Today we’re helping Elsa, who is looking for the perfect fragrance for the dark fall and winter months, one that will make her “feel a bit better sitting on the cold bus every morning”. The fragrance should be casual, but should also make “a warm, sensual statement”. Elsa is willing to pay up to $150, but bear in mind that that’s a big splurge for her, and she’d prefer something less expensive. She’s willing to shop online, and the only stores close to her are Macy’s, Dillards, and Sephora. Here is what we know about Elsa:

She’s in her mid-20s and in her second year of law school, where she spends “long hours in the law library, which is beautiful with its gothic windows and dark woods and dusty legal tomes”.

She isn’t sure about her decision to attend law school, and misses her days as an English Literature major…

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Today we’re helping Gillian, who lives in the UK and is looking for three specific fragrances: a lemongrass and ginger scent, a spicy carnation, and a juicy apple that isn’t too sharp. She’d rather not spend more than £60 on any one fragrance. She lives near several department stores, and is willing to order samples online.

Gillian is in her late 20s, and describes her style as quirky. Gillian likes…

…vintage clothes (mainly greens and blues), outsider music, houmous, vintage prints, the smell of old telephones, my green Pashley bicycle, finding strange objects in charity shops and sewing and crafting…

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Today we’re helping Susan, who has been wearing the same two fragrances, Cacharel Anaïs Anaïs and Dolce & Gabbana The One, for some time and needs a change. Anaïs Anaïs was a favorite of a friend of hers who died young, and Susan been wearing it for years. Lately she has been finding The One too cloying, and sometimes she washes it off after a few hours.

Susan wants a daytime fragrance, something distinctive but not overpowering, that would be suitable for work, lunch with friends, shopping, etc etc. She has good access to department stores, and she’s willing to shop online, but she’d like to keep the cost below $100. Here is what we know about Susan:

She works in a creative field, and says her lifestyle is “very simple and casual”…

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Today’s subject is Zaheer. He lives in South Africa, and says new fragrances take some time to get to his area (assuming they get there at all). He’s looking for the perfect fragrance, one that will go from a day in the office to a night out on the town. Here are a few details about Zaheer:

He’s in his mid-20s and works as a copywriter.

His hobbies: reading and blogging. Zaheer prefers overcast wet weather to sunny and clear.

He has a tendency to be very formal in his attire. He loves the Baroque era, and his apartment is “very Victorian in its décor”.

Zaheer is attracted to woody scents and “dark mature fragrances”. Notes he loves include olive wood, cypress, bergamot, jasmine, mandarin…

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Today we’re helping Sara, who is looking for her signature fragrance. She’s doesn’t have a budget: she’s willing to pay for the “right” perfume. She does most of her perfume shopping online or while traveling. Here is what we know about Sara:

Sara is in her late 20s. She’s a graphic designer who lives in a small coast town in the north of Sweden.

Sarah is tall and thin with green eyes and short hair. She loves clothes, especially high heels, and some of her favorite designers are Acne, Ann Demeulmeester and Prada; she also appreciates quirkiness of John Galliano.

She loves big cities such as Paris and New York (“I get a kick out of the energy and the huge crowds”) and tries to travel as much as she can. She loves shopping, going to concerts and browsing in art galleries. Sara also likes to stroll in the woods with her Border Terrier, and she loves the smell of the trees and moss, especially in the autumn.

Sara likes gourmand fragrances (but often finds them dull), incense (but often finds it too dry), and musk…

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