One of my all-time favourite quotes is by cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead, who said, "Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else."
I love it. All of humanity, our yearning for connection and contradictory need for individuality, summed up in a pithy one-liner. Bringing it back to beauty, I think this desire for distinctiveness is most evident when shopping for the best perfume.
We put such emphasis on finding a 'signature' scent in a way we just don't with makeup or skincare. The market has reflected this with a shift towards so-called niche fragrance - but now that they've started outselling big-name crowdpleasers, it's harder to make a case for their uniqueness. So what next?
Why not one but two (or maybe three) scents are my beauty buys of the week
If not smelling like everyone else is the aim, I'd suggest taking a long-lasting perfume you love (maybe one you already own) and chucking something else on top. Jo Malone was way ahead of the game with layering, hence, the best Jo Malone perfumes all being available in sweet 30ml pick 'n mix sizes, and having clean, combinable aromas.
"It's important to have a certain clarity," explains Jo Malone London Global Head of Fragrance, Celine Roux, "almost that you can see through the scent, so when you layer it's not too heavy. Think of a thick, warm coat - we don't know what's underneath it. But if you play with organza, tulle, lace, every layer tells the story."
This all sounds beautifully poetic - but if you want a practical starting point, zippy citrus notes add energy, 'green' fragrance ingredients bring a crisp, herbaceous quality, and musk-forward scents create cashmere-cosy depth. Here's a pair you can't go wrong with:
Like a squeeze of citrus in a drink, this rubs along nicely with pretty much every perfume I've tried it layering it with - adding mouthwatering acidity and a jolt of freshness. "It brightens. It's like a little bit of the sun whenever you wear it," agrees Roux.
In complete contrast to citrus, this has an earthy, grounding effect on whatever I mix it with. I love layering this up with classic floral perfumes - like rose or jasmine - as it seems to give them a less overtly 'pretty' and more elegant, nighttime-y feel.
Here's a couple of combinations I've been enjoying recently - Jo Malone London Grapefruit with Ormonde Jayne Kashmir and Jo Malone London English Oak and Hazelnut with Givenchy Coeur Fou
Fragrance layering sounds a bit high-falutin' - and faffy - but as with a lot of things perfumery-related, the idea that only certain people can do this is just gatekeeping and snobbery.
The truth is, we layer and combine all sorts of things beautifully all the time, without even thinking about it - from putting together a special outfit to arranging family photos on the mantelpiece or chucking aromatics in a curry, cooked with love for friends.
Trust your instincts, see what smells good, and have fun playing. As Roux so pleasingly puts it, "One fragrance is cute, two or three is iconic." Sounds good? Great! Let's chat next Sunday.
