The Sun Card

I've been testing out a decant from Lucky and I find myself craving this one, though it's not my usual style. Bought this on a whim as it was described as “sunshiney,” which is exactly what I need during the mostly gloomy weather afflicting NYC lately. It does not disappoint! It it sunshiney, not in a tropical sense or a beachy one, but warm beams of sun on a hot, dry summer day in the country, hitting the hay bale you’re sitting on in a field of wildflowers. That golden, sweet hay is definitely there throughout, while Heliotrope, a flower/note that is admittedly not one I know well, gives it slight (but not too sweet) marzipan/lactonic heart. I don’t pick out frangipani, but there is something narcotically floral hidden within. The sweet orange is there to pull it all together, but it’s so beautifully blended it adds more sunshine than citrus. It’s full of air and light, peaceful, lovely and transporting to someplace far, far away from dirty subways, winter coats, and cold rain. There’s something in the dry down that reminds me a little of Francesca Bianchi’s Under My Skin, that warm skin note. I smell this wafting around myself all day with just drops from a dabber, and I can still smell it on my skin the next morning. I can definitely imagine reaching for it throughout the warmer months.

Marissa Zappas’ The Sun Card is Lana’s Tulsa Jesus Freak “White hot forever” meets Fishtail “Wearin nothin but the summer bruises on my knees...” I sat down at my sewing machine on a cold, snowy day to test this one out. I was immediately whisked away to an idyllic utopia where golden sun warms the grass that crunches beneath your feet—it hasn’t rained in a while—and children are running and laughing around a swimming pool. It’s a family party and you’re older now, but you slip into that gooey nostalgic part of you that smiles as if it’s your first one. I can’t wear this and not be happy. It opens sweet and slowly sinks down into a creamy, almost fruity frangipani. It reminds me of the outside of a banana peel. The impression is skin painted a pink hue, it’ll fade to tan tomorrow. Comparable to the honey-goodness of Chanel’s Beige, although I think I like this one better! Beige is reminiscing on a memory, The Sun Card is creating new ones.

the mental snapshot i get from this harkens back to the summers i've spent visiting my bf's late grandmother in rural northern Michigan. i've been smelling wildflowers and drinking citrus beers in the sunshine all day long, and the scent of the outdoors lingers on my skin once it's time to turn in for the night. I attribute this to the hay note that gives The Sun Card that vintage leaning, slightly animalic vibe that i feel is signature to a marissa zappas frag. lasts FOREVER on my skin, literally 12 hours which is rare for me. strong in the opening but mellows out while staying noticeable. I sprayed it on my skin whenever i woke up in the morning, and while i was winding down late that evening (around 2 am) my bf told me i smelled "reeeally good." an unexpected and unique take on a summer fragrance that stands out among the plethora of either overly fresh or tropical-leaning fruity florals.

it's a perfect florida summer afternoon, and i'm toeing through the yard in my childhood home. there's only one way to tell if the white and yellow plumeria smell different than the pink and yellow plumeria, and i'll pick as many from their branches as i can before my mom catches me. my fingers are still sticky with their milky, fragrant sap when i go to brush off the dried grass from where i sat in the shade to indulge in the pleasure of freshly bloomed flowers. just...wow. olfactive memory goes crazy with the frangipani notes. hay notes in a straw-hat kinda way. i don't think that i could ever describe a floral amber with citrus as being dainty, but here we are, and i am, frankly, obsessed.

i love, love, LOVE how marissa incorporates heliotrope into her scents, especially this one where it really transports you somewhere warm and carefree and almost seaside tropical- it's almost giving coastal grandmother?? the amber and hay really ground this fragrance and give it an earthy, solid character, but the frangipani brightens up the entire scent profile to bring out the fresh, sweet and green aspects. this worked super well with my skin and dried down to be very creamy and soft, an amazing summer frag to add to the lineup imo!