When you are a child the summer months are a treat. There is no school only the horizon of how far you can travel on your bicycle. Growing up in South Florida it seemed like the world was just in front of my handlebars. The best part was being joined by your friends. By the time August rolled around our skin was tanned and our hair was sun bleached. For some reason several of my friends had birthdays in August. In 1969 that was a big year we were moving from the single digit of nine to the vastly mature double digits of ten. This was also the summer when I had my first kiss. I remember leaning forward into it at a birthday party game of Spin the Bottle. There was one girl I was beginning to notice. When she spun the bottle and the neck pointed at me. I wasn’t sure if I was going to do it right. As we leaned into the center of the circle the sun glinted off the bottle. It felt like I was surrounded in a bright light. When our lips met, at first softly, before we pressed together with a little pressure I felt a whirl of emotion. I leaned back with a smile as the girl smiled back. Her lip gloss remained on my lips. I was light headed. I never had a word for this but now I do courtesy of Imaginary Authors Sundrunk.
Josh Meyer
I have enjoyed watching independent perfumer Josh Meyer develop into one of the best we have. Over the seventeen perfumes he had released prior to Sundrunk he has continually refined the Imaginary Authors aesthetic which was in place from the beginning. I think he has come close to perfecting it over the last couple of years producing some exemplary fragrances. Sundrunk is a bit of a departure. It might be amusing when I say it is Mr. Meyer’s most light-hearted perfume to date. Especially on a brand which uses imaginary prose from imaginary writers to create very real fragrance. Sundrunk departs from the previous formula because it is such an innocent days of summer style. There is a simple pleasure to everything about it.
Sundrunk starts off with an orange sherbet accord. Neroli and rhubarb are sprinkled with orange zest to form a crystalline delicate orange scented accord. It is like having a sugar cone with a couple scoops perched on top. It is simply beautifully achieved. Mr. Meyer then adds in a watery floral accord of honeysuckle and rose water. This is the sweet scent of nature wrapping itself around the frozen treat. I would have been thrilled with this, but Mr. Meyer adds in a “first kiss” accord. This is a very gentle sun-warmed skin musk. As sensual as that first touch of lips over a sparkling empty soda bottle.
Sundrunk has 8-10 hour longevity and average sillage.
Every time I’ve worn Sundrunk I am on my Spyder three-speed in the summer of 1969. On my way to a birthday party where I will experience my first kiss. Any perfume that can take me back to that moment is magical.
Disclosure: this review is based on a sample provided by Imaginary Authors.
–Mark Behnke
