Journal
When searching for a little indulgence on a daily, may I suggest a little bit of The Best Challah French Toast.
I've known of Mercedes first way back when (around 2015-16!). She seemed like a tough cookie to me from the get-go and with time I got to know her as just that. She is a devout mother, an independent beauty journalist, an intellect with with a PhD in Sociology and damn good taste in music. She is eloquent, strong in her convictions, thorough and insightful. Over the last few formative years she has become a confidant.
Sometimes we meet a woman that sparks a curiosity. She is not easy to read, she is mysterious and attractive in a way that lingers even after she leaves the room. This was my first impression of meeting Alexandra Balahoutis at her intimate Strange Invisible boutique on Abbot Kinney in LA during a Gressa private event. This was about six years ago. Since then, my personal fascination with this wonder of a woman has remained. An aesthete, an artist of fine botanical perfumes, an intellectual of many facets with exquisite taste in literature, which is where she often finds inspiration for her creations. Ladies and ladies, meet today's Woman Wonder, Alexandra.
I first encountered Cortney about 7 (8?!) years ago somehow through a mutual acquaintance. To be honest, the details of our meeting are fuzzy but what I do remember clearly is how drawn I was to her. She seemed otherworldly from how she spoke to her work to how she.. just was. The more I learn about her (we’ve never met in person, not in this lifetime, not yet) the more I adore her. I am honored to have her as our first Woman Wonder. An alchemist, an intuitive, a formulator of gorgeous skin potions, a woman, a mother, sister, wife and a friend.
SWEET DREAMS
Try incorporating this recipe into your evening routine.
Turn on some relaxing music, switch your phone onto flight mode and get cosy for a good nights sleep.
Make this part of your masking ritual by applying Dirty Pretty Things treatment while you sip on this gem before bed.
To set the scene, we need to take a peek back at classical mythology and the Roman god, Hercules, who, as legend goes, founded the city and is represented in landmarks across Seville, such as the Alameda de Hercules square and its surrounding neighborhood. Predating Seville, however, it’s said that one of the 12 labors given to Hercules by Eurystheus, king of Tiryns, was to steal Geryon of Erytheia’s livestock.