Grand Soleil

Grand Soleil is a good feeling in a bottle. It is the breath you take after full relaxation. It is elation bubbling out through joyful waters from a magnificent fountain. Little sprinkles of sunlight and droplets misting your face at the first touch of a glorious sunrise. Citrus nuances in the beginning of this perfume bewitch the senses with powerful mood-elevating properties. I see a table set with a feast of fresh, juicy fruit and dried goji berries all carefully laid atop shiso leaves, a sight tantalizing to the senses. The blooming of this perfume feels like the rhythm of a serene classical piece of music. I gaze at the fountain and see behind its lush and bountiful streams of water some playful orange blossoms behind it wavering in the gentle breeze giving this perfume a solid heart of elegance and tranquility. As I close my eyes after looking toward heaven, I feel infinite peace beginning to glow from within my soul, frankincense and mastic resins grounding me here to this oasis of light, sound, sight, and scent, and I understand how this perfume is like a walking mystic incarnate.

Grand Soleil by For The Scent of It blew me away the very first time I smelled it…and it keeps impressing me everytime I wear it. To me, it comes across as a multi-faceted fragrance with several unique/interesting notes that I don’t typically find in most of other fragrances. Being a South East Asian myself, I immediately picked up the “Far East” elements and inspiration from Grand Soleil, which makes it all that much more special to me.

It’s hard for me to put Grand Soleil in one specific category. It’s not a typical summer freshie, even though it has fresh and bright citrus opening, with a touch of peppery green from shiso leaf. It’s definitely not a gourmand, even though I do get a decent amount of earthy sweetness from Goji berry. Since Goji berry is widely consumed in Asia, I know how it tastes and I picked up the note easily from Grand Soleil. There are floral, fougere, musky and resinous aspects that work wonderfully together in this fragrance. Everything just blends so harmoniously together. From the top to the heart,and then right down to the base, each layer offers a truly unique perspective.

I can honestly say that out of nearly a dozen fragrances I bought myself from For the Scent of It, Grand Soleil has easily earned its spot in Top 3, alongside Garden Grove and Molten Ambra. The word “Grand” doesn’t just sit on the label, but rightfully also in the fragrance as well.