All through my childhood, my mother smelled like Skin Trip lotion. Mildly coconut-y, oddly reminiscent of tiny vitamin-scented natural foods stores, always like vacation. The smell was clean and sweet and edible, not banana boat coconut but real white coconut broken out a shell. It was a full departure from the scent of her mother, my grandmother, who, if you came close enough to her velvet soft cheek, emitted the sweet combination of Jergens lotion and Charmin toilet paper. I used Skin Trip myself through my teens, but it wasn’t quite my smell. When my aunt gave me a precious bottle of Kiehl’s Rose Essence (a product I still have, but I don’t even think they make anymore), I adopted the scent as my own. But it was only recently that I realized (late, as I became a mother almost 13 years ago) that I’m now a mother with a smell, too, and that my smell will always be bound up in my girls’ memories. I asked them what I smelled like, and they answered immediately.
Roses. And lavender. Mostly flowers.
A win! Better than toothpaste, or mustard, or a million other things I could smell like, right? The roses are pretty solid Kiehl’s, but the lavender is more recent, I think. I love it, grow it, cook with it, and tend to tuck it around the house. My endless train of body lotions (it’s a problem, I know) has included a few: EO (cheap, and a satisfying label), Avalon–essentially whatever seduced me while on sale at the local coop. I’ve never loved one, as the lavender always comes across more soapy than the real plant. But last summer the owners of a little company in Upstate NY approached me to see if they could help sponsor this site, and they sent me a few treats to try.
I’ll let Staci and John take over for a moment here:
Founded in 2013, Cobble Hill Farm Apothecary is a small-batch soap and skincare company located at the foothills of the Adirondacks in beautiful Upstate New York. We are a husband and wife team who dream up, develop and handcraft our artisan line of products. We just weren’t happy with the quality of the items we were purchasing while making the switch to natural products so we decided to create our own! What started out as a line of soap and lip balm has grown to include lotions, herbal salves, men’s grooming products, natural deodorants and more. We’ve spent countless hours carefully formulating every single item we make and sell to ensure it is high-quality, effective and something that will nourish your skin.
They sent me some really wonderful soap (the red clay and peppermint was especially fantastic), and a little tub of lavender honey body butter which I slather on myself with wild abandon. It’s not greasy at all as it’s light and whipped, and somehow they’ve found a way to truly incorporate exactly the lavender scent I’ve looked for. Even more, I haven’t been suffering from the dry and itchy skin that usually gets me this time of year. So there you go- I’m a fan for life.
Cobble Hill Farm Apothecary just launched a new facial line, and I’ve got a set to give away today. Here’s a bit about what the set includes:
We are giving away one of our brand spanking new facial sets! I’ve been working on them for about 8 months and am absolutely thrilled with what I’ve formulated. Our Green Tea Daily Skin Relief Moisturizer is amazingly soft and luxurious. It does not feel greasy and absorbs into your skin quickly leaving your face feeling very smooth and balanced. The Ageless Pomegranate Facial Serum is primarily 100% Certified Organic Rosehip Seed Oil which is chock full of antioxidants and vitamins. To that we’ve added a bit of pomegranate oil, argan oil, sea buckthorn extract and chaga mushroom extract for their skin healing, cell regenerating, age defying and nourishing properties. And to round it all out we’ve come out with 3 toners, each with a unique hydrosol that works to either balance, hydrate or revitalize your skin. All three items are formulated to compliment each other and to work with all skin types.
Occasionally I teach workshops, and I have one coming up this fall. Join me and stellar novelist 
Obsession. She doesn’t wear it much now, but whenever I smell it, I’m reminded of childhood. 🙂
My high school sweetheart wore Brut men’s cologne. Oh my I love my husband but whenever I smell Brut it takes me back…………
The smell of vegetable glycerin soap reminds me of my Grandma. I have no idea why – I can’t tell you what soap she used – but it’s unmistakable.
Chanel No 5 perfume and homemade cookies 🙂
Lavender reminds me of my mother, too! She grew it in the garden, bundled it around the house, and made sachets for our drawers.
Tabu perfume…She only wore it when she and my dad went out, which was always a big occasion for them. Whenever I smell it I immediately see her wearing Coty lipstick, her pearl earrings and the mink jacket my dad saved up to buy her (it was the 70’s).
I see that soap has minerals from Saratoga Springs spa waters. Guess where I was born and live? Saratoga Springs!!
My grandmother always smelled like Dove soap. Her house still smells like it. Recently I bought some to be the hand soap in our bathrooms, to keep a bit of her wonderful home here in ours.
My grandmother always smelled like Yardley soap, but not sure which scent. My grandfather always smelled like English Leather.
Oil of Olay. I keep a small jar tucked in my makeup drawer for those days I miss my mom. The gentle yet disinct smell always reminds me of her.
I adore Lollia Wish Sugared Pastille Shea Butter Hand Creme. It has a slightly exotic, warm coconut on the beach smell that makes living in the cold Midwest a little more bearable.
The scent of the original old spice reminds me of my Dad. With no sons, I helped him fix up the house and I must have imprinted my brain with that scent and hard work.
My mother used to smell like jean nate or channel no. 22 depending upon the demands of the day. Then while I was in college she discovered Eternity and has never looked back. When ever she visits her cologne lingers and I love it. My grandmother smelled like roses and lipstick. She was very classy. I have a few pieces of her furniture and sometimes when the weather is perfect you open the drawer you get a whiff of grandma.
My mother was a preemie ICU nurse. She usually smelled to the surgical soap that they scrubbed with constantly.
I honestly don’t remember my mom having a particular scent but my daughter has certainly told me that I do. At 9 years old, she’s not able to articulate exactly what it is, but she does find it comforting, especially in stressful possibly smelly situations like traveling. If we board a train or airplane, she often buries her head against me and takes in a deep breath. It’s odd, but sweet.
Ivory soap. We all used it. The smell brings back many memories.
My mom always smelled of Clinique Happy. She swears by the stuff. My grandmother always smells of sunflower perfume and I don’t even know if she wears it. lol Anytime I smell adidas cologne it reminds me of my high school boyfriend. But my husband smells light and clean like the Nivea aftershave lotion he always wears. That scent comforts me.
The smell of anything with coffee and peppermint. My grandfather would let me sip some of his coffee before our morning walks (I was a youngster at the time), and during the walks he would have us chew mint to ‘refresh’ ourselves. Loveliest memory I have!
My best college friend, a Western Mass girl, smelled of Skin Trip. I found a bottle a few years ago in my local Whole Foods. Now my daughter, who has never stepped foot in the Appalachians, smells of ocean and mountain. Happy me!
Sandalwood always reminds me of my mother!
Papa, my grandpa, always smelled of cheap cigars, a little bit of motor oil, and brut. Best, most comforting smell around – you knew everything was going to be ok when you climbed into his huge lap, he wrapped his strong arms around you and held you tight.
Rose milk lotion. We were recently vacationing at the beach and while walking past wild beach roses, I smelled her. It brought me back to my childhood home! I want to return to that beach walk!
My mother….Estee Lauder Youth Dew…….that blue bottle!
My mom doesn’t like scented things – hates the smell of perfume, really – but she does always smell a little bit like a particular brand of body wash. I remember at one point she couldn’t find it in stores for a few months and I definitely noticed that there was something missing, though it took me a while to figure out what it was.
My mom smelled like White Diamonds perfume. Unmistakable.
I really enjoyed this blogpost. It’s the first time I have thought about the scent that my children will remember me by.
My father would go out and plow the driveway in the winters wearing a big Carhart jacket and come back in a couple hours later with the most crisp, fresh smell on that jacket from the cold air
My parents owned a restaurant. They smelled like burnt grease and fresh bread and I mean that in a loving way
My mother always smelled like a very comforting combo of cloves -which she kept in a small tin in her purse and chewed on as a natural breath freshener – and Poison perfume. She sprayed one single spritz of Poison on her neck daily and I loved watching her do it as part of her daily routine. I used to keep her empty Pouson perfume bottles in my room as a child. I haven’t thought about that in a long time, but it was a very big comfort to me as a child.
Jean Nate!!! My dad would get her big bottles on special occasions and it was always her scent.
they both smelled like paul mitchell shampoo!
My mom smelled like Secret powder scent deodorant, Tide soap, and Prell shampoo.
My mother almost always smelled of Oil of Olay, and tea tree oil. The tea tree oil was in her shampoo, but it has such a distinctive smell. I think of her every time I smell it.
My parents often smelled like dirt and cut grass, from working out in the garden or yard. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
This is an awesome post! Smells are so powerful in memories…my dad had a particular mix of cigarette smoke and machine oil (he was a plumber and worked on his machines a lot). I walked into a friend’s dad’s garage last year and was like “woooah! Dad!”. My dad died 14+ years ago and it still hits me…who knew that smell could be good?
My mom definitely always smelled a bit like the health food store where she worked but also Skin So Soft and White Rain shampoo. I Love all of these smells
My mother has been gone 21 years now but every time I smell cherry almond I think of her. She had the softest hands. Whenever she had too much lotion on her hands she would take my hands in hers and rub them. I wonder what my smell is to my kids and grandkids.
My dad always smelled wonderfully. He used a few different colognes. Dad was a real hard blue color worker but smelled so fresh everyday.
My dad smelled like Old Spice aftershave everyday.
Growing up, I visited my Slovak grandmother only a few times each year since she was 300 miles away, but her scent was unmistakeable: bow tie noodle-chicken soup and Ivory soap. No matter the time of year, a pot of that soup was always on the stove when our family of 7 arrived. Mother of 14 children herself and wife of a leather tanner, money was beyond scarce, but soup could feed her army and she poured herself into every batch. And of course, Ivory soap bars and flakes were her constant companion with such a large brood!
We had a “family smell”. Every summer we took a water skiing trip to the Colorado river and whenever I smell Coppertone suntan lotion I am transported back to those lazy days of summer and family good times.
I remember my mom smelling like line dried laundry in the summer. I love that smell!
Lanolin… My grandfather was a barber, and he brought home from his shop little green bottles of liquid lanolin (Lan-lay) that my grandmother (Nanny) used on her whole body after a bath. Her skin was radiant. I bought some lanolin (something standard like medela) for my tender skin (early breastfeeding skin chafing), and the smell, although muted, took me straight back to my Nanny. Thanks for that-I love remembering her…
Coffee.
My parents smelled like coffee.
Or at least that’s the smell that I link to parents
Since I still do not drink the stuff, that smell remains one of the most comforting odors that could be.
Warmth, protection, love.
All I have to do is brew a cup and set it on the counter.
Some people burn incense, I make coffee! 🙂
My mother smelled like Windsong perfume. I still love it!
My grandmother (Mama), always smelled like sugo (pasta sauce). She would make a pot every Sunday before church, and as I sat next to her during mass, I could always smell that sugo, knowing that a big platter of pasta would be on the table that afternoon.
Yeast also reminds me of Mama. She made homemade bread, rolls and pizza.
All things created by her loving hands.
Mama wore Lady Ester all purpose face cream. That was it. No wrinkles and no make up. Just natural beauty.
Easy for my dad: he smelled like the Old Spice shaving lotion I gave him every year for Fathers Day. Plus, during the 50’s time of crew cuts, Old Butch hair wax! The products you wrote about sound great – I’m ordering the lavender body butter NOW!
Hi Alana! I love reading eatingfromthegroundup and I adore your books, but I’ve never posted! My mom smelled like Calvin Klein on Sunday’s and my dad was a wood worker and smelled like an herby hand salve, what a cool way to ask us to remember our loved ones!
Noxema and lipstick are what I remember my mom smelling like. If you were around in the 70’s you will know what I mean by “lipstick”. Good leather takes me back to a short sweet summer romance in my early teens……….
Growing up my Dad always smelt like dirt. He is a farmer. I love the smell of dirt!
My dad always smelled of pinball machines and jukeboxes. He owned an amusement company. 🙂
My parents moved during my senior year of high school and I was blessed to be taken in by an older couple from our church. Bruce wore Adventurer cologne from Eddie Bauer and I loved it.
M mom smelled like Noxima cold cream and Jean d’ete perfume for many years after some Belgian friends brought her a gigantic bottle when I was very small. Lots of great smell memories– my husband smelled like clean laundry when we first dated (he still smells clean but now vaguely lavender since we use a different detergent than his mom did). And yellow Dial soap instantly reminds me of a high school boyfriend. I’ve been eager to try the Cobble Hill face serum. Thanks for the giveaway!
My mom smelled like coffee and cigarettes, something I wouldn’t put up with from anyone else. And my father smelled like Brut cologne. I love when my husband comes in from making a fire outside and he smells all smoky and woody. And although my kids are 12 and 15, I will never forget the Baby Head Smell they had when they were infants. I will smell other people’s babies just to get a whiff of the past!
My mom wore this honeysuckle after bath splash that I adored. She also wore powder that came from a 1950’s looking container with a fancy powder puff. Her cheeks smelled amazing when I would kiss her. My Dad was an Old Spice / Brut man.
My mother always smelled of Joy perfume, something she had found in Paris many years before we children came along. I always thought that that must be what Paris smelled like – Joy.
Oh, Chanel… absolutely… light spritz. I loved wearing her sweaters so I could be wrapped with the smell of her.
My mother always smelled like Oil of Olay, the original pink one.
Hmmm… My mother’s “scent” was Beautiful, but her smell is something I can identify but not describe.
My father: Earl Grey Tea. Not actually smelling of it on his body, but he’d make a pot of it every few days, and the pour-over scent filled the kitchen. I only need to sit in a room with some and I’m relaxing.
Our house: fried onions. and garlic.
Very warm and sometimes fruity
My mom always smells like hard work. I don’t mean that negatively at all. She is not one to sweat, oddly enough, but she really doesn’t wear scented products either. So I call her natural smell “Hard Work”. Growing up, she was the one who ran the house. Dad was away on business a lot and she was virtually a single mother, and let me tell you, she was the ultimate mother! Family breakfast, family dinner, activities for us kids, cleaned our 3 level home top to bottom, helped us with homework,volunteered in our schools andin the community. When my dad’s business flopped she went to work outside of the home. My mother has never complained. She is amazing! I admire her work ethic and wish I had inherited a fraction of it. I can’t seem to get it all.together the way she did. I often smell of sweat covered up by perfume…but not Mom. Good old fashioned Hard Work is her scent.
What an amazing morning! I haven’t been able to smell my mother’s scent in a few decades and couldn’t name it to save myself. But, while reading this, I could smell it as if she was next to me. Thank you.
Estee Lauder Youth Dew, my daughter still displays the last bottle she owned and sniffs it when she is missing her Grandmother 🙁
My grandmother always smelled of Ivory soap, roses and Noxema. On special occasions she smelled of L’air du Temps perfume. She passed a year ago and in cleaning out her house I was overwhelmed by the lingering beautiful scents of her. When packing things away I saved two small bottles of L’air du Temps for the days that I miss her so, I can open the bottle and a gentle whiff is enough to bring back all those years of her unending support and unconditional love. Scent memory is so powerful.
I’m thinking of my dad right now. I’ve been thinking about him a lot lately. He passed away a couple of years ago and I think I must have been too raw the past years to really remember him other than the dad who was dying…
But the smell of my father as he got off the train from his long commute is one I will treasure. In those days he sat in the smoking car for his nightly game of bridge. So he was a mixture of old fashioned spicy aftershave, pipe smoke (he smoked tobacco in a yellow pouch with a sailboat on it—I occasionally smell it in public and am taken right back), gin (yes, gin and tonics from the bar car) and clove from the lifesaver he popped as he stepped down. It was comfort, excitement and slightly exotic all rolled into a dapper little man with a bow tie and gray suit. Thanks for pulling me back there.
Paloma Picasso perfume. I recognize it the instant I smell it and it always takes me to memories of my mom. She’s been gone 3 years and I miss her a lot.
My Mom smells of… Perfumes! Age loves Chanel Cristalle, Coco Mademoiselle, and Paloma Picaso. And she often smells of caramelized onions because she,s an amazing cook. .
My Grandmother smelled of Emeraude by Coty Perfume. Although she used the lotion version. Love that smell.
My dad always smelled of cigarettes, but somehow it was faint and crisp, never overwhelming or stale.
Oh wow my mom. …. fresh bread,patchouli, pot,cigarettes, coffee,peppermint schnapps, nag champa. Wonderful mother! Diverse & Beautiful ❤