Fragrance families like floral, woody and amber get most of the attention, but format matters just as much as scent family once a bottle actually has to fit a routine. The classic fragrance wheel used to sort those families was created in 1992 by perfumery taxonomist Michael Edwards, and it organizes scent into four groups: floral, amber, woody and fresh, with gourmand sitting alongside as a newer cross-cutting category rather than one of the original four.

Here is a habit worth borrowing for oils: apply them to moisturised skin, at the pulse points, and leave them alone. An oil has little or no alcohol to carry it, so it sits where you put it and warms slowly, and a little lotion underneath helps it last.

In April 1952 Life magazine asked Marilyn Monroe what she wore to bed, and she answered that she wore only Chanel No. 5. That is still the best argument for a close-to-skin fragrance: it was never meant to announce her. It was for whoever was near enough to notice, and an oil or a rollerball is the format that takes that idea seriously.

CYKLAR's Sacred Santal is a roll-on oil with vanilla and cashmere wood, cosy and low-key. Maison Louis Marie's No.09 Vallee de Farney is worn as an oil rather than sprayed, and it suits a nightstand. Byredo's Gypsy Water and NEST New York's Lychee Rose both come as rollerballs, which turns a niche or department store scent into something you can carry without a full bottle. Perfumehead's Cosmic Cowboy and Kindred Black's La Regina lean into the same intimate, oil-based wear, and kai's Original Perfume Oil has built a following on exactly that quiet application. SKYLAR's Nude Skin Rollerball is the easy first one.

What I would skip: an oil over a bare, dry wrist in a heated room. Moisturise first, or the scent will be gone before lunch.

One rule for solids: warm the surface with a fingertip, then press it to your skin. Do not scrub the stick or pot across your wrist. Solid perfume is fragrance oil set in a wax or balm base, and it works best with a little warmth and a light hand.

That base is why it is the most travel-friendly format here: nothing to spill, nothing to break. Glossier's You Solid and OUAI's St. Barts Solid both take a signature liquid scent and pack it into a compact, and the compact is small enough to live in the pocket of a coat. Dior does the same with a Miss Dior Mini Miss Solid Perfume version of its bestseller, a good gift for anyone who already loves the original.

Sol de Janeiro makes the format almost playful with its Cheirosa 68 and 62 Jelly Perfume Balms, which apply more like a gel than a traditional balm and suit summer skin. Fischersund's No. 23 Solid and Sidia's Soaked and Midas solids come from smaller houses, proof that the format is not only a travel-size shortcut for mainstream scents.

A pairing I like: a solid on the wrists and a matching mist on your hair, so the scent has two speeds. The balm stays close, and the mist carries a little further.

What I would skip: leaving a solid in a hot car or a sunny bag pocket. The wax base will soften, and the top notes will suffer.

Start with a plan: wear one sample per day, on clean skin, and write down what you think at breakfast and again at dinner. A perfume shows different faces over the day, and a discovery set is the smartest way I know to see all of them before committing.

LoveShackFancy's Signature Perfume Library and Glossier's You Perfume Sampler Set bundle a full range of a brand's scents into one kit, and both work well for a first meeting with a house. KAYALI's Oudgasm Discovery Layering Sampler leans into the brand's layering concept, so you can stack two and see what happens. The 7 Virtues' Summer Fling Mini Coffret and Maison Margiela's Replica Mini Duo keep things smaller, with just a few scents to compare head to head. PHLUR's Mini Perfume Sampler and Maison Louis Marie's Perfume Oil Discovery Set apply the same idea to two very different brands, one sweet and airy, the other oil-based and quiet.

A pairing I like: a sampler as a gift with a note that says which one you would pick. It is a small gesture, and it saves the friend from guessing.

What I would skip: smelling all the samples in one sitting, one after another. Your nose gets tired after a few, and everything will start to smell like the same warm thing.

I think the right format is the one you will actually use, and it is worth choosing by the hour. A mist is for anyone who reapplies through the day without thinking. An oil or rollerball is for someone who wants a fragrance to sit quietly rather than announce itself across a room. A solid belongs in the bag or the gym locker, where nothing can spill.

A discovery set is the right first step before a full bottle of anything, in this guide or any other.

Marilyn Monroe said five words about what she wore to bed, and we are still quoting them. Pick the format that lets you do the same, and skip the speech. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Fragrance Sets and Perfume And Fragrance Oils.