Layering oils by Viktor & Rolf
The absolute last perfume-related item I purchased in 2017 gave me such hope for the future. It was a rose-scented layering oil that is being produced by the Viktor & Rolf people to go along with their Flowerbomb eau de parfum. It’s called Flowerbomb Rose Twist. When Jackie, the fragrance consultant, told me about it, I was immediately intrigued and purchased it, untested. The way it works is this… if you would like to accentuate the rose note of Flowerbomb, you apply the layering oil on your skin first and then you spray Flowerbomb on top. Isn’t this a neat idea? They also have Flowerbomb Jasmine Twist and Flowerbomb Musk Twist so you can punch up the jasmine or musk notes… or both… or all three! Layering may not be a trend, actually, but it should be!
I tried my rose oil on many different perfumes in my collection with very interesting and promising results. It worked perfectly with Paris by Yves Saint-Laurent! It added some optimism but also some gravitas (is that a contradiction?) and helped balance out the sad violet notes. I always thought the roses in Paris were too pink anyway… this added red roses to the bouquet. I also tried it with Chanel No. 5 parfum and although it was almost imperceptible with No. 5, it outlasted the parfum leaving me with a beautiful, red rose note as a basenote! BONUS!
I tried it with Coriandre and I had the same bonus… no real difference to Coriandre but it outlasted my eau de toilette so I was left with a rose note in the early evening long after my beloved Coriandre had gone to bed. I even layered it with a 2018 purchase, Bulgari’s Eau Parfumé au Thé Bleu and I found it improved it greatly by adding lovely, optimistic rose notes to the violets. The fragrance consultant, Jackie, was kind enough to give me samples of the Jasmine and Musk Twists so I’ll get back to you over the coming weeks with more experiment results.
I must say that I wish the perfume companies would do more of this in order to put back some of the notes that they’ve taken out over the years. At least give us a chance to turn back the clock a little, albeit it just for ourselves… much better than putting out yet another crappy flanker which nobody wants anyway!
Could you imagine adding an oakmoss-scented layering oil. How about a vetiver-scented oil! An oud-based oil! Sniff, sniff… I’m getting verklempt (yiddish for too emotional to speak).
Happy New Year everyone! The future just might be… wait for it… rosier than expected!
The Perfume Chronicles 