MYSLF is the newer family, and it feels like a slightly warmer, more relaxed cousin of Y. The Eau de Parfum was launched in 2023 and created by three perfumers, Christophe Raynaud, Antoine Maisondieu and Daniela Andrier. It is a good example of how a house can start from a fresh idea and still finish somewhere woody.

The MYSLF Eau de Parfum with Fresh Accord & Warm Woods is the starting point. To my nose it sits between clean and cozy, which makes it easy to wear on a Tuesday and just as easy to wear on a Saturday night. MYSLF Le Parfum is the concentrated version, and it is the one I would pick if you like a fragrance to hang around at your collar until the next morning. MYSLF Absolu, with ginger and woods, is the one I would try if you want a bit of spice.

If you are trying to decide between the two families, here is my shortcut. Y is the sharper, brighter one, and MYSLF is the rounder, warmer one. Try both on paper first, then on skin, and give each an hour before you decide, since the opening and the drydown can be quite different.

If you already own a Y, you do not need to replace it. You can simply add a MYSLF for the colder months, and let the two share the shelf.

Sometimes you want the same quality of finish and a different signature, and there are plenty of houses that do it well. These are the eight I would line up on a table if a friend asked for a change.

Valentino's Uomo Born in Roma has violet in the name and a smooth, modern feel. Prada's Paradigme is an eau de parfum with bergamot, and it is the one that fits best with a tailored jacket. Azzaro's Forever Wanted Elixir is an elixir concentration, which to me points to a night out. Armani Beauty's Acqua di Giò Eau de Toilette, with Calabrian bergamot and cedarwood, is the clean, aquatic classic, and honestly the easiest to wear. Maison Margiela's REPLICA By the Fireplace is a winter scent with chestnut, vanilla and clove oil, which smells like exactly what the name promises. Jo Malone London's Wood Sage & Sea Salt is a cologne with a breezy, salty feel, lighter and more understated than the rest.

What I would skip: buying a bottle from a paper strip alone, and layering three of these at once. A scent that is sharp for a minute can turn soft an hour later, and the reverse is just as common. Wear it on your skin for a full day, in the setting where you would actually use it, and only then decide.

Keep your favorite one in a drawer, away from sun and heat, so it lasts.

Here is the way I would choose. Pick the season first, then the setting, then the strength. Warm weather and work call for a toilette, cool weather and evenings call for a parfum, and anything in between is an eau de parfum.

Test one scent per day, on skin, and write down how it smells at the start and at the end of the day. Ask someone honest what they notice. If you get a headache or the scent feels too loud by lunchtime, use fewer sprays, not a different bottle. Two sprays is usually plenty for a parfum, and three for a toilette. A good fragrance should be noticed by someone who leans in, not by a whole elevator. Reapply only if you truly cannot smell it, because your nose tires long before other people's do, and keep a small decant in a bag if you want a touch-up before dinner.

After Y and MYSLF, the quickest way to understand a house is to smell the rest of its range, and this last stretch has a lot of it. Yves Saint Laurent L'Homme Le Parfum and La Nuit de L'Homme are the classic evening choices, and the Le Vestiaire des Parfums Tuxedo and Trench are the unusual ones. For something fresher, Y Iced Cologne Eau de Toilette Intense is my pick, and the Jo Malone London Sea Salt & Bergamot is lighter still. The Maison Margiela Replica Beach Walk and Never Ending Summer are the warm-weather choices. For deeper nights, I would try Armani Cuir Noir and Prada Paradigme Le Parfum. What I would skip: Rabanne Phantom in Red Parfum Elixir for the gym, since a parfum elixir is a stronger format. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Best Cologne for Men and A Shelf of Coach Blue Cologne and the Fresh Scents Beside It.