Layering Frags - Page 9

I layered Creed's Bois du Portugal with Byredo's Bal d'Afrique, and it was pretty interesting, but typically I avoid layering.

Today I had on a large amount of Gres Cabaret and several hours into drydown added old formula Organza Indecence. A spiced pie Moroccan market scent emerged. Love it!
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For some more layering tips, here are some things I've found through trial and error and posted on other sites (BN doesn't seem as keen on layering as other placees, lotsa purists here). Lots of it is probably seemingly common sense:

The only way to really know with layering is to try it and not worry about it. So maybe don't use your most precious and expensive juices, but I certainly do anyway and it gives me a big giant thrill to be so decadent. I usually experiment with layers right before a shower or in downtime at home in case of disastrous results.

Some ways I guess at what might go together well:

1. The 2+ scents are in the same general scent family (oriental, floral, etc.), are soliflore to begin with (Lavender, Amber, or other single-name scents), or the scents represent complementing families (like leather with chypre or floral with oriental = floriental)

2. The 2+ scents share similar or compatible base notes--one with a stronger base and one more general. Especially if one is musky. I find musks layer best of any type of fragrance.

3. The 2+ scents combine to create a more complete perfume if one is mostly base notes and the other+ is a single lighter note perfume or oil, for instance: some Serge Lutens or CDG incense series are very "linear" and almost all base, so when combined with a traditional rose perfume or soliflore, a more complete traditional perfume emerges.

4. If you look up your favorite perfume's notes, find the most prominent then combine different perfumes that have those notes, the natural dominant character of the scent is thrown into new intensity (a bit like the "intense" versions marketed of many already).

5. Using lotion, powder, or cologne instead of perfume for one of the layers and then a perfume for the other seems to keep things less overwhelming.

Some combos:
I'm not saying anyone else will like these, and a lot of the combining has to do with:
1. Adding the second well after drydown
2. Using the cologne of one (weak concentration) and the pure parfum of the other (strong but close to skin).
When layering, I'm not that afraid of a bit of volume (being heard and noticed, not at all loud really). I also find that perfume isn't about being demure and careful when it comes to layering; it's a very deliberate and celebratory gesture to layer, all about the pleasure of the wearer and the slight uniqueness granted through combination.

Here are some combos I like
Guerlain Shalimar Eau De Cologne + Caron Tabac Blond

Comme des Garcons Comme des Garcons Series 3 Incense: Avignon + Pacifica Persian Rose

Dana Tabu (vintage cologne) + Jean Charles Brosseau Ombre Rose L'Original parfum = strange virgin/whore dichotomy
Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan + Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles (just a dab of the pure parfum as an accent) = blinding gold
Houbigant Quelques Fleurs (cologne vintage) + Houbigant Chantilly (vintage)= they just work together for me-- hyper-floral
Guerlain Shalimar Eau De Cologne + Caron Narcisse Noir


I really enjoy combining Guerlain cologne lighter concentrations with heavily concentrated pulse point only Caron classics. Highly irreverent, bordering on sacrilege? Exactly: and I love it!

Here are some I think would make great layering "background" perfumes for other scents:
Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely or any other musk
Molinard Les Fleur anything or most other near-soliflore scents.
nearly all of the Estee Lauders and Cliniques done as walkthrough only (there's something very archetypal about most of them).
Oldschool Cotys, Houbigants, and Danas in general.
gorgeous things with poor longevity (L'Artisan) + workhorse but linear things (Reminescence scents)

how do you layer and what do you layer

I usually don't layer but, lately, I started to apply some civet or castoreum tincture to add an extra "oomph" to some fragrances listing these two notes in their composition...

I am not big into layering, but two fragrances that work very good as layering bases in my experience are Oud Luban by Aftelier and Cologne du Parfumeur by Guerlain.

Layering is when you use soap/body wash and deodorant before spraying on the EDT/EDP fragrance (usually all of the same scent) in order to increase the longevity of a certain fragrance.

Hardly ever layer, usually a single scent applied tends to develop so many complexities, subtleties, undertones I want to discover and better appreciate, almost any layering would thus just distract me.

try rochas an le nuit

Hello all,

I'm really intrigued about layering and would like to know more. What is the proper technique? Which notes go well together and which are a no-no?

I hear TF Tobacco Vanille/Noir de Noir goes well with Tuscan Leather. Havent got round to trying it yet but will give it a try and report back

Please share with us your experiences.... successes and otherwise

Amen and Bogart pour Homme (easy on both). Other than that I haven't tried much else.

Acqua di Gio + Issey + Aventus + GIT + Pure Havane + Amouage Lyric Man

At least two sprays of each.

Ambre narguile with poivre samarcande. more poivre than ambre for sure - 2:1 or better 3:1

Amouage Homage and Creeds Boi Du Portgual is a good combo with gorgeous florals and great wood notes.

I often use an EDC in the morning after stepping out of the shower. Many traditional EDC's are intended to work as a base for heavier fragrances, and they seem to work quite nicely if you pick the right one. Cologne du 68, despite being an EDT, is a favourite as it dries quickly to a subtle Guerlinade skin-scent that is gorgeous, and quite versatile.

Layering is fun. I used to layer Philosphy's Falling in Love with Angel and got lots of compliments! I say, if you can pull it off have at it! It's probably a good idea to start layering with simpler fragrances rather than complex ones. But that's not to say complex fragrances can't go together.



Oh, I do that but with a chocolate milkshake! Or Ruffles potato chips dipped in chocolate ice cream. Or or, salted pretzels dipped in chocolate! Excuse me, I just made myself hungry. Must find chocolate...

I typically don't, but had an SA layer Lacoste White (Blanc?) with Fahrenheit 32 to a very interesting effect. Worth a try sometime.

I'm wearing Montales Aoud Lime on the one hand and Malle's Portrait of a Lady on the other. It's a lot like sitting in a garden of my dreams. I don't usually layer deliberately but when samples come in I end up with some quite interesting combinations. because I have no patience to wait for one sample to wear off before applying the next.

Occasionally I layer fragrances, basically experimenting, and get some really good results. I may use a fragrance with low projection as a base, then layer over that another fragrance, with similar notes, that project better. I often find that the combo works well and I tend to receive many compliments.

Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey + Cuir de Lancome -or- Yves Rocher Voile de Ambre

I layered Juicy Couture Dirty English and Animale Animale. Reminded me of Perry Ellis 360 Black and John Varvatos

very funny

Hey guys. So i've been experimenting quite a bit since i had so many samples laying around and I came up with some interesting mixtures. Some are what i've seen other people on this forum suggest, others are what i came up with. I thought i'd share my findings and see if anyone else has done some mad mixings of their own haha. Also if you have what i have, perhaps you can try out my mix and let me know your thoughts? Here goes:

"midnight aventus" - 1:1 Creed aventus and Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight in Paris. I like this because it adds a creamyness to the smoky pineapple. one of my go-to date scents.

PinaColada Aventus 1:1 Aventus + Virgin Island water - one of my partyscents. smoky pinacola

Bond Dinner Jacket 1:1 creed millesime imperial + Tom Ford Grey Vetiver. I feel like bond when wearing this combo, lol

One Million Gio - 1:1 aqua di gio + Paco rabanne one million. (one million first, then acqua di gio). A fresher party scent

Aqua Million - 3x Aqua di Gio + 1x Paco One million. I pre-mixed this in an atomizer and let it sit for at least 3 days. To me it smells like a much more sophisticated fresh version of one million. less in-your face. more elegant.

Gucci Tea & Soda - 1:1 Gucci Pour Homme II with Aqua di Gio. Smells like tea + italian soda

Aqua Gold - 1:1 Cuba Gold with Aqua di gio. Felt like a fresh le male with hint of tobacco.

Vanilla Soda 1:1 Thallium + Aqua di gio. I imagine this work work with Dior homme instead of thallium too. Smells like vanilla soda to me.

Vanilla Temptation - 1:1 Axe Dark Temptation + Thallium. I found them to be pretty compatible with each other.

*i added aqua di gio to a whole bunch of stuff, lol.

Lemme know what you guys think!

Although I never mix or layer, I enjoy the ideas people come up with.

great thread.

Looking forward to trying the la nuit and rochas man. SOunds good.

I took 3 ml atomizers to mix my mugler frags. Did one with 1/3 A*men and 2/3 pure malt, 1/3 A*men and 2/3 Pure havane, and 1/2 Pure Havane 1/2 pure malt. Havent dealt into all 3 yet, but the amen pure havane is very interesting.


For the a*men le male combo are you guys doing a 1:1 ratio?

La Nuit and Rochas is great. But I prefer to layer La Nuit with Midnight in Paris.

Rochas with Potion is really interesting. The opening is a bit strange but afterwards I can't just stop sniffing myself.

I don't layer niche fragrances except the TF Private Blends. TV + TL is my favorite so far.

Thx. I have tried TV and TL and it's very good. Also LIDGE and TV is good too.

Eau De Fraiche with Eau D'ete Summer Edition by Issey Miyake

OMG it's amazing. Probably the best citrus scent I have ever experienced. When I smell this, I think of myself on a boat in the middle of the Caribbean drinking a Corona with lime as the sailing wind brings towards my nostrils the soothing smell of the ocean's breeze and then a buddy goes lets take a shot of bacardi and we chase it down with a glass off freshly squeezed orange juice.

It's intoxicating. If anyone has those two bottles at hand, I suggest you immediately put it on your skin and enter a utopian state of mind.

Would you like mix 2 or 3 scents and wear it?

If you know any body does that business let me know
Thanks

Yes I have layered before. I have also mixed the juices in one vial..it did not turn out well.

For me - Never.

I never understood layering. Would you mix pepsi and mountain dew? But props to you if you can actually pull it off.

No, but that's only because I wouldn't even drink Mountain Dew if my teeth were on fire. Barqs and Sprite however is delicious!

Yes I have layered before, with some success. Actually a company like Jo Malone advocates layering their scents, but I'm sure that's just a shameless ploy to get you to buy multiple bottles.

I have layered Equipage with Burberry Classic for men and it heightened the Equipage scent. Fantastic results!

Etro frag are made for this deal , u have base based frag and the cover one... nice combo etro etro plus etro pachuli.

...i know many don't agree with layering, but i had to share this one.

Pure Havane + Aqua di gio.

In my opinion it worked very well. The fruity/aquatic balance was amazing. I had a travel size aqua, which i splashed on around my neck and chest, with one spray of Havane on the back of my neck and one on my chest.
It was hard to pick out the dominating scent of the two.

definitely going to try it again. I was never a big fan of Adua di gio in the first place, but now i'm tempted to buy a bottle.

Don't ever do that again!

This will be noted on your permanent record, as you know, and Grant will have to place you on the watch list. (Shakes head sadly.)

LOL...First, I find out Santa Claus doesn't exist and now Pure Havane layered with Aqua Di Gio. What is the world coming to?

The seatbelt in my car has been layered about 500x times since 2003 when it was new and it smells amazing.

It could totally be it's own scent by now haha.

I do layer a few frags here and there usually in the same theme, those two seem worlds apart but you just never know!

As long as it worked for you - that's all hat matters.

Tea Rose + Caron's Pour Un Homme, on the chest. One of Tea Rose, several of PUH, great end result. Makes me think if adding rose to PUH's blend would improve it (someone tell the guys in Caron about this, please?).

Caron's PUH + Chanel's Jersey. One or two of the former, several of PUH's. It gives this one the longevity and sillage everybody complains about.

Pure Malt plus Khiel's Musk is good as well.

I always layer Midnight In Paris, edp, with MIP, edt. It lasts and projects well when layered. Love that frag.

I love layering. A fave is L'Air du Desert Marocain with something green like Mazzolari or Le Temps d'Une Fete. I also really love layering with Balle de Match. It goes beautifully with this stuff that Aveda made called Pure-Fume Tonic for Men. Sounds like something off the back of a 19th C charlatan's cart, but smells quite nice.
Anyway, nuts to the layering police!

I can't even imagine those two being layered with each other ever!

Similarly, I saw a video of someone layering Paco Rabanne One Million and Aqua di Gio, which they swear by. I'd try it but I don't own either fragrance.

My head almost exploded when I read that.

I just tried out Gucci Pour Homme II + Dior Cologne Royale. Pretty awesome =)

P.S. There should be like a sticky thread for all the layering. I thought there was a thread before but now i cant find it.

Ah yes, a known side effect of this combination-- spontaneous cranial combustion.

Layering makes me uncomfortable. Wish I was joking!

So I've been wondering, why isn't there a sticky thread for all things layering / Fragrance combinations? I know some people really hate the idea, but there are others like myself who really like to experiment and would love to see what other people come up with.

On a side note, is there a "proper" way of layering 2 fragrances? I've tried spraying one on top of each other but that ends up being doing many sprays and overloading or not enough (i usually do 2-3 sprays, 1 on neck one on chest and maybe one on the wrist. spraying on on another usually just leaves me with only 2 sprays to the neck. 4 is too much.) I also tried mixing them in a small decant and then letting it sit for a few days to blend together. that works out ok, the scent changes quite a bit though, some times for the better (Aventus + MiP sat in 3 days ends up smelling kinda like the drink orange bang). What are your thoughts on proper layering techniques? how do you guys layer your scents?

I think that's a decision a moderator makes.

haha yeah, i figured i'd ask =P any thoughts on mixing /layering techniques? btw hednic i really digged your recommendations from my previous posts =) Thanks!

My interpretation as well. I kind of wondered about sticky threads at first, but then the thought just sort of slipped away.

i layered voyage d'hermes and thierry muglers mugler cologne. the reason is because voyage d'hermes might be fresh and start of a little citrusy but then it turns into a very fresh musky scent . to tone down the musk i layered it with mugler cologne which has citrussy and floral notes in it to make a very plesent smelling fresh fragrance and it worked very well!

Just for yucks, I just tried the 1 Million/AdG layering on the back of my hand. For about 30 seconds, it wasn't bad... just a sweeter AdG. Then it virtually disappeared. I swear. It is like nothing now, with my nose right up to it, just 3 minutes later!!

Good to see all the layerers coming out of the closet.
A couple of my personal favourites are 1 shot of Declaration with 2 of Gucci pour Homme 2 and Laura Biagott's Roma with, oops, I can't remember. (I'll have to get back with that one.)

OK, I'm sneaking into a guy thread...

Diptyque Eau Duelle + Lutens Chergui (like curling up in a cozy nest of my Opa's pipe tobacco)

L'Artisan Mechant Loup + Sienna by Crabtree & Evelyn (adds a bit more wolf to the Bassett's Allsorts vibe)

...skulking out now.... Lisa

Welcome to the dark side, SaNielson. Please visit often! Cool combos.
Lots of single-note-dominant niche frags layer well, and the dense Serge Lutens hold up well. Some of them are, from one perspective, like the sturdy, unfinished base of a gorgeous fragrance yet to be finished. Andy Tauer speaks of 'threads' in his compositions, often as if they were really quite separate, although complementary, beasts. It's well known that certain very fine noses and houses have their own bases that they go to again and again, Tauer and Guerlain being two notables.
Chergui makes great sense as one that would layer well. Chene seems like it's missing something without some sort of floral or green thrown in. Etc and so forth.

While I'm thinking I'll just mention another recent discovery, Fleur Du Male with Cerruti 1881 for a slightly more classic floral than the JPG original.