As a benevolent addition to the Le Jardin Retrouvé Wellbeing Collection, Creative Director Clara Feder has developed a comforting and nurturing end to your day in the form of three fragranced pillow mists. With wellbeing at the forefront of this unique collection within a perfume house, Clara has drawn on her vast knowledge and experience of spiritual and holistic practices to conceive the perfect balance of scent and solace.
Clara, what gave you the idea for pillow mists?
For a lot of us, sleep is a problem. There are indeed many articles in the media telling us that from the 1970s to today, our sleep time has shrunk. What I know is that the digital age may have influenced this. Screen time and Wi-Fi waves are not conducive to restful sleep.
“It’s important to have habits and a routine”
The more settled you are, the more rooted you are. If you want to sleep soundly, there are certain things that you should do. The first thing would be to go to bed at the same time every day. It’s important to have habits and a routine when it comes to having a good sleep. It’s also paramount to feel calm before you go to bed, too. Likewise, it’s best to avoid any kind of phone screens, television, Wi-Fi, or any kind of heated or intense conversation. Have a cooling down period before your regular bedtime.
Every night before I sleep, I find it useful to carry out my own stretching routine, which is based on what I feel in my body. It’s a method that uses a combination of specific stretching postures, breath work and hands-on therapy. I combine it with other techniques I’ve learned according to what I feel my body needs. I developed my own methods to alleviate my pains, so by stretching I heal my body every night. If I don’t, I can’t sleep.
My wind down takes about 20 -30 minutes before I go to sleep. I have a process and I have my mat wherever I go. I stretch the legs, arms, back and neck. It helps me tremendously. Breathing deeply is very important; it goes with the Mézières method that I have adapted. It is very slow, and it helps me get away from the rest of the day. It’s like a meditation. No way I can skip this part.
“From the 1970s to today, our sleep time has shrunk. Screen time and even radio waves are not conducive to restful sleep.”
The idea for pillow mists came from wanting to wind down and connect to our deep selves, find peace and protect our sleep. Personally, once I’m in bed and everything is ready, and I feel peaceful, I need that extra touch of comfort. I spray the pillow mist on my pillow, my bedding and on my bed covers. I also believe that perfume is something that gives us higher energies and takes us to higher realms. I’m not alone in thinking this, since this belief has been around for thousands of years.
“Perfume is something that gives us higher energies and takes us to higher realms.”
Our habits have changed a lot in the last two centuries, but the nature of perfume hasn’t. For me, it is eternal. We should really give perfume this power to link our soul to who we really are because the person we really are, is very different to the person we think we are. Perfume links us to that dimension of being a true human being, bathed in light and kindness.
“The person we really are, is very different to the person we think we are.”
Why did you choose these three fragrances in particular?
I made very deliberate choices in selecting the three fragrances, and each one serves a specific purpose.
The first one is Eau des Délices. This was originally an Eau de Cologne that was a homage from my father-in-law to the original Jean Marie Farina cologne, so it has an ancestry in perfume that I really like. It links us to another moment in time and to tradition. It also has ingredients that are known for their soothing qualities, such as bergamot and lavender. It works very well for me. I feel it’s very conducive to sleep.
The second fragrance is Sandalwood Sacré. This was an obvious choice for me as it is a fragrance that evokes your inner temple. It’s very mystical and woody, and the woody/soapy scent is reminiscent of being at home. It feels like a protective talisman, I use it when I feel I want to be protected.
“It feels like a protective talisman, I use it when I feel I want to be protected.”
The third fragrance I chose was Rose Trocadéro. I picked this one because rose is the essence of all that is soothing and calming. It can promote good health and wellbeing. For many years it’s been renowned as being good for your skin and for your mood and for its calming properties. Le Jardin Retrouvé Rose Trocadéro is more mysterious than the Eau des Délices, it is a little more present, a little sweeter. Our rose is a classic luminous rose and that’s the kind of energy I want sometimes. It really evokes a garden of roses.
What does a perfume house have to do with wellbeing?
I often say that since our name is Le Jardin Retrouvé (the Rediscovered Garden) we carry a big responsibility regarding this universal symbol of joy, abundance and wellbeing. There is a definite connection between a garden – both as a symbol and as a real outdoor place – and our own inner garden. In fact, all Le Jardin Retrouvé perfumes are based on that link, and that’s exactly the kind of energy we collectively need at this point in time to tackle the many changes that are happening on our planet.
“When we decided to make the Wellbeing Collection, we had the intention of offering the world something healing, something protective”.
You know when you do a meditation, you set an intention? Well, when you make a product, you can also set an intention. The intention is that moment when you deliberately put yourself into your inner space and say: “I intend to achieve this during that meditation, or I intend to achieve that by developing this product”. When we decided to make the Wellbeing Collection, we had the intention of offering the world something healing, something protective. Exactly what you would expect to find if you were sitting quietly in a garden admiring nature and recharging your batteries.
What makes these different from other pillow mists?
They carry a good energy – set up by the intention I talked about earlier. And as a “rediscovered garden”, we have been particularly supporting of our Mother Earth since 1975. So, the Pillow Mists are vegan and cruelty-free. Their ingredients are well sourced and the alcohol in it is organic. The aluminum container is recycled and recyclable.
It is ideal for helping you sleep, of course, but it can be sprayed also pretty much where you feel like: on your scarf, on your sofa and soft furnishings, in your car or on your favorite cushion. It is the scent of comfort that you can gently mist on your bed or surroundings. You can also mist items you carry around with you for reassurance. Because it fades away after a certain time, you can always change the mist to suit your mood, as needed. Our wish? That you sleep well, have insightful dreams, and wake rested and refreshed.
