Synchronized Fridays 2023

[sagebrush]

Whereas I rarely wear two different strengths of the same scent simultaneously, as to my mind, they do different things.
Boucheron Jaipur pH : EdT is for daytime; EdP is for nights out. Either is so loud it does not need the other in addition.
Guerlain Heritage : EdT daytime/evenings; EdP too thick for my taste, but would be for evening.
Tauer LADDM vs ACDD : one or other, but not both. Either is sufficient.

Again, not so much layering as follow-on, after a decent interval, for example from SOTD to SOTE/N:
Hermes Equipage Geranium (SOTD), followed by Etro Ambra (SOTE), with pelargonium note in common. Or Etro Sandalo for the sandalwood in common.
Cacharel pour l'Homme (SOTD; nutmeg and citrus) followed by Hermes Bel Ami (SOTE; spices, citrus, leather).
Guerlain Vetiver (SOTD green) followed by Etro Vetiver (SOTE black)

Not decided what to wear yet.

 

[Schubertian]

I might have to skip this one. Layering or combining fragrances just hasn't worked for me and I've no clue what to even try. Will just enjoy reading about everyone's choices, I guess.

 

[ineespenes]

I have one layering combination I played around with a few years ago. At the time I felt Samsara edt was too sweet or something... So I decided to add some Tam dao edt over it. That gave the Samsara a more woody character, but it still felt like Samsara. I might wear that. Or Bois des iles edt + extrait.

 

[ClockworkAlice]

I might have to skip this one. Layering or combining fragrances just hasn't worked for me and I've no clue what to even try. Will just enjoy reading about everyone's choices, I guess.

I can totally see how it might not work for you - however, if you would like to try out something,

I see you have some classic perfumes in several different concentrations, and you might actually enjoy trying to put on some EDP and spraying a bit of EDT over it or next to that spot - it does often result in a beautiful symphonic effect of both the lighter, brighter notes of EDT and the deeper, darker notes of EDP (or parfum) melding together.
If you feel it's still too much for you, there's one way of layering I really enjoy - it's wearing the EDT for daytime and topping it up with the EDP (or parfum) of the same scent in the evening. What you get is a seamless transition from daytime to the evening!

If you're feeling even braver, you might try your Escentric Molecules No.2 with Rose Anonyme - I haven't tried the combo but I feel it could be harmonious.

 

[N.CAL Fragrance Reviewer]

Pre-synching with a sample of a modern formulation of Guerlain Vol de Nuit EDT against my vintage Vol de Nuit extrait.

 

[RHM]

I love this sync, probably because I like to layer different iterations of the same fragrance. Chanel scents are particularly suited for this way of wearing scent.
So (rubbing my palms together) what shall I explore🤔?

 

[Toxicon]

I don't really layer, but on rare occasions I'll spray something different on each arm if I'm in the mood to sample things and feeling impatient. I suppose the other situation is when I wear a SOTD first thing in the morning, and then apply something different for SOTE, occasionally with a lingering trace of the first scent. Sometimes I'll try to find complementary scents, occasionally with overlapping notes. Egoiste and Santal Majuscule work pretty well for this with overlapping rose and sandalwood notes, even if they smell nothing alike.

 

[chypre]

This is interesting. At the start of this hobby I used to enjoy layering my simpler fragrances, like a white musk oil with a vanilla. I don't know if I can pull it off with my more complex scents. It might work to layer a soliflore with a slightly more complex fragrance, say, to accentuate a note - I vaguely recall reading some tips from one of the perfumers*. If all else fails, I can layer my white musks, that's always a safe default.

* Found it: https://boisdejasmin.com/2011/03/la...an-claude-ellena-french-elle-suggestions.html

 

[donna255]

I hate layering, always have. Never worked for me as all I got was the last one I applied.
Also, the idea of using two different versions of the same fragrance just does not appeal to me. So not doing this week.

 

[ineespenes]

Another layering combination I'm curious about is Cuir mauresque + Mandarine mandarin

 

[yellowtone]

@N.CAL Fragrance Reviewer layering vintage and new fragrances is a good idea! I've never thought of it for some reason.

I have 2 tried and tested layering options:
- Le Labo's Lys 41 oil with Frederic Malle's Lys Mediterranee on top, a lily explosion for your nerves!
- a spritz of Estée Lauder's Bronze Goddess under Frederic Malle's En Passant. It gives the delicate, flighty floral a bit of a beachy base, which for some reason makes the lilacs stick around much longer

I'll probably wear one of these this Friday.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

Whereas I found last week really hard because I have no fragrances with anger associations, this week is easy. Traditionally edt and parfum were meant to be worn together, you appled the edt as part of the morning toilette and added the parfum later for social occasions. So many of the Chanels provide this option, as @RHM noted above.

Another approach could be to start with a base-heavy scent like Le Lion or Patchouli Nobile and top it off with a top-heavy soliflore light on the basenotes. If the two scents are both very complex, I agree it can be an unpleasant mish-mosh or very difficult to find a match. My only dilemma this week is which ensemble to choose.

 

[Ken_Russell]

Might join the sync with either one of the few fragrances do happen to simultaneously own various concentrations of, including but not limited to:

Denim Original, Guerlain Habit Rouge, Bogart Signature (if also considering the scented aftershave balm in the case of the latter), Caracter by Daniel Hechter (again, if considering another uncommon and/or not very "perfume-like" scented products like the scented body spray), Ed Hardy Man combined with yet another body spray from the same brand, also the Avon release of Christian Lacroix's Nuit Homme and also Lapidus PH (the latter two again due to scented toiletries matching these two specific scents)

or on the other hand with nearly unlimited options between any two scents (including samples) from the current lineup, much easier to simply layer in a more liberal, random and/or difficultly predictable way.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

Might join the sync with either one of the few fragrances do happen to simultaneously own various concentrations of, including but not limited to:

Denim Original, Guerlain Habit Rouge, Bogart Signature (if also considering the scented aftershave balm in the case of the latter), Caracter by Daniel Hechter (again, if considering another uncommon and/or not very "perfume-like" scented products like the scented body spray), Ed Hardy Man combined with yet another body spray from the same brand, also the Avon release of Christian Lacroix's Nuit Homme and also Lapidus PH (the latter two again due to scented toiletries matching these two specific scents)

or on the other hand with nearly unlimited options between any two scents (including samples) from the current lineup, much easier to simply layer in a more liberal, random and/or difficultly predictable way.

Looking forward to “difficultly predictable!” 🤗

 

[chypre]

I'm pre-syncing with current Cabochard EDT and EDP. I had been testing them over the past few weeks, and finding myself undecided on which I prefer, thought, why not both?

And it's a success! I think they layer perfectly together, as the EDP is quite muted on me anyway (my biggest issue with the EDP), so it doesn't "muddy" the EDT, instead subtly providing a slightly deeper structure for the brightness of the EDT to play off. I layered it the "risky" way, which was to spray them on the same spot on my arm. It definitely works, and I might even go so far as to say that this is what it should have been from the start.

 

[sakecat]

@chypre - I seriously considered Cabochard 1960s with Cabochard current as my synch. But I want to enjoy my last few drops of the vintage by itself.

---
I have some scents that I use as layering fragrances when my "primary" scent "needs a little something."

One favorite - La Vanile Pure Vanilla. Essentially what it states on the label.

Today - pairing that with Aromas de Salazar Cafe Oud - a black coffee scent.
The Pure Vanilla smooths out the bitterness at the top of the Cafe Oud. The whole dries down into a lovely, spicy, vanilla musk.
And...it goes great with my morning Stumptown coffee with milk and honey.

 

[Blue_Eyez]

Layering can be done with soap, body lotion, powder (Caron is known for powders!) and fragrance. I have options.

 

[chypre]

@chypre - I seriously considered Cabochard 1960s with Cabochard current as my synch. But I want to enjoy my last few drops of the vintage by itself.

Good call, I wouldn't layer vintage Cabochard either.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

Layering can be done with soap, body lotion, powder (Caron is known for powders!) and fragrance. I have options.

💡 This is giving me ideas…

 

[fanny]

I vaguely remember having once sprayed Un Jardin Sur Le Nil over a too sweet vanilla perfume to give it some sparks, I don't remember which perfume that was. I think I must have been inspired by the lovely vanilla/bergamot formula often found in Guerlain. I have also tried to combine several Lutens perfumes like Five O'Clock, Fem. du Bois, etc., the lighter spicy ones, many years ago and those combinations worked well.
@ineespenes I cannot wait to hear how Cuir M. and Mandarine M. together will perform!!

Other than the above I have never done layering until recently, and I must admit it was out of a sudden discontent or disappointment with the perfumes I was already wearing at the time, perfumes I normally respect and worship - be prepared for sacrilege:

ENCENS FLAMBOYANT + JASMIN NOIR --- I suddenly craved something to make E.F. more round, it worked

GOLD MAN + SHALIMAR INITIAL --- Trying to give G.M. a brighter feel, I know it may sound insane, it worked

TAKLAMAKAN + JUBILATION MAN --- An attempt to make T. less 'easy', it worked

GANYMEDE + KHOL DE BAHREIN --- Just for the hell of it, and it worked


My discontent has disappeared, thank goodness. For now I think I should like to try similar perfumes to see if one added to the other will make three.
I'm thinking of Opus 1144 with Shalimar edp.

 

[N.CAL Fragrance Reviewer]

I'm pre-syncing with Guerlain Mitsouko PDT and perfume Extrait concentrations. It turns out they work nicely together, going hand in hand complementing each other.

 

[CookBot]

Good call, I wouldn't layer vintage Cabochard either.

I would. I think I'd quite like to get some of the ashy birch tar of the vintage combined with the deeper green of the current.

 

[CookBot]

I might have to skip this one. Layering or combining fragrances just hasn't worked for me and I've no clue what to even try. Will just enjoy reading about everyone's choices, I guess.

Same. I think I lack the imagination for it.

Layering can be done with soap, body lotion, powder (Caron is known for powders!) and fragrance. I have options.

Hmmm. That seems like a bit of a cop-out, but I'm kind of a powder fanatic, and might have to take this route. And yesterday I found a sealed bar of No. 19 soap that I'd forgotten about, and I'm waffling about breaking it open.

It also seems a little cheaty to just add parfum to EDT, but that's another possibility for the unimaginative like me.

 

[chypre]

I would. I think I'd quite like to get some of the ashy birch tar of the vintage combined with the deeper green of the current.

I look forward to your impressions, if you decide to do that for the sync. I may be a bit of a purist, but I can't imagine anything improving vintage Cabochard

 

[CookBot]

I look forward to your impressions, if you decide to do that for the sync. I may be a bit of a purist, but I can't imagine anything improving vintage Cabochard

Oh, I'm 100% with you on that. I wasn't thinking it would be an improvement, just an interesting experiment. I like the current Cabo a lot on its own terms, but I do miss that ashy/smokyiness of the old stuff.

 

[Tea_Lilly]

Another option is to try a sample on one arm and another sample on the other. If they don't go well, you can scrub an arm. As for me, I'm still undecided. @chypre, the modern Cabochard edt/edp sounds wonderful (and I have both). I may do something more wacky like Guerlain Herba Fresca and La Fille de Berlin, or maybe different concentrations of Nuit de Noel.

I'm really looking forward to what folks choose.

 

[kewart]

I’m pre-synching by accident. I applied some Cristobal pour Femme before going to bed then realised that I had previously put on some Body Shop Moringa have lotion after my bath.
They seem surprisingly good together. The floral hand lotion lifts the fig and vanilla of the Cristobal rounding it out somewhat.

 

[Blue_Eyez]

Hmmm. That seems like a bit of a cop-out, but I'm kind of a powder fanatic, and might have to take this route. And yesterday I found a sealed bar of No. 19 soap that I'd forgotten about, and I'm waffling about breaking it open.

It also seems a little cheaty to just add parfum to EDT, but that's another possibility for the unimaginative like me.

Just do it

 

[N.CAL Fragrance Reviewer]

Syncing with Guerlain Sous Le Vent. I'm wearing the original 1930s formulation with the 2000s re-release.

 

[Toxicon]

I took a lazy stab at my SOTD into SOTE pseudolayering approach as a pre-sync:

SOTD: Blackbird Targa. First time sampling, and it's quite stunning! Extremely dark, smoky, turpenic, all that good nastiness. The notes list is long, but I mostly smell smoky incense, birch tar, cypriol and something like the turpentine note in CdG Hinoki. It softens as it goes, and evolves into a kind of dark leather accord (occasionally reminded me of the petrol leather in Fahrenheit, without any bright notes to offset). My youngest daughter gave me a hug and said I smelled "amazing, like cinnamon and toast [presumably burned]".

SOTE: I hemmed and I hawed as Targa was finally settling down after 12 hours or so. What to pick? Fzotic Lampblack was the most obvious choice, and I still have a fresh sample... but no, that's too easy. The dark, inky cypriol and vetiver seemed too on the nose to pair with the even darker Targa. No, I wanted something comparably dark, but different. I dug into the cabinet and came out with Bentley for Men Absolute. This is dark frankincense, sharp spices, and scorched cedar, with a blooming warmth in the base; by all accounts, this is a remake of the original Gucci pour Homme by Michel Almairac, and he acknowledged as much in an interview (they're nearly identical, just with a whiff of fake oud in the Bentley). Gorgeous scent with the ingredient quality you'd expect from a Lalique (they have the license for Bentley, and they clearly made the incredibly heavy chonk of an obsidian bottle) all for a crazy low price.

LAYERED: Does the pairing work? Not really, but that's ok. I was hoping I'd get a swirl of tantalizing darkness. Instead the Bentley feels weirdly sweet when compared directly to Targa, which is much more intense, more of an industrial solvent type of smell, and much harder to wear. In combination I'm getting a sour mishmash of scorched leather and semi-sweet cedar smoke, frankincense, and unsettled spices. At least I don't smell boring.

 

[Puma]

I'm using my Mitsouko arsenal for today's sync. I took a shower with the heavenly soap and then layered with the powder, followed by the eau de toilette. Tonight I'm going to apply half a drop of my pure vintage perfume.

 

[H_West]

Sometimes I like to combine a weaker after-shave with an edt/edp which can go well together. I have tried some combinations I found pleasing and I thought I could go with my latest found combo with a relatively new after-shave. So I went with these two

Clubman Vanilla and Platinum Egoiste

 

[fanny]

Started the day with a light spray of Unum Opus 1144.
I'm off to the vet soon, so not layering yet.

In the afternoon I'll take an extra spray of Unum + a nice dose of vintage Shalimar edp; my dog will be at my BF's so there's no harm.
For the evening I thought it might be nice to give the above an extra boost with some Khol de Bahrein, will report back.

 

[ChypreInBloom]

I don't really layer, but on rare occasions I'll spray something different on each arm if I'm in the mood to sample things and feeling impatient. I suppose the other situation is when I wear a SOTD first thing in the morning, and then apply something different for SOTE, occasionally with a lingering trace of the first scent. Sometimes I'll try to find complementary scents, occasionally with overlapping notes. Egoiste and Santal Majuscule work pretty well for this with overlapping rose and sandalwood notes, even if they smell nothing alike.

That's exactly how things work with me.
So today wearing Quartz from Molyneux and Mouchoir de Monsieur (Guerlain) on my right arm. A divine combination of classy freshies, full of blooming flowers, lavender, hyacinth, honeysuckle, lilac, carnation, oakmoss and amber. Gorgeous!

 

[MistaPanda]

I own different flankers / concentrations of fragrances, but I don't think I've ever worn both at the same time... except as an easy transition between daytime & evening maybe (TF Noir EDT + EDP... DH / DHC + DHI).

I don't layer much either, except with Molecule 01, when temperatures are going up. I use it in combination with fresh fragrances that are sometimes considered "weak" and it seems to work pretty well.

I don't really know if people notice the combination of the two , if they notice the other fragrance because M.01 improves its performances... or if they notice M.01 because it projects better / lasts longer, but I often get compliments about my SOTD when layering.

Apparently it's not cloying for people around, which is great in the high heat !

Synching with Molecule 01 + XIX March (Tiziani Terenzi) today, I had tried that combination last weekend while wandering with friends in the Belgian countryside and it was really pleasant. 🙂

 

[sakecat]

Today's synch - Giorgio Armani My Way with Kayali Lovefest Burning Cherry on top.

My Way is a meh tuberose. Lovefest Burning Cherry is a decent cherry.

My Way comes from the Poison school of tuberose - replacing the berries with "orange fruit" (reading passionfruit on my skin - not a fan) and the drydown with some "clean" woody musky thing that doesn't smell like much.
I'm not a fan of the Poison school of tuberose, and since there's not much else going on here that I enjoy, My Way is lost on me.

The Cherry creates a more interesting top and heart, adds more woods to the mix, and helps to amplify the vanilla in the drydown of My Way.

Do I like My Way better now that I have layered it? Yes.
Would I prefer to wear Lovefest Burning Cherry by itself? Also yes.
By itself, Lovefest Burning Cherry smells good - like woody cherries on a woody vanillic musk base.
It's not high perfumery art, but I can spray it on and feel OK about leaving the house for 4 hours.

The Kattan sisters apparently designed Kayali line as layering scents.
Lovefest Burning Cherry has worked well for this purpose - especially if I want to add fruits that I like + some woodiness to the bog-standard department store fruity floral.
This synch gave me an excuse to finish my 10mL bottle.
We'll see whether I miss it now that it's gone.

 

[teardrop]

l'm not in the habit of layering, & in the past when l've tried spraying two different fragrances on one spot, one tends to dominate the other (l can't recall now which fragrances they were). l do own different concentrations/vintages of Samsara, so l could have gone with that, but l've chosen to try wearing a different/complimentary fragrance on each arm today. Caligna on the left, Philosykos on the right, for a refreshing burst of fig. The warmth of Caligna & the cool crispness of Philosykos compliment each other rather well!

 

[JoM68]

I too have never layered, so feeling a little nervous about this. I was very much toying with my vintage YSL Opium with SL's Fleurs de Oranger, but felt that would be too much for me and my hubby to cope with.

I was thinking about summer and ways of extending summer scents for coolness, so I've layered AA Orange Soleia with Le Flocon de Johannes. They both have a mint note, with de Johannes being much stronger in that regard and icier, which I thought might add a fresher note to Orange Soleia.

I think of de Johannes as being the lighter of the two, but turns out it's quite strong in that initial opening, so may have got the layering the wrong way round, i.e., Johannes on top of Soleia, so at the moment that's dominating, but the orange is coming through, so we'll see how that works....or not.

 

[Blue_Eyez]

Shalimar soap + vintage EDT = heaven 😇

 

[Pheusinger]

Caron - Pour Un Homme cologne

Caron Pour Un Homme perfume information, consumer reviews, where to buy, perfume notes and more... Pour Un Homme is a men's fragrance launched in 1934 by Caron

basenotes.com

Guerlain - Jicky Eau de Parfum perfume

Guerlain Jicky Eau de Parfum perfume information, consumer reviews, where to buy, perfume notes and more... Jicky Eau de Parfum is a shared scent launched in 1889 by Guerlain

basenotes.com