There's A Right Way To Burn A Candle...

Did you know that there is a "right" way to burn a candle???
I burn them in my home all the time, but I never thought about there being a right or wrong way to do so.

Tonight, shortly after lighting the candles in my living room, (and not pouring myself a glass of wine because it's dry January) I read this article on Vogue.com and figured maybe some of you would find it interesting too.
That is, if you don't already know the right way to burn a candle...

There’s a Right Way to Burn a Candle: Here’s Everything You Need to Know

by Mackenzie Wagoner for Vogue.com

Malin Goetz Vetivier candle is crisp and clean with notes of fruit and citrus,cloves, cedarwood and vetivier. Available at Space NK

’Tis the season for hibernation. No matter what’s driving you indoors—the recent snow flurries, dipping temperatures, early night falls, or merely disheartening headlines, few things will help you dodge the winter blues like the warm glow of a candle. But whether you crave the inviting fragrance of a fireplace, or the soft, sleep-inducing notes of fresh violets, there’s more to burning a candle than lighting a match. Expert candle burning requires etiquette—a precise art of what, when, and how. According to Alia Raza, cofounder of the conceptual fragrance house Régime des Fleurs (which recently debuted its first collection of candles), sloppy candle maintenance can lead to a lopsided wick that burns more glass than wax, while bad scent judgment could ruin a dinner party. From the importance of lids to picking the best fragrance for every room in your house, here, Raza shares the four simple precepts on how to burn a candle like a grown-up.

Diptique Genevrier smells like Juniper berries. Available at Space NK

Before You Burn, Always Trim
Wick length is a kind of goldilocks variable that can swiftly cut the life of your candle short. Especially with larger candles, which provide more surface area for drifting, a curt wick length will ensure a straighter burn. Trim it right before you burn it every time you burn it, says Raza. As far as length is concerned, “I’ve heard that wicks should be a quarter of an inch, but in my experience, that’s too short,” she says, describing how a diminutive wick can drown and extinguish in molten wax. “Eyeball it for a third of an inch. You can use a special wick trimmer, but I just use small scissors that I keep in a drawer.”

House of Harlow candle set .
Each candle is different: Midnight Moon, Flower Child and Saint James.
Available online at Revolve.com

Consider the Setting
The urge to light a beautiful candle is hard to ignore, but restraint is occasionally necessary. For example, scented candles should never be lit at the table. “Unless you’ve designed your entire meal to be enjoyed around that scent, it’s not appropriate during a meal,” says Raza. A candlelit dinner should only occur with the help of fragrance-free pillars or tea lights. Dens become more welcoming with masculine notes like wood, leather, and cashmere. “It’s more of a cozy, old-world smell,” says Raza, who developed her first collection of candles, Artefacts, with specific rooms in mind. Bathrooms and offices share olfactory requirements for cool, bright scents that smell clean and keep you alert. “A mint candle is not going to put you to sleep,” recommends Raza. Meanwhile, bedrooms call for softer notes like iris and iris root, while, “Violet is nice for a more feminine side.” And white florals will send an inviting message in entranceways, “but really, they’re beautiful anywhere.”

Jo Malone Basil and Neroli candle, available online at Nordstrom

Keep It Lit
“In general, when you burn a candle, and especially the first time you burn it, you want to burn it for about two hours or more, depending on the size of the candle,” says Raza. The idea here is that the entire top layer becomes molten before you extinguish it. “That means the whole surface will burn evenly so it won’t create those dips,” which can deepen, creating a cavernous hole for the wick that can, with run off from the surrounding walls of wax, become permanently lost.

Voluspa Japonica Goji Tarocco Orange candle, available online at Nordstrom.com

Extinguish Gently
Splashes of wax and tilts of wicks are often the result of blowing out a candle with too much force. Sniffers will cut this possibility out of the equation entirely, but Raza recommends gently blowing on the wick and immediately covering the extinguished candle with a lid. “All candles should come with a lid,” says Raza, explaining, “There’s nothing worse than blowing out your candle before you go to sleep to find that your entire room suddenly smells like smoke.” A lid will also keep dust and dirt from settling on your candle wax—just further insurance that you and your candle enjoy a long, beautiful life together.

 Find more articles like this on Vogue.com

How To Care For Cashmere Sweaters

I live in a pretty warm place, and don't really have many occasions to wear cashmere. Basically it's only cool enough to wear sweaters here in January and February, so any cashmere I do buy really only sees daylight (or soiree light) when I travel. 

Cashmere is expensive, so it can be devastating when you pull out that signature piece to find it has been an all-you-can-eat buffet for moths, or that it has pilled where the arms meet the torso, or when your fluffy cashmere comes back from the cleaners looking like a lack-luster polyester blend.

This article came to my inbox via Vogue.com
If you are a cashmere lover, you may find it helpful too!

Love Your Cashmere Sweaters? Here’s How to Care for Them, From Vogue.com’s Resident Expert

Written by Lynn Yaeger for Vogue.com

image by Arno Frugie for Vogue

Because I am very, very old, I have owned far more sweaters than you have. In the ’90s they were vintage, in the aughts their labels gradually improved, and today a lot of them are what I would modestly describe as extremely nice.

After all these years of tending to knits; of watching age wither them; and witnessing their sad, often premature demises, I have learned a few things about their care and handling. In fact, you might say, I’m a bit of a jailhouse expert on the subject.

So, in the spirit of the season, I have decided to share a number of my hard-learned secrets, carefully culled from decades of disasters.

Moths, the Enemy
First off, let’s deal with the worst-case scenario: the hell wrought by the revolting, insidious moth. These vile creatures appear to be endemic in Manhattan—a friend swears she laid a wet sweater out one night to dry and woke up the next morning to find a tiny hole. To add insult to injury, they invariably feast on your more expensive items, preferring a nibble at a Chanel cashmere buffet to chowing down on a Big Lebowski thrift shop number. To stem this encroachment, it is useful to employ the birth control metaphor. Forget cedar chests and closets, the moth-repellent equivalent of the unreliable rhythm method. What you need is an ultra-strong condom in the form of an impenetrable zip-top plastic bag. Then, after you seal the sweater in the bag, put it in a drawer that closes tightly. (Yes, purchase a separate chest of drawers if you must! You will thank me when your sweaters are hole-free.)

In the event that the damage is already done, you can also call upon the re-weaver. These skilled craftspeople will work miracles—but the cost isn’t exactly cheap. Still, if it really is worth $100 to make your turtleneck whole again, so to speak, it’s nice to know these geniuses exist.

Pills and Fuzz
Sometimes the problem isn’t holes but pills. These annoying bumps can show up after a single wearing of a new sweater. (Research reveals that more and more, cheap fibers are employed in sweater construction, unlike the better filaments used years ago, which is why your 1950s cardigan, now almost 70 years old, remains pill-free and that thing you bought last month is dying.) For this blight, you can try a battery-powered “fabric shaver,” which buzzes the fuzz off and is fairly helpful (your cardigan will look much better, but not like new). But remember not to use this contraption on lace or other delicate materials! (You don’t want to know how I know this.) You can also get one of those roller things with the sticky tape, which is better than nothing—though far more useful for picking up pet hair than for de-pilling. Also, the dry cleaner can sometimes de-pill, so be sure to specifically ask about this. Speaking of which—though most sweaters return happy from a trip to the cleaners, there are some knits that should never darken that door.

Washing Vs. Dry-Cleaning
Once I had a gray crewneck Calvin Klein cashmere sweater that I loved more than life itself. So imagine my despair, my horror, when my beloved pullover came back from the dry-cleaner as stiff as shoe-box cardboard. Vowing that this sort of tragedy would never befall me again, I asked around, and it turns out that cashmere experts—yes, such people exist!—recommend washing over cleaning.

This is easy enough if you have your own washing machine—put that baby in a mesh bag, set the dial for the gentle cycle, and cross your fingers. But if you, like me and millions of other deprived New Yorkers, are without the luxury of a home machine, then just go ahead and soak your cashmere in the bathroom sink—cool water, not too many suds! Tenderly squeeze it in a towel to get the water out, lay it flat, gently coax it back into shape, and pray that no moths are in search of a midnight feast.

The Wonderfully Weird Makeup Trend Sweeping Korea

I'm absolutely obsessed with K-Beauty. 
I swear by Korean skin care. I can honestly say my skin has never ever looked better. It looks firm and smooth and it glows. 
In fact today a new order of skin care products arrived from Memebox. I order all my skin care products through them - they are so inexpensive especially when compared to Sephora's pricing, and because they ship out of San Francisco they get here in about 3 days.

Learn how to layer your skin care Korean style 

Anyway when I opened the Vogue.com email in my inbox today there was a story about K-Beauty, which of course got my attention.

I can't say that I will actually try this technique. Apart from the fact that I'm sure it would go hilariously wrong for me, I'm into super glowy looking skin, rather than matte. But I can imagine it going crazy on Instagram :))

The Wonderfully Weird Makeup Trick That’s Sweeping Korea

by Monica Kim for Vogue.com

image via Vogue.com

“It’s the hot tip in K-beauty right now.” This, I’m told constantly, and always take with a fat grain of salt. But at dinner in Seoul last week with a particularly plugged-in friend, I heard that a rather unorthodox trick called jamsu makeup (roughly translated to “diving” or “submerging”) had swept the city this summer, producing a perfectly matte, melt-proof face with little more than a bottle of baby powder and a basin of water. Given the thick humidity enveloping both the U.S. and Korea of late, I was at least intrigued by the wholly whimsical proposition.

It was purportedly a Japanese beauty blogger who sparked the trend on YouTube, though it quickly became a Korean sensation. The novel technique bears some similarity to “baking”—setting your makeup with powder and body heat—but feels rather next-level. First, cleanse and moisturize, then swipe on primer, foundation, and concealer, per usual. Then, shake heavy handfuls of Johnson’s Baby Powder onto your palms (though any loose powder will do) and pat it on freely, releasing clouds of it into the air until a pale kabuki-style base appears. Filling a sink with cool water, plunge your powdered complexion into the bath and hold it there for no more than 30 seconds. Finally, pat your face dry, and finish the rest of your look with a lasting, pitch-perfect canvas.

“If you have dry skin, don’t push your face in the water too long,” my friend says, adding that one might take a facial mist and spray liberally, instead. A bit reluctantly, I dunk my Ringu-esque head in the sink for some 15 seconds, feeling (frankly) ridiculous. But, I quickly find, the results are beyond. Yes, my skin is intensely matte, but also incredibly smooth and even-toned. Better yet, when shading in my arches and applying liner, there is no oil-induced glide, allowing me to craft fine, pencil-thin strokes that are the best brow-work I’ve done in ages—all thanks to a $4 tin of drugstore powder. It lasts remarkably well with no under-eye smudging and, I’m frequently told, my face looks softer and even younger—appropriately enough, like the skin on a baby’s bottom.

 Learn more about Korean skin care here and here  and here

How To Create The Perfect Online Dating Profile

I was just reading on Vogue.com that your romantic future could in fact hinge on the handful of (hopefully) carefully curated pictures on your internet dating profile(s). That's a little scary, don't you think? Whatever happened to meeting boys at the beach over the summer??

Marina Khorosh wrote the definitive fashion girl's guide to creating the perfect online dating profile for Vogue.com (I am re-posting it here.) Make sure you check out Vogue.com  - I get it every day in my inbox.

The Fashion Girl's Guide To Creating The Perfect Online Dating Profile

via Vogue.com

image by Laurie Bartley for Vogue March 2013

An important PSA for all the single ladies out there: Summer is right around the corner, and you’re officially out of excuses to postpone your dating agenda. All your lackluster cold-weather claims (My sweats are too cozy, I would rather watch Scandal, and Who needs real men when you have Fitzgerald Grant?) are now rendered invalid. In fact, these days, dating is nothing if not a total joyride for the homebody, providing anyone with a functional smartphone with the tools to spark up a connection from the comfort of their very own athleisure ensemble. Since your romantic future may now hinge on the few carefully selected photos you present to the online dating world en masse, here are some key tips for creating an online dating profile that will put your best foot, angle, and outfit forward, all while effectively relaying the message you want to send out into the world. Welcome to the fashion girl’s guide to your online dating profile.

Step 1: Remember that no app is created equal.
Happn, Bumble, The League, Raya . . . Not only have dating apps lost their social stigma, but they have now branched out to fit niche demographics and interest categories, each one requiring a separate visual approach. And much like how you wouldn’t send the same cover letter for different job descriptions, you should save the Fred Perry polo for The League, while showing off your best repurposed denim on the creative haven that is Raya. Victoria de la Fuente, a business development manager for retail and consulting firm Lambert & Associates, opts for four simple, down-to-earth shots on the more mainstream Happn and Bumble, while letting her fashion girl go rogue on Raya, noting that “that’s a special breed of men, very into fashion and design, so they are more likely to appreciate my robe collection!”

Step 2: Choose a good lead-in.
Many guys admit that they don’t go much further than the main picture in their swipe sessions, aiming to max out their matches and filter through their options later. Cater to their dwindling attention spans by selecting that one photo that has earned your friends’ popular vote. One male New Yorker, who frequently uses apps such as Bumble and Hinge to broaden his social circle, says that a candid shot where the girl is laughing is a great place to start. He adds that he will immediately swipe left at the sight of a “glamour shot” or “cheerleading picture”—i.e., a confusing group shot of you and all your girlfriends in Tulum. Pro tip: Avoid recycling your social media profile picture to preserve some anonymity!

Step 3: Let your photos tell a story.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Never has this idiom been more relevant than in the brave new world of online dating, where your photos must not only showcase your best angles, but also attempt to represent you fully as a multifaceted and unendingly appealing human being. Since most apps limit you to about six pictures, use your limited real estate wisely. A male friend (who admits that he finds online dating to be a rather superficial pursuit) says that the photos chosen by a prospective partner help him determine many things about her, her values and interests included, asking “Are there pictures with her family vs. pictures at Coachella? Is she posing provocatively in the mirror vs. a picture from dinner with friends? These are the things I look at.”

Step 4: When it comes to your clothing, think chic and simple.
Men, especially New Yorkers, who are constantly surrounded by some of the world’s best-dressed women, admit that a woman’s style plays an important role in their swiping process. While most struggle to define the specifics, one male friend does confesses a weakness for a girl in a “pretty dress on a summer day,” while a French bachelor admits that he cannot swipe left to a red lip. De la Fuente recommends staying true to your personal style while avoiding pigeonholing yourself into one look. “You know that guy who can rock a mun [man-bun] and lumberjack gear but probably doesn’t own a suit? That’s the effect that you want to avoid.” She suggests keeping the majority of your outfits casual and throwing in one chic photo that alludes to the fact that you can pull it together if necessary, her own go-to being a daytime gazebo shot in Juan Carlos Obando separates at a wedding in Provence.

Step 5: Steer clear of the “glamour shots.”
This bears repeating. Misrepresentation being the most cardinal of online dating sins, men are losing patience with overly contoured and Facetuned images, preferring the au naturel look that avoids all potential unpleasant surprises. Go for a clear shot of your face, perfected via Charlotte Tilbury Magic and a Fresh lip balm, if you so desire. If you have been working your butt off at Physique 57, there is no harm in showing off the results in Levi’s cutoffs and a Lisa Marie Fernandez bikini top—just be wary of provocative bathing suit (or lingerie!) pictures. While few blue-blooded males dislike a Sports Illustrated editorial, most pause at the idea of dating a girl whose belfie is circulating the World Wide Web. Other things to avoid? Excessive labels and “fashion pieces,” neither of which the average male eye has learned to process.

Step 6: Throw in some travel pictures.
Most guys admit that a woman who is well-traveled automatically seems more interesting, with a few caveats. As one New York bachelor explains: “Smiling in Piazza San Marco with your family, thumbs-up; toasting champagne with several other bikini-clad girls in a hot tub on the back of a yacht with Dan Bilzerian, that’s another story.” When chosen wisely, travel pictures also give you an opportunity to show yourself at your happiest and most tanned, perfectly highlighted by, say, a white Melissa Odabash dress!

Step 7: Show your personality.
At the end of the day, you’re aiming to find somebody who appreciates it. Funnier than Amy Schumer? Throw in a few silly pictures that show you don’t take yourself too seriously. A creative at heart? Spotlight your best Fondazione Prada selfie for an instant reference point. If your creative inclinations are channeled through your wardrobe, well, there is probably no point in hiding this, either. In the words of De la Fuente: “Whoever loves me should love my furry slippers and my silk robes!” And, come to think of it, why shouldn’t they?
 
Marina Khorosh is the author of a fantastic website called DBag Dating

The Ballets Russes Impact On Fashion

Anna Pavolva 1911 as inspiration for Christian Lacroix couture 2009

I love fashion and makeup that are inspired by the arts, by significant people in art, history and society. Think Frida, Jackie O, Marie Antoinette - anyone or anything that is iconic or that speaks to an iconic moment in time.
With my passion for art, history and art history, doing research for shoots is one of my favorite pastimes. 

costuming for the Ballet Russes

 Vogue.com took a look at how Sergei Diaghilev's costuming for the pre-soviet Ballets Russes has served as inspiration for designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior and Paul Poiret.

The Ballets Russes introduced a new and avant guard freedom into the arts, not just in ballet and theater, but also into fashion. They precipitated an explosion of creativity at the beginning of the last century that still holds incredible relevance and is an ongoing source of inspiration for designers today.

Anna Pavlova, Ballets Russes

Not familiar with the Ballets Russes? - here is a little background:

The Ballets Russes was an itinerant ballet company, conceived by Serghei Diaghilev, and widely regarded as the most influential ballet company of the 20th century.
It thrived on the artistic collaboration amongst young choreographers, composers, dancers and designers, all at the forefront of their respective metiers. 
Interestingly the company never performed in Russia, where the revolution  was disrupting society and running counter-culture to modern thought. It began in Paris in 1909 and then toured Europe and the Americas.
Most of the dancers were classically trained in the great Imperial Ballet schools of  Moscow and St Petersburg, and their spectacular technical prowess breathed a new life into the Parisian ballet scene, where technique had declined drastically since the 1830's.

The costuming for the Ballets Russes was extraordinary. Cutting edge, luxe, provocative and incredibly influential, even now.

Some fabulous books about the Ballets Russes, that make gorgeous gift ideas include:

Ballet Russes And The Art Of Design
and
Diaghilev And The Golden Age Of The Ballets Russes
both available at Amazon.com


Check out these gorgeous images, then scroll to the bottom of this post for a link to the Vogue.com article.

From Yves Saint Laurent Ballets Russes inspired 1976 couture collection

Roberto Cavalli Spring 2016 RTW and a costume designed by Leon Bakst

Christian Dior Fall 2015 RTW and Leon Bakst costuming for  1912's L’après-midi d’une Faune

Le Sacre du Printemps costumes, Ballets Russes 1913 and designs by  Vita Kin

Read the Vogue article written by Laird Borrelli-Persson and see more images on Vogue.com HERE

The 10 Best BB and CC Creams For Summer

Are you in the market for a new BB or CC cream?

Check out the options that Vogue.com considers to be 

The 10 Best BB and CC Creams For Summer

The official coming of summer has us embracing a newly pared-down routine—streamlining our overloaded makeup bags in favor of multitasking options that channel the almost-bare mood of the season. Translation: If you’re still using the same creamy, medium coverage foundation you swore by all spring, it’s time to lighten up. Fortunately, the newest wave of beauty balms and color correctors—more commonly known as BB and CC creams—pack a checklist of benefits into a single tube while remaining virtually invisible on the skin for straight-from-the-beach touchups. Chanel CC Cream’s featherweight, pigment-evening formula prescription provides SPF 50 along with antiaging peach extract and moisturizing hyaluronic acid. Physicians Formula Super CC+ Eye Cream SPF 30 relieves puffiness and blurs lines—ensuring eyes remain as bright as their cloudless, sun-drenched surroundings—while Giorgio Armani’s supernaturally luminous offeringleaves skin with the kind of glow that rivals a good facialist’s work. Here are the ten tinted balms and creams we’re stocking up on this vacation season.

L’Oréal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream, $11
Chanel CC Cream Complete Correction Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50, $55
Physicians Formula Super CC+ Eye Cream SPF 30, $13
La Roche Posay Effaclar BB Blur Cream Mousse, $30
Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Illuminating Moisturizer, $32
Bobbi Brown BB Cream SPF 35, $20
Peter Thomas Roth CC Cream, $48
Dior Diorsnow UV Shield BB Crème Broad Spectrum SPF 50, $55
Kate Somerville IllumiKate CC Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 50, $48

Giorgio Armani Luminessence CC Color Control Bright Moisturizer SPF 35, $52

50 Shades Of Lingerie

I'm going to a screening of 50 Shades Of Grey tonight. I read that there are no fabulous underpinnings in the movie, but even so I'm thinking Valentines Day this year will be all about 50 Shades of Lingerie.

Valentine's Day lingerie from Agent Provocateur

So without the movie to provide glorious lingerie I went googling to find some interesting undies to write about, and I found this article on Vogue.com  
It's well worth a read, with some 50 Shades worthy naughty pieces paired with some hilarious quotes.

Threesome
"If you’re planning a threesome for V-Day, you might as well go all-out and wear a pink lace jumpsuit with matching stilettos. It’s important to always be the best dressed person at the orgy."

The Breathless Guide To Valentine's Day Lingerie, One Night 11 Looks by Karley Siortino (click here to read the full story)

Matching bra and panties by Dolce and Gabbana

"If her panties match her bra when you take her clothes off, it wasn't you who decided to have sex....."

The Most Over The Top Haute Couture Brides Ever!

 More couples get engaged between Thanksgiving and Valentine's day than at any other time of the year. Combine that with Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture this past week, and Vogue.com came up with this fabulous post on the 22 Most Over The Top Haute Couture Brides Ever.

Dior Couture, Spring 2007

I loved it! I adore Haute Couture. I had the enormous pleasure of working couture shows back when I lived in London and worked extensively on the runway circuit. Couture has the distinction of having the highest level of craftsmanship, paired with the ultimate in style, and sometimes it walks way out there on the wild side.

So for you upcoming brides seeking a dress, and those of you who love couture, here are my 10 favorite of Vogue's Most Over The Top Haute Couture Brides. Ever.

Atelier Versace 1999

Atelier Versace Fall 1993

Givenchy Haute Couture spring 2003

Christian Lacroix Haute Couture, Fall 2002

Emanuel Ungaro Haute Couture, 1991

Chanel Haute Couture, Spring 1994

Chanel Haute Couture, Fall 2003

Givenchy Haute Couture Fall 2002

Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture 1965

Don't you wonder which of these dresses were sold, and who wore them??

See the rest of the story - there are 12 more dresses! here at Vogue.com

The Resurgence Of The Podcast: Serial And Other Binge Worthy Podcasts~ Via Vogue.com

I have been hearing so much about Serial lately (especially via Lainey), and then saw this article on Vogue.com
I love the idea of the world tuning in to podcasts. When I first started learning Italian I used to listen to podcasts, but in the interim it seems that I somehow managed to forget about them. 
I'm now geekily excited to be part of Vogue's podcast resurgence.

If you would like to join the tribe, check out this article from Vogue.com, and join in on the listening action.

The Great Podcast Resurgence: Serial and 7 Others to Binge-Listen to Now

NOVEMBER 25, 2014 9:00 AMby PATRICIA GARCIA AND ELIZABETH BROCKWAY

It seems we can’t go anywhere these days without hearing about Serial, the new spin-off of This American Life that has quickly become the most popular podcast of all time, according to Apple (it’s the fastest-ever to reach five million downloads on iTunes). In the series, veteran TAL producer Sarah Koenig tries to uncover the truth about the 1999 murder of a Baltimore high school student named Hae Min Lee and the cloud of doubt hanging over the subsequent conviction of Lee’s former boyfriend, Adnan Syed, who has maintained his innocence throughout nearly fifteen years of incarceration. With Koenig reporting in real time, the show has the narrative arc of a good crime drama, the intrigue of a real-life murder mystery, and a fan base so strong that a subreddit dedicated to the whodunit has more than 17,000 subscribers—and as a result of the series, the Innocence Project at the UVA School of Law has taken up Syed’s case. (The show has also sparked a very heated debate about white reporter privilege.) At once a throwback to the serialized radio broadcasts of the thirties and a relative of our contemporary TV epics, Serial is only the latest and most sensationally popular example of a rich and varied podcast resurgence underway. Here, our guide to seven other podcasts you should download now.

Criminal

Fans of Serial will be drawn to Criminal, a monthly series that tells the real stories behind unbelievable crimes from either the point of view of the victim or the perpetrator. Think of it as a condensed, audio-only, true-crime version of Law & Order on your phone.

The Truth

This series created by public radio sound designer and composer Jonathan Mitchell, now in its third year, produces ten- to twenty-minute fictional stories not unlike the old-timey radio dramas of yore. Or, as its website describes them, “Movies for your ears.”

Radio Diaries

This podcast produced by Joe Richman features the stories of everyday people (a corrections officer, a teen mom, a bus driver) through first-person diaries and re-enacted narration. Lately, Richman has been catching up with five people who, sixteen years ago, recorded their daily experiences as teenagers and shared them with the world, and whose present-day updates are fascinating.

99% Invisible

Anyone obsessed with the nuances of design and architecture will appreciate this smart podcast created by Roman Mars, exploring, among other subjects, the story behind the Ouija board’s layout, the best way to “hack” and redesign Ikea furniture, and the reasons why seemingly every designer has had a love affair with the chair.

Nerdist

Hosted by Chris Hardwick (with frequent appearances by comics Jonah Ray andMatt Mira), Nerdist features loose interviews with high-profile guests, in which they talk about their lives, careers, and usually some aspect of nerd culture—the new Star Wars films, The Walking Dead, and, of course, comic books.

Stuff You Should Know

For explanations of everything from how Twinkies are made to the electoral-college system, turn to Stuff You Should Know, a podcast brought to you byHow Stuff Works and cohosted by the charming and hilarious, albeit slightly geeky, Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant.

Longform

Hosted by editors Aaron Lammer, Max Linsky, and Evan Ratliff, this podcast provides an inside look at the publishing industry. Hear the writers behind some of your favorite New Yorker, New York Times, and Vanity Fair bylines discuss their career paths, morning routines, and why they chose to get into writing in the first place.