Perfume Layering Suggestions by Jean-Claude Ellena {What Celebrities Love To Wear} {Perfume List}
If you thought professional perfumer-composers shunned perfume layering, you were wrong. Fragrances considered to be masterpieces and classics of perfume history can all be tweaked to make them smell....different, equally or more interesting. Here is a little guide to perfume layering by a master perfumer, Jean-Claude Ellena, the author amongst others of Van Cleef & Arpels First, Bulgari Eau Parfumée Au Thé Vert, Terre d'Hermès, Hermessences, Un Jardin Sur Le Nil, Cartier Déclaration, L'Artisan Bois Farine etc.
PERFUME COMBINATIONS SUGGESTED BY JEAN-CLAUDE ELLENA
No5 de Chanel
[to enhance the] Iris: Après l'Ondée (Guerlain)
[to enhance the] Masculine notes, aldehydes and lavender: Tabac Original.....
Shalimar de Guerlain
[to enhance the] Lavender: Pour un Homme (Caron)
[to enhance the] Spices: Pour Homme (Cacharel) or Comme des Garçons
[to enhance the] Patchouli: Etro, Santa Maria Novella
Arpège de Lanvin
[to enhance the]Ylang-ylang: Beauty (Sarah Schwartz)
[to enhance the] Lily of the Valley: Diorissimo
Joy de Patou
[to enhance the] Rose: Ombre Rose (Jean-Charles Brosseau) or Rose Muskissime (Maître-Parfumeur et Gantier)
[to enhance the] Green jasmine: Diorella
Trésor de Lancôme
[to enhance the] Leather: Cuir de Russie (Maître-Parfumeur et Gantier) or Centaure (Cardin)
[to enhance the] Violet: Violette (Berdoues or Floris)
[to enhance the] Rose: Evelyn (Crabtree & Evelyn), Tea Rose (Perfumer's Workshop), Rose du Jardin Retrouvé
Ysatis de Givenchy
Smells wonderful with Féminité du Bois (Shiseido)
Angel de Thierry Mugler
[to enhance the] Fruit: Fuzzy Peach (The Body Shop)
As a contrast: L'Eau d'Issey
L'Air du Temps de Nina Ricci
[to enhance the] Pepper: Poivre (Caron)
Femme de Rochas
[to enhance the] Clove and Cardamom: 4 parts Femme, 1 part Comme des Garçons
Anaïs Anaïs de Cacharel
Daytime: Acqua di Gio
Nighttime: Gio (Armani)
Diorissimo de Christian Dior
[to enhance the] Fresh marine notes: Cool Water for Woman (Davidoff), or Pleasures (Estée Lauder) Blackcurrant: First (Van Cleef & Arpels)
Opium d'Yves Saint-Laurent
[to enhance the] Fruit: Orange Sanguine (Jean-François Laporte), Orange Cannelle (Fragonard)
[to enhance the] Orange blossom (Moroccan effect): Fleurs d'Oranger (Serge Lutens)
[to enhance the] Masculine notes: Old Spice (Shulton)
Source: Elle - translation provided by Bela on MUA
Photo: Layers by George Cramer, www.tandempress.wisc.edu
Outstanding!! I am just starting to get into layering. Jean-Claude Ellena is a scent genius and I can't wait to try these little recipes out. My favorite recent combo experiements include L'Artisan Bois Farine + Anne Pliska, and Ombre Rose + Minteva (a pale Body Shop scent on its own) elevates Ombre Rose to celestial heights.
Thanks again, time to go try Diorella and Joy!
I thought so too. The variety of his references is amazing. Sounds like he is a connoisseur on top of being a perfumer. For example, Olivier Cresp says that he does not want to "smell the market" in order not to be influenced when he composes perfumes.
Do you have layering suggestions for men?
Richie,
No, I don't because I do not practice layering myself. I think also that someone like Jean Claude Ellena would not accept such a clear-cut distinction between men's and women's fragrances. Actually, I know that he thinks it's a pure marketing ploy, yet he seems to use this disctinction somewhat in this list of layering suggestions since he mentions "masculine notes".
I am so into layering scents, I love doing it, and you can actually personalize a popular scent this way you will never have to smell like anyone else ever again.
That's great if you feel inspired to do so:)
Wow! Thanks, Marie-Helene! Because I worship J-CE & the incredible variety of work he puts out, I am especially thrilled to see his democratic tastes. I mean, "Old Spice?" "Ombre Rose?" Body Shop? Fascinating! --Ellen
He seems indeed to be very broad-minded and knowledgeable:)
Someone posted a link to this on the Frag Board today, otherwise I would never have seen it.
You lifted that list verbatim from a post I wrote several years ago and reposted a couple of times since then. I compiled and translated it.
Not mentioning your source is dishonest.
Actually Bela I thought I had seen it in news database. This is all I remember, in all honesty. I could not find the source again, then I saw I had luckily kept it on file, so I posted it.
I remember happening on your post *afterwards* and thinking, funny, it's the same text, but I did not make much out of it. I just thought you had got it from the same source.
So, it's possible I found this text from another source than yours initially although I see it definitely looks like you translated it.
If I wanted to hide my misdeed, I would have "arranged" the translation, no?
If it's your personal translation, I should add your name and a link.
would anyone be able to tell me if layering Armani's White She with body shop white musk would enhance the musk in Armani in a nice way?
Try layering YSL Live Jazz with L'Artisan Perfumer's Patchouli Patch. It makes unisex Patchouli Patch very sexy in a masculine way. Knocks socks :)
I enjoy Paul Smith London and Marc Jacobs Daisy together. The youthfulness of Daisy with the maturity of London makes a nice age-appropriate fragrance for us thirty-somethings.
Thank you for the layering suggestion.