What came first - the creation of the I Am collection or the writing of the perfume psychology course 8 States of a Woman? It is impossible to answer this question now. Laura Nekrasova, the founder of the Bibliotheque brand, who is also a certified coach of the ICF International Federation, began writing her course back in 2020. She structured her observations of herself and other women and drew a pattern: to experience happiness and fullness of life, a woman must experience all eight feminine states, moving from one to the other depending on the context and events in which she finds herself.
Femininity. Taking care of your body and soul, realizing that you are attractive.
Seductiveness. The ability to flirt and seduce without restraining your sexual energy.
Success. The ability to achieve your goals and do your chosen work in a disciplined manner.
Lightness. Allowing yourself to be happy here and now, to live in the feeling of freedom, in the current.
Love. Love for yourself and other people despite their shortcomings and imperfections.
Daring. The courage to be yourself, being aware of your principles and standards.
Worth. Recognition of yourself as a jewel, precious with a unique identity.
Dreaminess. The freedom to dream without restrictions and barriers, to dream of small and big things.
In 2020, the Bibliotheque brand was already known in Ukraine. The main collection included more than 40 perfumes, and Laura was well aware of the power of fragrances and their transformative effect on people. The idea of the new collection was pure and straightforward for her. The only thing left was to implement it.
Your gait becomes lighter, your voice more confident, and everything around you seems to be more understandable and compliant. This is the goal of the I Am collection.
‘The I Am collection was created to return a woman to her resourceful state with the help of fragrances and psychological practices. During the training, I help women through meditation and practices to come to the necessary emotional states, and then with the help of perfume, when a woman is at the peak of these states, to anchor them. ‘Perfume works as a reminder of the state and an immediate way to return to it,’ says Laura, ‘The sense of smell is the only sense that sends a signal to the brain without prior analysis, and it works well for us here.
The collection's perfumer is the experienced Fernanda Russo. Laura met her when she was on holiday in Florence with her husband and daughter. They went to the historic Antica Spezieria Erboristeria San Simone store in the city center, where Fernanda opened her perfume workshop back in 1993. They were amazed.
‘I have always noticed that when we are relaxed, the best ideas and solutions come to us, and the most important contacts are made. When we entered Fernanda's studio, even though we didn't speak Italian and Fernanda spoke English, she was very open, her eyes were burning. Fernanda is a creator, and that's what attracted us,’ Laura admits.
To explain the concept of the new collection, Laura wrote sketches about all eight states, translated them into Italian, and sent them to Fernanda. After that, Fernanda had to convey these states as accurately as possible but based on her own experience and feelings. After the creation, she shared that for each perfume, she imagined herself going on stage and transforming into the chosen character.
Fernanda had no restrictions on the ingredients. She could use any ingredients, regardless of their rarity or cost. She was also not asked to look back at seasonal trends, nor to think about commercial success and the best-selling notes. The only task was to help the woman transform into the desired state, to inspire her to do so.
The most exotic ingredient in the collection is guaiac or ironwood. It is also called the tree of happiness. You can find it in the I Am Tender perfume. The plant has a protected status, so its extract is sold in a limited and controlled manner so that the tree population is not depleted. Fernanda also used unusual patchouli in half of the perfumes in the collection. This is a popular perfume plant, which, however, differs depending on the cultivar and place of growth. Fernanda insisted on adding specific ingredients to the selected perfumes. For example, this is what happened with vanilla in the fragrance I Am Sensual. Fernanda said: ‘Larisa, there should be vanilla in this fragrance. You are still very young, trust me.’ To Laura, vanilla seemed too sweet for this scent, but in the end, in combination with the other ingredients, it worked perfectly.
In the end, the first reviews showed that the collaboration between the two women was a success.
‘Being 40 years old and living with my husband for 13 years is a challenge, but I managed to get my wild cat out and feel like I'm 21.’ (a review from Laura's course on perfume, I Am Sensual).
‘You breathe in the scent, and then you spritz it again, sniff it, and it feels so light, so happy’ (about "I am Free" perfume).
‘I had the impression that I could smell the lightness of the sky, clouds, and air. I remembered my beautiful dream of flying in a hot air balloon, throwing off everything unnecessary.’ (about the perfume "
The final finishing touch to the collection was the packaging. It is made of designer paperboard in the color of red lipstick - a color that suits all women's states, as it is the embodiment of femininity. The name is embossed in gold. The graphic symbols convey two meanings: eight vertical lines stand for eight books about the eight resource states of a woman. You can pick up each book from the shelf and read it, recognizing yourself as the main character. Inside each fragrance, you will find a short description-meditation.