Moving to Türkiye, motherhood and… my new secret ritual

Between a new country and a baby to look after, Kristina Çelik refused to leave herself for “later” — and fell under the spell of perfume. She shares the warm notes she loves for autumn: spiced vanilla and amber, sandalwood and cardamom, coffee and chocolate.

By Kristina Çelik · September 28, 2026 · 2 min read

An oak dresser in autumn light: four unlabelled perfume bottles in amber, honey and rose tones on a brass tray with vanilla pods, tonka beans and two pieces of amber resin; a knitted throw at the edge, a dry leaf on the wood and the sea through the window

When we first moved to Türkiye, I thought all my time would go on settling in, housework and looking after the baby. But I knew very well that I mustn’t leave myself for “later”. I needed a small hobby full of inspiration, something that would nourish me. Something that would lift my mood in seconds, wouldn’t need hours of silence and would fit easily around motherhood…

And I found what I was looking for: I fell under the spell of the world of perfume! While my little one sleeps or plays beside me, I study notes, hunt down rare bottles and, you could say, collect feelings.

Now, as that soft, velvety autumn arrives in Türkiye, this ritual rescues me from every kind of low mood. So shall we choose our autumn scent wardrobe together? When the evenings turn cool, what warms us, what wraps around us like a cosy blanket?

Here are my favourite notes, wonderful for busy mothers:

Spiced vanilla and amber. Look for scents with tonka bean or warm milk notes. Even on a walk with the pram along the seafront, they give an incredible feeling of calm and comfort.
Warming oriental hints. Soft sandalwood and a light touch of cardamom. These notes open up differently in Türkiye’s air; they turn truly noble and deep.
Gourmand scents (coffee and chocolate). The most innocent way to lift our dopamine levels, with no fear of calories! A couple of spritzes, and the mother scraping purée off the rug is gone — a queen walks in instead.

A cream pram beside a wooden bench on a seaside promenade at sunset; a dusty-rose scarf tied to the handle, a folded sage knitted blanket on the bench, yellow leaves on the paving and the calm sea behind — Even walking the pram along the seafront…

Sandalwood pieces and shavings on a linen cloth, green cardamom pods in a stone bowl, an unlabelled perfume bottle with a wooden cap and a folded cream scarf; eucalyptus and dried flowers behind, pink and sage fabric swatches with a spool of thread in the corner — Soft sandalwood and a light touch of cardamom.

Turkish coffee in a tulip-patterned cup on a round oak side table, squares of dark chocolate on a plate, scattered coffee beans and a brown unlabelled perfume bottle; on the play mat below, a wooden stacking toy, blocks and a plush bunny — Gourmand scents (coffee and chocolate).

Ladies, perfume is the quickest way to come back to yourself, to remember the woman you are and to stay in the “now”.

So which is your autumn scent? Do you like something sweeter, or do you prefer woody notes?

For a mother who won’t leave herself for later

For those small moments a mother keeps for herself, let us make her — or you — a little gift with her name on it. A corner of the busy day that is hers alone.

Add their name

— Kristina Çelik

Share this story

WhatsApp FacebookX Pinterest

Questions from readers

Mothers ask, we answer — questions under this story that others may have too.

Ask your own question

Ask the author anything about this story. We send a one-time code to your WhatsApp so real mothers, not bots, get answered — your number is never shown.

Keep reading

A bedroom corner at dusk: a beige armchair by a window with sheer curtains, a flower-print nursing pillow and a muslin cloth on the seat, a sage knitted blanket spilling over the side; a small glowing lamp and a glass of water on the side table

Mother & Baby

Knowing, it turns out, is not living it

For years, a nurse explained to mothers why a baby might cry. Then she held her own son, Mete, and learned that knowing something is not the same as living it. Damla Nur Bozkaya on healing after a caesarean, the question “Is it enough?”, and learning to look at herself kindly.

September 28, 2026 · 5 min read

A dim nursery at dusk: a small warm night lamp on a dresser, folded muslins, and autumn leaves outside the window

Mother & Baby

First autumn nights: low light, a quiet room and a baby’s bedtime ritual

When September ends the days shorten, dusk comes early and the nights in a newborn’s home grow longer. Three things I learned in Hamza Bera’s first autumn: dim the light, do the same things in the same order, and make the room his room.

September 23, 2026 · 4 min read

A hallway in morning light: a white doctor’s coat on a wooden rail beside four small school backpacks, four pairs of children’s shoes lined up below; a woman’s hand reaches for the coat

Mother & Baby

Two lives in one day

A day that starts with four children’s voices, continues in a white coat and comes home again to four small hearts. Meliha Özyalvaç, a specialist physician and mother of four, on the hardest part of working motherhood — and the thing without a name that rises through all the tiredness.

September 22, 2026 · 3 min read