Belle de Soleil

One of the nicest fragrances to be worn during the summer when the majority of perfumes does not give their best while the season is hot; although B.d.S. is even better recognizable and more refined in the middle season especially in spring. Pretty composition: nice tiaré, a delicate gardenia (not an easy note, the majority is quite awful and sounds 'false' unless you look for some 'expensive' outsider) benzoin, lime (?!) and a touch of musk, all beautifully blended. Except for B.d.S, I find very difficult to find a fragrance which employes marine notes in an acceptable way, the majority, that does it, is quite disappointing (this is according to my experience but if you had any suggestions please let me know as advices are welcome!) whereas here are at ease. Nice sillage, quite for few 'intimates', persistence good in spring but less in summer on the skin but very good on clothes and still recognizable even after the laundry.... but I find that - in general - Fragonard's creations are really affordable (and they also come in large bottles!) while having an unquestionable quality, another good reason to appreciate this beautiful creation in summer when over-sprying a frag is a necessity you have to repeat without ruining yourself ; )

This is a sweet, floral and fresh fragrance, though not sugary sweet. Belle de Soleil puts Frangipani on the center stage. Tiare is more demure in my opinion. The citrus notes are present as well as some greenery, but they all surround that beautiful floral note. I agree with the review below mine that there's a seaside smell, though to me that is very lovely. It is neither your typical shower gel like "aqua", nor anything tangy like sea grass drying in the sun. Just a fresh, kinda salty and green note. It's a well rounded, very pleasant perfume, nothing sharp on my skin after drydown. I liked wearing it during the day, when testing.

This is an all-time favorite. To me, Belle de Soleil is a perfect frangipani soliflore. Growing up, my mother had a beautiful tropical garden, filled with ruellia, hibiscus, and frangipani (known as plumeria on the West Coast). Over the years, the plumerias grew to over six feet tall and hummingbirds came to build their nests and raise their chicks on the branches. Belle de Soleil instantly transports me back to that garden, filled with the beautiful, delicate scent of plumeria blossoms and hummingbirds drinking in nectar from purple ruellia flowers.

This is what summer smelled like for me as a teen... it brings me back so much. You get a very fresh opening with the citrus notes, then creamy soft white flowers and finishes with a soft skin smell (musk). It is what my sunscreen smelled like but in the most beautiful way. The name is perfect for it. Its like applying your sunscreen before you get into the sun type of smell. But it's still elegant and refined.

GORGEOUS very affordable tropical scent. Sun. beach. tropical floral. Tiare, frangipani, jasmine with a beachy sexy vibe. No coconut here, still very nice scent. creamy dry down. LOVE this! lasts around 10 hours on me, silage is mild which is great!

There is marine breeze in the opening, quitte lovely, I must say. But now, a day later, I only smell very persistant calone on the sleeve of my PJ. I did enjoy overall fragrance, very much so, but that reminiscent calone might be a problem.

Despite the name,i find it unisex and i appreciate it on summer. Sunny flowery notes with fresh tiare on noticeable vetiver. I spray it on my clothes and linen curtains in the house and you are transposed on Marquises Islands !

It’s summer in a bottle . I love it !

Based on EDT concentration. The opening of Fragonard Belle de Soleil is a little bit unexpected to me, as the orange combining with the frangipani makes a sort of luscious, very ripen fruit accord, quite intriguing actually. Once it calms down after about 20 minutes, Belle de Soleil settles into a sunny frangipani with bright lemony edge, while a subtle green bitterness lurks underneath, keeping the frangipani natural enough. There are occasionally a peach skin-like nuance reminiscent of gardenia, and a sugary, almost plastic vibe thanks to benzoin, but only very rarely. Belle de Soleil becomes more like monoi oil in the dry down, as the tiare grows stronger, but it keeps a certain complexity and naturalness and never really turns into a basic suntan-lotion scent. The sillage is moderate to soft, and the longevity is around 8 hours. I find Belle de Soleil relatively simple in structure, being almost a frangipani soliflore. It doesn't feel basic, though, as it manages to present different subtle nuances of frangipani, thus rendering quite natural, especially when considering the price point. Belle de Soleil is a real Beauty of Sun, conveying a carefree, sunny mood with blooming tropical flowers. I'd definitely recommend it as an affordable frangipani soliflore, or an olfactory escape to exotic islands.

Belle de Soleil is definitely a sunny/beachy fragrance, somewhat tropical. I like the orange and lemon opening. The tiare and frangipani flowers are dominant. Vanilla brings warmth, but it always remains quite fresh. It is very different from all thoses citrusy fragrances which sell in summer, much more original. Each time I wear it I get compliments. I could compare it with Dior's Escale aux Marquises which is also built around tiare, but I prefer Belle de Soleil. Not a bad thing, it is much cheaper (about 40$/200ml) and made by the high-quality house Fragonard in the South of France. A must-try if you enjoy beachy fragrances.

Sometimes you find something that is utterly simple, nothing groundbreaking, even derivative, but it's just exactly what you need. This was it for me: a suntan lotion floral with a bit of salty seaside air. Nothing more, nothing less. Just a joyful little olfactory haiku that puts you in the exact time and space of a beach vacation, even if you're stuck in the suffocating city heat. It smells almost identical to Fire Island, Bobbi Brown's Beach and Suntan Lotion by Demeter, and unlike the first two it doesn't cost the earth and it comes in a giant 6 ounce bottle that you can spray on with abandon.

It's first of all bergamot and orange, very intense, followed by white flowers (particularly tiare and frangipani flower but jasmine is present), then vetiver, quite discreet. It's very fresh and I detect a slight spicy note in the background. After a few minutes, benzoin makes a shy appearance. On my skin Belle de Soleil is mainly a very fresh citrus scent, perfect for summer, but with a nice floral side. Simple but pleasant, a refreshing and no fuss holiday/summer scent. The staying power, however, seems quite weak (but difficult to tell with a wet wipe).

Testing from a sample: First whiff smells like sunscreen in the best way possible - made me immediately smile and feel like it's the first days of summer. When the sun is out during the day but it's still cool and misty in the mornings. Then it develops into a strong white flowers with powder make up fragrance. Sweet, but in an elegant floral, rather than edible way. I want to wear this in spring when summer is near and you just can't wait for it.

This takes me right back to a day at the beach in the 90’s. Opening smells exactly like the spray-on sunlotion my mom used - yet it still smells like a perfume. Dry down is floral and powdery. I get all the flower notes beautifully enveloped in delicious citrus. I even get hints of the sea. Fresh floral scent, perfect for the hottest of summer days and for going to the beach.

This is definitely a scent built around the gorgeous tiare flower. The citrusy top notes and the soft base notes create a beautiful surrounding to the tiare blossom. I have to say, that so far I love this scent. I would definitely incourage friends of tropical floral scents to give this one a try!

Ooh, really lovely. A wonderful tropical floral/woody scent. Tiare, ylang and jasmine with an initial citrus freshness. I LOVE the opening but not keen on the sweetish benzoin dry down. It has poor longevity and silage. Such a shame as the start is just dreamy.

Softly elegantly exotic, frangipani and tiarè never smelled so fresh!

Smells like sunshine and warm grassy gardens. Bright but soft.

I am surprised sea water does not appear in the listed notes! On me the mineral/salty side is very dominant. I expected a different scent, more floral and tropical. It's not bad but too mineral and very light, longevity and sillage are rather weak but I tested it from a wipe, EDT version, maybe from the bottle you get a different result.

This is more floral than fruity, I'm having a hard time detecting any fruit. After a few moments I get a beachy vibe reminding me a bit of Aqva Divina by Bvlgari. However, I think Aqva Divina is a better frag. Belle de Soleil isn't my cup of tea, but it's a beautiful fragrance for those who lean more floral!