I couldn't agree more. first purchased a load of material 6-7 yrs ago. was a complete mess and didn't take long before i knocked it on the head. i was putting in the time, testing and making notes on the individual materials but when blending, 10+ material, it falls apart or falls flat. As a serious hobby/venture its just too much for myself with life commitments but.......The correct "baby steps" if one wants to learn modern perfumery is to start by assembling, testing & deconstructing known-valid accords & complete (albeit simpler) fragrance formulas. Taking this route to immediate success is, IMO & IME, more exhilarating & confidence-building than mixing together nice-smelling essential oils to obtain vaguely nice-smelling mud...
Last month discovered Creative Formulas and i got the itch again haha. Chose an inspired fragrance I know and love (GIT), purchased only what is needed for the formula and I got to say, I'm having lots of fun building this. My approach has been adding one line per day and evaluating. As a complete novice its imperative you keep it fun, or it will swallow you up!
So yes, as mnitabach has advised, work to a formula! (whether an Accord or Fragrance)
