Layering Fragrances Like A Pro

The best-smelling people you know are rarely wearing just one fragrance. They're layering — and the formula is simpler than it sounds.

The three-layer formula

• Base: a scented body oil or lotion applied right after showering.
• Core: your signature perfume, sprayed at pulse points.
• Lift: a lighter mist or hair fragrance for a top note that moves with you.

The goal isn't to blend three completely different scent families — pick fragrances that share at least one note, like vanilla or a citrus, so the layers read as one composition instead of a clash.

Layering isn't about wearing more perfume. It's about wearing it in dimensions.

Owen Clarke, Fragrance Editor