When it comes to fragrances you wear, wear something you love, something that moves you, something that arouses, evokes, reminds, induces, seduces or just plain pleases you. It is a rule I never bend - case in point Patchouli Ardent from Guerlain.

03 Lonestar Memories is a haunting, unique fragrance that is like nothing else I know. That’s what you get in the bottle, the memories it stirs up are all yours.

Created by the brilliant Marie Salamagne, this stunner is named for a specific date, time and place, which paints a picture and sets a mood. The name 22 Settembre 2007 ore 8 Vaporetto per il Lido Venezia translates into 22 September 2007 at 8 Vaporetto for the Lido. It is designed to capture a moment in time – the journey by vaporetti to the Lido from the mainland at the end of summer.

I know I’m a bit perfume obsessed, but even for me there are times when I get it into my head that this or that note de jour is overused, over hyped and over sold, and I develop a bit of resistance to it. That’s how I've been feeling about vetiver lately. Sure, I own a few vetiver-centric fragrances, and I love the ones I own, but how many more does one person need? At least one more: Coeur de Vétiver Sacré.

Part of Boadicea the Victorious' 'The Exclusives' Collection, Warrioress opens with an enthusiastic note of bright, bitter bergamot and juicy, tart lemon. How these citrus fruits are combined introduces a note of myrrh that's bitter, aromatic, resinous and almost medicinal.  

This morning I did something I hadn’t done in a long time. I pulled out my bottle of Eau Noire from the French design house Dior. The second that deep, green juice hit my skin and wafted up to my nose, I realized how much I had missed its beauty.

If I read reviews, I use them as guidelines, as indicators that I might like a scent, but I still sample it before I buy. Always. Almost always. Except when I was in Paris last. I bought (untitled) from Belgian fashion designer Maison Martin Margiela after one whiff. Who has time to mess around with samples, spraying, testing and spraying when they are on vacation in Paris?

Ménardo delivered and created a masterpiece that has become a classic of modern perfumery.

Sens & Bois, or Sense & Wood, opens up with a nose-tingling burst of bright bergamot warmed by spicy black pepper. A note of ginger is fresh, and its citrus facet echoes the bergamot. The black pepper lingers to the heart, linking with spicy, piney elemi.