How to create own fragrance

Everyone does not like perfume. But for those who love fragrance, you have a collection. Over time you can get frustrated with scent, not finding something that clicks, works with your mood or you just find yourself bored.

When you can’t quite put your finger on a scent you desire you can play around with your bottles. Perfume lovers have a fair grasp of personal preferences making it easier to blend existing fragrances. All fragrance connoisseurs insist this is best done on an experimental basis through instinct. That there are no hard and fast rules. And then proceed to draft a list of recommendations.

Blending scents require attention to details. Florals: lavender, rose, jasmine, hyacinth; Oriental: vanilla, patchouli, Woodsy: Frankincense, incense, sandalwood; Spicy: nutmeg, ginger and Citrus: lemons, oranges, grapefruit. Certain scents are designed and sold in packs specifically for layering such as Jo Malone and Tom Ford Private Collection with charts and instructions on how to create your own bespoke fragrance. There are creative ways to reignite your signature scent.

If you wear the same scent regularly, your nose adapts to it and you end up spraying more each time. At the same time when you buy or get a scent that you find either watery or a little strong, save it. Don’t be hasty.

It might just be what you need.  Layering does not have to be strictly perfume. It starts in the shower with gels and soaps be they white florals, musk or earthy. You can perfume your hair. Not with alcohol-riddled perfume but with products. Natural hair product manufacturers have mastered the art of scent.  A more intimate alternative would be essential oils.

With fragrance blending you don’t want to titrate your scents into a single soup bottle. There are wittier ways. For instance, work with opposite scents like floral and woodsy, floral and spicy or vanilla and woodsy. To blend these keep in mind that vanilla, musk and citrus make perfect companions for any scent you blend whether opposites or using fragrances from the same family.

Where two or more florals with tuberose in them or a woodsy moss scent with another woodsy moss scent are gathered, there can be layering.

Think fragrances where they name the main ingredient like vanilla, fresh, musk, rose, jasmine or lavender.

Orientals tend to be heavier, complex scents with longer ingredient lists, generally 20 or so.  That makes them difficult to blend and are best worn on their own unless cents made with far more complex ingredients, generally more than 20. They may not blend easily unless you are in possession of a more sophisticated nose.

Apply your scents with a light hand by spraying air and walking through it. Also, just because you are layering does not mean use more. The same number of spritzes you tend to use works just fine. As a guide however, eau de toilette = 4 sprays, eau de parfum = 3 sprays and cologne = 6 sprays.

This is why layering is a great refresh on your signature scent. To assess intensity take note which scent stays on your skin. If you can still sniff the gorgeousness of the bouquet by 5pm, you found your heavy scent.

If it wilts inside six hours it is light on you. This is similar with dark, mysterious scents like Orientals, moody fragrances with true staying power. Layer them with something light. This lovely pairings blend well, the heavier and darker one transporting it over time, a symbiotic relationship.

As a last word, as you experiment with blends, do it at home, over the weekend and not on the day of a big event. You will need to work on it steadily and over time. I prefer testing scents overnight to get a feel of it. Find your heavenly scent before you take it out for a spin.