Layering It On – Scent pairings

My Preciousssssss

Hi, darlings!  I’m headed to Chicago to sample the Le Labos before they vanish for another two years (eager to try the Dubai Cuir-whatever ; the perfume boards are abuzz about this one).  And I’m going to stock up on Mallomars! Did you know this marks the 100th anniversary of Mallomars?  Sho’ nuff!  I am going to eat 100 of them in celebration!    Probably not all at once.  But I thought about it.

But enough about the World’s Most Perfect Cookie.  On to perfume, though it will be weird.  Huh.  Imagine that!  Okay – here’s the thing – I realized a little while ago that I was missing out on a really great opportunity.  See, I mostly work alone and, as I have mentioned, my shop guys couldn’t care less what perfume I wear.  Heck, most days they probably can’t even smell it, what with the hot steel and general metal-dust fabulosity.  So why am I being so dainty and hidebound with my fragrance.  Why not experiment!?  If it goes awry I can always wash it off.  And since I work solo WHY NOT WEAR A BIG OL’ BOATLOAD OF PERFUME!  I figured most of them would be Pymalion-like, with a few Dr. Frank’s thrown in for grits and shins.  Here’s what happened when I decided to have some fun, pick out some notes and see what they might play nice with on the Perfume Playground (note:  most of them are rose-centric because it’s early Autumn and I wear a lot of roses now.    And I like rose-based cremes a lot!)

Amouage Epic Body Wash/Body Creme + Tribute Attar = Holy Schnikies!   There is no way to describe this Clash of the Titans.  I was afraid they would cancel each other out but the smoky dark rose of Tribute was smoothed out by the resin-y roundness of the Epic and it took off like a Renee Fleming aria.  It took awhile, though.  For the first 10 minutes I had to stand outside.

Parfums de Rosine Secrets du Rose body creme + vintage Diorling.   I swear, this should’ve worked.  The rosy leather in the Secrets should’ve blended nicely with the lush leather of the vintage Diorling.  Instead I got something akin to the Sons of Anarchy punching each other out at Snooki’s wedding!

Pacifica Persian Rose Body Butter + vintage Amouage Ubar.  Once they stop rolling around, slapping the daylights out of each other on the Persian carpet, this upscale Mallrat and the Bodacious Bedouin  wriggle into the Spanx and head to the Capital Grille for Happy Hour.  One of them is wearing press-on nails.

Diptyque Creme Riche and Guerlain Encens Mythique d’Orient (and no, I have yet to find that damn dryer sheet)….okay, this one is a thing of beauty!  The weird little cold-cream/rose/incense thing that rolls UNDER the creme (which is what makes it so intriguing)…it really amps the rose-incense in Encens and makes it even more interesting than it already is.

Pacifica Malibu Lemon Blossom body butter+ Cartier Fougueuse = I thought for sure this would work, thinking the rather subtle lemon tang in the body butter  would cut that slight oily note in the hay.  Yah.  No.  These 3rd grade girls hissed and spat at each other and ratted to the teacher about copying each other’s test answers.  sigh.  Who would’ve thought a little lemon and  a bit of hay could create so much drama!

Amouage Jubilation 25 Body Creme and (drum roll, please)…….pre-reformulation Mitsouko edp. Stop!  DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.  Or anywhere.  Ev.er.  I thought ‘hey!  the cumin-y oakmoss will go so beautifully with the cumin-y-frankincense!!’  I put on a lot of creme.  And a lot of Mitsouko.   Next thing I know the Sheriff, the NSA and a Hazmat Team were hammering down my door!.

Not Mine but Have to Share: Chanel No 22 layered with a Victoria’s Secret pink perfume.  Gabrielle’s thigh bones are no longer connected to her leg-bones.  In fact, they’ve flown out of the grave altogether!!   Spinnin’ will do that do a gal.

Have any of you tried some wack combos?  The Good, The Bad, the Really, Really UGLY – tell!!!