With summer coming to an end in the Northern Hemisphere, sun worshippers turn their thoughts south, to destinations that promise an endless summer. But you don't have to head to Cancun when the first leaf falls, because the tropics are much closer than you think thanks to Nateeva. which recently introduced several eau de parfums that company founders insist capture the fragrant beauty of the islands.
 

Hope Freeman and Jay McSherry are the driving forces behind this luxury fragrance collection. Freeman, a veteran with more than 20 years of experience in the fragrance industry, put her knowledge as a fragrance evaluator to use and created her own line that's iinspired by the flowers that the pair has seen, smelled and touched during their travel to exotic destinations.


“The idea came from a vacation years ago in St. Martin. We were wondering if there was a fragrance for the island,” recalled McSherry.

 
The fragrances released so far consist of Jamaica, based on Lingum Vitae; Bahamas, based on Elder Flower; and St. Martin, based on Hibiscus Flower. Each 3.4oz/100ml spray retails for $125.
 

“St. Martin is my baby,” said Freeman when asked what fragrance she was most proud of. She has different feelings for all of her creations, noting that each scent was special in its own way. “Bahamas has the beachiest feeling,” she added. “Jamaica is the warmest.”

 
“What stands out for me is St. Martin,” agreed McSherry. “This was the first idea that we came up with.”


The back and forth of concocting the perfect scent of the region was a trying but ultimately successful experience. “It has been an interesting experience to watch Hope create this,” he added. The pair worked with French perfumer, Laurent Le Guerenc to create the scents.


“He’s the kind of perfumer that listens to what you say” said Freeman. “He’s most concerned with capturing the emotions of the scent.”


Le Guerenc has had a distinguished career in the industry, winning 10 Fifi Awards. His creations include Michael by Michael Kors, and has fashioned fragrances for Calvin Klein, Clinique, Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Elizabeth Arden, Katy Perry, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, Hugo Boss, MAC, Christian LaCroix and Fergie. His niche fragrance portfolio is every-growing as well—with modern fresh blends for Derek Lam, Bond No. 9 and Lab on Fire.

 
Besides creating bouquets of different scents, Nateeva is working to help those who cannot. The Nateeva Fund donates a portion of fragrance sales to various animal shelters.
 

More products are on the way. A St. Thomas fragrance debuts this month, along with Bahamas, Jamaica and St. Martin body lotions. Aruba and Dominican Republic fragrances will arrive in the fall. The launches ensure that users can escape to the islands no matter what the weather outside is like!