Except for a few basic points like not spraying on the face or wounded skin and doing a patch test, I wouldn't say there are any hard rules about how to wear a perfume. Also, it will depend a lot on personal preferences, the strength of a perfume, time of the day, and the occasion. But here are some advises and tricks that we've learned along the journey of creating a perfume brand.
Walking through the scent
Haven't we all seen this in one or the other movie!
While it looks very romantic, our advice - don't do it. You are wasting quite a bit of the product. It might smell amazing in the moment and in that room, your skin and clothes aren't getting the best benefit of it. Although, I can imagine this still working for big fragrances that used to be popular in the olden days. It would make sense to have a light cloud of it than an intense projection.
Front v/s back neck
Most people prefer applying perfume on front neck pulse points. In theory, not a bad idea but it is too close to your nose. This means while others still might be able to enjoy your wonderful scent, your nose will stop detecting it lot faster due to Olfactory fatigue. A better spot would be the back of your neck instead. Some perfume might get in your hair and that isn't too bad. Your hair can work as a natural diffuser and also make the scent last longer. A nice treat for anyone who hugs you.
Warm spots
Apart from the back of your neck, we recommend spritzing on crooks of your elbows, back knees, abdomen, shoulders, and forearms. Yes, not wrist but forearms. With all the hand washing, sanitizing, and re-applying hand cream routines, the scent will get washed off from your wrists in no time. But in case you still love to apply perfume on wrists - dab, don't rub. ;)
Keep your skin happy
Clean, well moisturized, and hydrated skin is likely to hold and project a perfume lot better than dry skin. So, more reasons to pamper and look after your largest organ.
On clothes and in hair
Applying perfume to clothes is not a waste of the product. Fibers tend to hold fragrance molecules much better and longer. Although, you shouldn't be dousing your silk, leather, and any other 'dry clean only' kind of clothes with your perfume - on cotton, linen, and wool blends it should be alright. Although, some perfumes do leave stains, so do check before you apply.
Perfumed hair can leave an intoxicating trail of scent but not a particularly good idea to use your EDP and EDT for that. Best stick to a fragrant hair oil or hair perfume that doesn't contain a high amount of ethanol and is less likely to cause any damage.
Store it right
This isn't exactly about wearing the perfume but it is very important. Don't keep your precious bottles on the bathroom sink and shelves. Best to store them in a cool, dry, and enclosed place where they aren't constantly exposed to a lot of light and warm temperature which can potentially destroy the fragrance and make it smell foul.
Try at home first
Most perfumes are created to smell good but not everything works for everyone. Give yourself some time to experience this at home and observe the scent development. Make sure what kind of mood and events you would like to wear it for.
What to expect
A lot of mainstream fragrances are likely to smell and project the same all year round. Also, they do not change a whole lot throughout the wear. You can count this quality as being reliable.
However, in our experience, perfumes with more natural components go through more prominent stages of beginning, middle and base notes -unfolding a narrative. They can also behave differently as per the weather. So, do play with this possibility and discover what they become on different days.
There are many more articles and other advice sources from which you can learn more about best practices of wearing fragrances. We highly recommend listening to Mecca's podcast - MECCA talks: Episode 03
Their fragrance expert Laura Curtis knows what she's talking about.
Also, recommend watching this video by Ashley. She is a classically trained apprentice perfumer. There are many gems to discover on her YouTube channel if you're a fragrance geek.
Share your fragrance tricks and tips in the comments so we can include some when doing a new post. :)