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!

Liquid Light in a bottle. This perfume makes me feel happy, not in a giddy way, but a deep grounded kind of joy. It's soft, sensual and subtle; but ever noticeable when you apply it. Just as you would notice the warm sunshine coming out from behind a cloud and onto your skin. I love the scent of frangipani flowers but it is often cloying in perfumes. The Sun Card captures the way they scent the summer air perfectly. This perfume makes me feel grateful for all the good things in life.

this is what i wear when i feel depressed and want to forcefully cheer myself up. the hay note makes me think a bit of sleepaway camp. as the day goes on it gets less citrus and more cozy and amber, which makes it feel like it perfectly aligns as the day goes on, if you put it on in the morning it’ll be it’ll smell morningy and by the afternoon it smells afternoony. this lasted about 8 hours on my skin.

a delicate, tropical floral enlivened by a ghost of a hint of plastic that brings up visceral summer nostalgia. orange, hot pink, and (most of all) creamy golden sandy yellow. it doesn't smell like sunscreen, but it makes you THINK about sunscreen, big hats, and hot sidewalks.

A beautiful and warm floral fragrance; imagine enjoying a champagne picnic in a field during the golden hour—effervescent, with the aroma of wildflowers carried by the gentle breeze, enveloped by dappled sunlight. The imagery this perfume gives is truly splendid.

One of my favorite recent scents. I think the most common thing this scent smells like is baby powder, which is funny because I'm not a fan of baby powder! Mixed with the hay other notes, it manages to smells so warm and summery. A truly "happy" scent. :)

oh I adoreeee this. clean and sunny. a big summer garden filled with citrus and the brightest flowers you can imagine. smells like an award-winning european travel show on pbs, if that makes any sense.

Sun-dried and smiling...making daisy chains sat on the grass. Smells like a silver lining. The whole Garden Collection is soft and warm, but this is my favourite of the three.

I can’t stop smelling myself! Smells super nostalgic, warm, truly sunny. I get a bit of sunscreen, floral notes, and warm hay. A very warm and happy scent.

it smells very similar to beach walk by maison margiela but i'd say it's even better, i'm surprised there's no jasmine in this. love!

Sundress no panties type of vibe!!!

An earnest, angelic, sunshine-yellow floral. Both pollen-y and nectary. One of the happiest scents I've ever smelled – but an artificial happiness, like your Wellbutrin is really kicking in. The heart of The Sun Card is breathy, powdery, and so aggressively innocent you could never get angry at it. The star of the show – the plumeria/frangipani – smells true to life and adds a tropical-toned, creamy sweetness. If you are a member of the ylang-ylang gang, I expect this’ll be a hit. Zappas does a mean hay, but I can’t detect it here. Plays like the G-rated version of Universal Flowering’s Heliotrope Milkbath. Mental Snapshot: A memory box, sun-faded and tender with memories. A handknit baby blanket, dried blooms from a holiday abroad, scented stationery from grade school crushes. You lay in your childhood bed, basking in the afternoon sunshine, drifting back in time. tl;dr: precious petals 🌼😇

I admire how bright and regal this scent is. This and Mimosa Myrrh (in the same Garden collection) feature a darling heliotrope top note, which I'm quickly falling head over heels for (so sweet, powdery and lovely!) The frangipani, orange, and spices mingle well together; cheerful and zesty without being a dead ringer for your average fruity-floral. What prevents this from being a love– sometimes I sniff it a little too closely and the sweet hay starts to remind me of beer, which I enjoy on its own, but usually I don't plan on smelling like it. Other times it's fine, and reminds me of dry California summers. It's surely just a personal problem on my end (maybe its just so summery that it makes me want to crack open a cold one?)

Entirely floral. Pleasant. Almost reminds me of toned-down magnolia? Fades within a few hours. In the context of the tarot, The Sun means an aftermath of simplicity, joy, and beauty following a difficult transformation. It is about seeing everything as holy. "I ceaselessly herald the end of night," to quote Jodorowsky speaking for The Sun. It is in this light that I must agree with others: this fragrance is simple. But perhaps we mean something different by that. I have put on a bit from my tester when I need this simple joy, as the days shorten and chill. It is moderately effective.

Soft, creamy, and light. I get an almost honeyed floral scent with soft dried greens in the back (likely the hay note). The nectar of the Frangipani is the main thing I smell, though it isn't cloying or nauseating as it sometimes can be for me. Florals to the front, it reminds me heavily of my mother. Not only because it is reminiscent of the perfumes she enjoys, simple and sweet, but her bright and calming demeanor. I certainly won't be buying a full bottle, however I'll be keeping my sample for when I need a comforting and soft scent to brighten my day.

I’m thoroughly in my floral era, and the more I sample the more I realize that I adore a tropical bloom. This is all lush frangipani and hay with heliotrope at the open and a touch of powdery amber in the drydown. Unabashedly summery but without those typical notes I used to asociate with summer perfumes like citrus and coconut. Though delightful, it doesn’t have the best lasting power and stays pretty close to the skin. The brief time with it I do get is lovely though if not simple.