The notion of a "signature scent" is a pretty appealing one — the idea that you adopt a fragrance for life and become known by it. For me it conjours up an image of a deeply chic and sophisticated woman (probably Parisian and of a certain age) who may have even inspired the perfume in the first place. I am not, however, that woman. When it comes to fragrances I can only describe myself as flighty — promiscuous even. I have my favourites and dislikes, but I will never be a one-scent girl.
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Mood, time of day, day of the week... can see me switch from one bottle to another and at the very least I let the season dictate my scent. The need to feel cosy and enveloped in winter leads me to very particular notes and so, summer demands something quite different  — much less cloying. While my tendency is towards heady, spicy, rich and warm, this can all become a bit much in the heat — even for me. Almost subconsciously I find myself drawn towards airier, fresher scents.

A fragrance is evocative — having the power to transport us to another place or time and the creators of Les Fantaisies Parfumées, the just-launched family of five fragrances for celebrated French fabric design house Manuel Canovas, would like to take us on five exotic journeys. Each scent is named after and inspired by a glamorous destination and although not intended to be seasonal, summer is unmistakably evident in Pink Riviera (£70 - 100ml edp) the sweet, sparkly, fruity floral headiness of which does bring to mind the St Tropez of the '70s that its nose had in mind.

If you would like your fragrance to take you back to that idyllic summer holiday among the olive groves and vineyards of the Tuscany hills. you might like to try Ferragamo's new fragrance Tuscan Soul (£40 - 75ml edt), which with the first spritz of citrus fruits, dries down to a warm, sensual, woody sweetness (fig and iris) that is pure sunshine.

Hardly surprisingly, fruits and flowers are the obligatory key notes of fragrances associated with summer and in particular those that say fresh, light, zingy, feminine..... DKNY's Be Delicious (£53.83 - 100ml edp) is a crisp and very fruity burst of grapefruit, cassis and apricot, but with rose and jasmine thrown into its heart. Similarly bracing is Missoni's Acqua (£53.83 - 100ml edt), a blend of fruit and flowers — citrus, violet, peony, freesia, iris and jasmine — to evoke sun on water in the Italian Riviera. Peach, freesia, tuberose and white hibiscus top notes give a romantic, feminine feel to the sweet and sparkling fruity floral that is Tommy Hilfiger's Dreaming (£33.28 - 50ml edp).... another perfect summer scent.

Love by Nina (£30 - 50ml edt) is the green apple version of the original red apple "Nina" fragrance — so it's fresher and crisper but with cherry blossom and frangipani flower for a dash of sweetness. Another appley, green fruity floral is Burberry Summer (£29 - 50ml edt) which has quite a dash of citrus, but with delicate heart notes of rose, jasmine and freesia to give a lighter air. And if you like the almost sticky sweetness of fruity fragrances, you'll love Laugh With Me LeeLee (£29.50 - 30ml) one of three new edts from Benefit. There's melon, cassis and citrus in the top notes, with a girlie-but-saucy heart of black violet, lily and jasmine.

The fresh burst of citrus fruits that comes with the first spritz of Carolina Herrera's 212 On Ice (£31 - 60ml edt) soon gives way to a cooler, elegantly feminine floral heart of gardenia, peony, iris and lilies. And if you prefer your summer fragrance to have a more delicate, lightness, try Moschino Cheap & Chic's Light Clouds (£32 - 50ml edt) with its top notes of peach blossom and cyclamen and romantic floral heart of rose, jasmine and lotus. While it eventually dries down to a subtle, almost innocent lightness, The Sanctuary's new Green Tea & Jasmine edt (part of a collection of four new fragrance's whose names let the ingredients do the talking) has an initial burst fresh greenness that gradually gives way to a sweet, flowery heart.

And, finally, if a name alone can summon up a season, then Clinique's Happy (£32 - 50ml), in it's warm cantaloupe melon coloured box, ought to do it. And to me the smell is appropriately uplifting — bright, bubbly, citrus-fruity at first whiff, then warmer, more sensual and slightly powdery... summer in a bottle.