Samira: So before House of IR and having the fragrance brand, my journey with fragrance started all the way from when I was four years old. And as a child, my mom, she's an Osmic, currently still is a nausmic. As a child, she would have me describe fragrances to her. So I would smell the fragrance and I would describe the fragrance using different things that sh would help her understand. I will probably use like emotion and I'll be like, okay, this makes me happy. This makes me want to puke. I don't like this one. This one makes me super angry. Or I'm gonna use texture to describe it to her, or colors, pretty much. Because that is the best way that she could understand. Because she's never smelled anything. She doesn't know what smell is. She doesn't know what it feels like. And so for me, that was where my journey started. And I realized that for somebody who cannot smell, fragrance is a very important part of her outfit. And so that became a part of me. I went to a boarding school and in in school I was known for how I smelled. I was very keen on the fragrances that I wore. I think at that time I wore Timeless by Avon. I think it's by Avon. And there was there was the there was the other one that had like a black, I can't remember what it's called. And then there was the boss. I think boss had one at the time as well. I remember my brother and my cousins had that one and I used to take it and Michelle DeLorenzo: Hmm. Yeah. Samira: At the time, Nivea, they had like a body lotion that smelled so good. They had the feminine and the masculine, the white and blue bottles. I had both and I will wear them on different occasions. Mind you, at that time I had no idea what it is that I was doing. When you compare that to where we are right now in fragrance, at that time I was just like, okay, I will if I wanted to smell feminine, I'm gonna wear the fra the body lotion from the white bottle. Or if I wanted to smell masculine, I will gravitate towards the blue bottle. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-mm. Mm-hmm. Samira: At the time, I preferred masculine scents because, in my opinion, they made me feel very powerful. Now, smelling feminine was great, but I preferred like the other one. And then white diamonds was like my go-to scent after that. You know, high school, I went to college, white diamonds was my thing. And Victoria's Secrets, I think they already had the buddy splashes at that time, and that was what I used to wear. The first day that I did a layering combo. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Samira: I wore the Nivea Body Spray by Men and I sprayed white diamonds. And it smells so different. And I was like, hold on. What did I just do? I just created something different. You know, I'm not gonna smell like everybody else. And that was where, you know, it started for me. And then I started to collect. Mind you, there was a period in my life where I was broke as hell. I would rather buy a bottle of perfume than buy something to eat. Michelle DeLorenzo: Cool. Yeah. Mm. Josh: Okay. Samira: I always made sure that I had a bottle of perfume. But yes, that that is my journey before Hospital. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Amazing. Thank you so much for joining us today. For those who don't know who you are, can you please introduce yourself? Samira: Hi everybody, my name is Samira. I am the founder of the fragrance brand called House of Ira. Michelle DeLorenzo: Amazing. Thank you so much for joining us today. Samira: Absolutely, my pleasure. Thank you guys for having me. Josh: One of the early ends for layering fragrance. Michelle DeLorenzo: All right. Yeah. You know, it truly is the way to customize your scent to make sure that you don't smell like anyone else ever. Samira: That that was a thing, to be honest. Because for me I was so particular. Because think about it, it's like an outfit. If you go to a party and you turn around and you see somebody wearing exactly what you're wearing, if you were on some type of high, for some reason it drops. Like you start to feel a type of way because it doesn't feel as special as if you were the only person wearing that outfit at the party. For me, fragrance was like that. I don't want to smell like the next person. Obviously, fragrance is Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Samira: is subjective it d it smells different on certain people but on your clothes is gonna smell the same in my opinion because there are no pheromons or you know anything to change that. So yeah. Layering was something that I was Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, it's funny you mentioned about like feminine versus masculine leaning sense, because it's you know, I feel like your bottles have this really beautiful femininity about them. And I was worried that when we brought them into the store, you know, I we always have people coming in and like, hey, which ones are for men, which ones are for are for women, and trying to explain to them like, you know, you know, everything here is for everyone, whatever you like. And I'm really Samira: Yeah. Yeah. Michelle DeLorenzo: Genuinely surprised and happy that so many men that come into the store are super drawn to your brand, especially to Nocturne. I think almost every single bottle of Nocturne that I've sold has been to a man. like, these smell, these men smell good. Samira: You know what's crazy? I was in the store last week and when I was leaving, some guy walked up to me. He's like, Hey, you are the founder? I'm like, Yes. He's like, I own Nocturne and Symphony. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yes. I love that. I love that. Samira: Why should we know Bandin? Josh: One of the things that really stood out to us with your story and your brand was the role that your mother having a nausea played in your fragrance journey. And you talked a little bit to having to describe fragrance to her even as like a child. So you kind of developed your palate in a way of describing fragrances to others. Can you can you talk about like when did you begin to think about fragrance through the lens of perfume versus just describing how something smells? Samira: Right. Yes. to me, there was always that switch back and forth. If I was describing something to my mom, it it switched. That was me describing to her how that fragrance made me feel. So at that point, it was more of a feeling, you know? Because again, With the whole role that I played, which I took very seriously by the way, I realized that there's more than what meets your nostrils. Perfume is what you're feeling. Perfume is what you know, like a memory. Like right now I have Larson, which is an ode to my dad. Right now that is a heavy rotation because my dad passed away when I was five years old and father's day is approaching. I'm being very emotional because I am still a daddy's girl. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Samira: And that fragrance right there is my dad. Like his room, this is exactly what it smells like. And so for me, every time that I wore a fragrance, if I was not transported somewhere, it's not for me. Like so to every time for me, it's always like fragrance has to be more than what I smell. Like as soon as I smell it, if I'm not describing something to you about what I'm gonna do with this fragrance or what this fragrance feels like to me, just know I'm not. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Josh: Mm-hmm. Samira: That I'm not gonna pick that up. Like it's not friendly. So, from that whole aspect of describing it to my mom, it just made me see fragrance from a different lens. Now, of course, if I see it, it's like okay, this is me describing it and everything is taking me on a journey, and then there's a fragrance aspect to it. Is it long-lasting? What is the projection? What is the longevity? I love long-lasting fragrances. I don't want to spray a fragrance and have to worry two hours later and having to respray it, and that's what all my fragrances like straightens. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Samira: I just want to spray and go on about my day and come back home and then that's it. Michelle DeLorenzo: like that you, when you described how you were talking about it to your mom and how you specifically said how it made you feel. Because I think that's a really interesting element, especially when we're talking about independent fragrances and niche fragrances, where it's yes, about smelling good, that's one aspect of it, but it's made to elicit a feeling. Samira: Yes. Honestly, every fragrance brings out a different emotion. Like when I'm working with a perfumer, when I give them a creative brief, and if I'm jumping, let me know. But when I give them a creative brief, it's very descriptive, like it's very detailed. I actually describe the emotion I want people to feel when they smell that fragrance. Like Lardesan. Michelle DeLorenzo: What are some of the feelings that you want your fragrances to elicit in people? Mm-hmm. Samira: Yes, it's an o to my dad, but for me wearing Lardisan, I want to feel very confident. I want to feel like if I walk into this room and I'm going for a business meeting, I'm gonna close that deal. I want to feel remembered. I want you to remember me as that girl who smelled the best in the room. If I'm wearing Symphony, Symphony is very bright, the florals in there, the gourmand just makes you feel so happy. I the inspiration behind Symphony was a trip I took to St. Martin and I was so happy on that Caribbean island. That is exactly how I want people to feel when they wear symphony. Opera. Opera is to my mom. That's my mom in a bottle. My mom is a very nurturing woman. Like growing up, if you come to our house, there's no way you're leaving without drinking or eating something. I don't care if there's no food, you drink water, something. So when you spray opera, I want you to feel nurtured. You know, again, it's a very elevated floral. You know, I want you to feel nurtured. Act one, I created act one because of the need. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Samira: When I used to go to the office, when I used to have a nine to five, and I was told that my fragrances was distracting people. So I wanted to create act one where it's like it's not overpowering, but you can still feel me. You know, it's it has to feel very calm and serene. Like right now in the summertime, when I wear act one, I feel like I'm taking a very cool shower. Just because of the lemon, the thyme, the bergamot in there, it just makes me feel that way. Nocturne is supposed to make you feel the sexiest you've ever felt in your life. Because Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Samira: I created an octur because of the date night I had in Dubai. So it was a sexy date night. I want you to feel exactly that way. 823, our latest fragrance. You're supposed to feel like timeless luxury. You know, like the old European money type of money without like you don't gotta do too much, but they know that you're here. That's exactly how you're supposed to feel. So Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Josh: Right. Samira: The different emotions, you know, that's exactly how I want people to feel when they smell house Ira. Josh: I love the way that you approach talking about your fragrances. And it I think it has a lot to do with the way you describe fragrances with your mom, because you don't use the vocabulary that I think a lot of people fall back on. This smells like raspberry, this smells like you know, we we often go to like food things or situational environmental things. Samira: Yeah. Josh: Where if someone truly doesn't have that reference point, you have to go to things that they would have experienced, like textures, emotions, and feelings. Samira: Yeah. To be honest, describing fragrance, I always put at the back of my mind that whoever I'm talking to, probably this is their first time learning anything about fragrance. I cannot come here and talk to somebody who's who knows nothing about fragrance. Let me talk about siash. What is that? You know what I'm saying? Or projection. They probably will not get it, especially in the fragrance lingo. It's like that with my siblings, like in our household. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Samira: Everybody if they're trying to get a fragrance, they call me first. Like, hey, what do you think I should get? Pretty much I pick it for them. You know, I actually love doing that. And describing the scent to them, I have to find the easiest things that they can relate to. I feel like when you're trying to teach somebody or you want somebody to get something very quickly, you have to use words that people can easily relate to. It helps, it sticks forever. You know, for me that's how I learn. So I just try to, you know, use that and everything I do with fragrances. So yeah. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Josh: do you find that like the the way you approached describing sense to your mom, but also to other people in your life kind of like a bonding exercise? Samira: Yes. Honestly, one of the best things that like let's say if like it's a date night, if you wanna make me happy, let's go smelling. Let's go and sniff fragrances. I think what was her name? Was it Lily at s Stelle Michi? What the girl I forgot her name. I am so sorry. I think she had one. I I was there I was there Friday. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Josh: Sharing sentence. Michelle DeLorenzo: you when what what Sophia, she had long blonde straight hair. Yeah. Samira: Yes, yes. She'll tell you. I picked up a fragrance which I went home with. It it had fig in it. My face just lit up. Like I was there with a friend and I was so excited to discover everything in there. Like for me, describing fragrances or sniff sniffing fragrances with somebody is like a very it's a bonding exercise because you and somebody could bond on something, especially if you guys feel exactly the same way about a fragrance. Michelle DeLorenzo: Hmm. Samira: You know, imagine me smelling this fragrance and be like, my god, I feel like I'm right now in the Maldives and it the person's like, Yeah, me too. Girl, what? You wanna go on a trip? You know? Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that was I think that was the moment I realized like how passionate you are about fragrance in general is that when you came to the store to bring us your samples and to and you know show us your mods and then you wound up leaving with two bottles and like oh no she she gets it she's really into this. This is this is her life. Samira: Yeah. yeah. I've I've worn the hell out of the hell and it's like I have just like a small one. Like God. I cannot remember the name. I think it's the one where the gods, the the people the Yes. I think yeah, it's that one. It's like a very fresh luminous it for it just makes me happy and calm, if that makes sense. Yeah, I just Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Josh: Which one is it by the Hellenist? Michelle DeLorenzo: I think you got D. Artemis, if I remember correctly. Yeah. Josh: Okay, yeah, that one's really pretty. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. It's a great set. Josh: Mm-hmm. Michelle DeLorenzo: So what do you think fragrance enthusiasts often overlook about smell? Samira: The ability to smell is very important to your livelihood. If you were to lose your sense of smell, your quality of life is going to drop drastically. I'm talking from a mental perspective, from a safety perspective, because if you're in the house and there's something burning, you have no idea until it's too late. If there's a gas leak, you have no idea until it's like imagine. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Samira: Being in car and there's a carbon monoxide link. You don't know until it's too late. That's what it feels like. And even with cooking, during COVID, I lost my sense of smell for two months. And that's what pushed me again to do house IR. I couldn't smell, I couldn't taste. I was extremely miserable because especially if you love to smell, you can't smell anything. It's like you want to smell, it's like Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Yeah. Samira: It's like a it's like a block. Yeah. And people take that for granted because if you're starting to lose your sense of smell, that is a health problem. You need to go to the hospital. It's so sad that insurance doesn't even cover, like you know, when you go to the hospital for your physicals, they're supposed to check your sense of smell. They don't do that. If you don't ask, they're not gonna check it. They just check your sight if you can hear, and then that's it. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Yeah. Samira: Sense of smell is like if you're losing your sense of smell, I think that's actually a symptom of Parkinson's disease. Michelle DeLorenzo: well, I didn't know that. Samira: Yes. Yeah. And you know there are people who actually lose their sense of smell. If they have like I think like a brain injury or something, you can lose your sense of smell. Yeah. And so fragrance like imagine right now when you smell a fragrance, how it transports you. You don't even need anybody to describe it to you. You it's like you're able to make your decisions by yourself. And then if you lose that sense of smell Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Samira: Somebody's describing to you, mind you, it's secondhand knowledge or secondhand information because they're describing to you what they feel. Remember, fragrance is subjective. There you go. Yeah, so I'll be describing to you what I'm feeling. This could make me feel like I want to cry. I don't like it, but to you, it could have been love. So you have to go based on what I say and just trust me that I'm telling you the truth. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah, it's definitely I have a friend who is mostly a nosmic and it happened later in life for him. And he's been quite depressed since it happened because he feels like he can't enjoy a lot of things anymore. Like he used to really enjoy going out to restaurants and trying new things. He's like, well, I can't really taste anything because I can't smell anything. You know, he Samira: Good. Yes. Michelle DeLorenzo: never wore fragrance his entire life and then at an older age was like, well, I don't think I even ever realized that I didn't have a smell. And I'm like, all right, I'm sending you a bottle. I him a bottle like you may not be able to smell it, but you're going to make a good impression. it definitely it's I don't think we realize how much in our everyday life outside of fragrance that our ability to smell is. Samira: Yeah. Yes. Josh: Right. Michelle DeLorenzo: we're just constantly gathering information without always being aware of it. And I think that's the amazing thing about fragrance is that we have these locked memories that we don't even realize are there because they're from scent and then we smell something again and it immediately transports us to that place again. I think that's what's so powerful about it for a lot of people. Samira: Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. You smell something, it reminds you of someplace, somewhere. You smell something, it just reminds you of somebody, you know? And and for me, and I again like Larrisan, at least that's a part of my dad that I have with me. When I miss him so much, I just smell the bottle. I just smell it. And it just makes me happy. Like it elevates my mood. Like, okay, he's here with me. Josh: Mm-hmm. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Samira: You know, we can always be like, okay, he's here with us in the spirit, but in that bottle right there, I know that elements of the notes in there, that's him. And so his hair with me, you know? So yeah. Not being able because there are people who are anostomic to certain things, like some people cannot smell mask, certain notes people cannot smell it. And you can only imagine what it feels like for them. And like you said, walking just walking walking around and just doing stuff, going about your Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Samira: regular day of life and everything and being able to smell, you're actually, you know, gathering information. I think in the I think in the nineties or in the eighties there was this musician. He committed because he lost his sense of smell and taste. And he became so depressed that he could not leave he couldn't leave anymore. And he just thought it was best to go. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's sad. Josh: Because you approach fragrance with such a kind of emotional intuitiveness, you want to talk about how it makes you feel or what it makes you remember. How do you evaluate a fragrance? When you if you're smelling something for the first time, you know, do you read a description or the notes or do you just go in to see how how it works? Samira: right. Go in to see how it works. Like, as soon as I spray, I don't even spray it on the test trip. I want to smell like that immediately before I'm spraying on the test strip. As soon as I smell it, if I am not transported somewhere, I already know that okay, that fragrance is not for me. Like that is the first way that I evaluate a fragrance. The fragrance has to tell a story. Either it makes it reminds me of something in the past or something currently happening, or It makes me want to do something for the future. You know what I'm saying? Like you can smell the fragrance. It's like, my God, I need to be a billionaire's wife. Oof. I need to make money. Or you smell the fragrance, it's like, my gosh. I remember back then, XYZ, XYZ. Like for me, that that that pretty much that's it. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Yeah, I had a really bizarre experience when I was in a essence two weeks ago, a week ago, and I smelled a fragrance and for the first time, a fragrance actually made me feel uncomfortable and like, almost triggered fight or flight for me. It was from this brand called Tombstone and they Samira: Mm-hmm. my god. Josh: Which one? Michelle DeLorenzo: the bottles literally look like tombstones. And I had no preconceived notion going into it. I'm like, all right, these are probably gonna be kind of, know, kind of alternative. And I smelled through all of them, but there was one in particular and I don't remember which one, but it made me physically uncomfortable. It didn't smell bad. It wasn't a bad odor, but it just. moved something in me that was like, need to, I need to go. Samira: Yeah, I feel you're in that one. Honestly for me, that is when I smell anything with marine notes in there, I feel that way. It makes me so uncomfortable. I don't know what it is, but it it triggers something in my brain and I'm just like Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Yeah. Josh: I know our friend Sarah has a a strong aversion to anything with a blood note, but that is because she works in the medical field. And she's like, No, I don't need this. I don't need this around me. I don't need this on my skin. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Yeah. I also Samira: I mean, obviously she's she smells it every freaking day. It's like you wanna smell like something different. And you know, one thing I didn't tell you guys is when you lose your sense of smell, especially for more than a week, when it comes back, you have to train your sense of smell. Like for me, it's been six years now. I am still training my sense of smell. Michelle DeLorenzo: never. Josh: Yeah. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Josh: I think that's a great segue. What does nose training actually look like? What does that regiment look like for you? Samira: So for me, what it looked like was when I couldn't smell, the first thing I smelled to make me realize that my sense of smell is bad was time. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm. Samira: So thyme and bleach. Those are the two things I smell. Crazy. every time I smelled anything at the time that smelled really nice, it smelled like thyme. And when something was really horrible, it smelled like bleach. Josh: yeah, I'm I am a longtime sinus infection sufferer. If anyone else has an ENT doc that they've been to, I whenever I get sick, I can usually tell because stuff starts to smell like old socks to me. And that's when I'm like, I need to get some antibiotics because I'm about to get real sick. Samira: Yeah. It's Michelle DeLorenzo: Ooh. Samira: Yep. Yep. See that that honestly that is it right there. You're like your body is speaking to you. I had to train my nostrils to certain like co you know, you train your nostrils or your sense of smell constantly smelling the same thing over and over and over. And however or whatever emotion transmits through your body, that is how you train it. It's like a child when you're small and the first time your parents give you lime or lemon. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Samira: The first time it touches your thong, you have that emotion of like you know what I'm saying? And constantly when you eat it, you taste it, you taste it, all of a sudden the tart the tartness or the sourness is okay. You know what I'm saying? And it's like sugar, like something sweet. Like the first time a child tastes something sweet, like they have that bright smile on their face, you know, and again, that of course that is easy to gravitate towards, but constantly you have to keep training your nostrils and basically how it makes you feel. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm. Samira: that's what transmits you your brain. I don't think I had an issue. Actually, let me know, let me stop. seafood. I never really liked seafood before just because of how it smelt. But then I found a way to kill the smell. If I'm eating fish or whatever, I wash it with vinegar or lemon. It kills that sea whatever, whatever. And up until now, and that's why if I smell anything marine or sea, what I can't, I can't, I can't like it just makes me I I need to probably use the bathroom like I I feel like I need to Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Samira: You know, throughout so Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah, it's definitely a rough note for a lot of people, I think. So in considering all of this about, what it's like to lose your sense of smell and are there, has it influenced you, do you think, to think about accessibility in your fragrances? Samira: Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. Honestly, the first thing I think of when I'm creating a fragrance is somebody who cannot smell, how can we make them know or understand what is in this bottle? Like eight two three right now, when you smell eight two three, you see when you first spray it, it smells a certain way. I just that's the dry down to the hard notes and then the bass notes. It's like changing colors. Think of like the top note you have like orange and then you have pink for the smoothie, for the raspberry smoothie, and then you have white with the bravardia flower, and then you go into the middle notes and you have a lot of white in there. And then as soon as you go to the base notes, there's damson plum, which is purple, mahogany wood, which is kind of like brown. It's like bouncing colors because you're filling all of the smells. If I was to describe that to my mom, I would just put colors in front of her and just keep bouncing. I'm like, this is what it smells like. And and and also like the story behind it, I try to make sure that whatever the story is, that's exactly what you have in that bottle because it's gonna evoke that emotion or something close to that emotion. Michelle DeLorenzo: Side note, I love that you used Shelby as the face for this fragrance. Absolutely adore her so much. She is such a beautiful person inside and out. Samira: I'm Can I tell you guys how it came to happen? I love sorry. So I know, I love Shelby. She's I met Shelby in 2024, Cent Explorer, and when she walked up to the booth, I just kept staring because I couldn't help it. Like I'm like, I'm not better than a man. Cause I'm like, who is this goddess? Like this tall, beautiful girl just walks up and I'm just staring and she's talking. I'm actually lost in what she's saying. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah, tell us. Big shout out to Shelby. We love you. Josh: Mm-hmm. Okay. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-mm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Samira: First day at Senex Po, I'm nervous as hell, but I'm just like mesmerized. And then when I got back from South of France last year, I knew what I wanted to create. Initially, it was gonna be a tea fragrance. I wanted like a tea fragrance. And I walked through the fragrance house, they were not giving me exactly what I wanted because I'm very particular. Like I said, I have to go on a journey. And the journey that they were taking me to, it was nowhere near where I wanted to go. So I was like, no. And then when Rodrigo Flores, when I gave him the create the brief and all. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm. Samira: And I went for the sniff session. He gave me six mods. I smelled through each of them. The first five were okay. They are Gardena flower and all that. I was like, yeah, this is nice. But it was not hitting it exactly for me. As soon as I smelled that one, that was one and done. I was like, yeah, you're not touching it. It's perfect. It's exactly what I want. And said explorer in December, I'm looking, I'm just I've been thinking, I'm like, okay, I know how I want the campaign to be, but who's gonna be the person? Michelle DeLorenzo: you Samira: Cause it's my story that I'm telling, but I don't want to be the person. There's somebody that I have in mind. I'm I'm at the booth. And Shelby walks up again. As soon as she walks up, I had an epiphany. I told her, I was like, Shelby, I think you're gonna be the face of my next campaign. She thought I was kidding. She's like, sure, sure, girl, we're gonna do it. She thought I was joking. After Sen Explorer, two days later I DM'd her. was like, Hey, remember what I told you? I am so serious. She's like, You're serious? I'm like, Yes, girl. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Samira: She's like, okay. I was like, well, we're just working on the fragrance. Once it's completed, we have the creative brief and we put everything together and we have a date as to when we're gonna release, then I'm gonna circle back. But I just need you to know, put me in your calendar for this year. And she executed everything exactly the way I imagined it to the T. I have watched that campaign video a million times, and every time I watch it, I get very emotional because you can tell exactly. what is in the bottle because everything she did is exactly what is in the bottle. My mom tells me she wakes up in the middle of the night if she has nothing to do, she will watch that campaign. Because it's out of I was like, this is mama approved, period. Nobody can tell me anything. Josh: Yeah. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah, we need. Josh: It is very Diorgador like I I know the first image I saw of it was the one where she's like turned to the side holding the bottle and I was like, who is this model? And then I was like, I actually follow her. Yeah. Samira: Yeah. Michelle DeLorenzo: You good? Samira: Know her. Yeah. Shelly is amazing. She's a gorgeous queen. Like that is a goddess. Michelle DeLorenzo: She is. Yeah, she is. And like I said, just just as gorgeous on the inside as she is on the outside, too, which is amazing. Samira: Absolutely. The first day I showed Shabby speeches to my team, everybody went crazy that day on the call. They were like, my god, that was like yes. Yes and yes. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. I will say that there was there was a time when I started going to some of my first like brand events in the city. And oftentimes it can feel, especially as a smaller creator going into those spaces, it can feel very cliquey and kind of feel very difficult to connect with people. And it's you know, it's very parasocial. Like, OK, I've seen these people online, but they don't really know who I am. I don't really know who they are. But. Samira: Yeah. Michelle DeLorenzo: one of the first people that really made me feel embraced and came up to me and was like, hey, I recognize your content, and started chatting with me about life in general with Shelby. And she immediately made me feel really comfortable in that space. And any time I ever see her, she's always just such a ray of sunshine. So yeah, we can't say enough positive things about Shelby. Samira: yeah. Yeah. I know. She she's just super amazing, you know, and I just hope and pray that she continues to blossom in this space. Cause when she told us that we were her first fragrance campaign ever, I was like, girl, thank you for giving me that honor. Okay. I feel so proud. Like, hell yes. Hell yes. But yeah, she's an amazing human being, like inside and out. Very gorgeous and beautiful. Michelle DeLorenzo: No. Yeah. All right. Yeah. Josh: you talked a little bit about the specific fragrances in House of Ira, and you mentioned briefly that it was after during COVID, after you recovered from your nausea that you were like, we need to push this forward. Can you talk a little bit about how House of Ira was conceived and and what was that evolution like? Samira: Yeah. So when I lost my sense of smell, during that period, I wore fragrance out of memory. I remembered how a certain fragrance made me feel, and then I wore the fragrance. And then it hit me that I'm actually walking in my mother's shoes. This is exactly how she feels. The only issue is the memory she has is of me describing the fragrance to her so she gets to wear it. At least I have firsthand memory of what it smelled like. So when my sense of smell came back, I was like, I wonder what it's like for people out there who don't who don't smell. What does it feel like for them? Because I'll be honest with you, growing up, I didn't know that that was a thing. A non-smell was a thing. In my opinion, that was a unique feature that my mother had that I would always proudly say, like, hey, my mom can't smell, you know? So I I didn't know that there were people out there. And then COVID actually exposed that to me. where I met a lot of people who are anosmic or people who cannot smell and I'm like, I wonder how these people wear fragrances. And I looked, I did some research and at the time a lot of brands were not very inclusive of people who have issues with their olfactory senses. It was more catered towards those who can smell. And I'm like, what about those who cannot smell? I can imagine how they must feel left out. And I'm like, I want to create something where Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Samira: Everybody, regardless of whether you can smell or not, you will feel as a like a part of it because of the story behind the fragrance. That's something for you to connect with. Because again, from personally, I feel like besides what you smell, you have to connect beyond that with that fragrance to actually continuously reach for it, you know? And that's why I feel like a lot of people when they buy a fragrance just because it's smells than somebody else. They end up not reaching for it, especially if you collect a lot because it's just like you bought that because it smelled good in somebody. What else is the connection? Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Yeah. Samira: So when I started House of Ira, we started as Ira Looks Oils. I wanted to start like in my mind, the vision I had was like a buddy care routine. at that time I was not on TikTok. I didn't even know I had TikTok, I just never went on it because I didn't know how to use it. It was just too much for me. I didn't know that people knew about oils in my mind, because I used to wear oils, buddy butter, and do all of that and my friends and family and everybody will always compliment me like you always smell so good. It's like, what are you wearing? And like damn, where do I start? But anyways, we started as Irelux oils, it was like really small, very chic. And we had these oils and it wasn't pushing as much as I wanted because I felt like a lot of people didn't know about oils at the time and this was in 2022. Oils were not yet a thing like it is right now, and people did not get the concept. And for me, I was very heavy in oils, like the oils will make my fragrances last all day, I don't have to worry about it. But then the plan was always Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm. Samira: We're gonna do oils, fragrances, and maybe body butters, shower gel. It was just supposed to be the whole nine yards that it's like a one stop shop. That's always been the vision, still is. but then I was like, okay, if we're gonna move on to phase two, which is fragrances, there's no way I can be calling myself Ira Lux Oils because then I've boxed myself in there. There's no way you be saying you're a fragrance brand and then oils. We have to change that around. And I was like, okay, fine, we're gonna call it House of IR. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm. Samira: I was playing with many names. I was like, Casa de Ayra. And da da da da da. Again, for those who don't know, Ayra is from Samira. It's like the last four of my name, Samira, because people spell my name differently. Some people spell with a Y, some people with an I, some people put an H in the back. And I just took all the different ways that people spell my name and that's where Ayra comes from. So I was like, okay, we're gonna change. And we rebranded in twenty twenty three. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Samira: And we started working on our first fragrance. Our first fragrance was Lardisan and we launched that in twenty twenty-four, April twenty twenty-four, actually. I think it was like a couple of days before my dad's the day my dad passed away, we launched that. So again, that was why it was so special for me. And then by then we had already worked on Nocturne and Symphony, but I wasn't ready to launch it yet just because I needed to see how Lardezan did first and then Later that year we launched Nartune and Symphony and then obviously last year we did Act One Opera and now page three. So Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. That's a really astounding amount of growth in the past three years. Yeah, I remember coming to your launch party for opera in the city last year. It's really great to see how far you've come in such a short amount of time, because I think the response from your fragrances has really been wonderful. Has that? Samira: I mean. Yes. Yeah. Michelle DeLorenzo: You know, I remember smelling you first at, believe, 2024. Scent Explorer was my first time smelling your fragrances. And I think within within a month of that, House of Ira was like the talk of TikTok. Samira: Yeah. Yes. Yes. I'll be honest. And I'll always say this. I give credit to Cenexplore. in twenty twenty four I didn't know what to expect, to be honest. I applied for Cent Explorer. I was like, you know what? I'm just gonna apply. What is the worst that could happen? If they say no, cool. You know, we just keep adventuring. But at least I tried and then on my birthday. Josh: Right. Samira: On my I remember I went out with my friends. I came back, I fell asleep on the couch. I woke up the next morning, still had makeup on my face. I was about to go shower. And then I see an email. Mind you, I had put in this application since March. And I got a response in August. I already I had given up. I was like, they probably wouldn't take me, so it is what it is. And then I got a response in August on my birthday. And I'm looking, it says to explore. It says, hey. Michelle DeLorenzo: my gosh. Samira: You have been accepted, but before it's it's like a with the conditional acceptance, we need to smell your stuff first before we give you the final acceptance. I was like, absolutely. I sent examples of everything that we have and then Max sent me an email. He's like, Absolutely, hell yes. I need to help on a shit. I cried my eyes, so okay, I'm I'm a very emotional person. A lot of people see me and probably not know that, but I'm extremely Michelle DeLorenzo: Mmm. Samira: Extremely emotional because when something is not going well for me, I'll cry to feel better. When something is going well for me, I'll cry, you know, to celebrate. And I I didn't get this way up until late in my life. Before you would never find me crying, because I felt like back then, it's like if you cry, you're weak. And I'm like, I'm not weak. So I cried my heart. I know, I know. and I'm grateful for that because being vulnerable. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Look at this emotional growth. Yeah. Samira: is a sign of maturity. Yes. Because you're being vulnerable not because you're weak, it's just because you're in tune with that emotion and you're not avoiding it. Because if you avoid it, it's like putting band-aid on the wound without putting any antibiotics. One day it's gonna burst open and a lot of pus will come out and you will cry your eyes out. It's happened to me before. So when I feel the urge to cry baby, I will cry me a river and then wipe my eyes off and I feel way better. Michelle DeLorenzo: Absolutely. Hehehehehe. Samira: And you know, Max said yes. Honestly, I did not know what to expect. I kept doubting and like, should I do it? Should I do it? Because at the time, sent was like nine grand, ten grand. I was like, I'm just starting, that's a lot. You know, should I do this? Should I not do this? And I was like, you know what? It's a risk. I'll take that risk. Who knows? I didn't know what to expect. And then B W for sentence floor, I think we were the only black female owned brand there. A lot of people were coming to our booth because of that and Michelle DeLorenzo: Wow. Mm-hmm. Samira: I'm glad that they were not disappointed because what they met, they were not expecting it. And it was astounding, if I say so myself. And obviously the storytelling, a lot of people were really happy with the customer service at the booth. Mind you, I just took my cousin, I took my two cousins and we went. I was like, 'cause I didn't know what to expect. I was like, let's go. And we went. And it was one of the best experiences of my life. Michelle DeLorenzo: Okay. Samira: Meeting people, especially people I've been seeing online and seeing them in person, and it's just like, hey, and for me, I didn't even care about making sales. I just wanted people to hear my story, hear the story, hear about the brand. And then if you connect with it, then do what you need to do. But just hear about it. That was my main goal. And after Zen Explorer, I think we sold out on everything that we brought to Zen Explore, and people were purchasing online. Michelle DeLorenzo: Amazing. Samira: And after saying explorer the next day I was flying out because I had booked my flight ticket the error the next day because I didn't know what to expect. And I got on the plane, I was starting to get emotional. I was like, nope, not here, not here, not here, not here. I don't want to have to start explaining to my neighbor what's going on. As soon as I walked through my front door, I didn't get up the stairs. I just sat in the stairs and I burst into tears. I think I cried for three hours straight. Because it was just more like I cannot believe this because Michelle DeLorenzo: Hmm. Mmm. Samira: We did such an amazing job and everybody really, really, really liked what we had to show. I think I presented an award to Max Aroma as well. I like, Me? You guys pick me? And it's like everybody just kept saying like your energy, your energy and I'm like Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Samira: And actually after some explode, I think four days later I had to fly out to Dubai because I needed to just go for a break. It was a really hard year for me. And I was in Dubai for two weeks and the orders just kept coming and I'm just like, my god, nobody's stopping. You know, and honestly from there, it just took off. You know, like I feel like every year it just keeps getting better and better and the community just keeps increasing, and I'm just so grateful for it. So yeah. Michelle DeLorenzo: amazing. Samira: Yep. 'Cause last year last year was even worse. Like my book was so full. It's like a lot of people told me like they came to my book, they couldn't because it was so full. Like we were at the end but it was extremely full and I'm just like, Y'all love me. Michelle DeLorenzo: yeah. barely even got to say hi to you last year. Josh: Ha ha ha. Samira: Yeah. I was like, Y'all love me. And then we launched A Two Three. It's been a week and Michi we pretty much almost sold Michelle DeLorenzo: Love it. I love it. That's amazing. Congrats. Samira: Yeah, yeah. Josh: It is yeah, it's really cool to see someone take the risk on something they believe in and for it to pay off. Samira: Thank you. Yes, yes. It's it's it's it's amazing to see that. Like I'm so glad that I bet on myself and I did not say no. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Josh: Yeah, what are some of the values that you wanted the House of Ira to embody? Michelle DeLorenzo: Thank Samira: The first thing is community. My team will tell you that. I'm like community, community, community, community, community. Because for me, I have the belief that your community will always support you and they will also always hold you accountable. How you treat them is very important. First impression, people never forget how you treat them. I think there's a saying in life, when you meet people, Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Samira: leave them better than you met them. And so for me, that is very important. So first things first, first values, community. And that is what I'm focused on. Before anything, it's the community because we're being ourselves. We have our brand values and whatever it is. I just know that our people who resonate with us, they find us and that's how you know we have a community. And for me, Growing up in an African household, being very welcoming is something that I was brought up with. You know, like I grew up with people who I'm not related to, but they became family because they grew up in our house. And like if my mom or my dad saw you, you were struggling, it's like, okay, what can I do to help? Sure, we have an extra bedroom, come stay. That pretty much that's how I grew up. And when I came to the US, and the first time I saw people homeless in the streets, and I was like, Michelle DeLorenzo: Thank Samira: I remember so well. I had like a hundred dollars in my pocket. I was with my sister and her husband. I was like, look at the homeless man right there. Hold on. I want to give him some. And they're like, girl, you better keep that money in your pocket. You're gonna see a lot of them. Cause that's not that's uncommon for us back home. You know, like people stay with you, they don't have to pay you nothing. It's just because you just want to help them and give them a better life. So community is very important to me. Secondly, being true to ourselves, right? We we my background and who I am right now as a person, I wanted to be reflective of House IRA. I'm always gonna stand my own, stand my ground. I don't jump on trends. We try not to jump on trends at House IRA. It's like I just feel like be your authentic self, just be yourself, be authentic in a world where everybody's trying to change and be something about certain aesthetic. Just be yourself, you know, create your own thing. People who love you for who you are will come to you and they will follow you. And then discernment. Discernment. I have so many stories that I can tell you guys when you're a new brand owner. There's sharks out there who just want to come in and claw into you because they know that you have no idea. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Samira: have to Michelle DeLorenzo: Yep. Samira: be very discerning of people and whatever contract you're signing. You have to be, you have to think it through. I always say this to myself, it's not every opportunity that you're presented with that you jump at it. That's how you get poisoned. It's okay sometimes to just pass up that drink. Drink some water. You don't have to take the shot every time. You know what I'm saying? Like you have to be discerning. Josh: Mm-hmm. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yep. Yeah. Samira: For me, I I I believe in God. I understand that people have the different beliefs. I pray every day for wisdom and discernment because this is the first time I'm doing something like this. My background is in AI and cybersecurity. I have never owned a brand. I've helped brands bring their t projects to fruition. This is the first time that I am doing this. There's certain decisions that I have to make where I doubt myself. But one thing I know from my background is Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Samira: I consult with my team. I don't make a decision because I'm CEO and I'm founder. No. I will always consult with my team and be yeah, what are your thoughts, guys? And based on what they tell me, I take it back and I sit down and I discern on it. Like I think about it. And obviously I have the final say. But at least I consult it because somebody might say something that you were not thinking of. And it could help you make a better decision. Michelle DeLorenzo: No, I'm glad you have Sophia on your team now as well, who is amazing. And I would recommend her to any brand who is looking for somebody to help with their social media, to help with their marketing. She's wonderful. Shout out to Sophia. We love you. Samira: Okay. You can see you can you can see the smile on my face. I love Sophia. I love her. Like I don't know what we would do without her, but I appreciate her so much. I love the fact that she keeps me grounded and she holds me extremely accountable. And and she's very patient. I love that about her. And she knows her stuff. Very knowledgeable. Very knowledgeable. She's in my opinion, she's one of the best in the game. And I love I like Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Yeah. Very. Samira: The way she holds my me accountable and she's in this business, it's nice to have people you trust and people who are genuine. And Sophia is one of those people. Because if you don't trust people, you can't work with them. If I don't trust you, I can't work with you. Because I'm gonna doubt everything you tell me and that's how we're gonna keep clashing. So I'm glad that at least I have Sophia and my other team members that if I see something, I'm gonna ask. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Samira: Because sometimes my judgment can be very screwed just because of probably my background and my experiences in life. I always like to consult with other people to see what they've seen, like what they know, and then we put it together and see how we can, you know, move forward. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah, I think it's you bring up a really important issue that I think is something that we we try to delve into sometimes, but like it could get very litigious. there you said it, there are a lot of people as soon as they know you have a fragrance brand that are looking to just to chomp at you and like this person must have money. Let me let me get whatever I can out of this. And so keeping that in mind. Samira: Fresh. Michelle DeLorenzo: What's some advice you would give to somebody who's starting a brand and like how to discern who to trust, who to let in? Samira: one of the most important things I feel like everybody, anybody should have, you need to have a mentor. A mentor is somebody that you can use as a sounding board. This person is not on your team. This mentor is somebody who has experience in the field that you're getting in. Obviously, your experience will be different from theirs. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Samira: But the advice that they can give you can help shape your experiences. There are gonna be some rough days. Everything's never gonna be smooth sailing, but on the days where it's rough, you will call your mentor and your mentor will give you certain advice on how to move forward. Having a mentor is very important because that's where you go to school. That's where you go to school and your teacher has to teach you and you get to take all those exams and stuff like that. If we knew it all, then we're not gonna go to school, we're just gonna. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah, it's very important. Mm-hmm. Samira: have it but you go to school because somebody with experience and knowledge is teaching you and sharing the experience with you that will help shape your experience and that's how you pass it forward. Josh: if someone out there heard that and says, I need a mentor, like there are so many people that we've interviewed, there are so many people that have their own independent brands and things like that that are not trying to gatekeep this information. They are part of this ecosystem in this community. shoot your shot. They might say they don't have time or they're gonna take you under their wing. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yes. Yeah. Samira: The truth is don't get offended if somebody tells you they don't have time. Because truly you don't have time. I'll be honest with you, I feel like twenty four hours is not enough for me anymore. I quit my full time job because becoming a lot. It's a lot. Like right now I'm talking to you guys. We are working on our next release and we're already working on the releases for next year. Michelle DeLorenzo: my god, amazing. Yeah. Yep, it is. Yeah. Samira: It's a lot. It's a lot. Next week I'm going Josh: Mm-hmm. Samira: to California. I'm trying to put things together. See, like I'm right here with you guys. It it's a lot. So if you don't get offended, the right person for the right person will be like, you know what? I have time for you. Like, I have two mentors right now. Chris Collins and Makeda. See around Sugar Babe. Shout out to them. They've been super, super amazing and helped with me. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Josh: Mm-hmm. Michelle DeLorenzo: Shout out to them, amazing. Samira: These are people who are extremely busy. They're running million dollar companies. And it's because of how pushful I am and just who I am. And I'm just like, I don't care if you can give me five minutes, but hey, I have this problem. And that you know what? I'm gonna take you and mentor you. I'm gonna mentor. And for me, I'm like, I was lucky for that. For me, I'm always I'm always happy to share my knowledge. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Samira: I've always shared my knowledge. Like if I meet another brand and I see you doing certain things that I've done before, if you ask me for my opinion, I will happily give you. And I'm telling like, hey, you don't have to take my advice, but at least see things from this perspective. It could help you decide how you want to move forward. You know, obviously you have to be discerning of who is giving you advice. Like what are their motives and stuff like that. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Yeah. And Chris Collins and Brown Sugar Babe are two amazing people to be working with. Yeah. I recently got into Brown Sugar Babe and I'm completely obsessed and I've known Chris now for a couple of years and absolutely adore him so much. I have my samples down here. like, I can't decide which one to get a full-size bottle of because they're all in Josh: Fantastic. Yeah. Samira: Yes. Yes, absolutely. See, I keep I keep my brow shooter. Very. Michelle DeLorenzo: Incredible, incredible. And I have like 10 Chris Collins. Samira: Honestly. Yep. Yep. Yeah. Josh: Now that I'm Yeah. Now that I'm officially in my gourmand era, I need to get brown sugar babe 'cause I hear nothing but fantastic things and I'm ready. Michelle DeLorenzo: yes. Yeah. Samira: You know what? They just released something for the guys. I would definitely highly recommend check that out. Okay. Check that out. I promise you. This I took some for my brother and then I kept some for myself. I'm like, yeah. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Josh: Well yeah, you had the Nivea, the white and the blue, you gotta have Samira: I need both. Hey. Yeah. Yeah. See, you get Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Samira: it. You get you need you need that. Like I wore brown sugar bake today. Today, what did I wore? I wore the fig I got from Stelle. I wore that and then I wore brown sugar bake. I think it's called Clean Clean Street or something. And I got so many compliments when I went to drop off packages and stuff like that. And it's like, you smell good. I went to the grocery store and she's like, you smell so good. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm. Josh: Yeah. Michelle DeLorenzo: So so funny when we came to fume, now I had no idea that you, Chris and Brown Sugar Babe are all, you connected. But my first day scent combo was perfection from Brown Sugar Babe layered with Act One and then layered with Sunset and Tamarindo from Chris Collins. I had all three on. It's actually one of my favorite combos at the moment. Samira: Period. Yes, yes. You know what? Layer that with African Roboys. Act one and African Roboys? baby. West. Yes. Excuse you. Layer them together and I promise you. I promise you. Yes. That fumble is good. Yes. Looking forward today. Josh: It could be good. Michelle DeLorenzo: That's a great, yeah. I have both versions too. I have the regular and I have the intense. That's going to be my scent of the day tomorrow and I'm going to text you and let you know. Josh: Mm. Good. Moving yeah, moving towards our closing ritual. obviously you're you're very busy, like you mentioned, getting ready for Scentfest. You're preparing for a new release. Is there anything that you're looking forward to that you want to share here, or is it all under wraps for the moment? Samira: Mm-hmm. Okay, Sophia don't kill me, Sophia don't kill me, Sophia, I love you. Michelle DeLorenzo: Hahahaha Josh: Ha ha ha. Michelle DeLorenzo: You Samira: I do know I would say this. One thing about Hasa Aira, we listen to our community. We listen. They've been asking, they've been asking, we're gonna deliver. There's gonna be something for everybody. Michelle DeLorenzo: I love it. Samira: And good things come in all sizes. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah. Josh: J just enough information. Just enough. Michelle DeLorenzo: Just enough. Sophia, don't kill her. I am very excited about this release. I'm excited about the next one, too. I got to smell a mod with you. think they're both fantastic. So in closing, just like talking about the new scent, I want to give you a chance to really, you know. Samira: Yes, you did, you did, you did. Michelle DeLorenzo: bring us through it. I'm enjoying it a lot. It's Rodrigo. Rodrigo is the master of florals. there are some very interesting florals in this one that I've never smelled before. So can you tell us about the two florals that are really, I don't think I've ever seen them in a fragrance before. Samira: Yeah. I know. So there's Bavaria Flower and Bavaria Flower is of Mexican origin. I think that that is a flower where when you're getting married and stuff like that, the a lot of them hold that. And plus Bavaria flower is supposed to be like if orange blossom and cardinal had a child, that would give you Bavaria Flower. And then Cairo Karunde, he chose Caro Karunde because of my West African background. And obviously Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Mmm. of it. Samira: Kara Karunda is a very beautiful white flora that helps to enhance the fruits and not make it to because to be honest, white florals can be very screechy and powdery. So karakarunda gives you that perfect balance, if I may. So it helps to enhance the jasmine and the tubers that you see in there. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, this is definitely this is for the floral lovers for sure. You have to love Tuberose. You have to love Jasmine. It's it's a Rodrigo. It's. Samira: Exactly. You know what's interesting about this fragrance? Everybody who smelled this fragrance, even those who I didn't think this was gonna be for them, they love it. Like myself, I am so in love with this fragrance. Lord help me God. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Samira: There's something about it. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yeah, I remember when you let me smell the mod and it was between this and another one. said, no, no, this is, this is it. Samira: Yes. Yeah. Yep. Yep. I'm like, it's just it's it's extremely gorgeous. You know, especially right now at this time of the year. If I was getting married, that is the flower, that that is the fragrance I want to wear on my wedding day. Like it's it's so special. It's just so sexy in a good way. And it goes well in a man as well as on a you know a woman. but yeah. A two three is very special for me just because that's my date of birthday and shout out to all the Virgos. Hey Michelle DeLorenzo: I love that. Yes. Samira: Yeah. Yeah. I'm I'm so glad. Like Rodrigo, he is an amazing perfumer, very talented. I love a lot of his scents that he's done for other houses, like what's this like noctionality that he did for Arquist. I love love, love, love, love that one. I think he did Esperito for House of Bowl. I love that one as well. And other Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Arkea, Arquist. Samira: fragrances that he's done. So when he did this for us, his energy, first of all, the day I met him in person, because we had a lot of video chats and then I told him I was gonna come down and smell in person, which is because it was important for him to see my body language and my reaction. Because honestly, my face don't lie. It would tell you exactly how I'm feeling, you know. So it's important for him to see that, to see that I really appreciate it, or if it was not for me, then whatever. So Michelle DeLorenzo: you Hehehehehe Samira: It worked out and I'm so glad. Like he's been the sweetest of all. So I think he will actually be working on some of our fragrances for next year. So definitely stay tuned. Michelle DeLorenzo: Exciting. What conversations are you hoping that your brand encourages? Samira: Yes, yes, yes. I want my brand to continue to encourage everybody to feel empowered to be a better version of themselves. I'm somebody who I am very big on change. You know, you're not stuck there. You just need to get up and move places a little bit. I want House of IRA to continue to inspire people that they can be whatever it is that they put their mind to it. You know, I'm just one person. And for me, I like really nice things and How's the IR cost me a lot? It cost me a whole lot. And to see where the brand is, sometimes I still pinch myself and I I'm so much in disbelief. And I can just see how far the brand is growing and growing. And I just want somebody to look at me and be inspired and know that you know what? If she did it, I can do it. Use me as a North Star, yardstick, whatever it is that you want to do in a good way, where it's like if she could do it. This gives me hope that I can do it. And I always tell people, please do not compare yourself with the next person. You see our fingers, they're not equal. They're very uneven. And that's because everybody has a lane and a path that they're going through. You will continue to move on your lane. Sometimes you will not get what you want because you're probably not ready for it. Everything that is happening right now is preparing you for where you're headed to appreciate it. When you're comparing. You're robbing yourself of the moment of everything that you're going through. So if anything, I just want everybody to get that. Like I never compare myself with any other brand. You know, I'm just focused right there and I'm just looking forward to what can we do next? What can we do next? Because I just know everything will fall in place as needed. Michelle DeLorenzo: Mm-hmm. Samira: And one more thing. Spread love. Spread love in the fragrance community. Ha! Love. Love one another. It's not that serious. It's scented water. It's scented water. It is scented water. Scented water. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yep, tells. Guess. Yes. Josh: Think we leave it with that. Spread love. Thank you so much Samira: Yeah. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yet, spread love. Josh: for the time this evening. Samira: Spread now the way you spray your fragrances. Everybody gets love. You get love. You get love. We all get love. Michelle DeLorenzo: Yes. I think it's a beautiful message. I love it. Samira: Yeah. Thank you so much, you guys. I appreciate being on this chair and talking to y'all and I always watch y'all's podcasts. So it's really, really amazing. And it's nice to see the chemistry that you guys have. Very, very amazing. Love it. Michelle DeLorenzo: Thank you. Thank you so much for joining us. And if you have not checked out 823, if you have not checked out House of Ira yet, what are you doing? Samira, where can people find you? Josh: Thank you. Samira: If you're looking for us, we are online. First of all, www.house of ira.com. You can find us there. We're on social media, TikTok, House of Ira, Instagram, House of Ira, Snapchat, House of Ira, YouTube, House of Ira. Anything X, House of Ira. And then, how would you want this gorgeous bottle to be sitting on your nice band? Like, see. Michelle DeLorenzo: you Samira: You can hold it like this, and it just stands right there. Like, how many of your favorite brands can do this? Hey, very Michelle DeLorenzo: Not many, surprisingly. Samira: gorgeous, you know. it comes in 100 ml and you have the travel size, the 12 mls. You know, you can have both. You can have this or that. I mean, either one. And we are currently in physical locations. Michelle DeLorenzo: Okay. Hehehehehe Samira: So on our website, if you go to where it says stockist, you will see everybody who carries House of Ira. so this is a stockist right here. many more to come. Many more to come. Many more to come. Michelle DeLorenzo: Love it. Josh: Excellent. Thank you. And if you enjoyed listening to this and you want to hear more from us, please remember to like and subscribe. if you comment and share, it helps us reach new audiences. So thank you so much and we will see you next time. Samira: Absolutely. Thank you. Bye. Michelle DeLorenzo: Okay, love you, bye.