The iVillage fragrance guide

• Scenting your clothes, as well as your bed linens, with delicate floral fragrances is a wonderful way to surround yourself with uplifting, natural scents all the time. You can either buy a specially blended linen water, available at shops like L'Occitane's (ring 020 7290 1421 for stockists), or make your own by adding a drop of essential rose, lavender or neroli oil (available at your local chemist or health food shop), to a bottle of warm water. Pour it into a spritzer and spray a little onto your laundry before you iron it. Take care, however, when applying commercial fragrances that contain alcohol to coloured clothing or linen, as they may take the colour out of your clothes or stain them. When applying fragrance to the skin, allow it to dry before dressing.

• Don't be afraid to experiment with your everyday fragrance in a new way. Carolina Andrina Herrera, daughter of the South American-born designer Carolina Herrera and creator of the super-stylish 212, likes to mix her perfume with some almond oil. 'I rub it into my arms, stomach and legs,' she says. Coco Chanel used to perfume the hems of the clothes she had designed so that her models trailed clouds of scent down the catwalk. Estee Lauder advises spritzing your scent into the air a few inches in front of you, then stepping into the perfumed mist.

• 'Fragrance tends to last longer on oilier skins, so scents tend to evaporate quicker from dry skin,' says Dove says. He adds that stress, medication and hormonal changes, including pregnancy and the menopause, can also affect how a fragrance smells on you. 'Avoid testing a fragrance for several days if you've eaten spicy foods or garlic, unless these foods are a regular part of your diet,' he also advises. Otherwise you won't get a true sense of how a fragrance smells.