Who says I can’t interview myself? Here are the recurring questions people ask me that I love to answer.

Are you wearing Le Labo Santal 33?

No, I am not wearing Le Labo because I am not currently in the tax bracket that I feel is appropriate for purchasing Le Labo at full MSRP. I wear a different yet similar fragrance, and I was going to keep this my own secret, but I’ve decided to put you hoes on.

Last winter, I met a girl at a happy hour who smelled just like Santal, so my psycho ass went up to her and asked. Surprisingly, she said no, and shouted over loud music something about “Marie” and “number 4”, so I googled and immediately found it. Maison Louis Marie – Bois de Balincourt No. 4… and guess what?

It’s priced appropriately for my income bracket – at under $80, not $185. I saw that it was only sold at certain boutiques, so that same weekend, I went out into 18 degree weather to find a specific shop in the Lower East Side to cop mine. Now, my little secret perfume is gaining some recognition… it recently started selling at Sephora (bastards!). So… that’s my contribution to you. A Santal dupe.

What is a persimmon?

The persimmon is the best autumnal fruit and the name of my future child or cat. It looks like this. You can eat the peel, just don’t eat the top dry leafy part.

They’re good pretty much at all stages; when they’re underripe, overripe, just ripe. People get excited about the return of the famous PSL (pumpkin spice latte) but not me. I buy all the persimmons.

Where do you get your home decor inspiration?

Pinterest! Oh man, Pinterest is the place of dreams. I love to tumble into an endless vortex of interior design images. What I like most about Pinterest is that you could start with a search term in mind, say “living room design”, and you’ll get a page full of very different styles. But if you click on one image you like, it will automatically suggest other images similar, and if you keep clicking on things you like, you’ll eventually end up in the neighborhood of YOUR TASTE.

My general aesthetic preferences have evolved over the past few years to include simplicity, light-filled, clean lines, neutral colors with pops of nature. I like white a lot.

Do you think you’ll stay in New York?

Well… it depends on the time of year. If it’s between January and April, I probably want to be anywhere but New York. If it’s between May and September, I’d probably tell you I’m never leaving. If it’s between October and December, I could go either way.

Do you get Asian Glow?

Yes. If you don’t know what that is, you need to make more Asian friends. They’ll probably also expand your culinary palate.

xoxo

Trace