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Can you make a unisex or female perfume more masculin, by layering or mixing frags?

post #1 of 8
5/27/08 at 10:09pm
Thread Starter 
How can you make a unisex or (borderline) female perfume , more masculin?. for example to make Shalimar more masculin adding a citrucy note would probably work. The main thing is that usually the basenotes are common in male/female fragrances...it is the topnotes and to a lesser degree heartnotes that have to be modified. What are your actual experiences?
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post #2 of 8
5/27/08 at 10:20pm
I find that wearing anything only underarm (with unscented deodorant) diminishes the topnotes and darkens the base with my own odors, making some feminines smell like strange masculines. The only catch is losing the beautiful topnotes.

One thing I have also discovered is that other people's definitions of feminine often differ from mine. My wife thinks that Un Jardin sur le Nil is plenty masculine, but I find it very feminine. But she thinks that Bois d'Iris is "old lady", whereas I think it's a nice dark masculine iris/wood/smoky.
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post #3 of 8
5/27/08 at 11:06pm
Thread Starter 
I'll try the underarm only suggestion sounds plausible, In general it seems any fragrance with florals in it .Not all flowers though, say Geranium, neroli, carnation, jasmin, lily-of-the-valley, and rosemary are used in male fragrances also , but they are almost always the topnotes and can be manipulated quite easily..
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post #4 of 8
5/28/08 at 1:29am
You could maybe try layering something woodier and drier under the more feminine juice. Let's say, for example, Shalimar with a sandalwood base under it....
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post #5 of 8
5/28/08 at 5:53am
Add lavender or neroli.
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post #6 of 8
5/28/08 at 6:16am
Pure Testosterone
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post #7 of 8
5/28/08 at 8:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Magnifiscent View Post

You could maybe try layering something woodier and drier under the more feminine juice. Let's say, for example, Shalimar with a sandalwood base under it....

I agree that adding some vetiver, patchouli, cedar, etc. will help butch it up. I wear a lot of women's fragrances and I find that you just have to let them drydown for at least an hour before dealing with the public. You are basically dealing with sweet, floral top notes. I also find that they work best in casual situations, dinners, parties. I find Shalimar to be one of the most unisex out of the bunch.
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post #8 of 8
5/28/08 at 8:05pm
For a long time I wouldn't touch a feminine labeled frag. I'm more open minded now. To answer your question simply, Yes, layer away. Unfortunately, it isn't as simple as one frag on the left and one on the right. You'll need to experiment with amounts and which goes on top of which to get the effect you want. Some fave combinations of mine are:

Robert Piguet's VISA (fem) great pear note/ CANOE (masc) clean, barber shop spices.
SHALIMAR (fem) vanilla/ AU MASCULIN (masc) anise and cedar
Dior's POISON (fem) groovy fruit and insence notes/ OPUS 1870 (masc) warm pepper base

and this one will freak some people out...

Robert Piguet's FRACAS (fem) wild tuberose effect/ Ysl's RIVE GAUCHE PH (masc) equally wild blend enhanced by FRACAS' florals.
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › Can you make a unisex or female perfume more masculin, by layering or mixing frags?