FRAGRANCE FRIDAYS • NO. 02 SEPT 2026 • FROM THE STUDIO I took a little girls’ getaway to Seattle with my mom over the long weekend. Our only real plans were shopping and eating good food. We found out Sézane had recently opened in U-Village, so obviously we had to go. IYKYK. But we also stopped in a couple of stores where the fragrance in the air was so strong that after about 60 seconds, I genuinely had to leave. Abercrombie & Fitch circa 2005, anyone? Which made me think our...

There’s a shift happening in the world of fragrance... and I’m obsessed with it. For years, fragrance marketing has told us: “Go big! Be bold! Make an entrance! Leave a trail that haunts strangers for hours!!” (Hello, cleaning aisle at Target) Meanwhile, the rest of us are over here like: “Actually I’d like to smell beautiful without knocking out everyone in a 12-foot radius.” Welcome to quiet luxury. It’s the idea that confidence doesn’t have to shout. It doesn’t need a megaphone. It ...

By Lydia, still recovering, still thinking too hard about fragrance. Let’s talk about the word that sends the entire beauty industry into a spiral: clean. If you’ve ever stood in Sephora reading ingredient lists like you’re studying for the bar exam… If you’ve ever wondered whether your perfume is secretly plotting against your hormones… If you’ve ever Googled “is fragrance toxic” at 1AM (hi, hello, it’s me)… Then welcome. You’re in the right place. Because here’s the thing: Most of...