems to serve just to accentuate and compliment a creamy Lily note, turning it deep, dark, mysterious, and sensuous. I really love this. I need a bottle. This decant is not going to last.

This is like the woman's version of old spice. I like the scent itself, do I want to smell like this? I'm not sure yet. I sold my tobacco Vanille because it smelled like a candle and even though I feel similar about this fragrance I'll probably hold onto it since it's discontinued and hard to come by. I'll save this to wear on rare occasions that I want to smell like I just smoked a cigarello.

Extremely madness! What am I smelling! Omg I can't stop! Oh gosh it definitely smells like a rich person dressed up in fanciful clothes. I'm like having waves of or***m. Had a bottle of sample vial mailed to me cos the previous bottle broke during delivery. I smell something really nice from the pile of broken glasses but most of the scent might have already faded. And now I am smelling from a first spray.. I die.

This opens very spicy and the spice stays for a long time. I dont get floral's as much as a powdery musk. Over all, this is definitely a unisex scent due to the dark spices. This is extremely long lasting and a very cozy, cold weather scent. This whole line was amazing. Just wish they weren't all so hard to find now.

Yeah like i said, Plum Japonais is the best of the four. I find the other three revolting. But Plum Japonais is a thing of beauty. Imho

I had such a strange experience when I put this on the first time. It's only happened a few times in my life, and only then, with music.

I closed my eyes to just "be" with this sensual perfume, and instantly I had a picture before me of a brown anise like star, fracturing into the most beautiful crystals, and moving around, like dancing. It was the most amazing thing and I didn't want to open my eyes. I am surprised a perfume can do this!

It just took me to another world and I must have a bottle always in my collection.

يعد شراء هذه القطعة المريحة نفسيا من أفضل ما قمت به على مستوى العطور.
يرسم لي تذوق هذا العطر شكل سيدة أرجوانية شابة وأنيقة. لا أدري لمَ هي أرجوانية. لكنه يعطيني ذلك الاحساس النسائي ، الشاب ، الفخم والبسيط في ذات الوقت والذي يشبه اللون الأرجواني.
يبدأ العطر بمكونات حارة وحادة إلى حد ما والتي سرعان ما تنخفض للسماح للقرنفل بأن يكون اللاعب الاساسي مع قليل من الزهور التي تقفز هنا وهناك حوله.
أحب هذا العطر. أود استخدامه يوميا؛ ليلا ونهارا ، في مواسم السنة كاملة ؛ لكنني حقا أخشى عليه من النفاذ.

Buying this comforting piece is one of the best things I ever do regarding perfumes.
Tasting this perfume give me the sense of young elegant purple lady. I don't know why is she purple; but it gives me that womanly, young, lux. but simple feeling which looks like purple colour.
The perfume is starting with spicy & somewhat sharp notes that rapidly go down to permit cloves to be the main player with few flower notes jumping here and there around it.
I love it. I want to use it everyday; day and night, in whole year seasons; but I really afraid it may run out.

I have a decant and I will have to find a full bottle. This is what I expect with vintage fragrances. The incense, cloves, and vanilla are a dynamic trio in the dry down. I love this!

𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝑨𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒎𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚, 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒔𝒚𝒎𝒃𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆. 𝑯𝒖𝒈𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆.
𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒄𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂 𝒉𝒖𝒈𝒆 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏 𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈.
𝑪𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔, 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒇𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒚. 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆, 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝑨𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝑫𝑵𝑨 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒉𝒂𝒊 𝑳𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒚.
𝑰𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒊𝒕

I bought a sample n to me it is almost exclusively sharp cloves. It's nicer when it's dried down about half way but it's really rough spicy not smooth spicy. It's also very like Paloma Picasso's Tentations when that has gone off a bit.. just sharp cloves are left.. maybe this was off.. yes I see the Opium in it as well.. those sharp cloves..

Sometimes I wonder why certain fragrances are discontinued when they are loved by so many people. I am getting a little upset at this guy discontinuing all the fragrances I love. Shanghai Lily and Violet Blonde were two of my TF holy grail fragrances. I managed to find a 50 ml from Canada, I guess i need to hold on to it for a very long time. Overall IMO it is one of the best TF fragrances.

Managed to get a hold of a small 3ml tester, and omg I love this! Reminds me of perfumes my mom used in the early 80s - expensive, grown-up scent, powdery and classy , need to find a larger bottle asap!

10/10- Sensual florals.

It starts with soft powdery floral but soon transitions into dense spicy character, the spices are not sharp.

There is an underlying bitterness in this fragrance that I find to be very mysterious and sexy. The animalic nature in this scent is the best part of this fragrance experience. A gorgeously sophisticated scent, leaning feminine but an easy fit for a man if he desires to wear it. Women will love this.
Try this, roses and truffles are too mainstream for a date.

This fragrance is discontinued but easy to find online and from social media groups.

No idea why this one says for women, as it’s unisex and much more clearly unisex than a lot of others that claim to be. Its one of the best Tom Fords! Not super young smelling, but not overly mature either. The opening is a little feminine, and it matches the color of this juice—a light reddish orange. It’s very clean and smells sultry and oriental. Within an hour max, it transitions into an oriental soapy, almost barbershop floral smell. It’s got some zing, but not in a spect way. Just very unique!

My bottle is probably from the last batch made, November 2017. Got a 1.7 oz for cheap, and I’m glad I held out for the right deal ($134, Christmas present from parents). Honestly, this is one that is worth full price if you’ve got the money. You aren’t going to smell like anyone else!

I think it’s a dressy fragrance and office friendly if you go light. This stuff is strong and very long lasting! I’d say it’s best any time of year except Summer, but still acceptable in Summer. The season I think it would most shine is Fall. Just as at home on a clean, well-dressed man as it is a classy lady.

9.5/10 scent, 9/10 longevity, 10/10 sillage. Overall rating fluctuates from an 8.5/10 to 10/10 for me.

True Decadence.

There is nothing wholesome about it. Its beauty belongs to night, and night only. Before touching the first sunshine, it will languish, then burnt to ashes

Les fleurs du mal it is, but ironically, this is not a floral perfume at all. The only note I can pick out, is a slightly rusty clove, mixed seamlessly with a million other Opium-esque spices, which are somehow reminiscent of ... warm human flesh. It’s also sprinkled with a weird, slightly bitter medicinal powder on top, but gone quickly. Every notes blend in as a whole, and a sweet powdery tone is buried underneath.

This is so good, I am a man and a love to smell this on a woman, I think this must be one of the sexiest fragrances around but than in a very classy way, this is timeless, classy, sexy, great for in the evenings and formal occasions – sometime I spray a little on my hand – just to smell my hand

I detect carrot in the opening, reminds me alot of Byredo Seven Veils. Very beautiful and soft. Very wearable but not unique like Plum Japonaise from the same collection. The dry down reminds me of another fragrance but I cannot put my finger on it. Don't let the animalistic notes scare you away,it is very wearable. Over all if you like Seven Veils you will like Shanghai Lilly

very nice smell. very feminine too.

I got 50ml from TF counter.
This one is so unique!
Oriental spicy rose scent on me.
I smelt many spices!!! I just don't know how to describe it.
Really love this.

One con, not very lasting, just 4h-5h.
The silage is moderate. One scent lasts to end.
I can wear this in summer & winter.

Not my favorite scent tho. (I Love Tobacco V, ANGEL & HPoison)
But I think it's worth every penny.

Very lovely deconstructed lily fragrance. I smell incense, spices, especially cloves, and I also smell incense, orange, and jasmine. Thankfully I don't smell the castoreum because animalic scents aren't my thing, but this perfume is a lovely spicy recreation of lily. Very interesting and unique. I love it! Out of my budget right now.
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This is a fragrance that when I put it on, I instantly feel more beautiful, confident, and classy. It’s a very smooth almost creamy feeling floral with that hint of mysterious spice behind it. I wore it to an appointment the other day and three women there were going on and on about how pleasant it was and even asked the name of it. I feel as though it not only makes you feel better about yourself but makes others happy to be in your presence.

I'm a fan of Tom Ford perfumes like En Passant, Jasmin Rouge, Fleur De Chine, etc and have just discovered Shanghai Lily. It really grabbed me because it strongly evokes the memory of the scent most of you are probably unfamiliar with, but I fell in love with in highschool. Namely, the greatest carnation perfume ever made, Rogers and Gallet Blue Carnation. That floral, spicy, clove, bay rum thing in B.C. is at least touched on in Shanghai Lily.

This smells "bitter" in the same spirit as Xerjoff 1888, although a lot more feminine. A soapy floral, slightly spicy, and bitter scent.

I'm personally not a fan but it pairs perfectly with 1888 if you and your partner like to wear similar fragrances.

The coolest thing happened to me the other day. I was at nordstrom discussing Shanghai lily w one of the salesmen. He showed me a huge bottle he had stashed away and gave me 2 samples of it! He certainly made my week! This one is my all time fave!

I emailed customer service at TF and asked if Shanghai Lily is being discontinued and they said it is not, however, they have not yet restocked some sizes in-store or online. I am not sure what that means but it would be a pity if it disappeared because I love it so much.

I'm on strike against Tom ford until he brings this back, except for in the summer time when I cannot resist soleil blanc

Sniffing this right off the cap made me think of my late father, just with the immediate dose of cloves. He loved clove gum and was a smoker, so that's an obvious association. After about 15 minutes, the clove died down and I got the hit of lily, which is arguably my favorite floral to wear. Scent memory switched over to me. Another 45 min later, I kept loving the development, but was confused as to why. The incense was coming off stronger, and I was't bothered by it. It became "familiar" again, but I couldn't place why. And as this emotional rollercoaster of frag exploration and scent memory goes, I was struck by the memory of the way my dad smelled in the late '80s; Revlon Flex shampoo, Old Spice aftershave, Ralph Lauren Polo/Drakkar Noir and the way a cigarette smells for only 2 seconds after you light it.

Ooo, on me this is Opium toned down with flowers. It's lovely, I get a TON of clove (love it). It's spicy and warm with a floral breeze blowing through it. Actually really enjoyable on this warm sunny summer day. (But warning I wear my vintage Opium EDT in the summer too.)

It's not a terribly strong scent, I find this whole line is about gentle wafts of scent not "punch you in the nose" perfume. It's the sort of thing you'll think has gone and then you'll catch a lovely wiff of it at random.

I have three of this line, I did not pay full price for any of them as I do believe the whole line is over priced. But they are indeed lovely, especially if you love vintage orientals but want something a bit more modern.

Light delicate breeze of a scent
Pretty, good for a cute dress or
elegant date outfit. Whispering,
pretty, soft. Lovely but needs a
consistent amt of reapplication.
Dad complimented so approved
Reminds me of Narcisse Blance
by Caron but muccccccch softer

Why God oh why was this dc? This was my absolute favorite perfume in the world. It was perfect for Christmas time and sexy exotic in the summer. Please bring this back tom ford! I've yet to find one from him I like half as well.

Clove is alive and well in this fragrance, it stays on and on. The floral notes are almost undetectable; lily is just an inspiration. This frag is on a Shanghai Express into the heart of spices, incense, and vanilla. Thumbs up!

I truly love the top and middle of this lovely creamy, spicy lily. Unfortunately, the drydown turns to smelling like men's shaving cream and aftershave. I wish the delicious soft, spiced vanilla and lily stayed around. I see all these reviews saying it's a linear scent with little change from top to bottom. I really wish this was my experience. I'd have already bought a bottle. It starts out a femme fatale spicy lily power house and turns into a very unisex almost masculine spice and wood.

Why is this being discountinued? I plan on wearing this at my wedding and I don't have my man yet!

I normally go into depth with my reviews, but this fragrance can be summed up quite quickly.

Begins like a smoother, more polite version of Nu by Yves Saint Laurent, but dries down very similar to Midnight In Paris by Van Cleef & Arpels - if somewhat more refined.

Longevity quite impressive at roughly 9 hours on my skin, but sillage only projects well for 2 hours before becoming a very decent skin scent.

Over all a very pleasant fragrance which initially starts on the feminine side but quickly rounds into a unisex skin scent. Not my favourite from Tom Ford, but there's no denying the quality of ingredients used.

COMBO TIP: I layer 2 parts Tom Ford Noir de Noir with 1 part Shanghai Lily! (Day into night, cooler weather months)

توم فورد يحاول احياء عطوره من جديد
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I am intoxicated by this scent.

While wearing Tom Ford's Shanghai Lily, I feel as though I am wrapped in a dark blanket of sensual warmth.

The scent starts off quite strongly of wood and floral, but settles softly into a seductive & smokey lily.

This scent, much like Black Orchid, was made to seduce. I wear most perfumes whenever I want. This one, is no exception. Now I just need $500 for the decanter...

This was one of the hits of the airport duty-free for me. For weeks I cherished my scent strip, inhaling soft, gingered lily with a wisp of smoke. A just-snuffed ivory taper candle, sensuous and immaculate. It reminded me of a lighter Coco.

My skin test wasn't such a success. While I am usually a cautious sprayer, the top was so light, I oversprayed, yet the fragrance still felt weak. However, it intensified over time, growing cloying and suffocating, so much so that it unnerved my husband, and me too. It's something about lilies—I feel buried under masses of flowers, an exquisite corpse. Also, the vanilla became more prominent than I wanted, and the drydown wasn't that interesting to me.

It's a nice perfume, but I won't be wearing it.

I find this the perfect seductive summer evening fragrance. Im perplexed by people likening it to YSL Nu or YSL Opium. It is spicey but much softer and sweeter. The notes combine to create an accord very similar to the lily fragrance.
The overall effect is spicey floral that is heady and opulent in the summer heat. I love to wear it on a warm summers evening as I find the heat really makes it bloom beautifully.
Very lovely.
Good longevity and sillage in a warm atmosphere. Much better sillage than in a cool environment.

"Lovely." I have somewhat an aversion to that word. It's like the word "nice" when there isn't anything really anything outstanding to write abut.

Shanghai Lily is just that. But perhaps that's just me and how this fragrance performs on my skin. Tom Ford's Private Blends have been rather inconsistent for me, with the exception of Plum Japonis.

I sense the spices and flowers, the softness and subtle complexities. But it all is so understated and is rather timid. Airy, powdery, spicy, but quite noncommittal. Sillage and longevity is also minimal.

Faberge Tigress, a vintage from 1938 is what Shanghai Lily should have been. It would have fit perfectly in this Tom Ford Bottle with the same marketing. This TF Lily is more of a Victorian powdered clove floral. Faberge Tigress bears more of the Oriental purr that should have been bottled here with its mid-weight amber heart. Perhaps though that is how my skin interprets Ford as Jasmin Rouge ended up being a ghost on my skin too.

Lovely, pleasant, lily, spice and all things nice. I wish this perfume would bite back, even if gently.

I love this so much.. I love lilies. This reminds me of going out and staying out really late. It lasts all night. Sometimes I like to wear through the day, only however if i'm feeling extra witchy.. I get violets, lily, exotic spices and heady powdery opulence. Love love

I bought a 2 ml sample online. What a perfume! It's been a while since a recent release stole my heart but this little gem did. It is very potent and rich, use it with a light hand. One spray on your cleavage should be enough for a night out. It has to be used to seduce.
It has the same vibe as my beloved orientals from the 70s, 80s yet it's not dated. To my nose it is unique and not just a knock off despite this.

Shanghai Lily by Tom Ford is not the kind of fragrance I usually go for, but there is something so nostalgic about this scent that – I love it! It oddly enough reminds me of crayola crayons! It has a vintage vibe to it with its sweetly-spicy cloves, incense, and pepper. A warm vanilla base that has soft floral notes and a woody undertone. Definitely one of the most unique fragrances in my collection and I will treasure it for years to come!

Shanghai Lily was the character played by Marlene Dietrich in the movie "Shanghai Express". Lily was sultry and dangerous. She swaggered unapologetically through life. She played by her own rules and took no prisoners. Was Tom Ford inspired by La Dietrich's portrayal? "Shanghai Lily" is the perfect fragrance for such a woman: a potent blend of heady flowers, spices, vanilla, and smoky incense. It is reminiscent of Youth Dew, Opium, and Tuvara but with a liberal dash of pepper that supplies a knock out punch. This is a really heavy oriental with enormous sillage and longevity. It is not for the office or church. It is also not for the timid. This is not a girl's perfume, it is for the full blown woman.

Just Wonderfull! So oriental, exotic, such rich and superb spices, and incense, and flowers. And citrus. And woods. So beautifully balanced. Absolutely gorgeous!
Beautifully sweet, and creamy - rich and exotic: the mysterious, playful, deep and sensual orient. I love it, love it.

It is beautiful oriental fragrance. It reminds me of YSL Opium but it is much subtle and smoother version. It is also discontinued, I heard, so if you like it, do not hesitate and grab one if you can still find it.

Beautiful, Asian inspired perfume, classy release from Tom Ford Private Blend collection...we love this one.

In my opinion this perfume is a masterpiece. Tom Ford did it again. I always keep on coming back to this scent due to its contradictory consistency. This scent is daring yet soothing and pure. The balance between the seductive mystery and pure innocence is amazingly well established. It might seem that there should exist no amalgam between the mentioned qualities; however this perfume magically combines both. Indeed, every time I spray it on myself, I embark on a journey to Orient.

It is sweeter than I had expected or wished for, but lovely nonetheless. Unfortunately, I can't speak to its resemblance to Nu, but it does seem quite toned down given how loud it could have been. It is nicely spiced. I wish the incense were stronger. With the first whiff, I thought how utterly Oriental it did seem, like the "Oriental" fantasy of a westerner. Mysterious and seductive, it draws you in and makes you want more.

I agree on previous comments - this smells like creamy and more rounded, less dangerous version of YSL Nu EdP.

Floral notes and spices - mostly lily and cloves - are prominent notes, so it's not exactly soft or cozy fragrance, but these are followed by more mellow notes (vanilla, cashmere wood) adding to a cozy, more feminine aura.
What differs it from Nu EdP is the incense - noticable, but not as nearly as prominent (cold, metallic) as in Nu, making Shanghai Lily less dark and edgy, but more feminine (floral) and easier to wear, I guess.
Very pretty and sophisticated, but I still prefer the edgy darkness of Nu.

This is basically a "Nu" EdP ( vintage version byTF) with added florals; owning a bottle and back-up of this former I really do not feel the necessity to buy FB of this. Classy, mysterious, versatile and suitable for both genders. If you liked NU but found it too dark or masculine leaning this is a feminine version. The only downside is it's overpriced and they chose a limited distribution to keep the aura of luxury and exclusivity of the brand

Sexy, mysterious, dark as in into-the-woods, it's a unique and heavy scent. It smells opulent and dominant, but not the type to scare you off. It's also not that dramatic, but pleasant. Wear it at a restaurant or some fancy place.

Shanghai Lily is so addictive, so mesmerizing and so so sexy. Extremely sexy. Every single time I wore Shanghai Lily I got tons of compliments from men which is surprising because men rarely compliment my scents. It's definitely something about the incense and spices that play well with my chemistry.
I have to say, this scent is potent (I have Shanghai Lily in a generous sample and I used it about 10 times or so and I still have at least 10 more wears out of it).

sampling this right now and i cannot stop smelling my wrist. like every minute. this perfume is so addictive. i've never had this reaction before...i just can't get enough of it! i agree with the below commenter that it is generously blended. i can pick up on the incense, spices, and vanilla though for sure. maybe a bit of black pepper too. the other notes are definitely there, you know that because it smells like a complex fragrance. this is just really beautiful, so sophisticated.

I would imagine this is the perfume that Severine from James Bond Skyfall would wear. It's not heavy, but there's something really mysterious and otherwordly about it. It smells expensive and it's totally intoxicating and call me crazy but i'm thinking about ordering the whole decanter and wearing just this scent for the next 8 months.

Shanghai Lily is an intense fragrance that is spicy, oily, floral and feminine. The warm spices are like an electric zing with hard blows from cinnamon like cloves, pepper and incense. I smell thick white & pink florals that are waxy, fresh, and bright. The flowers cut through the dark and oily spices with clean slices. I also smell a twist of orange, lots of incense smoke, and resins/amber. Longevity is outstanding, lasts for hours without changing much. All the notes are presented from the beginning and weakens from then. But this is still a complex fragrance, it's just that everything is given in one big dose, which is very much my style, go big or go home!

Shanghai Lily is like having thousands of layers of silk on top of you, both heavy and soft. Goes perfect with modern, short length Chinese dresses, modernized Vietnamese Ao Dai, airy kimonos...anything veiled yet revealing. Shanghai Lily is irresistibly seductive, exotic, mysterious, adventurous and major sex appeal.

Edit: This is very much like YSL Opium, but not as spicy and more floral. If you like Opium, or want to like Opium, then Shanghai Lily is a another great option.

Nov. 2015: Just discovered Shanghai Lily. I wanted to celebrate the purchase of a new car, a relocation to a new home state and transitioning from summer to the cooler seasons. And what better way to commentate than to get a new fragrance? What a multifaceted little gem SL is!

On this particular day I had sniffed and sampled probably 10 scents. I was considering the purchase of a Diptyque (34) and Jo Malone's Mimosa and Cardamom. The Diptyque was heavy and spicy, the JM light and floral. Then I met Shanghai Lily. I was captivated. A bit sweet, a bit spicy, a bit floral, a bit warm, a bit bright. It was EXACTLY what I was looking for. I think this perfume is versatile in every way. It's not loud or heavy, but it is by no means a shrinking violet.

It will evolve as you wear it. For me, the sweet and floral notes are what stand out, resting very comfortably on a warm foundation. I can smell the spices too, but they are far in the background and add dimension/facets for me, which elevates it from just a sweet, pretty scent to something more interesting and exotic.

SL can be an every day or special occasion fragrance. (That's not commion for me to find.) And I believe it will be appreciated anytime of year, in any temp, day or night. It has a steep price tag, but I coughed it up because I think I will get a lot of use out of this juice. 4/4 stars. Not because it is my new fragrant scent, it isn't, but because it is SO versatile. It gets 4/4 because I can/WILL wear it anytime, anywhere!

This one will create the memory for you when you wear it rather than it evoking a memory when you first sniff it, if you know what I mean. Some fragrances take you on a journey the minute you sniff them. They transport you to a memory. THIS one is a blank slate. SL is perfect for you to wear and CREATE a memory with her, WHENEVER and WHEREVER you choose to wear her. If you are like me and take several bottles of perfume with you when you travel because you don't know what you'll want to wear from day to day, Shanghai Lily solves that problem. Take her when you travel and you won't need another. Plus, you'll have room in your suitcase for the new perfumes you find on your travels. Lol. Happy smells!!!

PS
Other TF's I own, White Suede, Velvet Orchid, Black Orchid, Jasmine Rouge, Noir Noir.
For me, SL lingers most of the day, but I like to smell my fragrance until the end of the day. I found I would most likely want to respritz to refresh as after 4-5 hours its projection has softened, considerably. I can still smell it on skin and clothes, but it is much more subtle and I'd like to smell it more.

BTW: I wrote my review before reading previous reviews. I was quite surprised to see how so many others felt similarly to me about this fragrance.

Yum. Spices, cloves, orange zest, warmth, brown sugar.
I don't detect any oud, which is just fine with me.
About 10 minutes into the dry down, Shanghai Lily reminded me of something from long ago. The year was 1981, YSL Opium. Shanghai Lily stays much closer though, is much more gentle and would be unlikely to offend anyone.

Shanghai Liliy is my everday summer scent ( Occasionally i'll wear oud fleur only for a night time event) . SL is a warm fragrant that gets even better during hot days. Quite sensual. I wear it every summer.
When fall and winter comes I wear Santal Blush or Oud Fleur. I switch between the two. Both wonderful for day wear.
My night time going out fragrant is Noir de Noir. I wear this from November through March.
Spring time I wear Azure Lime and will perhaps now add the new bergamot.
Tried Jasmine summer 2014 and I returned it after a couple of wears. On me it had poor longevity.
All this fragrances are intense and a little goes a long way. I try to wear all Tom Ford perfumes an hour before I leave the house.
I always get compliments on this gorgeous private blend collections.
Thanks TF, From a chic sophisticated Lady with a taste of elegance and vintage appreciation.

Even though I speculated Shanghai Lily would lean feminine (and that's certainly the case), I'm always inclined to try a Tom Ford Private Blend EDP when given the chance, and I'm glad I did. SL is a very pleasant floral mix with some vanilla and limited spicy elements that seems to work as a unisex option, at least in my case. Year-round potential, it only becomes slightly powdery in the dry down so it retains some of the freshness when the sweetness of the vanilla in the dry down emerges, as well.

Projection and longevity are a little under the average that I'm used to from most of the lighter/fresher TF PBs. While a lovely floral, SL is dense enough that it could work both in cold and warm weather. A nice try if you appreciate a floral that leans slightly feminine but that I would argue is unisex.

7 out of 10

This is a great scent from Tom Ford. Very reminiscent of Nu (which was released when he was a part of YSL) and it is a very soft Opium tribute. It's floral, but spicy, and very sexy. One of the best in his line in my opinion!

Just tested this, omg i LOVE IT!! Perfect for winter! Remindes me somehow of chanel "coco" probably the cloves but i find this more wearable.

Think Opium if you took out 90% of the spice, and thats what Shanghai Lily is to me. It's a rich really smooth floral with a little something spicy (maybe very subdued clove) in the background to make it interesting. While it's technically a woman's fragrance, I have no problem wearing it. It has a natural, sophisticated and expensive air to it. I guess it can be put into the "sweet" category, but it's so layered and complex, one can't call it strong or overpowering. Its also extremely rich, buttery and decadent. It's for anyone who wants to smell interesting and exotic. I love it.

I fell in love with this sophisticated and elegant floral-oriental immediately upon first sniff.

On my skin, there was definitely a lot of spices (cloves were very prominent); and a light freshness from the lily. During the dry-down, a soft sugary-sweetness was most apparent, peppered with a touch of spice. I love spices, and honestly, I wished for a little more bite.

I was surprised by how intimate this fragrance was (especially considering the price point); I also expected it to be bolder (probably because of my experience with Black Orchid), and for it to at least have moderate sillage. Although I am someone who prefers a soft to moderate sillage, I do like to be able to smell myself (my favourite sort of sillage is one that gently wafts around you as you move). In about 45 minutes this became a skin scent, so I am a little disappointed.

With all this being said, I have just tested this in the autumn, and I am not finished with Shanghai Lily yet. I really would love a sample, because I strongly feel that the notes would blossom in the heat, so I can't wait to retest this again during the summer months. Sillage was soft; lasted for about 4-5 hours.

My new birthday scent. what a wonderful surprise. I'm falling in love.

SL does much better in hot weather than in warm, or cool, at least on my skin.

I've tested this several times now, and when just wearing it to wear it, enjoy SL more than when I wear it and try to detect notes.

In cool weather (air conditioning, about 65 F by the size of my goosebumps) I get a synthetic sweet note, not floral, more like corn syrup or sugar syrup, with a banana undertone. Breathing on my skin wakes deeper, more interesting notes, but they are too fleeting to parse.

In warm weather (78 F) SL has a vaguely floral quality, nice, but not quite what I was expecting, given that this is Tom Ford. The constructed lily note is more of a jasmine, tuberose, rose accord than a lily note. I do get some of the woods, but they are faint, and not really notable. Pretty linear, (and pretty) but not earth shaking. Overall, what I noticed most was the sweetness of something synthetic, a tad overwhelming, seeming to reduce the other notes to background.

In hot weather, (95 F) the first time I wore this, I was pleased by the crispness of the lily note, more akin to the ground cover lilies than to a fragrant lily, not waxy, but sharp and clear. I still found the scent sweet, and thought vanilla was a bit over done, as I would have preferred more green to set off that lily note. Woods seemed to be present, there was some darker shadow beneath the scent, but I was focused on the lily...also, I didn't notice any spice. But I loved the lily note, which had a nice realism, and a touch of earth, when combined with sun and sweat.

As I mentioned, when I just wear this, and catch a drift of scent from time to time, I enjoy it quite a lot. But trying to parse notes results in irritation, and raised expectations. I also think this one needs sweat to really shine.

Sweet, pleasant, perhaps too complex to really do itself justice (sometimes less is more), this is pretty, and in hot weather may actually become something fabulous. In general, I consider this to be a pretty scent, too sweet for my tastes overall, but cozy, playful and pleasant. Those who like gourmands, and consider sugar notes to be pleasant and/or feminine, will probably enjoy this more. I tend more towards the earthy/green/pungent end of the scent spectrum (I love aldehydes, for example), and so I find this too close to the current sugary ideals of feminine scents to be really interesting. Again, when I was outside and sweating last week, I really loved what this was doing on my skin, but for the most part, too sweet and too linear to be fascinating. I think there is too much going on here, and the end result (possibly also due to the amount of synthetics) is that rather than evolving, this just sits, and the dominant notes overwhelm everything in sugar.

My take is that TF tried to hit the mass market appeal with this one, and lost the qualities that made their scents interesting to scent geeks. Nice, but not spell binding. Pretty, but too sweet. A good scent for someone who likes high ticket items, but isn't really into figuring out what notes go into a scent.

Pleasant, worth trying, not worth the price of a FB, as there are many MANY sweet scents available for much less.

smells familiar, yet not the two mentioned as similar. It is warm and inviting. I would love to smell this on a woman in an intimate moment.

Gelsomino, mughetto, tuberosa, ylang-ylang, sottili, penetranti e ipnotici conditi da molte spezie (molto pepe e cardamomo) che rendono la fragranza viva ed effervescente, quasi grintosa.
Non sento nè incenso nè legni ma molti fiori narcotici che sorridono luminosi e celebrano la propria vita.
Il profumo ricorda Velvet Orchid ma è estremamente più persistente ed acquista vigore con i movimenti del corpo. Dopo due ore di ballo in un locale gremito, era ancora molto intenso e presente.
Gioioso.
Meravigliosi fuochi d'artificio di fiori.

This stuff is absolutely spectacular. Really feminine bright rose floral scent with a little spice/incense. Probably my favorite feminine fragrance from Tom Ford.

Top 10 Tom Ford Fragrance

This definitely has YSL's vintage Opium and Nu in its DNA. But it adds a lily note to make it unique. Some who have tried this have stated they get no lily and that it's not in the notes, but as there is no such thing as lily absolute, each perfumer has to construct a lily fragrance from a variety of chemicals. We all must use our imaginations to create a lily fragrance in our minds, so each of us will have a different interpretation. I get more of a stargazer or tigerlily rather than a soft, green white lily such as in SL Un Lys or Cartier Baiser Vole. Tuberose comes out as well as jasmine, which blended with the vanilla creates the lily.

The spices in this are beautiful and intense. I detect ginger and clove and pink pepper. Not as much incense as in Opium. It's sensual without being overtly sexual, something even wearable to the office with a light spray. Yet it would also make a lovely evening perfume. It has that edible sort of deliciousness that's also in TF Tobacco Vanille.

I hope they don't discontinue this, because it's such a more versatile and wearable perfume than older version Opium. It also doesn't have the leather in Shalimar, which makes that perfume relegated to evening wear. This is just a great, seasonless wear-all for someone who likes spicy, exotic fragrances.

I acquired 2 generous sample vials of this today and as many have already stated, it's very much like the original Opium of the late 1970's. However, unlike Opium, Shanghai Lily is rather linear and a tad synthetic smelling and doesn't change much fom start to dry down. With that said, I love it as I am a sucker for lily scents and I consider the flower and its smell to be the most beguiling of all flowers. Won't be buying a full bottle of Shanghai Lily though, as Serge Lutens' Un Lys is my favorite of all of the lily scents I've tried.

I have not written any reviews in a long time because my taste and opinion on perfumes changes all the damn time but I have to make an exception with this one.

I tried it because Tobacco Vanille is probably my favourite scent at the moment and therefore I want to test as many Tom Ford perfumes as I can get my hands on. I believe they embody a true love for perfumery and you cannot ask for more quality-wise.

I certainly did not expect to love this, especially since the only notes that caught my eye were vanilla and cloves. Boy oh boy was this a surprise! It is an absolute masterpiece and I find myself lusting after it everyday. The sweetness and smokiness of it reminds me of one of my old loves, the original Dior Addict, but less cloying and tiresome. It is such a complex scent that changes throughout the day and is hard to describe. Definitely try this even if you do not fancy the notes but beware, it might become the love of your life!

Shanghai Lily has a lovely suspended-in-the-air humidity, like the drifting scent of sultry flowers and subtle tobacco. It's much softer/floral/creamier than Opium, though it shares a similar clove/incense note

The first half hour feels slightly vintage - an intriguing and complex warm floral. Then the long dry-down is honeyed floral, with a warm clove/incense backdrop.

It's not disimilar to the scent of a carnation in hot sunshine - that creamy clovey scent - the hint of tuberose fleshes the floral notes out slightly.

It's a sensuous, languorous sort of perfume - the association of Shanghai recalls bohemian, decadent dancing dens of yesteryear, but there's no foosty face powder notes, and it's probably the title that makes me think of such a scenario.

Ultimately though, I find it a bit heavy, maybe even obvious in its sultriness - something slightly jaded in quality maybe.

Sillage moderate. Longevity good.

"Masterpiece" trembles just on the tip of my tongue with Shanghai Lily. It's never a description I've used to describe a fragrance, as it must be reserved for the rarest of creations, and I do mean creation. Shanghai Lily is more than a fragrance, it is a bold, memory making experience. The absolute grandeur it evokes is almost humbling. It feels statuesque, poised, even majestic from top to bottom notes.

The clove is pervasive throughout, along with unidentifiable (to my nose) spices and floral notes. I can't say it's lily I smell, but maybe. It's not an easy note for me. It's 'perfumey' as well, but in the best way imaginable. You'll know you're wearing it. Your neighbor will know you're wearing it. Opium (of which I am not a fan) lovers will recognize it as a distant but kindred spirit.

The perfumer/artist responsible for Shanghai Lily has LIVED, loved....experienced beauty larger than himself. There is no other sane explanation for this masterpiece.

I do so wish it were MY masterpiece.

My god, I have to buy this!

Shanghai Lily is a lily centric version of YSL Nu (vintage), if you take out the orchid and jasmine and soften the spices. It seems that Tom Ford, apart from being the artistic director over at YSL when Nu was launched, always had a special spot for this particular fragrance. Enough to create an homage in his own line, which shares quite some DNA, but with his own touch. Nu in vintage edp is an incense-y spicy floriental, with a pronounced peppery-ness throughout its development. Shanghai Lily takes the central core of spices, blurs the edges with some animalic castoreum and labdanum, but instead of the intense jasmine of Nu, he adds one of my favorite white florals; lily.
It's inevitable comparing both, but what I find fascinating about Shanghai is that at the same time it feels like a tropical spicy oriental. The headiness that can sometimes be a part of white florals is tampered by the spices and the woody notes, but is never overshadowed. It feels as if I'm wearing a true spicy oriental a la Opium on a tropical beach. It could go very wrong but on my skin is going everything but. The resemblance to Opium is also very noticeable, as was with Nu when it was launched, something that Ford made clear when he took the challenge of creating what he thought would be a pillar fragrance for YSL. Vintage Nu is gone. It's getting harder to find, and the new rendition is quite sweet and floral to be a true re-release, even though it smells really nice. If you were or are a fan, Shanghai Lily pays respect in a very realistic way, but adding the unique Tom Ford twist without succumbing to cliches; Lily!
Sillage and longevity outstanding, 6 hours and counting! If it doesn't get discontinued, I think I have a candidate to replace Nu. And if you like true spicy floral orientals I urge you to give it a try. It works great now that it's slightly cooler and I guess in the heat it will just bloom. It also should smell amazing on anyone; woman, man or child.
PS: It feels at times as a super spiced Lys 41. If you are familiar with it, add spices and amp the indolic nature of Lily and you have an approximation!

A beautiful lily perfume. It is a lily soliflore on my skin, not much development--which is totally fine for a perfume of obvious quality. I smell pepper, clove, creamy vanilla, and woods, and there is dark incense in the heart. Sillage becomes softer and softer as time goes on, and I reckon that by the time it fades to a skin scent it somehow smells like suntan lotion or some kind of Nivea cream. Something about it is just a little too stuffy or old-fashioned.

I do not see this as fresh in any way, rather cozy and warm, and I can understand the comparison to Opium although they certainly don't smell the same. While this is a nice perfume, I admit I expected a bit more from Tom Ford. More development, some sort of surprise maybe. I still think his best floral is Champaca Absolute, with creamy champaca flowers that dry down to the most decadent, mouth-watering maron glace. Then after sampling Tuscan Leather, where we go from raspberry ashtrays to creamy suede, as I said I thought there might be some surprises here. Nope, just a lily soliflore. A nice one though!

if you want to buy something similar try Jo Malone Dark Amber and Ginger Lilly, it is really pretty, not so deep like Shanghai Lilly but shares some notes and for sure is less expensive.

I had a 100ml bottle of the vintage formulation of Opium when it was first created. It was gifted to my Mom who never wore it, so I did. At the time, I hadn't understood the concept of skin chemistry and how it affects the way a perfume wears. All I knew was that one drop of that fragrance in that concentration was almost lethal on me. I now know that skin projects spice to the level of defcon 5, and I have to be very careful with spice notes. That single 100ml bottle literally lasted me nearly 20 years wearing it only 1 drop at a time.

On my quest to find my perfect lily fragrance, I received a large decant of Shanghai Lily. I hadn't read the notes or the reviews prior to wearing it. When trying something new, I simply like to put it on and let the perfume reveal itself to me.

Within seconds I realized I had made a mistake. My customary 3 sprays made my eyes water. This is high quality, no corners cut, no expense spared juice! All I kept thinking was, "This is soooooooooo familiar..............I KNOW this fragrance........." Then, it hit me! This is Opium!!!!

I can appreciate that Mr. Maisondieu has done his best to add a tad of fullness and softness to this spicy oriental, and I'm sure this is gorgeous on the right chemistry. On me, not so much. Those who have never tried vintage Opium really must give this a try. Opium in its day was THE ULTIMATE powerhouse fragrance, and this is equally stunning.

This perfume will forever hold a special place in my heart. My son who is serving in the Navy surprised me with this as a gift. He said he picked out what he thought was perfect for me. And it is! I love the spicy floral richness which makes me feel sophisticated. The dry down settles into a warm scent that stays with me for hours.
I am so fortunate to have a great son that was willing to spend his hard earned dollars to buy me something so lovely. I will always love this scent!

Tom Ford’s Shanghai Lily from his Atelier d’Orient line is an exotic, stunning entry into the Oriental Floral garden. It is languorous, lithe and liable to lead to trouble. I have no idea if the inspiration behind this perfume is the Marlene Dietrich character of Shanghai Lily from the Josef von Sternberg film “Shanghai Express” (1932). If not, well, this perfume certainly carries all the mystery and intrigue that is found in Dietrich’s portrait of a lady who one character describes as a “Coaster, a woman who lives by her wits along the China coast.”

The perfume is loaded with more notes than Lily’s steamer trunk is filled with French unmentionables. They come at you all at once in a locomotive rush. Bitter orange, pink and black pepper, cloves, spices and incense kick of the exotic journey, I get a definite mince meat pie accord here that is delicious and long lasting.

In the center of the perfume there is exotica galore as the perfume continues its excursion along your pulse points. Floral notes push in on the opening notes layered over with a sensual labdanum, jasmine, rose and a hint of tuberose. It goes together with the spicy mix so well. And the peppers and cloves laid out in the opening meet up with olibanum, a light layer of barely perceptible vanilla and benzoin keep it from being too pretty.

The dry down at journey’s end is a solid base of cashmere wood, sassy castoreum, guaiac wood and vetiver. This combo keeps this perfume sexually ambiguous and as enticingly daring as Marlene Dietrich was in a man’s tux in the early 1930’s. It is a well blended perfume that works to the advantage of both men and women. Lasting on my skin a good ten hours and leaving a va va voom sillage for those looking to make an entrance. And what an entrance this perfume makes. Pure star power all the way from opening credits to fade out, as directed by Tom Ford this Shanghai Lily is a box office hit.

SHANGHAI LILY BY TOM FORD Four Gold Stars ****

(FOR THE MYSTERY BEHIND MY REVIEW CHECK OUT MY BLOG, SCENTS MEMORY)

beautiful one, i notice incense and vanilla, and it lasting well

Just got this beauty as a Christmas present and couldn't be happier.
Such an opulent and spicy wet floral which is perfect for any time of the year.Its already one of my favourite Tom Fords :)

Shanghai or how I like to call it "Shanga," has a very unique twist to it. I get tons of spices, of bitter orange, a hint of cloves... And in the middle of these notes I pick the incense with the florals, and makes it a very well made fragrance, which has it's personality to it. The dry down stays fairly bitter and incensy, with the spices toned down and the florals directing the whole movie. I wish that it lasted longer or at least that it maintained that thickness and creaminess that enamored me in the first hour of it.
Yes, I like it.

This fragrance is so smooth and harmonious in its components, which is not entirely new, but Tom Ford and perfumer added some flavorings to this fragrance, which make perfume "Dreamer" attractive and quiet and for the projection is medium and for longevity is great for five hours straight and then begins to calm down gradually.


6/10

Smokey, sweet ,spicy ,powdery! Delightful , opens with a small dose of aldehydes , its a white floral with a dark side , opening notes of jasmine tuberose and morphes into peppery slightly velvety powdery olibanum, (,francinsens )Cloves and orange mingle in the background , it has a carnal fleshy floral odor mainly due to the tuberose and the Labdanum and the castereum with a slightly waxy smokey feel to it. . An oriental floral with an animal edge, suitable for day and night and anytime anywhere. I also love the vanilla in this .
This is becoming one of my favourite Tom Fords. It's such a great warm , sweet animalistic lily / tuberose , I can't get enough of it. Its addictive. Love the cloves and the animal note as well as the Labdanum vanilla dry down. The perfect winter fragrance of all times.

Shanghai Lilly in a nutshell smells of someone that just hopped out of the bath, slathered themselves in a rich , white floral oil, and , all of that is mixing with a simple bar soap they used to bathe with initially. Fantastic scent! Smells very elegant somehow , and would be appropriate for evenings imo.

Stunningly beautiful fragrance which does not announce your presence as you enter a room but has a subtle, distinct, elegant and discrete presence.

really enjoying my sample of Shanghai Lily but agree that there is no real progression from top notes and beyond and is perhaps one dimensional.
Its as if all the notes are loaded from the get go and gradually fade as the hours pass.
Not saying that this is a bad thing as the quality and depth of the lily is fantastic and seamlessly blended with the other florals,pepper and spices.I sense a really wet lily dripping with rainwater after a spring shower and prefer this composition to stablemate TF Lys Fume (and feel that Shanghai is also more unisex).

Soft,sensual and dreamy for a spring/summer day and may well be my next Tom Ford :)

omg, Tom Ford needs to stop impressing meee!!!!
This fragrance is heavenly good :)
Mhhmmhhmmmm, that's my first impression! This is a beauty masterpiece.
It's surreal nature like nostalgic, pleasant, comforting and feminine scent.
Cedar with soft floral notes, clean, slightly smokey and powdery. Again that smoked wood you just want to cuddle around. Moderate longevity, hangs close to the skin. Puts a smile on my face :)
Looooooove it!
Definite future purchase! The price is ridiculous, but I'll make it happen :)

Shanghai Lily

I am wearing right now on my forearms and I am captivated by its soft, rich essence.

At first spray, I thought "This ain't me."

Too floral, too whatever.

But within minutes, it's warmth and desire begin to appear.

It's so soft and sensual, all I want to do is lay in bed all day with a lover cuddling and embracing eachother's skin.

It's a perfect fragrance for those special, intimate moments.

It's not sexy in the typical exciting way. It's a seductive whisper telling you to come closer and never leave.

I can't stop smelling it.

In Love,

The Boy Next Door

From the get go this opens with a floral bouquet of lilies which a little vanilla has been added to slightly sweeten the smell. Within this feminine bouquet I can smell jasmine with a little spice and a dash of incense and pepper.

There is no denying that it smells nice though a bit one dimensional, I could not wear it as it crosses my too feminine thresh hold.

113)Made in China flower
Another Atelier d'Orien copy-paste from a famous older perfume.
Very green opening, aldehyde, who gives rise to a lot of references from the classic French perfumery. The evolution is a bunch of milky white flowers and here we are exactly with Fleurs des Comores from Maître Parfumeur et Gantier. Jasmine and ylang-ylang with hints of fruity notes and a very vanilla base.
Re going to discover the original if you like this one, it's the tier price.
I think Tom Ford has sens of humor. When he called his new 4 creations Atelier d'Orient (east Workshop) it means the countless workshops in Asia that produce clothing with the logo of the brand of your choice above.
The four creations are all slightly modified copies of "small" classics from French niche perfumery (Lutens, Diptyque, Maître Parfumeur et Gantier, ...).

Encore un Atelier d'Orient copié collé d'un célèbre parfum plus ancien.
Ouverture très verte, aldéhydée, qui fait surgir beaucoup de références issues la parfumerie féminine française. L'évolution tend vers un bouquet de fleurs blanches laiteuses et nous voilà exactement avec Fleurs des Comores de Maître Parfumeur et Gantier. Jasmin et Ylang-Ylang avec des notes de fruits et une base très vanillée.
De nouveau allez découvrir l'original si vous aimez, c'est le tier du prix.

A very interesting opening that slightly reminded me of opium-femme.as it developed it reminded me of ysl NU mixed with private blend-velvet gardenia and sahara noir.A very nice and sexy smelling fragrance that hasn't much to say though.medium silage and longevity I think I'll pass on this one.