MY FIRST TIME MEETING IMMORTELLE FLOWERS BY ODACITÉ FOUNDER

The summer of my seventh birthday my parents decided to sail from the south of France to the beautiful Island of Corsica. While my father was a great sailor, neither my nine year old sister or five year old brother had ever been on a boat. The three of us were thrilled to set off on this adventure.

I will always remember that beautiful morning when we set sail to cross the stretch of the Méditerranée that separates France from Corsica. We slept throughout the early hours of the morning while my father navigated out of the port.

As we stepped out on the deck, the sun was rising and the coast of France disappeared in the distance. My mom had prepared hot chocolate for the three of us and having made sure to stop by at the boulangerie before leaving, we woke up to fresh croissants... it was pure magic.

The magic lasted for a few hours and then we hit a really nasty storm. My sister started to get very sick, the kind of sea sickness that makes you so ill you need to lie down next to a bucket as you empty your guts. My Mom took her below deck and stayed by her side throughout the whole trip as she got sicker and sicker. This was the first time I understood the meaning of unconditional love.

My brother and I were on deck, lifejackets on with a whistle in our mouths. My father had asked me to keep an eye on my younger brother and that if any of us fell overboard we would just have to whistle and he would find us!!!

As I was watching the huge waves crashing on the boat and feeling the power of wind, I wondered how my Papa would ever be able to hear a whistle. But he was the person I trusted most in the world and if he said we were ok... we were.

After 8 hours of excruciating navigation we finally reached the coast of Corsica. Boy were we relieved to see land again! My sister peeped out of the cabin, she was absolutely livid! My beautiful Mom was exhausted but she had an incredible energy. "Come on girls, the best remedy against sea sickness is to get on land!" The “boys” stayed on board, we swam to shore and I swear the minute my sister set foot on land, it was like she came back to life.

A beautiful hill behind the beach was glowing with flowers. This was the first time I saw Immortelle flowers. My mom explained that those extraordinary flowers are called Immortelle because their scent is immortal. We made big bouquets that were tied and let to dry upside down in the boat. The whole summer, a divine aroma with notes of straw-like licorice, with honey undertone enveloped our journey through the coasts of Corsica. Once the “grandes vacances” were over, it was time to go back to Paris. I was terribly sad to leave the life of sea nomads... to cheer me up my Mom told us that “next year when you come back they will smell the same”... and they did!

Many years later, searching for ingredients that can roll back the years, I received a sample of Helichrysum (Latin name for Immortelle) from Corsica . As I opened the bottle, all these childhood memories came back with so many emotions: my father was no longer with us, but the memory of that trip was as fresh as yesterday.

To Health and Beauty,

Valérie Grandury

Odacité Founder