Question:
Today I layered (one atop the other) Guerlain Shalimar EDC (vintage) + Guerlain Vol de Nuit EDT.

On my wrists (front & back) the Shalimar EDC is dominating with its familiar peru balsam, opoponax and vanilla base.

In the crook of my elbows the Vol de Nuit EDT is king with the green heart notes and iris in the base notes leading the charge.

How odd is that?! If I didn't know what I had applied and where, I would think that it was two completely different scents that I had applied on different areas of my body...

Has any one else experienced this?

Answer:
Scents fade on my wrists before the inside of the elbow, mostly because they rub against things (cuffs, my computer keyboard, etc) so perhaps this is why? Not sure, just a guess.

Answer:
I've had similar experiences, and have also noticed that fragrances that are at the borderline of like/dislike are marginally more agreeable to me if worn on the back of my wrist.
The elbow has a crease, and some notes are brought out more strongly by moisture and warmth.
Also, and this is admittedly a long shot, I have some recollection of lemurs (if I remember correctly) having scent-glands at the fronts of their wrists/ankles. Perhaps all primates (including humans) carry at least vestigial apocrine-secretion activity at these points, or along the inner arm area. this too would affect fragrance development.

Answer:
If you reversed the order of application... i.e. Shalimar then Vol de Nuit on wrists but applied the Vol de Nuit first then Shalimar second in your elbow creases... yes (going by my own experiences), you would get two different scents.
When I'm playing around with scent layering I always try a combo both ways to see how different the end results are! So far, 95% of the time the scent applied last is the dominating one & the scent applied first enhances the second scent. It's definitely a changed scent but you can usually pick up familiar notes in the new combo scent. I don't think it would work if combining a light scent with a heavy scent. I try to combine scents with similar strength & sillage!
This is just my take on layering scents & where scent is concerned everyone wears it differently... And, I'm on my "L" plates, mainly mucking around for fun - except when I make a bad buy & try to combine it with something else to try & save my purchase. That's when it turns serious as I hate wasting money on a bad scent!!!

Answer:
I had applied Shalimar first on all points, decied it could use something extra and added Vol de Nuit over all points. I wasn't wearing anything to rub off the scent, so that definitely isn't it.

I shall have to investigate further...

Answer:
Originally Posted by moondeva How odd is that?! If I didn't know what I had applied and where, I would think that it was two completely different scents that I had applied on different areas of my body... Has any one else experienced this? Heavens yes!! I find a difference between the inside of the forearm and the top of the forearm. Also back of the hand v. top of the hand.
I also like to layer in stages. E.G. Frag # 1 inside(s) of arm at nine o'clock, frag #2 on the outsides of arm(s) at ten (when #1 is in dry-down). I've had a lot of fun with apps and re-apps this way - and sometimes add a third!!
Right now I'm sampling some Amouages and don't want to mess. But yesterday evening, when Ciel had almost totally quieted down (she's all fruits and flowers) I spritzed on some Blenheim Bouquet (conifers and citrus) which sort of brightened the comfy hothouse feel of Ciel.

Answer:
Yup, yup, yup.
Most scents develop quickly into the basenotes on the inside of my wrists, but they keep the top and middle notes on the backs of my hands.

Answer:
Hi Moondeva, the only other possibility that I can think of is the different ratios that the human body secretes it's natural body oils. Everyone is different but wrists would have less then your elbow creases, wrists have less heat plus hand washing. Just a thought!