How to Layer Candle Fragrances
It’s a great day when you find a fragrance that you really adore. Something that really speaks to you and you can’t get enough of. After a while, though, you may want to mix things up and create a fragrance that is uniquely yours. When people walk into your home they are welcomed by something they’ve never experienced before, creating a special memory for them.
I like crafting new sensual experiences every night, mixing and blending for fun and variety. I put a different fragrance in each room of my home so as I travel around I pick up the different notes to peak my senses. Like cooking, layering fragrance in your home can be a creative and rewarding experience.
If you haven’t started layering fragrances yet, don’t be afraid! It can be a lot of fun and it’s hard to go wrong. Here are some tips to guide and motivate you:
Floral fragrances blend well with other florals, citrus and woody notes. For example: Voluspa Tuberosa di Notte, NEST Bamboo, and K. Hall Peony.Tip: try to only select one heady floral (like Tuberose) and the others bright clean florals unless you like a heavy/over-the-top floral scent.
Tree fragrances blend with other trees, woody notes and citrus. For example: Thymes Frasier Fir, Archipelago Black Forest and Votivo Sumatra Lemongrass Tip: when you bring your tree home or set up your artificial tree, surround your home with a variety of green, tree fragrances to make you feel like you’re in a winter wonderland. It will create a lasting memory of your special day.
Gourmand fragrances blend with vanilla and spicy notes. For example: NEST Vanilla Orchid & Almond and Trapp Exotic Spice. Tip: try to stick to just one gourmand fragrance at a time as they can be dominating. Have the other fragrances support the primary gourmand scent. Keep this blend simple or you’ll feel overwhelmed by scent.
Amber blends well with other amber, vanilla and woody notes. For example: Voluspa Baltic Amber, Thymes Lotus Santal and Illume Amber Dunes. Tip: these blends are good for romantic evenings at home or for relaxing with a good movie or book. These grounding fragrances will help you slow down and unwind. Don’t use this blend for too long or too often or you’ll never get off the couch.
Fruity notes blend well with other fruity notes, sugar, vanilla and amber. For example: Voluspa Santiago Huckleberry and Votivo Red Currant or Aura Cosmic (orange vanilla) and Capri Blue Volcano and Voluspa Goji Tarocco Orange.Tip: don’t overdo the sugar — pick one heavy blend and the other lighter blends to balance the load.
Citrus blends well with other citrus, florals and woody notes. For example, Archipelago Luna, Trapp Lemongrass Verbena and Voluspa French Cade Lavender. Tip: don’t overdo it with the citrus notes or you’ll be too wound up and high above the clouds. Add in an earthy floral or woody note to help bring the fragrance down to ground level.
Anything with vanilla blends well with anything else with vanilla. For example: Trapp Orange Vanilla, Voluspa Bourbon Vanille and Aquiesse Sandalwood Vanille. Tip: have fun with this one! Be sure to avoid artificial vanilla fragrances when you have company over as they can be headache-inducing. (Avoid the cheap brands.) We don’t have any on our website.
This one is tricky, but sometimes florals blend nicely with sweet notes. For example: Voluspa Tuberosa di Notte and Voluspa Bourbon Vanille. Tip: use caution here, it’s easy to get nauseous on these blends. Even the most expert candlemakers tread lightly with this combination for good reason. They can be very sickening.
One combination you likely want to avoid is gourmand fragrances with florals. I’ve never known that to work, but other than that, it’s really hard to mess up. So go ahead and play around and create something new and uniquely you!
What’s your favorite fragrance combination?
Jenny,
Candles Off Main