Warm scents can feel like too much in July, so this is my daytime group. The idea is fresh, breezy and a little fruity, something that smells good on a walk to lunch rather than at a candlelit table.

KAYALI's Maldives in a Bottle Ylang Coco is the beach one, coconut and white flower in a bright, easy mood. Clean Reserve's Whipped Cherry with Vanilla and Coconut is playful, a cherry that behaves more like a dessert than a cough drop. The 7 Virtues' Candied Lychee is juicy, and I find it the most cheerful bottle in the grid. Jimmy Choo's I Want Choo With Love is the prettiest of the group.

Rabanne's Million Gold for Her Eau de Parfum with Musk and White Florals is the most polished of these, and the musk keeps it from smelling like a bouquet. Jo Malone London's Frangipani Flower Cologne with Sandalwood is the lightest, a cologne rather than a heavy parfum, and it works well layered over a scent you already own.

Apply these after a shower, when skin is still a little warm, and expect to reapply after lunch. Lighter scents fade sooner, and that is part of the charm.

If you tend to lose a fragrance by mid-afternoon, spray the back of your knees or the inside of your elbow as well. Warmer parts of the body hold scent longer, and the little cloud that rises as you move is much nicer than a heavy spray at the neck.

When a full bottle is too big to carry, I switch to oils and balms. They stay where you put them, they are quiet, and they slide into a pocket without a fuss.

NEST New York's Watermelon Peony Perfume Oil is fruity and bright, a summer scent in a small format. Maison Louis Marie's No. 14 Icila Perfume Oil is the quieter, more grown-up pick in the group. Rare Beauty's Sweet Marshmallow Fragrance Layering Balm is meant to sit under a spray, and it makes a sweeter base for almost any vanilla. OUAI's St. Barts Solid Eau De Parfum is a solid, which is the format I like best for travel because nothing can spill. Cyklar's Vanilla Verve Roll-On Perfume Oil with Ambrette is a warm, skin-like scent, and By Rosie Jane's Rosie perfume oil with white musk is clean and soft.

What I would skip: putting oil over very dry skin, where it can disappear in an hour, and stacking two sweet oils at once. Moisturize first, apply to the pulse points, and let it dry down on its own. A little unscented lotion underneath helps any of these last longer, and it keeps the scent true to the bottle.

A tiny amount is enough. You can always add another dab, but you cannot take it away.

Here is how I shop a bottle: choose the season first, then the strength. Warm sprays for cold months, airy florals for warm ones, and an oil or solid for the days you are out until night.

Test on skin, not paper, and give a scent two or three hours before you decide. If you still like it when you take off your coat at the end of the day, buy it. If you keep noticing it in a bad way, it is not yours, however lovely the bottle looks.

Store the bottles in a drawer or a cupboard rather than on the bathroom shelf, where steam and light wear them down. A scent kept cool and dark tends to hold up better, and that is a good habit to build with anything you love.