How to layer fragrances – an expert guide
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Loading... - Francesca Galloway
- 06 Dec 2020
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Fragrance can be extremely evocative, conjuring vivid memories and feelings from a specific time of life. From the scent that accompanied you through your teenage years and first love, to the perfume that gave you the confidence on the first day of a dream new job, it provides the most personal flourish to your beauty routine.
Choosing a signature scent, however, can take time, especially if you’re trying to find one that’s completely unique to you. If you’re struggling to find a fragrance that hits your sweet spot, you may want to consider layering two or three together to create a truly bespoke result.
But how to begin your personal perfume journey? First of all, start simply with a minimalist fragrance that’s rooted with one or two notes such as rose or vanilla. Smells such as this are great at complementing more complicated fragrances that are made up of many different notes. Familiarising yourself with the main fragrance families of Floral, Woody, Oriental, Fougère and Fresh, will also help you find natural partnerships.
Additionally, you can also use layering to amplify a single note within a more complex perfume. If you love the scent of jasmine, for example, try blending two fragrances that feature it among their list of top notes for a more intense result.
Consider mixing each blend on a piece of paper first, as this allows you to create a few different combinations and compare them side by side – without having to scrub it from your skin each time.
The process of fragrance layering may not be a new one, but it’s a trend that’s growing in popularity. Take Clive Christian, a luxury British perfume brand, whose latest collection, entitled Addictive Arts, comprises six different perfumes that are created in pairs and designed to be worn together for a more intoxicating result. Based on the elusive scents of mood- and mind-enhancing narcotics, each is crafted from a fusion of expertly extracted and distilled ingredients.
Known collectively as AddictiveFusionTM, this uses a special “Headspace” technology, which captures molecules through a chemical process unique to the brand, and means its fragrances cannot be copied or imitated.
The first set, Chasing the Dragon, features two perfumes: Hypnotic and Euphoric. Rich and heady, Hypnotic is from the Floral Oriental family and blends jasmine, ylang-ylang and narcissus with orris and warming cinnamon. Top notes of muguet, a heart of narcissus and a base of sandalwood make it the perfect partner to its dark and brooding sister, Euphoric – a spicy Amber Oriental that’s characterised by top notes of ginger, a heart of fir balsam and a base of oil of guaia.
The second perfume pairing in the Addictive Arts collection is Vision in a Dream, featuring the fragrances Mesmeric and Psychedelic. Mesmeric is from the Oriental Chypre family, and marries bitter almond, armoise and green galbanum, with a twist of apple skin, and violet leaf. A top note of kaffir, heart of jasmine and base of cinnamon make it a natural fit to the Green Oriental, Psychedelic. Made up of 177 ingredients, this complex perfume sees lime leaf accented with a heart of papyrus and a base of patchouli.
The final pairing, Jump Up and Kiss Me, is inspired by hedonism and the sheer ecstasy of love. Ecstatic, a White Floral, begins the intoxicating fragrance journey with rich tuberose, sweet orange and mandarin, blended alongside a sizzling crack of pink pepper and warm ginger. Its partnering perfume Hedonistic, is an Amber Oriental, designed to enhance its power with top notes of bergamot, lemon and grapefruit. A smoky tobacco heart adds touches of jasmine and orris, while a labdanum base introduces grounding notes of amber, leather and tonka bean.
