Back in 2010 we helped Lilian find a new perfume, and now she’d like us to help her find another. Lilian lives in Brazil, where she has limited access to some fragrance brands, but she is planning a trip to Rome and wants our advice on what perfumes she should try while she’s there (and better yet, what stores to visit to find them). She’ll wear her new perfume to work — she’s a physician — and ideally it won’t cost her more than $100, although she’s prepared to go higher for something perfect. Here is what we know about Lilian:

She’s a married woman in her mid-30s.

She loves reading, traveling, going to the gym and practicing outdoor activities and yoga.

She’s a bit shy with people she doesn’t know well, but she really has fun with her friends.

Lilian likes green floral scents, but she is keeping an open mind for her new scent. It might be something with lavender (she loves her sample of Tauer Perfumes Rêverie au Jardin) or something with leather or marine notes (she also likes her samples of Mare and Bottega Veneta). Other notes she likes include grass, crushed leaves, woods, iris…

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Today we’re helping Karen. She is looking for a feminine perfume as she pulls herself together after a breakup and gets ready to start dating again. Her ideal perfume will be soft and unobtrusive but still there — a sexy skin scent, perhaps, not too sweet, and if it’s something not widely known or used, all the better. It might be a creamy white floral with wood notes, but she is open to suggestions, and she can spend up to $160. Here is what we know about Karen:

She’s in her mid 30s and lives in Germany, where she works as a real estate consultant and as a pilates teacher.

She enjoys outdoor activities of all kinds (running/trail running, mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing), does yoga and pilates, and Argentine tango.

She is also an avid reader, and a movie and film freak — especially Westerns.

She is tall and has an athletic build; her dress style is mostly casual and practical, classical and sportsy (black or blue suit trousers or jeans or chinos and a shirt; dresses or skirts only for tango dancing).

Karen likes white flowers, especially magnolia, freesia and lily…

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Today we’re helping Julia, who is struggling to find the perfect scent to fit her current lifestyle. It must be serious, graceful and classic enough to work in her daytime professional environment, but intriguing enough to make a lasting impression and to carry her into the evening. She can spend up to $160, and has good access to perfume stores. Here is what we know about Julia:

She’s in her mid 20s, and she lives in Stockholm, Sweden, where she studies business and political science at the University while working at a corporate law firm.

Her days are varied, sometimes all day in the library, other times in the office, and then she also meets friends for dinner or attends other events such as release parties or live performances at clubs.

Julia loves music, and is currently re-discovering 90s electro and motown soul.

She also loves fine dining, not that it has to be expensive, but she loves the experience of discovering new tastes and combinations, and she finds food and wine a close to perfect combination of the senses — taste, smell, sight.

Julia likes rose, jasmine, sandalwood, lily, bergamot and leather…

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Today we’re helping Karissa, who met the love of her life in Africa, married him and moved to Germany. She wants a new perfume that celebrates her new life, but because she is currently in school, she needs something lighter than the sorts of perfumes she used to wear — something that won’t overpower the people around her in class. The perfect scent would remind her of the good things in life in Africa, but be wearable in her day-to-day life in Germany. Her budget: around $100. Here is what we know about Karissa:

She’s in her late 20s. She and her new husband are currently finishing graduate degrees.

She speaks 5 languages including French and German.

She grew up in central Africa and her favorite scent memories include mango trees, fresh guavas, coconuts, chai tea, the herb garden (especially peppermint and basil), smoky cook-fires, tropical rain storms, and very warm skin.

Karissa likes bold perfumes, white floral notes, spices, gourmand…

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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 September and December 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 May through August). We’ll check on the early 2013 participants in a few months.

Here are links to the articles for each participant…

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