A few weeks ago in the lunchroom at work, an off-duty drag queen and I swapped perfume insight. Austin — better known as Alexis Campbell Starr and Miss Gay Portland 2013 — said he favors an Adidas cologne during the day. When he transforms into Alexis, he tops the Adidas off with a few sprays of a Playboy fragrance. “I like how they blend,” he said. (I see Alexis in a glamorous Dior, maybe one of the Poisons. We’ll talk later.)

Yet again, a drag queen and I see eye to eye. When night falls and I want a perfume with more presence or mystery, I often try to find something that plays off an aspect of the day’s fragrance. That way, whatever’s left of my perfume doesn’t grate with my later choice.

Here are a few of my summer day-to-evening perfume selections:

L’Artisan Parfumeur Ananas Fizz to Jean Patou Colony: Ananas Fizz is an easy choice for a warm day. It’s sheer and playful with pineapple and gentle flowers cooled by vetiver. (And hurray that L’Artisan has resurrected it!) A dab of the pineapple chypre, Colony, is the perfect way to deepen and “sultrify” it for evening…

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Hello, fellow perfume lovers, and welcome to the Cranky Perfumista’s show on how to select your fragrance of the day. Please, come in to my elegant boudoir and — no! — don’t sit there! Holy mother of Bob. Well, that leftover casserole was growing mold anyway. I hope your skirt isn’t real silk. Just wipe it off and knock the rest on the floor. Hortense, my maid, will deal with it later.

So, where was I? Oh yes. Selecting a perfume. When deciding on a fragrance, first consider the day you have ahead. Me, I’ll be planning a top-drawer society event, the wedding of one of the town’s most important car dealers to his daughter’s best friend. (I’ve already managed three of his prior weddings, including the one with live doves and a special performance by the Redskinettes.) We’ll be discussing what work of art the live chainsaw ice sculpture artist will create during the reception.

I guess you’ll be selecting perfume for a trip to the dry cleaner’s, but this isn’t about you, is it…

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