The first Miss Dior was Christian Dior's first perfume. It launched in 1947 as a tribute to his youngest sister Catherine, shortly after the New Look collection debuted. I think of that history whenever I pick up Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet, because it takes the idea of a young woman's perfume and keeps it light.

Blooming Bouquet came out in 2014, and it is built as a fresh floral. The notes start with Sicilian mandarin, then open into pink peony, Damask rose, apricot and peach, and end on white musk. Silky is the word that suits it, a peony fragrance with rose and a white musk base. There is nothing heavy about it.

The Blooming Bouquet bottle is the one to begin with. The Roller-pearl version is the small, portable one, good for a bag or a desk drawer, and applied with a quick glide on the wrists. It is also a gentle way to try the scent before committing to a full spray. Miss Dior Rose N'Roses Eau de Toilette is the next step along, a rosier, lighter toilette in the same family.

A spritz on the wrists and one behind the knees is all you need for a warm day. If you want to know whether it suits you, wear it for a whole afternoon and pay attention to the moment you catch it on your sleeve. That is when a scent either feels like yours or does not.

If Blooming Bouquet feels too delicate for you, the rest of the Miss Dior range gets richer and more lasting as you move up. They share a family resemblance, but each has its own volume.

Miss Dior Eau de Parfum is the everyday floral, fuller than the toilette and still fresh. Miss Dior Essence sits in between, a more intense take on the same idea. Miss Dior Parfum is the most concentrated of the three, and the one I would save for evenings, weddings and any occasion where you want a scent to linger into the next morning.

The real difference between these is how they sit on skin. A parfum is denser, so it stays closer to you and lasts longer, while a lighter spray opens wide and fades quickly. That is worth knowing if you work in a small office or ride the subway, where a big, bold scent can be a lot for the person beside you.

My advice is to try the Eau de Parfum first, since it is the easiest to place. If you find yourself wanting more staying power, you will know it within a couple of weeks, and then the Parfum is a natural next bottle. Keep all of them out of the sun, since light and heat dull the top notes. If you own a few, I like to rotate them by weather, the lighter ones for spring mornings and the parfum for cooler nights, so none of them gets tired.

Soft florals come in many shapes, and these eight are the ones I would put on a tray next to Miss Dior. They are pretty without being sugary, and they work for daytime more than most.

Chloé's Eau de Parfum, with rose and amber, is the rose-and-amber one that so many people know. Viktor&Rolf's Flowerbomb Pretty Peony, with peony and strawberry, is the playful, fruity one of the group. Valentino's Donna Born in Roma Coral Fantasy, with rose and orange, is bright and a little citrusy. Jo Malone London's Peony & Blush Suede is a cologne with jasmine, light and airy, and it is the one to layer if you like to build your own scent. Kayali's Fleur Majesty Rose Royale is the one for rose lovers. Lancôme's Idôle, with rose and jasmine, is a rose-and-jasmine perfume I find easy to wear on a busy day.

What I would skip: buying a floral perfume on the strength of one sniff in a crowded room, where your nose is tired after the first three. Also skip layering a peony with a rose, unless you have tested the combination on your skin, since some pairs turn sharp.

Pick two, ask for them on paper strips, and take the paper home to smell again tomorrow. A scent you still like the next day, when nobody is selling you anything, is the one to buy.

A floral does not need any ceremony. One spray on each side of the neck, or a quick roll on the wrists, and you are done. The scent should arrive a moment after you do, not before.

If you are choosing a bottle as a gift, I would go with a peony, since it pleases most people and rarely feels too grown-up or too young. Wear it on clean, moisturized skin, and store it in a drawer rather than on the bathroom shelf. Give any new perfume a few wears before deciding. Flowers change through the day, and the best part is often the third hour, when the musk comes forward and the rest settles down around it. Be patient with it, and let a bottle show you its whole day before you decide it is not for you. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Miss Dior Perfume and Peony Perfume Is a Beautiful Fiction.