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 May and August of 2012, so check back over the next few days to see what we can find out (or, check out this post about the subjects from January through April). We'll check on the rest of the 2012 participants in a few months.
Here are links to the articles for each participant:
Aliza, Kelly, Zee, Poppie, Tiana, Patricia, Lisa
Note: image "Letter box in a house-wall of San Giorgio in the community Resia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy" by Johann Jaritz, via Wikimedia.
Hi all,
Thanks to all who suggested perfumes for me to try, I’ve had fun sampling over the last few months!
I fell in love with almost all things Ormonde Jayne, and my favourite is Woman, although I also adore Tolu, Taif and Frangipani. Tsarina in the new 4 corners collection is amazing, but I would need a bank loan for that one. I would recommend the discovery set to anyone.
I didn’t get on with Le Labo Rose 31, Caron Sacre but couldn’t get a vintage sample, and Amouage, although Lyric is lovely. Quite liked Tea For Two, but loved Bois Farine and Sevile A L’aube.
Verdict? I have given up on looking for a signature scent as there are far too many wonderful perfumes out there and it is impossible to find something to fit all situations, I couldn’t imagine wearing OJ Woman everyday. but if pushed Woman would be my pick of everything I have tried.
Lisa
Thanks so much for the report, Lisa, and wow, you found some real beauties, that’s great.
I appreciate everyones’ efforts on my behalf, and I had so much fun trying all my samples. I especially want to thank those by name who recommended something I liked so much, I bought a full bottle.
They are:
ladymurasaki, Van Cleef & Arpels Gardenia Petale
thegoddessrena, Chanel 31 Rue Cambon
hollyc, Divine parfum
lupo, Acqua di Parma Profumo
maggiecat, Trish McEvoy Gardenia Musk
Huge thank-yous for your perceptive choices!!
I also bought decants of the following: Parfum d’Empire Eau Suave; Amouage Dia Woman and Ciel Woman; MDCI Enlevement au Serail; Divine L’Infante; and Balenciaga Paris.
I liked many more, but will have to satisfy myself with using up the small samples for the time being.
Sounds like you got some winners, I’m so glad!
I love when people report back in on how the Monday mail worked out for them.
Posting this feedback for Poppie:
I am Poppie and I am just retired this last year and was looking for a couple of new fragrances that would ‘fit’ me now that I don’t have to worry about the impact of scents on the workplace. I like being active, and being outdoors, love horses dogs and other animals, and do a good amount of hiking, gardening, and what not. Was looking for some uplifting “naturely” scents (“natural” scents has connotations of having no artificial laboratory connections, but though I prefer truly natural products, I’m not adverse to healthy lab creations.
I’ve had a wonderful time testing fragrances, and haven’t settled yet — I’ve become addicted to sampling!! I love the sampler sets — they allow a couple of days to test scents, in different conditions and over time, and I’ve found some of the most offputting scents I never would come with after a store sampling turn out, after being worn a while, turn out to be potential favorites! And with a longer span of sampling, I get to solicite more comments from more people I run into, and it just makes life all around more interesting.
My trip to the city was a disaster — I tried too many strong scents at once, and came home with a number of blotters, a headache, and very sore feet. I got looks on the crowded BART train as well, so I must have overdosed the other passengers as well. After a hot day in my purse, the blotters all began to smell the same. Moral: small samples, one at a time, over time. I’d been trying to get into the more spice scented and earth/mossy scents, and overdosed and now they smell repellant. Will try more of those later, in small quanties. I’ve also learned that horses can be really curious about scents, and it distracts them so best not to wear them to the stables.
I loved two of the recommendations right off — Calyx, a soft green floral with a lot of elegance and subtleties, which I found, of all places, at Sears last fall. Still pricey by their standards, but love it. Makes me feel like an optimistic nature goddess. I bought the smallest bottle and keep it in the dark closet so that it won’t go ‘off’ as I was warned that it might, and so far, so good, going on 8 months.
Bulgari Coral. Another happy floral with a little tart fruitiness, seems to last well with me, and a good choice when I want something that stays close to me. The kind of scent you want to wear to family gatherings where you don’t want to be the family grande dame to barge in on a tsunami of sillage,
but want to give people a definite pleasant impression when they come in close to hug you. Several people have said ‘ Oh, you smell so nice’ or make a similar comment after the traditional close greeting. Lasts longer when I apply to scarf or collar.
Several samples from Aftelier Perfumes. Loved Trevert, which is the veritable scent of spring green! Reminded me of a minty, limey green bar of soap that my father used when I was little. An intense blast of fresh green, then —- nothing. It totally dissapates after about 30 minutes, no lingering afterscent, a very curious perfume. If it weren’t so pricey I’d love to use it as a refreshing splash in great quantity on hot days, after sports. Very unisex, a tad masculine, maybe because of the association with my father’s soaps. Decided I liked the solid perfumes a lot in terms of lasting and use, but didn’t particular warm up to the fragrances I tried — I decided I don’t like straight Jasmine, and the Wildflowers was a little too floral for me — I will be trying more solids. Candide turned medicinal on me. Still out on Maroc.
Still working my way through the Inoke sampler — so far, Scent B, Balmy days and Sundays, is a winner — a floral with a lot of nuance, sweet but not cloying, uplifting and light. Only wish that it would last a little longer — have to reapply after 3 or 4 hours, which is fine if you want different scents through the day. Field Notes from Paris is a wonderfully fresh scent, more masculine, I love it on my husband. Evening Edged in Gold is a rich and luscious scent, sort of a Bridal scent, it’s a floral that, surprisingly, I like, but inevitably gives me a slight headache, which I don’t like. Generally like her style. Changing nuances, floats out into the air.
So many scents, so little time! Thank you for getting me started on this quest!