Fragrances from your childhood... (Page 1 of 11)

bulgarian rose oil, 'mown hay' and 'black cat' fragrances (those were available and very popular at the time of my mother's youth), and i remember a scent of a fragrance that i smelt when i was approximately 3-4 years old. it was a scent of a fragrance that my freind's mother used to use, and i smelt it when she opened her wardrobe. it was such a pleasant smell, but i never discovered which fragrance  it was. i can't remember the exact scent, i remember my fascination, as to my nose, it was gorgeous.

then, milk, coffee, chicory drink with milk which we used to call 'white coffee', warm bread, margarin spread over a bread slice...

mmmm, i feel so very young again

Flour, baking bread dough (my grandparents owned a family bakery in Italy), and, as crazy as it sounds, the smell of very used, dirty streets of a busy city... like Milano. I find a little comfort in it. And some raspberry fragrance I always smelled in my grandmother's house. Jasmine, too.

In Oklahoma: Concord grapes, tomato leaves, earth, clay and dust, thunderstorms, honeysuckle and coffee.  Marigold flowers -- that same type of pungent smell as tomato leaves, but more floral.

In Wisconsin: Rich earth, trees/water (the river), thunderstorms (again, I know -- but up north they had a more bitey smell than in Oklahoma), coffee (a constant, I've written an entire essay on how the smell of coffee influenced my childhood).  Old, polished wood (upright piano).  Fresh laundry.

In Washington: Books.  Shalimar with warm, old, spruce (my violin), pine resin (violin, dance, and just outside).  Coffee, tea. 

My mother's perfume : chanel n 5, paris YSL, and my father's perfume: boucheron. And my barbie's perfume that I found back in Narciso Rodriguez, smells exactly the same  
But I am too young so later I will probably have more scent memories..

the applepie my grandmother made, linen that has dried outside, lavender, the flowers of the buddleia and philadelphus in our backyard, orange juice,... and l'air du temps de Nina Ricci, my mother's perfume.The smell of wine beeiig made (by my grandparents).

In my teenage years the smell of marihuana in a pub I wasn't allowed to enter (but did anyway   ) near my school in Antwerp. The smell of beer .

Last edited by Kari (2008-08-22 17:05:47)

From my parents garden- lillies of the valley, lilac, roses and the fragrance of crabapple blossoms

Lemon zest that went into Easter bread
Fresh cut cucumber
The aroma of various fruit and berries being cooked for jam
Usually very early in the morning - the coolest time of a summer's day-strawberry ,sour cherry and black currant are most memorable
Yardley Black label -my father's cologne
Chanel No.5 and 4711 Koelnische Wasser

1. Jasmine. There's a garden full of jasmine on my way back home from school everyday. In summer I would stay there just for the good smell...but I can't understand why I don't like perfume with jasmine...
2. Baked cookies. The sweet butter and chocolate smell, oh my God.
3. Chocolate box. I don't know if anybody felt the same way but I used to sniff chocolate boxes all the time. I think some of them smell even better than chocolate. Maybe it's the paper too...
4. Clothes dried in the sun. So soft and warm and there's the scent of soap that lingers on them. I'd just retrieve them from the balcony and pile them on the bed and curl up in them
5. The smell of a fresh pack of cigarette. I never smoke, and I don't like it when others do, but strangely enough I like them when they're packed in the box unlighted. I think it's the original smell of tobacco that's so addictive...
6. In summer the kind of smell coming from the ground before it rains. It's a combination of leaves, soil and often comes with swift cool breeze

Tobacco for chewing from my Pawpaw, the smell of a garage ( like a tire shop or car shop)from my brother in laws Exxon, oil of olay the lotion my Mother used. Aqua Velva blue shaving lotion from Dad, honeysukle flowers, rain on hot pavement, shoe polish for boots my Dad always polished his boots, tea roses beside our house, gasoline from the old truck, tinkerbell child makeup, cigarette smoke everyone smoked, mowed grass, iris outside my Nannys house, Opium.

Ammonia, bleach, and furniture polish -- my mother was very house proud.

Cigarette smoke (to my utter chagrin), thanks to my parents and most other adults that came to visit.

Old Spice aftershave, Replique perfume, crayons, Silly Putty, Play Doh.

My grandma`s vintage Red Moscow that I used to refill my markers with ; Eucalyptus leaves in my bath; lilac by the house and crisp green apples in the crates in the basement; linden and camomile Florena soaps;paper glue in a plastic clear bottle....

My mom`s perfumes - Jai Ose and  Eclipse, her hand creams,my grandma`s Persian lilac perfume, her pies with apricot jam and her herbal concoctions, propolis and bee wax..., my grandpa`s Chypre cologne that I adored. And of course pine needles and tangerines on New Year`s eve!

I remember the delicious smell of new books  and a new puppy we had when I was 4, the lovely scent of fallen leaves in he park .

Isn`t it strange? Sometimes I walk down the street and the wind blows, and suddenly a familiar scent brushes you over the face, and you want to turn towards it and run without even realizing what it was, only knowing that you felt it before and somehow it is very important....