Dolce&Gabbana Light Blue, Still the Smell of a Sicilian Summer

Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue arrived in 2001, and it has spent the years since as one of those scents people recognize before they can name it. The perfumer was Olivier Cresp. The house itself was founded in 1985 in Legnano, Italy, by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, and Light Blue remains a pillar of its fragrance line, alongside The One, Dolce and Sicily.

What makes it a good place to start is how legible it is. The notes begin with Sicilian lemon and apple, then move through bamboo, jasmine and white rose, and end on cedar, musk and amber. The intended picture is a Sicilian summer, and it works: lemon that behaves like a cold drink, and a dry, clean finish.

Six bottles here show how far the idea has stretched. The Eau de Toilette with lemon and apple is the version most people picture. The Eau de Parfum is a bit deeper and lasts longer. There are two Pour Homme bottles for the men's side, one Eau de Toilette and one Eau de Parfum with orange and cedarwood. And there are two Capri in Love bottles, one with jasmine and apple, one for him with fig and patchouli, which are the newest take on the theme.

The one I would smell first is the classic Eau de Toilette. Then compare it with the Eau de Parfum on the other wrist.

If you wear one Light Blue to the beach and the other to dinner, you will find they behave differently. The lighter one is happy in sun and salt air. The deeper one suits a linen shirt and an evening terrace.

I would also let the Capri in Love pair be your second stop, since they take the theme somewhere newer, with jasmine and apple or fig and patchouli.

Once you like one Dolce&Gabbana scent, the rest of the shelf starts to make sense. The first four lean warmer and more evening than morning, and they are a good introduction.

The One Eau de Parfum, with amber and vanilla, is the classic warm one, cozier than Light Blue in every direction and better in winter. Your Devotion Eau de Parfum Intense pairs orange blossom with vanilla milk, and it is the one I would reach for if I wanted something creamy without going fully sweet. My Devotion Eau de Parfum Intense uses peony and vanilla, and it is the most floral of the group. The One For Men, with lavender and sandalwood, is the dressed-up counterpart, a tidy, warm scent for a man in a good shirt.

Those four sit at the opposite end from Light Blue, which is exactly why I would own one of each. A bright scent for July, a warm one for December.

When you compare, spray the two on separate wrists and wait twenty minutes before sniffing. Warm vanillas can smell sharp at first and then settle into something soft, and citrus does the opposite. You need the drydown to judge either.

It also helps to picture where you will wear them. Warm vanilla suits a coat and a long dinner, and a bright citrus suits a terrace. Buying to match your actual calendar beats buying the bottle you liked in a shop with the air conditioning on.

The hottest days call for scents that feel like a splash of cold water, and this group is the place I would look if Light Blue is not quite your thing or if you want something to alternate with it.

Glossier's You Fleur is the floral one of the group, and the name alone tells you it is meant to be soft and close to the skin. Yves Saint Laurent's Libre Flowers and Flames, with coco palm tree flower and lily, leans tropical. KAYALI's Capri in a Bottle Lemon Sugar is exactly what the name promises, a sweet lemon. Armani Beauty's My Way Ylang is a floral with a bright, gentle feel. Chloé's Le Nectar Parfum Intense, with bergamot and orange blossom, is a richer take on a light idea. Josie Maran's Topless Tangerine is a body and hair mist, which makes it the easiest to layer and reapply.

What I would skip: anything heavy on a day above thirty degrees Celsius, and spraying an alcohol-based perfume directly in your hair, which can dry it out. Use the mist for hair, and keep the parfum for pulse points. Store all of these away from a sunny window so they stay fresh.

Reapply lemon and mist scents at midday, since they fade faster than amber.

A light scent is a habit, not a statement. Wear it after a shower, on moisturized skin, and it will hold for longer than it does on dry skin. One spray at each side of the neck and one on the chest is enough.

Keep a small bottle in your bag and reapply after lunch, not in a crowded lift. If your skin is dry, moisturize first with something unscented so the perfume has something to cling to. And if you find one you love, leave the others on the shelf for a season and see if you miss them.