Six Women and Their Signature Scents

Friday, January 31, 2020

After working on the My Favorite Perfumes post, I found the experience of researching and painting perfumes just wet my appetite for more! Aching to learn about and try more beloved perfumes, I decided to ask some of my friends what perfume they consider their signature scent, and what makes it so meaningful to them.

I had such a great time compiling this list and interviewing such incredible people, and this just reaffirms my love for perfume. It's such a meaningful and intensely personal experience! From a fashion designer, to a screenwriter, to a ballerina - here are 5 signature scents as unique and multi-layered as the people that wear them.

DIY Maison Margiela Inspired Lipstick Kiss Print Blouse

Monday, January 27, 2020

I became captivated by this blouse by Maison Margiela (formerly Maison Martin Margiela) from the moment I first saw it. A cotton shirt marked with genuine lipstick prints, which were kissed onto the garment by in house seamstresses - only 7 were made in total. This piece is a romantic dream come true, reminding me of sad romantic poets.

Determined to make my own, first I had to work out how. With a white blouse, if you washed a genuinely kissed garment the red would bleed and feather - ruining the blouse and the lipstick kiss marks! That's when I had the idea to make a stamp based on my own lipstick kisses. Continue reading for how I did it below! Or, if you are more of a video person, watch the video tutorial on Youtube here. If you make this, please let me know, it would make my week! Far from perfect, it's still one of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe.

DIY Vintage Yves Saint Laurent Inspired Floral Bra

Monday, January 20, 2020

Everybody has those runway moments that feel like fashion royalty, and for me, the "wedding" look from Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Spring 1999 is one of them. Picture this, French model Laetitia Casta preens as she descends down the runway, wearing an all floral ensemble designed for her by Yves Saint Laurent himself. Laetitia Casta later would say of their partnership: "We were like two people in the water that stopped each other from drowning. I miss him very much, because you don't have many people like that in your life. One, if you are lucky."

Yves Saint Laurent would retire only three years later, but the effect of the nymph-like, Persephone touched ensemble continues to ripple in the fashion community. I've been obsessed with the look and wanted to recreate it since I first saw it years ago. I decided to save an old bra from its unused fate for a floral makeover in honor of looking forward to Spring! It’s not an exact recreation, but merely taking inspiration from this iconic look. I shared a preview of this piece on twitter back in December (and hinted I was working on it here heheh) and several people requested a how-to, so let's get started!

Favorite Beauty Products of 2019

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Ink black eyeliners, cream to powder lipsticks, gradient blushes and fruit themed eyeshadow palettes - 2019 was a huge year for the beauty industry. Here, I wanted to share what products stood out, and what exactly made them so good! If you have any recommendations you'd like to share, please let me know!

Twenty-Twenty Vision

Monday, January 6, 2020


Welcome to 2020! Last year for NYE, I was on my couch, sick with the flu and absolutely miserable! To make up for last year, I threw together a makeshift "party" by setting up a photo backdrop, dressing up, and doing my makeup in the stereotypically "NYE" way with a glittery, smokey eye. I danced (badly), played charades, drank a little bubbly, and counted down - and then settled down in my Barbie PJs for watching old movies after midnight :')

A bit low-key definitely, but fun nonetheless - and certainly an upgrade from last year! I'm trying to remain hopeful for this year, but it can be difficult. Either way, I'm sending you so much love and thank you for occupying this world with me.

My Favorite Perfumes

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

With a simple spritz of the juice, perfume unlocks powerful memories, enhances atmosphere, clings to experiences, and unfurls different scent narratives. It’s one of my favorite parts of "getting ready" - the mist a finishing touch after picking out your outfit and makeup, helping to establish what kind of person you feel like or want to channel.

As somebody very driven by the idea of capturing a moment, learning that wearing a specific perfume can, in effect, bottle up meaningful moments, sensations - every time you smell it, was a revelation.

I am in no way an expert when it comes to the more technical side of fragrances, but I have such a great admiration and love of perfumes, and wanted to share some of my favorites! While writing this post, I did quite a bit of research on fragrances and the ones I like, and discovered I’m usually drawn towards fruity, warm, and sweet scents.

This experience has made me want to learn even more, so if you have any book or scent recommendations please let me know! I also took another shot at learning how to use watercolors, so I could attempt to accurately portray the translucent perfume bottles. While the paintings definitely aren’t perfect, I really like how they turned out!

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