Beauty Front Benchers
This oil is the secret to fuller hair and glowing skin
Read Now
It’s the time of year when our social calendars are chock-full of intimate gatherings and get-togethers. And if—apart from zeroing in on festive fits and makeup looks—layering the right fragrance notes is on your agenda right now, we’ve got you covered. Pick your favourite notes from a particular fragrance family or choose to pair some unexpected scents to create a unique one. The world—and more specifically, the fragrance shelf—is your oyster.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.PNG)
.JPG)
Mixing, matching and layering fragrances is a deeply intimate journey—after all, the goal is to create a scent that is unique to you. In case you’re layering starkly different notes, it helps to have a basic understanding of how they interact with each other. Here’s a quick refresher on the MVPs you’ll need to know about.
The name is a dead giveaway. Delicate, feminine scents often owe their origins to flowers—with roses, jasmines and lilies leading the charge. If you find yourself drawn towards scents like Kayali Oudgasm Rose Oud, Gucci Bloom and Chloe Rose, you’ll want to bookmark some floral scents when layering the right notes for yourself.
Their ideal match:
Vanilla, musk and leather
Again, the name leaves little room for guesswork here. Imagine notes like musk, vanilla, cinnamon and other spices. Oriental fragrances tend to evoke a warm, intense smell and you’ve probably encountered it before in iconic fragrances, like YSL Black Opium and Tom Ford Velvet Orchid.
Their ideal match:
Rose, jasmine and oud
Woody notes are not to be confused with oriental scents. The latter leans towards the gentler end of the spectrum, while woody scents come in strong with warm, bold notes of oud, sandalwood and cedar. Think Paco Rabanne 1 Million or Gucci Guilty.
Their ideal match:
Citrus, vanilla and florals
On days when you’re looking to sidestep cloying scents in favour of a fragrance that feels fresh, you’ll find yourself reaching for the citrus family. Peppermint, grapefruit and bergamot all feature prominently in zesty, mood-enhancing compositions like Versace Yellow Diamond or Dolce&Gabbana Devotion.
Their ideal match:
Berries, sandalwood and cedar
Once you have a good grasp on what each fragrance family offers, you’ll find it easier to pair compatible notes together. If you’re looking to create a fresh, rejuvenating scent for the day, floral fragrances make for a good ally with citrusy notes. In case you want to ground saccharin floral notes in a deeper base, opt for a woody scent as your base before spritzing on your go-to rose fragrance. If you’re looking for something stronger for the night, pairing woody and oriental fragrances together can create a sensual scent.
The one secret behind knowing how to layer fragrances like a pro is playing it safe. Start by opting for a small spritz and build on it from there, so that you aren’t followed by a cloying cloud of fragrance all day.
Woody notes and spicy fragrances tend to be heavy in terms of sillage and it helps to use these sparingly. Building on a light scent is easy, but attempting to dispel an overpowering combination of scents is not going to be your favourite task of the day. As a rule of thumb, it helps to layer a strong scent with lighter notes for balance: imagine the floral notes of rose and jasmine layered over vanilla and oud.
Once you feel that you have a handle on two-scent combinations, you’ll want to step up your game by layering perfumes of different intensities together. The top and middle notes will awaken your senses first, while the base of the perfume will take time to develop. Opt for a fresh, floral fragrance as your top note and opt for a deeper base of woody notes to surround you as the day goes on.
Mixing, matching and layering fragrances is a deeply intimate journey—after all, the goal is to create a scent that is unique to you. In case you’re layering starkly different notes, it helps to have a basic understanding of how they interact with each other. Here’s a quick refresher on the MVPs you’ll need to know about.
The name is a dead giveaway. Delicate, feminine scents often owe their origins to flowers—with roses, jasmines and lilies leading the charge. If you find yourself drawn towards scents like Kayali Oudgasm Rose Oud, Gucci Bloom and Chloe Rose, you’ll want to bookmark some floral scents when layering the right notes for yourself.
Their ideal match:
Vanilla, musk and leather
Again, the name leaves little room for guesswork here. Imagine notes like musk, vanilla, cinnamon and other spices. Oriental fragrances tend to evoke a warm, intense smell and you’ve probably encountered it before in iconic fragrances, like YSL Black Opium and Tom Ford Velvet Orchid.
Their ideal match:
Rose, jasmine and oud
Woody notes are not to be confused with oriental scents. The latter leans towards the gentler end of the spectrum, while woody scents come in strong with warm, bold notes of oud, sandalwood and cedar. Think Paco Rabanne 1 Million or Gucci Guilty.
Their ideal match:
Citrus, vanilla and florals
On days when you’re looking to sidestep cloying scents in favour of a fragrance that feels fresh, you’ll find yourself reaching for the citrus family. Peppermint, grapefruit and bergamot all feature prominently in zesty, mood-enhancing compositions like Versace Yellow Diamond or Dolce&Gabbana Devotion.
Their ideal match:
Berries, sandalwood and cedar
Once you have a good grasp on what each fragrance family offers, you’ll find it easier to pair compatible notes together. If you’re looking to create a fresh, rejuvenating scent for the day, floral fragrances make for a good ally with citrusy notes. In case you want to ground saccharin floral notes in a deeper base, opt for a woody scent as your base before spritzing on your go-to rose fragrance. If you’re looking for something stronger for the night, pairing woody and oriental fragrances together can create a sensual scent.
The one secret behind knowing how to layer fragrances like a pro is playing it safe. Start by opting for a small spritz and build on it from there, so that you aren’t followed by a cloying cloud of fragrance all day.
Woody notes and spicy fragrances tend to be heavy in terms of sillage and it helps to use these sparingly. Building on a light scent is easy, but attempting to dispel an overpowering combination of scents is not going to be your favourite task of the day. As a rule of thumb, it helps to layer a strong scent with lighter notes for balance: imagine the floral notes of rose and jasmine layered over vanilla and oud.
Once you feel that you have a handle on two-scent combinations, you’ll want to step up your game by layering perfumes of different intensities together. The top and middle notes will awaken your senses first, while the base of the perfume will take time to develop. Opt for a fresh, floral fragrance as your top note and opt for a deeper base of woody notes to surround you as the day goes on.
Mixing, matching and layering fragrances is a deeply intimate journey—after all, the goal is to create a scent that is unique to you. In case you’re layering starkly different notes, it helps to have a basic understanding of how they interact with each other. Here’s a quick refresher on the MVPs you’ll need to know about.
The name is a dead giveaway. Delicate, feminine scents often owe their origins to flowers—with roses, jasmines and lilies leading the charge. If you find yourself drawn towards scents like Kayali Oudgasm Rose Oud, Gucci Bloom and Chloe Rose, you’ll want to bookmark some floral scents when layering the right notes for yourself.
Their ideal match:
Vanilla, musk and leather
Again, the name leaves little room for guesswork here. Imagine notes like musk, vanilla, cinnamon and other spices. Oriental fragrances tend to evoke a warm, intense smell and you’ve probably encountered it before in iconic fragrances, like YSL Black Opium and Tom Ford Velvet Orchid.
Their ideal match:
Rose, jasmine and oud
Woody notes are not to be confused with oriental scents. The latter leans towards the gentler end of the spectrum, while woody scents come in strong with warm, bold notes of oud, sandalwood and cedar. Think Paco Rabanne 1 Million or Gucci Guilty.
Their ideal match:
Citrus, vanilla and florals
On days when you’re looking to sidestep cloying scents in favour of a fragrance that feels fresh, you’ll find yourself reaching for the citrus family. Peppermint, grapefruit and bergamot all feature prominently in zesty, mood-enhancing compositions like Versace Yellow Diamond or Dolce&Gabbana Devotion.
Their ideal match:
Berries, sandalwood and cedar
Once you have a good grasp on what each fragrance family offers, you’ll find it easier to pair compatible notes together. If you’re looking to create a fresh, rejuvenating scent for the day, floral fragrances make for a good ally with citrusy notes. In case you want to ground saccharin floral notes in a deeper base, opt for a woody scent as your base before spritzing on your go-to rose fragrance. If you’re looking for something stronger for the night, pairing woody and oriental fragrances together can create a sensual scent.
The one secret behind knowing how to layer fragrances like a pro is playing it safe. Start by opting for a small spritz and build on it from there, so that you aren’t followed by a cloying cloud of fragrance all day.
Woody notes and spicy fragrances tend to be heavy in terms of sillage and it helps to use these sparingly. Building on a light scent is easy, but attempting to dispel an overpowering combination of scents is not going to be your favourite task of the day. As a rule of thumb, it helps to layer a strong scent with lighter notes for balance: imagine the floral notes of rose and jasmine layered over vanilla and oud.
Once you feel that you have a handle on two-scent combinations, you’ll want to step up your game by layering perfumes of different intensities together. The top and middle notes will awaken your senses first, while the base of the perfume will take time to develop. Opt for a fresh, floral fragrance as your top note and opt for a deeper base of woody notes to surround you as the day goes on.
