There was a time, not too long ago, when finding a great fragrance was like hunting for buried treasure. Well,not anymore - the thousands of fragrance choices flooding the shelves made sure of that. Where perfume is concerned, what we now have is treasure island.

But with literally thousands of bottles to choose from, how do you pick out the fragrance that’s best for you? Let your nose do the picking! Sample different fragrances. The best way to do this is by buying or swapping samples, not full bottles. Start your sniffing adventure with:

• the Classics. Caron Parfum Sacre, Patou Joy, Chanel Bois de Iles - these are what high-octane perfection smells like.
• Citrus. Santa Maria Novella Eva, Carthusia Mediterraneo
• Tea. Bvlgaris Verte - this is the scent that launched a thousand clones.
• Violet. Annick Goutal Violette, Guerlain Meteorites, or Molinard Violette - if your sugar tolerance is sky-high.
• Light florals. Chance by Chanel, Piguet’s Fracas, L’eau d’Issey by Issey Miyake, Malle’s Lys Mediterranee, Vera Wang by Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs or Marc Jacobs Blush - the perfect fragrance for the woman on a budget because it’s beautiful and inexpensive.
• Fresh, light, crisp scents. Christian Dior’s Poison, Eternity by Calvin Klein

Women’s perfumes have six fragrance families: floral, foody, fresh, fruity, oriental, and woody - which is also known as chypre. Fruity fragrances are ideal for the optimist. They have citrus notes, such as lime, orange, lemon, or grapefruit. Grape, peach, raspberry, and apple are also popular choices. Floral fragrances are the best scents for the feminine and romantic. They have one or more flower scents as the dominant notes. Think rose, gardenia, tuberose, and jasmine. Woody scents are for the earthy and free-spirited while foody fragrances are for the affectionate and nurturing.

After you’ve done your sniffing, what then? Get the perfume your nose - not your gut - tells you fits you. Do not hesitate when picking out a scent. There are no rules in fragrances. You wear what you like; you don’t have to explain it to anyone.