Renae Myrie’s SELF COLLECTION
MOST people may know her from her haute couture fashion designing business Aura Koutura, but what they don’t know is that aspiring serial entrepreneur Renae Myrie also owns an organic cosmetic brand, Essentials by Renae Myrie, through which she creates perfumes, body butters, toothpaste, hair oils, shampoos and conditioners.
The body oil perfumes, SELF COLLECTION, are made from exotic essential oils that are featured in top brand fragrances (Gucci, Chanel, etc) — oils such as ambergris, frangipani, green cognac, oppanex, cistus labdanum and Peru balsam.
“These long-lasting body oils allow users to experience perfumery on a different level,” Myrie said. “Since they do not contain alcohol or any other chemicals, it allows users to enjoy the different notes (top, middle and base) of the perfume — which they don’t get with big-brand companies.”
Myrie promises that every person who uses these oils will have their own unique scent based on their body temperature, so no two users will have the same scent.
“Currently I have six different fragrances — three male, three female — that have been fermenting for the past three years,” Myrie explained. “SELF COLLECTION is perfect for people with allergies such as sinus-related; people with sensitive skin; vegans; lovers of nature/people who love organic products or want to start using organic products; perfume lovers who want to experience a different level of perfumery; gym goers and yoga practitioners.”
She explained that the collection is called SELF because after going through teenage pregnancy, having been homeless, suicidal and “a long list of other unfortunate events”, she had lost hope in life.
“I was a very ambitious child growing up but these unfortunate events made me take a different path; I had given up on my dreams. I felt like I had failed my parents, my son, and it made feel worthless. One day I decided to sit with myself and face the reality that I was the one who allowed those experiences to take control of my life,” she said. “From that day I started doing some soul-searching, trying to discover myself and what I truly wanted out of life. It was during that self-search that I discovered many hidden talents such as making perfumes.”
The SELF COLLECTION as well as Vital JM, a cultural and creative magazine, will be launched on June 13, Myrie’s birthday “…to celebrate me discovering my purpose as well as to have an actual visual and feel of what I want my future to look like, as my wish/ultimate goal is to own a beauty and fashion empire and to be one of the top businesswomen in the Caribbean, if not the world,” she said.
