Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Female Fragrance Discussion › Mixing classics with other perfumes.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Mixing classics with other perfumes.

post #1 of 39
11/24/05 at 11:55am
Thread Starter 
There is this great article in the december issue of french Marie Claire about mixing fragrances together. The writer of the article Nolwenn du Lat (with the help of noses Francis Kurkdjian and Antoine Maisondieu) gives quite a few examples. She says it's agreat way to see a beloved signature scent in a new way or to create a more personal sillage.

Here is the list. I'm not going to go in all the details because it's often rather obvious way such and such will work together. Each classic or contemporary classic has it's matching fragrance for either day or night. The day mix often brightens the original perfume while the night mix usually accentuates the original notes.

Shalimar:
Day: with Eau d'Hadrien or Cologne Mugler.
Night: withMusc Ravageur by Frédéric Malle or with just a bit of B*Men(!)

L'Heure Bleue:
Day: with Un Jardin en Méditéranée by Hermès
Night: with Voile d'Ambre by Yves Rocher or Nu by YSL

L'Air du Temps:
Day: Thé Vert by Bulgari
Night: Eternity by Calvin Klein

N°5:
Day: Acqua di Parma Colognia
Night: Musc Ravageur or the make it less floral Féminité du Bois by Shiseido

N°19:
Day: Mure et Musc, Hiris by Hermès, Déclaration or L'Eau de Cartier
Night: Lolita Lempicka or L'Eau Ivre N°3 by IUNX

Joy:
Day: Blush by Marc Jacobs or Rose Barbare by Guerlain (only available at The House of Guerlain Champs Elysées)
Night: Kiehl's Musk

Opium:
Day: Jardin sur le Nil
Night: Hermessence Poivre Samarcande or Féminité du Bois

Paris:
Day: Hermessence Rose Ikebana or Sa Majesté La Rose by Serge Lutens
Night: Cuir Améthyste by Armani Privé.

Giorgio Beverly Hills:
D: Rem by Reminiscence (a marin note like Aqua Motu)
N: L'Instant by Guerlain... that must be very, very, very strong!

Diorissimo:
D: Cologne Mugler
N: Mandorlo di Sicilia by Acqua di Parma or Castelbaljac (both almond-based)


I have combinations for 7 other classics...
Should I go on?
Reply
Reply

Features on Basenotes

Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
post #2 of 39
11/24/05 at 12:04pm
Yes, yes, please do go on, Cedric, this is very interesting!
Thanks for sharing!
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 39
11/24/05 at 12:24pm
Go on, Cedric!
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 39
11/24/05 at 12:44pm
Thread Starter 
Ok.

Féminité du Bois:
D: Eau d'Orange Verte by Hermès (tried that this afternoon and it works very well)
N: Angel or Rush

Eau d'Issey:
D: Anaïs Anaïs (both have Hyacinth)
N: Rem by Réminiscence (to make it even more watery)

Narisco Rodriguez:
D: Fleurs d'Oranger by L'Artisan (I think it would be even better with Fleurs d'Oranger by Serge Lutens)
N: Aromatics Elixir

Ambre Sultan:
D: Eau d'Hadrien
N: Gaultier² (Col? did you read that?!!!)

Mure et Musc Extrême:
D: Pleasures
N: Rahät Loukoum by Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido.

Lolita Lempicka:
D: Violettes de Toulouse by Berdoues
N: Angel

Trésor:
D: Promesse by Cacharel or Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker
N: Vanille Passion by Comptoir Sud Pacifique

The rules:
Always let the first layer dry before spraying the second fragrance over it. You can also put the most concentrated perfume on your skin and the lightest on your clothes.
When mixing perfumes either brighten the topnotes with a fresh citrussy edt or accentuate on of the main ingrediants, for example Joy and Blush are jasmine-based.

Have fun!
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 39
11/24/05 at 12:49pm
This is great! Can't wait to test some of it tomorrow. Poor people in my office!
Thanks again, Cedric!
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 39
11/24/05 at 12:52pm
This is like a free perfume masterclass. Thanks man!
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 39
11/24/05 at 1:04pm
Nice piece of news, thanx!
The only combination I can do is Lolita + Angel, but I'll try!
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 39
11/24/05 at 1:28pm
Great topic; very, very interesting!

[smiley=dankk2.gif] [smiley=kiss.gif] [smiley=lolk.gif]
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 39
11/24/05 at 6:34pm
This is BRILLIANT!

Could we continue this thread with personally recommended mixes and feedback as to whether they 'work'?

I must admit that I am even more desperate to get my hands on certain decants / samples of perfumes just so I can mix and match - I am a frustrated perfumer at heart! :P

Jicky:
D: Shalimar au legere
N: Moschino Moschino

Aromatics Elixir:
D: Ma Griffe (like Cabochard without the leather)
N: Paloma Picasso or Fendi or Must de Cartier (Chypre heaven)

Musc Ravageur:
D: Diesel Plus Plus Feminine (Terry's chocolate orange)
N: Body Shop Amorito (sublime - already a personal favourite)

L'Heure Bleue:
D: Crown Perfumery Marechale
N: Ysatis

Femme:
D: Pierre Cardin Choc (F)
N: Feminitie du Bois

Must de Cartier:
D: Eau d'Hadrian or Shalimar au legere
N: Body Shop Vanilla perfume oil or Shalimar

Ysatis:
D: Gucci Accenti
N: GF Gianfranco Ferre (deep, rich floral)

Terracotta Voile D'Ete:
D: Body Shop Woody Sandalwood perfume oil of Yardley Sandalwood
N: Fendi or Coco (very golden, baroque, amber) or Dana Raffinee (very smooth)

Nahema:
D: Coty L'aimant
N: Rochas Femme or Gucci Accenti

L'Heure Bleue:
D: Rochas Lumiere
N: GF Gianfranco Ferre (deep, rich floral)

ooppsss got a little carried away there - This is just so much fun - lol ;D

Long may this thread continue...
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 39
11/25/05 at 12:56am
Interersting combos. I rarely layer, but something that works very well is to put a leather fragrance (the simpler the better. Etro Gomma is perfect) over vanillic orientals (Shalimar, Musc Ravageur) to cut down the sweetness and make them smokier.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 39
11/25/05 at 2:23am
Have said this somewhere before, but here is the personal layering combo of Wallis Simpson:
L'Heure Bleue over Mitsouko. I tried it and it is quite interesting.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 39
11/25/05 at 4:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Concord

Interersting combos. I rarely layer, but something that works very well is to put a leather fragrance (the simpler the better. Etro Gomma is perfect) over vanillic orientals (Shalimar, Musc Ravageur) to cut down the sweetness and make them smokier.

This sounds just what I need - but could you please recommend a few more mainstream simple leather scents that would also work (either male or female)?

Thank you in advance.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 39
11/25/05 at 4:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by moondeva

[quote author=Concord link=1132862116/0#9 date=1132909016]Interersting combos. I rarely layer, but something that works very well is to put a leather fragrance (the simpler the better. Etro Gomma is perfect) over vanillic orientals (Shalimar, Musc Ravageur) to cut down the sweetness and make them smokier.

This sounds just what I need - but could you please recommend a few more mainstream simple leather scents that would also work (either male or female)?

Thank you in advance. Â*[/quote]

The only other one I tried layering with is Knize Ten, which isn't too expensive. Maybe others can suggest something else? Demeter has a few leather scents, but I don't know if they last much.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 39
11/27/05 at 12:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vinterdroppe

But I have also passed by the store to sprinkle on some Aqua allegoria lilia Bella on top of the Vetiver, and it worked fine.

This works really well; I would consider it a daytime.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cedriceccentric

Should I go on?

Yes!!! Thank you, Cedric. Â* Is vetiver too 'sporty' to be layered into a nighttime?
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 39
11/28/05 at 3:19am
Interesting thread! Thanks for posting!
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 39
11/28/05 at 11:12am
Just today I ended up layering Bellodgia with Tabac Blond. It turned out surprisingly nice. It accented the carnation in the latter and made it a tad fresher and creamier.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 39
12/5/05 at 9:18am
I especially appreciate the layering tips for L'Heure Bleure. While I have an unending soft spot for it, I wear it less than I would like, as sometimes it's more sweet and nostalgic than what I want, though at the same time craving that L'Heure Bleue evocativeness.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 39
12/9/05 at 5:40pm
Loving this thread. Can't wait to try some of these

May I add, I read somewhere, perhaps on this board, that Cher used to layer Oscar de la Renta & Shalimar- this was suposedly the inspiration for her signiture fragrance, now sadly discontiuned & now fetching sky high prices on ebay
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 39
12/9/05 at 6:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by perfumefanatic

May I add, I read somewhere, perhaps on this board, that Cher used to layer Oscar de la Renta & Shalimar- this was suposedly the inspiration for her signiture fragrance, now sadly discontiuned & now fetching sky high prices on ebay

Hmmm... I have an article that talks about Cher's inspiration for Uninhibited (and I hesitate to quote it because I lost the source to give credit): "'I had a perfume I'd been wearing since 1972. It's concoction of two different perfumes, Vanilla by Jean Laporte and a really, really cheap perfume called Ritz by Charles of the Ritz,' she said. While Uninhibited is not an exact replication, Cher said, it 'has the same idea.'"
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 39
12/9/05 at 11:40pm
Probably a simple way, but I wonder what it would be like to take a parfum and mix it with an EDP of the same fragrance. Not really all that creative, but might be an idea for Coco...
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 39
12/9/05 at 11:46pm
Thanks for a very "bookmark-able" topic, cedriceccentric.
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 39
12/22/05 at 6:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ladylonestar

[quote author=perfumefanatic link=1132862116/15#17 date=1134178827]May I add, I read somewhere, perhaps on this board, that Cher used to layer Oscar de la Renta & Shalimar- this was suposedly the inspiration for her signiture fragrance, now sadly discontiuned & now fetching sky high prices on ebay

Hmmm... I have an article that talks about Cher's inspiration for Uninhibited (and I hesitate to quote it because I lost the source to give credit): "'I had a perfume I'd been wearing since 1972. It's concoction of two different perfumes, Vanilla by Jean Laporte and a really, really cheap perfume called Ritz by Charles of the Ritz,' she said. While Uninhibited is not an exact replication, Cher said, it 'has the same idea.'"
[/quote]
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 39
12/22/05 at 6:55pm
Now I remember I read that about Cher mixing Oscar & Shalimar on the POL board sometime back.

Interestingly enough, I seem to recall that Charles of the Ritz was similar to Oscar? And if it was mixed with a vanilla fragrance that would be a lot like Shalimar. I do have a bottle of Charles of the Ritz I could experiment with, just for fun

The combo of Oscar & Shalimar is worthwhile in anycase
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 39
12/22/05 at 7:18pm
Zagorsk layered over Bal a Versailles. If it was clothes it would be a pale green taffeta coat over a forest green velvet gown.
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 39
12/23/05 at 4:28am
Fascinating thread.

I've never tried layering, now I have to look at what I need to purchase so I can join in the fun.
Reply
Reply
post #26 of 39
2/23/06 at 8:17am
Being a vanilla fan, I often use TBS vanilla body lotion under almost every scent that has a vanilla note in it.
Reply
Reply
post #27 of 39
2/25/06 at 4:28am
Thank you, cedriceccentic, for a very interesting topic!
Reply
Reply
post #28 of 39
2/25/06 at 6:00am
yes, this was very interesting, ce. thanks.

i am stumped personally though.

i do not much care for many of the classics. i confess to an intrinsic distrust of guerlains. they all smell somewhat the same and after one hour, one smells axactly like another. at least to me.
Reply
Reply
post #29 of 39
2/25/06 at 6:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by baiesbaby

yes, this was very interesting, ce. Â*thanks.

i am stumped personally though.

i do not much care for many of the classics. Â*i confess to an intrinsic distrust of guerlains. they all smell somewhat the same and after one hour, one smells axactly like another. at least to me.



I too have to confess that I thik about them old Guerlains as You doo, baiesbaby. Perhaps they just do not fit me!

I can´t mix as cedric suggest, I don´t own the suggested fragances either. But I can make other mixes.

I have tried L´Instant de Guerlain (2003) and then City Glam by Armani (2005) above. It became quite nice. Compared to colours you might say it´s like frosty deep lilac dressed in frosty lilac-pink. This could be a way for me to use L´Instant more often. It is sometimes too extreme to wear.

I made this mix, my very first one, inspired of this topic. So once again, thank you, cedric!
Reply
Reply
post #30 of 39
2/25/06 at 3:31pm
it's really fascinating and the endless opportunities...

I wish I could AFFORD buying the classics. Generally I agree with baiesbaby and Margareta: the old scents smell very similar to me after some time. But then, I only ever test EdT because that's what you get in the shop to sample :-/I love my Youth Dew and might experiment with it.

I don't have much experience with layering, but what I do often, is mixing TBS White Musk with other perfumes, simply because I love musk! it works well most of the time, giving that certain muskyness that I often miss in floral scents.
Reply
Reply
post #31 of 39
2/26/06 at 12:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Concord

Interersting combos. I rarely layer, but something that works very well is to put a leather fragrance (the simpler the better. Etro Gomma is perfect) over vanillic orientals (Shalimar, Musc Ravageur) to cut down the sweetness and make them smokier.

I'm going to have to try this, it might make orientals palatable to me again. It's very inconvenient for me to have gone off them, when I live in a wintry climate.

The L'Heure Bleue combinations, with Nu and Marechale, also sound promising. I have a love/hate relationship with LHB.
Reply
Reply
post #32 of 39
2/26/06 at 5:41pm
  • RHM
  • offline
  • Gender:
Inspired by this tread, I layered L'Huere Bleue & Lorenzo Villoresi's Sandalo. That was quite nice!
Reply
Reply
post #33 of 39
2/26/06 at 10:24pm
Okay. I just did this: Sunflowers (let it dry) then Diorissimo on top. REALLY interesting, almost a bit spicy, which is a surprise. Still very floral, and carnation-y, but... definitely interesting.

Oh, it's sort of semi on the topic of this thread. I believe that Shalimar was created by adding vanillin to Jicky, "to see what would happen".

bonni
Reply
Reply
post #34 of 39
2/27/06 at 5:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bonni Hall

Okay. I just did this: Oh, it's sort of semi on the topic of this thread. I believe that Shalimar was created by adding vanillin to Jicky, "to see what would happen".

bonni

Yes , that's the official Guerlain myth about it (which I find a bit far-fetched , but that's JMO) , but it definitely has other elements apart from the vanillin also in the formula.
It just isn't that simple. Just a side-note.
Reply
Reply
post #35 of 39
2/27/06 at 6:36am
Well, the idea of just putting some vanillin in a pre-existing formula and getting something like Shalimar does seem pretty magical. Still, it's a good story. Does Jicky have that strong oppanox (what's the name of that substance, anyway)? That's the thing about Shalimar that immediately turns me off.

Still, what could I layer with Shalimar to make it more... palatable? I want to like it, I really want to, but that myrrh is just too overpowering and I can't get past it. *shudder*

bonni
Reply
Reply
post #36 of 39
2/27/06 at 8:45am
Love this thread! Lots of interesting ideas to try!
(I can't bring myself to mix my beloved L'air du Temps with Eternity, though. Eternity, while lovely on some, is a "stinker" on me.)

My MIL (may she rest in peace) enjoyed mixing scents, and created combinations that got many compliments from others--I don't know if she ever revealed her secret combinations to others. One of her favorites involved two Avon scents that are now discontinued.

Charles of the Ritz perfume certainly did smell a lot like Oscar signature. I remember when Uninhibited first came out--of course, already being a fragrance lover at that time, I was one of the first to "sniff" it. I think, right from the beginning, that it's chances of survival were questionable--for I had two SA's telling me that if I liked Cher I would like the fragrance--it seemed that they had already formed an opinion that it was a "very sweet" flamboyant scent which some would love and some would not. I did like it, though, and bought a bottle, but I didn't like it enough to repurchase when it was still easily available. Since then, there have been innumerable gourmand scents. Perhaps Uninhibited was ahead of its time and would have been more likely to succeed in today's market!
Reply
Reply
post #37 of 39
2/27/06 at 9:41am
Enjoing this thread very much! Thanks to Cedric for starting it...

I too have done some simple layering in the past: Shalimar over a film of sandalwood essential oil (have always gotten compliments with this one, but then again I tend to usually get compliments with Shalimar,) Joy over a light jasmine and I tend to layer all fragrances from the house of Etro. I too think Gomma is a good, simple, pure leather to layer with other things.

This thread is making me feel more adventurous though: I'm now dying to try:

Jil Sander No 4 over Norma Kamali Incence
Lolita Lempicka under Gomma
Fracas under Gomma
Fracas over Norma Kamali Incence
Pink Sugar over Norma Kamali Incence
Boudoir over Madini's Azahar
Joy over Attar Bazaar's Sudanese Black Rose

Also am willing to try the suggestion of Must de Cartier and Shalimar eau Legere- I find I haven't been wearing my Must much lately and this would be a good way to try it out again.

One that does NOT work well is Casmir over Coco- very, very bad! I know Chanel No 19 was mentioned and it actually sounded like it might work- but I have a hard time even thinking of combining Chanels with other things. They are such complete compositions in and of themselves. I'd be curious to hear anyone's successes or failures with layering Chanels.
Reply
Reply
post #38 of 39
2/27/06 at 10:27am
My secound mix was Lovely by SJP over Prada. It became very nice! Both are sort of "dry" fragances, not sweet at all. The result had a little sweetnes, thoug. But just a little.

Wow, this is really, really fun!

My third mix was Lovely by SJP above Estee Lauder Pleasures Exotic, an exotic fruity scent, not so sweet. This mix turned out very well, too.

I´m beginning to think that Lovely is really great to put above other not so very sweet fraganses.
Reply
Reply
post #39 of 39
2/28/06 at 4:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bonni Hall

Â*Does Jicky have that strong oppanox (what's the name of that substance, anyway)? That's the thing about Shalimar that immediately turns me off.

Still, what could I layer with Shalimar to make it more... palatable? I want to like it, I really want to, but that myrrh is just too overpowering and I can't get past it. *shudder*

bonni

Depends on what formulation of Shalimar you're using.

Jicky has prominent amber and civet.
Shalimar has opopanax .

I think you would be safe if you layered some "clean" musk or other "clean -smelling"oil
under the Shalimar. I use Musk for her by NR for these situations. It mellows anything difficult.
Maybe a little more vanilla might round it off for you?
Or else go for the Shalimar Light ( a good variation for once!)
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Female Fragrance Discussion

Features on Basenotes

Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Female Fragrance Discussion › Mixing classics with other perfumes.