How do you deal with co-workers drowning in perfume?

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I had a second in-person meeting today with someone that I'm going to have to work with quite a lot.

She's one of those older folks who DROWN themselves in cheap perfume. The smell was so strong that at one point I literally thought that I might throw up right there. I don't work with her often enough or know her well enough to be able to tell her that she stinks, either.

Every chance I got, I tried to subtly move my chair a bit farther away from her, but then she kept moving closer to me, so that's not going to work. Of course I can TRY to do things via e-mail/phone instead of in-person meetings, but I am sure that I will have to meet with her again. She is technically my "client" and she is going to get a chance to review my job performance with my boss at the end of the year.

Any advice?

write a complaint, ive seen them written over stupider things

Here's a thought: if she's still doing it, then how many people have decided to say nothing?

I think you should say nothing and keep smiling.

OK, let me rephrase question. How do I deal with the intense nausea I feel from being around this person, while still appearing pleasant and like nothing is wrong?

That's a tough one. I have no tact in these situations, and will say what's on my mind. I know not to phrase it harshly but mentioning to someone that their perfume is too strong is pretty much automatically an insult no matter how delicately you phrase it.
The only thing I can think of is to confide in your boss (or other third party that works with both of you) that you have some allergies (or maybe just "a bad reaction") to a product this woman uses and ask for their advice. But maybe I'm missing something about your boss/client/subordinate setup.
Stuff like this is one of several reasons I have been unemployed for a long time.

make small comments like "wow, that perfume's strong". say it nicely, like you're joking

You mentioned that the Perfume Lady has the status of client and will contribute to your performance review. What if this is a test? No matter what, if client aka Perfume Lady is offended, the performance review will not be good.

I'm not unsympathetic, I used to sit next to a perfume lady of my own.

Could you put Vick's under your nostrils? They do that on tv, I don't know if it works.

How about saying, "The scent of your perfume is so lovely that I bet if you applied even a tiny little drop it would be enough to attract attention."?

Nose plugs?

What about plugging in a small air purifier near where you work (you can say it's for your "allergies")?

If not, I'd take ginger supplements for the nausea and discreetly put a little Vick Vapor Rub type stuff up my nose to mask the perfume smell.

You can't and you shouldn't.

I don't know if it's AS related, but I'm sensitive to most all perfumes....the cheap stuff is alcohol based which is part of why it's so nasty to smell and often burns the skin. More expensive perfumes are oil based and I find that they don't bother me at all.

I not only can be hit with nausea, but I often wind up with irritated eyes, sinuses, lungs, etc. Enough exposure can make me ill for days...certainly leave my nose and throat so raw that I can't breathe without pain. More so, it can trigger migraines.

Perfume in public is largely problematic and ever more inappropriate. Mild scents is what is the acceptable norm, and people who bathe in the stuff are being clueless of how much it bothers other to smell it.

Nicely let the person know that you are having allergic reactions to her perfume. If that doesn't get her to stop wearing it, then she's a clod and a formal complaint to someone in authority is justified.

I second blaming it on allergies. People are so much more sympathetic when you have an allergy you can do nothing about. And if it's making you nauseated, you are.

drowning them seems like a fine solution to me.

wear a surgical mask stoutly scented with another aroma which masks the offending odor. short of that, mouth-breathe whenever that person is close enough to smell.

Ding ding ding.
If this is a client, then their company is paying your company for services. You'll just have to deal with it, or hope someone above her decides to point it out someday.

I've applied to jobs that had stated policies about people wearing scented products. At these places, it was in their employee rules that you couldn't wear scented products because some people have an allergic reaction. So obviously, this is something that is a problem for various people, and that at least some workplaces are starting to recognize. I don't think talking to the perfumed woman one-on-one would help. But if there's someone you trust in HR, you could talk to them about maybe considering an office-wide policy. Or tell them you have an allergy. Allergies tend to be sacred in America. As someone who can often smell things that no one else can, I definitely feel your pain.