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 between January through April of this year, so check back over the next few days to see what we can find out (or, check out this post about the subjects from last September through December).
Here are links to the articles for each participant:
Lori, Raul, Genevieve, Eleni, Ravyn, Mo, Ashley, Fabio (again), Laura, Verity, Michelle, Karissa, Julia, Karen, Lilian, Nicola, Lucia
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, after researching what seemed to be all of the suggestions 🙂 I went counter hopping to weed out what I didn’t like. Turns out two of the first suggestions were winners. Le Labo Patchouli 24,
Jo Malone Dark Amber and Ginger Lily, and then Marni. There are still a lot I want to try =, like Kenzo Elephant and Spicebomb but I’m really happy with these ones. I also hoarded a bunch of Le Labo Rose hotel mini’s as a simple scented lotion. My new(ish) office has started a scent policy of ‘try not to wear them’ so it seems like I am ill-fated to not get to enjoy them all the time, but the most prolific [ie only] complainer is on leave, so yay, perfume for everyone.
After trying to figure out what it was I liked about each scent I ended up taking an essential oil blending class to make some perfumes/rollers/spray etc and it really helped me figure out what I liked and to identify the smell combinations that I loved and those that I hated so I know what to look out for when looking up new perfumes.
How cool that you took a class, good for you! And glad you found some fragrances that worked for you.
I found out that basil, bergamont, and black pepper are smells that I really like. I ended up with the weirdest perfumes by far, everyone’s were very flowery or very citrusy and I ended up with a spicy campfire, woody roses and mint and one that I swear smells like Brut at first spritz and then it mellows out immediately to cinnamon earthy goodness.
After spending 1 hour of the class smelling 100 oils, I am much more prepared when reading the notes in reviews to find what I am looking for. Which apparently can be brut-ish at times 😀
Being part of the Monday mail was really great, it lead me towards things that I wouldn’t have tried or even considered. The only downside is that like pokemon (did I just date myself…) I wanna get them all now.
Thanks again!
Oh, lovely picks, and so glad it was a fun process.
Great picks! So glad those worked out for you.
Posting for Raul:
I really hope I’m the only one who had a bad experience. I remember I sent you an email telling you I tried the ones I can find locally, and none of them was what I was looking for, I don’t have a great memory but I guess either they were too light or resemble my mother’s smell in some weird way (I guess they fit her, not me). After getting over lucasai’s iris recommendation and the fact I couldn’t received samples from stores like luckyscent or aedes de Venustas (many stores sent products to Belize but not Mexico, come on, Belize?, we’re neighbors) I decided to order from the brands’ websites, and that’s when everything turned bad. I’m not a big fan of mail service and I have my reasons, I guess I have a karma or something, however my packages or letters never arrived. Everything started when I was a child, I have this homework where I had to learn to how to use the mail and I have to send a letter to a classmate and a classmate had to send me a letter, both letters got lost. As a I got older, things keep being like that, I had to receive some science magazines while I was on secondary, everyone got them, but me (well, they arrived the last day of classes to the school), my year subscription to another magazine only arrived three times, when it was supposed to have twelve ( I was 17 by that time) or my bank receipts sometimes arrive, sometimes not. Id like to blame my local postman, but I’ve lived like in five or six different addresses and its always the same or my lack of skill to fill an address, but I had filled that information for my mother’s or sisters’ packages and they arrived. I decided not to ask for my mother’s or sisters’ help because I also order samples of my mother’s possible birthday present (I always give her a perfume that day). Basically, I’m still waiting my samples to arrived (I order from Le Labo and another brand I can’t remember its name right now), well actually, I stop waiting after four months and sending three mails of complains or/and doubts and getting no answer. What had happened in the meanwhile? My mother received her first none perfume related present after a 9 years tradition. I still can’t forget that great smelling office max customer. I officially quit my search. I truly regret not smelling that samples, I mean all now smell this community was great, I really enjoyed the process and smelling the little I smelt. I have smelt both Edt and Edp of l’ombre dans l’eau answering to Merlin’s doubts, still don’t fulfill my desire fragrance. I was told it was cute that I seem to smell powdery (I was told that three different days wearing three different fragrances: infusion d’homme, egoiste and eau de narcise bleu, none of them for me is powdery but my skin is weird and tends to make powdery related notes stronger) and also I was told my smell didn’t match myself “you need to bring out the macho” honestly I don’t feel like a macho, I’m not even hairy, I feel more like an old man if I had to compare myself with any stereotype. Wearing today Fahrenheit. Thanks to everyone. Maybe later I would resume my search.
Raul, what a story — I’m so sorry you had a bad experience.
Hello, this is Eleni.
After the Monday mail, I made a list of the recommended perfumes and started to sample. I really enjoyed sampling everything and learning about what I like and dislike. In the process, I think I fell through the rabbit hole (is that the expression?)! I’m officially addicted!
The good news is, there were two winners: the one that got the most recommendations – OJ Tiare and an outsider: Osmanthus Interdite by Parfum d’Empire – this kind of grew on me as I sampled (maybe the weather getting warmer helped) and now I’ve been through two 2 ml samples. I’m now saving up for full bottles. I was lucky enough to find a bottle of Tea For Two so did not look for a replacement for that.
I liked many other perfumes from the recs, but these two above were my absolute favourites. Others I liked and may splash out on are Cristalle, Le Temps d’une Fete, No. 19, Black Orchid Voile de Fleur, Donna Karan Gold. I am still not sure about Carillon pour un Ange; it is unique but I don’t find it very wearable (not sure this makes sense). I have a 2 ml sample of SSS Jour Ensoleille but at first spray I thought it kind of musty? I’ll give it more wears.
In the process I learnt that I do not like cinammon in perfume and that I love smokiness and tobacco.
All in all, a fun and very informative experience! I’ve now branched out to try different things and – sacrilege – I may have gotten over Diorissimo (but it will also have its place on my shelf).
Many thanks to Robin for having me as a guest and to all of you!
So glad it worked so well for you, and you got some really lovely scents.
Hi all,
as you know this was my second experience with the Monday Mail.
The first one went well, while in this second “journey” I wasn’t lucky again.
Out of all the suggestions I had, few of them were great, but not what I was looking for.
All the perfumes were orang-y and very cologne-like, while the old Cologne Homme was more unique.
I think I wasn’t good enough describing the fragrance, and probably it was not widely-known in the US.
I’m still missing that fragrance, and any new input will be more than welcome.
Thanks anyway for the support!