“Perfumery has always been about head-turning,” reads Bond No. 9’s website. The brand is named after its New York City address, 9 Bond St. in Soho, and is a fun homage to the different neighborhoods of Manhattan. With a scent for each section of the city, there’s a lot of choices. The inspiration never runs out in NYC with the brand picking up scents from the parks and the bordering vacation spots too. The brand had a Montauk scent before the in-crowd even got there for summer.

The thing is, everyone needs a signature scent that they can turn to each day without thought. It’s nice to have options, but scents remind us of people and of certain times in our lives, so it’s nice to have something that is uniquely you. Here’s how to go about finding something that’s all you.

Know the lingo – Ranked from strongest to lightest – Parfum, Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette, Eau de Cologne and perfume mist. Parfum is the richest, most authentic form of perfume with 15-20% of aromatic compounds, while Eau de Toilette is the most commonly worn type (5-15% of aromatic compounds).

Put the perfume on your skin and take your time – There’s a reason we apply perfume to our wrists and our neck. That’s where it blends with our natural oils the fastest. Perfume needs time to sink into the skin and really tell you how it’s going to smell on you. Take a little walk outside when trying, and smell the scent in a natural environment, rather than a store that’s already mixed with its own scents.

Use the coffee beans – Just like a sorbet cleanses your palate before an entree, the coffee beans will clear your nose between sniffs. Taking in too many scents will leave your senses overwhelmed and confused.

Hit all the notes – Perfumes have a top note, a middle note, and a bottom note. Upon first whiff, you might only be getting the top note. Learn what families you like (woodsy, floral, oriental) and then let the perfume seep into your skin. You’ll be able to smell the bottom note as it wears on after about 20 minutes or so.

I hope this helps you in your signature scent quest. Think about your best scent memory and use that inspiration to figure out how you want to be remembered.