New Perfume Review: Sunsmoke by Priya Means Love + Beetle Mania Draw

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The Beautiful Priya Narasimhan of PriyaMeansLove

Baltimore's Priya Means Love is an artisan all natural perfume and body care house, creating “Small luxuries for the body you live in” and “close range colognes” with absolutely no synthetics".

einsof1975(sm) volkswagon beetle

Einsof next to the family "bug"  circa 1975

Sunsmoke is a cologne which triggered such a strong memory response – my limbic system was a buzz with VW Beetles and camping. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest in the 70's, and the car called “a bug” was ubiquitous.  Also common culture at the time (and indeed, in the area in general) was taking the weekend to venture into the forest to camp. Not a difficult feat in the miles of forest our northwest corner comprises.

vwwoodpaneling beetle vintage

Vintage wood paneling Volkswagen beetle

The opening of Sunsmoke is sunlight through woods- a burst of yuzu (and one of the best applications, for I find this note to be difficult and often reminds me of baby aspirin) and other citrus which gives a clean slate for the deep botanicals to come. The next movement startled me as it brought to mind the wood paneling behind a VW Beetle's doors. It is an aged- somewhat leather aroma- without ever being too heavy or too 50 Shades of Grey.

campingvw volkswagen vinatage photo

It is every long trip out into the woods, the Beetle's engine running faithfully- like some over sized sewing machine cruising through highways, as there were no interstates near me at the time. The tobacco is heated and makes it's presence known- firing limbic pictures of my parents smoking, this aspect solidifies the inside of our family's Bug.  I wondered if somewhere there was still a Beetle with small toys hidden inside the backseat ashtray- a treasure chest denied children these days. Sunsmoke contains it's hidden treasures as well, as mimosa blossom and oakmoss give the impression of mossen woods and field flowers. It is here the moment where nostalgia and knowledge, my childhood self and the present tango.

vwbusfire

Burn Beetle campfire

Priya uses difficult materials with the lightness of early morning sun; for cade and guaiac wood give first a burning campfire impression- wooden and hot. Softly, a distinct aquatic note lets us know we are not far from a lake or ocean- and why would we be? This is an aroma of sanctuary in nature; fire, wood, air and water must all be represented… and metal in my mind with the many VW Beetles and Campers my family lived through in our time. The range of these colognes is wide enough to be noticed, and long lasting enough to be able to experience the entire structure- but who thought you'd wear cade without notice in an office? It's Priya's delicate aesthetic which allows such verboten transgressions- and even she suggests, “reapply every few hours or as often as you like, as olfactory ritual.”

1970 volkswagen ad

1970 Vintage Volkwagen ad

I will extend two opinions I usually reserve and the first is I find this to be a wonderfully masculine aroma.  Anyone with a love for deep woods broken up by citrus sun will delight, yet, I find it linked to my memories of “going for a ride” with my father or brothers or one of the many boyfriends my sisters had… most of them in Bugs. The second is the bottle for Priya Means Love's 8mL offerings are the kind of atomizers which really respect the amount of juice inside. They give targeted but strong spray (don't even think of bug spray, punsters). Maybe this seems beside the point, but when you are paying for organic, hand tinctured aromatics- any way to improve the experience is so appreciated.

Notes:  leaf tobacco, cade (prickly juniper), guaiac wood, oakmoss, yuzu, mimosa blossoms

-Einsof, Natural Perfume Editor

(disclosure: my sample was provided by  Priya Means Love for review.)

SunsmokeColognePriyaMeansLoveSmokyOrganicAllNatural

Thanks to Priya, whose name actually means “love” in Sanskrit, we have an 8mL bottle of Sunsmoke for one US reader. Please leave a comment with what you enjoyed about Einsof’s review of Sunsmoke  and what car your dad drove when you were a kid. Draw ends March 18, 2015

 We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

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19 comments

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    It seems from Einsof review Sunsmoke is citrusy woody but one also cannot help but suspect there are hippie elements to this fragrance. I have to blame the review which focuses on VW bug and 1970s description for the last impression. thanks for the wonderful draw. All the best to Priya on her new journey. I am in the US

  • julesinrose says:

    Very evocative indeed. I am most curious about this fragrance based on the VW bug associations. The inside of those cars have a really distinct smell!! My family had one of these when I was very young, so it’s quite a trip indeed (using the parlance of the time) for me to smell anything that reminds me of that. Love the smell of the woods, too. Cheers.7H

  • Jen says:

    I loved your description of Priya’s Sunsmoke, I almost felt like I could smell it! It’s pretty amazing how a scent can drum up so many memories! Growing up, my folks had a gigantic station wagon, but I, myself, had a convertible BW beetle! My dream car!!!

  • Connie says:

    Sunlight through the woods sounds gorgeous- just like Priya herself! Also like the derogatory 50 Shades of Grey reference. My dad drives an early 2000s Toyota Corolla, dark blue.

  • Valentine girl says:

    I am so excited about this post and draw opportunity as I first discovered Priya Means Love in a very unlikely place–a local cidery!

    Last year, I was attending a cider tasting of ciders produced by a local cidery, just north of Baltimore, called Millstone Cellars. I fell into conversation with the daughter of the owner, and when our conversation turned to perfume and our shared fondness for woody notes; the daughter whips out a small bottle from her purse and says, “oh you have to meet my friend Priya, she makes her own natural beauty products and perfume and she created this scent for me”. She then handed me the bottle so I could try a spritz. I am pretty sure it was a custom blend for the daughter, and she mentioned that there Palo Santo in there, but I spent the rest of the tasting sniffing my wrist, instead of the glass!

    I fell in love with Priya’s scents after that evening, and discovered she sold her products at the cidery. Priya has gained a fan in me, and I am absolutely dying to try Sunsmoke! I am fascinated how the perfume triggered such a deep childhood memory response in Einsof’s review that we all took a ride with him in that “Bug” to go camping out in the woods back in the 70s.

    My father drove a 1972 bright yellow Ford Pinto and it ended up getting passed down to me when I was old enough to drive it…and we nicknamed it “The Yellow Submarine”! My dad kept that car on the road for 27 years, before he finally had to retire it. Thank you so much for the draw opportunity & congratulations to Priya – USA resident (near Baltimore of course)!

  • Sun Mi says:

    It’s so exciting to see a local (for me!) perfumer! I’m excited to explore Priya’s scents in the future. I loved how reminiscent of the PNW this scent was to Einsof. having just returned from a visit to my parents house in Washington, where I grew up, I am really missing the PNW! And for memories, I used to roll around in the back of a green dodge station wagon with wood paneling. Can you imagine? Such would never fly these days!

  • Carol S says:

    I particularly enjoyed this review since I have lived in the NW most of my adult life , living close to the land and heating my home with wood .
    My Dad traded cars every 18 months or so , but I remember a black four door Dodge with a push button transmission ( REALLY ! ) and a red Cadillac with the rear doors facing backwards circa1969 ! Great memories…. Thanks for the lovely draw .

  • Patty P. says:

    I enjoyed the vintage photos and advertisement. I’m curious about the soft acquatic note. I’m hopeful also for the yuzu. I have no recollection of what car I rode in as a child. 🙂 USA

  • Joyce says:

    Einsof makes perfume into a journey with his poetic use of the english language. I love this about his reviews. They come to life and Priya’s work especially so! My Dad drove a Chrysler, not sure of model or year but it seemed very iconic of the times, 80’s. I am in the US. Thank you for the draw.

  • Carol W says:

    The notes in this perfume – sound like heaven. Maybe not the inside of a bug! But I do love that the perfume is natural, and that it is a “close” perfume. I do believe that a perfume is meant to be shared with those closest to you, and not with someone who rides up the elevator a half hour after you do.
    Loved the story and the pictures to go along with the review. Growing up my dad drove a beetle, until I was maybe 14-15. My mom drove a VW Bus until I was almost out of high school. I remember driving all over with my dad in that old green beetle! It was a sad day when my dad was hit in an intersection – though the beetle fared a little better than the car that hit it. The old VW Bus – how we loved it. My dad turned it into a camper and we camped up and down the east coast, the last ones in the campgrounds. I remember one campground we were the last campers of the season – my brother and I got all the pushups we could eat, for free!
    I had check in hand last year to buy an old Beetle, and common sense got the best of me. I do wish I would have purchased it.
    I’m in the US, thanks for the draw, and thanks for bringing up such great memories of my long-gone parents, and our old beetle and bus. Such good times – innocent times. I enjoyed the memory.

  • Farbod says:

    Think I would love this scent! My dad drove a Chevrolet Buick 1976 and we had some camp weekends. As a child I was very impressed by the shape of VW Beetle. I will buy one soon 🙂

  • Priya says:

    Thank you Einsof + CaFleureBon for the review! I love the magical way that scent can open a door to forgotten, deeply felt memories, and I’m grateful to Einsof for capturing this experience so beautifully. Thank you all for your comments!

  • Mags says:

    The review for Sunsmoke was not just an olfactory journey but a reminiscent moment of the heady days of the the late 60’s when my dad had a mad moment and bought a small vw camper instead of his ever sensible saloon. We only ever did day trips out but it was so much more exciting than the car but then he decided it was impractical and back came a Vauxhall saloon but that summer lives on in memories.

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    I enjoyed reading Einsof’s childhood memories in his review of Sunsmoke. They brought back several of my own. My dad drove a Ford pickup when I was a kid (as every self-respecting Tucsonan would).

  • mim says:

    I liked being out in nature vicariously. Reading Einsof’s recollections brought me back to some of my own sense-memories of camping with my dad on the East coast in our old station wagon (Taurus? not sure).
    On the highway the windows had to stay closed, but when we got to a wooded backroad on the way to the campground I would open my window and just breathe in the woods–sun-warmed or rain-misted pines, damp earth, leaf smells, campfire traces, usually water in the distance. At home I would sip the air trying to filter out a lot of smells but here I would drink deep.
    Thank you Priya, CFB and Einsof for the review and draw! USA

  • Deborah L. says:

    I love Sunsmoke! The VW references are spot on. The scent takes you back to younger days of BBQs, slip n slides and short basketball shorts. Those were the days. Priya gets it right and I am a witness! Great article on a wonderful product.

  • Carlos Torres says:

    “A long trip out into the woods” Is what sounds good to me. Don’t really know what a VW Beetle smells like. Military child so dad would always get a used car when we moved some place new. I always thought they were crappy cars, but they later would become classics long after we got rid of them and moved on.

  • Holly F. says:

    I really enjoyed the nostalgia factor in Einsof’s review. This sentence pretty much sums up one of my favorite things about scent and the magic it is capable of: “It is here the moment where nostalgia and knowledge, my childhood self and the present tango.” And, my dad drove a Chevrolet Chevelle. I’m in the US. Thanks!