According to my local weather forecast, it is currently "46°F Feels Like 39°F". I can vouch for the "feels like" part — it is darned cold and dreary for May. I considered just staying in bed, but instead I thought I'd spray on a bit of the tropics today...

First up, Floral Solaire (or Golden Floral), the fourth release from niche line Filles des Iles. Filles des Iles is the latest venture from the same team that brought us the strikingly unconventional fragrance Dinner by Bobo — remember that one? It was once described, somewhere (sorry I can't remember where), as meat served by a sweaty waiter. This time around, they're doing rather conventional tropical florals, which presumably have more widespread appeal. Floral Solaire, developed by perfumer Celine Ellena, is described as "an expressive, teasing and fascinating scent", and features notes of cedrat, star fruit, tropical breeze, passion fruit, lily, tiara, orchid, flamboyant, amber, benzoin, soft sand, musk and vanilla.

Tropical floral is probably not my favorite category to begin with; Floral Solaire is sweet and has a big "fresh" note in the opening, a combination that pretty much dooms it to a big "no" in my book. The top notes are citrusy and fruity, the heart is tropical florals over a warm, ambery-woody-musky base. There is plenty of vanilla, and as promised, a noticeable "warm sand" accord in the dry down. It has that beachy, almost-suntan-oil feel that I like only in very small and quiet doses, as in Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess (formerly Azuree Soleil). If you're looking for something louder and sweeter than Bronze Goddess, but not quite so loud and sweet as say, Coty's Sand & Sable, Floral Solaire might be just what you need. In 50 ml Eau de Toilette (and reasonably priced at $48). For buying information, see the listing for Filles des Iles under Perfume Houses.

Eau Turquoise is the latest from Parfums de Nicolaï, and joins the line's Eau Fraîche collection. I've mentioned more than once that her Eau Exotique was my "most reached for" fragrance last summer. Eau Exotique might be my perfect fruity floral: tart, juicy mango sprinkled with lime and layered over jasmine and some earthy-woody notes, nothing that smells like candy or soda or children's Tylenol.

The notes for Eau Turquoise sounded equally lovely: mango, apricot, osmanthus, key lime, Turkish rose, pepper, cardamom and Texas cedar. It starts out very like Eau Exotique, with the same tart, juicy mango sprinkled with lime, but it softens quickly. The apricot and osmanthus are very subtle, as are the pepper and cardamom — it is described as a spicy fruity floral, but I found it less fruity than Eau Exotique, and the spices are too quiet to add much of a kick. The florals are sheer and rose-y; the base is musky-cedary and pale. It is a pretty scent, but it just hasn't got the oomph of the Eau Exotique, and while I'd wear it, I can't make myself adore it. I should note that Marina at Perfume Smellin' Things liked it more than I did. In 30 and 100 ml Eau de Toilette (the 100 ml is $65; the 30 ml does not appear to have arrived in the US as of yet). For buying information, see the listing for Parfums de Nicolaï under Perfume Houses.

I should have stayed in bed, right? Do comment and tell me about your favorite tropical scent.