March 2026 Favorites: Indie Perfume, Willy Chavarria, Florence, and Everything Else

Back at it again… on the web!

I used to do monthly favorites pretty regularly — after all, I am a product of early 2010s beauty YouTubers. But life happened and I've taken six months off from doing them. So here we are, back, just as Q1 wraps up! You can take the girl out of corporate but not the corporate out of the girl. I just really get off on planning my life in quarters, probably some weird need to be constantly optimizing. Actually, Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino has a great chapter on this need that so many people feel to always be optimizing their life, something I most definitely and unfortunately partake in. Anyway, enough about optimizing, and more about things I've really loved this month!

Also, quick plug: if you are a spendy babe and want some spendy recommendations, I put together some weekly picks on my ShopMy.

Beauty

Mascara for me is one of those very meh things, like yeah, I do think some work better than others, but since I personally am a woman who wears a full strip lash, it doesn't matter all that much to me. But earlier this year I got the Diorshow Iconic Overcurl. Listen, LISTEN, it's really nice — so nice that I will be repurchasing (pro tip: if you have an Amex Platinum, it makes a great purchase at Saks to use up that bi-annual credit). I really like the wand; it's curved just enough and does lengthen my lashes a bit, but it's best at keeping them separated and not clumpy. I also love the packaging. It's just a little luxe, and a nice weight when you're holding the cap.

Last month I went to the Scent Room in Los Angeles and picked up a few samples, one of which I have particularly fallen in love with: Osmanthe by Maison Crivelli. It's a lovely, juicy, fruity fragrance that's light and very wearable across a mix of situations. Notes of Osmanthus, Star Anise, Black Tea, Sichuan Pepper, Patchouli, Tobacco, Labdanum, and Amber. For me, the black tea and osmanthus really come through. The black tea brings an elevated quality to it, while the amber allows it to go a little sensual, a little skin-like. I don't think it has the longest wear time — around three hours with a light pickup for another couple — and I don't think it's a full bottle for me right now, as I'm trying to be a little better with my spending in the fragrance arena.

This year in the Liberty London advent, the Skin Reset Face Serum from Emma Lewisham was included. While at first I was skeptical since I wasn't particularly familiar with the brand, I've really enjoyed it and plan on repurchasing once it's used up! I do notice a difference with my skin — one of those differences that only you notice but that really matters to you. There are some nice brightening elements like Vitamin C, Niacinamide, and Liquorice Root, which I enjoy. I'm particularly always enthusiastic about vitamin C. It's also meant to help with discoloration and evening skin tone, although those aren't issues I can personally speak to. But something to note!

Experiences

This month I went to Fumed, an indie perfume expo held here in Chicago in the Ravenswood neighborhood. Yes, I am working on a vlog for it. It was really fun — there were well over 40 vendors, many of which I'd never heard of or wasn't familiar with. It was just really awesome to see all of these indie perfume houses in one place and get to really smell. I'm not gonna lie, there were moments where it was definitely very overwhelming. It was a little crowded and hectic in certain parts, nothing terrible tho.

Besides that, it was really great. I did pick up some discovery sets from brands like Qhue, and they have one called Provence that is so luxurious and rich, so I can't wait to really play around with that.

Now, I think the thing about fragrance is that it's an experience. It's a ritual, and it's part of your life and how you go out into the world and how people perceive you, and more importantly, how you want to be perceived. When choosing a fragrance for the day, there are certain things I like to feel when I'm wearing it, and certain fragrances evoke that in different ways. I love an oud for when I want to feel sexy and powerful, or a white tea fragrance for when I want to feel powerful but maybe more in a professional manner. If I just want to feel light and airy, I'll do something very herbaceous. That's really the cool thing about fragrance.

Fashion & Style

Okay, so if you haven't seen it, Nike and Jacquemus (with a campaign starring SOLANGE!) did a collab on a sneaker and I may be impacted by it — mostly due to the influence of internet hottie in residence Levi Coralynn. She posted a video in them and I instantly was like, okay, I get it now. Maybe I'm just glamoured by her, but I do think she makes really meh things look really cool. While I did not get my hands on them (which honestly is only right, considering they aren't exactly my color scheme), I am really in love with them. So much so that I've been inspired to pick up some sneakers from the Adidas and Brain Dead collab instead: different vibe, but same family to me. I feel like those align far more to who I am.

Okay, so Willy Chavarria and Zara are having a collaboration, and I am so excited. I love his stuff to begin with. It's always so cool and sophisticated yet deeply down to earth — there's just something so powerful about his designs. He's such a great storyteller. I so clearly understand who the people wearing his garments are; I know that person, I can see that person. So when I saw that a Zara collab was coming in April, oh my gosh. I'm going to try to get my hands on a pair of shoes, particularly this red pair because they just speak to me. I'm unsure if this will be available in extended sizing as Zara is not always the best for plus sizes, but I am very intrigued.

What I really loved was the vignette story he created to showcase the garments. I love when brands do this. I want to see an experience, whether it's a story like this or a music video or something. It's such a great way to showcase your items. I think Alexis Bitar is great at this on social media, and it actually makes me want to buy things more. I can tell that people put love, time, thought, and money into this. Whatever happened to spending money to make money?

Food & Drinks

I went to Apero Wine Bar in Lincoln Square this month and it was stellar. But what's even more stellar — happy hour is back on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They've got some food offerings, plus $10 wines and spritzes, including their signature Apero Spritz with blood orange, Cava, and Perrier Lime. Really refreshing and a nice option for spring. They also have some really wonderful orange wines, my favorite honestly.

Okay, listen: trail mix crackers. I know how that sounds, but let me tell you, I demolished this bag before I even got home from Trader Joe's. It's one of the few things in a while that I've actually been like, wow, Trader Joe's is really killing this one. It's got a little bit of everything, cheese, a mix of nuts, a mix of seeds, and raisins. The raisins are such a nice little sweet pop. They make such a good snack, and I love them.

Home & Lifestyle

For Christmas, my lovely neighbor gifted me the Kobo votive candle gift box set. I've had quite a few Kobo candles in my life and think they're really great. I've particularly always loved the thyme, the mint, and the tomato — the tomato probably being one of my favorites.

This set is really great because you get to explore everything. I didn't know I loved their lavender candle; it was the first one I burned (I always burn what I might like the least to the most), and let me tell you — it was so good. I love Kobo candles because they really fill a room in a wonderful way. I can have one in my office and smell it in my dining room, which is kind of really nice. As we head into spring and summer, a lot of their candles are very herbal and plant-forward, making them feel really seasonally appropriate. A tomato summer candle is just kind of essential. These also make a really nice gift, either for someone else or just yourself if you want to discover the line.

Media & Entertainment

Starting strong: I am doing a re-listen to Everybody Scream by Florence and the Machine. I listened to it in the fall, really loved it, got busy, and then put it back on my playlist by chance. You guys, I forgot how good it was — so good that I have purchased tickets to see it in concert, because I would really like to experience this album live. There's something really true to her about it. It feels like such a fun return to form. It's witchy, it's moody, it's just Florence. My favorites are probably Sympathy Magic, One Of The Greats, The Old Religion, all for different reasons. I think they can be really healing. I'm in this phase of my life of being angry but not angry at the same time, just wanting to make cool things, and Florence's music always does a really good job at pointing out how difficult and ironic it is to be a woman in music.

Blake Fielder, Amy Winehouse's former partner, did an interview recently, and my first reaction was red flag, red flag, red flag — but I think it's worth listening to. Their relationship was really complicated and still is, and having a relationship under that level of a microscope is probably very difficult. Hearing the way the record label treated Amy, and the way the public and the headlines treated her, really did shift my perspective a little. Not completely, in that I always knew those things were very bad, but I perhaps didn't realize how impactful they were on her life. Who knows, maybe this is just him trying to save face. But I do think it's worth a listen. It's about two hours and formatted like a video you can listen to as a podcast. I put it on, cleaned my house, and did all the things I'd been avoiding doing, a really nice backdrop for that. Amy is such a force and such a soft soul, so incredibly talented.

Ending strong: I am doing a re-watch of Arrested Development, which is mostly noise I want in the background when I'm working (or, you know, not working too hard, like writing this). I forgot how funny it was, and also the absurdity feels somehow even more current. I don't know how, but it does.