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There are some objects that stop being objects. They become something else entirely —a feeling, a memory, a tether. This vase is that for me. A row of delicate glass tubes held in a simple gold frame — elegant, understated, timeless. Quintessentially my mom. It lived at the center of her dining table for years, catching light, catching petals, catching moments. Now it lives in my home. On my sideboard. In the shifting light of east- and south-facing windows. And every time I

Seven Iris Scents, One Grief Journey, and the Quiet Ways Scent Keeps Us Connected I’ve been spending time with iris again—the flower, the note, and the man who unexpectedly led me to it.

These days I am feeling rather vanilla, in fragrance and in mood. There’s a quietness to me lately — a soft, muted version of myself. I’ve been calling it feeling very vanilla.  Not boring, not bland… just simple. Quiet and subdued. The fragrance equivalent of sitting in your own silence. It’s that feeling when your routines become pared down to the essentials, when “good enough” becomes the goal, when your mind doesn’t want fireworks, it wants familiarity. I guess I have van

The scent that met me where memory and modernity collide. It’s everything I needed it to be. My Karkey, The Duchess A few weeks ago I walked into the department store the other day fully prepared to buy Guerlain’s iconic Shalimar . My grandmother’s signature scent. A fragrance woven into some of my earliest sensory memories. I could practically see her vanity — her powders, her cold creams, the soft clatter of her gold charm bracelet — and that emblematic bottle of Shalimar t

Grief has a funny way of showing up in unexpected places. For me, lately, it’s been showing up in scent. I can’t take credit for the title — Mon Thoughts on Mon Guerlain  — I read it somewhere, but I loved the scent-iment 😉. And honestly, it fits this story perfectly. I was in a department store the other day, planning to buy Guerlain’s Shalimar.  Not because I adore the scent, but because it’s iconic — and because it reminds me of my Karkey. Yes, you read that correctly. K

The last few weeks have been a blur and I am just now coming up for air. In my fog of returning home I was opening packages and this gorgeous Deluxe Box Set from DS & DURGA had arrived as a gift. 🙏 What a beautiful surprise to unbox at a time where I was feeling so low. Exploring these miniature perfumes was just the distraction my grief needed in that moment. A standout for me was Radio Bombay - the way it burst into my senses with its woodsy, iris and creamy coconut textu

11/03/2012 I remember this moment like it was yesterday. Right before the doors opened and you began walking me down the aisle- it was just you and me inside the church vestibule. We were giggling with nervous energy and you were saying “this really should be your father”, literally right up until the moment you handed me off to Pops, you questioned if you belonged there. GeeGee, you were my father too. That’s why you did stand in that tiny church vestibule with me. For nearl

The darkest part of grief isn’t always the moment someone dies…it’s what happens after. Since my stepdad took his final breath on October 22nd, I haven’t felt anything. I haven’t wanted to feel. I still don’t. But that silence inside me isn’t sustainable. I have children. A spouse. A business. Commitments that don’t wait for grief.

I did not  want to like this serum and supplement combo. I mean, I was excited to try it — I’m a Martha Stewart fan (obviously) — but I was perfectly happy with my current skincare routine. And now, Elm Biosciences has gone and messed me up… in the best possible way. If you know anything about me, you know skincare is my love language (the other being perfume). I consider myself a skincare enthusiast — not one to chase hype or fill my cart at Sephora. So when I heard Martha h

Perfumehead: LA LA LOVE Scent Profile:  Gourmand / Ambery Key Notes:  Vanilla Absolute · Smoked Amber · Cognac · Saffron Randy Newman nailed it back in 1983 — “I love L.A.” Even though it would be another 15 years before I lived there, I can still say it now: I love L.A. — always have, always will. When I first learned about Perfumehead , a luxury fragrance house born in Los Angeles and dedicated to exploring what founder Daniel Patrick Giles calls “The Osmocosm”  (osmo: smel

One Umbrella for Two bursts to life with the nutty aroma of Puffed Rice Accord and Genmaicha. I wasn’t familiar at first with this Japanese brown rice tea, but the popping, roasted warmth hit my senses immediately — almost too much at first — and then softened as the sweet, tart blackcurrant stepped forward.

Scent, like us, changes with mood, time, temperature, and tenderness. And if there’s one fragrance note that feels like home  to me, it’s...

A story about timing, memory, and the ways love shows up when we least expect it. Sometimes the universe leads you into exactly the right place, at exactly the right time — even if you think you’re just killing time before an event.

Between flights, family, and fibro flare ups — I’ve learned to lower the commitment bar and raise the self-care. Wellness doesn’t have to look pretty and include pampering; sometimes it’s a neck pillow and a refillable water bottle at gate B6.

What if we welcomed grief like a soft, oversized sweatshirt instead of pushing it away? What if we wore it openly — in words, in tears over coffee, in laughter while telling old stories — instead of tucking it into the shadows?

Ah, the eternal skincare debate: are facial toners really worth it? Are they good for your skin? Just clever marketing? Or a totally unnecessary extra step?

Summer may be (almost) over, but my scents are still stuck in July. Anyone else having trouble letting go of the smell of coconut,...

Grief is part of my DNA. It's not just something that happened to me - it's how I became Sooo Human.

Every successful operation needs the right team… mine just happens to work under my eyes. Like any great team, it’s not about having a deep roster — it’s about having the right roles filled. Each member contributes to the overall function and health of the team… and my skin.

Not all Vitamin C serums are created equal