It’s hard to resist the temptation of a new scent, but when you’ve worn and loved the same fragrance for years, it becomes part of you. The smell that others know you by becomes embedded in your psyche as well as your clothes.

However, a life-changing situation — like divorce — is one of the best times to create a fresh perfume identity. Since scent is the most powerful memory trail of all, who needs the reminder 24/7?

Every time I have changed relationships, let go of a long-term boyfriend or husband, I switched my signature scent. It gave me a fresh start.

My husband Robert knows me as Frederic Malle’s Carnal Flower but friends recall times when a hint of Quelques Fleurs or Fracas said “Lois is here.”

Eye-catching advertising, beautiful display-worthy bottles, and the promise of wafting around in a cloud of sensuality make it hard to be faithful to only one (perfume that is). You’re probably attracted to new scents with the same accords of ones you’ve loved in the past.

Sylvanie Delacourte, a creative director of fragrance for Guerlain, a legendary “nose” in the industry (and a very glam 40+ blonde) told me “the main message of a perfume, the soul, is in one of seven accords, each made up of several notes. Bergamot plus violet plus jasmine is one very common accord, for example. Perfumers dress up the accords with facets (there are eleven, from fruity to spicy to gourmand) and use them as accessories to individualize the scent.”

I now prefer powerful white flower scents and always head straight for the gardenias and tuberoses. This summer I had a test-fling with Guerlain Cruel Gardenia, a feminine scent with slightly dangerous undercurrents. NYC cabdrivers, waiters, my fellow commuters on Metro North, and work colleagues all gave it raves. For most women, style and scent collaborate for one big imprint.

Try my favorites above, as well as these chic new companions. One may be a keeper:

• Ralph Lauren Notorious A spiced chocolate-y floral, very Hitchcock heroine, 40’s glamour in attitude. Warning: it will make you lust for a $15,000 Ralph crocodile “Ricky” bag.

• Serge Lutens Louve Eau de Parfum is mysterious and packed with jasmine, musk, and vanilla, with a hint of almonds. It adds a global jetsetter feeling to pants and a sweater, even when you’re only enroute to a meeting down the hall.

• Van Cleef & Arpels Feerie Eau de Parfum is a woodsy floral combining roses and jasmine with hints of vetiver. If you like to spike
basics with trendier pieces, this fragrance has the hint of fantasy you’ll love.

• Estée Lauder Sensuous A warm woodsy amber scent that’s earthy but enigmatic; a suggestive partner when all you want to wear are jeans and a crisp white shirt.

• David Yurman Eau de Parfum is a gutsy, musky patchouli with sparks of cassis and fresh green floral notes. If you collect Yurman’s cable bracelets or just wish you did, this sophisticated scent sends the same strong modern message as his jewelry.