Our series of Fragrance Rituals uncovers the deep, personal connections we form with scent. Each article delves into the intimate moments where scent becomes memory, emotion, and identity — uncovering how fragrance shapes and enhances the everyday. Through these rituals, we invite you to experience scent as a form of self-expression and sensory storytelling.
Celeste lives in the lush embrace of Bundjalung Country in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, where life moves to the rhythm of the land. With her partner and their two-year-old son, she’s building a life rooted in intention, creativity, and deep respect for the natural world. Her consultancy, Sonzai Studios, was born in 2018 after time spent in London as a Sustainability Manager for a luxury brand. Working at the top tier of the industry showed her that the core sustainability challenges are universal, no matter the size or scale. That revelation gave her the confidence to branch out on her own, offering guidance to brands across fashion, beauty, tech, and homewares. Her mission is clear: to make sustainability simple, compelling, and irresistibly engaging.
“OUR SUCCESS IS MEASURED ON HOW WE SOLVE THE CHALLENGES WE ARE FACED WITH. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE, IT’S ABOUT PROBLEM SOLVING.”
For Celeste, scent is extremely personal – it’s a tool, a mood-setter, a form of communication. Throughout her home, natural mists and oils find their place: a spray for sleep, a rose face-mist for stress, palo santo for clarity, eucalyptus for colds, and calming blends for the bath. Each scent holds intention.
Scent, she believes, is part of self-expression, just like what you choose to wear. “I love it when you can only smell someone’s fragrance when you hug them,” she reflects. “It feels like an extension of them, like they’ve invited you into their world.” It’s that intimacy she’s drawn to.
“I love it when you can smell someone’s fragrance… it feels like an extension of them, like they’ve invited you into their world.”
Over the years, her relationship with fragrance has evolved. In her twenties, she leaned into light florals, Marc Jacobs ‘Daisy’ was a favourite. But as her lifestyle became more rooted in low-tox living, and especially after pregnancy, her preferences shifted toward more grounding, earthy scents.
Even when working from home or sleep-deprived, Celeste reaches for fragrance like a personal reset. Lighting incense at lunch, applying perfume in the late afternoon or lighting a candle before bed, have become a way to ground herself, to weave ritual into the day — especially in the often chaotic rhythm of motherhood.
Celeste currently wears Reverie. “I feel powerful and sexy,” she says. “It’s the kind of scent you know other people will smell and look around thinking ‘who’s wearing that’”. For Celeste, wearing it feels like stepping into a film scene – sunken lounge, whisky poured, a Marvin Gaye record spinning in the background.
It also stirs memories, of past work trips to Hong Kong, where she would step in from the sweltering streets into cool designer boutiques filled with fresh florals and soft leather. That contrast – the heat outside, the cool air and clean scent inside.
Her relationship with fragrance, like with nature, shifts with the seasons. In summer, she reaches for light, sun-warmed notes. In winter, it’s the deeper, sexier tones. Each fragrance becomes a layer in how she experiences the world.
Hints of Black Pepper, Leather, Patchouli
There’s a particular rhythm to her days — one shaped by creativity, intention, and moments of stillness between movement. As an Editorial Commercial Producer at...
We interviewed Shaylie Roach, the Content and Communications Director at Lee Mathews - someone whose days are shaped by creativity, storytelling and a deep appreciation...
We caught up with Sascha Orlievsky, co-founder of HOUSE OF SCULPT — an online and in-person pilates studio dedicated to offering feel good movement without...