The Monday Mail is taking a brief summer vacation: look for it to return in late August. Meantime, this is an open thread for participants to share their experiences, and hopefully let us know if they found what they were looking for (or went bankrupt trying). I've sent out emails requesting feedback from everyone who took part between January and April of this year, so check back over the next few days to see what we can find out.
Here are links to the articles for each participant: Laura, Becca, Regina, Brianna, Eloise, Aleta, Anya, Mandy, Becca, Kate, Nadine, Katie, Lisa, Hannah.
Note: image "Letter box in a house-wall of San Giorgio in the community Resia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy" by Johann Jaritz, via Wikimedia.
Here is some feedback sent to me by Tracy, who participated last year:
https://nstperfume.com/2008/07/14/the-monday-mail-help-tracy-find-a-new-perfume/
First off I wanted to thank your readers–the experience was SO MUCH FUN!! I really took it to heart and spent a fortune (prob $150) on perfume samples. I was dedicated to finding that right scent. I had every intention of treating the project like a wine-tasting journal and trying each scent for a week while making notes…well, working full-time and having a small child, those intentions never came to fruition. However I did actually try all the scents I bought, which were probably 20-25 of those suggested by your readers and it worked–I found my perfect scent!! I fell completely in love with Dior Addict.
I discovered that many of the suggestions were too literal of interpretations of the notes I liked–I like wood and leather, for example, but found that after trying many of the samples that, more precisely, I like a *little* wood or leather. Most of the samples were just too strongly weighted toward one note or another–too much wood or leather or patchouli or vanilla. I tried a few of the Tom Ford’s, for instance, and they were way too literal for me. When you are a rookie like me, I found that I didn’t know enough about perfume to really describe appropriately what I liked. Luckily the examples I gave, like the L de Lolita Lempicka helped illustrate and I got some really good suggestions.
Here were the final contenders:
–Smartylicious had some final contenders with Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb (suggested Extreme but I could only find the regular–pretty close, but too sweet); and Shalimar, which was on my short-list! For a while I thought Shalimar was it.
–Celestia had a contender with Dune by Christian Dior, decided it was maybe a little too…old. Not quite right. But I liked it enough that I bought a small bottle.
–But Ida wins! She had two suggestions that made my short-list–D&G Sicily (seconded by Bartamy & Maggiecat) and the winner Dior Addict. It just goes to show that your tastes (and maybe even your chemistry?) can change over time, because I was hesitant to try Addict. I tried it years ago when it first came out and I didn’t like it. But when I tried it again, WOW! It was almost like finding my wedding dress–it was soooo perfect–I knew it when I put it on that it was the right one for me.
However, reading the review and comments on Addict from this website actually make me a little embarrased to admit my love for Addict!! Maybe my original request should have sounded more like this: “I love L de Lolita Lempicka but would really prefer something lounder and trashier…” Actually I’m not surprised I love it; it’s actually perfect for me. Acting as a corporate attorney in a Fortune 100 company while smelling like a trashy hooker is right up my rebellious alley!! 🙂 Hopefully it’s a little more “high-class call-girl,” which suits me just fine.
However, I decided after a month of wearing it that it was probably too much for work (not to mention I was wearing too much of it–it took me a while to get the amount right). So I ended up getting Coco Mademoiselle EDP for Christmas, which has a lot of the sexiness of Addict but is far more classy and elegant. Perfectly respectable, but doesn’t make me want to chew my own arm off like Addict does…because it’s just so yummmy….
Anyway, thanks so much for the experience which helped me find my Holy Grail! Sorry if some of you are disappointed in my choice, but it’s perfect for me and I thank you all (and Ida especially!) for leading me to it.
Tracy, if you are out there reading this….I don’t think anyone would ever be disappointed by one of our own finding an HG fragrance!! Coco is fabulous! That’s a wonderful choice.
And the issue (I feel) with Dior Addict is not the scent itself but the tendancy for it to be applied with excessive vigor…..so the key, as you’ve discovered, is in moderation of application. I wonder how it would be if you decanted some into a roll-on ??hmmm…worth thinking about. Thanks for giving us an update. 🙂
Tracy! You’ve been so successful in your perfume exploring that you’ve moved to the advanced class–loving and defending perfumes that the cognoscenti has dismissed! That doesn’t make you trashy–it makes you CONFIDENT. I’m not an Addict fan myself, but I’ve gone on the boards more than once to defend it, because I have a friend who smells completely divine in it. I think if you surf on over to Perfume Posse you’ll find a thread on Addict with opinions on both side of the equation. In the meantime, ENJOY!
P.S. I find it very interesting what you say about the “literal” nature of the recs. But I suppose it was useful to find out — do I *really* like wood, leather, etc? And if you ever find yourself craving more leather and less vanilla, you know where to go now!
Hi Tracy. I loved the way you described finding your HG scent!
“WOW! It was almost like finding my wedding dress–it was soooo perfect–I knew it when I put it on that it was the right one for me.”
That is the absolute perfect description of the excitement I feel too! – thanks for making me smile for the rest of the day now!
I also like Dior Addict- applied lightly- and always have a bottle in my collection. Most of my favorites have also been given a bad-ish review. I also find it a bit embarassing to admit to liking them. But what the heck-we all have different tastes- thank goodness!
HI! In reviewing this thread, I am reminded of all the perfumes I want to re-visit 🙂
I DID end up ordering a bottle of En Passant and I love!!! smelling like a lilac tree buy I am sorry that it doesn’t last a bit longer.
I might pick up another bottle of Baby Doll when I am at the Perfumania outlet in NY next month and I think I will grab a bottle of Hanae Mori for winter.
I tried as many of the suggestions as I could, and I am not stopping.
I DID try the Moschino’s but they didn’t mix well with my skin, although the smell was nice.
As for the Juicy Couture, I will grab a bottle of Viva La Juicy, I liked that one.
Paris was lovely, but too heavy for me, unfortunately.
I found the Chance to be somewhat sour on me, and tried all the Bond scents. Some were nice, but nothing that screamed BUY ME!!
There are quite a few FM scents that I will be ordering samples of. And I really liked SL’s Louve but I think it is a bit too sweet to wear as a perfume.
I tried the Hermes Vanille Galante but it wasn’t for me, I didn’t really smell any vanilla.
I have a few of the Lavanillas, all nice, but they turn very sweet on me quickly.
I will still be trying Annick Goutal, and Ormond Jayne.
I tried the Kenzos – wasn’t too thrilled with them.
There were so many great suggestions, for now I wear the FM all the time but will be revisiting these ideas for some time.
This was so much fun and I thank you all for helping me!!
Mandy
Hello everyone!
I’m Monday Nadine.
Warmest thanks again to Robin and all you lovely people who sent in your ideas for me. I agree with Tracy in that being on the Monday Mail was loads of fun and really quite exciting.
I’m still working my way through all the fragrances you recommended, though I’ve sniffed quite a few of them already, albeit superficially (I plan to revisit those, as I tend to enter a dept. store hungry and greedy as always, and will sniff and sniff, even when my nose is so polluted I should just back away graciously).
Will tune in again with a more in-depth account soon.
Bises
N
In a way I’m sad that I knew so little about what I like and don’t like when I was on the Monday Mail, as I think I would be able to provide you all with a more specific profile now… (At the moment I like dirrrty musk and jasmine, but that might change again as I’m also opening up to the possibility of enjoying notes I thought I didn’t like.)
But then the reason I understand my own likes and dislikes a lot better now is because of your suggestions, which really sparked my interest to acquaint myself with niche houses I had never heard of before. For realz!
I have a long list of recommendations, so here’s just a selection of some of the things I’ve tried:
-Andy Tauer
Maroc pour elle: I think I’m a wuss when it comes to bone-dry scents… I admire this (for it’s telekinetic vacationista transporting qualities – har!) but can’t imagine wearing it regularly.
-Annick Goutal
I like Duel, Mandragore (pour homme) and Les Nuits d’Hadrien, but not enough to wear regularly.
I also tested Songes (wasn’t a recommendation), but discovered that I don’t dig the tropical holiday flowers thing all that much.
-Caron
I quite like the entire line (especially Narcisse Noir, Parfum SacrĂ©, Nocturnes — the one I didn’t like so much is Bellodgia which is too dusky and vintagey for me) but there wasn’t one particular perfume that tugged at my heart strings.
-Fifi Chachnil
Too womanly, royal comfort, hot baked buns and warm feather bed for me.
-Lorenzo Villoresi
Donna: liked it, very melodramatic, but the rose was overwhelming.
Teint de neige: much too gourmand for my taste; I don’t really groove on gourmand comfort fragrances (SL Louve was a scrubber for me).
-Serge Lutens
I explored this line again prompted by your suggestions, and so far I love A La Nuit best. I also really want to try MKK and Sarrasins, but will wait till I visit my family in Paris to do so.
Datura Noir was a recommendation and I got hold of a sample, but it’s too creamy and dreamy for me, almsot a scrubber I’m sorry to say.
Some of you unleashed some beastly lemmings for things I still haven’t tested: some of the more obscure Guerlains you recommended; Manoumalia by Les Nez; a few Parfums MDCI (yikes!); the Ormonde Jayne line; L’ombre Fauve by PG, which is apparently only available to PG customers??; Roja Dove fragrances and Rubj by Verno Kern. I’m also keen to try CB I Hate Perfume and Parfums de Nicolai as well as do a more in-depth exploration of Comme des Garcons (like it a lot so far, but have only visited the line very superficially).
Humm, I’m really looking for a heartbreaker, or holy grail if you like, even if the HG changes every few months… So thanks to everyone who chimed in, it’s been really fun so far!
Bises
n
I love to read these follow ups. Tracy, I don’t think anyone will be disappointed by your new love. I always laugh when I read the reviews of some of my (in my opinion) low brow favorites like Ralph Rocks and some of the super fruity Escadas. I’ll have to try Addict, and I do agree that Coco Mlle is nice for work. One persons trashy is another persons just right:)
One person’s trashy is another person’s just right–LOVE IT! Yes! I think it’s all about chemistry and what suits your personality. I have a friend who wears the Britney Spears perfumes, and they smell wonderful on her. Plus, she bubbly and hilarious, and smelling fruity suits her. (Although I realize that didn’t sound very complimentary…) As someone who could pass for 40 when I was 14 (and you can do the math to figure out where I’m at now), young and sweet never works on me. Which isn’t to say that going contrary to your personality doesn’t work, because that can be fabulous, too.
i’m babbling. Either I’ve had too much coffee or not enough. Oh..wait…this is decaf. Hmm…
I’m Hannah….
I still have a lot of recommendations that I need to try but I did get to
L’Artisan Dzing!
L’Artisan Tea for Two
L’Artisan Dzongkha
Montale Black Aoud
Lalique Encre Noire
Serge Lutens Serge Noire
CdG Leaves: Tea
Les Néréides Imperial Opoponax
Le Labo Patchouli 24
CdG 2
My favorites were: CdG Leaves Tea, L’Artisan Tea for Two and Le Labo Patchouli 24.
I’m considering getting a bottle of Tea for Two, but I want to try more of my recommendations first.
I really like Dior Addict too. Far from being call-girl/hookery I find it pure class.
I’m not in this cycle, but decided to chime in since I missed the time when my article was discussed:
https://nstperfume.com/2008/08/04/the-monday-mail-help-ksenia-find-a-new-perfume/
I’ve been quite on a sampling kick, started by the recommendations you guys provided (thanks!). I sampled about 60% of fragrances recommended to me in the post above. (In total, I sampled about 600 fragrances, and the list is still growing).
I found out that the ‘criteria’ I had given did not really match my tastes, or my tastes changed as I become more exposed to different types of scents I encountered while sampling. In fact, I don’t really like ‘green’ fragrances or care much for classic chypre compositions. I also discovered that I like amber quite a bit, especially dark or incense amber, and I sampled quite a few. Incense is an interesting group, although I try to stay away from the “churchy” ones. Anything vetiver-based was not to my taste as it was a bit too “cologny” in my mind.
Here are the fragrances I really liked from those that were recommended to me (meaning, “I can see myself owning a bottle of this”):
Chanel 28 La Pausa
Chanel 31 Rue Cambon
Chanel Bel Respiro
Chanel Bois de Isles
Divine L’Homme de Coeur
L’Artisan Dzongkha (this one I bought)
Le Labo 39
MPG Iris Bleu Gris
Parfums de Nicolai Odalisque
Tauer L’Air du Desert Marocain
My favorite turned out to be with woody & gourmands notes, orientals, and I’m also in love with opoponax.
I was a bit surprised that I liked Chanel/Les Exclusifs as much as I did (plus Coromondel). In my further sampling, I really liked: Parfum d’Empire (Osmanthus, Equistrius, Ambre Russe, Cuir Ottoman — would not mind a full bottle of each). I also sampled quite a few Guerlains, with my favorites being Après L’ondĂ©e, Bois d’ArmĂ©nie, Iris Ganache and Oriental Brulant. Some of other ones that I would not mind a bottle of are (in random order): Indult Tihota, Hermèssence Osmanthe Yunnan, Martine Micallef Note AmbrĂ©e, Aroma M Geisha Noire, Parfums de NicolaĂŻ Vanille-Tonka, Tauer Une Rose ChyprĂ©e, Donna Karan Essence: Wenge; Farmacia SS. Annunziata Ambra Nera; Sonoma Scent Studio Wood Violet; Profumo.it Rose de Bois.
PS — I finally tried Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist but did not quite like it.
You are making me laugh with this list, which says not — “I like certain notes”–but “I have become a full-fledged perfumista”! I keep looking over your loves, trying to find a connecting style (you love the classic structure, you love elegance, etc.) but I think…you just love perfume. Which is so great.
I am still working through my list. I have been struggling financially this year, so my sample buying hasn’t been as much as I would like,
It’s strange, because I said I wanted a *little* green in my fragrance and people kinda started to go off on a tangent and list very green fragrances. However, most of the suggestions were great and helpful. Now that I know more about perfume, I feel like I could narrow down my wants and dislikes more…oh well.
I love helping people and doing a little research when needed. I learn so much from reading other’s too.
So far my favorite fragrance is still Cruel Gardenia..it wasn’t mentioned at the time because I got a bad decant of it. It doesn’t really smell like any flower in existence but it should exist to me.
Thanks
-Becca
HEY!
I’m the Laura!
I was on vacation on Monday so sorry for the Friday post.
I went through the perfumed court and got some of the fragrances mentioned – not all, because I did go a little crazy and it was up to $300 when I looked and had to cut back.
Here’s what I smelled:
Ormonde Jayne, Ormonde Woman
Chanel 31 Rue Cambon
I Hate Perfume, Black March
Dior, Diorella
Bond #9 Silver Factory
Bois Blond
Verino VV Platnium
There were so many others I haven’t touched on – but mostly because season changed, and I have been sticking with some of my old standbys for the summer, as I did look for something sexy in January.
I also moved BACK to Calif, and am no longer in the PNW. Which makes me want some lighter scents, but this might change as I said – once Winter comes back.
So I loved pretty much them all! Thank you to the person who said to try Bois Blond, as it did remind me of the wet dry grasses in California, a smell that I adore.
But the winner?? Ormonde Woman, no contest! That stuff is amazing. But I kind of knew I’d want it, as I was thinking about it even before my Monday Mail post.
I did enjoy the roughness of I Hate Perfume, and am thinking of delving more into that line. I have so many perfume I love that feel like they are missing “something” and I thinking combining some of IHP’s absolutes with my perfumes my give them added kick!
There is a new line for DSquared coming out (March 2009 and Sept 2009) and I was so disappointed in HeWood the first time around – I am crossing my finger that HeWood Rocky Mountain is like what people day: A hike through mountain rains….which sounds up my alley.
Plus I took a sniff of the new Estee Lauder Private Collection Jasmine White Moss, and I was shocked that I didn’t like it. It smelled too much like other green chypres I have, and the strong citrus beginning really turned me off. Has anyone else noticed the strong lemony top notes this season?
I am looking forward to smelling Prada’s new Ambree. It might be too warm for me, but I am very curious. I have also found out in sniffing – I’m liking sandalwoods, and frankencense ALOT. So I’m searching around for some of those this Fall.
Thanks a bunch.
Oh and I already own Bulgari Black – and it is wonderful….in a wearing my CFM boots way
PS – I like how on my Monday mail – one of my tags are “Sexy”….a category I am now proud to be in! THX!
Hi there, it’s Jill who wanted the wedding perfume! And I’m still looking but have narrowed it down and feel able to abandon my beloved Habanita for the day 🙂
So I think it’s going to be Sous le Vent, Narcisse Noir or Carnal Flower. I am sure I’ll have decided by then!! Thank you all for your advice, I had a wonderful time trying out different recommendations over a few weekends (after all choosing perfume, like love, can’t be rushed 🙂 )
Now I just need to stay the right size for the dress and all should be well!!
Oh thanks for the feedback! Happy sniffing! 🙂 🙂