Summer bliss...solar worship...a mythical undoing of body and mind...psychosomatic journey of free love...endorphin rush of sugar...cascade of white musk.
Byredo's string of words conjures a Sun-worshiper on a hot day, the very day the devotee discovers the sun is NOT a god after all, but an inducer of heat stroke. Aided by an overdose of Mountain Dew, vanilla cupcakes and white musk, our heroine (or hero) tries to banish the pain of reality by flirting with sexy beach-goers — newfound spiritual emptiness prompts horniness.
Stated more simply: Byredo just released Sundazed.*
Sundazed starts on a positive set of notes, with lots of summery sour citrus and sweet florals (I notice lemon and neroli most). But these twinkling and bracing scents lose their edge over the course of 20 minutes as The Blob (thick white musk and cotton candy) seeps in and envelops all sparkle with sticky sweetness. On my skin, at 30 minutes, a "white hole" of effusing white musk takes over and, as often happens, crisp morphs into clean. What I'm left with is a linear, shampoo aroma.
BEWARE: Sundazed smells MUCH better on paper than on skin. On paper, bitter lemon, neroli and even a hint of honeyed jasmine linger a long time, and white musk is in the background, not supercharged. On my skin, white musk and candy squash the fruity florals.
If you've read any quantity of perfume reviews I've written, you probably know you don't come to me for recommendations of great white musk fragrances. If you love white musk, think Thierry Wasser is a god and could wear every single fragrance in Sylvaine Delacourte's line, Sundazed is a must-sniff.
Byredo Sundazed Eau de Parfum is available in 50 and 100 ml ($175/$260); there's also a hair perfume ($75/75 ml) and hand cream ($42/30 ml).
* Listed fragrance notes of lemon, mandarin, neroli, jasmine, cotton candy and white musk.
When I saw this I was like “ooh, Sundazed review!”, which I’ve been enjoying. And then saw that Kevin is the reviewer and knew he would massacre it 🤣. Well, he was gentler than usual. I do agree that it is more compelling on paper.
Hey, it figures ‘sugarvenom’ would love this! Ha. 😉
Ha! Right? I used to not like candy sweet fragrances and still can’t stand most of them but I liked that this one is simple. I’m curious now if Chanel 1957 is going to be reviewed and who will be reviewing it.
I would love a review on Chanel 1957.
I recently fell for Gabrielle. I love Coco, Allure, Gardenia, Rue C. and a slew of others. I can’t wear #5.
Annie: Chanel used to take up a lot of space in my perfume cabinet…but now I just get a new bottle of Pour Monsieur in EdT every year or so. I need to explore some of the ones I’ve never really given a chance, like Cristalle and No. 19.
I’ve tried Chanel 1957….and it’s odd, it’s almost nice but it’s like old fashioned shampoo! On a positive it’s a very retro perfume and some people will like it, but this one is a slightly stale floral – like an old handbag with a face powder compact in it and a grubby hanky.
I love Les Exclusifs especially 31 RC, Bois des Iles, 1932 and Beige but this one is not for me:-((
SV: If I had to make a bet, I’d say Angie is the most likely to review it. White musk is making its way into so many Chanels now…NEXT!
I just love that you referenced The Blob! Lol!
Lillyjo…that movie scared me almost to death! I saw it on the late show and slept in my parents’ room for many nights after!
You and I were equally terrified, then. I swear it took me YEARS to get over that movie.
For the price I wish they would spend time making fragrances that smell decent on human beings rather than strips of paper! Though I guess many ppl still get trapped by spraying on paper & only realising after the cash has been handed over how underwhelming it on skin.
Haven’t yet found a Byredo that made me open my wallet as they all seem to give me less than an hour – maybe that’s also part of their minimalist aesthetic
NT…i’ve only bought Pulp and that lasts for DAYS on me.
I was almost tempted by Bullion years ago but after a few hours it used to turn on me ! I keep trying Bibliothque as something about it keeps calling to me but not enough to put down the cash yet
My teeth hurt.
DL: do a flouride rinse!
Can a fluoride rinse flush out Byredo Sundazed? I like their Mojave Ghost, but this sounds much too sweet for me. Likely my sour outlook. Will resume sniffing my Baiser Volé EDP and Eau des Merveilles Bleue paper smellies.
Free love and no patchouli?
How does that happen?
Ditto the strips. Maybe parfum? And you purchase the toilette?
Oh Kevin, 🤣🤣🤣🤣😜
I got a sample of this yesterday and this could be a nice fragrance for a 13 year old girl going on a school trip to the zoo. All the rest of mankind can happily ignore this release.
Turtje: HA! Yes, it could be worn by a child for sure.
Hilarious
Sometimes even a strong whiff of fresh coffee grounds is not enough when trying to escape the white hole/Blob. Perhaps all white musk needs to be shipped to the arctic to subdue it;)
I have no luck with this house. I loved M/Ink on paper but it was a horror show on my skin. I shall be skipping this one too!
Every Byredo I’ve sampled seems front-loaded with interesting top notes and then completely falls apart after a few minutes. I’ve learned long ago not to be dazzled by a scent’s first act; if I lose interest after 5 minutes, it’s a “No.”. No need to even try this one.
sayitisntso: that “first act dazzler” happens so often, I’m surprised when something fun/interesting continues into the heart of a fragrance, let alone the base.
Sundaze was did not dazzle me even a little. I received a sample from a wonderful SA but I had to tell her it was not for me. I have purchased several Byredos over the years, but now I use most of them for room sprays. I find the line somewhat boring and very pricey.
I glanced at the review and knew you must be the author before I looked up at the byline! I like white musk, but no cotton candy, thanks.
So not into candy smell. As the weather warms up I end up choking on cloying perfumes wafting about public spaces.
I also do not care too much for white musk, but would prefer a room full of clean musk over sickly warm cotton candy trail.
Hair care products love those candy scents, too. And just tried a new sunscreen that was a Vie en belle knockoff! Awful. So strong. Blech.
Rant over!
Meow! I may still try this as I generally Iike sweet perfumes!
Byredo is my go-to brand for sophisticated teens and other tentative but curious fragrance newbies. My sample of Sundazed says it will go right into that category too. In my experience, the line appeals to less experienced scent wearers because the names, packaging and fragrances themselves feel hip and not childish. At the same time, they are definitely not very challenging or too traditional but just interesting enough to be lightly compelling for that group for the short time they last. Even the fact the scents fall apart quickly works well for the short attention span of the digital natives in my life.
I just got a sample of this and totally underwhelmed. It started out promising and then just meh – I’m sure they will sell lots of bottles.