Jessamy is an internal medicine resident who lives in Minnesota, and she’s looking for a wonderful leather scent for her boyfriend, Robert, who is also a physician. Robert does not regularly wear fragrance, but he recently layered two fragrances from the Tom Ford Private Blend collection —Moss Breches and Tuscan Leather — and the result made Jessamy swoon. So! She wants to find something similar that she can buy him for a honeymoon gift for $150 or less. It should have mild to moderate sillage (nothing too heavy), and it does not have to be marketed as a masculine. She’s happy to order samples online.

Robert is…

Read the rest of this article »

Susan lives in Ireland, but she’s going to New York next month, and she’s hoping to try some new fragrances she can’t find locally. Ideally, while she’s there she’ll find a perfect scent — an every day fragrance, something sophisticated but youthful, not brash or loud, and that will work through spring and summer — for under $100. Here is what we know about Susan:

She’s in her early 20s, and loves traveling and the arts.

She trained as a ballet dancer and currently works in theater.

She loves to socialize and party…

Read the rest of this article »

Today we’re helping Alisha, a high school student in India who says she is new to perfume. Alisha is a “total extrovert” who loves to dance and make new friends. She’s looking for a casual-wear fragrance that won’t cost more than $100, and it needs to be something from a mainstream brand because that is all she has access to.

Alisha likes sweet, fruity, (maybe fruity more than sweet) lively perfumes. Notes she likes include citrus, strawberry, orange, amber, tangerine blossom, vanilla and wood. Perfumes she has used in the past include Banana Republic Jade, Burberry Brit, CK In2U Pop, CK In2U, and Salvatore Ferragamo Incanto and Pour Femme. She wants to try Hermès Jardin Sur Le Nil…

Read the rest of this article »

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’m sending out emails today requesting feedback from everyone who took part between September and December of last year, so check back over the next few days to see what we can find out.

Here are links to the articles for each participant…

Read the rest of this article »

Today we’re helping Lilian, who lives in Brazil and wants to find two new fragrances that will work in Brazil’s hot weather: one for work and one for not-at-work. She can buy online, and is also planning a trip to the US so will have other shopping opportunities. She isn’t worried about the price. Here is what we know about Lilian:

She’s a doctor in her early 30s, is active all day long, and says she is happy but introspective.

She wears “colorful but not fancy clothes” ranging from high heels to jeans and t-shirts.

She loves reading, watching movies, running, going to the gym and practicing yoga, and she also loves nature and camping with her boyfriend.

Lilian would like her daytime fragrance to be “fresh, a bit elegant and remarkable”, and she’d prefer something other than citrus…

Read the rest of this article »