Sundrunk

We are leaving the cold, stormy fjords of Every Storm a Serenade, and today we are shifting dramatically into the dazzling, sun-drenched heat of summer with Imaginary Authors’ Sundrunk. This fragrance is inspired by a fictional novel detailing a lost summer spent on the beaches of the Mediterranean, immediately signaling a transition to a bright, citrusy, and solar floral experience. This scent promises to capture the feeling of sun-warmed skin, a neon orange glow, and sweet, iced cocktails. The central question for this review is whether this combination can deliver a truly refreshing, euphoric summer scent that avoids common pitfalls like being too sticky or too synthetic, or if it simply fades under the midday sun. Let's chase the summer light and find out. Opening: The opening is citrusy, floral, and green. The primary notes I perceive are orange, rhubarb, neroli, and honeysuckle, with the orange and rhubarb being the most prominent. The fragrance starts with a heavy blast of photo-realistic orange, described as orange zest by the house, that is bright, invigorating, and properly zesty as its name suggests. There's a slight bitterness behind it, exactly like what orange zest would smell like. Coming in behind the orange is the rhubarb, imparting a sharp tartness accompanied by a bit of greenery. Next up are the neroli and honeysuckle. As both are white floral notes, they provide a similar soft, floral accord, but I can distinguish the two: the neroli carries a gentle, airy, and clean tone, while the honeysuckle is distinctly lush, sweet, and dense. Both together help to create the radiant, sun-drenched solar accord required for the narrative. I also pick up on the "orange soda" accord that others have mentioned, and the strong orange note even reminds me a bit of Louis Vuitton's Afternoon Swim. Dry Down: The dry down remains citrusy, floral, and green. The primary notes I detect are still orange, rhubarb, neroli, and honeysuckle, and the strongest notes are still the orange and rhubarb. The dry down is strikingly similar to the opening, making it quite linear. It is worth mentioning that the neroli and honeysuckle are a bit more noticeable in this stage, bolstering that namesake solar accord. However, it remains an orange-dominant fragrance throughout its development. Performance: The initial projection within the first hour was surprisingly strong for such a fresh scent and reached out at least six feet. Likewise, the sillage was surprisingly powerful with a sparkling scent trail that was impossible to miss. After about 3–4 hours, the projection was still about 5–6 feet, while the scent trail was a bit lighter but still easily noticeable. At around the 7-hour mark, the projection had died down to within arm's length, and the scent trail was only faintly noticeable. The fragrance became a skin scent shortly afterwards. When to Wear: Sundrunk, as its name suggests, is a spring/summer fragrance crafted specifically for daytime wear. It's bright, playful, and easy-going, making it a perfect choice for anything casual. However, for those same reasons, I would not wear it for any special/formal occasions or to the office. Blind Buy: If you like hyper-realistic orange notes, this is a safe blind buy for you. Few fragrances come close to this level of orange-y realism, so if that's what you're after, look no further. Also, if you're a fan of Afternoon Swim, this might be worth looking into. Final Verdict: Sundrunk is a fantastic, uplifting fragrance that thoroughly impressed me a lot more than I thought it would. The brilliant blend of bright, zesty orange, sharp rhubarb, and the luminous, warm solar glow of neroli and honeysuckle makes for an exquisitely pleasant, perfectly unisex wearing experience. Being that I usually go for dark and heavy fragrances, it’s not often that I come across a fresh scent that leaves an impression like Sundrunk did. While the performance is good—with excellent initial projection before settling down around the 7-hour mark—the overall scent profile, perfectly evocative of a Mediterranean summer, is what ultimately won me over. I will definitely be adding Sundrunk to my personal collection for use in the warmer months. Scent: 10/10 Longevity: 7/10 Sillage: 8/10 Versatility: Low Mass Appeal: High Gender: Unisex Value: Fair

I chose Sundrunk today because the end of February is quite literally the most depressing time of the year for me personally. Up in the PNW of the USA, it's been predominately overcast since October, and I suppose I was drawn to the name and packaging here...as surface as that may be. I'm so glad, because I freaking love this. And I'm so impressed, this really lives up to it's title. I'm realizing that I really love hibiscus as a note, and as a beverage to drink. It has a really uniquely sweet, floral profile and evades description, but if you know it, you know. Well, I disagree with the note votes here because I actually smell quite a lot of it and would rank it as one of the leading components. To me, it's the heart of this fragrance. But neroli is here too! The tartness of the rhubarb along with the florals does something to my brain, leading me to perceive the "orange" as "grapefruit", because it's a little more bitter than orange typically is. At any rate, this keeps very far away from being a cloying orange (which I actually hate), and it's a rind-y, tart and REAL citrus fragrance. I tried Falling Into the Sea as well, which is lovely, but I prefer this. This has so much body and character, and it lasts a very long time, even on skin. The neroli is just...exquisite. I've always considered neroli a masculine floral (who cares, wear what you like). And so with it drying down the way it does, I think it's extremely unisex if not veering toward male territory. So if you are a guy who doesn't necessarily want to smell flowery, I still would give this a shot. This really gives me true impressions of the beach. Not cleaned up, generic screensaver background looking beaches either...but legitimately rugged, realistic and stunning Hawaiian beaches, possibly on the backsides of islands away from tourists. It's a little planty, and again, the orange is quite a peel/rind smell. Freaking fantastic. 🌺🏝

Summer in a bottle and my go-to when it’s stupid hot outside. IA Sundrunk opens with a cloud of juicy, realistic orange. The comparisons to orange pop (or soda, depending on where you’re from) or orange slushees are accurate - it’s exactly what you’d imagine if someone told you “this fragrance opens up with a lot of orange.” It’s also a very happy, casual, and carefree opening - a definite mood lifter. Depending on the number of sprays, whether or not you hit clothing, and outside temps, these characteristics last anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes. After that, the mid and dry down move very close to the skin. For me, this is perfectly acceptable because Sundrunk is for you and your outlook. Think of it this way - the people around you will experience Sundrunk through the happy mood it can put you in, rather than through sharing the scent with everyone around you. Will Sundrunk get you a compliment? Probably, though most likely because of the chill attitude required to wear it. And for that, I think it’s perfectly fine that this fragrance is not a beastly performer. I recommend going heavy on the trigger (as in 8-12 sprays) and the Sundrunk experience should last you the better part of 5 hours. Reapply as you wish. Perfect for: 1. Summer mornings. 2. Casual outdoor get-togethers. And here is usually where my reviews stop. However, I have to say that the hate this fragrance gets (see below) is a bit on the extreme side and I don’t quite understand where it’s coming from. Sundrunk is a fun, happy, orange-forward summertime toss-on fragrance. IA fragrances are well-priced and, from my experience (having sniffed most of their catalog), they aren’t trying to pose as an over-the-top luxury brand. So, to the haters below: relax. It sounds like you could use a vacation. Or, perhaps, a shift of perspective. Life’s too short.

Im not sure why Sundrunk has such a low rating. Fragrance is entirely subjective and I am a big fan of orange and white florals, so take my review with a pinch of salt. Immediately after spraying you get hit with a nose piercing, carbonated orange scent. It smells like carbonated orange juice to my nose. I don't get many florals until about an hour in, where I detect a bit of neroli and a watery, sweet floral. Im not sure if its the honeysuckle or the rosewater accord, but it smells phenomenal. It stays pretty linear though, which I actually like in a scent profile like this. I get about 6 hours of performance, which in my opinion is great for a citrus dominant fragrance. Projection is okay from what I've gathered so far, nothing special in that department. I dont think it should massively project, this is one of those scents you toss on appease your mind. Overall, I'd give this a solid 8.5/10. I wish I didn't go noseblind so easily to sharp citrus, otherwise it would be a 9 for me. If youre looking to get into the brand, this is a great place to start!

This smells like my father. He passed in 2020, so this brings on a priceless nostalgia for me. I will be purchasing a FB. I will elaborate a bit. It's like a man who freshly showered with Irish spring, but then cracked a beer and went outside to work on his car... Clean but slightly sweaty? Not BO sweaty just someone who's been out in the sun. I smell it and I can see summertime green all around me. Lush leaves on trees and cool grass on my feet. And just seeing my dad working in the garage and I'm running up to him and hugging him. This is that smell. There is something almost like a barley hoppy bitter beer type note that I get? It could be how the rhubarb mixes with the florals. I looked up the fragrance notes of Irish spring and saw that there are orange and rose notes oddly enough, so I guess that connection makes sense.