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…

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This will be the last Monday Mail post before summer break. If you’d like to get on the waiting list for September (it’s very short at the moment), do follow the instructions here.

Today we’re helping Caroline, who wants to find her perfect everyday scent, something she will be comfortable with and attracted to. Something suited to cooler weather would be best, as she is in the process of relocating to a colder city. She is happy to shop online, and can spend up to about $150.

Caroline is a writer in her early 30s. She lives in Australia.

She is quiet, but passionate about many things, and a bit of a gypsy — she has moved around a fair bit, and loves discovering new places and stories.

She’s a big fan of travel, mystery/spy novels, good conversation, rainy days and too much coffee.

Caroline likes balmy, resinous, and soft oriental notes — ambergris, musks and vanilla. She also likes oakmoss, warm leather, the scent of old books and/or tobacco (she quite likes vintage Caron Tabac Blond), sandalwood, ylang ylang, and spices…

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Today we’re helping Verity — she’s getting married in September and wants to find the perfect perfume that will remind always remind her (and her husband-to-be) of the day. She lives near London and has good access to perfume stores; she can spend up to £100. Here is what we know about Verity:

She’s in her late 20s. She works at a university and writes in the evenings.

She is shy but creative and loves to try new things.

She loves to get outdoors when the weather is up to it, and loves being in the countryside — there’s nothing better than a pub lunch and a pint somewhere pretty.

Her wedding will be in the New Forest (UK), followed by an informal reception at a beautiful old pub by a river, complete with lots of champagne…

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Today we’re helping Lindsay, who is looking for a signature scent that smells green and alive and botanical…like a forest or an herb garden with beautiful flowers. It can be feminine, masculine or unisex (and she wouldn’t mind hearing about any decadent skin products that fall into this category as well). She is willing to shell out for the right perfume, but she’d like to sample first, and she’ll be doing her shopping online. Here is what we know about Lindsay:

She’s in her thirties and is a performer. She lives in the deep south.

She describes herself as a very feminine tomboy with a goth streak — she loves vintage dresses, overalls, red lipstick, bare feet and cat’s eye glasses.

Lindsay has freckles and wears very little makeup (other than the aforementioned red lipstick).

She loves to be outdoors and is an avid gardener.

She says she tends to be very reserved in non-performing situations…until she is not. Then look out!

Lindsay likes most green herbs, foresty notes, oakmoss, rose, honeysuckle, linden, jasmine, gardenia, orange blossom, tuberose in moderation, lavender, woods, patchouli, stem and sap-ish aspects, grass, vetiver, soil, some citrus, and she is definitely not afraid of musks…

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Today we’re helping Rena, who had so much fun with the Monday Mail last year that she wants to do it again. She’d like to find a new scent that stays very close to the skin, since she is a massage therapist and doesn’t want to overwhelm her customers. Her most recent acquisitions — Annick Goutal Songes, Parfums de Nicolaï Sacrebleu and Lush The Bug — are all too lush and big for work purposes. Ideally, her new perfume will cost under $125. Here is what we know about Rena:

She’s a massage therapist in her early 40s, and she is currently attending acupuncture school in New York City.

She says she is generally cheerful, optimistic, easy going and down to earth.

She loves eating out, going to bookstores and looking at art.

Rena’s favorite notes are gardenia, honey, honeysuckle, galbanum, carnation, tiare, frangipani, saffron, plum, cardamom, linden, mimosa and iris but she’ll consider anything except lily, including vintage scents as long as she can get samples…

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