"This year cannot be easily summarised or understood, except to say that we have all had challenges that we could never have foreseen."
Bournemouth perfumier Sarah Ireland speaks for us all when she tries to describe the year 2020 in a nutshell.
But, like many, she has tried hard to put a positive spin on things, and has used her expertise in the perfume industry to put together a limited edition fragrance, aimed at giving something back to those on the frontline fight against coronavirus.
Named after the Italian word for hope, the limited edition Speranze Eau de Cologne is being sold in aid of NHS Charities Together, after being created by award-nominated Sarah at her own, Dorset-based studio.
"No two stories are identical, we have not all been in the same boat, and the storm rumbles on," says Sarah, who is solely in charge from the first design concept, through the various stages of production and even to putting the finished perfume in the box.
"Speranza Eau de Cologne is a limited edition that has been created to help support NHS Charities Together. The fragrance comes in a special graduated blue atomiser bottle, referencing the Tyrrhenian sea, and £3 from every sale will be donated to the charity."
The floral, aromatic fragrance celebrates positivity with uplifting notes of pink grapefruit and sun-touched juniper. Spiced black pepper sits alongside an oceanic hyacinth and jasmine before the wooded warmth of amber and lavender combine to complete a coastal inspired journey, she explains.
Sarah Ireland Perfumes was launched in 2018 after Sarah quit her primary school teacher job to follower her dreams. It was a gamble that paid off, as Sarah was quickly named as a finalist in the prestigious Fragrance Foundation Awards after launching her first collection of four, unisex fragrances, all of which were inspired by her own experiences and based on seasons of the year.
Sarah, who has also now launched a body oil, has set up a sample service and runs a bespoke service to create individual scents for clients.
• Speranza Eau de Cologne - Limited Edition £23 RRP (10ml)
info@sarah-ireland.com
Sarah-Ireland.com
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