Layering perfumes is so fun – I do it all the time and have been forever! I’m careful, as the perfumes I layer tend to be complex and mixing up all those notes in a way that doesn’t smell like a chemical spill is tricky business. Sometimes I layer by accident – forgetting what scent I had applied earlier – but that has led to some unexpected happy accidents, combining scents I never would have thought of. But not everyone has the knowledge or confidence to experiment. Some perfume companies have made it easy to create on your own.
Jo Malone is one of the most successful fragrance collection in which all are meant to layer with the other. Which is astounding when you consider the current size of the Jo Malone line! The JM website has a recipe page that helps with the combinations. That said, at over $100 USD per bottle, the combinations can be restricted by budget. At the other end of the financial scale, Demeter has some great layering choices packaged up in blending boxes for the creative perfume lover as well. Their price point means fun perfumes that are not meant to last all day on the skin.
Somewhere in the middle of the price range, but in the complete no-brainer range of layering skill, is Mixologie Blendable Perfume. Honestly, this is the most fun you can have with perfume! What you get is a kit of eight alcohol-free rollerball pure fragrance oils (5ml each), along with seven recipe cards full of layering suggestions. For $99, all of this comes packaged in a terrific box which also works as storage for the perfumes.
What stands out for me is the quality of the perfumes. They are not complex, but soft, lovely and with enough “oomph” in the oil formula to linger on the skin for hours. They recommend applying one on top of the other, but the purist in me doesn’t like that idea. In fact, I would advise against that, as the roller balls will get “contaminated” with the other fragrances, and over time they will all start to smell like a mixture. I prefer to apply a small circle of each scent I choose, right next to each other. Then I gently swirl them together with my wrists, my other arm, or my fingertips.
Each scent is enough to wear on it’s own, and are soft and uncomplicated, and that is what makes them great for layering. I had a lot of fun playing with the different combinations, and of course, I had to create on for myself! Below is my favourite combo. Inspired smells like soft rose petals, Assured has a soft woodsy musk fragrance, not miles away from Egyptian Musks, which I adore. Rose and musk is a gorgeous combination at any time, and always works for me – sexy yet fresh in that soapy rose way. Tender is a fruity, raspberry blend that reminds me ever so slightly of Givenchy Hot Couture, that sexy peppery raspberry beauty that changed the way I think of berry perfumes. But, MUCH softer. Combining Tender with Inspired and Assured creates a sexy floral that with a touch of fruity freshness.
I think the Mixologie Blending kit is absolutely perfect for gift-giving. Perfect for any perfume lover to play with, you don’t take the chance of buying them just one bottle of something they may or may not like. There is no age limit or frankly even a sex limit to Mixologie – the fragrances are for everyone. I think Mixologie would be a great gift for someone just starting to wear fragrance.
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