We review Sunshine, an apricot-like Eau de Parfum (EDP) for women from The Midnight Flower Collection of Arabian niche house Amouage.
Amouage
Founded in 1983 in the Sultanate of Oman, niche perfumery Amouage has a long history, rich traditions, and thousands of years of craftsmanship to draw from. Since history was written, the land and the people of Oman have been known to produce and trade the finest frankincense and myrrh in the world.
The Amouage philosophy is one of connections. It connects its perfume-making heritage with its globe-trotting quest for innovation. The mysticism of the East with the modernity of the West. The simplicity of the purest ingredients with the complexity of the most sophisticated scents.
Based in Muscat, the Sultanate of Oman’s port capital, the house of Amouage has opened 12 boutiques around the world, and its fragrances sold by a network of more than 1,000 department stores, perfumeries, and airports. Since its founding, it has grown a cult following among fragrance connoisseurs.
Sunshine
Facts
| House | Amouage |
| Fragrance | Sunshine |
| Concentration | Eau de Parfum (EDP) |
| Nose | Sidonie Lancesseur |
| Released | 2014 |
| Family | Gourmand |
| Description | A creamy apricot scent made opulent with jasmine and grounded by earthy vanilla and blond tobacco. |
| Sizes | 3.4 fl oz (100 ml) |
Ingredients
Denatured Alcohol, Fragrance, Coumarin, Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Eugenol, Citral, Geraniol
Source: Product packaging (in the photos), retrieved on January 5, 2022
Our Review
You’re wearing a straw hat, your hair unkempt, as you dance and sing in your favorite yellow dress. You’re in a fun mood. You feel playful and full of life. As you’re walking barefoot on the green grass, that certain je-ne-sais-quoi draws all eyes to you, tempting men to follow you, unknowing where you will take them.
This is Sunshine by Amouage.
The top notes are blackcurrant liquor, almond, and davana. The heart notes are sweet osmanthus, jasmine, vanilla, and magnolia. The base notes are cade, patchouli, blond tobacco, and papyrus.
The overall vibe is lush apricots topped with decadent whipped cream. Green and gallant spring in a bright yellow bottle. Sunshine is one of the most vibrant, youthful, and invigorating scents I have ever gotten a whiff of (and your dear Simona, as you can imagine, has gotten a whiff of plenty).
Spray on Sunshine by Amouage, and you immediately get a hint of ripe, sweet apricot with the milky creaminess and distinct bitterness of almond. Soon after, the scent evolves with the apricotty/peachy hint of osmanthus, the opulence of jasmine, and the earthiness of vanilla. It gets creamier in the drydown, with blond tobacco and woody papyrus grounding the scent throughout.
This is a bright, heady, and delectable scent for daytime wear all year round. Personally, I find it most captivating in late spring and the heat of summer. As the name suggests, Sunshine is a fragrance that caresses your soul with warmth and elevates your mood to new heights.
It’s so rejuvenating, a single spritz of it is enough to turn a bad day around.
All Amouage perfumes are unique—and Sunshine is no exception. They’re so edgy and different, many find them strange and off-putting. So much so, that I can hardly think of a worse house to blind-buy perfumes from.
In particular, those who don’t like Sunshine say that the blond tobacco note is too overpowering. If you ask me, I couldn’t disagree more. Sunshine is a well-rounded fragrance, and it isn’t hard to tell that it’s been blended to perfection. The notes play off of each other so well, they leave behind a ray of sunshine.
This scent gives the most definitive answer to the question “Why so serious?” It puts a bright smile on your face the moment it touches your skin.
When I first tried a sample of it many, many years ago, it was love at first sniff. I was blown away, and immediately felt transported to a sunny day in late spring. I basked in the sunlight and enjoyed the light breeze on my face as I lay in the green grass in the park eating apricots.
Longevity
Sunshine by Amouage lasts 6-7 hours when sprayed on the pulse points of freshly bathed and well-moisturized skin. Of course, you can also apply it on your hair and clothes to make it linger and last longer.
You asked, we answered: Why some perfumes last longer than others
Sillage
The sillage of Sunshine by Amouage is 2-3 hours. Thereafter, it no longer projects and becomes a skin scent. When this happens, it wears very lightly and becomes almost imperceptible; to smell it on you, others have to be physically intimate to you.
Layering
Combine Sunshine by Amouage with Ylang in Gold by M. Micallef, and you will come across as the most radiant woman in every room.
When you combine Sunshine by Amouage with REPLICA Whispers in the Library by Maison Margiela, you can’t help but be reminded of your carefree summer vacations as a girl, when you read books and ate apricots on the beach.
Sizes
Sunshine by Amouage comes in one size only: a yellow 3.4 fl oz (100 ml) bottle made of thick glass with the serial number printed on the bottom. The white cap is magnetic and snaps securely into place. On the top of it is a yellow jewel.
The bottle itself is heavy, but also stubby and sturdy. It’s too weighty and bulky for carrying in a purse; it belongs in a dresser drawer. If you fly frequently, consider getting a decant.
Read our guide: Which size perfume to buy?
Price Tag
Did I mention that Sunshine, like all fragrances from the house of Amouage, is pricey? On the day this review was published, the 3.4 fl oz (100 ml) bottle cost $340 on the brand’s online store in the U.S.
Then again, if you’re into niche fragrances—and you’re eyeing Sunshine—you either have the wherewithal or you know how to save up for a bottle of good perfume. Trust me; this one’s worth the pretty penny.
Frequently Asked
Picture a ripe, juicy, in-season apricot sliced in half and topped with decadent heavy cream in a room perfumed by jasmine flowers near a humidor with blond tobacco. The aroma is honeyed and heady, but also earthy and grounded.
Consider REPLICA Jazz Club by Maison Margiela for a fragrance heavier on the tobacco, Bitter Peach by Tom Ford for a similar but peachy scent, and Allure by Chanel for a scent more powdery and dated than Sunshine.
No, it isn’t. There’s a creamy, apricot, blond-tobacco Sunshine fragrance for women, also called Sunshine Woman, and a boozier, lavender-infused one for men, also called Sunshine Men. While the two wear the same name, they have very different profiles and cannot be worn interchangeably.
In Conclusion
This creamy apricot, blond tobacco fragrance isn’t for everyone. You have to like gourmands. You have to love apricots. And you have to be looking for a skin scent, or you will end up disappointed.
That said, if your answer to all of the above is “yes,” there’s good chance you will fall in eternal love with Sunshine. It’s a scent so delectable and so enchanting, you will want to wear it again, and again, and again.
