Vyrao Sun Rae Review: goop Editors Are Obsessed

Like a Tinder swiper who messages for too long before meeting in person, I was in love with this scent before I ever smelled it: The exuberant, more-is-more chicness of the bottle was irresistible, and the name, Sun Rae—which evokes so many enchanting things—was even more so. Who doesn’t love a ray of sunshine? Especially when they’re a Leo? And then there’s the legendary Afrofuturist jazz band, the Sun Ra Arkestra.

I don’t know whether the people at Vyrao were thinking of the Sun Ra Arkestra when they came up with Sun Rae, but the association makes sense either way. I met Marshall Allen—the current leader of the Sun Ra Arkestra—at a concert. He sounded incredible, of course, showing up the many assembled jazz greats who were not in their late 90s. While his music was obviously the thing, I found his outfit equally electrifying: a satin sort of bomber jacket paired with a shimmering, paillette-spangled vest depicting a fiery sun, rising or setting depending on your perspective.

Even when it’s your conscious intention to connect with a sense of joy, creativity, and freedom as often as you can, it can be really, really easy to forget about the sunburst-paillette vest inside yourself. This sparkling, glamorous perfume mixes turmeric, cardamom (an aphrodisiac), and vetiver with citrusy bergamot into something that reminds me, every time I spritz it on, of that sunburst-paillette energy. That it lasts all day (I can’t resist sniffing my wrist every hour or so) and comes charged with special crystals is just the icing on a very luxurious cake.