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Intrigued by the science behind scents from a young age, Persephenie Lea found her foray into the beauty world a natural one. Starting with a love of incense (and a love of creating her own), the Persephenie brand founder quickly expanded her interests to include lotions, face oils, and even candies. Now, the carefully crafted line has grown to include dozens of handcrafted products, each therapeutic in their own way. Floral arrangements by Jennifer Erlys Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and where you live? I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I left home when I was 17 and lived a traveler's artist life: moving up and down California, doing a short stint in Vermont, and then traveling overseas. I came back to Los Angeles when I was 26, traveled some more, and finally sunk my roots back in LA after my son was born. Los Angeles is my home. I work in different mediums and have always thought of myself as an artist. I fell hard in love with the olfactory arts after a nine week adventure through India in 1999. Incense ritual in India pointed me towards incense, and eventually Aromatherapy, body care, and perfumery. What is your background in aromatics? In the beginning I opened my space as a painting studio. As I became more determined to understand the olfactory arts, I hosted workshops with great teachers who taught everything from aromatherapy, perfumery, soap making, emulsions, and even food workshops. I collected books, read obsessively online, experimented, and I held perfume shows showcasing artisan perfumers and their wares. It was an explosive learning period for me. I began to make custom scents for friends. I learned most during hands-on projects, teaching, and experimenting with custom scents for other people. I still learn a great deal from custom scenting. Clients often bring me in directions I would not naturally go and I appreciate the experience and challenge. I also went to aromatherapy school and studied the therapeutic, medicinal, and chemistry aspects of essential oils. The Jade Camellia Body Balm, made with camellia oil, sunflower oil and beeswax How did you start your business and begin making your own products? After working with other brands and talented people in the olfactory world, and making lots of experiments myself, creating a signature line and carving an identity for myself felt like the next step. My brand started with body care which I love using. My heart and eyes were in the product more than the business side, so in the beginning I hyper focused on the ingredients, formulas, and scent. Learning about packaging, marketing, and branding came later. What type of products did you start out with? The first products I experimented with were incense, therapeutic oil blends, and body care. Perfumery came later. I made a lot of muddy perfumes before I felt like I had control. Any specific perfumes or products you tried in the beginning that didn’t work out as well as you hoped? I'd say everything I started with in the beginning felt like it needed work. Although I was taking workshops, surrounded by talented perfumers, reading, and collecting materials, actually making something on my own accord was tough. Stabilizing emulsions was incredibly challenging. I'm not formally trained, so I had to research and fumble a lot before I felt like I understood what I was doing. I'm so much better equipped now, but still with each new project there are new challenges to solve, disappointments, and the persistence to push further and make things as best as they can be. The Neroli Infusion Body Oil, made with neroli flowers, coconut oil, and sunflower oil Where do you source your ingredients from? My ingredients come from all over the world. Part of the fun in my perfumed world is finding great resources, meeting new materials, understanding who harvested the plants, what part of the world they came from, and how whey were extracted. Can you tell us a little bit about how you create each product and scent? Instead of following one scent or product theme, you can follow my nose and travelers spirit through my scents and the type of product I make. My raw ingredients and essences come from all over the world and that diversity is carried throughout the line. Influence from Pacific Island lei flowers to the Far East and grass roots medicine, incense ritual, and old world apothecaries direct the passion behind each product and the entire line. I like to think of my brand as an olfactory wandering through many parts of the world. What do you hope everyone gets out of your products? It feels wonderful when people really enjoy using my product. I want people to feel good when experiencing my brand. Witnessing people’s excitement with the varied products is rewarding because I know how primal and powerful scent can be. The Rose Paka Healing Restorative Butter, made with coconut oil, aloe vera and rose hydrosol What made you decide to start making candies as well? The concept of old world apothecaries, where the master perfumer makes everything from medicines and perfume, to incense and candies has always been compelling for me. Plus, the idea of perfume through taste, which is more common in the East, was too alluring for me not to try. Watching peoples' faces light up when they first discover my perfumed candies is incredible. The candies are made in small batches and are cut on marble slabs like the old candy makers used to use. What do you think is in the future for Persephenie? Growing my face care line and expanding my perfume is a future goal. I also make and design jewelry, and I love to paint. I see myself incorporating a small jewelry line into the brand. I will always paint for the love of it, whether as part of my brand or just something I enjoy doing whenever I can. What’s one piece of business advice you’ve held onto over the years? From one artist to another, when you start a business combining what you love to do and creating an income from it, make a business plan. It's equally important. Stick to your heart, be willing to fail, and persist. There's a great speech that I fell in love with in my early twenties by Calvin Coolidge: 'Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent'. What’s one piece of beauty advice you’ve held onto over the years? The work it takes to feel good spiritually, mentally, and physically is worth it. Beauty follows naturally. Shop Persephenie

If you’ve spent any time on Instagram lately (or any fashion blogger’s site), chances are you’ve seen a pair of Quay sunglasses, whether you realized it or not. The innovative brand started small in 2004, mainly being sold roadside at festivals. The quirky designs left their mark, though, and now the brand’s sunglasses are sold at over 2000 retailers nationwide and sell out consistently across the web. Earlier this month, we caught up with Allen, Linda, and Zak Hammond, the team (and family!) behind the brand, at their Melbourne office to talk design, their crazy popularity, and what’s next for the innovative company. Lead photo by Alyssa Amelia Photo via @quayaustralia You've been designing sunglasses since 2004. Can you tell us a little bit about the beginning of your company? Quay was started out of our passion for music; we simply headed to events and sold a small range of our sunnies for extra income, and to enjoy live bands. What was your production and design process like in the beginning vs. now? I guess in the beginning we just started designing from gut instinct. If we saw a vintage frame we would try to write notes beside them with things like “change this, add that, remove that.” [That's how it was] until Zak taught himself how to draw frames. He began to add them to illustrator and CAD and created a visual representation to produce original frames. Photos via @quayaustralia All of your designs are so unique. What does a typical design brainstorming session look like for you guys? The three family members [Allen, Linda and Zak] all play a part in the design process of each frame. Let me say we don’t always agree... just like any family of three. We have a policy that 2 outvotes 1 when we can’t agree on color/finishes. For inspiration, we pull from life experience/travel and the day-to-day scenes on the streets of Melbourne, and quite often our brainstorming sessions can happen in the strangest places. You guys have a crazy cult following! What kind of influence do you think social media had on that following? I would say it is a huge part of the Quay following, and what most people don’t know is that I [Linda] run the page myself and like/comment on posts that are shared on a daily basis. I run the page alone, and all post comments are from the heart! I chose to keep running the page, because I want to keep in touch with the reason we started Quay, and I want to see people smile no matter where they are in the world. I look and love each and every selfie that is shared, and I get such a buzz seeing where in the world Quay is being worn. Speaking of selfies, you also have a lot of celebrities who wear your glasses. Were there any people you’ve spotted in your sunglasses that totally surprised you? To be honest, every celebrity spotted in Quay is a surprise for us. We never imagined when we started that such high profile people would be spotted in our sunnies. Photo by Alyssa Amelia Photo via @quayaustralia When did you first realize that people were really starting to respond to your sunglasses? Funny story! We were in Tokyo back in 2008 and we had a guy walk past us in a large, leopard print style we had designed for girls. That’s when we knew people were taking notice of Quay. Are there any recent styles that sold out way quicker than you anticipated? There are actually quite a few that constantly sell out a lot quicker than we expect. For example, Fleur, My Girl, and our new design China Doll always sell out. What style or “look” is currently the most popular? I would definitely say the contrast of a solid frame with a mirrored lens is very popular right now as I think you can play it safe but be a little adventurous at the same time. My Girl is another popular style. With that one, we played with and pushed conventional cat eye with a high revo mirrored lens. It has such a following! Each time it's online our website crashes and our retail partners generally sell out within hours of putting it online. Photo via @quayaustralia Photo by Alyssa Amelia You now have offices in Australia and LA. What are your favorite parts about each city? Our favorite part of LA has to be the weather. Like, seriously, 364 days a year it's sunny and hot (minus the one day a year it rains). For Melbourne it would have to be the laid-back culture we have. Melbourne is quite artsy, and with the downtown LA resurgence, we feel quite at home. Street art and great coffee is very common around Melbourne, much like Downtown LA. Be honest: How many pairs of sunglasses does everyone in the office have and wear on a daily basis? This is a hard question to answer. It varies on a daily basis. I would have to say Megan from our Melbourne office is the Quay addict. She now has two display stands at home to house her growing collection. Last count she had 52! What’s next for Quay? Sky's the limit! We are currently working on a new collaboration for 2016, so stay tuned! Shop Quay

Hailed by some as the one of the most influential streetwear brands of all time and the creator of the graphic tee, Stüssy has been one of the leading forces in bringing fashion to the people, by the people for over 30 years. Hugely important in so many different worlds from hip hip to skaters, club kids to surfers, the brand's staying power speaks for itself. But it didn't start out that way — inspired to take a closer look at Stussy's history, we're sharing some cool graphics from their archive of '80s and '90s ads as well as putting together a quick hits timeline of how their story has evolved but they've managed to stay relevant after all these years.  1980: Shawn Stussy didn't intend to create an entire industry: he started out as a surfboard shaper in California who just wanted to sell some boards. As an experiment, he starts screenprinting his name in graffiti-style lettering as a form of promotion (the design of the logo was inspired by his uncle's signature, the artist Jan Stussy). Stussy continues to rework the year 1980 as a theme into its clothes and branding — check out a UO example here. 1984: Stussy expands to shirts, and his clothing and the logo begin to build traction within the California surf community. In fact, the shirts are more popular than the boards. From there, he dives headfirst into designing and selling a first full line of workwear-inspired, basics-focused clothes that are the complete opposite of the loud, print-heavy surf trends of the time.  1986-1989: With a cult California following, Stussy was growing at a time when youth-driven style was shifting more toward alt-culture and 'streetwear,' pieces you could wear during the day and keep wearing for a night out. The rest of the late 80s saw some of the most iconic Stussy imagery come to life, drawing from a mix of music, pop culture, and riffing on mainstream trends. With hip-hop culture being big on luxury brands, Stussy decided to mimic them by mixing their logos with Stussy, resulting in their  SS link logo. This is also when they came out with their fashion caps, which completely changed the way that caps—formerly only sports accessories— were regarded. The 'S' logo hat went on to become the bestselling Stussy item of the 1980s. 1991: In '91, the first Stussy boutique in downtown Manhattan opens. Around this time, youth culture was moving toward a DIY mentality, from the emergence of hip-hop to the booming skate culture. Stussy was emerging at the right place in the right time, and the NYC boutique helped the brand become part of — and have its own influence on — a much bigger movement. Stussy did very little marketing, instead letting customers advertise their clothing. They were also sold at very limited stores around the country: it was the perfect balance between accessibility and exclusivity.   1990s: The birth of 'The International Stüssy Tribe' — a brand-founded collection of individuals all over the world collaborating to endorse the brand through their own attitudes and beliefs. As Stussy grew, it was influenced by musicians, artists, DJ's, skaters, and trendsetters from all over the world, and the aesthetics and designs used in the graphics continued to reference underground subcultures speaking to the place where these worlds collide.  1997: Stussy participates in its first collaboration, a G-Shock watch with Casio. Since then, collaboration has been a huge part of the brand's identity, from exclusive footwear with Dr. Martens, Nike, and Vans to denim apparel with Levi's. Aside from brand collaborations, Stussy keeps close to its roots with music and art by working with artists to bring frequent exclusive artist series collections. Over the years they have worked with the likes of illustrator Will Sweeney, artist James Gallagher, musician Curtis Mayfield, and Japanese artist Keiichi Tanaami to name a few recent ones. 1999: Skate culture is just taking off in Europe and Japan, and Stussy was one of the leading brands during this movement. Stussy goes deeper into the skating culture and sponsors its own team of skaters. A skate tour was created, hitting London and Tokyo with skaters like Scott Johnson, Richard Mulder, and Danny Montoya. 2001: The limited edition sneaker culture is born — With Nike taking a big interest in street and skate culture in the early 2000s, and Stussy's closeness to the streets already, the two teamed up to make an exclusive Nike Dunk sneaker. The 5,000 pairs they made sold out in days and Stussy was able to emerge with limited edition collabs and newly-born 'sneakerhead,' obsessive shoe collecting culture. 2002-Present: Stussy has seen a big turnaround in the past decade. Countless limited edition collaborations recharge Stussy clothing with the exclusivity they experienced back in the 80s and 90s, and the resurgence of 90's fashion has played a part as well. The Stussy mindset and work ethic have sparked hundreds of smaller labels to follow in the years since it began—graphics-driven workwear elevated to be worn as fashion statements. Stussy has gone on to open 58 more brand stores since its first back in 1991 and is still a top player in the streetwear scene today with almost all of the current players offering up admissions that Stussy was and still is their biggest influence.  For more on the rich history of Stussy, we recommend checking out Complex's two-part oral history with the founders, this BBC mini-documentary, and a long browse through Stussy's own digital features Shop Stussy

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Cruelty-free and all-natural,  RE:P has a cult following in Korea for the high-quality ingredients they use in formulas that are ideal for sensitive skin. They also all smell amazing — delicately botanical and clean. Read on to learn more about the Re:P products we have in rotation now, and see how we we’re using them.  Step one: Gentle Face Cleaning Remover Pads Key ingredients: Rose, jojoba, tea tree, and rosemary What it does: Cleans off the makeup and dirt of the day without stripping your skin of the moisture it needs.  Step two (or when you’re on-the-go): Organic Cotton Treatment Toning Pad Key ingredients: Calendula, chamomile, and lavender What it does: It’s all about pH balance with these toning wipes. Swipe across a clean  face across the T and U-zones for irritation-free hydration. This is the ideal option if you have sensitive or dry skin, and each side of the pads is textured differently to serve a different purpose: one side is more threaded for exfoliating and removing dead skin, the second smooth for deep cleaning. We love these in our gym bag or when we’re refreshing our makeup to go out for the night. Step three: Nutrinature Ultra All-In-One Multitem Key ingredients: Lotus seed, rosehips, avocado, and olive What it does: We love anything multipurpose, and this lives up to its name. It really is a jack-of-all trades when it comes to skincare, toning and bringing the oil-to-water ratio of your complexion into balance. Pat it into dry skin post-cleansing to get the best results. Step four: Nutrinature Ultra All-Night Moisture + Relief Mask Key ingredients: Lemon balm, basil, tea tree, apple mint, and olive What it does: Cap off your nightly skincare routine with this mask, which is formulated to quench your skin’s thirst and ad din intense moisture (while also being super antiseptic from the tea tree and lemon balm). Put on the mask, go to sleep, and wake up dewy. Win-win.  Shop Re:P

A family-run business, haircare brand Renpure focuses on providing the best natural options possible for keeping hair healthy. We chat to the founder about how each product works and how they keep it innovative. Photos by Jacqueline Harriet A family owned business, Renpure was started to create the best hair products on the market, and ones without harmful ingredients. 'We’re a family owned and operated business guided by two principles,' marketing director John Redmond tells us. '[We] create the best products we can possibly make, and treat every single customer like family. This is what drives our brand forward, and inspires our family to continue innovating and creating the best possible hair care solutions for you. We will never skimp on our ingredients, and we will always listen to our customers.' On top of listening to the needs of their customers, Renpure prides itself on sourcing ingredients in an ethical way in order to provide their customers with the best possible products. While the brand sources their ingredients from around the world, they spend time researching each supplier and make sure they know exactly where their ingredients are coming from. Even their design process is very hands-on. 'Product ideation happens every single day here. My dad’s favorite job is conceptualizing product ideas,' John tells us. 'There are zillions of hand-drawn bottles all over his office with different shapes, sizes, and names. On Mondays, he talks with our graphic artist Richie about his ideas so that Richie can digitally render these concepts using his own creative-twist on the idea. Afterwards, our whole office looks over all the renderings and votes on our favorites. Once we’re done with that we talk with our formulators who then start making batches of the product for us all to all try out. From that point on we continue to tweak the product from packaging to formula until we’ve all decided that the product is perfect and ready for customers to try out.' One of the main ingredients that Renpure likes to use? Coconut. Claiming it as one of your hair's best friends, Renpure sources their coconut from Asia. '[Coconut is] packed with a ton of vitamins and oils that work naturally to restore your hair,' says John, 'which results in incredibly soft, hydrated, and smooth locks.' Another main player in the Renpure line is Lavender. It's great at keeping hair healthy because it has oils that soothe and replenish hair with vital minerals that keep your hair smelling great and looking healthy. 'The ingredients that we select to use in our products need to meet our strict moral and philosophical, safety, and performance standards before they’re considered to be used in our formulas,' John explains. If you're looking to jump into the Renpure line but you're unsure where to start, think about what hair problems you currently have that you'd like to focus on. If you have dry hair that is seriously lacking moisture, and most shampoos only seem to make it worse, than using Renpure's Coconut Creme Cowash Cleansing Conditioner will give your hair the boost of moisture it needs while still cleaning hair without stripping it (the beauty of a cowash). For an after-shower hair treatment that helps restore shine, the cruelty-free Coconut Oil Renewing Dry Oil is something a little more flexible than regular coconut oil because it can be left in damp (or dry) hair without having to wash it out. The result after using is good-smelling, frizz-free hair. Recommended products: Renpure's Coconut Creme Cowash Cleansing Conditioner - a non-foaming cleansing conditioner meant to take the place of your shampoo and conditioner; ideal for dry hair Renpure's Coconut Oil Renewing Dry Oil - a coconut-based dry oil to be used on damp or dry hair; ideal for people who are on-the-go Renpure's Coconut Creme Deep Treatment Masque - for seriously dehydrated hair; leave on for 5 minutes and rinse out Renpure's Coconut Water Replenishing Treatment Mist - an easy after-shower treatment for overly dry hair; simply spritz onto damp hair and style as usual To see more from Renpure, follow them on Instagram Shop Renpure

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Creating unique scents is Goest's specialty: the minimalist LA fragrance line founded by Jacqueline Steele focuses on creating refined perfumes that are designed and expertly-blended to be subtly complex. Steele intentionally keeps her line small and concise (opting for quality over quantity!) to offer a tightly-edited variety of fragrances that some of our new go-tos. Our favorite so far? The summery Lartigue: with hints of woods, peach, and citrus, it's the smoky, slightly sweet fragrance we've been craving. To learn more about the ingredients, process, and interdisciplinary inspiration that goes into each bottle (Jacqueline references everything from JD Salinger to Marie Antoinette in the scents’ development), we visited her LA perfume studio... and it’s safe to say we smell amazing now. Learn more about how the young entrepreneur got her start and what goes into making Goest so unique. Photos by Mercedes Esquivel How did you first become interested in perfume? I've always been interested in scents and [was always] particular about them. There were a lot of scents in the world that I really loved but not a lot of perfumes I even liked. I always wanted to find a perfume that actually smelled good, which for some reason was hard. At the time I was looking in the wrong places (mainstream cosmetic department stores). When I started poking around in the world of niche perfumery, I was only a potential buyer – that quest, however, quickly turned into an academic project, which then turned into a personal craft. When did you go from buyer to creator and start making your own perfume? After I got out of school I was also fresh off a research project learning about the aesthetic differences between modern and classic fragrances. For that I was living in Paris and Grasse, France, and going to schools, workshops, libraries, and archives, soaking it all up like a sponge. I quickly realized I could think in the language of scent more than the average person and it was an easy obsession. I learned the basics of construction from others, but the rest I fleshed out with many hundreds of hours learning the materials. What is your process like for creating a perfume from start to finish? It differs from one scent to another. If you're working for a client or you start with your own creative brief, you're using a top-down approach where you have a concept and you have to try to satisfy that. That starting point could be as specific as “the smell of crushed desert sage underfoot at 6am in the Carrizo Plains when the dew is still clinging to the air” or as abstract as “the scent of remembering how comforting warm towels were out of the dryer when you were a kid” or “the smell of a flower without any particular living flower in it.' Other times I'll encounter a material that I love and that sends my imagination off and makes me really, really want to use it – it's harder to describe what's happening internally in that case. I usually follow my nose. For people who may not know, can you tell us a little bit about top notes/base notes? Calling something a top, middle, or base note is basically descriptive of how long that particular note lasts. A top note is something fleeting that's only present right out of the bottle for a few minutes on the skin and then they're totally gone. Citrus notes are usually like this. Middle (or “heart”) notes last a few hours – these are usually herbs and florals. And base notes are what you'll smell on your clothes the day after you've applied perfume. These are the notes that really define the perfume as a whole. If you don't like the base notes, you won't like the perfume, since they are the undertone present throughout. This is also why some perfumes seem to take a while to actually “smell good” – if that happens, you probably like the base notes but not the top notes. Can you also tell us a bit about how you come up with your particular scent ideas? They’re a little different than traditional perfumes. Some of them are scents I've encountered in life and remembered. Those are sometimes emotional memories and not just attempts to recreate the exact scent – Realism is like that, related to an emotional memory of the forest and river I used to pretend to run away to when I was a kid that I tried to universalize. Others are purely imaginary – Dauphine, for example, is an imagined impression of what Marie Antoinette's actual dressing room and person would have smelled like, but not the perfume she wore – expensive soap, rosewater, clean skin and clean linens, all incredibly luxurious but exalted, innocent, and light. Sort of a story of innocence before descent into excess, which is the Marie Antoinette myth. In every perfume I do, however, there's one thing that's always present – that's the smell of people, real or imagined. And these wear lighter than traditional perfumes as well. Can you tell us the purpose of that? Are they meant to be reapplied throughout the day? The lightness is related to the philosophy that a perfume should be relatively quiet and always mix with your natural scent. Reapplication is an option – however, even though a lot of the perfumes seem to fade away, they really don't. Other people can still smell them on you, but you're just used to it and your smell has already blended with it. It's the phenomenon where people think you smell good naturally, not that you're wearing a bunch of perfume. What scents always remind you of a specific memory? Chives remind me of the one task, other than stirring the pot, that my mom would give me in the kitchen when I was around five years old and wanted to help her cook – going to cut chives from the garden with the big kitchen shears. I felt very independent and helpful cutting those chives. What kind of perfume do you like to wear yourself? When I'm working, I don't wear any. I have to have as little ambient smell around me as possible when I'm working on something new. When I'm not, I usually wear Realism or Grand Tour. If I'm camping, I stand near a smoky campfire and “wear” that around for the next day or so. What about in high school? Was there a particular scent you loved? I used to love Prada EDP, the amber-patchouli one. Dolly Girl by Anna Sui also immediately zips me back to high school. And more than anything, the smell of chlorine, since I was on the swim team for all four years of high school and I personally smelled like that more than anything else. Anyone who sat next to a swimmer in class can tell you that. I love that smell now. Any “holy grail” perfumes you’ve loved over the years? Bulgari Black is great. And the Calamus scent by Comme Des Garcons – like freshly cut stems but very gentle and beautiful and real. Also Aveda shampoo is strong enough to give a huge, allover smell impression after you use it. Do you have any ideas for a new perfume that you just haven’t been able to perfect yet? The real smell of freshly baked bread is the one of the holy quests of perfumery – what smells better than that? Talk about getting someone to crave you. Shop Goest Perfumes

Started by friends Trudy Gripton and Penny Dillon, Biyani Organics is a Sydney-based beauty brand that focuses on bringing only the best ingredients to a multitude of cleansing oils, bar soaps, and face serums. Here, we take a look at what goes into the creation of each all-natural product and the benefits of going 100% natural. Photos by Jennifer Erlys Where are you guys from? What kind of things have inspired you there? Penny and I live in, what we believe to be, one of the most idyllic and beautiful places in Australia. Stanwell Park is a small seaside village that is just an hour from Sydney but has the feeling of a secluded haven. We have the sea on one side, the Royal National Park on another and an escarpment that embraces the village with a subtropical rainforest 'amphitheatre.' Our beach is spectacular with high cliffs, clear water and a beautiful rock formation known as The Pinnacles. You can be swimming and watching the hang gliders above. Stanwell Park is famous for being the birthplace of flight! What are your backgrounds in beauty products/skincare? Can you tell us a little bit about the start of the brand? I began making soap about 15 years ago after my daughter was born eleven weeks early with a rare and really quite serious skin condition. Doctors prescribed soap-free products that were full of ingredients that I couldn’t even pronounce – I had no idea what chemicals were going onto my daughter’s skin! As most stories like this go, once friends and family tried my soap, they all wanted to buy it. My interest in natural skincare grew from here even further. I began experimenting with different recipes and trialling products on friends. So, basically I’m self taught! I have a huge collection of books that I’m always referring to and the number of hours I’ve spent researching and reading about natural skincare couldn’t be counted – this is what I do for relaxation and enjoyment! Penny has also had her fair share of skin problems. She began developing reactions to the products she was using and looked into the ingredients they contained – again, they were full of harmful chemicals. So, Penny decided to only use natural products and, due to the difficulties she had in sourcing quality natural and organic skincare products, she began making her own creams, balms and serums. Really when Penny and I decided to start Biyàni Organics, we were just meeting a demand in our community. We both had so many friends and family purchasing our soaps and creams that we decided we might as well start our own little business. What are some of your favorite ingredients to use? There are so many beautiful ingredients and we’re always discovering more! Some favorites at the moment, however, are: 1.) Sandalwood Essential Oil. You’ll find this in our Body Oil and Beard Oil. Sandalwood Oil balances and softens the skin and is beneficial to ageing and dehydrated skin. Our Australian Sandalwood is Indigenous Certified and is sourced in the wild by Aboriginal harvesters who are paid an additional royalty on the oil sold from their wood. 2.) Macadamia Oil. We love this in our body oil! It’s also in our Face Cleanser and Beard Oil. Our Macadamia Oil is sourced here in Australia. It is rich in Omega 9, 6 and 3, Vitamin A and Vitamin E making it a nourishing oil wonderful for regenerating and moisturizing the skin. It is also high in Palmitoleic Acid which is found naturally in the skin’s sebum and has been found to slow the rate at which our skin matures. 3.) Shea Butter. This is an important ingredient in all our soaps. A large percentage of shea butter does not react in the soapmaking process and, therefore, remains in the soap to nourish your skin. We use 20% organic, fair-traded, unrefined shea butter in our soap formulations which is what makes our bars extremely gentle on skin – so gentle, in fact, that you can use them daily on your face. Where do you source your ingredients? We source our ingredients from ethical, fair trade businesses and we support as many local Australian businesses as we can by sourcing our ingredients from them. Can you break down two of your products for us and tell us about the benefits of the main ingredients and what the product does? Sandalwood and Macadamia Body Oil Blended with a calming mix of essential oils, this highly nourishing oil is absorbed quickly to protect and repair the skin without feeling greasy. It is rich in essential fatty acids vitamins A, B and E it leaves the skin feeling supple and hydrated. Key Ingredients: Camellia Oil: Has outstanding moisturizing benefits and contains vitamins A, B and E, penetrates skin quickly, leaving it supple and hydrated. Macadamia Oil: Rich in Omega 9, 6 and 3, Vitamin A and Vitamin E make it a highly nourishing oil wonderful for regenerating and moisturizing the skin. Also high in Palmitoleic Acid found naturally in the skin’s sebum and has been found to slow the rate at which our skin matures. Jojoba Oil: High in vitamins A, B and E, Omega 7, essential fatty acids and anti-oxidants, it also works to restore the skin's natural pH level. Australian Sandalwood Oil: Balances and softens the skin and is beneficial to ageing and dehydrated skin. Lavender Oil: Well known for its healing properties it stimulates circulation to promote new cell growth. To use our body oil, massage into skin as your daily moisturizer. It’s best used while skin is still damp after a bath or shower. Sandalwood and Seabuckthorn Beard Oil Our Beard Oil has a warm, herbaceous woody aroma and is formulated with Argan Oil to protect and nourish the skin. The oils are quickly absorbed while conditioning and softening facial hair. This one’s also great for post shave. Key Ingredients: Camellia Oil: Has outstanding moisturising benefits and contains vitamins A, B and E, penetrates skin quickly, leaving it supple and hydrated. Argan Oil: Protecting and Nourishing. Containing high levels of Vitamin E and fatty acids, it is perfect for mature skin. Argan Oil improves skin elasticity and promotes skin hydration. Macadamia Oil: Rich in Omega 9, 6 and 3, Vitamins A and E make it a highly nourishing oil wonderful for regenerating and moisturizing the skin. Also high in Palmitoleic Acid found naturally in the skin's sebum and has been found to slow the rate at which our skin matures. Jojoba Oil: High in vitamins A, B and E, Omega 7, essential fatty acids and anti-oxidants, it also works to restore the skin's natural pH level. Cedarwood Oil: Increases blood circulation and regulates skin balance to help soothe, clear and close pores. Australian Sandalwood Oil: Balances and softens the skin and is beneficial to ageing and dehydrated skin. Blue Cypress Oil: Known for its wonderful anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, astringent and soothing properties. And it smells great! Seabuckthorn Oil: Superb anti-oxidant Vitamins A, C and E as well as being high in Omega-3 and 6. Promotes skin hydration, elasticity and regeneration. To use our Beard Oil, massage 3 to 4 drops of oil into beard or slightly moist face after shaving. Favorite all-natural DIY skincare tip? I love using honey on my skin – funny, I don’t like the taste of it but will lather it on my skin! Honey is great for skin. It has antibacterial, medicinal and healing properties and being high in potassium, it kills bacteria which can clog pores. I source local honey from a gorgeous apple orchard just up the road and mix it with yogurt. I apply this to my face and rinse off after a few minutes with water. It works wonders on my pores! How do you balance family life with running a company? We both have large families – Penny has three children and I have four. It can be hard at times to get the work/family balance right. That’s why we’re happy to grow our business slowly so as to be able to make time for our husbands and children. What's next for Biyàni? We’ve come so far in the eighteen months since we started Biyàni Organics! What started as just a small, local business has now grown so much. We export to the USA, New Zealand and the UK - which is very exciting! I love natural perfumes and would love to explore this path in the future. We’re really busy, however, with what we make now so perfume making may have to sit on the back burner for a while yet. Shop Biyani Organics

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Few brands stir up such a vast array of vivid imagery as Dr. Martens. Their distinct look makes them one of the most easily recognizable brands of shoes, but they can also be worn in an uncountable amount of ways: You can keep them pristine by taking care of them with polish and protectant, or wear them beat up and dirty for character and age. You can wear them unlaced and loose or tightly laced all the way up. They can also be customized by the wearer in whatever way they see fit, from studs to spray paint and anything in between. Historically, Dr. Martens helped ignite a passion for the common struggle of being different and rebelling, with the versatility of the boots becoming a canvas for an array of generational subcultures to express themselves. Dr. Martens shared some archival photos with us that document their different wearers over time, and we take a look back to highlight some of the rebellious subcultures that donned the boot as a tool of self-expression.  With roots dating back to the 1940s, the concept of the shoe was created by a German doctor in World War II looking for a more comfortable boot to wear after a skiing injury. It wasn’t until later that the doctor went looking for an overseas partner for the brand, and 1960 saw the first official DM shoe born in England, the classic 1460 boot. The boots were originally adopted by the working class for occupations such as postmen and factory workers due to their comfort and quality. However, the next decade saw the boots spread thanks to youth subcultures and movements, forever changing how Docs were worn.  Subculture: The Mods Era: The 1960s (with revivals in the 70s and 80s) Boot style: Crisp, clean, and fully laced 1460s Dressed to mimic fellow working-class citizens, the mods were a clothing-conscious group that was often seen buzzing around on motor scooters. One of the more famous mod icons was Pete Townsend of The Who, who created a turning point for Docs in pop culture when he strapped on a pair of the iconic boots in 1965 during a tour. Subculture: London working class youth Era: The 1960s Boot Style: Laced up, worn 1460s An offshoot of the mod movement embodied kids dressed in high-cuffed pants to show off their footwear, often accompanied by long or short-sleeved button-downs or polo shirts.  Subculture: Hippies Era: The 1960s Boot Style: Mostly laced, probably muddied  1460s Known for their festivals, earth-friendly ways, and loose-fitting draped clothing, the hippies were peacefully rebellious bunch. Their style of clothing were interpreted as a shot at their strict-dressing parents generation, and often times Docs were worn to top off the ensemble. Subculture: Punks Era: The 1970s Boot Style: Hellishly worn-in 1460s The rambunctious ones, punks often seemed like they had the most to say, and could say it all with the way they dressed. Leather jackets, tight ripped pants, worn t-shirts, and beat up DMs were all you needed to make a statement—give or take some metal studs. Subculture: Grunge Era: The 1990s Boot Style: Whatever. By the time the 90s rolled around, Dr. Martens could be seen everywhere in popular culture representing the unaffected youth with a lot to say that just didn’t feel like saying it. From Kurt Cobain to the MTV show Daria, it was a common symbol of the 90s alt-culture. Dr. Martens have survived. Subcultures over the years have constantly adopted the iconic boot as their own, carrying them forward after burning down the previous generations’ ideals. They will forever be the cool person’s boots, worn by someone who stands for something. Check out more of the history of DM here: Shop Dr. Martens

Give your backyard party an upgrade with Roberts Radio, portable radios that sound amazing, are easily totable, and... okay, okay are really cute. (Dare we say 'Instagram-worthy'?) Headquartered in Yorkshire, Roberts has been making radios for over 80 years, and the versions we're stocking are upgrades on their original throwback styles from the 1950s — constructed out of high-quality wood and hand-finished in different pastel colors, these are easy on the eyes. Find out more about how they work and why they are one of our summertime essentials. Roberts Radio was first launched in 1932, which means that when it comes to radios, they know exactly what they're doing. Although the company once made a solid gold radio to help spread recognition of the brand while using minimal resources on advertising, Harry Roberts, founder and head of the company until his death in 1969, wasn't interested in gimmicks, and was primarily concerned with making reliable, great-sounding radios that would sell themselves. (And as an added bonus... he was a great guy! After his son took over the company, his family received a letter saying 'Harry had that lovely gift of making one feel nicer than one really was, just for being with him!') Today, the brand is still operating under these high-quality, family-oriented standards, manufacturing their wooden receivers in the same factory that they first built in East Molesey, Surrey, in 1962. This means that every radio is made just as lovingly as it was over 50 years prior. While the radios are made with the same care as they were in the 60s, though, that doesn't mean the models have stayed exactly the same. The Revival Radio, which comes in matte black, candy apple red, light blue, and cotton candy pink, is a throwback to those original models, but is much more than just a radio. Designed to look like the company's earlier models, specifically ones from the 50s, these compact, easy to transport revivals offer compatibility with iPhones and iPods, as well as a traditional FM tuner. The thing we love most about the revivals? They can run on either batteries or an AC adapter, meaning they're the perfect addition to your next backyard party or picnic. There's even a headphone jack so you can kick back solo in your room — necessary for when you really want to blast some Beyonce and your roommates just aren't having it. And did we mention the cute factor? We're totally sold. Shop Roberts Radio

Founded in the 1950s, the family-owned brand Body Glove makes performance-driven swimsuits worn by everyone from 80s supermodels to pro surfers. Learn more in our look back at their history.  Photos courtesy of Body Glove Above: a vintage Body Glove swim ad (left) and their throwback  Body Glove X UO Greta Bikini  Above: A vintage Body Glove wetsuit ad Above: Twin brothers Bill and Bob Meistrell, co-founders of Body Glove  Started in 1953 by twin brothers Bill and Bob Meistrell, Body Glove are the originators of “the first practical wetsuit.” It all started in Missouri, when a landlocked water fascination evolved into experimenting with diving helmets (out of vegetable can and tire pumps). In the 1940s, the Meistrell family moved to Manhattan Beach, and the brothers fell in love with the ocean. In 1953, the opportunity arose to buy into a local dive shop called Dive N’ Surf (at the time co-owned by modern surf board pioneer Hap Jacobs).  Once they owned the shop, the Mesitrell brothers got to thinking about how to come up with a solution for surfers combatting chilly California water, trying “everything from wartime electrically heated flyers’ suits to wool sweaters that lasted only as long as they were dry.” At long last, an answer emerged from a material used in the back of refrigerators: neoprene. The wetsuit was born, and Dive N’ Surf became the home of “The Body Glove.” Above: A current Body Glove surfer, Tatiana Weston-West, catches waves while wearing Body Glove. Photos via Instagram Above: a vintage Body Glove swim ad (left) and their throwback  Body Glove X UO Reminiscence suit  Above: a vintage Body Glove swim ad Above: from the archives, Body Glove worn on the cover of Surfer magazine + a vintage ad from the brand Above: a vintage Body Glove wetsuit ad Body Glove quickly evolved to offer more than just the wetsuit, and in the 70s-90s their swimsuits and wetsuits toed the line between practicality and fashion (with Body Glove suits appearing on the cover of magazines like Elle, worn by models and styled in fashion editorials).  We're excited for the opportunity to collaborate with Body Glove on a set of suits, inspired by the high-waisted 80s cuts that the brand became known and beloved from — for example the exclusive  Reminisce One-Piece that's a direct throwback to their 80s zip-up style. Their  'the Look' suits are also a direct homage to the label-heavy styles they became known for.  Above: Body Glove’s Co-Founder Bill Meistrell dips in Above: a vintage Body Glove swim ad Above: a vintage photo from the Body Glove archives We're so excited to carry on the Body Glove torch at UO — click here to learn more about the brand's history, and to discover how today their wetsuits are worn by some of the world's most accomplished surfers. Style and substance, you guys; that's what it's all about.  Above: Tatiana Weston-West wearing Body Glove, via Instagram Shop Body Glove

Already a favorite of publications like Teen Vogue, Saturday Skin is a beauty line free from added dyes and fragrances that delivers on its skin care promises. Find out more about the science behind the goop here. Photos by Julia Robbs 'Like the perfect Saturday, time slows down and your face lights up,' reads the copy on the Saturday Skin website. The brand, known for its pale pink, Instagram-friendly packaging, also boasts an impressive ingredients line-up that doesn't include parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrance, or synthetic color. In short, it's derived from natural ingredients and, since it relies on proven science, it works. Like so many innovative beauty brands today, Saturday Skin has its roots in Seoul where it was developed by the world-renowned scientists behind the CHAUM wellness center. Their goal? Erase signs of age and extend skin's youth. The Saturday Skin line promises to preserve youth, which is a bold statement to make, and one that's intrigued us ever since we first got our hands on the matte pink products. To back up their claim, Saturday Skin claims that their discovery of 'The Golden Phase,' a 'period defined by cell division and differentiation that fosters bright, fresh and new skin,' helped them develop the Cha-7 es complex, a blend of ingredients and peptides which help extend the skin's 'golden phase' continuously. (Cue us singing, 'Forever young, I want to be forever younnng.') While the claims themselves may seem hard to follow without a biology degree ('Cha-7 es complex' doesn't exactly roll off the tongue), CHAUM's iconic wellness center and research facilities help lend credence to the brand's claims thanks to the years of research that's gone into the line.  For those not concerned with the science behind the brand, let's discuss the products themselves. A carefully curated line, Saturday Skin currently consists of only six face products and two sheet masks (one for hydration and one for brightening). The Freeze Frame Beauty Essence is one of the stand-outs of the line and a favorite here at UO. Meant to be used in the morning and at night, the Freeze Frame Beauty Essence is a lightweight serum that helps boost skin elasticity and firmness. While some essences and serums feel like they never fully absorb into the skin, the Freeze Frame Beauty Essence sinks in easily and is lightweight enough to wear under makeup. To use, gently tap all over the face and let dry. Using in the morning and evening helps rehydrate skin and even out skin tone, and it's a great way to dip your toes into a multi-step beauty routine since it's super easy to apply. (And after sleeping in it, we found that our skin tone was even and bright in the morning. Score.) A runner-up in our everyday beauty routine is the Daily Dew Hydrating Essence Mist. Whenever skin is feeling especially dry, the Hydrating Essence Mist gives it the quick blast of moisture it needs. Like the Freeze Frame Beauty Essence, the Hydrating Essence Mist sinks into skin and hydrates without leaving skin sticky. We like to keep a bottle on our desk at work to refresh throughout the day. It goes on easily over makeup and leaves skin feeling moisturized, not overly greasy. If you're intrigued by Saturday Skin's claims and want to try something but are keeping an eye on your budget, try the  Saturday Skin Individual Sheet Masks. Available in two versions, Spotlight Brighten and Quench Hydration, these sheet masks are thin, hydrogel masks that adhere easily to the skin. The pouch also comes with an excess of serum which is handy for spreading into the neck and décolletage. Each mask leaves our skin feeling hydrated and smoothed, and for $6 we really have no complaints. (Plus, hydrogel masks are amazing - if you've only ever tried cotton sheet masks, you're in for a treat.) For a skincare addict looking to try something new, we say give Saturday Skin a shot. Your face will thank you. Shop Saturday Skin

FILA is the definition of classic: inspired by our latest brand collab, we’re dipping into the brand’s archive for a study in how their vintage styles are just as relevant today.  The exclusive women’s and men’s collection brings together retro polos, tees, jackets, shorts, pants, accessories, and footwear — a blend of old and new, inspired by some of their classic staples from the last few decades, and branded with the iconic FILA logo.  Above: Fila pieces at UO The brand was started by the Fila brothers in 1911 and based in Biella, a small town in northern Italy. The brothers were in the textile business and strove to create a product that blended luxury, art, and utility: much of the original inspiration came from their surroundings and the local textures, palette, and culture, and FILA was originally renowned as a high-quality knitwear line. The sports angle comes in later, and has been constantly evolving throughout the brand’s history. In the 1960s, sports — and particularly tennis — rose to a new sort of prominence, becoming “the epitome of grace, style and an example of the robust vivacity of the human spirit,” they explain. The brand then sought a new challenge: create fabric designed to mirror an athlete’s motions, “adhering smoothly to the body like a second skin yet providing a sense of total freedom.”  From this came FILA’s beloved outerwear, debuting in 1972, which combined high-end materials like wool and cashmere in new ways, and established the brand with a foothold in both the world of athletics as well as high-quality essentials that could be worn by anyone. The next year, they were renamed as FILA SPORT. Throughout FILA’s history, they’ve kept a close connection with athletes, like the tennis greats Adriano Panatta, Paolo Bertolucci, and Bjorn Borg, who all wore the iconic FILA uniform (in one of the most famous photos of Borg, after he’s just won his fifth consecutive Wimbledon victory, he’s wearing a FILA polo and headband).  In 1986, when Reinhold Messner reached the summit of Mt. Everest (the first to scale the mountain without additional oxygen), he wore high-tech mountain gear by FILA…and the list goes on. In other words, FILA is the definition of classic; it's never stopped being cool.  Shop FILA + UO

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Shop limited-edition products from Urban Outfitters featured independent artists of the month! Discover the unique and creative designs of this month’s selected local artists.