Violette Hay

The Garden Collection - Violette Hay

Marissa Zappas 2020

Sunlit mist. Dewdrops on lace. Jane Eyre in pastel chintz. I wasn’t in love with the first accord – a damp baby wipe ionone akin to L’Eau d’Hiver – but within a minute it turns earthen and green. That olfactory 180 is perhaps one of the most bewitching I’ve encountered. The hay is young, just beginning to yellow. Alfalfa-y? And there’s the most incredible raw suede note, like the underside of a well-worn bridle and reins. Once a horse girl, always a horse girl. Violette Hay is like the outdoor version of Dream Sequence’s greenhouse garden. It has a pensive, spectral quality to it, longevity included. If it stuck around any longer than two hours I'd buy a full bottle just for bedtime.

Mental Snapshot: A morning hack through wildflower meadows. You’re riding a dapple grey cob, with a plaited mane and silvery fetlocks. A unicorn in full tack. She grazes on the dew-stippled rushes, and you drink straight from a whispering stream. Memories of pony club, though a lavender lens.

tl;dr: cottagecore petrichor

if the wrong people find this fragrance, there may be controversy. however, i think a certain type of person gravitates to this type of scent and it’s an instant love for most.

I was initially inspired to try this because of JM’s Poppy & Barley, which smells so lovely on me. It’s a little “girlier” than this fragrance, but I have been exploring new scents inspired by notes from my current favorites. I was very curious about following the barley thread. I’ve also been researching violet scents, so of course, I had to try Violette Hay.

This fragrance is almost like an evil twin…perhaps, more like the “naughty” one to JM’s “nice.” At first sniff, i thought, “this scent is floor sex in the stables, sans manure.” I couldn’t tell if I loved it or hated it.

As it dries down, I like it more and more. The initial spray is such a realistic dusty green hay; I do get nervous when wearing this in public. Again, because I’m sure there are people who will not “get” it. I use a light hand with this one.

Ultimately though, she’s a winner! I started with a decant, and bought a full bottle. I think i have a crush on her. She makes me feel safe and cozy, but silently flirty too. She’s perfect for a cold day, cuddling in the blankets at home, but she’s also fun on a sweaty night out.

After the top notes wear off, the hay becomes almost translucent and in its stead is a feeling: something like a burnt chai latte with cinnamon on top, in rural maine while the wood stove warms aged wooden walls. you’re back from a long day stomping around, too lazy to shower, and ready to lay in bed with your lover. You’re fully embracing the idea of feeling gritty for a while. There’s a pureness to this fragrance that rounds out the scent profile so nicely.

Juicy, wet fruits, not in a sweet way, but a very wet and fresh way. Think Plums bursting with juices. This one is harder for my nose to register, but I’m enjoying it more. The hay reads to me as a dark and dry evening in the proximity of a barn eating fruit. The first time I sprayed it I was not a fan, but now second time around, without reading the notes, I am really enjoying it. I could see me wearing this in the evenings if i’m outdoors.

After reading notes: I am really curious about exploring more coriander. I think I’m starting to understand the carrot seed note more, it reminds me a bit of fennel - dry, earthy and slight woody - but im a big fan. I think that apricot brings in the stone fruit juice.

Violet AND Hay? Why, bust my buttons, count me in! I am entirely new to Marissa Zappas and her work but this is a relatively strong entry for me. I love both violet and hay accords in fragrance, and Zappas does, for the most part, deliver on her word here. This pastoral pleasure includes a carrot seed that adds a certain 'salt of the earth' effect.

My only gripe is that for all its aquarelle beauty, it eludes a bit too soon for my liking—and I am by no means obsessed with performance. It leaves me wanting more: maybe just a bit more density, just a slightly sharper outline to the sweet-grassy scented hay. The apricot and suede pairing does remind me of the ravishing Daim Blond from Serge Lutens, but here they are diaphanous even compared to DB.

Be that as it may, I am open to exploring more from Zappas.

The spicy saffron, carrot seed and suede opening is like a fantasy version of spring in the countryside, then the violets and sweet warm hay comes through. What a gorgeous and unique combination!

I layered this with Ex Nihilo Santal Calling and felt like an 18th-century duchess strolling her estate during haying season. Sadly my skin eats up delicate scents like this and everything but a faint violet candy scent was gone after three hours or so.