Simple question with a tricky answer. As we all know, sense of smell is perhaps the king of all senses. And that includes the eyeballs. Pheromones -- smell in general -- either draws us uncontrollably to a person or just the same brutally repels us.
Point in case: I remember in high school there was a smoking hot chick who was heavily compromised socially because she just stank all the time. I'm talking seriously attractive girl who became somewhat ostracized. Was it her perfume? Was it her natural odor? A weird soap? A mix of all the funks together? Probably. Who knows? The point is perfume and self-inflicted scent can be dicey. It depends on what perfume, in what volume and on whom.
What works for one guy will be old lady grandma stench to another. What works in the setting of a club in Miami won't work at an outdoor music festival in Vermont. What works with a gown might smell silly over a pair of jeans and T-shirt. Are you going to the beach? A wedding? His mom's house? A nice restaurant and hotel? In other words, know yourself and your audience (dude and space). Of course you can't please all the people all the time so the big take away is this.
1. Smell how you want to smell.
2. Caution on the side of faint smell rather than a tub of fumes.
Personally I find most perfumes a bit overpowering and prefer smelling natural but my friend has taken to spraying a bit in her hair, that way it's more subtle and you only really notice it when she swishes it around. I suppose it's kinda nice to have the smell of a certain perfume remind people of you.
I think it works much better if people only really notice it on a subconious level so don't douse yourself in it!
Heavy perfumes are bad, I think. They actually give me a head ache. My wife has an essential oil that she will dab lightly and it's a very passive scent. Something I can smell when I get up close and personal with her or when she walks by.
I really like what the French do here. They wear just enough so that you can smell it when you're really close to someone (like hugging/kissing) but not enough for the general public to smell it.