Soap Making

 I love the idea of a signature scent. Smell is the sense most closely connected to your memory so the idea of a smell that is uniquely you appeals to me. Something that when smelled makes a person think only of you. I'm not against mainstream perfumes, I have a few favorites, but you don't really want to end up with someone and have them tell you your scent reminds them of their mother. To prevent this sad occurrence I suggest making your own handmade soaps. Soaps and lotions create a great baseline scent without being overpowering. Picking a scent that compliments your favorite perfume allows you to layer them together and turn a easily store bought scent into something uniquely you. For those of us who don't have the resources to create soap from scratch I suggest using a melt and pour base. There are several soap bases to choose from as well oils you can add to further enhance the benefits of your soap. My personal favorite is a goat's milk base with sweet almond oil added in. They pair together to make a rich moisturizing soap. Picking your scents can be somewhat tricky. A good thing to keep in mind is that there a three categories of scents or notes. Notes are categorized based on how quickly they evaporate. They follow as such:

• Top notes: The scents that are perceived immediately on application of a perfume. Top notes consist of small, light molecules that evaporate quickly. They form a person's initial impression of a perfume and thus are very important in the selling of a perfume. Also called the head notes.
• Middle notes: The scent of a perfume that emerges just prior to when the top notes dissipate. The middle note compounds form the "heart" or main body of a perfume and act to mask the often unpleasant initial impression of base notes, which become more pleasant with time. They are also called the heart notes.
• Base notes: The scent of a perfume that appears close to the departure of the middle notes. The base and middle notes together are the main theme of a perfume. Base notes bring depth and solidity to a perfume. Compounds of this class of scents are typically rich and "deep" and are usually not perceived until 30 minutes after application.

A quick online search will help you identify the type of note for any scent your looking at using and give you a good point in the right direction but nothing can subsitute your own noses. As long as a scent appeals to you and merges well with you other choices you should go with your instincts. Just remember not to go to overboard because your not the only one who has to smell you.