MY earliest memory of someone who hit the right notes in the fragrance department was a college friend who wore Versace Baby Blue Jeans. If I meet someone who wears it now, it’ll bring back pleasant memories.

It’s not easy to find one’s fragrance equilibrium. If the man in your life is stuck in a scent rut, here are two new picks from the perfume mill to get him started on an aromatic trail.

World of Polo

Ralph Lauren’s Polo Blue, Black, and Explorer fragrances have been hits in recent years. The latest addition to this family is Polo Modern Reserve, a sleek and crisp combo of fresh-cut basil, pimento berry and cardamom, made sophisticated with leathery notes of vetyver and suede.

The limited edition bottle, a 30th anniversary celebration of Ralph Lauren’s original green Polo fragrance, features elegant 24k gold details and is housed in a luxurious leather box (think Chuck Bass meets James Bond).

Professional polo player Nacho Figueras has been the brand’s spokesperson and model since Polo Black was launched in 2005. It now represents the umbrella of perfumes from Ralph Lauren, all targeting three facets of the modern Polo man: traditionalist, sportsman and urban sophisticate.

“Nacho personifies The World of Polo by living the lifestyle represented by each of the fragrances,” says Guillaume de Lesquen, president worldwide of Ralph Lauren Fragrances. “When he isn’t playing polo in the world’s most prestigious tournaments and promoting its heritage as an ambassador, he is sailing with his young family off the coast of Punta del Este, Uruguay and breeding horses on his ranch outside of Buenos Aires.”

Strong knuckles

On the other side of sophisticated-preppy is an edgy, urban cologne by Diesel called Only the Brave. It is housed in a sculpted glass bottle in the shape of a fist and bears a silver ring inscribed with the brand’s logo. The fragrance is a strong and playful mix of lemon and leather, deepened by amber and cedar wood. Fronted by hip-hop artist, Common (who has sold over five million albums and has performed with the likes of Alicia Keys, The Game and Lily Allen), the new scent targets a younger, hipster crowd who’s into concerts, hip-hop and electro music, new media, gadgets and sports.

Notes to note

If you plan to give the man in your life a new cologne, make sure he adheres to proper scent conduct or “scentiquette.” Here are some tips.

Make him aware of his ‘scent circle,’ an acceptable one-foot radius of how close people can get a whiff of the fragrance he’s wearing. Beyond that is overkill.

Manly products like wax, gel, deodorant already pack in strong perfumes. Make sure he’s not a walking aromatic bomb by test-driving a new scent so it doesn’t clash with his grooming mainstays.

Convince him not to stash colognes in the glove compartment. The best place to store them is the coolest spot in his room or even the refrigerator.

Mariel Chua is the former beauty editor of Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, and Ok! Magazine Philippines. Visit her blog at http://NyMinuteNow.com.