The iVillage fragrance guide

Eau de cologne, the first type of commonly used fragrance that was popularised by Napoleon, is rarely made any more and doesn't have the same structure as classic French perfume. However, eau fraiche, which was created by Christian Dior with its classic men's scent Eau Sauvage, is similar to an eau de cologne but lasts like a very concentrated eau de toilette. Contemporary eau fraiche scents may have the words 'O de' in front of the name, for example 'O de Lancôme'.

Scented body creams contain around eight per cent aromatic oils, and lotions have three to five per cent. Because of their thick cream or lotion base, the scent will linger all over in its more concentrated form for several hours and can still be smelled faintly on the body up to 24 hours later.

Other general fragrance tips:

• Don't apply fragrance behind the ears, advises Dove - there are too many sebaceous glands in the area that can affect the way a perfume smells.

• The best way to make your fragrance linger all day is to layer your scents. Indulge in a foaming scented bubble bath and use the complementary scented soap (if it isn't available, use a non-scented variety so that you don't wind up with a clash of odours). Afterwards, use lavish amounts of the matching body lotion and follow up with a spritz or dab of your chosen scent. Your skin will absorb the fragrance molecules over the complete surface of your body.