Monday

As someone on a quest for a tea fragrance I am not noseblind to, I am happy to announce that Monday is one of the only fragrance's where the tea note stands out for me. What's lovely about Monday is that, while it is inspired by and does smell like a frothy lactonic Earl Grey tea, the bergamot and lemon zest notes stand on their own: you immediately clock that it's tea, but you can smell the individual notes too. I also enjoy that the lavender note is understated (I find a lot of perfumes with lavender notes almost smell medicinal to me) and elevates the other elements of the perfume. There is something very fresh and almost fairy-like about Monday and feels like a skin scent. It doesn't project much for me, which I like for Monday. I think this would be a great scent for the office: it's unique but familiar, subtle, and makes you feel clean (especially on the dry down). It lasts about 3 hours on my skin upon my initial spray . However, for the image that this perfume evokes, I enjoy that it fades. It follows Monday's story well. I'm going to test it some more. I have a lot of ideas for layering and want to see how it clings to my clothes as we head into winter. If you want to test it out, I highly recommend going to Arielle Shoshana's shop in person: you can spray it from the beautiful bottle in person and they can give you a tester to bring home. If you don't live near their shop I imagine if you DM'd them on Instagram they could point you in the right direction (I think they sell it on their website?). Overall, I am excited to purchase the full size when it comes out.

Monday is my favorite from Arielle Shoshana so far. To my nose, black tea and bergamot are fully present, as you would find for an earl grey tea-based beverage. The black tea has body, but is not bitter and is brightened by the citrus of the bergamot. This is a lactonic scent, as in a London Fog latte. I prefer this milky, creamy scent compared to the similarly lactonic Sunday perfume. In regards to the lavender, I don't pick up on a ton of it but it adds a delightful herbaceous quality, rather than anything powdery or soapy (which is often my complaint with lavender notes). I would say that notes like the Iso E Super, woods, etc are more present in the dry down after the light and bright citrus notes have done their time. Overall, I love the wear of this scent from start to finish! This is another smash hit for me in the tea-scent category which I am loving lately. On my skin, Monday is a soft and warm cocoon that stays rather close to the skin, but lasts all day. This is my prefered way for a fragrance to wear! Granted, I only apply 1-2 sprays at a time as I am prone to migraines, but cannot give up wearing perfume. If you were to apply more at a time, you may get more projection (a.k.a., YMMV). I ordered this directly from AS and their shipping to Canada was reasonably priced and very quick to fulfill the order. Overall, very positive experience with the retailer and love the scent itself!

Monday is a happy, uplifting citrus. I always imagined it the scent was coming from orange, but now I recognize the citrus as bergamot. Plus, there's a little lemon in it, too. The openness of the scent comes from tea. And then the bergamot blooms with just the right type of lavender. Once upon a time in the late '90s or early '00s, I had a body wash from Yves Rocher called (I'm pretty sure) Cirque du Soleil. I was devastated when it was discontinued because it had one of the best smells I had put my nose on up to that point. This fragrance smells like it so very much, especially in the opening. It's also similar to Wulang Cha. I've tried this and Wulang Cha back-to-back, and this one has a much brighter citrus and less green presence, which I remember from Cirque du Soleil. I like this one better than Wulang Cha, and it's $50 cheaper. This is a great scent for any time you need a mental lift. It's so calm, fresh, and happy-making. It's also extremely unisex.

This does remind me of Earl Grey tea though the freshly brewed tea has a richer scent. I am not sure I get much milky note. After drying down, when I closely sniff, I get a watered down tea. This just may be my skin chemistry. I tested again this time on my clothes, and it’s Earl Grey tea through and through for hours. My partner said, “you are right, that is Earl Grey!” It’s a very good tea perfume. Very nice. I still wish I got more milky note, but I can always layer it. Update: 7/18/2025 I have worn a few more times since my initial review. And this is so so good, such a realistic Earl gray tea scent. Not really London Fog, but I think I downgraded the milky note before. I think it’s definitely there because it is smooth and not bitter. Update: 7/28/2025. The perfect London Fog—this layered with Piper & Perro Lepus. This combo is much better than Brandt’s London Fog, which is sandalwood-heavy.

I am very excited to try this one since this is the scent from the collection most everyone raves about! And woah this did not disappoint! Easily my favorite out of the collection! It starts off with a fresh tea like citrus and it followed by a very spot on earl grey tea smell. I love love love earl grey tea! I am blown away by how this is so photorealistic. I do feel energized and ready to start the day but also clam and collected after smelling this. This perfectly encapsulates what I want to feel at the beginning of a work week. I will try this is with a laconic sweet scent layered on it to really customize my earl grey cup of tea, I do take it with cream and sugar regularly! Layered with Sunday is interesting, but I want to try it with other lactonic scents that are more on the sweet side. Amazing perfume though, I definetly need a full sized bottle asap! 💕

I adore this perfume. this is closest london fog fragrance I've ever smelled. I imagine this would be great to layer with other lactonic fragrances, but I love this scent on its own. at first, I primarily smell citrus, but it quickly dries down this sweet creamy earl grey. the lavender, black tea, and vanilla notes are what I pick up on the most. I don't really envision a "caffeinated Monday" when smelling this, but it is very cozy and uplifting. I hesitated buying this for a long time due to the cost but caved in and blind bought the full bottle. no regrets, I LOVE tea fragrances and haven't smelled anything like Monday. performance is moderate, and I wish the projection was better. very cute bottle and excellent customer service on the AS site. if you enjoy sweet earl greys, can't go wrong with Monday lol

I adore Monday and it is my favorite from Arielle Shoshana. This is my second review, but now that I have had Monday for months I have more thoughts. For starters, the other two tea fragrances I know well, Indigo and Dear Polly, aren't near as good as Monday. Indigo isn't high quality and its pleasant, but bit boring. Dear Polly is quality but I cannot get over the smokey aspects. Monday is simply the most beautiful iteration of a tea scent I could imagine. Tea is clearly present, as well as lavender, citrus, and woody notes. I don't get much of the milky vanilla notes if any at all. It also has a fizzy/ champagne-like aspect that I love. I understand why this fragrance is called Monday. It's very motivating, upbeat, and reminiscent of new beginnings.

This fragrance is like floating on a cloud. Creamy, dreamy, bergamot, lavender, and tea. I imagine wearing this on a Monday would make the transition to the workweek far less traumatic- and I just might try it tomorrow! The lavender here is not sharp- lavender is often a note that completely rules out a fragrance for me, but not here. The effect is gourmand I , not soapy. There’s a lactonic effect here but it doesn’t smell like milk, no sourness. Just creaminess. Really, wearing this fragrance is like sipping on a cup of bliss. Get your wallets ready if you love gourmands, tea fragrances, or blissful serenity. Reviewing based on a sample from Arielle Shoshana.

A bright and fresh earl grey tea scent with fluffy lavender and strong musks. There’s very minimal sweetness and the milk note is very subtle but smelled as a background note throughout the fragrance. The milk and the sandalwood do meld together to add a creaminess to the scent in the dry down, but through and through its earl grey with plenty of citrus to go around, and molecular musks. If you’re looking for a london fog this won’t be it, but Earl grey? Absolutely

I love a London fog, so I had a pretty good guess that I would love this fragrance. They literally just took an earl grey with lavender tea and put it in this bottle. The bergamot, lavender is so strong and well balanced, plus you get that astringent/tannic note in there, which makes the scent profile SO realistic. Really lovely scent. I need the whole bottle and then some. Longevity, not the best. Sillage, sits very close to the skin. Unisex, yummy on everyone.

This perfume is like Sunday, but more citrusy and not as warm. its definitely a little sweeter, from the lemon most likely. Its really sweet and milky and yummy! like Sunday though it doesn't last very long for me, maybe between 2 to 4 hours which is disappointing. Its very much an earl grey tea fragrance though! I really enjoy wearing it, i just wish it was stronger and lasted longer.

Beautiful earl grey inspired, black tea/bergamot with lemon opening with the soft herbal addition of lavender. This is rather uplifting and becomes a little bit creamy that takes out the usual bitterness from some typical tea scents. It is clean and comforting. I do wish it was a little bit stronger as it does wear quite close to the skin but overall I really like it.

Beautiful! I see some comparisons to Dear Polly in other reviews, and though I don't think they are similar, I believe that people who like Dear Polly will also enjoy Monday. I prefer Monday. I love the balance of bright refreshing citrus with comforting lavender and milk notes: perfect for a Monday morning. I sample many fragrances and Monday is a clear standout.

I am OBSESSED with Monday.... I got the "long weekend" discovery scent and enjoyed Fri-Sunday but immediately bought the full size of Monday. To me, it's fresh/bright-bergamot forward then melts on the skin into the loveliest, creamy but not heavy, indescribable perfection. Quickly my new favorite fragrance!!!! I've worn it daily since it arrived.

this perfume is amazing! it's seriously the black tea latte perfume of my dreams. I like to layer it with a creamier scent ontop and i smell like the most beautiful earl grey latte ever. the only downside is i wish it came in a bigger bottle! This 50ml is not going to last me very long because i've found my new signature

A beautiful scent for Earl Grey tea lovers! The bergamot and lavender do dominate this, and it doesn't seem overly milky to me, but I do certainly get the London Fog latte vibe. Performance on this scent is outstanding. I've worn for 10 hours and still going strong. A unique niche gem that must be sniffed!

Fresh, zesty, and wonderful! This is what I want to smell when I wake up in the morning. This smells like an expensive hotel and the sun streaming through the curtains. It’s wonderfully creamy and has a SPOT ON earl gray tea note. Like a great start to a day in a bottle.

I cannot get enough of Monday! Its the most beautiful earl grey scent with that delicious milk note that makes it a little creamy. Super zesty but calming, I cannot stop wearing it! My other frags are getting jealous.

I hope this perfume never goes away! I am obsessed. It smells exactly like a cup of earl grey tea to me. I think this is going to be my signature scent of the year.

I love earl grey tea and this perfume is my dream tea scent 🙌💕

I have to agree with Amanda0727 on Arielle Shoshana's customer service! Absolutely stellar, I've ordered from them once but it's not my last purchase, that's for sure! The rest, though, I have to respectfully disagree. I do get the association to DP because of the black tea, but these are two entirely different frags. Dear Polly is a dark, smokey, tea. It's a total cool weather scent. Spring may be pushing it, and it's totally unisex. A scent unto itself. Monday starts as a beautiful, bright lemonade tea scent. After about 20 minutes, the brightness fades away to a creamy, slightly fluffy from the lavender, feminine-leaning tea. It has a bit more development and is a little less linear than Dear Polly, which I think is wonderful. This one I would say is more suited for warmer weather but could work in the fall thanks to the amber and sandalwood anchoring this down. It's not BR540, but on my skin, I got a good 8-10 hours and even longer on clothing. I get scent fatigue pretty easy if I overspray so when sampling I take it easy. I really do like this one, and it's more interesting than Molecule+Tea, but I think I would like Sunday a bit more, I want to try that one but I have to wait until my next FB purchase. Honestly, they're different enough to warrant owning DP and Monday, both. If you like tea scents, give this one a go. There's no artificial or perfume-y vibes to be had here!

Crisp, bitter bergamot. One of the most on-the-nose tea scents I’ve met. Like sniffing a tin of loose-leaf Earl Grey. I don’t get an ounce of milk to it. There’s also something sweet stirring behind the tea note, drifting between lemon Lysol and a clutch of black sugar boba pearls. I got a similar “cleaning solution” note in Saturday too, and I think the purple florals are to blame. The lavender here unfortunately reads more air-freshener than pastoral Provence. A pity, for if I only got the black sugar syrup – I SWEAR I get this incredible tapioca note – this would have been an auto-buy. Longevity is average for me (~4 hours) and sillage is aloof. ** disclaimer: wore Monday on a Sunday, results may vary ** Mental Snapshot: A spectral bubble tea joint, the only light on in the strip mall. Flickering fluorescents, pale purple linoleum. It’s ink black outside and they’re playing Lo-Fi Beats to Study To. The place is ghostly empty, but the scent of sweet, dark tea percolates through the air and the floors are scrubbed to an ice-rink sheen. When you approach the register, you are surprised to find your order already waiting for you. tl;dr: liminal teashop 🧋 🌌

I can't decide what I feel about Monday! The first time I wore it it was giving nothing - maybe just a juicy opening and then I didn't notice it the rest of the day. The second time intrigued me. Sort of a cough drop opening, like a lemon Ricola. Not necessarily in a bad way. Once I sat with it for an hour or so, I started getting a lavender London fog scent. It sits incredibly close to the skin, but a few spritzes with one on the chest make it so cozy and calming. Still a hint of the lemon herbal, but not so overpowering that I dislike it Feels like the last day of being sick in a dry winter, like when you're almost better but still unwell enough to need a cough drop and some tea. Really soft, comforting, and enjoyable.

The opening gives me memories of wearing Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea or Bulgari’s Au the Blanc. Underneath those notes, as it dries down, I get more of a milky, lightly citrused black tea. This scent had pretty decent longevity, which surprised me because it is a lighter scent that didn’t project much. I thought this was an easy to wear fragrance. It’s not quite what I expected from the notes but it was a happy and uplifting fragrance to wear. I’m not sure I’d pay full price for a FB but I’m glad I tried the sample set. If it were less expensive, this would be a bottle I’d like to own and that I could see myself wearing often.

I love earl grey tea, so this was an automatic love for me. However, I don’t really get any of the milky, lactonic notes, so instead of a London Fog, I get hot earl grey tea served black (no milk) and with lemon. It’s still really good, but I wish I got more of the cozy, photorealistic London Fog that other reviewers wrote about instead of a more refreshing lemon black tea fragrance.

I'm digging it...do I need another tea fragrance...not really. It starts off with a citrusy tea burst and a hint of lavender...as it dries down you get more of the woodsy notes coming through. It actually lasted quite a long time on my skin. Not mad at it. But do I need a large bottle of it? Likely not. It does smell like a fresh cup of Earl Grey Tea w/a splash of milk. Quite lovely!

For me this is a great, summer, spring scent. Like a refreshing glass of iced tea, not too tart, the milk accord, vanilla and sandalwood give it a smooth undertone, the lemon zest & bergamot a little zing. Lavender mixes well for an earthy quality. Suitable for a man or woman. Lasts about 5-6 hours. Very pleasant, I personally feel it’s the best in her collection!

The lavander in the opening overpowers the rest. It settles into black tea and bergamot, reminiscent of a realistic earl gray. I get absolutely and positively ZERO milk and vanilla. I layer it woth bianco latteon not so hot days if I want more of a London fog vibe. Otherwise is a straight earl grey. Fresh and relaxing. 100% unisex even a little masculine at times

The earl grey tea scent is front and center here. There’s a slightly milky note to it as well that gives the impression you’re wearing the smell of a London fog. I was hoping it would have a stronger lavender note, but I finished my entire sampler of it so obviously I wasn’t too disappointed. Great for anyone who loves a not overwhelming tea scent.

Pretty realistic Earl grey tea scent - maybe not like a full London fog latte, but a mug of Earl grey with a splash of milk. I wish the lavender note was less pronounced but it does dissipate pretty quick after the opening. I like it a lot and although I wish it was sweeter, I can always layer it with something vanilla and sweet.

This gave me a headache, which is really sad because I liked it a lot. I was especially fond of the creamy milk note blending with the tea and citrus notes. It would be great if the lavender note was more prominent, though. It’s like an enhanced version of Green Tea- somewhat longer lasting and slightly stronger sillage.

It was such an intoxicating smell for me because I love earl gray. It smells exactly like a cup of london fog especially in the beginning. Such a comforting scent. My only issue would probably be someone else’s dream, in that the scent is too overpowering for me for everyday wear. 8/10

Beautiful tea scent! Starts out primarily a citrus scent but once it dries down I got the earl grey latte/London fog scent clearly. It stays very close to the skin and I wish it lasted longer on me, but it’s a unique smell and definitely worth trying!

I love the drydown on this, it's very lemon zest with a slight sweetness. I think this is a great daytime/office scent, very photorealistic. I get a lot of citrus more than tea--more tea with lemon in it than a london fog but I still recommend.

Beautiful clean citrus tea scent. Smells like a creamy and way smoother & refined version of Dear Polly. I wished it was stronger and projected more. I have to add that Arielle Shoshana has the most amazing customer service!

Soft black tea scent. The lemon is indeed very noticeable, although I did pick up the tea notes as well. It’s nice, but I already have Armani Prive Thé Yulong which is basically my “gold standard” tea scent. While Monday is not quite a dupe of that one, it’s not really different enough for me to justify owning it. My quick thoughts on the others: Tuesday - minty freshie, nice but just not my preferred fragrance profile. Friday - citrus and honeysuckle, my favorite alongside Saturday. Sunday - cooked rice steam and nothing else, this was a disappointment and a “dislike” for me. Saturday - bright and cheerful passion fruit, reminded me of a fruity summer cocktail, chose this as my full bottle due to the uniqueness of the passion fruit note.

At the very first hit, it reminds me of Nest Indigo, which is probably the tea and bergamot. Very quickly it becomes extremely lemony in a way that reminded me of cleaning products. I didn’t think I’d like it, but after an hour or two it has an interesting, fresh scent on my skin. The way this perfumer uses milk just isn’t my favorite though - I think that heavy, slightly sour note is what I disliked about Sunday too. I’ll have to give it another shot, but I’m not loving it right now.

A bit disappointed in this one. I think it is lovely in its own way, but I find the lavender really overpowering. Combined with the lemon zest, it really drowns out the black tea, which is what drew me to this fragrance to begin with. Just pure lavender citrus with a little creaminess to it. If that's what you're looking for, then this is right up your alley, but if you're looking for the london fog experience, you might want to look elsewhere.

this is so cozy but unfortunately not my cup of tea (no pun intended)! if you love earl grey, this is absolutely the fragrance for you, but the citrus and iso e super together turn very spicy on my skin and perhaps too much for my liking. i think this would be perfect for a weekend cabin getaway, but perhaps not for my daily use

Very nice fragrance. I pick up on the citrus-woody-tea. For me I don’t get much of the lavender and no lactonic earl grey. The sweet creamy earl grey latte element isn’t there for me but still a beautiful clean bright woodsy tea.

I am on THE HUNT for my perfect tea scent and Monday was mentioned by a few reviewers I follow and some I come across. My package came earlier than expected and I was so excited!!!! I read reviews on here that were pretty negative but I did not want that to influence my experience. I am looking for a tea scent that is balanced, not too citrus forward but not too gourmand. Many people described this as smelling like London fog tea and I was intrigued. Sometimes milk in perfumes turn me off as I am not a huge lactonic/gourmand girly. But seeing the notes have lemon/zest and lavender made me feel like it will help brighten the scent and cut the milky aspect. Boy oh boy, I wanted to love this scent SO BAD but unfortunately, the lemon/zest completely kills it for me and I got a headache from it. Don't get me wrong, I smell the black tea, milk, vanilla, and sandalwood BUT it is suffocated underneath the lemon/zest and possibly the lavender. If I were to describe this, I imagine myself sitting in a tea shop enjoying a nice warm cup of London fog latte on a brisk autumn day while an employee of the shop had just spilled a bottle of lemon pledge on the floor and is trying to mop it up. Yes the tea is nice but I am surrounded by a headache-inducing lemon scent that makes me sick. Unfortunate that I did not enjoy this but I understand everyone's skin chemistry is different. Cheers to those who love this scent!

The lesson I learned with this one is to always, always, always test fragrances on my skin. When I first sampled this on paper, the milkiness and the tea fragrance came out beautifully. It reminded me of slow Sunday mornings in the winter when my mother would make herself a cup of tea to sip on with breakfast. On my skin, however, this perfume was far too floral and citrusy. The bergamot note was strong and sharp in a way that hurt to smell, like furniture cleaner. Only after it sat on my skin for a few hours did that the tea note come through, but overall, the end result isn't worth the opening.

If you’re looking for a photorealistic perfume that smells like a London fog latte, this isn’t it. It’s more similar to Indigo Nest than say, House of Brandt London Fog (which actually does smell like the aforementioned drink). It’s rather screechy to my nose and not enough milky notes to make it the creamy yet citrus scent I was hoping for.

i wanted to like this so much bc on paper it’s right up my alley. and i did really like it on the first spray; but after a few minutes on my skin it turned into a bugspray-y kind of scent. i mean EXACTLY like a citronella candle :(

this reminds me of handwash, like the lind you can find in public restrooms. smells cheap to me, too citrusy, no milk/lactonic notes. also way overpriced for what it is.

This perfume made me SO NAUSEOUS... like I could not get it off. Something about to earl gray tea made me sick to my stomach and I hate to say that because so many people love it but I could not get behind it. It felt so thick??? I don't get the ethereal wave comparison as someone who has both. Yes they are both tea fragrances but ethereal wave is a fresh citrusy aromatic tea whereas Monday is a creamy milky tea. Objectively this was a very well done fragrance and I loved it on paper but something about it on skin I couldn't handle. I would never say don't buy this it just didn't work for me unfortunately. I will say it gives me similar vibes to unknown pleasures by Kerosene without the lemon.

For how hard it is to get a sample of this and considering the prices of this line, I'd say this is overhyped. The notes are perfect for what I wanted and was on the hunt for, and after hearing and seeing this be recommended so often I had high hopes. Needless to say, I was left unimpressed and still am using up my sample and waited to review until I really got a full feeling and thorough experience and give it a chance. All I can say is it doesn't project at all and doesn't last longer than literally 5 mins no matter how much you prep or spray. It's nice at first when you can smell it, but in comparison to other "Earl Grey/London Fog" scents, this is nothing special. When I smell this I get the Bergamont Black Tea notes and some lemon, it doesn't open up or reveal much else. For reference, I've tried Demeters Earl Grey, Liis Ethereal Wave, and Twice to Tea by Posie. It's hilarious because this one is the most expensive and viral of the bunch, but out of the three I would recommend Twice to Tea by Posie it smells more like tea and citrus milk than this does and lasts way longer. Still searching for more Tea scents for Spring now

For the record this is a beautiful scent. And Arielle Shoshanna is an amazing store. I got a sample when I went in for something else. I’d say I’m a tea scent novice. I liked Jo Malones Earl Grey and Cucumber in high school and recently, I made the luxurious purchase of getting Le Labo Matcha body wash (though many say that it’s not a true tea scent). So I read the Monday notes and smelled it and was like this sounds cool to me. But here’s the thing. It’s so precious tender and delicious that when I was wearing it on my skin for the first time I almost felt.... incredibly vulnerable and emotional. It’s deliciousness left me feeling infant brained and afraid.... If you’ve seen Poor Things, I felt like Margaret Qualley sobbing after getting hit in the head with a ball. I know this sounds ridiculous I know. I still LOVE the scent but am just hyper aware of what it does to me emotionally. Maybe it’s the frothiness milk of the london fog it so perfectly captures. I don’t know. Perfume is amazing. I cried when I wore this. Bravo.

The rhythm of this perfume is a lot like a Monday morning. The bright, tart opening hits like the first alarm of the work week—slightly abrasive yet energizing. A sharp burst of zesty citrus peel cuts through the bitterness of iced black tea: tart, tannic, and aromatic. It feels almost medicinal, in a comforting, homeopathic way. As you settle at your desk, clearing out your inbox with a mug of Earl Grey tea in hand, the fragrance begins to shift. A smooth, creamy lavender note develops, adding balance and intrigue. The ritual of your Monday morning routine feels like a small comfort—familiar and grounding before the week unfolds. I’m curious to see how the milk note evolves, as the one in Sunday turned sour on my skin (unfortunately, since I loved it otherwise). However, with the brighter notes in Monday, that might not be as noticeable. (De-scent-ber 2024: Day 16)

Monday is a cozy yet invigorating scent that has only gotten better with age on my shelf. At first sniff, it was heavy on the citrus, and had an astringency that made me question if this was truly the “earl grey” scent that I was after. One that was fresh *but* creamy. I was pleased to find that as it dried on my skin it warmed up and brought the lactonic cup of tea I was hoping for into focus! It truly does feel like the initial spray is the freshly brewed bergamot based tea. And the dry down is after a splash of milk! With maturation, the juice has continued to soften, and the peppery opening is still pleasantly there, but only as a tickle to the nose which quiets into a spicy and energizing aroma. Heavenly.