Today we’re helping Michele, who would love to find a new everyday fragrance and another for special occasions. She isn’t worried about price so long as she finds the right thing. Michele tends towards signature scents — she will find something she loves, and wear it exclusively for 4 or 5 years. Right now, she has been wearing Hermès Eau des Merveilles for about 4 1/2 years, and she is ready for a change.

Here is what we know about Michele:

She’s in her early 40s and lives in Dublin, where she works for herself in PR & marketing, in both fashion and art.

She has two young children.

She says she is a kind, creative person, and although classic in style, she also has a bohemian, alternative side.

Michele loves to read, travel and eat, but her passions are fashion and art.

Michele doesn’t really know what notes she likes or dislikes. In the past, she has worn Cerutti 1881 (1995 peach colour bottle), Carolina Herrera 212 for women, Ralph Lauren Romance and Narciso Rodriguez for Her…

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You would not think it would be so hard to post the Monday Mail on Monday, but turns out that some weeks, it’s a challenge. So I’m late again, but today we’re helping Alnysie, who wants to expand her collection of decants and bottles, and to discover some new fragrances. She’d especially like to branch out into some new fragrance families — she’d like to find some florals and green fragrances, and maybe a few more spicy-gourmands. Her price requirements are open since she’s willing to buy decants, and she has reasonably good access to stores.

Here is what we know about Alnysie:

She’s in her early 30s and lives in Montréal, where she works in an office.

She says she’s an “assertive introvert” — she likes her clothes, jewelry, and glasses to be simple but to have something (a cut, a dash of color) that makes them stand out.

She prefers small gatherings to big crowds, and while she is not outdoorsy or sportsy she does like smell of the woods and nature.

Alnysie likes going for a beer with a few friends, reading, watching TV series, learning languages, traveling, and eating.

Alnysie likes her fragrances to be neither flamboyant or quiet, and to have a touch of something a little different…

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Today’s subject, Alia, has been waiting patiently for her Monday Mail article, which did not appear yesterday due to various & sundry technical difficulties. Alia is a mother of twins in her late 20s, and she’s looking for a casual fragrance to match her casual but smart style. She says she loves perfume but doesn’t know much about it, and many strong fragrances give her a headache.She can pay up to $200, and she lives in Seattle and has good access to perfume stores.

Alia likes citrus and ginger notes, so long as they aren’t too strong, and clean fresh scents, again, so long as they aren’t too strong. Her favorite perfumes, in descending order, are Elizabeth Arden 5th Avenue, Clinique Happy, Carolina Herrera Chic, Banana Republic W, Ralph Lauren Romance and The Body Shop White Musk. Estee Lauder White Linen would have been a hit if it weren’t so strong.

Alia doesn’t like strong florals, especially jasmine, or sweet cloying perfumes…

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Today we’re helping Shermeen, who is looking for a new everyday fall / winter fragrance. It should be warm and appropriate for the cold Canadian weather, but it shouldn’t scream patchouli or incense or be too dramatic a fragrance. It should also have excellent lasting power and good sillage. She can pay up to $100, and she has easy access to the Bay, Sears and Sephora, although she’s also willing to shop online if she can get a sample. Here is what we know about Shermeen:

She’s in her mid 20s, and is a classically trained singer and law student.

She’s an avid reader (preferring thought-provoking books), a relatively lefty feminist, and she’s almost completely blind and travels with a guide dog.

She likes writing, swimming, and being near water.

She says that although she is very outgoing, talkative and witty, she has few close friends, and needs a lot of “recharging time” if she’s with people too often.

Shermeen likes fresh green florals paired with citrus notes, and white, clean, warm musk scents, as well as aquatic fragrances…

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Today we are helping Micha, who lives in Egypt and is looking for a new everyday casual fragrance. She’d like to pay no more than $100-120 for a 100 ml bottle. She has access to mainstream prestige fragrances but not niche lines, and she can’t shop online. She does travel a couple times a year, so might be able to look for other brands then. Here is what we know about Micha:

She’s in her early 40s and has olive skin and long curly brown hair.

She’s married and has a young son. She says she exercises regularly, has a slim athletic build and loves being active, healthy and busy.

Her wardrobe leans towards smart casual and simple, but she’s recently started to buy some items “with a twist”, and she says she is an early adopter of fashion trends. She loves leather, cotton and linen, dislikes silk and lace; favorite brands include Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors and Calvin Klein.

Micha likes green, fruity and fresh perfumes…

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