Signature Scents, Part I
by Devon Ellington

Scent is one of our most powerful senses. It not only affects mood, but memory. If you want people to notice you when you enter a room and remember you long after you leave it, scent is an important factor.

If you use something that conflicts with your body or overpowers, that will be a negative factor. The fashionably-aware person wants it to be positive.

Since each of our bodies resonates individually with a scent, it’s important to experiment. A fragrance can smell heavenly in the bottle and awful on you. Don’t wait until an important event to try a new scent.

Department stores are not the best places to experiment with scent. I’m not talking about the over-eager sales reps who mist you into a cloud of perfume so you can’t even see straight, much less smell anything. There is simply too much stimulation and distraction in a department store setting to make a coherent decision. See if you can get a tiny sample to take with you, and try it at home, at your leisure. Many fragrance counters have single-application vials or scent-suffused paper you can take with you. Keep them separate in your purse or tote bag, or they will begin to influence each other.

If you do test several scents in a store, either on your person or simply by smell, you’ll need to clear your nose between each trial. The best way to do this is to sniff coffee — that’s what many stores that use essential oils do — they have a jar of coffee you sniff in between smelling oils, to clean your palate. I’ve yet to see this in a department store, but if you walk in there carrying your coffee — it’ll help. If you try more than one scent on your body, make sure each scent is as far away as possible from the others on your skin, and leave ten to fifteen minutes in between the applications. You’ll have time to let the scent react with your body’s chemistry and you’ll have enough time in between scents to actually smell a new one.

Of course, the best thing to do is create a signature blend, not just from your favorite scents, but from the scents that SMELL BEST ON YOU. These are not always one and the same. Take your time and experiment. Quite a few perfumeries and aromatherapy boutiques will now blend you a signature scent. It’s costly — and make sure they notate the recipe, so they can recreate something close to it again. But it’s worth it. Check your local listings for a perfumery that specializes in custom scents.

Or, you can blend your own. I’m allergic to the chemical components in traditional perfumes. I can only wear essential oils. You can buy them at most health food stores and stores were they sell loose bulk herbs, such as Aphordisia Herb Shoppe in New York City, Earth Spirits Herbal Apothocary in Sturbridge, MA, or The Sandwich Village Herb Shop in Sandwich, MA, three of my favorite stores on the Eastern Seaboard. The latter two shops carry some of their own mixed blends, but you can buy ingredients separately and mix your own, using either jojoba oil or almond oil as a base. We’ll discuss mixing signature blends in next month’s post.

I like to put on the scent as I walk out the door, but it’s actually better to put it on before you get dressed. You won’t hit the fabric when you spritz or dash, and many scents, whether they are purchased perfumes or individual oils, can stain fabric. I have ruined a couple of gorgeous silk blouses with a careless drip, and dry cleaning usually doesn’t get it out. You’re better of putting it on before you dress, although you need to wait to layer on the clothes until the scent soaks into your skin and your skin is dry.

The right scent, and, more importantly, an INDIVIDUAL scent, can give you that extra boost of confidence on top of correctly fitting clothes, cute shoes, and a great purse.

Next month, I’ll get into some specifics of mixing your own oils to create a signature scent.

–Devon Ellington publishes under a half a dozen names in both fiction and non-fiction. She worked backstage on Broadway, and in film and television for more than twenty years, mostly in the wardrobe department. Visit her blog, Ink in My Coffee, and her main website: www.devonellingtonwork.com