Today we’re helping Mo, who has been wearing vanilla musks for years and would like to find a new perfume with more “color”, if that makes sense. Her ideal perfume will be fruity or berried, but in a warm and jammy way, like the filling of a pie that just came out of the oven rather than bright and sunny and fresh. It should be grounded by deeper, darker notes that give it depth. She can spend up to $150. Here is what we know about Mo:

She’s in her mid 20s, and is partnered but not married.

Mo is an artist by day, activist by night.

Her friends describe her as eccentric and passionate.

She dresses in blacks and greys most of the time to counterbalance her retina-searing red hair, bright accessories and nails.

Mo likes any and all berries, black currant, plum, peach…

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Today we’re helping Ravyn, a former 80s goth chick who still loves the scents of her glory days. Her all-time favorite is Cacharel Anaïs Anaïs, and she says she spent the 80s and 90s in a cloud of Halston, Calvin Klein Obsession, Avon Mesmerize & Rare Ruby, Coty Wild Musk, Jean Paul Gaultier Classique, Boucheron and Guerlain Samsara.

Now she wants to find an updated signature fragrance, preferably something long-lasting that can go from day into night with just a refresher spritz. Her perfect perfume will be complex, elegant and mysterious, with an earthy element. She’d rather not spend more than $150, and while she isn’t opposed to a classic, she’d really like something she can find without a treasure hunt.

Ravyn is in her early 50s, and describes her look as…

Black eyeliner and red lipstick but now sans the combat boots and black fingernails…think more of the classic “Interview with the Vampire” rather than “Twilight”.

Ravyn loves soft florientals…

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Today we’re helping Eleni, who stumbled upon some perfume blogs while looking for a new scent a few months ago. She had taken a long break from perfume after having babies, and then being too busy to worry about fragrance. She’d like to find an everyday scent for winter (think 50-60 degrees) that is a bit different from her old loves: Christian Dior Diorissimo, Gucci Envy, Marc Jacobs Blush, CK One, Ô de Lancôme. A deeper, darker take on Diorissimo would be right up her alley. She can pay up to $120, and has good access to perfume stores. Eleni says her skin does not hold fragrance well, and longevity is more important to her than sillage.

Here is what we know about Eleni:

She’s a lawyer in her mid 30s, and lives in Athens with her husband and two small children.

She has dark hair and green-brown eyes and wear glasses on most days (which she loves). She has been likened to a curvy Liz Lemon (Tina Fey on 30 Rock).

She says she is outgoing, bubbly and goofy but can get moody and pessimistic at times.

Eleni loves humor with an edge (a bit cynical), indie-rock/ pop/electro music from the 80s and 90s (faves include Depeche Mode and Pulp), books (no chick-lit) and going to the cinema.

Eleni likes lily of the valley, jasmine, honeysuckle, hyacinth…

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The Monday Mail is helping Genevieve today — she’d like to find a perfect first-date scent. It should be a little unusual but not too sexy or too unisex. She’d be happiest if it cost under $100 — she doesn’t go on so many dates to justify a huge splurge — although she’d go as high as $150 if she had to. She has good access to major department stores and specialty shops, and she’s willing to shop online so long as she can test the fragrance first.

Here is what we know about Genevieve:

She’s in her early 30s, and works as a librarian.

She says her personal tastes are eclectic and inspired by film noir and punk rock.

She’s definitely a city girl, and she likes good food, live music (anything from country to opera), and learning new languages.

Genevieve likes spice, incense, citrus, some honey, and lighter florals, especially soft jasmine and orange blossom…

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Today’s Monday Mail subject is Raul. Raul is looking for a rose fragrance that resonates with a specific scent memory having to do with his old family home, which has been sold and might get torn down:

…I have this memory, walking through the garden, after a heavy rain, grasshoppers jumping everywhere, the air is clean, but the soil is wet, the grass cracking while I step over it, and a green note invades the atmosphere, I keep walking, I notice the lemon and orange trees, the big ash tree and finally the roses…2 shrubs, one pink, the other white, covering a stone wall…and that’s what I want the fragrance to resemble — roses as the heart of the fragrance, a thin green note, a soft wood note, and an ephemeral citrus twist, clean and simple, far from being soapy or oceanic.

Raul lives in Mexico and has limited access to perfume stores…

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