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

Related Posts

• Review Guerlain 2009 Cherry Blossom Oh, this is a nice fragrance! And it's even better that it's priced at only $57, from the Aqua Allegoria line. Cherry Blossom is being billed as a floral green fragrance (Frangrantica). It also has...
• Layering or mixing Guerlain Bois D'Armenie with Cuir Beluga Sometimes the sum of two perfumes is greater than its parts. Such is the wonderful new mix that Claire Young from the Guerlain store in the Palazzo in Las Vegas came up with, when he...
• Review: Guerlain Mon Précieux Nectar I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to sample and review Mon Précieux Nectar. It's no secret that Guerlain is probably my favorite perfume house, though I have others represented in what...
• Ah, sweet licorice in tea and chocolate and perfumes I'm not one to eat a lot of black licorice, but I do like it. When our son was five, we had one of our most beloved exchange students from Finland. He came when he...
• Another great place for fragrances Bathedandinfused Bathedandinfused is another company I like really well. They have many choices in scents, and the price is easy on the pocket, so it's fun to try several scents. They ship really fast. Before you...

Related Websites

• Perfume Names Guide Continued Lets continue with our guide to perfume names and popular female fragrances that have been released through the ages. Knowing the different perfume names is...
• Review of Angel Perfume by Thierry Mugler This is a review of the Angel Perfume by Thierry Mugler. The Angel Perfume by Thierry Mugler was originally introduced in 1992. This is a...
• Eau de Sandalwood by Le Jardin Retrouvé Review Continuing to sample Le Jardin Retrouvé’s wood and leather scents.  Again, these were sent to cpf who passed them to me. No line would be...
• Viktor Rolf Flowerbomb Perfume This is a review of the Viktor Rolf Flowerbomb perfume, a 1.7 ounce Eau de Parfum fragrance intended for women and designed by the Viktor...
• Pocket Guide to Women's Fragrances This is a pocket guide to women's fine fragrance. There are hundreds of high quality perfumes out there, and knowing a little about each one...

Online Stores

• Guerlain Men Discount Fragrances Store
• Cocoa, Baking Chocolate Bakery, Baking Food Restaurant Advertising Collectibles
• Guerlain Women Discount Fragrances Store
• Guerlain Anti-Aging Products Skin Care Store
• Guerlain Eye Shadow Makeup Store

If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.


Categories:

Black Pepper, Chocolate, Guerlain, Iris, Layering, Men's or Unisex, Patchouli, Perfumes, Woods