Sets are for people who like choosing. A duo lets you live with two scents for a couple of weeks, which tells you far more than a minute at a counter ever could.

Miu Miu's Mini Miutine duo and Armani Beauty's Power of You Mini Duo are the two I would give as presents, since each comes as a pair. Marc Jacobs Beauty's Mini Perfect duo is another duo, useful for trying the scent before a full bottle. Kayali's Marshmallow Candy Mini Duo is the treat for anyone who likes gourmand scents. Glossier's You Perfume Sampler Set is four small vials of a fragrance made to wear close to the skin. BORNTOSTANDOUT's Fragrance Discovery Set is a set for exploring a few scents in one go.

Here is how I use a sampler. I wear one scent for three or four days in a row, then switch to the next, and I write down a note on my phone each evening. Something like sweet on Monday, too sweet by Wednesday, is more useful than any review. By the end, you will know which one you reach for, and only then should you think about a full bottle.

Store the small bottles in their box, away from the window, and they will stay fresh for a long time. If you are giving one as a gift, tuck two different ones together, so the person can choose a favorite and pass the other to a friend.

Rollerballs and solid perfumes are my favorite format, because they cannot spill and they make it easy to put on a very small amount. There is no cloud, and nobody near you has to smell your morning.

Chloé's rollerball has lychee, rose and amber, and it is fresh and pretty for the desk. Dior's Miss Dior Mini Miss Parfum Solid Perfume is a little compact you can slip into a pocket, and it stays closer to the skin than a spray. NEST New York's Madagascar Vanilla Perfume Oil Rollerball is a warm, soft vanilla in an oil base, which tends to sit on skin comfortably. Skylar's Coconut Cove Eau de Parfum Rollerball is the summery one, a beachy, easy scent. Rare Beauty's Sweet Marshmallow Fragrance Layering Balm is meant to go under or over another fragrance, so it is a good way to make a favorite feel a little different.

What I would skip: rubbing your wrists together after you apply, which smears it instead of letting it settle, and dropping a rollerball loose into a bag without its cap on tight. Dab, then leave it alone.

Apply to pulse points, such as the inner wrists, the base of the throat and behind the ears, and reapply after lunch if you want. A solid perfume is especially good in a desk drawer or a gym bag, since it has nothing to leak, and the little compact is easy to find without looking.

When I pack, I choose one travel spray, one rollerball and nothing else. The spray is for the evening and the rollerball rides in my coat pocket for a top-up after a long meeting.

Put them all in one quart-size bag with your other liquids, check the label size before you go, and keep the caps snug. At home, use up the small bottle before you buy a bigger one. If you love it, you will know because the bottle empties quickly, and if you do not, you have lost very little. Small is a good size for anything you are still deciding about. And if a scent turns out to be a favorite, the little bottle becomes a handy reminder to go and get a full-size one, at your own pace.