Decoding the world of fragrance is not an especially easy task. Although most of us can probably discern a fruity scent from a woodsy one, it's harder to identify certain smells without going through training (as Chandler Burr has said). That's why I delight in these Florascent fragrance trial collections ($26.50). Each features four fragrance vials, with each package focusing on one of five families of scent. So if you've always wanted to explore oriental or floral perfumes, you'll get four distinct scents within that category. (I prefer Aqua Aromatica.)

The other cool thing is the slide-out packaging. Instead of opening like a regular box, the box slides out to reveal information about the scents along with the vials themselves. Is that reason alone to buy this? Nah — but it's a nice little perk nonetheless.