I often layer my scents, as anyone who knows me will find out. I prefer, if possible, not to wear a scent that is so heavy or long-lasting that I have to wear only it for the entire day. I don't mind changing every couple of hours or morning, afternoon, evening, when a fragrance winds down.
Recently I was looking for something to cut the strength of the never-ending Iris Ganache from Guerlain. Guerlain is probably one of my favorite houses.
I like Iris and I like Chocolate, but something about this fragrance was not working for me. I don't care for the chocolate note in this one, because it doesn't smell rich enough, and it makes the Iris unbearably sweet on me -- and to top it off, on me anyway, the Iris just keeps on trucking and never softening down.
So I sold some decants to make me feel better about a bad buy. (I bought it on the strength of recs from folks who dearly loved it. I do not have a Guerlain store near me in which to smell it before I bought it.) I like spicy, oriental fragrances, but while this one has cinnamon and patchouli, it only smells like sweet Iris. It wasn't oriental at all.
Fragrance notes: Vanilla, Cinnamon, Bergamot, Patchouli, White musks, Cedar, iris, chocolate
The Charnels Elixirs collection includes another chocolate, Gourmand Coquin, that is definitely better on me, but I didn't need two so close to each other. And frankly I was worried that it might be too reminiscent of the IG.
Gourmand Coquin notes: black pepper, rose, rum, chocolate.
black peppercorns and a trickle of chocolate. A dash of rum, and the spice and cocoa bean
When I was at the Guerlain store in the Palazzo in Las Vegas, all of us had fun trying to figure out something that would work to cut the Iris in Iris Ganache. Anything that seemed to work, worked only for about 90 seconds before the Iris came through with a bang and overwhelmed anything else that was with it.
After I was home, Claire Young (who had waited on me) shared a couple of other things he had tried, but when I tried it, the Iris was still overwhelming.
When I layer, with a few exceptions, but especially with Guerlains, I generally stay with the house. (Though I might not with a few exclusive Chanels. They might layer with a different house.) I thought, hmmmm, what do I have on hand that might possibly work?
And I thought what about L'Instant for men? Bingo, it was a go!
FRAGRANCE NOTES - Citrus, Star Anise Crystals, Peppery Elemi from the Philippines, Jasmine petals, Mysore Sandalwood, Lapsang Tea, Bitter Cocoa beans, Hibiscus seeds, Indonesian Patchouli flowers.
It was really exciting to find something that would make this fragrance wearable for me. And the two together are better than they are apart. Even though it was long wearing, it had some extra panache, so I didn't tire of it.
I shared this with Claire. He tried it the next day, and agreed that it worked very well for him too.
If you have one or the other, or both, you might try layering the two, especially if you are near a store that carries both, and you only have one. You might have another find in your repertoire. And if you have both in your stash, you now have a third.
Let me know what you think!
I can't stress enough how helpful the Palazzo Guerlain store is. They are top notch in customer service and follow up. They ship for free and keep in touch after you are gone. Make them your store of choice.
You can reach them at (702) 732-7008 or email them at GuerlainPalazzo.STORE@lvmhuspc.com. Ask for Claire (he's on vacation right now) and tell them that Karin sent you. Kyle was also a help with layering this one -- and Jorganne is the manager.
Karin
Originally posted 2009-02-26 20:38:34.
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