Born and raised in Nicaragua, Helida Dodd grew up on her family’s farm surrounded by majestic trees, fragrant jasmines, volcanos, the ocean, and delicious food. Today, she pours all the culture, natural beauty, and love she brought with her from her native country into the fragrances she creates in her Miami, Florida laboratory. She named her line after the coastal city in Spain, Marbella, a holiday destination that has always been special to her and her family.
I met Helida virtually months before she officially launched Marbella Perfumes in the summer of 2021. Her friendly demeanor and kindness came through with every message and conversation we exchanged along with a palpable passion for her developing project. Over the months that led to introducing her line, I enjoyed the social media sneak peeks into the notes and accords she was planning to include in her first fragrance. I also loved reading about her life experiences and family – I was especially fascinated by her grandmother’s rose garden and her use of crushed mother of pearl in her lotions.
With a background in industrial engineering and a strong artistic sense, Helida strives to create luxurious, elegant, and wearable fragrances using natural materials. Her perfume-making process begins with a vivid image. After writing down her thoughts, she reflects on the feelings, colors, and landscapes the image evokes, and sketches how those sensorial elements might come together. She then matches the drawing to notes and accords in her library.
Ever Present captures perfect instants of carefree beauty and reminds us to live those moments with childlike simplicity and careful awareness, regardless of what might be happening in the world. Helida gave us the gift of presence by translating her love of nature, family times, effortless elegance, and stories into this fragrant creation.
My impressions
The fragrance’s opening dazzles with exuberant citrus fruits. I detect lemony hints, suggesting Litsea’s cheerful presence, along with yuzu’s juicy sweetness. Litsea cubeba smells a little like lemongrass and lemon verbena. It adds a bright and sweet citrus element to a fragrance but does not go rancid like lemon. It also helps elongate top citrus notes, including yuzu, one of Ever Present’s top notes. Helida mentioned that smelling Litsea makes her think of running through a field of lemon candy.
I smell the neroli from the very beginning, its aroma green and refreshing with a dash of honey. The neroli essential oil is a potent raw material and can easily overpower an entire fragrance’s composition, but here I do not notice the sharp or soapy nuances that so often characterize it. It is present, yet unpretentious in its flawless fusion with soft jasmine and feathery mimosa.
My skin tends to enhance sweeter olfactory notes, and while this can be at times frustrating, it is an advantage in Ever Present’s development. As the tonka and vanilla unfold and smooth out the composition, the fragrance acquires a candied and almondy quality that vaguely reminds me of a lighter, fluffier version of orange blossom-drenched “pastiera”, the ricotta cake from Naples.
Because of this light and breezy aura, I also think of Rome’s fragrant orange trees on crisp blue mornings.
The delectable character persists and blends with the copaiba. Copaiba is a resin derived from the trunk of Copaifera trees in Brazil and other parts of South America and used to produce an essential oil. To my great delight, I was recently given a sample of the C. langsdorfii balsam, so I’ve had a chance to smell its aromatic and wood polish-like aroma with fresh and spicy touches and recognize it here. Copaiba extends the life of the fragrance and lifts the essence of neroli, which is Ever Present throughout.
Notes
Top: Neroli, Yuzu, Litsea Cubeba
Heart: Jasmine, Mimosa
Base: Vanilla, Tonka, Copaiba
The materials and ingredients included in Marbella Perfumes’ products are natural and ethically sourced and harvested. They are never tested on animals.
Ever Present is available as Eau de Toilette in 50 ml bottles, 9.5 ml travel vials, and 2 ml samples on the Marbella Perfumes website.
I reviewed the fragrance from a 9.5 ml travel vial I purchased personally.
Interview
I talked with Helida about her path to perfumery, her Nicaraguan heritage, creating her first fragrance, bottling emotions, and spreading kindness through scent.
How did you become interested in perfume and how did you decide to become a perfumer?
Helida: Perfume was a big part of growing up. As a teenager, I would spend a big chunk of my salary (working at my parent’s restaurant in Miami), because I just had to have the latest and greatest bottle of perfume. I would douse myself from head to toe. Thinking back to one of my writings, “what kind of perfume wearer are you?” Without a doubt, I was the “scent between scent kind of person”. I had a scent for every occasion and every part of the day.
Everything changed when I got pregnant with my first child and my sense of smell played tricks on me. It wasn’t just perfume, it was anything – shampoo, soap, food, other people’s perfumes… The first three months were rough and then everything seemed to go back to normal. Except, not really. I could not wear perfume for a very long time.
A few years later, I started searching for THE ONE or ONES again. I longed for those perfumes that I couldn’t leave my house without. I would buy perfumes that seemed promising but two days later, they were being gifted mostly to my mom who happily welcomed any fragrance.
Twelve years later, we were in London having tea at Fortnum & Mason. After tea, we strolled into the beauty floor, and I happily perused the perfume section for hours! That day I discovered several perfume designers that worked with natural materials. I realized there were perfumes made with some of the ingredients I had already discovered that not only smelled delicious but worked wonders for the skin, nervous system, and overall well-being.
I desperately wanted to find a bottle that l loved till the last spritz, and I thought, “hmmm maybe I can make my own?”
After a couple of years of daydreaming and another European trip, the power of possibility became a lot clearer. This time I came back determined to make my dream a reality. I enrolled in a course in the UK, met a wonderful teacher, Karen Gilbert, and my perfume journey began.
Why did you pick Marbella as a name for your perfume line?
Helida: Marbella, Spain has been very significant in my family for many decades. When I was a little girl, my parents went on a month long trip to Spain and Africa. I have this image of my parents walking on the tarmac at the airport in Nicaragua. They looked like celebrities to me. My mom was wearing a gorgeous brown, leather jacket, and my father was sporting a funny mustache and carrying a carved, wooden cane that he’d brought for his best friend. He was also dressed to the nines sporting his European clothes.
While they had visited many cities, they had fallen in love with Marbella, and it was always at the forefront of their travel stories.
Twenty-five years later, I went on a similar Spain trip. By coincidence, we stayed in Marbella as our base in the South and loved it. Maybe it was because I could imagine a young version of my parents being there, but in truth, Marbella was so easy to love especially the warmth and friendliness of its people, and the proximity to the Mediterranean Ocean.
After weeks and months of thinking and re-thinking a business name, I sat on my favorite chair with my pen and paper to brainstorm ideas. I lost internet connection and got a pop-up message on my phone to log on to nearby networks available. The name Marbella popped up, and after wracking my brain for a name, it was suddenly right there in front of my eyes.
Even though I almost felt that was a loud and clear sign, I still thought about it some more. Then, it dawned on me – the ocean. It’s been in my life since I was born. First the Pacific beaches of Nicaragua where we vacationed so often, then our move to Miami with the Atlantic and Caribbean waters so close to me, and the Mediterranean that was so symbolic in our lives. No doubt about it, this name was the right one for me.
Can you tell us how the idea of Ever Present developed?
Helida: I wanted to capture everyday beauty and make a connection that elegance and raw beauty exist in simplicity. When I picked the ingredients, I really loved how time and time again, they kept showing me the connection that beauty and elegance aren’t loud. A dainty flower like Neroli makes its presence known in the formula from the beginning, and I adore that. Its unassuming beauty quietly commands the room, without being loud and obnoxious, and that’s a quality that I really appreciate in people and in life in general.
I also wanted to have a perfume that was fun and lighthearted, and the citrus component plays a big part in conveying that. I wanted it to be different and pick ingredients that are not common, and I chose Yuzu and Litsea Cubeba. I feel that Yuzu immediately draws you in. It plays a big part in the feeling of well-rounded elegance, and at the same time is uplifting and playful.
Lastly, the base of this perfume truly signifies being grounded. I picked Copaiba, which is a tree that reminds me of an old and wise character. I picture a huge trunk that envelops you in care and safety. Aside from that, the softness of Copaiba is like a caring hug that’s gentle and firm. I picked Tonka because of its close relationship to Vanilla as well as its multifaceted character. It starts as a tickle in my nose, but quickly diffuses into a soft and grounding scent that lingers with you for while.
As the formula started coming together, we were in the thick of quarantine, and the message I was looking for became even clearer. I wanted to capture a moment of presence, to bring back to our lives lightheartedness and ease. Most importantly I wanted to capture a feeling of taking in the every day beauty that’s EVER PRESENT no matter what’s going on in the world.
With Ever Present you gave us the gift of presence. Is there another state or emotion you’d like to put in a bottle and what would it smell like?
Helida: Wow. There are so many I have in the works. I have a soft spot for citrus, because they are uplifting, happy, and fun to work with. However, the nuances of natural materials are like a story whose plot develops slowly as the fragrance evolves, and that is so beautiful to me. The feeling of being grounded and balanced is also something that I love, and I’m already thinking what that is going to smell like when it’s put together. I’m excited to explore more woods and resins to convey that.
I think after these two Covid years, we all want to be transported back to ease and the feeling of carefree days, and I am no stranger to that. I want to go back to traveling and having fun with family and friends without worrying that traveling will compromise our health. No idea what that looks like in a fragrance at the moment, but my wheels are always turning.
Is there a smell from your childhood you’d like to translate into a perfume?
Helida: When I think of my childhood, I think of carefree days. I grew up on a farm, and my favorite thing to do was to ride my horse. He was gentle and loved taking me on adventures. I would ride it to my favorite jocote tree (a fruit that’s very popular in Nicaragua), park him right below it, and climb on it to reach the ripe and juicy fruit. He would happily hang out until my belly was fully satisfied and off we went. Flowers and trees surrounded me, and that feeling of openness and natural beauty always tugs at my heart and I’m sure will make it into a bottle.
Is there a fragrance or a smell that has a special meaning to you?
Helida: The smell of the earth after it rains immediately takes me back to my farm, and the taste of fresh squeezed lemonade is symbolic to home, family, and play. Then there’s the ocean, hearing the sound of the waves as the day turns into night. When the day starts to wind down, the ocean sounds different than it did in the hot, sunny day. During the day it’s filled with children squealing, laughing, and running from the splash of the crashing waves. At night, there’s a certain peace that comes with the steady sound of the waves crashing on the sand. The smell of the salty air and the feeling of the sticky sand on my hair reminds me of my childhood, which is another reason why Marbella is such a fond name for me.
Who and what inspires you?
Helida: Hands down my family. My husband is my biggest supporter, even when my dreams seem crazy. He’s always by my side celebrating my accomplishments and helping me along the way. My children. I want them to see that anything is possible. I’m a big dreamer but dreams have to be backed up by actions in order to become a reality. I want to be an example to them. I want to leave a legacy of kindness to themselves and others, of knowing that they can achieve anything their hearts desire, of giving back to their community, and touching lives wherever they go.
My parents and grandparents are the backbone of inspiration. My father and grandfather were men who treated everyone with respect. The saying of “taking the shirt off your back to give it to someone else” depicts my father perfectly. One time we traveled to Corn Island and he made friends with the taxi cab driver, “El Puma”, who took us from the airport to the hotel. Throughout our stay in the island, he had “Puma” on speed dial to drive us to places. At the end of the trip, my father gave him his water shoes because in the conversations they’d had throughout our stay, my father found out Puma didn’t have any shoes to go fishing.
My mom and grandmother nurtured us with chef quality foods cooked from scratch. There were no cutting corners when it came to eating delicious, elegant food, and I believe that translates into everything I do today. Handcrafted things that are luxurious at its core are important for me, and it translates as much on a personal level as well as a business level.
Can you give us a sneak peek into any future projects?
Helida: I’d love to! I’m currently working on a room fragrance for an Italian company. The parent company is based in Milan, but they have a location here in Miami in the Design District. More details will start coming soon.
As far as the next fragrance, my boys are feeling very much left out and are waiting for something dedicated to them, hahaha… The next fragrance will be composed around woods. I’m thinking warm, spicy, smoky, and I’m really excited to dream this up, which will be a very different take than Ever Present.
What does the fragrance world need more of?
Helida: Stories. I’m very biased here, but one of my favorite things is hearing the stories behind the perfume makers. It’s not just about perfume. There’s so much room to inspire a younger generation, to give back to our communities, and to spread love and kindness through scent.
Photos are my own and provided by Helida, as indicated.
