How To Layer Perfume You Already Own To Create Your Signature Scent

Fragrance is a beauty category unlike any other. Not only is scent closely tied to memory — revisiting your first will really take you back — but one perfume can smell completely differently on each of us, thanks to our own unique body chemistries. Translation: To say perfume is the most personal part of your daily routine is an understatement.

Because of this, buying a new scent to welcome each season can feel more like homework than fun — especially since perfume can be incredibly pricey. (Consider it the bathing suit-shopping of the beauty world.) There is, however, an easy solution.

Instead of shopping for a new spring perfume, you can use that time and energy to layer fragrances you already own. It'll help you create a fresh scent in less time than you'd take on a trip to the mall. "Layering fragrances is an easy way to get a custom effect," Julia Zangrilli, perfumer and founder of NOVA fragrance studio in Brooklyn, tells us. "The scent is familiar, but not quite — no one else has the exact blend."

Yes, layering can be intimidating — the combinations are mind-boggling — but it doesn't have to be with Zangrilli's foolproof tips. While there's no right or wrong way to layer (if it smells good to you, go for it!), a few rules of thumb will make the process easier.

Ahead, you'll find seven simple ways to use what you already own to create a scent that you'll absolutely love to wear this spring — you might even discover your new signature scent.