Creating Memories | The Power of Fragrance

 

It’s no secret that one of the most important things to us at Natalie Marie Jewellery is creating pieces of jewellery with significance that will be loved for a lifetime and beyond, and luxury candle & fragrance house Lumira shares this same sentiment, creating signature scents that connect with customers in a deeper, memorable way.

We love that perfume can tell a story, evoke memory and form part of a customer’s personality - just like our jewellery - so we are honoured to have founder and creative director Almira Armstrong here to share a little more about the power of fragrance.

Almira, how did Lumira come to be?

I’ve always said that fragrance was my first love. As a child, I would play with my mum’s perfume bottles and when we travelled as a family – which we were fortunate enough to do fairly often – I was captivated by the different scents that I’d experience in places like Italy or London. I studied marketing at university but during that time, I also taught myself to make candles and loved experimenting with different scents. After working in marketing for several years, I began to think seriously about starting my own business and it made sense that it would be based around fragrance in some way.

 

What’s different about Lumira?

I like to say that LUMIRA is for lovers of uncommon scents. Our customers have a strong sense of style and they love that our fragrances have a distinct point of view. Each candle or perfume captures the personality of a place and inspires the user to make their own memories. 

 

How do you choose your fragrances and how are they made?

We create luxury niche fragrances for the self and for the body, using the very finest ingredients. We’re also guided by sustainable production principles and an ethical commitment to human rights. Our candles use only natural vegetable wax and the beautiful essential oils that give each candle and perfume oil its unique scent are all ethically sourced.

It’s said that of all the senses, smell offers the best recall, so tell us, what is your earliest scent memory?

When I was growing up, we travelled every few years to Europe. My mother’s parents had this beautiful countryside home where we would play in their orchards.  The smell of fresh lemons, oranges and berries will always take me back to long summer days spent there. My cousins and I would climb the trees and pick off the fruit and eat them fresh. We would spend hours and wait until dusk to head inside.  When I smell citrus fruits, I am immediately transported back to those days.

 

What does your house smell like?

It depends on the space. Typically the kitchen is fresh and earthy, whilst the living is warm and inviting. I like to burn Tuscan Fig or Tunisian Mint Tea in the kitchen and Cuban Tobacco in the living. For the bedroom, my favourite goes between La Primavera and Balinese Ylang Ylang, both romantic scents.

 

What does your wedding day smell like?

Love and happiness! I wear the  Persian Rose perfume oil and it always reminds me of our special day.

 

What does happiness smell like?

Friends, family and the La Primavera fragrance. It reminds me of long summer days in Italy.  

 

Friendship?

Warm and loving.

 

Love?

Fresh flowers.