I hadn’t really had Soleil de France on my radar at all, but I happened to find it at my local DM and decided to pick it up for my wife. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for her; after a few sprays on the skin and several smell tests throughout the day, I liked it quite a bit and added it to my collection.
The fragrance opens fruity-nutty, with a slight tartness from the apple note, but otherwise mainly pistachio, almond and hazelnut. The initially tart note evaporates after around 10-15 min., from that point on the fragrance becomes noticeably creamier and the vanilla also increasingly comes to the fore. In the end, a chocolatey-vanillic gourmand base remains, which, despite its classification as a summer fragrance, clearly places it in autumn and winter for me.
The longevity and sillage are truly above average for such an inexpensive "cheapie". During the first hour, the scent trail fills the room; afterwards, you still leave a sillage of around 1-2 m behind you. Overall, the longevity is around 7 hrs., plus or minus.
Conclusion: Once again, this is one of those fragrances that clearly shows how often manufacturers can be wrong about their own classification. In my opinion, this inexpensive juice is neither clearly a feminine fragrance nor suitable for summer. I see it as a lovely unisex fragrance that brings a certain warmth, especially in late autumn and winter. The various nut accords are a welcome change from the same old cinnamon/vanilla/tonka/amber gourmands; the initial tartness may not be for everyone, but I personally like it exceptionally well. A definite buying recommendation for anyone still looking for an inexpensive everyday fragrance for the coming winter!
