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've sent out emails requesting feedback from everyone who took part between January through 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:
Jennifer, Ruby, Erin, Az, Lea, Andreja, Sam, Melissa, Laura, Fabio, Michelle, Issy, Lizzie, Jeremy, Tom
Note: image "Letter box in a house-wall of San Giorgio in the community Resia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy" by Johann Jaritz, via Wikimedia.
This is a feedback email from Lucy, who participated back in 12/10:
https://nstperfume.com/2010/11/29/the-monday-mail-help-lucy-find-a-new-perfume/
I’m grateful to the Now Smell This Monday Mail readers for giving me my new signature scent! My profile posted in December and I got a bit data-obsessed with the responses; I made a spreadsheet listing all of the suggested scents, prioritized by the number of readers who suggested or seconded them. Then I read up on the top-suggested fragrances, and once I’d learned their notes, ingredients, and the categories or language around them, I found another handful of scents online that seemed similar enough to test-drive, too. I ordered 7-10 samples from a site that sells decants, and while I liked a few of them, I absolutely *loved* the one that had received by far the most recommendations from NST readers– L’Artisan’s Tea for Two. The minute I put it on, I knew I’d found my new daily fragrance. I didn’t want to wear anything else, and now I don’t feel dressed without it. It garners regular compliments, too. So in the end, the Monday Mail’s democratic consensus won out, I got an education on what I like in fragrances, and now I have a scent that makes me feel great every day. Thanks so much to Robin and the whole NST community!
– Lucy
This is brilliant – I’ve always wondered how Monday Mail participants deal with the scores of enticing recommendations – and congratulations, Lucy, on finding the right scent!
What a wonderfully systematic approach! I’m so glad you found something to love, Lucy!
And this is a feedback email from Lucas, who participated more recently, in June:
https://nstperfume.com/2011/06/27/the-monday-mail-help-lucas-find-a-new-fragrance/
Taking part in NST monday mail was a really interesting. When my post showed up, on 27 june 2011, during other few days I was given a lot of recommendations. 39 comments in total, suggesting more than 40 perfumes to try. I was shocked, surprised and pleased that I was given so many. After rewriting all the perfum names on my to-smell list, my real hunter story begins. A few positions had to be deleted from my list because of the fact that are unavailable in Poland (eg. The Heeley Menthe.) Another positions, like escentric molecules or itasca, though available in Poland, were far to expensive for me, so I decided not to order samples of those fragrances, so (as for now) I wouldn’t know what I’m missing.
After clearing my list, there were like twenty-few positions to check, to give them a deep whiff. Some popular fragrances like Gucci pour Homme, Marc Jacobs Bang, some suggested Diors – i tried them at my favourite Sephora, but only Bang seemed to whisper very quietly to my “fragrant soul.” Later something unusual happened. Many of you suggested Pour un Homme de Caron as a good fragrance for me. And after just reading your votes for that one I was quite into it. I read some reviews of Pour un Homme and felt quite a deep connection with it. This may sound weird, but somewhere deep within me I felt, that it might be one of “fragrances just for me.” I didn’t find PuH in Sephora, Douglas nor in smaller perfume shops. That was disappointing. Then I made my decision on blind-buying without giving it a try. It was a great decision. I found for my self lovely 125ml bottle (smaller amounts weren’t available) of PuH de Caron on allegro, which is adequate to ebay. I gave 29 dollars for this one, hoping not to get disappointed when it arrives. Two days later it was safe and sound home. Immediately tried it. After I sprayed it on my wrists and gave it a deep “dive” a wonderful lavender attacked me giving me a feeling like I was having a walk around lavender plantations in Italy, France or Bulgaria. When vanilla woke up after some time, it smelled like freshly baked vanilla cookies. If I felt this vanilla sleeping, i’d probably try to bite the wearer.
So here the story ends, on this shelf of mine, where my two Pradas and Police Pure DNA stand next to brand new green bottle of Pour un Homme de Caron. It was fairly cheap, so I guess I’l try to get one more new fragrance.
Thank you very much for your fragrance support, and for reading this. Sharing this story with you is a pleasure. Hugs for all of you!
This is a true perfume love story – congratulations, Lucas!
Great report, Lucas! Pour Un Homme is SO beautiful!
Hey everyone! I’m Melissa of “beach-at-night” fragrance quest fame.
So far, I haven’t found precisely what I’m looking for, but it’s quite possible that’s because no such scent exists. I have this bad habit of wanting something that only exists in my head and then searching endlessly for it. Drives my husband insane. 😉
That said, I’ve tried a LOT of the suggested scents — Bronze Goddess, Amaranthine, Manoumalia, Intense Tiare, Do Son, Lostmarch Aod, A La Nuit, Datura Noir, Fleurs d’Oranger, Fleur de Corail, Jennifer Aniston, Michael Kors, Dune. None was *exactly* what I had in mind, though I really liked quite a few — in fact, I’m wearing Manoumalia now. And, while I didn’t care for Jennifer Aniston (reminded me of ’70s soap, like Tone or Caress), my mom LOVED it & made it her new signature scent.
I still have many I want to try — the Ormonde Jayne ones, Eau Claire des Merveilles, Fire Island, Beach, Acquiilssssima, Carnal Flower, Tiempe Passat, Vanitas, Mahora/Mayotte, and Beige to name a few. I’ll report back if one of them turns out to be “the one.”
The whole process has been so fun! I’ve discovered so many new scents & houses I never would have even known about before. The response I received was truly incredible — so thoughtful and creative. Thanks to everyone who participated!
So glad it was fun even if you didn’t find your holy grail perfume!
I am very glad I had participated in The Monday Mail. Excellent suggestions by all – the one most suggested BdI was TOO close to what I already have, ie. the No5 and the Eau Premiere I found out was exactly like my No.5 Sensual Exilir, just in a different form.
Many of the ‘spicy’/cumin scents suggested were nice…but, damning with faint praise here, a little ho-hum. I was a little surprised with my reaction to the ‘niche’ spectrum – LLRose31 was nice, Absolue pour le Soir was nice….you get the picture :D. MKK merited an “uh-huh, that’s it?” so maybe my nose is not just developed enough?
I ended up getting Gucci Pour Homme, which fit the bill exactly. Wearing the heck out of it, especially this summer….but it had stood up well to cold weather too. So kudos elise, who suggested it. And a great big thank you.
Of course, I could not test everything on the list (yet!) but I have enjoyed the past months of testing. In the course of swapping for samples on the list (and meeting lovely, utterly generous people), I have stumbled upon more loves that had not what I THOUGHT I liked. That, for me, had been the best part of the Monday Mail – having starting off points that ended up being a journey to the unknown and discovering a love for things I thought I hated or had not even thought I might have liked. Thank you all for the comments.
Another email, this one from Jennifer:
This is “Jennifer”– I participated in Monday Mail back in January.
I have to say, I’m actually still making my way through all the great suggestions! It’s funny, because some scents were so great that I just had to go off on a tangent and do some exploring. For example, SSS Champgne de Bois: I’m so glad I didn’t give up on this line after just trying Tabac Aurea…because CdB was awesome! It’s warm, inviting, woody, and a bit musky and spicy, without having that (to me) cloying sweetness of Tabac Aurea. So now, I’m completely hooked on SSS and sandalwood scents!
Here are some other suggestions that really worked for me:
-Etat Libre d’Orange’s Like This: So, so fabulous! It’s quiet yet beautiful, quirky yet comforting. I love how the citrusy neroli balances out the pumpkin. I might have to explore neroli scents next.
-Traversee du Bosphore: Another great one. It’s a teeny bit too fruity-sweet at the beginning (which is ok because I don’t mind fruity & sweet and it’s not a sugary kind of sweet) but towards the end, becomes this gorgeous leathery-smoky-vanilla fragrance. The only thing is, the fruity-sweet dies down hours and hours later on my skin– if the smokiness would set in earlier, this would be the perfect fragrance.
-Comme des Garcons’ White: It’s quite masculine and spicy on me, but still very wearable. My husband thinks it smells like curry, but is that really such a bad thing? 😉
There were a lot of other great ones (and a lot more I haven’t gotten around to trying yet), but these four are my favorites so far. This has been a very fun and educational journey– I learned that I really shouldn’t write off certain notes just because they didn’t work for me before. Also, I have a tendency to lean towards a certain fragrance type when trying out new scents, so I’m glad Monday Mail helped me branch out a little bit.
Thank you everyone for your thoughtful suggestions!
Hi, Lizzie here. Firstly I want to say a huge thank you to everyone for your suggestions. I had A BALL smelling everything and had the pleasure of discovering some truly beautiful perfumes (Vetiver Extraordinaire, Tam Dao,  Bois des Iles, Jour Ensoleille) and this process was the starting point for a very surprising ‘scent journey’ for me. To cut a long story short, after much sampling, I ended up feeling most at home in natural perfumes, which led to a curiosity about the raw materials (the ‘breath’ of real gardenia flowers, antique clove oil, the essence of baked earth from the banks of the Ganges in a bottle? Yes please!!). And now my Dad tells me there is a native tree whose sap smells like raspberry jam. I have to track that down.Â
So from being a ‘casual perfume user’ I seem to be well on the way to ‘smell geek’. As for a new perfume, Aftelier’s ‘Tango’ speaks to me in a way I can’t really describe, but somehow I don’t think I’ll be stopping with just one new perfume…
Hi All! Erin (of books, sweat, and bourbon) here! I found not one, but multiple new fragrances, and am particularly happy with the variety I’m coming to enjoy. I ordered many (many) samples of the recommendations that sounded appealing, and happily (well, usually) smelled my way through them for months.
I was looking for something winter-appropriate, and first I found (and bought after sampling) Eau des Merveilles–the amber and relative (to what I normally like) sweetness and complexity of it made it suited the cold, for me. It’s interesting to me that other reviews of it often assign it to warmer weather, I can see it a tiny bit with the salty aspect (which I love), but otherwise, it’s too heavy. I suppose that’s just the end of the spectrum I tend to inhabit.
Also for chilly weather, I discovered that Hiris was a fragrance that partakes of coldness but seems to work with the cooler weather without leaving you actually cold. I love the cold dirty root opening in particular. It’s kind of soft, slightly sweet, and contemplative, with warmth far underneath.
My favorite of all is Hermes Vetiver Tonka. I want to live in it, all the time. My husband got me the discovery set with two Vetivers, one Osmanthus (my current summer favorite), and Vanille (also lovely). Vetiver Tonka is gorgeous–the balance and richness with something slightly prickly, really without being too anything-in-particular, is magical. Ellena is indeed my man.
Two I will get later are L’eau d’Hiver and Philosykos–both of which feel requisite, but not all at once given the others I’ve acquired. (Olivia Giacobetti is apparently my lady, given Hiris and Philosykos).
All the sampling really changed my perception of what I like. I discovered vetiver (!!!) and hay/straw scents, and that the iris I like is the cold kind, and that I do sometimes like sweeter fragrances, if they’re balanced by other elements. I still don’t enjoy big statement perfumes, though I’m beginning, slowly, to understand them.
Thanks for the help, everyone!
I love hay, straw, and iris too, and love Chanel Sycomore. I apologize in advance for this comment, as I know your Monday Mail was a while ago and you’ve already been inundated with scent suggestions, but I think you might like Psychotrope. It’s not got hay, straw, or iris notes, but it’s got a super unique chilliness to it that really took me aback — in a positive way. Anyway, I’ve been meaning to try Hiris, as I simply can’t get enough iris lately. Though I’d like a wee bit more earth in it, I’ve been practically bathing in Prada Infusion D’Iris these past months, it’s just gorgeous.
Thanks so much to everyone who chimed in! It’s always interesting to see what happened after the deluge of advice.
Yes!!! I agree. Great to get the followup on these.
Hi everyone, this is Issy. My mail was posted back in March.
I consider myself lucky that I had a chance to be in the Monday mail article. Not just that I found so many wonderful new perfumes but I also found my long lost love gurlain Après L’Ondée at the Neiman Marcus in San Francisco. Thanks a lot to those of you who came up with lots of great ideas. I knew so little about perfume when I started I hardly knew what to ask for or how to describe what I liked but ever since that I’ve learned so much about perfume.
As suggested I went to Barney’s in downtown SF. And the moment I entered the basement, I was like a little girl in a candy shop. The SAs were super nice and generous, they gave me a bunch of samples from Frederic Malle, The Differet Co. and Heeley. I immediately tried Birgarade Concentree as the most suggested one, but unfortunately it didn’t really work out on me :(.
My favorites are TDC De Bachmakov and Bergamote, Frederic Malle L’Eau d’Hiver. I fell in love with L’Artisan L’eau de L’Artisan. It’s so bright and fresh and really makes me happy. Hermes Osmanthe Yunnan – I really love this one that I almost bought a big bottle from the Hermes boutique but unfortunately it doesn’t have good staying power on me. Chanel No. 19, and Bois de Ilse, they are just beautiful.
I also tried the Heeley line. They are pretty nice, but not quite love them. Maybe I just need more time to explore them more.
I still haven’t got a chance to try the Sonoma Scent Studio line, which a lot of you suggested .
I was lucky that most of the suggestions worked out pretty well. I even braved myself to buy a bottle of Bois de Ilse unsniffed (gasp!) but I never regretted it because I fell in love with it the minute I put it on.
Hi there! I’m Andreja and as I struggled over the suggestions you made I found some pretty gems along all this. I must say I haven’t been able to try all on the suggestion list, so Ormonde Jane and Sonoma Scent Studio are still on my list to be tested. I must say there wasn’t one bad perfume in the bunch, but I’m still looking for the one. As I had the opportunity to attend Esxence in Milan I was able to try a lot of perfumes and there were even more of them I couldn’t try because there were too many. At this fair perfume Kiki stood out of all I’d tried. Maybe because I tried it on the beginning. That one is the one. Unfortunately the price is not so nice.
Of all your suggestions I bought Etro’s Shaal Nur and Idole de Lubin, Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois (I’m still eager to get the original version from Shiseido), Chanel Coco parfum is on my buy list, also No.19. I tried several Guerlains and I seem to be a Guerlain soul. If I ever get the opportunity to smell it’s vintages I guess I’ll be the happiest girl on the world. Many of perfumes were to light or too fresh or more on masculine side, like Askew. must say that the line of Les Nez is really quite special. I liked even Manoumalia although I’m not a fan of tiare flower and Let me Play the lion is specia and I should buy it for that and it really represents desert in pure way. I’m transporting myself into the African grass steppe in dry season with lions lurking around the corner when I’m wearing it. Nice! I guess I would shit myself in pants if the lions were really there, but just for the impression. Quite different from Tauers L’Air du Desert Marocain. That’s the desert mixed with spices, flowers and life in souk. It has some masculine accent to me and my darling will get this one as on him it smells gorgeous! And from time to time I will be able to spray myself too ;-). Thanks to you folks, my man benefits from this project. He gets all the samples I think he would or I would like him to wear. And best of all he tells his opinion honestly.
Among digging for the new “THE PERFUME” I found Tauers Carillon pour un Ange which is great. I like lilly of the valley a lot, more than Rose Chypree proposed by you. All the Tauer’s line is great except for Zeta. I can’t befriend with it no matter how I try.
I tried many incenses and Kyoto stands out for being special more cadar variety. I was surprised I liked Heeley’s Cardinal it is blended so you can wear it also outside the church or Christmas and Easter holidays. Tauer’s Incense Extreme and Incense Rose are more warm versions of I would say cold Kyoto and Cardinal.
I could write here for hours so this is just for the slightest impression of what I did and I mus say it was (is still) exhausting. But in a good way like when you are doing what you like or love. And I love perfumes. For the conclusion of this I would say that of all options mentioned by you L’Air du Desert Marocain stands out of all for me. But as I said. That is just me and I really couldn’t find a perfume I would say I didn’t like. A lot of them I like a lot but there are I guess too many. So therefore I will redo my samples again, order some new ones and hopefully get my hand on some vintages (girl can dream, right?) and I’ll let you know what I get out of it. Thanks to all of you again and Robin for letting me participate in the Monday Mail.
Ciao!
First of all let me thank You. The Monday Mail was an amazing experience and I am thinking about a fall/winter session, if possible 🙂
I immediately started testing (as You can see in one of the latest post of the original thread).
At the end I can’t help but buy three perfumes:
– SEL MARIN it’s amazing, perfect sea feeling I was looking for. Good lasting, good price, I am happy.
– SEL DE VETIVER I found I love Vetiver, thanks! But can anyone tell me, then, why I found a bit sweet on me VETIVER de Guerlain and GREY VETIVER (but not sel de vetiver)?
-KENZOHOMME. I like it, was not expensive and very suitable for the office.
Really, thank You all for guiding me in this marvellous adventure!
Really love hearing all these! Especially when people find their tastes expanding, taking them in a new direction.
Posted for Ruby:
Hello Robin and readers!
Thank you all for the many wonderful suggestions to my Monday Mail request. After much thinking, I decided that there was no way I was going to find a scent that fit my own description! There were just too many disparate notes/ideas involved for me to have all my wishes granted in one fragrance. I sampled many of the suggested fragrances and some I already had on my “to try” list. Encre Noire, Dzongka, Vetiver Extraordinaire, Aedes de Venustas, Diptyque 34, CDG Sequoia, Lutens Bois de Violette….none were quite right, although the AdV came the closest.
It just happened that while shopping with a friend I came across the Chanel Exclusifs, and there I found what I was looking for and not been quite able to describe. Sycomore is it! For me it’s the perfect combination of earth, smoke, and vetiver goodness. There is a tiny bit of sweetness to it on my skin which keeps it feminine. To me it smells like what I imagined in my post, even though none of the notes I listed are represented. So, thank you all for helping me in my quest! You broadened my horizons by suggesting things I never would have tried for myself.
Ruby
Hi folks – Truth be told, since my Monday Mail request I have been sidetracked with various things so I was not able to dive into my perfume suggestions that were listed. However – today I actually ordered 4 sample suggestions from you lovely ladies. I ordered Chanel Sycomore, Lanvin Arpege, OJ Woman as well as my own suggestion of Guerlain Vetiver. I have been in the craziest perfume rut and sticking with Prada original, Samsara as well as Mitsoko (fave). I also discovered a surprisingly beautiful scent from Bananna Republic – called Rosewood. No rose at all just a beautiful woody, calm scent with incredible siliage. I am looking forward to my recent purchase based off of your suggestions. I will update once again and I would like to thank Robin and everyone who provides such great feedback. Smelling great is serious business!!
Also, apologies for being kind of late with my feedback. What a crazy few months.