This is an open thread for participants in the Monday Mail articles to share their experiences, and hopefully let us know if they found what they were looking for (or went bankrupt trying). I'm sending out emails tonight requesting feedback from everyone who took part between May and August 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:
Sheena, Nick, Amara, Mona, Jill, Jess, Jan, Chris & Alexandra, Christie, Liza
Note: image "Letter box in a house-wall of San Giorgio in the community Resia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy" by Johann Jaritz, via Wikimedia.
I’m posting this for Aleta, who missed our last feedback post. She was in the MM in February:
https://nstperfume.com/2009/02/23/the-monday-mail-help-aleta-find-a-new-violet-perfume/
And here is her feedback:
I was on vacation during the Monday Mail feedback that applied to
me and I felt silly posting on it two weeks late, but the violet
fragrances I tried:
Guerlain Apres L’Ondee – pretty! but more iris than violet on me. I
wore it on a rare warm camping trip in April, the air was warm but the ground was frozen in places – it was amazing. I might wear this for my wedding.
Les Nez The Unicorn Spell – almost perfect, it smelled like warm
summer greenbeans and cool violets right up until it blasted syrupy sweet tea two hours in.
L’Artisan Verte Violette – the perfect sweet but not saccharine
violet, but only lasts an hour.
Penhaligon’s Violetta – this might be the one, it’s a bit spicier and
more powdery than L’Artisan’s on me but the lasting power is hours better. Thanks again for including me in the Monday Mail, it was wonderful!
I also get string beans from The Unicorn Spell. String beans and violets. I didn’t leave it on long enough to get to the tea stage…
I really appreciated all the suggestions that people made for me, I was looking for a fragrance with some originality and people suggested fragrances I had never heard of (still new to the niche market).
I ended up trying about 20 of the suggestions, and have plans to try more.
10 Corso Como – I loved this scent and got numerous compliments when I wore it.
Terre D’Hermes – This is now my go to “fancy” fragrance, when I have a wedding or something to go to, I love it, but I dont think I would wear it everyday.
Parfumerie Generale Bois Blond – A great scent and definately something I have worn numerous times and was upset when my sample ran out
Parfumerie Generale L’Eau Guerriere – This was the one!!! I love love love this scent and cannot thank everyone enough for suggesting it! I get compliments and I absolutely love it.
There were a few other suggestions that really werent for me, but overall I loved the whole process. the sourcing samples, trying each one, and of course, finding the great ones. Thanks to everyone who made suggestions and to Robin for giving me the opportunity!
Feedback from Mona:
Ok
I didn’t get a chance to sample all your recommendations, but I have the list in my purse so I can get through it each time I go shopping..
In Saudi Arabia, I got amazing musks and oudhs from the local companies, as Robin R recommended. They are actually my favourites because they smell warm and mysterious & gorgeous. There was this
man who’d make the perfume IN FRONT of me (!!!!!)..like he’d chop up the ingredients..blocks of sandalwood and musk and stuff..and pour different vials in the mix, sniff, discard until he got the perfect blend–it was an incredible experience, so thank you for the advice <3
The bottles are also as beautiful as the 'itrs & oudhs 🙂
Rose Kashmirie – Soft gorgeousness, comforting & very balanced & harmonious<3 Signature & holy grail status. I also like the name since my family's originally from Kashmir 🙂
Bois de Iles – classy and lyrical <3 Have a sample..gotta buy it soon!
Narciso Rodriguez for Her – Very interesting, it has this spicy edge & the warmth = addictive
Estee Lauder Ylang Ylang – Had never heard of Ylang ylang before, due to this perfume I got interested in it, and sought out more stuff containing it. Went to the store LUSH and found some products containing it..apparently it has cosmetic properties too, so I get my perfumista & beauty fix in one go 🙂
Tom Ford Black Orchid – There was something a bit off (rancide?) to this? I dunno but I didn't buy it..thanks anyway
Thank u everyone for the kind advice, as I could not embark on the perfume journey alone. You guys made it less overwhelming
xoxox
Feedback from Jess:
I haven’t placed an order for samples since sending in my Monday Mail application, so I’ve had to rely on my local perfume counters. I ended up picking up Dior Midnight Poison and Floris China Rose, though only the former was suggested to me. I still plan to explore every one suggested, though!
I tried Ysatis, but it was too “spicy” for me. I remember reading that it contained clove, which is normally a dealbreaker for me – I hate it – which is why I was so surprised that I fell in love with Floris China Rose.
Tried and liked Dune, but not quite enough to bring a bottle home with me – same goes for Magie Noir.
But yes- as soon as I can, I plan on ordering samples of just about everything recommended to me. Til then, though, I’ve got Midnight Poison and China Rose to hold me over. 🙂
Thank you again to Robin and everyone who took the time to write in. I’m tremendously grateful for all of the thoughtful suggestions.
I was looking for a perfume to replace Magie Noire, which I’d worn for many years. At the time I wrote in, I wore only three perfumes: Magie Noire, Black Cashmere, and Mitsouko. At this point, I’ve tried over half of the 100 or so perfumes suggested and am still making my way though the list. Possibly, I’ll have tried them all by the end of the next Monday Mail cycle. (A new batch of samples just came in this week!)
It became clear early on that I wasn’t going to find another perfume that really “replaced” vintage Magie Noire, but that there were other scents I could enjoy wearing. Of those suggested, my favorites so far are Coco, Paloma Picasso, Timbuktu, and Yatagan. To my mind, Coco and Paloma both have the sexiness of vintage MN; Timbuktu evokes a similar aura of mystery. I’ve also fallen for a few other perfumes I stumbled across in my explorations, notably Tabac Blond.
I’ve had a wonderful time exploring and, although I don’t feel knowledgeable enough to comment very often, I continue to follow Now Smell This faithfully. It’s a wonderful community as well as a great source of information.
You certainly don’t have to be knowledgeable to comment! Just chime on in!
That’s what’s so great about this site. You don’t need a Ph.D to fit in. I noticed everyone is welcome. We are all on different levels, yet we all are united as one thing- perfumistas.
Hi everyone! Just to add a dimension to the never-ending quest for “the” scent. I have been getting some really unique and unusual perfumes from a company in NY that imports fragrance oils from the Middle East – not the cheap “chanel-like” knockoffs, but some authentic stuff with semi-pronounceable names that may strike you as wierd or unwearable at first. It is like learning a new language, only in smell – a wonderful experience even for a seasoned perfumista.
That brings up an interesting point, because I was looking at some websites that sell “attars” from India and I was pretty intrigued but didn’t know if the perfumes are ligitimate or knock-offs. If anyone knows of any websites that sell interesting (and quality) middle-eastern or indian fragrances let me know.
Hi Minnie,
I recently discovered oils from a company called Madini. A company in Seattle named Talisman imports them, they have several oils that are nice. In particular, I really like the Ambergris-a salty musk, and Olive Flower, a powdery amber-citrus-opoponax scent that is really lovely. All come in oil formulation and last many hours.
Thank you Smokeytoes (and I love your kitty picture)! Will I be able to find that online if I google the name? The website I was looking at the other day is called “Nemat” and it also looks good, but I am trying to decide if I want to order from them. I will definitely check out Madini.
Hi Minnie, Here’s the website.
http://madini.com/
The customer service person (John) was so helpful in assisting me find scents that agreed with me. And they have a sample program too.
You might try oriscent.com — i cannot attest to the quality of their oud, but i did like very much one of the scents i bought. also, their customer service was great!
Hi lanuit,
I like oils. Would you mind sharing your source? I’m on MUA as SFLizbeth.
Thanks!
Hi Smokeytoes,
I am not sure I know what MUA is, I have been a closet perfume collector for a long time, and I am just coming out of the woods now 🙂
I buy from The Ultimate Fragrance, they have a website which is not half as good as the stuff they sell, many oils are not listed. I bought some 5ml vials, they came with samples, I emailed the owner and described my preferences, and got more oil amd more samples, and so on. A 1 oz bottle is a better buy, between $25 and $45 ‘worth of pure fragrance, alcohol-free.
My favorites are Saudi White Musk (like no musk I’ve smelled before, warm green leaves), Attar Oman (light, fresh flowers, best to start with), VC, Sparta Rose,Tunisian frankincense, Black Orchid, Royal Oud (eeeexpensive), Jamila, Bakhour, Mukalat Shabab and a bunch of others. I am not sure about the forum rules about links, but googling the name should do the trick.
I tried the Al-Haramain loose perfume oils from Al-Munawwara Perfumes (quality not as nice) as well as Surkan from Aromatic Attars and Oils (Indian) on *bay. Neither one impressed me.
Good luck,
you are welcome to email me at olyaryan@gmail.com if you have questions.
Oops-MUA is MakeupAlley, sorry about that!
Thanks for the info-and for the mini reviews about the scents you liked. They sound like something I’d like to try, especially the Saudi White Musk. Sounds wonderful!
Follow up from Alexandra & Chris
Thanks to everyone who offered excellent suggestions for Chris. He ended up with a full bottle of Fou d’Absinthe, but he also now enjoys selecting from the wide array of samples we acquired along the way. Other big winners from this exercise were:
Let Me Play the Lion
Ormonde Man
Bulgari Black
Dzing!
SMN Nostalgia
L’Homme Sage
Tam Dao
Terre D’Hermes
Some surprising misses:
* Nicolai NY – nice close to the skin, but I got 100% Lysol at a distance (brought back memories of an aging incontinent dog I had as a teenager – not very romantic)
* Bigarade Concentree – lasted roughly 2 seconds and was only so-so on him, BUT great on me and is now on my wishlist 🙂
* Chanel Cuir de Russie – as above, turned out to be better for me than him
* Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan – the good news – lasted forever, the bad news – lasted forever
We’ve found some fantastic fragrances and still have a long list of more to try 🙂
Posted for Amara:
I wanted to let you know how my search worked out. By no means am I done, because there are still plenty of scents I need to try. However, I did chip away at the recommendations that were given to me by my fellow readers. I approached it by making a list at first, then doing some research on the scents that seemed most interesting to me. Then, I bought some decants.
I tried Kelly Caleche. I did not love it, but it’s something to wear if I am craving something crisp and green.
I tried and loved Lalique’s Encre Noir. Oh, this was indeed a good find. In the future, I’ll be buying a full bottle.
I tried Parfums de Nicolai Odalisque. This was fantastic. One of the readers had mentioned it was kind of halfway between Cristalle and Apres l’Ondee, and they were spot on. This is fantastic. Another one I’ll need to purchase in a full bottle.
Chanel No. 19 was also great and I’m really enjoying it when I wear it now and then.
The big winner, however, was Gucci Envy in eau de toilette. I hadn’t gotten a decant of this one at first, but recently was perusing the perfume offerings at TJ Maxx and noted that there was a heavily discounted and very large bottle on the shelf. I ran back home and checked my list…sure enough, it was on there. I rushed back and the bottle was still for sale (how fortunate) so I snatched it up and bought it. I don’t generally buy things totally unsniffed, but this was different. I am so happy I did. This is easily my new signature and I don’t think I would have tried it without the NST readers!
So…many thanks to everyone, and to you for giving me a crack at the Monday Mail. 🙂
Amara