FRAGRANCE | Soleil Neige EDP by Tom Ford: A song of sunshine and snow

As I write this, summer is increasingly felt in this part of the world, so I went through our bottles looking for something light that I haven't worn for some time. The white bottle and silver box of Tom Ford's Soleil Neige caught my fancy. The sun shining on snow is the picture Mr Ford is selling here, and the presentation works to help push this narrative. I mean, who doesn't yearn for snow when you're sweating from temperatures in the high 30s?

The fragrance opens modestly with a bouquet of clean white florals topped with a few squeezes of citrus. There's also something fluffy and powdery in the mix that strangely feels almost soapy to my nose, like a luxurious kind of soapy. The citrus, on the other hand, is mild, an accent note that brightens the whole scent quite nicely. The scent doesn't barge in with a bang, opting instead for a more reserved approach, slowly spreading its pleasantness.

After several minutes, an upswell in the fragrance's power begins to manifest. The fluffiness eases and the citrus asserts itself a little more although still devoid of any annoying sharpness. An ambery vanilla sweetness likewise rises very measuredly, willfully absorbing all the citrus flavor as it unfolds. The drydown is a smooth, citrus-infused, ambery vanilla topped with a subtle powdery touch. It's a charming scent cloud that stretches for hours, its sweetness deftly controlled. The citrus keeps the scent from going into warm and creamy territory but without being entirely cold either like Fahrenheit 32 or Tom Ford Metallique.

Soleil Neige is a fragrance for when you just want something pleasant and uncomplicated. It's unisex with a slight feminine slant and would suit any weather just fine, even on warmer days. Although it can be formal, it strikes me as more of a casual, daytime type of fragrance. It's easy to like until its price comes into play, in which case, it may also be easy to hate. But that's relative.