Mani is making an appearance at the Seattle Nordstrom this Saturday (Dec. 9th), and I just bought a ticket! I hope I get to meet her. It will be an exciting day if I get to see her new products and meet her. I'll definitely post an update if I do.

Update:

Hey everybody, I just got back from Nordstrom, and I'm beat! I think I fully understand the term "Shop 'til you drop," because being surrounded by trillions of people while simply trying to look at things can really suck the energy out of you.

Anyway, I was excited this morning about getting the chance to introduce myself to Mani. I didn't expect that I'd get to really talk with her, but I at least wanted to say hi. Well, I walked into Nordstrom, and just a few yeards in front of me, I saw a very familiar face. I walked up to her display and said her name very hesistantly. She turned around and said, "Oh there you are!" and threw her arms around me! I had sent her a MySpace message a couple of days ago about coming down, and she totally remembered me. (I was impressed.)

Let me just say that Mani is one of the sweetest, warmest, and brightest people I've ever met. (Not to mention well dressed ) We talked for almost 2 hours. She told me about her travels, her family, and her inspiration for the Altru line. It is truly a reflection of her because each scent means something to her. It took her 7 months to narrow down the scents she wanted until she came up with the perfect blends. I was very happy to finally be able to hold and smell the products. The photos on the internet and in magazines don't do them justice. They are very high quality and smell gorgeous. I know that not everyone likes scented candles and incense, but I recommend you at least give them a try because they are very unique. I walked away with the incense scroll and some Harmony incense. I think I'll wait til my next paycheck to buy a candle.

Anyway, meeting Mani was a real delight. It was so cool to get to know someone whom I had only seen in pictures. She is very interesting to talk to. She did set the record straight that she NEVER studied fine arts in college! I asked her about her artwork and she started laughing. For those of you who haven't read it, there's an article out about her that quotes a supposed "former classmate" who talks about Mani's fine art studies and love for painting. Mani said she didn't even know who this person is, and that they must have mixed her up with someone else, because she has never taken an art class. Basically, she told me not to believe everything that I've read. I'll definitely take that to heart.

So, that's all I can think of for now. I'm off to burn some incense...
[Edited 12/9/06 15:30pm]

You've paid money to see Mani? I don't get why they would charge you for that.

Kissmequick said:

It's not just for Mani...It's called the Fall Fragrance Festival. There are many representatives at this function and it's suppose to be really nice (wine, free samples, etc.). There's one in Baltimore tomorrow...I was thinking about going.

yes, tell us all about it.

YOU GO MANI!

luv2luvya said:

now what a concept. they want YOU to buy THEIR product, but they want YOU to pay an admission fee to see what THEY want to sell to YOU?

Actually, I just found out that I paid money for the wrong event! I paid for a cosmetics show happening from 8am-10am, but Mani won't be there until 10am for a different event. Shoot. I hope I can get my money back, because I can see Mani for free. I sent her a MySpace message, and she said to come up and introduce myself, so I definitely will. I'll let you all know about it!

UCantHavaDaMango said:

That's too bad...hope they give you a refund. Have a great time & do let us know how it went! I was going to go tonight but I forgot about a prior engagement

txladykat said:

call me crazy 'cause I'm with you on that one.

Kissmequick said:

Luckily, the money can be used towards a purchase, or refunded at the end of the event. So, the fee is really a spot holder. I guess they think they'll have people show up if they paid money for the event, rather than have people RSVP for free and be no shows.

UCantHavaDaMango said:

Oh.... well that's better. I just can see giving money for no reason.

I did indeed get to meet Mani today! I posted an update above.

That's cool. I am really impressed by her drive and ambition and she is a real lady that's for sure. The stuff she is interested is cool too. I'm glad she was so cool to you.

I'm happy about your experience and I'm glad she took the time to talk to you for 2 hours.
Mani is a very nice person indeed. I really liked her too. I got to briefly speak to her during the celebration. First, she was the one handing out my pass and later on, when an employee asked her to answer my question, she did really nicely. I had no idea who she was back then, she wasn't even married to Prince. Then, when I realized how close she was too him, I also realized she was just being herself. Very simple person who didn't walk among the crowd as if she was a very important person. I really had a good feeling about her.

Aww...I'm glad that you had a great time! And thanks a bunch for the info Did she mention anything about future products and projects?

luv2luvya said:

Well, there is one scent that I ADORED that is only available as a candle right now. (It's the Masala Chai scent) I asked her if it would be made available as incense, and she said it would, but not until after the first of the year. She definitely wants to expand the line, because she has been getting many requests fro more products. I suggested making wrapping paper with the same gorgeous patterns as the the Altru packaging, so we'll see.

She is such a busy lady right now. She's working on a documentary right now that follows the lives of foster children. I just can't believe all of the projects she's working on. She is so dedicated to her cause, and I find it inspiring. She's also very humble about it all, which is just awesome. What a cool lady.

UCantHavaDaMango said:

Masala Chai Incense I adore this scent too! I've heard about the documentary and am definitely interested in seeing it. It's great to know that she is truly passionate about what she's doing and willing to work hard for the cause.

Was there by chance a Prince mention?

sexxydancer said:

Actually, no. I felt it would be innappropriate to bring him up, so I didn't even mention his name.

Pretty amazing, huh?

UCantHavaDaMango said:

It certainly is-I don't think I could've spoken with her 4 that long without mentioning Prince in some way!

Aw man! I missed it

wow,very cool and whats even cooler...you didnt bring up prince!

UCantHavaDaMango said:

I would have found it inappropriate as well. I'm sure Mani appreciated your interest for her work and not for Prince. Will she ever present in Minneapolis, do you know?

malbena said:

I'm not sure. If she does, I bet she'll post it on her MySpace page. She has quite a bit of travelling to do. I really admire her willingness to get on a plane and fly to a different corner of the country on a regular basis! It would completely tire me out.

sitruk7 said:

Don't worry, she might come back in a few months.

Sounds great ! I'd love to meet her and have a chat. Now I know that her myspace page really is fo' real and not maintained by some poser. Gracias

thanks for the account... it's always great to hear about people who are living their dream.

dear heart why did you pay to see her?
i hope it wasn't much and i'm glad you like the insence.

wavesofbliss said:

I didn't pay to see her. I bought a ticket to the event that was going on at Nordstrom. It got me a free makeover, and I got to use the ticket price as a gift certificate towards my purchase. Don't worry, it wasn't like Mani was behind glass, and I bought a ticket to walk up and take a look!