Soleil

This is a perfume where it is very difficult to pick out all the individual fragrance notes. They blend seamlessly together into this fresh, bright, uplifting, sunny, fruity floral fragrance. I would not classify this as a gourmand fragrance. It amazes me that there is praline in here, because I don't get it at all. Not even in the dry down. At first spray, I get the top notes of mandarin, and... bitter almond and cardamom? I am familiar with almond in perfume, but I have never smelled bitter almond or cardamom. The combination is fresh and warm at the same time, but I would not consider this a spicy or almond fragrance. In the middle I get the jasmine, along with the bitter almond or cardamom scent, and I get a hint of the caramel. The dry down is slightly sweet with a hint of musk. Makes me want to mash my nose into my wrist. A previous reviewer mentioned it reminded them of something from their childhood, and I would agree. It reminded me of that golden yellow Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo that my mother used on my hair when I was young....so long ago. :) I am not implying this perfume smells like baby shampoo. It is much more sophisticated and zero soapy. It was more of a hint of a memory of that scent, and it made me instantly smile. The bottle is the most beautiful bottle I own. It looks as if when the glass was blown, they captured the rays of the sun inside of it. A piece of art. A lovely perfume that I should wear more often, but the expense makes me savor it only on special occasions instead. A completely safe blind buy, in my opinion, and would make an amazing gift for someone special.

O. K., O.K. - I bought the perfume for the bottle, and for the "Lalique" name. I did read the notes and some reviews, so I thought I might like, and it was relatively inexpensive so I bought the bottle. When I received it, I loved the bottle, like I knew I would. But at first "sniff" I wasn't sure whether I would like the perfume at all. It seemed acrid and off-putting. I sprayed some on a sampler card and it had a wonderful smell to it, just not on me . . . initially. So, I just put the pretty bottle on my countertop to admire and left it sit there. About a week or so later, I decided to try a spray or two. I was going out for a walk and thought that if the perfume "turned" on me, I would be outside where it wouldn't both me as much. To my utter surprise, the scent was marvelous! At first the perfume gave off a strong citrusy fragrance. What I thought previously as acrid was the bitter almond, which had smoothed out into a sweeter more supple scent. The citruses died down and then the creamy pear and musk began to peak through, along with the more sweeter notes. But during the dry down, the slight citrus, pear and musk blended elegantly with the sandalwood. Wow! What a combination! I fell in love with this perfume. But, never set your heart on wearing a perfume just once! I tried it again yesterday, and then again today . . . and the same lovely parade of fragrances emanated from my skin. There is only one slightly sad part to this story - this lovely fragrance only lasts about 3-4 hours, perhaps just a bit longer on clothing. Now, I will have to try Soleil Sunburst - another pretty bottle. :)

Soleil, despite its namesake, does not burn with grand, solar brilliance, instead evoking the quiet glow of a golden morning, steeped in sun and the sweet. It unfurls a cascade of thick sugared citrus and caramel, a radiant gourmand opening that shimmers with candied brightness—so extremely saccharine it nearly put me off. But the initial intensity speedily softens, poached pears and almond cream emerging, their velvety richness laced with a delicate marzipan-like nuttiness, less cloying not one bit overpowering. And despite its confectionary tendencies, Soleil proves to be much more than a dessert—there’s a certain depth here that steadily moves to the forefront as the fragrance progresses. A fleeting whisper of coffee bitterness, like the frothy crema of a morning latte, subtly grounding the sweetness, where you come to discover that this is not an indulgent treat, no, but the aroma of sugary breakfast cereal soaked in almond milk, fresh-squeezed juice, and the steam of caffeine. Sitting nearby is a vase holding a singular stalk of jasmine, subdued, soft, and nearly translucent, lingering at the periphery and blissfully free from its usual indolic opulence. This is a fragrance of cozy indulgence, airy yet substantial, gourmand-adjacent rather than overtly photorealistic. Unfairly maligned by the below reviews, which I suppose may be due to difference in climate (it's sooo hot and humid here), its soft glow bloomed around a comforting embrace. A fragrant mirage of morning light, breakfast warmth, and quiet joys.

I blind bought Soleil after reading all the reviews here. Initially I got interested on this perfume because of the bottle, which is really really stunning. Even many reviewers here wrote this perfume is very fresh and not gourmand at all, I didn't trust 100%. I love gourmand fragrances but fresh floral and citric perfumes are usually my favorites. About Soleil I have to agree with those reviewers. To me Soleil isn't gourmand at all and I also would not categorize it as a sweet perfume. In the first minutes what I most smell is the cardamom, which gives to this perfume a very minty fresh feeling, almost medicinal. I can also smell the almonds and the citrus notes, and as a reviewer wrote, it reminds Guerlain La Petit Robe Noire Eau Fraiche, but fresher and with this Cardamom note. After sometime Soleil becomes a less sweet and exotic version of Mugler Womanity. Maybe it's all in my mind but I can swear I smell salt in here. Together with the Womanity vibe I also get that typical Chanel scent. The same style as in Chanel Paris Venise and Dior Joy (which some people compare to Allure). And that's how Soleil stays on my skin. If somebody would show me this and tell its a Chanel perfume, I would believe. It's not a memorable fragrance, but I love it. Until now I've only tested it in winter, so I can't tell how it behaves when it's warm outside, but I have the feeling it will be even nicer. I'm happy Ive bought it. It's an easy fragrance, very versatile.

The bottle of this one is beau-ti-ful! But... it just can't be for summer for me. Where I live we reach 45o, I would be shoking people with this, it' too sweet. But I don't find it suitable for winter either, so... I would say it's a good choice on spring or autumn sunny days with no more than 25o celsius. I don't know why, but to me, this smells like peach, a soft peach with jazmin and soft caramel. All the other notes... they just disappear on my skin and turn into peach. The smell is very faint, I've had it for one and a half hour, and it almost doesn't smell. I like it, just not enough for a FB. I have to edit my comment 6 months later: I tried this perfume again on a chilly day and fell in love with it, I thought it smelled like heaven. It lasted way more on my skin on the colder weather, about 3 hours (instead of 1.5 hours). Bought a 30 ml bottle and have been using it for work on cold days, I spray it on my hands, sweater and sleeves, and I LOVE IT. It lasts for days on my sweater, so the longevity problem disappeared. This is not a typical fall-winter scent, but that ́s precisely the point, it lights up the dark, cold day. It shines with it's clean, sweet aroma. I'm already finishing the 30 ml bottle and bought a full 100 ml bottle, so... I eat my words, it's not for summer but it's amazing on 10o-25o celsius temperatures, very uplifting and clean. I'm also spraying it on my pijamas to go to sleep, I'm really in love with this scent.