Quote:
Originally Posted by
LA2000 
I've used fragrance as a room spray. Longevity seems to come down to the particulars of the room (drafty rooms will clear out the scent quickly), the particulars of the fragrance, and how finely the fragrance is atomized. It really needs a very fine mist to remain airborne and disperse. If you are dealing with something potent and tenacious, like Mugler's Amen, you may have the space scented for hours. If you are using something more retiring, it may only last minutes. But there is no reason this won't work in theory. However, if the objective is to keep a constant "atmosphere" of scent in the room, sprays are not the way to go. Sprays are generally good for a sudden burst, say minutes before the guests arrive, rather than a constant overall ambiance.
I find that, for constant scent dispersion day and night, nothing beats a room full of identically and heavily scented candles. Even cold, the right candle will give off noticeable scent for the first month or so. One candle probably won't do it. I once had the pleasure of staying in the loft of a famous film director. His wife had a half dozen of the same candle (Archipelago Demeter pillar candles -- no longer available) in the space, and even though the place was as big as a good sized Banana Republic clothing store, you could still smell the candles as soon as you entered, even when they weren't burning. So you'll need 4 or 5, and if you have a taste for finer candles like Diptyque, that has the potential to get very expensive.
Another thing to try would be a catalytic fragrance lamp, the most famous brand of which is "Lampe Berger". You can actually decant a personal fragrance, blend it 1 part fragrance to 9 parts 91% isopropyl alcohol, and use it as catalytic lamp fuel to scent the room. By this formula, 2ml of fragrance will give you about an hour of constant scent dispersion. I've done this before with mixed results. The heat of the lamp has the potential to change the delicate balance of a fragrance. I've had it work fine with some, and I've had it emerge almost unrecognizable in others. Fragrances with a deeper, sweeter register seem to do better than the high pitched citruses and bright or soapy musks. On the plus side, a catalytic fragrance lamp does a great job of scenting a room quickly, far better than a single candle, and the scent generally lingers for a while even after the lamp has run out of fuel.
Thanks to you as well ! Really appreciate this post and the time you took to write it
.
I did read....I think it was MikePerez here...that
Annick Goutal Ambre Fetiche candle, unscented, can really do an adequette job at scenting a room. I have not found the Ambre Fetiche candles yet. I like the fragrance, which is a nice rich and interesting amber ( spices, lime, a bit of leather...etc).
I see candles in stores. One that I noted was
Calvin Klein candles, which go for like $17.00 or so for a large candle. I just have never used them or heard how well they work. Essentially, I want to buy candles that work well. So perhaps going the
Diptyque route or something along those lines is a good idea. Of course, there are less expensive alternatives as well, such as
Yankee candles ( I have used these ages ago....I think I liked them....Can't really remember how well they worked).
I have heard of Lampe Berger of course as well. Yes, have been mildly considering this, but now that you bring it up....hmmm....I am more curious. I can see why a citrus and musk wouldn't do so well if changed ( diluted or changed up with another solution). Sweeter scents tend to be more.....resistant or "tougher" in a way ( but not necessarily because of better quality materials). Vanillas, amber, tonka bean....these all seem tenacious.
Still, it would be a fragrance I like the smell of, but not enjoy on my skin, to use as a house/room scenter.
