How to choose a perfume for the occasion
The same perfume can be welcome in one place and too much in another. What changes is how close people are to you, how long you stay together and how much air there is. Think about the room first, and the choice gets easier.
Work and shared rooms
At work you sit near the same people for hours. Choose a scent that stays close to the skin, and keep to one or two sprays. Fresh, clean and softly woody scents are easy for most people to be around. If a colleague would have to lean in to notice your perfume, the amount is right for a meeting room. The same goes for an interview or a first meeting, where perfume should not be the loudest thing about you. Put it on well before you arrive.
Dinner
Smell is a large part of how food tastes, so a strong perfume at the table competes with the meal. Rich, sweet scents are the hardest on food, and fresh ones are the easiest. For dinner, wear less than usual and keep it off your wrists, which pass close to the plate. One spray on the chest, under your shirt, is enough.
Weddings and celebrations
A celebration is a good moment for a perfume with more presence, especially in the evening or outdoors. Remember that you will be greeting guests up close, and that the room may be crowded and warm. Spray a little earlier than usual, so the top notes have passed before you arrive.
Closed spaces
On a plane, in a cinema, in a car or in an elevator, nobody can step away from a scent. Go very light, or let the trace already on your clothes be enough. The same goes for a yoga class or a concert seat.
Outdoors and evenings
Open air thins a scent quickly, so you can wear more outside than inside. A garden party or a rooftop leaves room for a fuller scent. Evenings are usually cooler, and deeper scents with woods, amber or spices feel at home then. A perfume that seemed too heavy at noon may be the right one after dark.
When you are not sure
If you do not know what the day holds, choose your lighter scent and wear less of it. You can add a spray later. You cannot take one back.
One more habit
NOTE suggests choosing your perfume after you choose your clothes. What you are wearing usually tells you what kind of day it is.