Versace Crystal Noir, the Gardenia With a Pepper Edge

Versace Crystal Noir launched in 2004, created by perfumer Antoine Lie, and it has one of the more distinct openings of any floral I know. The top is pepper, ginger and cardamom, so before you get any flower at all you get a little heat. Then the heart arrives: coconut, gardenia, orange blossom and peony. The base is sandalwood, musk and amber, which is what gives it the dark, glowing finish the name promises.

Gardenia is the central note, recreated with headspace technology, which captures the scent of the flower rather than extracting it. What I smell is creamy and very white, and the pepper up front keeps it from turning sweet. I like it best in the evening, in cooler weather, and on a wool sweater where it lingers.

The rest of the grid is the crystal family. Bright Crystal Eau de Toilette is the sister I would wear in the daytime. Bright Crystal Absolu Eau de Parfum Spray and Bright Crystal Parfum Spray are the richer versions of that idea, and I would smell them side by side to learn the difference. Crystal Emerald Eau de Parfum is the one I would be curious to smell next to Noir. Between the five you get a fair tour of the crystal idea.

Start with one spray on the neck and one on the collarbone, then wait. Versace Crystal Noir is a scent that rewards patience, and the wool sweater test is a good one: smell the sleeve the next morning.

Beyond the crystals, Versace has a run of colorful bottles that are easy to like. This grid is the younger, more playful side of the house, and it makes a good contrast with the moodiness of Noir.

Yellow Diamond Eau de Toilette is the one I would hand to a friend who says she does not like perfume. It is an eau de toilette, so I expect it to sit lighter than the parfums here, which suits a daytime scent. The three Dylan bottles are a set, each in its own color. Dylan Blue Pour Femme Eau de Parfum, Dylan Purple Eau de Parfum and Dylan Blush Pink Eau de Parfum Spray are all eau de parfums, so I would smell the three in a row and pick by color as much as by nose.

What I find useful about a family like this is that you can wear them by mood without changing your whole personality. Yellow Diamond is for a Saturday errand, when you want something easy to forget you are wearing. The Dylans are for dinners. Noir is for the night you want the interesting perfume.

If you are choosing between them, spray one on each wrist and walk around a shop or your kitchen for an hour. The color of the bottle will not tell you what you like. Your skin will.

Crystal Noir is a warm, milky, amber-based perfume, so it is a natural neighbor for other perfumes with the same kind of glow. Here are eight from other houses, all rich and all quite different from one another.

Miu Miu's Fleur de Lait, with coconut milk, is the one that nods to the coconut in Noir's heart, though I expect it to be softer and more playful. Glossier's You Fleur is the floral of the group that I would try on bare skin. Valentino's Donna Born in Roma Intense pairs amber and jasmine, and it is more of an evening perfume. Prada's Paradoxe, with white musk and amber, is the polite one of the group.

Gucci's Flora Gorgeous Gardenia, with pear and brown sugar, is the obvious pick if the gardenia in Noir is what you love, since it pairs that flower with fruit and sugar. Burberry's Goddess Amber Vanilla Intense, with maple syrup and amber, is the sweetest and the most dessert-like of the first six.

What I would skip: layering two rich perfumes because each one smells good alone. Heavy amber and heavy vanilla together can turn muddy, and you lose exactly what you liked about each. Wear one at a time, and let it be the only thing you notice. Keep the others for another day, and write down which one you reached for first. That small note tells you more than any review.

A rich flower like Crystal Noir does best with a light hand and a bit of planning. It is a perfume for evenings and cold weather, and it can feel like too much in a hot office or a small car.

Put it on clean skin and on clothes that are not delicate, and give it time. The peppery top fades within the first half hour, and what remains is much softer than what you first smelled. If you love it but find it heavy, try a single spray on the back of the neck, where you get the trail without the intensity. And if any perfume gives you a headache, wash it off. A perfume should be a pleasure, not a test of endurance. Save the heavier bottles on this page for the evenings that call for them, and keep a lighter one nearby for everything else. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Crystal Bracelets and Tennis Necklace Guide.