Fragrance Layering

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I have a confession: though I've collected perfumes for at least 30 years now, I am still brand new to the concept of layering fragrances. 

I always felt that scents should be allowed to stand on their own. But then I kept buying more and more (and more) bottles and at this point have about 250 fragrances in my collection. If I wore a different fragrance every day of the year, I would only cycle through my full collection about 1.5 times every 12 months. As an introvert, I'm not fond of attracting attention to myself, nor do I want to offend anyone, so I'm fairly circumspect about my fragrance application. Let's say a 50ml bottle holds about 600 sprays, and I use 4 per application = 150 applications per bottle x 250 bottles = 37,500 applications of fragrance. That's just shy of 103 years worth of daily use! I'm going to be 60 this year and will be lucky to have another 20 years in me (scary to think that). That said, some of the perfumes in my collection are in the form of travel sprays, but at least half are 100ml bottles, so my estimate of 37K applications is probably on the low side. Yes, I should probably stop buying new bottles of perfume, but what's the fun in that? Perfume collecting is a hobby that brings me great joy. And I've found that selling some of my discontinued perfumes brings in pretty good money. However, I think it would be nice to use up my collection a bit more rapidly than is my wont. I have started using a heavier hand in application, especially with scents I particularly love (D.S. & Durga Pistachio is in this category) and with lighter summertime frags (about half my collection). 

I've also started layering fragrances. The concept was a bit scary at first. How does it work? What if I get it wrong? (The answer to that is to take a shower.) A good rule of thumb is that one should layer fragrances that have complementary or like ingredients. Vanilla, for example, can complement any number of other notes--florals like rose and orange blossom, fruity notes, and various woody accords. Predominately citrus or vetiver scents also layer nicely and can add an aspect that might be missing from the original composition. Obvious is a good label to check out, as they offer several soliflore-style fragrances that cry out to be layered with other scents in the brand or with totally unrelated perfumes. Be warned, however. Scents that might seem to be perfect together could turn into a nightmare. For example, Sarah Baker Perfumes Peach's Revenge + Heretic Dirty Peach = "a photorealistic fart," according to my friend Angie (@angiesmellstheroses on IG and TikTok). 

To make things easier, you can input a list of the fragrances you own into ChatGPT and ask it to "suggest layering combinations." You can refine your question, too, asking for scents that would be good for a night on the town, be it going to the club or a romantic dinner, or suggestions for workplace fragrance combos. Not all of them are going to work, of course. Chat GPT doesn't get the notes right for all the fragrances I've listed, despite all of them being found on Fragrantica. For instance, it seems to think that Imaginary Authors Blend No. 83 is all about antique books and the smell of paper and ink, when it's actually a boozy coffee gourmand, and that Diptyque Venise is either a white musk scent or a woody floral, when it's super green and vegetal. But some of the combinations sound right on. 

One of the more complex suggestions I tried was L'Artisan Parfumeur Poivre Piquant + Trudon Revolution + Indult Reve en Cuir. According to Chat GPT, "this feels like stepping into a hidden, smoky jazz lounge where the air is thick with leather, spice, and mystery." It ain't wrong. It's also a bit much. Revolution is quite assertive; even a double application of Poivre Piquant (first and last) is obliterated by the smoke. Interestingly, the Reve en Cuir made an appearance many hours after application, once Revolution calmed it's ass down. Still, not a combo I'll try again, though I'm determined to find something that will work with Revolution.

A much more successful suggestion was layering L'Artisan Tea for Two over Guerlain Tonka Imperiale. The result was a creamy almondmilk chai that was quite nice. Obvious Un Musc + Maison Louis Marie No.04 Bois de Balincourt was another success, with the muskiness of the former bumping up the cozy factor of the latter at least another notch. 

One of my favorites was Comme des Garçons Kyoto + Ormonde Jayne Isfarkand. The dry woody incense blended so well with the citrusy vetiver, they smelled like they belonged together. Another combo that I liked was D. S. & Durga Wear at Maximum Volume + Tom Ford Grey Vetiver. The DS&D scent already has a lot going on, but the addition of dry, green, and somewhat smoky vetiver made it seem simpler overall and much easier to wear on a warmer day.

I have also come up with some successful layering combinations of my own. Bois de Balincourt and Chanel Paris-Edimbourg is a match made in olfactory heaven. Because neither of them are particularly heavy, I think they'll layer quite well in many combinations. Additionally, I recently obtained a bottle of Diptyque L'Eau Papier and feel that its muskiness will make it a layering hero in my scent wardrobe.

Are you a fan of layering fragrances? Tell me your favorite combos!

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.