OUTFIT DETAILS: Paco Rabbane dress (similar style here) // Clive Christian perfume 

[row][half]

[/half][half]

Earlier this summer, I was introduced to Clive Christian — a brand with deeply rooted British heritage, with none other than Queen Victoria herself as perhaps their first true ambassador (her crown-likeness sits atop each bottle, in fact!).

Their scents — drawing from the ethereally light and floral to the heady and rich, have quickly become some of my favorites; delicious notes that have undeniably punctuated a strange, and at times, blurry year. But that's the thing about memories, isn't it? We spend so much effort romanticizing the good times — crystalizing them in our minds — that we forget the harder ones can be just as pivotal, just as sweet, just as worthy of remembrance. A reminder of what we overcame and how we forged ahead.

A few weeks ago, their team sent me their latest fragrance — Crab Apple Blossom — and I was immediately taken by the blend. Top notes infused with marine bergamot, bitter yuzu, lemon tree and citruswood, balanced with softer, quieter heart notes of neroli and water lily, grounded with just a touch of sandalwood and moss. It's an elusive mix of opposites that I think serves as a fitting ending tribute to this whirlwind of a year. A blend that balances extremes in a beautiful way — the whimsical with the grounded. The bitter with the sweet. The ingénue with the femme fatale. The out of focus with sharp clarity. Take the crab apple itself for instance, arguably one of the most sour apple types around and rarely eaten straight off the tree — but when prepared the right way and paired lovingly with the right ingredients, its counterparts? It sings. Oh, it sings.

[/half][/row]

ONE // Joyscrolling vs. Doomscrolling

Did you know, the average person scrolls through 74 feet of bad news each day? So now, Iceland is helping you scroll through the same distance of positivity and it's positively, well, postive!

TWO // The dangers of toxic positivity

Anddddd on the flip side, when too much positivity becomes a negative thing -- I found this article to be quite interesting. Here's a succinct pull quote:

"When people use or demand positive emotions or optimism in a way that causes people to feel oppressed or disregarded, that's toxic positivity,” Stephanie Preston, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Michigan explains. “It ranges from people actively trying to maintain their own spirits or sticking their heads in the sand, to forcefully preventing others from voicing uncomfortable concerns.” No matter how well meaning, such blind positivity can feel “repressive or invalidating to others,” Preston adds.

THREE // 5 ways to help New York City restaurants this winter

Let's not kid ourselves, this winter is going to be hard, especially for small businesses and restaurants in New York. I found this list to be quite easily actionable -- please pass it on!

FOUR // Paloma Elsesser on the cover of Vogue

I met Paloma once at a party here in New York right after seeing her in Leon Bridges' music video for "Bad, Bad News" and I fan girled, HARD. Such a delight seeing her on the cover of Vogue, where she belongs!

FIVE // Meet Rep. Deb Haaland, Biden's pick for Secretary of the Interior

If confirmed by the Senate, Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico, would be the country's first Native American Cabinet secretary. Read more about here!

SIX // What the vaccine's side effects feel like

The COVID-19 vaccine will make some people feel sick. But they’re not actually sick—that’s the immune system doing its job.

SEVEN // The stories that got us through 2020

Wha a year! I found this roundup to be quite on the nose when it comes to making sense of the strange time warp that was 2020.

EIGHT // 3 things making me smile

Luke Millington-Drake -- i.e. the Keira Knightly guy. Man, 2020 is certainly the year of great impressions, isn't it? // Loved this nighttime photo series from Grece -- definitely felt inspired to try something similar with my photos here. // Looking forward to watching the new film "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" this weekend -- the set and costume design look divine and it's also Chadwick Boseman's final role.

Photos by Allie Provost