The Great Layering Challenge (Outline)

Let's start with an easy question: Does anyone out there remember/own Tabu?

Eh, don't own it anymore and memory has faded.
I'm getting old

Hi Moondeva! I would try this but I don't have most of these scents. Tabu is not "me." Anyway... IF I were to do this experiment I would try:

Tabu + Mitsouko EDT
Tabu + Nemat Narcissus
Tabu + Guerlain Vetiver

I'd go with something that might "lift" Tabu and make it lighter - bring out the colour orange. The Samsara combinations seem a little much for me. I start to think of a dark brown shade when this is suggested to me.

Let us know how it goes. :-)

I think Tabu is very similar to L'Occitane Amber Fleur des Citsus (or whatever it's called - the new one.) Tabu is less fruity and has a dry down that's smoky.

It also has a similar "feel" to Opium, Obsession, and TBS Sandalwood Oil.

My layering today: Nemat White Musk, L'Occitane Eau de 4 Reines, L'Occitane Eau de Vaniliers. Several hours later I can only smell musk.

Yes, I do, but I'm not a layerer. The closest I come is this:
Say I'm wearing Tabu, but I feel like something more dirty. I will put Youth Dew on the other wrist. Brings out the civit, adds cinnamon. Or I want more patchouli, I put SMN Patchouli on the other wrist. But I don't spray one over the other. Does that count? Usually my "multi-fragrance application" happens when I'm trying samples of new fragrances with shared notes. After I decide to buy it, I wear it straight. Putting on more than one fragrance makes me sniff myself hyperactively all day, even more so than normal.

Oh I see what you mean now. Actually if this is the case I normally layer. I never wear just one thing. I put on a scent in the morning after a shower. I brush my hair and then I decide to test a decant - so that's two scents. Mid-day I might reach into my bag and put on something from another decant or sample vial. That's three scents. When I get home I sometimes (if I'm not showering) take a bath with a drop of fragrance oil in it. If the other three scents do not wash away, that's four.

I tend to take my vials out of "storage" four or five at a time and they are usually scents that match. I have them stored in ziplock bags as "sets". So I guess I do layer. I never thought of it that way. I guess I'm gung-ho! :-)

If you don't mind, I might opt out of this project since I don't think I have enough perfumes to layer. I swapped away a lot of things or gave them to friends who didn't wear perfume but were looking for a way to explore them. :-)

But since I'm here I'll tell you how my layering went today: the musk anchored the rose and the vanilla blended into the musk so what I got was a sweet musk with a bit of green rose top notes.

On topic: Tabu would be terrific with TBS satsuma, fuzzy peach, cinnamon spice, or ananya. TBS patchouli would make it more like Youth Dew, I think. If I were making a personal blend I would use Tabu as a base and add bergamot, orange, cinnamon, and lime essential oils.

As long as I can spray on different parts: count me in!! My lavender frenzy a couple of days ago was also sprayed on arms, legs, hair.....Loved the way I smelled with those lavenders from all over the world wafting like an everchanging cloud around me. I can't image what a mishmash I would have created by spraying them all over another.
But as always...I am also in for an experiment. So as long as I have a choice I am quite willing to try an unlikely combo as well. Just for the fun of it
And when it is horrible, well and another try.

You have a smiley icon in a bath! That's really cute.

what the hell, I'm game!

This sounds like a fun idea since I do it anyway, it would be interesting to hear others finds. If there is something mentioned that someone does not want to buy yet, they might spray some on at a store and add it to something they already have and voila! They may end up buying it after all.

[QUOTE=moondeva (Rules out Shalimar)

I am suggesting:

Dana Tabu- ambery patchouli and spice dominated
Prada For Women - similar to Dana Tabu but sweeter, less spicy and much more patchouli
Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles - delicious ambery sandalwood creamy drydown[
TBS Woody Sandalwood - Similar to Bal a Versailles but cloves dominate in the opening and there is a touch more patchouli in the base
Chanel Coco - sharp classic bronzy amber oriental.[/QUOTE]

no Shalimar? Oh well....
But how is it possible that this amber loving woman has none of the scents you are mentioning?
Is Ambre Sultan an option?

Update: like Unstableisotope I have Samsara as well

I'll give some of them a try. I own and like Tabu, and have Mitsouko, Samsara, and some others to try.

Um, hard choice. I vote for Prada. Reasons: It is new. It is available. It is mild enough to take a few hits without fighting back. Plus, look at all those notes to work with: bergamot, bitter orange, mandarin, mimosa, rose, patchouli, labdanum, tonka, vanilla, sandalwood, benzoin. Plenty of sweet base, not too many flowers to clash with, and only a few citrusy top notes.

YES!YES!, thank you Deva-Dearest, and may the Moon always shine bright on you

I go for the:
Samsara + Shalimar
Samsara + Ava Luxe Film Noir

and maybe Samsara + Tam Dao/Samsara + Sandalwood Verte (Fresh Index)/Samsara + Ambre Cannelle (Creed)....if you can live with those choices of course.
It is your party and I'm not going to interfere too much

Just happy to join!! YAY, fun time and Long Live Layering :toppie:

Me thinks you layering people have good noses and alot of creativity, so why don't you get into the DIY side of perfume? It is the logical next step. Already you are working with completely formulated building blocks, and this is hard way to construct perfumes. You would have an easier time working with basic notes. I would recommend buying a starter palate of your favorite notes, making sure to include both naturals and synthetics. Then start mixing, dear friends. You may have more talent than you imagine.

JUST found this thread and I WANNA PLAY! (I know it's too late but would have loved to have played with Tabu. Have got the new dumbed down Shorell version - anyone know where you can get the original? Is it even worth trying?

Anyway, lay on MoonDeva! This faithful soldier will follow you ANYWHERE!! (Grabs up tattered battle flag and lurches into fray...)

Uhmm, happy to begin???
*shuffles with feet*

Already started a sneaky preview (yes, yes, had enough of my SotD, sorry)

Tam Dao was involved and for the rest I will keep my mouth shut till the time is there.
Except :bounce:
Happy!!!

Into the breach!!...even though sniffer is not at 100% (Bad code!) :bounce:

(Begins frantic search for Tabu - realizes it is not Tabu but My Sin that is Shorell. Feels real stupid.)

(Wonders if trip to drugstore to pick up Sunday New York Times will yield Samsara. Sincerely hopes so. LOVES Samsara)

(Wonders if can handle trip to drugstore.)

Later: Bravely handled! Acquired Tabu. Whatta frag!! Don't tell the rest of the world about this much-maligned beauty - sultry, honeyed patchouli and amber....GOH-JUSSS!

I have neither scent in my wardrobe, but if neither are too expensive I would be willing to seek one out...maybe the Tabu. or maybe the Samsara.
???
in any case, sure, count me in. I do have some of the scents you suggest to layer with these frags, so I am more than halfway there.

I don't know how someone gets a Sticky, but I hope this thread does because it will be easier to find. Tabu is one of the least expensive fragrances in the US. Why? I don't know. But if it is a matter of money, one could spray some on in a department store. I happen to have Samsara, but it is a little more pricey than Tabu.

I'm ready to go... I have access to both the frags mentioned and have been sneakily contemplating ways to layer them.

Tabu is easy to find at drugstores and is extremely inexpensive. I paid $14 for a box which contained the 3.3 oz EdC, the shower gel, and the body lotion, which means that I spent about $4.50 on the perfume itself. I'd recommend it for the challenge, because it isn't really a big risk; if you don't like it (and many people don't) you can toss it with no regrets. However, I think that posters with daring tastes and an appreciation for vintage scents will really enjoy it. In my experience, it smells like Nag Champa incense, patchouli, and cinnamon, and is a bit dry and hard-edged, but ultimately comforting.

OK, off with the Eau Cuivree and on with the TABU....


Left arm: TABU + Bourbon French Olive Blossom (this mellows the tabu and gives the Olive Blossom the warmth it lacks) (I'm starting to really like this one)

Right Arm: TABU + Bandit = Bandit...I knew it would overwhelm the Tabu (update..yep, all I get is bandit)

OK, I'm in -- just nabbed 15 ml of Tabu for $3.50 USD, including shipping (for anyone else who is interested,there is plenty of under-$10 Tabu on eBay, including gift sets, and FragranceNet and FragranceX both have 50 ml for under $8 USD). I also have plenty of Samsara EDT on hand, which I've already been wearing layered with 10 Corso Como (Sandalwood + Oud = mmmmm).

My choice would be:
- Guerlain: Jicky (of course)
- Lutens: Daim Blond
- Lutens: Chergui
- Ava Luxe Film Noir

Full bottles of the first three, sample of the last.

And nobody, really nobody is going to talk me into layering with Musc Koublai Khan

BTW: did anyone ever try LT Piver's Cuir de Russie? Even Roja Dove sells it, so its pedigree must be flawless

Waahaah Chicken, a big Chicken on fleeting Jicky!!

But, a stubborn chicken as well. I will pour half a bottle of pure Jicky extrait on me just to layer it with whatever.
Hmm, Daim Blond similar to Film Noir: right, I will go layer those. See what happens. Daim Noir or Film Blond?
*hugging Chergui*....yes, tested By and said bye-bye.

Love you too, Moondeva! My big Layering Lioness, eh, do you eat Jicky-Chicky's?
Just curious (and ready to run).

Hi Moondeva! I vote for Jolie Madame.

Too bad the Nemat web site requires a $40 minimum purchase, or I'd blind-buy some of that, too. If you start pulling from the full list, I have Tabac Blond, Daim Blond, Jicky (sans chicken ;-), Tabu, a little Cuir de Russie, and could buy Jovan Musk easily.

As a side note, while I agree that Daim Blond is not ideal for blending, I accidentally sprayed over semi-washed-off Chanel 19 edt once, and WOW -- I got Daim Blond with chypre/leather basenotes and surprising staying power Tough to duplicate, though...

Just got back from a week in the North Carolina mountains almost ENTIRELY devoted to Ava Luxe. Great find!

Have ordered Rasa x 4 and hope it makes it here in time for this second challenge. Don't want to wear out Tabu!!

In my mind Kingdom is animalic 'cause of that sweaty "private parts" note that offends so many.

Still pondering for the Sniff'n'Speak this saturday - animals all over the place!!

Chicken needs advice from Layering Lioness

Any thoughts on Amouage Silver or Gold (men or women, doesn't matter)
Lots of animalic notes to my nose.
Or Ambre Cannelle by Creed (just read Ayala's post)
And: Cuir Mauresque.

Layering candidates?

The thought of layering an Amouage scent is almost perverse Exactly the reason why I would like to try it.
Bad chicken!!

Missed all you guys too - and thanks for the welcome home!

Had already ordered when I got your note about the old/intense/extreme but this is a RULLY good excuse for ordering White Lilac and Film Noire!! (heh heh heh)

And those advices simply sound divine :bounce:

A lot of beauties to experiment with. :toppie:
This will keep me on the right animalic path.

Thank you, Layering Queen and watch your mail.
You can stop crying.

Last (heavy breathing) gasp of the January Tabu/Samsara challenge (I TRY to live one day at a time!!) with Creed Fleurs de Bulgarie and my New Best Friend Tabu! The rosy musc of FdeB goes real good with the spices and flowers of Tabu. They are a happy couple! :bounce:

Thanks to Moondeva for introducing me to MNBF and for piloting this month long - er, um - "project". (Hate to use that word 'cause it sounds so industrial.

I learned a LOT and found some great new combos. Am looking forward to all the February animals!!

(Hope I'm in the right place !! )

First day of the animals. Started with Habanita on wrists and arms - flew downstairs to the PILE of samples sent by a dear Dragon and lavished on much-anticipated Tam Dao between boobs and on chest and behind ears.

Friends forever!! The smoky myrrh and leather and roses of Habanita (now drying down into a refined vanilla) is a perfect companion for the sophisticated sandalwood of Tam Dao.

Lessee- the questions: Did it work as I had expected? Yup! Were any notes dominant? Not really - Tam Dao is pretty straightforward and Habanita is so beautifully blended (IMNSHO) and the image of a soignee gentleman in his "Smoking" lounging in a wing chair of well oiled ancient leather and smoking a private blend is GREAT for this chill rainy day at the beach! Would I do it again? Am thinking about it. Both are samples......

My first animalic/leather layering combo is LesNez L'Antimatiere with SL Daim Blond.

On me, L'Antimatiere dries down to a comforting wool and musk scent with the faintest hint of refreshing mint, or maybe linen pressed with a mint-infused laundry spray. The only animalic option in Moondeva's guidelines that I thought might match L'Antimatiere without overwhelming it was the marvelously subtle Daim Blond, featuring notes of suede, apricot and iris.

I had applied L'Antimatiere first and allowed time for it to settle in. A light spritz of Daim Blond, and the apricot/suede notes clearly dominated. The a strange thing happened: DB seemed to vanish for a moment, as the famously elusive LA took over. Only then did the two frags seem to truly meld, with DM's iris note sharing the airier space in the composition with L'A's minty pressed linen accord, as the suede note took on a faintly wooly hue, pushing DB's apricot back from center stage to a supporting role.

How did I like it? I did! I have yet to wear DB in hot humid weather, but I can imagine the apricot getting a bit over aggressive, and L'A could be the perfect antidote in that case. the combination is probably too subtle and close to the skin to get noticed much, but I would definitely wear it again.

This is a repeat of other posts today. (Lazy? Moi?)
First off - had to restrain self from diving into wonderful trove of samples from the ever-generous TWolf.
THEN - had to start out with Lauder's pretty Pleasures - to offset the grumpiness caused by the fact I couldn't find my Habanita sample for today's SnS.
THEN, of course, found the Habanita. Et voila - serendipitous layering!!

Since Pleasures (a light floral) is not as intense as many Lauders, and Habanita - with her bold blend of tobacco and leather (and myrrh and smoked roses) - doesn't take a back seat for ANYONE ....this is a most felicitous combination!

Did I like it? Absolutely! The Pleasures of the Lady from Havana are many! Did it work out as expected?Didn't really have any expectations - just held my breath and hoped!! Would I do it again? Absolutely! What notes predominated? None - smoke and leather and flowers are coexisting happily. Did it elicit compliments/comments? Will report.

Samsara edt + Shalimar edt

Did you like it? You bet!
Do you think it works? Absolutely. Guerlain has the right notes and the quality of both shine through the entire thing and you can actually see that both scents compliment each other in a very uniform and steady composition. A surprise.
Wich notes dominated in the blend?
At first , the bergamot dominated the whole thing wich was a bit surprising, but it got less loud with samsaras top notes. The mid notes are all samsara, and the saldalwood appears to come forward faster here to make room for the vanilla to take over the base of it, but its not as sweet as if shalimar were alone, and the vanilla remains on a leash, finally, the sandalwood overtakes the vanilla in an unexpected turn of events, and the composition closes with a very nice goodbye. You just have to smell the very end, its very very pretty.
Would you wear It again? I think I just might. They really go well together.
Score? 4,5 ; this combo is very nice, but I prefer the extremes of the scents by themselves.

Samsara edt + Yardleys Orange Blossom (since i don't have joe malone's)

Did you like it? Yes, but somehow, samsaras longevity got cut by half!
Do you think it works? Kinda
Wich notes dominated in the blend?
Stangely enough, samsara got its logevity cut by half , wich was the most strange find, the rest of the notes were very easy to pick up: the orange blossom, orange fruits, rose and jasmine, are easily identifiable, as well as the patchouli and sandalwood of course, given that both scents have sandalwood bases. The note that completely drowned was the lily of the valley.
Would you wear it again? I dont think so, each scent is better by itself.specially samsara, wich seemed to be scared of yardleys scent.
Score: 3,5

Samsara edt + Diors Eau Sauvage

Did you like it? Yes I did
Do you think it works? Yes I think it works.
Wich notes dominated in the blend?
Well, the citrus notes in ES totally dominated the top of the blend and I liked that a lot, Im not saying that samsaras top notes are bad, but they were very very shy and the combo made them take a back seat, wich made the blend seem more maculine.
The mid sort of remided me of samsara shine, wich I tend to think of it as a citrusy version of samsara. Again, the longevity was cut short by a long time, why is that?...samsaras basenotes dominated all the basenotes and I loved it because samsara has some of the best creamy sandalwoods. The midnotes werenot really attractive and there was some stinkeroo trying to come out and play but it got a bit restrained.
Would you wear it again? Nope, I already have samsara shine.
Score: 4

Samsara edt + Dior Homme
Did you like it? NO
Do you think it works? Not for me, maybe it does for the caramel lovers.
Wich notes dominated in the blend?
The scent was very strong and had a huge sillage. Dior homme triplicated samsaras strenght and DH never smelled sweeter than this. The most dominant note in the entire thing was a very syrupy sweet caramel that was very annoying to me. It lasts forever.almost headache inducing. Samsara got lost in the orris candy gigerbread and molasses house of the bad witch (wich was a man in drag it seems).
Would you wear it again? No.
Score: 1

Samsara edt + Diors Dolce Vita edt
Did you like it? Yes.
Do you think it works? Yeah in a sense it does.
Wich notes dominated the blend?
The scent got a very masculine feel from the get-go wich was strange given that both have very feminine tops, the fresh notes came together in both scents to create a very sharp fresh top and the mid notes were very masculine as well, woods and even fourgere at times. The sweetness of both scents got somewhat dissipated and the base was very much sandalwood ambery with clean-honey bits that were not too sweet. It felt like a new scent altogether with both samsara and dolcevitas insprations.
Would you wear it again? Yes
Score: 3,5; very nice but not breathtaking, original: yes.

Samsara edt + Chanels Coco edt
Did you like it? Yes!
Do you think it works? Yes
Wich notes dominated in the blend?
The top got a very intense boozy top a-la-fendi donna, only this one smelled way better. Very fresh and very attractive, feminine and musky, this scent captured my attention pretty fast. Strong sillage and better longevity, coco became even prettier (I mean by this that coco became less of a moddy dame), less misterious, and more fun. The mid and base notes were all lineal but very coco-oriented, with just a bit of samsara at the end. Did I smell lemons in between? Surprising.
Would you wear it again? Maybe
Score: 4 ; it managed to smell very elegant, but lacked the density and lacquered red-nblack of coco.still, very attractive, its a must try!

Samsara edt + Coco Mademoiselle EDT

Did you like it? Yes
Do you think it works? Honestly, no. Because most of it came from coco mademoiselle.
Wich notes dominated the blend?
All of the notes in coco mademoiselle dominated the entire blend, there was a fruity turn at mid-notes wich was nice and pretty and the patchouli ate the entire base.
Would you wear it again? Nope
Score: 3; I already have coco mademoiselle in EDP! It smelled very nice still.


Samsara edt + Jaïpur Homme edt

Did you like it? Yes
Do you think it works? Yes it does work
Wich notes dominated the blend?
Creamy Vanilla dominated the blend, there ws a certain old expensive velvet couch feel to it that was very comfortable, it reminded me of older times, it smelled amazing. It felt like a perfect combo of vanilla and woods. Great sillage. You have to try it.
Would you wear it again? Yes
Score: 5. it was really, really nice.



cheers!

Just slid in to mention that I have Serge Lutens Borneo 1834 layered with my all time favorite scent Terre d' Hermes and it's a powerful mix that blends beautifully. If this has been done before, let me say cheers and bravo.

I've still been wearing the Femme-Nu EDP combo...still love it

Borneo 1834 starts out as unsweetened chocolate and a lot of it. Big sillage, great longevity. It smells like you're at an 1834 chocolate plantation on Borneo and you've been given several of the finest pods to sniff after they've been ground releasing their aromas.
Terre d' Hermes is a lot of citrus and dirt something that could easily be on the other side of the path. A citrus grove of grapefruit and oranges and a platter of sliced fruit is given to you by the plantation owner.
It's a day at the plantation in 1834 Borneo....

Moondeva, gotta share this one. It's so weird. I have a large bottle of Chanel 5 that I got because it's supposed to be the no. 1 frag. I was stupid, but I have never really liked it so I decided to try it one more time before I gave it away. Still didn't like it. Anyway I had just had a bath so I didn't want to do it again and had to run uptown so I sprayed some Prada on to sort of counteract the no.5 and I never received so many compliments in my life on how I smelled. People actually went on and on. I usually don't get compliments very often. Who would have thunkit?

To be perfectly honest, I would not buy another bottle of Chanel 5, however considering my compliments, I will keep it around to layer with other things with a little more base to them. It really did smell rather nice so I would probably use one fourth of no. 5 to a wood based scent. Please don't get the idea I am being arrogant or think I know more than the perfumers. I just know what I like and what works with my skin chemistry

Maybe fragrances with woods help to counteract the aldehydes - especially the floral ones?

I bought Nocturnes de Caron (blind buy) & the aldehydes made it into a single note overpowering & really stinky floral. But, when I use a small spray of Nocturnes & 2 sprays of Kenneth Cole New York (citrus, spices & woods) it changes into a moderate sillage fragrance. It's not brilliant but is wearable & I haven't wasted my money.

Now, that I've read all these posts about layering different fragrances together , I going to try some other scents with my Nocturnes & see if I can improve on the Nocturnes-Kenneth Cole combo!

If anyone has any suggestions on different combos to try...please post them.