If you’ve been reading here for a while, you know how much I love a gourmand fragrance. If it smells good enough to eat, it’s for me! I don’t want my scent to be too sweet, but a complicated gourmand like Annabel’s Birthday Cake by Marissa Zappas is right up my alley. It’s delicious, a little bit joyful, and completely addictive. It’s also probably the scent I get the most compliments on, as it smells so yummy but is also totally unique.
Annabel’s Birthday Cake
I first discovered the brand through a friend who is much cooler than I am and always has a pulse on the niche perfume world. She described this scent as “birthday cake, but make it vintage.” I was intrigued. Then I smelled it and quickly became obsessed.
It smells exactly like its name, but with depth. Think: warm vanilla frosting, yellow cake fresh out of the oven, a whisper of almond, and something floral that keeps it from going full cupcake. It’s cozy, nostalgic, and just the right amount of sweet. And it lingers on the skin in the loveliest way. I am not someone who gets asked about their fragrance very often, but every time I wear it, someone asks what it is.
What makes it even better is the story behind the brand.
Marissa Zappas is a poet-turned-perfumer who creates fragrance the way an artist paints or writes—each scent is a little universe, steeped in story and intentionality. Her line feels like something you’d discover on a trip to Paris or tucked away in a little shop in Brooklyn. There’s this romantic, slightly eccentric air to everything she makes, and I love that. It’s also worth noting that she worked at Givaudan, where she was an apprentice to master perfumer Olivier Gillotin.
Zappas regularly collaborates with writers and fellow artists, and she actually created this one with Astrologer Annabel Gat. Says Gat of the collaboration: “My favorite thing about perfume is how transportive it is. We can shift our state of mind or our mood by enjoying scent, I think it’s so magical. With Annabel’s Birthday Cake, my goal with Marissa Zappas was for people to enjoy a perfume that would transport them some place fun and carefree. I think we achieved that!” -Annabel Gat
If you’re looking for a fragrance that feels playful but grown-up, this one is a must. It’s become one of those “just for me” things I wear even when I have nowhere to go. I’ll spritz it on, just hanging at home, simply because it makes me happy.
You can find it here! If you end up trying it, let me know. I’ve gotten several girlfriends into it, and I’d love to hear what you think!
See more of my fragrance favorites here.
