Today we’d like to introduce you to Leanne Hirsh.
Leanne, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Perfumera Curandera Healing perfumes evolved over many decades of travel to my husbands native Peru, and our continued work there with traditional shamans and curanderos in plant medicine ceremonies in the Amazon Jungle and the Andes Mountains. The magical properties and the fragrant roots of a specific plant known as Piri Piri was my husbands inspiration, that became the focus for a line of healing scents to help uplift and transform others. This and other rare medicinal rainforest plants are at the heart of all my perfumes.
Our close relationship with an esteemed Amazonian ethnobotanist led to us distilling several of these revered plants especially for Perfumera Curandera, these are the core ingredients in my perfume making. Working with sacred Plant Medicines has opened a deep connection, which unfolds continually. With gratitude and intention my hope is to somehow be a part of preserving and sustaining this ancient knowledge that has never been written, only passed down through familial lineage and long apprenticeships.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a long journey to now, over 10 years in the making, I have always worked as a makeup artist in the fashion industry and made my perfumes on the side, but having lived in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York for the past 12 years, I had to travel often to the city and away for work so that was always a juggle, to navigate family obligations and work on a business when in between jobs and coming back and forth weekly, sometimes gone for a few days at a time.
The big challenge is to find time to actually make as much perfume as I’d like, to make it the main priority; which it is, and still take care of all the day to day such as marketing, packing, shipping, invoicing and all the myriad things that take up so much time. Also now my husband is living and working in Peru and I am a solo mama with a 14-year-old here in a new state all the way across the country. We relocated only 8 months ago from NY to Malibu which has been such a big transition for the family and we are still adjusting, I have to remind myself to stay present and find balance, and do what I can, one thing at a time.
Please tell us about Perfumera Curandera.
I formulate blend and make all my perfumes by hand even down to writing each label and dating. I make very small batches of perfumes, only 100 bottles at a time, which are then aged under moonlight with the lunar cycles of the New and Full Moons.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Working at the horse riding stables, the scent of the horses when we groomed them, and of hay straw, cut grass when riding in the fields, picking bluebells and selling them in the neighborhood. Bike riding through the woods to our secret hideouts and spending the days outside till dark.
Pricing:
- Mini roll-on is perfect for traveling. A trio of scents is $90.00 or 1 single mini is $35.00
- 5ml signature size is $90.00
- 15ml $250.00
Contact Info:
- Address: 3806 Las Flores Canyon Road, Malibu, CA 90265
- Website: www.perfumeracurandera.com
- Phone: 845 750 8427
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Perfumeracurandera
- Facebook: Perfumera Curandera
- Twitter: leannehirsh
Image Credit:
Martin Brading, Nina Choi, Bettina Lewin , Marc Royce, Jackie Bobrowsky, Eric Buron
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