is best. When in doubt, select an eau-de-parfum.

If you don't know what your mom likes or would like, these are some older, established scents that have achieved near-classic status. The fragrance world, like fashion, is prone to fads but every now and then something stands the test of time. These are fragrances that have been around a while but are still very popular. They're good choices for Mother's Day because most people like them (so the laws of probability hold that your mom will, too):

• Tresor by Lancome, floral, sparkling, sophisticated

• Eternity by Calvin Klein, floral, youthful

• Obsession by Calvin Klein, floral, feminine

• Happ

A visit to the perfume counter of the local department store can be a frightening experience for the inexperienced fragrance shopper. If you're new to buying perfume, you are probably going to be horrified to discover that there are literally hundreds of different fragrances that will compete for your attention. What's more, they sometimes have very similar names. Don't try to buy a perfume named Beautiful unless you know a little more. Do you mean Beautiful? Or Beautiful Love? Or perhaps Beautiful Sheer? They're different, you know.

However, you can navigate the perfume counter and wind up with a great gift that will delight your mom.

First, you need to get over certain preconceived notions you have going in. You're not going to get a bargain. Perfume is one of those luxury items, like Manolo Blahnik shoes and Rolex watches, that just does not go on sale. With some luck, they'll be offering some gift sets, packaged deals, or products that come in fancy tote bags or with accessories.

Perfume is as complex as fine wine and about as difficult to make. At times, perfume experts may speak to you about things you don't understand. That's why you need this guide.

If you know your mother's favorite fragrances or if she has specifically hinted about wanting a certain product, you're halfway home. But you may be asked if you want perfume (sometimes pronounced the French way, parfum or par-fam) or an eau-de-parfum (always pronounced in French) or a cologne. Those are three different products and you'll notice they differ in size, possibly packaging, and price. Perfume is by far the most expensive and it contains the most scent. Pure fragrance is too harsh on the skin and disagreeable on the nose to wear, so it is blended with other fragrances and then put in a vehicle to help stabilize it. Fragrance products consist of scent mixed with a liquid (no fragrance product is pure 100% scent). In terms of how much scent the product contains, perfume contains the most, eau-de-parfum ranks next, and cologne contains the least.

However, there is no official percentage of scent set forth that defines perfume; it tends to be a range. Here's your first insider's tip. Estee Lauder fragrances are known as being strong stuff, that is, having more scent than most other similar products. Thus, an Estee Lauder eau-de-parfum may be close to what another manufacturer labels as perfume.

Is strong better? A woman uses less perfume and eau-de-parfum with each application and the scent lasts longer. If your mom likes to re-apply fragrance frequently during the day or if her activities are such that she frequently works out or showers during the day, a lighter spray-on fragrance is best. When in doubt, select an eau-de-parfum.

If you don't know what your mom likes or would like, these are some older, established scents that have achieved near-classic status. The fragrance world, like fashion, is prone to fads but every now and then something stands the test of time. These are fragrances that have been around a while but are still very popular. They're good choices for Mother's Day because most people like them (so the laws of probability hold that your mom will, too):

• Tresor by Lancome, floral, sparkling, sophisticated

• Eternity by Calvin Klein, floral, youthful

• Obsession by Calvin Klein, floral, feminine

• Happy

er certain preconceived notions you have going in. You're not going to get a bargain. Perfume is one of those luxury items, like Manolo Blahnik shoes and Rolex watches, that just does not go on sale. With some luck, they'll be offering some gift sets, packaged deals, or products that come in fancy tote bags or with accessories.

Perfume is as complex as fine wine and about as difficult to make. At times, perfume experts may speak to you about things you don't understand. That's why you need this guide.

If you know your mother's favorite fragrances or if she has specifically hinted about wanting a certain product, you're halfway home. But you may be asked if you want perfume (sometimes pronounced the French way, parfum or par-fam) or an eau-de-parfum (always pronounced in French) or a cologne. Those are three different products and you'll notice they differ in size, possibly packaging, and price. Perfume is by far the most expensive and it contains the most scent. Pure fragrance is too harsh on the skin and disagreeable on the nose to wear, so it is blended with other fragrances and then put in a vehicle to help stabilize it. Fragrance products consist of scent mixed with a liquid (no fragrance product is pure 100% scent). In terms of how much scent the product contains, perfume contains the most, eau-de-parfum ranks next, and cologne contains the least.

However, there is no official percentage of scent set forth that defines perfume; it tends to be a range. Here's your first insider's tip. Estee Lauder fragrances are known as being strong stuff, that is, having more scent than most other similar products. Thus, an Estee Lauder eau-de-parfum may be close to what another manufacturer labels as perfume.

Is strong better? A woman uses less perfume and eau-de-parfum with each application and the scent lasts longer. If your mom likes to re-apply fragrance frequently during the day or if her activities are such that she frequently works out or showers during the day, a lighter spray-on fragrance is best. When in doubt, select an eau-de-parfum.

If you don't know what your mom likes or would like, these are some older, established scents that have achieved near-classic status. The fragrance world, like fashion, is prone to fads but every now and then something stands the test of time. These are fragrances that have been around a while but are still very popular. They're good choices for Mother's Day because most people like them (so the laws of probability hold that your mom will, too):

• Tresor by Lancome, floral, sparkling, sophisticated

• Eternity by Calvin Klein, floral, youthful

• Obsession by Calvin Klein, floral, feminine

• Happ

ant perfume (sometimes pronounced the French way, parfum or par-fam) or an eau-de-parfum (always pronounced in French) or a cologne. Those are three different products and you'll notice they differ in size, possibly packaging, and price. Perfume is by far the most expensive and it contains the most scent. Pure fragrance is too harsh on the skin and disagreeable on the nose to wear, so it is blended with other fragrances and then put in a vehicle to help stabilize it. Fragrance products consist of scent mixed with a liquid (no fragrance product is pure 100% scent). In terms of how much scent the product contains, perfume contains the most, eau-de-parfum ranks next, and cologne contains the least.

However, there is no official percentage of scent set forth that defines perfume; it tends to be a range. Here's your first insider's tip. Estee Lauder fragrances are known as being strong stuff, that is, having more scent than most other similar products. Thus, an Estee Lauder eau-de-parfum may be close to what another manufacturer labels as perfume.

Is strong better? A woman uses less perfume and eau-de-parfum with each application and the scent lasts longer. If your mom likes to re-apply fragrance frequently during the day or if her activities are such that she frequently works out or showers during the day, a lighter spray-on fragrance is best. When in doubt, select an eau-de-parfum.

If you don't know what your mom likes or would like, these are some older, established scents that have achieved near-classic status. The fragrance world, like fashion, is prone to fads but every now and then something stands the test of time. These are fragrances that have been around a while but are still very popular. They're good choices for Mother's Day because most people like them (so the laws of probability hold that your mom will, too):

• Tresor by Lancome, floral, sparkling, sophisticated

• Eternity by Calvin Klein, floral, youthful

• Obsession by Calvin Klein, floral, feminine

• Happ

ne contains the least.

However, there is no official percentage of scent set forth that defines perfume; it tends to be a range. Here's your first insider's tip. Estee Lauder fragrances are known as being strong stuff, that is, having more scent than most other similar products. Thus, an Estee Lauder eau-de-parfum may be close to what another manufacturer labels as perfume.

Is strong better? A woman uses less perfume and eau-de-parfum with each application and the scent lasts longer. If your mom likes to re-apply fragrance frequently during the day or if her activities are such that she frequently works out or showers during the day, a lighter spray-on fragrance is best. When in doubt, select an eau-de-parfum.

If you don't know what your mom likes or would like, these are some older, established scents that have achieved near-classic status. The fragrance world, like fashion, is prone to fads but every now and then something stands the test of time. These are fragrances that have been around a while but are still very popular. They're good choices for Mother's Day because most people like them (so the laws of probability hold that your mom will, too):

• Tresor by Lancome, floral, sparkling, sophisticated

• Eternity by Calvin Klein, floral, youthful

• Obsession by Calvin Klein, floral, feminine

• Happ

is best. When in doubt, select an eau-de-parfum.

If you don't know what your mom likes or would like, these are some older, established scents that have achieved near-classic status. The fragrance world, like fashion, is prone to fads but every now and then something stands the test of time. These are fragrances that have been around a while but are still very popular. They're good choices for Mother's Day because most people like them (so the laws of probability hold that your mom will, too):

• Tresor by Lancome, floral, sparkling, sophisticated

• Eternity by Calvin Klein, floral, youthful

• Obsession by Calvin Klein, floral, feminine

• Happy by Clinique, light, floral, fun

Those are fragrances that most people would like. But maybe your mom (or grandmother) remembers certain perfumes from "way back." Perfumes often get discontinued so it can be hard to find a nostalgic scent. Some oldies but goodies on the market that are highly recommended:

• Chanel No. 5 by Chanel, a "sparkling" floral fragrance that has been around since the 1920s

• Youth Dew by Estee Lauder, a spicy Oriental fragrance that dates back to the 1950s; there's also a "re-make" of it called Youth Dew Amber Nude

• Miss Dior by Christian Dior from the 1970s, another spicy fragrance

• Y by Yves St. Laurent, also from the 1970s, a sparkling fragrance

But maybe your mom would like to try something new. If she's fashion-forward, sporty, or just likes the latest stuff, here are some relatively new things to hit the perfume counter:

• Sunset Heat by Escada, a youthful very tropical scent

• Beyond Paradise by Estee Lauder, a rich floral with strong honeysuckle notes

• Very Irresistible by Givenchy, like a great big bouquet of roses, I never met anyone who did not like this scent

• V by Valentino, light, clean but still sophisticated

• One by Calvin Klein, a fresh scent that could worn by men or women

If you prefer to shop online, you should be careful about perfume warehouse websites that are actually selling knockoffs or counterfeit fragrances. If the prices are very low or the website looks shady, stay away. This is your mother, for pity's sake. Don't buy her sham products. There are lots of good websites and one I recommend is http://www.sephora.com. You won't find everything here but you will usually be able to find more than you can get at the perfume counter of your local department store. If you think your mom might enjoy something more obscure and unusual, look for these:

• Stella by Stella McCartney, very trendy packaging, nice fragrance, and, yes, that's Paul McCartney's daughter

• Green Tea by Bvlgari, an unusual but light fragrance which reminds me of a luxury spa

• Goddess by Baby Phat, a pretty pink floral in a girly container

• Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker, a "celebrity" fragrance that's actually quite charming

• Lemon Sugar by Fresh, which is what they call a "fruity floral." it's definitely going to remind you of food, but it's a very fun summery scent

If you're an Internet denizen and don't mind going to a niche perfumery website, the best one from my perfumista's little black book is this: http://www.bondno9.com. The company, Bond No. 9, is a New York perfume house that names its fragrances after New York neighborhoods. If your mom