The waiting list for the Monday Mail is down to 2 people — if you’ve ever though you’d like to participate, now is a good time to sign up!

Today we’re helping Sophie, who is looking for two fragrances that may or may not overlap: a Holy Grail scent, and a fragrance appropriate for an academic/office workplace. Sophie has fairly good access to perfume stores of all kinds, and she’s more than happy to buy samples online. She can pay up to $150 for a fragrance, but she’s also happy to purchase decants so price is not too much of a factor, although Amouage attars and the like are out of the question. Here is what we know about Sophie:

She’s a graduate student in her late 20s, studying sustainability and landscape ecology.

She has spent most of her life in big cities — NYC, Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, Milan, Paris, LA.

Sophie loves exploring cultures via literature, music, cuisine, art.

Her Asian heritage plays a big part in who she is.

She wears a lot of black.

Sophie likes iris, osmanthus, plum, peach, amber, honey, woods, violet, tea, green notes, spices, and jasmine in a supporting role. She likes the scents of ginger and incense in real life, but hasn’t smelled them in perfume…

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Today we’re helping Ana-Maria, who wants our help to find the perfect perfume to capture a particular scent memory:

I have just returned from Cabo Da Roca in Portugal, the most western point of land in Europe, the place were land ends and the ocean begins, where the two meet. As I am a nostalgic for the ocean as it has a mystic meaning in my heart and for vacation memories almost always spent with my loved one, I want to ask for your help in finding a perfume that tell this story. The story of love between the two, the land and the ocean. The nostalgia of ever returning to shore, the cold embrace of salty and ocean breeze, the fog and light rain drops that fill the air, and the smell of damp earth covered in moist moss and tiny cactus flowers, and the wind, bringing the smell of green woods nearby. There’s no sun in this story, none of which I can recall. And I stand on the edge of the cliff, right between the two, the ocean, and the land. The ocean breeze and the woody wind pass through me, and I am left with the smell of both.

Ana-Maria found an image that captures her memory; I can’t include it for copyright reasons, but you can see it here…

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Today we’re helping Jennifer, who “jumped into” perfume obsession about 2 years ago. She’s willing to pay any amount for a perfume she loves, but doesn’t own many full bottles as she is selective about purchases. She has good access to stores and is happy to order samples online.

Jennifer would like recommendations for both daily wear and special occasion scents. She’d especially love to find an incense scent with light feminine touches; she’s also interested in light gourmand scents, or anything else you really think she should try. Here is what we know about Jennifer:

She’s in her late 30s and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

She’s a veterinarian by trade but an artist at heart.

She loves to see (or smell!) the beauty in all things. She loves to paint, draw, hike, listen to music, or just create with her friends and family.

She has been described as “elegant with an edge” and would like to to smell like that description.

Jennifer likes well-blended, strong, long-lasting scents that are creamy, milky, sandalwood-y, but with some “dirt” (tobacco, leather, incense) or soft woods/spicy notes and a touch of femininity or softness…

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Today we’re helping Bedo, who wants to find a new everyday scent for fall and winter. She’d like something with oomph and staying power, and since she is far from good stores, she wants to shop online. Right now she’s interested in buying samples from niche houses or niche retailers— if you have suggestions for what she might try, you might also list the place where she could buy a sample. Here is what we know about Bedo:

She’s in her early 60s and works with computers.

She lives in the woods in the upper Midwest.

She thinks of herself as an artist, potter and gardener.

Bedo wore Chanel No. 5 for many years, and more recently, Guerlain Samsara, but now they don’t smell as appealing as they used to…

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The Monday Mail is back, and yes, the Monday Mail had a wonderful summer vacation, thank you! If you want to get on the waiting list, which is pretty short at the moment, see here.

Today we’re helping Marielena, who wants to find a new everyday scent with some staying power. Her perfect scent will be sexy, floral, clean but not sweet, and not too grassy green. She can spend up to $200, and while she’d prefer something she can smell in person, she has great access to perfume stores. Here is what we know about Marielena:

She’s in her early 30s. She is from New York City, and works there as an actor, mostly in TV and film, focusing on comedies.

She loves fashion, especially McQueen, Marc Jacobs, Topshop, vintage, anything chic, sexy, original, slightly costume-y.

She says she is fun, funny, sophisticated and not afraid to take risks in her clothes, scents and performances.

Marielena loves white flowers, woods, and feminine scents with a sexy masculine edge…

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