As a child, I always knew when my mom was home or close by because I could smell her. After she died in 1981, when I was 11, I spent many days lying in her bed or sitting in her closet amongst her clothes. Why? Because of her scent. If I could somehow keep her scent alive maybe she wouldn’t be gone. Her love was real, she existed, those first 11 years of my life with her was not a dream.
For me, fragrance is a scent trail toward my loved ones. Like Hansel and Gretel following the path of breadcrumbs in the forest, I follow the scent of flower petals, incense, the grasses, and trees that lead me to the loved ones of my childhood. The people that shaped the woman that I am today. The Cyprus Rigaud candles that my mother burned in our living room, her Jungle Gardenia perfume, the garden roses in our backyard, golden jewelry and amber beads, my father’s Sandalwood cologne, the incense in the churches of my childhood.
After the birth of my daughter in 2012, I was filled to the brim with love. I felt a peacefulness that I had not known since my mom died. I wanted to celebrate my mom and the deep and everlasting love that she imprinted on my heart. Motherhood came so naturally to me because of her.
I worked for two years with Claude Dir at Mane to create Natalie, which debuted in 2016.A gardenia-based fragrance with notes of bigarde zest, orange blossom and neroli. In 2017, I created La Rose. I call it “a rose that smells like a rose.”
Time went by. I co-produced a documentary on my mom’s life for HBO titled Natalie wood: What Remains Behind and my memoir More Than Love was published by Scribner. Both released in 2020.
I have come back to my brand with the wish to grow and rebrand it. I will rename Natalie Fragrance, L’Amour Mere which means Mother Love. I am developing a third scent that will reflect the incense and grounding earth elements of my childhood.
Stay tuned for more and thank you for loving who I love.
Natasha