In partnership with ARRAN.
I’ve learned, probably since lockdown 2020, that it’s the small things in life that count. The sound of the birds chirruping on a dewy spring morning, watching a dog lolloping around on the beach, the smell of freshly brewed coffee.
It’s funny; coffee is a scent that immediately brings fond thoughts of my mum. There’s not much else I love more than a fresh oat milk latte at home with my mum, when it’s just the two of us and we can sit close together chatting while we sip our hot drinks. I associate the smell of coffee with quality, one-to-one time with my mum, and those moments are precious to me.
This is the idea behind ARRAN’s 2023 Mother’s Day campaign, Scent Memories. They’ve explored how different fragrances and scents can evoke memories of childhood, of family and friends, of holidays… anything really. Their signature scent After the Rain has notes of lime, rose and sandalwood, and it’s been released in a limited edition Mother’s Day gift set which includes an exclusive bath oil. Positively dreamy… After the Rain is a beautiful scent, and one that seems to be loved by many – to me, it’s one of those classic perfumes that’s always been there, and all the women I’ve spoken to since sharing this campaign on Instagram have had their own After the Rain story to tell.
One lady messaged me directly to say that her mum bought her After the Rain every year, but sadly her mum was no longer with her. She said the fragrance has always reminded her of her mum, and it always will, but that she hadn’t had it for a long time. I suggested that perhaps she should treat herself to some After the Rain products, as a way to remember her mum, and maybe it would be nice to enjoy her gift to herself as if it had been from her mum. Chatting with her brought a tear to my eye, as it does now as I type. My mum is one of the most special people in my life so I can’t imagine how my Instagram friend feels having lost her mum.
There are so many different smells that have memories attached to them. For me, the box we stored Christmas decorations in when I was a child had a distinct smell of dust and tinsel, and I loved it because it really felt like Christmas time when we opened it up to decorate the tree. Similarly, I loved sleeping with my mum’s nightie when I was little because it smelled exactly of her, and now I love the smell of my children’s hair when I snuggle into them on the sofa.
I suppose this all brings us back to those little moments, the small things. We should enjoy and appreciate them while we can, and sometimes that means treating ourselves to a premium bag of fresh coffee, or gifting the mum-figure in our life with an at-home spa experience using ARRAN’s limited edition After the Rain Mother’s Day gift set. Knowing my mum, she’d probably let me borrow some too – it’s a win, win.
What beautiful thoughts my lovely that I will treasure always, thank you. Your children will have their own scented, and personal, memories that come as they grow older, as I have of you and your childhood, they will have of you as their Mummy. They are all such special senses that come with Mothers, and children, similar but never exactly the same as the scents vary so.
What a beautifully written piece Christina. We all have special smells that evoke memories for us. My mum was a lady who never wore makeup or perfume but I always remember her smelling of Cammay soap which had a lovely fresh smell.
Beautiful article. And its so accurate that smells can truly transport you to another place, time or memory instantly.