Sonnenseite Alverde 2021

Have you ever smelled frangipani, or plumeria flower, in real life? Yes, I first encountered the velvety white flower with yellow-orange-magenta central undertones on a trip to Madeira. The resort I stayed at had many Plumeria trees placed next to the entrance to each apartment. I hadn't noticed these beautiful shrubs in bloom when we arrived. Still, in the evening, when we went out for dinner in the center, they saturated the air with a lush, creamy, buttery smell, with many other aromatic facets, so captivating. That is because the flowers give off an intoxicating perfume, which is stronger at night. The beauty of the flowers blew me away, and all week I kept smelling them every time I passed by. Despite its sweetness, the scent is not fruity, somewhat akin to gardenia, so it differs from ylang-ylang or osmanthus flowers, for example. Since that trip, I particularly like its scent because it reminds me of the atmosphere of the sun, holidays, and tropical blossoms.

Sunnenseite means side facing the sun, sunny side. And I think this perfume has the sun inside. I have been testing the scent for several days, and now, after today's scorching afternoon, I have felt so much writing about it. The first impression of Sonnenseite is captivating. It is a sweet, fruity, and floral accord with notes of exotic flowers perceived throughout the perfume. It has an overwhelming bright, spicy, and savory start where I get substantial doses of pink pepper and ginger. The sweetness is right there, detectable from the first beats.

In the heart, once the initial blast tones down, I get whiffs of fresh and creamy orchid and frangipani with the right amount of bitter citrus blossoms, not dominant but right for balancing the sweetness of the other flowers. The middle stage is such a comforting scent. The bouquet seems a little sharp and bittersweet, very classy. If you pay attention, the orchid comes out explicitly on par with Black Orchid Eau de Parfum, and I get the same nuance.

The fragrance dries down on a soapy white musk and smooth blond sandal. Those two notes are not mentioned, but my nose detects clean and creamy facets characteristic of those molecules and woods. I don't get a predominant note; they're just there to give it a base. Instead, there's a kind of powder like vanilla is in there; the resilient sweetness in the base strengthens my feeling.

Floral but not fruity, with a tinge of bubblegum, the subtle tropical scent feels just suitable for summer. Longevity and silage on my skin are good for the first two hours. After that, I still feel the beautiful musky and sweet floral note close to the skin. It does not scream, so it's ideal for office and daily wears. I don't know if Sonnenseite takes inspiration from a more famous design or niche fragrance. Still, it is a delightful scent on its own for merely €10 for 60ml, considering that Alverde made it of natural ingredients from Grasse.

I base the review on a 60ml bottle I have owned since August 2022.

-Elysium

I once had a phase where I needed everything to be "clean." I scanned every product, checked the ingredients, and then decided whether I could buy it. It's good to pay attention to things, but I definitely overdid it.
During this phase, this scent from Alverde came into my home, and I found it okay. Okay for what it is. A natural fragrance.
But actually, the creaminess isn't really my thing. I wore it for a while and used it here and there, but I never warmed up to it. It smells rather muted and hides away, if you want to put it that way. It's a very flat composition, as one would probably expect.

Actually, with floral-creamy, everything has already been said. There's nothing more to it. It doesn't develop, has no special bottle design, and its longevity is okay.

In the meantime, I used it as a toilet spray or shoe perfume. As a perfume, it clogs everything up for me too much. Not really clogging in the sense of "my nose is blocked," but many creamy scents cause a sort of "braking" in my nose and don't go down very well.

From my perspective, it's not something you need.