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Sup fellas, AJ is hear with some new releases for you. With the weather transitioning from winter to spring, it’s time to start switching some pieces out of our closet. One major thing you will see in my closet are scarves. This is the perfect season for a dope scarf to finish your clothing selection for the day. Blackbird’s Boundless Scarves are hand cut with raw edges to 6 feet long. Anyone that knows me knows that I love a great scarf and love the look and style of these new releases. I’ve been checking Blackbird out for a minute now and this just adds a new reason for me to type in that url. I took some screen shots from the site and put some below for you to check out.

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Blackbird Square Soap ($12 each) is loaded with pure essential oils plus coconut, olive and palm kernel oils for a luxurious skin softening experience. Try Blood Countess (a spicy and comforting scent), Eucalyptus Clay (to purify the skin and wake up your senses) or Izba (to detox). These nutrient-rich soaps are made in small batches with the highest quality natural ingredients.

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Waiting by the phone for your crush to ask you out on Valentine’s Day is so 1950. We think the way to celebrate the holiday is, in the spot-on words of Donna Meagle, to "Treat Yo’ Self."

Even if you do have a date (congratulations, by the way), you should pencil in at least 30 minutes of P.Y.T private time. The extra dose of self-care will not only give mad love to your skin, hair, nails, and senses, but make you look—and more importantly, feel—good in a way that no one else can. And if a hot stranger on your jam-packed commute home just so happens to notice your relaxed aura and how amazing your smell? Well then, that's just the cherry on the damn-I'm-good cake.

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Scented Pyres / Blackbird
Why we love it: Though burning incense has long been known to alleviate stress and calm the mind, it’s also been unfairly cast as something only for the crunchy, hippie tree-hugger type. That’s why we were pleasantly surprised by Blackbird’s scented pyres. They’re reigniting the appeal of incense by creating unexpected scents from a perfume base. We like the Muru best at the office — it burns cleanly, with a fresh scent and relatively little smoke.

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WE LOVE Valentine’s Day! And, as far as we’re concerned, the celebrations begin on February 1. Sure the holiday can be obnoxious, but it can also be an opportunity to celebrate all the little things you love about those who matter most.

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Indie apothecary brand Blackbird makes a line of Incense Pyres ($28 for a tin of 20) that function as a more atmospheric, intense — but equally elegant — version of a scented candle. The cone-shaped pyres come in 15 perfumer-designed scents, from the resinous and spicy Blood Countess (best name ever) to the black licorice-tinged Ozo. Each variety comes packaged in a metal tin whose lid doubles as a burner, so you’ll be fully equipped to give your boudoir that exotic opium den vibe.

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Handmade sculptures, white plexi glowing cables, and moon rocks will set the stage for Seattle-based fragrance and grooming brand Blackbird's month-long stay at The Voyager Shop starting Friday, February 6th. In addition to the full range of perfumes, soaps, and beard and grooming supplies, Blackbird is also bringing two special, limited edition items along for the ride. The first is a custom incense developed for Voyager, with notes of cinnamon, anise, and rose. It's meant to inspire memories of a warm herbal tea, served inside a hand thrown, modern teacup. The second item is a fragrance and incense, made in collaboration with singer Zola Jesus for her new album Taiga. Stop into the store at the end of the week to celebrate the pop-up's start with food and drinks. If you can't make it then, you'll have a few more weeks to shop the goods—you'll just have to hope the limited edition scents are still around.

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Unisex Fragrances to Share

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We hope not to incense you with what we're about to say, but we're into incense again. If you lived through the '60s and '70s and managed to finally get the scent of patchouli out of your poncho, you may have a strong aversion to its potent perfume.

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Black bamboo cones, letterpress labels, and incantatory names like Sepulchre, Muru, and Izba transmit a darkly sophisticated, unisex vibe. Scents are also nontraditional: Blackbird’s top seller is Blood Countess, whose main ingredient is dragon’s-blood resin from Yemen. “I didn’t want to make incense that everyone has smelled before,” Miller explains. Her directive? “Don’t use sandalwood, use licorice.”

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Before Max was born I did a Vedic Meditation course with the amazing Gary Gorrow and it literally changed my life. I knew how powerful meditation is but every time I tried to do it I would get myself all frustrated and wound up. My mind wouldn’t stop jumping around (they call that the monkey mind). Learning the Vedic technique really helped as it involves repeating a mantra, so it gives your mind something to hang on to. I’ve started practising again but I’d like to get back into the daily habit. When I meditate I burn incense and look out to my garden. It really helps get me into the zone. I’ve just discovered Blackbird Incense Pyres – after old faithful Nag Champa it’s possibly one of the most relaxing scents ever. 

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I’m friends with a guy who’s super cool and totally dateable, except for one little setback: Every time I go in for a hug or lean in to talk with him, I get a heavy, sickening whiff of patchouli-scented incense. Despite his rad taste in music and funny demeanor, my friends and I can’t help but run for the hills in terms of romancing him. All because of our associations with his dated scent.

Sad, because when done right, incense is downright incredible: it can have a totally sophisticated scent and be wonderfully calming, not to mention the fragrance seems to last forever. Wasted opportunity? Not quite, thanks toBlackbird, a Seattle-based design studio. Their line of 12 distinctly scentedIncense Pyres ranges from the smoky and spicy to the sweet and floral.

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Want to smell like Zola Jesus? Now’s your chance.

Last year the singer released her forth studio record in Taiga, which took its title from the Russian name for the boreal forest. The 25-year-old Nika Roza Danilova explained: “It represents a feral, untapped world that could happily exist without us. There are taiga forests in Northern Wisconsin where I was raised, and also in Russia where my ancestors are from, so it also feels very native.”

Now the record has its own stank, too, as Danilova has partnered with Blackbird scent company for a new line of fragrance and incense. Announcing the product via Facebook (we assume this isn’t a joke), the scent is “inspired by taiga” and “smells like firewood, ash, dry moss + mineral.”

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Blackbird 'Blood Countess' incense: Nicole Miller is my Seattle girl crush. I adore her style, her attitude, creativity and heart. She has a deep propensity for seeing small businesses thrive - one visit to her latest project, the Little Green House pop-up will show you just that. The legendary Blackbird brand lives well beyond it's now-shuttered brick & mortar, thanks to its incense, beard oil, soaps and other mens/unisex accoutrements. TheBlood Countess incense pyres are my favorite and a best-seller. Frankincense, spiciness and dragon's blood resin makes for the sexiest scent!

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Having just gone 2 months without cologne trying to decide which to switch to, I know how important scent is, which is why I’m excited to have a set of 3 x 30 mL fragrances (Pipe Bomb, Mizuchi and Triton) from Seattle design studio Blackbird (retail $264).

“Inspired by 9 years of researching & curating some of the most progressive fragrances available, each Blackbirdperfume is transportive and modern, yet easy to wear.”

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This week only, you can win three bottles of Blackbird's new 30 mL perfumes on one of our favorite style blogs thisheartsonfire. Click through to sign up to win and spend a second to check out the incredible content.

Capsule, located in the Yorkville neighborhood of Toronto, offers a massive selection spanning two locations, one dedicated to exclusive apparel brands like Denim by Vanquish & Fragment and Fundamental Agreement Luxury, the other solely to the most hard to find kicks out there, and boasts a well curated assortment of lifestyle products to boot. Thanks to new brands and products dropping on a weekly basis in-store, and to its well informed and helpful staff, Capsule is always a step ahead. We got to ask manager Eric Lee a few questions about Capsule to learn a little more about the shop.

How did Capsule come about and when?

We first opened Capsule as a clothing store in the outskirt of Toronto back in 2003 but we moved to our current neighbourhood of Yorkville in 2006 and added footwear. In 2013, we decided to divide the footwear and clothing store and opened a new location just for footwear. 

How big are your stores?

We currently have 2 locations. One is a footwear store and the other a clothing store

What's the neighborhood like?

I'd say Yorkville is a posh district with a lot of stores to shop.

What types of things do you sell at Capsule?

We sell footwear, street wear and accessories from various brands.

What makes Capsule special or unique?

We try to carry brands that no one else has and is unique to our store only. 

Any big changes coming up that people should know about?

A lot of new clothing brands will be coming to Capsule in the upcoming seasons.

What types of music do you play in the store?

We enjoy all types of music but we mostly play hip hop/R&B such as Kanye, MF Doom, Lauryn Hill, Sade, John Legend, etc.

Are pets welcome in your store?

Yes they are but at times there are pets that smell really bad because the owner hasn't washed it for a while. Then they stink up the whole store which we dislike. 

Do you have a favorite scent (anything goes from perfume to apples)?

I actually like most of the scents. I will say my favorite scent is OZO.

If your store was a reality TV show which one would it be like?

If we had to pick one probably pawn stars.

CAPSULE

#104-69 YORKVILLE AVE

TORONTO, ON M5R 1B8

AND

#108-29 BELLAIR ST

TORONTO, ON M5R 2CB

WWW.CAPSULETORONTO.COM

THANK YOU ERIC!

Eden is our favorite kind of shop: the kind that emerged from a lifetime of planning and development that wasn't necessarily aimed at launching a store, but was all integral to its creation in the end. It's the kind of store where the owner, Jennifer, looks carefully across the world for unique products that will make you feel good, but maybe looks even more closely at ideas from her customers whose input actually shapes the store. Eden is built on passion for connection, for curating, and helping you find just what you need to make your days a little more pleasant.

How did eden come about and when?

I’ve always been a lover of fragrance, candles and pampering products and often dreamed of having my own shop. Just like in the movie Practical Magic.

When I was little I loved playing store and often ran garage sales for my mom. I went to work at our local department store, Younkers, at age 16 and continued to play shopgirl all through high school and college. Following college I moved to Des Moines to work in the buying office, where I would meet my future husband, John, who worked in the advertising department. That job went away when in late 2002 Younkers merged with Saks, Inc. This was my chance. I never had the guts to leave my job on my own so the push out the door is exactly what I needed to follow my dream. eden opened 6 months after losing my job.

Our first shop opened on June 6, 2003, at the corner of E. 5th and Grand Avenue. 

How big is your store?

1400 square feet from front door to back door.

What's the neighborhood like?

eden is in a neighborhood called The East Village which sits at the foot of our State Capitol. This is such a gem of a neighborhood for Des Moines, bursting with niche locally owned boutiques and restaurants. It continues to grow organically and is becoming this wonderful little self-sufficient community. I feel so fortunate to be a part of it all.

What types of things do you sell at your eden?

We have a well-edited assortment of bath, baby, and home products at eden with a focus on pampering products like soap, lotion, bubble bath, perfume, and candles with a very unisex appeal. 

What makes Eden special or unique?

eden didn’t happen over night. We’ve grown very organically over the years adding lines as we get feedback from people. I strive to carry products that are hard to find in the Midwest that you’d normally have to travel to a larger market for. There’s a story behind most of the pieces in the shop, which people seem to appreciate. One of the laurel lamps was my mom’s from the 1970’s. We’ve tried hard to blend mid century modern pieces like saarinan tables and our Eames compact sofa with pieces we’ve found thrifting in Des Moines. Two of our prize pieces - the chandelier and check out counter were salvaged out of our downtown department store's (Younkers) tea room. 

Any big changes coming up that people should know about?

There’s a loft space above our shop that has been vacant for 30 years that we are finally starting to renovate. We hope to open it up for special events… First Friday parties, etc.

What type(s) of music do you play in the store?

We often turn to Songza playlists. You’ll most likely find us listening to Indie Folk & Americana on any given day.

Are pets welcome in your store?

Absolutely! We keep a doggy water bowl outside the shop as a sign that furry friends are welcome. 

Do you have a favorite scent (anything goes from perfume to apples)?

I’m a woodsy, campfire, incense, patchouli girl at heart. Basically I’m a bit of a tom boy. I’m a big fan of L'Occitane Eav des Bavx. 

If your store was a reality TV show which one would it be like?

The Real World : Des Moines