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. I follow the path of
crushed flower petals; their scent emboldens me. 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, the citrus trees and their paper white blossoms bursting with
scent. Tobacco brown More cigarettes sticking out of sterling silver cups,
her 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.

Natalie Fragrance is about memory. Join me on the scent trail.

Natasha