Scent sense, soap pose - Saippuakauppias ja Tunteita & Tuoksuja

I have a thing for scented soaps. Drawing conclusions from the abundance of soaps available in interior decor shops, department stores, boutiques or web shops, I'm not alone with my fascination. Oh, how many shapes, colours, sizes and, most importantly, scents they come in! Then you have a choice of organic, eco-friendly, handmade, designer, allergy tested, not tested on animals, scented, or unscented...

 Just a few of my lovelies here... Olive, laurel, handmade apple, thyme, honey..

I don't think I've ever been able to walk past a soap shelf or scented sachet selection in a small boutique without taking a sniff of at least two or three of them, much to my live-in-hubby's detriment. He ends up rolling his eyes and muttering: "You always have to sniff and finger everything..." Which I have admitted to and accepted. Even after sneezing and coughing in one shop for half an hour after inhaling a liiittle bit too much of lavender in a sachet, I still keep doing it because I find it invigorating and enchanting.

Sometimes you'll find a new favourite that you've never smelled before, sometimes you  just keep on searching for The Perfect scent or one that you may remember from your childhood.
There have been numerous researches on the effect of a scent, emotion and cognition. Research has shown, for example, that scent-evoked memory is unique in emotional potency compared to other memory experiences. Bearing that in mind, it's no surprise that your thoughts suddenly drift to another time and place after smelling something familiar and cozy.
I recently found an old mystic favourite of mine, with the help of my friend after describing it to her - lo and behold, it turned out to be the traditional Savon de Marseille, the original Marseille soap!

(Savon de Marseille.com)