<p>Sometimes it’s easy to forget that brands and products are a result of life choices and decisions that may have seemed insignificant at the time. One such decision led Craig Andrade to leave work early to attend a candle making workshop. He fell in love with the craft, the creativity and the connection with olfaction and he decided to make a change and quit his corporate law role. Craig’s ‘Act II’ began when he studied perfumery at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery and eventually he founded his own brand, Raconteur in Australia - focusing on native botanicals. There are now three stores in Australia and the brand is stocked globally, including at Bloom in London. Craig says:</p><br><p><em>“My perfumery practice straddles beauty, art, history, science, botany, geography, and physiology. It comprises rich layers of storytelling and meaning. My focus is on making natural fragrances that combine these elements and provide both pleasure and purpose.”</em></p><br><p>Craig mentioned the following products from his morning and evening routines:</p><br><p>Sodashi - Cleanser Clay, Face Polish and Sleek Moisturiser</p><p><a href="https://www.sodashi.co.uk/products/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.sodashi.co.uk/products/</a></p><p>Cancer Council of Australia - Sunscreen</p><p><a href="https://www.cancercouncilshop.org.au/collections/sunscreen" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.cancercouncilshop.org.au/collections/sunscreen</a></p><br><p>Raconteur fragrances are available here in the UK at Bloom - and via the Raconteur website globally.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://bloomperfume.co.uk/collections/raconteur" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bloomperfume.co.uk/collections/raconteur</a></p><br><p>You can find Raconteur on Instagram at:</p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/the_rac_on_teur/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/the_rac_on_teur/</a></p><br><p>Raconteur website:</p><p><a href="https://theraconteur.co/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://theraconteur.co/</a></p><br><p>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</p><p>You can ‘tip’ me via the link below. This really helps me with the podcast running costs (it’s a costly business!): <a href="https://ko-fi.com/maninthemirror" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://ko-fi.com/maninthemirror</a></p><br><p>You can follow me @maninthemirrorpod on IG:</p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/maninthemirrorpod/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>https://www.instagram.com/maninthemirrorpod/</strong></a></p><br><p>On TikTok:</p><p><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@yousmellgreatwhatisit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.tiktok.com/@yousmellgreatwhatisit</a></p><p>————————————————————————————————</p><p>Thanks to Anders Sundberg for ‘Man in the Mirror’ sound mixing and production, Andy Goff @goff_andy for the artwork and Andy Gilbert (ATRX) @andygilbert_atrx for the theme music.&nbsp;</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>