I can remember the first Father’s Day present that I bought for my Dad. I was on a school trip in the Lake District and got him a small hand carved wooden deer, it was so long ago, but I can really remember in my young 10 year old mind thinking, I am sure he will love this. He used to draw as a hobby and he mostly drew landscapes of horses and animals that I remember. It is usually Mums that get most of the fuss and Father’s Day for us was mostly getting Dad a card and maybe making him a coffee in the morning before he went to play rugby on the Sunday. Later on as I could afford it, I got him his favourite aftershave which was Aramis back then. The smell of that men’s aftershave really holds a strong memory of my childhood; it will always remind me of seeing my Dad’s row of ironed shirts for the week and the waft of that smell as he left to go to work. They do say that the sense of smell is the strongest one that can bring old memories to life.
My Dad was always very sporty, so toiletries were always a good gift for him, as he always had a wash-bag on the go and I always used to buy him a soap-on-rope, they were so popular years ago. Rugby has always featured a lot when I think of growing up, I was the first born and my Dad was really hoping for a boy, I am sure! Consequently I was a bit of a tomboy and went along to the rugby club with him as soon as I could walk and I played mini-rugby with the boys until I was about 12, then I started to referee the matches. My Dad was there playing on Saturday and coaching on Sunday, so if I wanted to see my Dad I had to be at the rugby club. We both still share the love of that game and I will always speak to him before every England game, if we lost there wasn’t always a phone call, he wouldn’t feel like talking.
When I think back and even still now I can easily buy ‘smellies’ as gifts for my Dad, shaving has always been quite a ritual for him as he used to use a bristle brush and a solid shaving soap to really lather the beard area, this stimulates the hair follicles for a closer shave He then used a cut throat razor and leather strop, very old fashioned, but it gave a really close shave. As he has got a bit older and his hands are not so steady luckily he has switched to a more traditional razor. Or I think we would be concerned!
This year I am going to introduce him to a new fragrance, as he is a real sun worshipper I have chosen a Tom Ford Eau de Soleil Blanc, which I am sure he will love. It’s such a beautifully summery scent. A delightful mix of Bergamot, citrus and warm amber, you can close your eyes in your back garden and be on holiday. This year I think that might be as far as we all get, and I know that smell is going to make my Dad feel like he is somewhere hot and sunny by the sea.
For the past 15 years my Dad has been keeping bees in his garden, he has two beehives and loves them. He makes his own honey and loves sharing that with us all, I even get to have fresh honeycomb too which is such a treat. On Father’s Day this year we will be praying for sunshine and get together as a family for a BBQ, keeping our eyes on those beehives and staying as far away as possible from the bees. I’m sure he will love his new Tom Ford aftershave, I will be tempted to have a spritz myself whenever I go to visit, it’s such a wonderful smell.
Tom Ford Soleil Blanc Giveaway
I am giving away a fabulous Tom Ford Soleil Blanc from Boots for you to give to your Dad, or loved one (or keep for yourself) in this post. This will be live by Friday and you can enter by going to my Instagram page and tagging a friend, the winner will be chosen by June 30th and picked randomly.
“This post is in conjunction with Boots UK but all thoughts are my own”