Parfums de Marly: Oajan, Lippizan, Kuhuyan reviews!

Parfums de Marly is another one of those fun contemporary fragrance houses that liken to old traditions; as far back as Louis XV’s prestigious horse races, and as front-facing as the MySpace-esque format and music on their web page. But that’s not a knock; the page has a clean, intuitive look, and I appreciate it over the many companies who believe it should be as difficult and stylistic as possible to learn any information on their pages. I do wish the waltz they’re playing didn’t stop so abruptly before starting over.

Anyway, I have heard good things about this brand, and hope to one day also try Herod and Habdan, as well as see their take on women’s fragrances!

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Imaginary Authors: Stories

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Bit of a different format for the reviews today. Since Imaginary Authors is all about stories and evocation, I decided to write a very short story in response to some of their products. I haven’t written nearly any very creative things since I started business school because the place kind of drains me of mental energy, so I’m really glad I was able to get this much out. These stories are based on a vigilante concept that Mr. Chokkattu and I discuss whenever someone who’s a waste of space shows up on the news, and the style is a tiny bit inspired Brandon Sanderson novels (though he does it much, much better.) Hope you enjoy!

Memoires: vanilla, sandalwood, chocolate, myrrh, warmth, woods, spring trees Read More

Warby Parker Home Try-On

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Warby Parker is a NYC-based eyewear brand focused on design and, like some very notable brands (Stella & Dot, Greycork, Casper) aims to cut out the middle man and to provide affordable eyewear that’s convenient to try out, via their home try-on. All of their frames are made with either metal or cellulose acetate, a natural plastic made from purified cellulose (trees, essentially) and all of the designs are created in-house.

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I’m having a pretty good day

I started my new job today. And the hectic craziness that is going to be my life until at least May. And if I have it my way, the rest of my non-retired life will be fairly similar.

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Sleepy train station picture! One transfer, about an hour (more like 40 minutes), all-in-all a decent commute. I don’t start too early, so there isn’t that much of a fight for sitting room which is nice.

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Wix Breakfast: Brand Personality!

Actually called: Wix Breakfast: Life Attracts Life- Give Your Brand a Personality Boost!  IMG_20150114_081015

School’s getting closer, so I decided to retrain myself for it by going to bed ridiculously late and waking up ridiculously early for a lecture! Yay! I found it on Eventbrite while browsing and took a chance.

And I’m really glad I did. It was a really interesting seminar, a little on the short side, full of little tips I would have never thought of, like how important emotional touchstones, big and small (“anything from a big brand experience to a tweet”), are to a customer base. There are tons of examples of these connections with consumers that I can think of. Some smaller gestures include Xbox’s (T, F) and T-Mobile’s (T, F) avid usage of their twitter handles and Facebook support apps to annual events like Krispy Kreme’s Day of the Dozens, Talk Like a Pirate, and National Doughnut Days. Everyone remembers larger political gestures like Oreo’s support for gay pride, to well-established, company-wide policies like Starbucks’ C.A.F.E Practices (they work with Conservation International to keep the farming sustainable) and TOMS Shoes policy of donating a pair of shoes for every pair purchased. All of them work to improve the perception of the brand and endear its consumers to it, while actually decreasing a little of the bad in the world at the same time. And of course, little gestures like that are key for small business owners to create their own communities; Milk Sugar Love’s content on their Facebook page regularly attempts to engage users with questions and relatable expressions.

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Zoologist reviews coming soon!

This picture’s from the company’s Instagram!

Zoologist is a new perfume company started by Victor Wong in 2013 in Toronto. Their aim is to capture the many facets of different wildlife and to turn those facets into something interesting and beautiful. I got this pack over the weekend and am excited to share my thoughts on the scents soon!

I first heard about the line on Reddit, and I’m all for trying out new things :3

According to the website:

“Beaver Eau de Parfum opens with a breath of linden-blossom and fresh air, trailed by a redolent infusion of castoreum and iris. A whisper of vanilla interweaves with earth and smoke. Finally, crisp cedar wood and ash emerge, bathed in warm amber.

Using a base of synthetic beaver musk, also known as castoreum, Zoologist takes a modern approach to a classic ingredient, creating an elegant and subtle unisex perfume perfect for those who adore this powerful scent.”

Panda Eau de Parfum is a fresh green fragrance that combines the delightful scents of bamboo and zisu leaves to send you on an unforgettable aromatic adventure. Your journey begins at a quaint Sichuan pepper farm surrounded by mountain streams and then leads you through a forest of osmanthus flowers as you finally make your way into a cozy garden filled with juicy mandarin trees and blooming lilies. Panda is a scent ensemble that will truly awaken and rejuvenate your senses”

Rhinoceros Eau de Parfum establishes itself with a dry, slightly boozy rum note, like heat shimmering on the still savannah. The air crackles with lavender and sage. A warm breeze carries the scent of leather and rich tobacco. In the distance a rugged, dignified behemoth contemplates the vast expanse while amber, vetiver, smoke and sandalwood drift on the horizon.

This substantial and captivating scent blends the traditionally masculine and high quality notes of  leather*, vetiver, cedar, bergamot and sandalwood with the more mellow rum, tobacco, lavender and agarwood. The result is a musky, well-balanced, enigmatic and alluring accord.”

I’m probably most excited for the Rhinoceros and the Panda. And I can’t wait to spray certain people with it…

11 – Hitchhiker

SM…you crazy.

(but I think I like it.)

I think if I went into it like “Oh, I’m going to listen to acid house/weird trance” or “I’m about to watch something Japanese” I wouldn’t be as confused. But I went into it thinking “SM is a high-earning, conservative, tightly-reined company and would never put out something weir–what is this my fleshy processor is failing what.”