In this line of business, you are all too often asked to meet the brains behind a new product, service, commodity. Now, contrary to popular belief this isn’t something I particularly enjoy or fine easy, but it does help a great deal if that person is incredibly interesting and you are asked by a close friend.

So when a Friend asks you to meet the creator and founder of a new British Fragrance house, certain preconceptions run through your mind they’ll be posh, arrogant, super intelligent, unapproachable, highly cultured you know. What I didn’t expect was for the person in question to have such a good sense of humour and know so much about modern, contemporary, popular culture.

This person in question is John Evans, a man who left behind a successful career in corporate finance to pursue his lifelong passion for creating new fragrance.

The modernist fragrance, is a new fine fragrance house of twisted classics. Designed and handmade in small batches in Britain, guaranteeing a unique scent that adapts to the warmth of your skin. The house was established as an antidote to the over-marketed, under-powered scents that saturate the market.

The house launches with the modernist, a striking combination of oral, fruit and frankincense. Bergamot opens the parfum and leads to a heart of Freesia, with its sharp sweetness so ening cleanly on the skin. A dominant, distinguished base of Frankincense is enriched with Labdanum, timber and even fruit to create an autograph for the wearer

When I asked Evans, “What is the modernist? ” His response was;
“With the modernist, I wanted to design a fragrance that has the self-assured simplicity needed to be a signature. I’m not a big fan of scents that arrive before you do and linger in the room after you’ve left. For sure, be powerful and be bold, but let them remember how you smell – not just the smell.
The modernist gets you noticed when you choose – and maintains a discreet presence any time you want to.”

Katalin Berenyi and Hojung Lee, are the founders of the inspiring men’s grooming range, Erborian. Inspired by the unshakable self-confidence of the Korean man and creates a modern shield for the modern man.

There key hero product is CC HOMME, enriched with SPF 25, is a high performance skincare product for men to use every day. Powered by highly advanced, Korean cosmetic technology, CC HOMME acts like armour for your skin. A hybrid formula with an ultra-fine texture, it both moisturises and leaves skin impeccably matte. Containing multiple ‘CC pigments’, a new generation of colour controllers, this cream goes on white and naturally adjusts to your skin tone to enhance your skin’s true radiance. What’s more, it also contains SPF 25 to ensure your skin is protected all day long.

The advanced moisturising formula of CC HOMME was designed to immediately conceal signs of blemishes, dullness, fatigue, irritation and redness leaving skin visibly stronger, smoother and more even. With continued use, signs of ageing, wrinkles and fine lines are visibly smoother. Pores look tighter and skin looks fresh again. Blemishes are visibly reduced and concealed.

This product offers a complete multi-purpose formula with a fine, non-oily texture. Use every morning to give a smooth and even skin tone that lasts all day long and contacts such key natural ingredients as Black Ginseng, known for its detoxifying properties, along with Centella Asiatica, commonly known as tiger grass, which soothes and nourishes the skin. Plus pine, that helps to combat the signs of fatigue, ageing and stress. Skin appears refreshed and revitalised.

That’s what prompted Anirban, co-founder of Ryokō and passionate photographer, to begin looking for a new camera bag. He needed something functional that would fit his everyday work style, and also weather the tolls of travel – the other thing that both he and his wife, Noon loved doing during their free time.

Disappointed with the lack of practical options, Noon and Anirban decided to design & handcraft one themselves. And that’s how Ryokō (which means “travel – 旅行” in Japanese) was born in 2015.

Ryokō’s initial range of leather goods soon became a hit among Dubai’s local and cosmopolitan community. Now, three years into their journey, the duo have extended their range beyond camera accessories to hand-stitched wallets, briefcases, and all kinds of travel gear, and are branching out to UK, Australia and Singapore through their retail partners. The common ingredient is the unique full-grain leather which are sourced mostly from Japan and some from Italy and India. Especially their wallets are handmade with intricate traditional saddle stitching – which gives Ryokō its classic yet contemporary look and feel.

What’s the Japanese connection? The material, for starters – Noon & Anirban wanted their accessories made from high quality leather that ages and gets better with time. This took the pair on a journey to tanneries in various countries, learning traditional craftsmanship from artisans. They chose Japanese Vegetable-Tanned leather for their hand-stitched range for its durability and natural feature. The slower tanning process is what gives their leather goods the beautiful patina. Starting with a beautiful pale tan shade, it eventually develops into any range of browns through wear and use.

But there’s another reason too. Once the pair decided to turn their penchant for leathercraft into a business, they had to cancel a 23-days holiday to Japan. Instead, they vowed that they would one day take Ryokō leather goods to Japan, the country where their inspiration originated.

For Noon and Anirban, the name encapsulates the mission. Their own love for travel is perfectly captured in their designs – durable and functional but stylish at the same time. And through their passion, Noon & Anirban have met like-minded people all over the world. Photographers who, like them, wanted to capture the moments in style, and travellers who wanted accessories that could see the world with them.

Ultimately, that’s one of the key reasons behind Ryoko’s success. The couple knew they were designing products that people wanted because they themselves did as well. Anirban realised that the gap in the market was his own needs for functional travel accessories. What turned Ryokō from a search for the right bag into an actual business was simply the belief in their own instincts – the belief that there would definitely be other people out there who would share similar interests.

There will always be people who share your interests, and are willing to invest their time and effort into them just as much as you are. For Ryoko, those people were photographers and travellers. Connecting with them opened a whole new journey for Noon and Anirban, allowing them to focus their attention on doing what they love. And that connection continues to shape their journey ahead. Their focus on the needs and desires of fellow travellers gives direction to Ryoko’s future designs.

Their success came from pursuing their own passions and finding others who share them. The message? Do what you love, and others will follow.

It’s been pretty well documented in recent years how bad air pollution and general urban living is for our health. In fact, The World Health Organization estimates that 4.6 million people, globally, die each year from causes directly attributable to air pollution, that’s more than die in car accidents! So bearing this fact in mind, consider the damage this is does to your skin, yeah the protective layer that keeps you safe?

From dusk to dawn, skin is bombarded by environmental assaults that damage its protective barrier and cause precious moisture to leak out and create unhealthy skin. This can lead to a dull complexion, clogged pores, hyperpigmentation and dark spots, and ultimately, wrinkles and inflammation.

Clinique’s new Dramatically Different Hydrating Jelly, is its first clear moisturiser to hydrate, strengthen, and protect your skin daily thanks to its unique Clean-Shield Technology. This innovation shields skin against pollution while restoring skin’s hydration and building back skin’s protective moisture barrier. Active ingredients include;
– Sodium Hyaluronate: An effective humectant in the same family as Hyaluronic Acid, which provides instant moisture, helping to keep skin plump, firm, and comfortable. Leaves skin looking refreshed, both immediately and after 24 hours.
– Glycerin: A humectant that attracts water to the skin to restore suppleness, while also forming a barrier against future moisture loss.
– Sucrose: Aids in providing hydration and soothing properties.
– Moisture Barrier Blend (Sunflower Seed Cake, Barley Extract, Cucumber Fruit Extract): This barrier building blend of ingredients helps to strengthen the skin’s barrier so that it is more resilient and better able to balance and retain skin’s moisture levels.

Creating a 100% transparent lightweight, oil-free water-jelly that hydrates, repairs skin’s moisture barrier, and protects your skin from pollution daily.