Hi there! I have some very exciting news for all you Princess Portal readers, starting today there will be a new section on this blog, written by me! Princess Skye is very busy these days researching lots of new and interesting things to write about, so in the mean time I offered to entertain you with some exciting stories and interesting facts. The Princess said I’ve been watching too much Card Captor Sakura, but she agreed to let me write. This column will be cute, fun, silly and hopefully an enjoyable and light-hearted part of the Portal.

I have just one problem, I’m not exactly sure where to start ^^; I know so many wonderful things and I’m sure you’d find them all amazing, but I think I should have some sort of theme going, like the other Princess Portal sections. Also, Skye said I have to choose one. So I made a little list and I was wondering if you could please tell me what you’d like to hear about?

Cute things from Japan - I’m an Amigurumi and I came here all the way from Japan so I know lots about japanese culture and since Lolita is also a part of that maybe I could tell you some fun things about Japan?

Princess insider - There’s a lot of stuff on this site about Princess Skye already, but I bet I know some things she’d never post about! I live in her room too so I have access to all the cool pretty stuff here, some of which you’ve never seen before!

Milky Letters - Princess gets heaps of letters and emails these days, and she already has a page for questions on the site. But I don’t get any mail yet, and I think I should. If you wanted to write and ask me about things I could post the answers here. Skye says I can even have my own email address!

Thank you so much for helping me choose! Please look out for my column very soon.

xoxox Milky

Throughout history, Princesses have had talented perfumers design for them a signature scent, blending rare oils and floral essences to create a fragrance that is truly unique. A signature scent captures something of it’s wearers essence too, our memories respond very strongly to smell and we often associate a scent with a particular person, time or place. It is not necessarily the perfume you wear all the time, for it is always good to have a few to choose from, but it is your most favourite scent, the most comfortable and the one that makes you feel more beautifully ‘you’ like a warm embrace or cool breeze wrapped around you. While we may not all have the talents of a perfumer at our disposal, we can choose or make our own signature fragrance from the wide variety on offer today.

Perfumes can be categorized in many ways, but one of the most common these days is to identify them by their major notes. Scents will usually fall in to the catergories of Floral, Fresh, Woody or Oriental.

Floral scents are those derived from flowers. It may be a single note of violet or a whole garden full of different flowers. They are usually light, pretty, feminine and ladylike, sometimes with richer headier notes like a deep red rose. Lavender, Violet, Rose, Carnation, Lily, Iris.

Fresh scents have a clean, bright zest to them. They often combine citrus and other fruits and have a fun, cheerful, summery feel. Exhilarating and refreshing, they clear the mind and suit people with a lot of energy. Lemon, Orange, Apple, Berry, Mint, Green tea.

Woody scents are more sophisticated and elegant. Think of green velvet or walking through a pine forest. The rich earthy scents of nature, they may be grounding and contain the essences of woods and resins. Amber, Musk, Sandalwood, Pine, Mandarin wood.

Oriental scents are spicy and seductive. Recalling exotic places and rare flowers, spices and silk. They are opulent and tempting and sometimes a little dark, mysterious and rich. Opium, Anise, Cocoa, Vanilla, Ginger, Cinnamon, Neroli.

Knowing which type of scent you are drawn to will help narrow down your choices. For example, I almost always wear Floral perfumes, though sometimes I like a few fruity Fresh scents as well. Now that you have a general idea in mind, go to your local perfume counter and start trying different scents! To test a scent, spray one of the small cards provided lightly, then move it back and forward beneath your nose. Often stores have coffee beans available, these are to clear your senses between trying different perfumes. When you find something you really like, spray a little on your wrist and leave. Smell your wrist every few hours and notice how the perfume changes, and how it smells on your skin. A large part of choosing the right perfume is finding something that works with your individual skin chemistry. You will know you’ve found your signature scent because it will make you feel good, remind you of fond memories and other people will comment on how nice you smell.

When wearing perfume daily, it is always better to wear too little than too much. One of the best ways to apply with a vaporiser bottle is to spray the air in front of you and then walk through it. If you are sensitive to perfumes (as I am) you might find perfume oils are a better choice. These are made from essential oils and are usually less intense and artificial. Apply a little dab at your wrists and on your neck, where your pulse will warm the oil and bring out it’s fragrance.

My signature scent is a combination of Rose, Carnation and White tea, from the talented people at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and I highly reccomend their perfume oils.