AIBU to think this is a bit rude/ cheeky?

[Iloveleaveinconditioner]

I’m quite a ‘perfume’ person and have a collection (about 15 bottles at the moment) in a glass cabinet in one of our guests rooms. Some of them are very expensive and have been Christmas/ birthday presents.

We’ve just had guests down for 4 days for half term. For reference, it’s an old work colleague of my husband’s who he became really good friends with, his wife and their 2 DC. I’ve met this friend and his wife about 5-6 times over the years and they are absolutely lovely, we really get on.

Anyway, all week the wife smelt lovely, I kept smelling all these lovely, familiar smells. You can probably see where this is going!

Yesterday when they were leaving, I gave her a hug goodbye and again, she smelt lovely (but familiar) I said ‘god you smell lovely’ and she said ‘Thanks, it’s one of yours, I’ve been using different ones of yours all week, been getting my money’s worth’ and laughed. I was a bit taken aback but laughed too.

I’m not sure how I feel about it to be honest. On one hand I almost don’t mind, it’s hardly the end of the world, but on the other I think I’d never dream of doing that, especially without asking and even then, I’d only ask if I’d forgotten my perfume and for some reason smelt awful, or they had one that I really wanted to try before I purchased.

Is it a bit rude or am I being overly precious?

Slightly mixed messages if they were on display in the guest room. I'd have checked before using any of them, but I can understand why your guest didn't.

No yanbu or precious! I’ve stayed in other people’s rooms and would never dream of touching their stuff. Plus, what did she mean by ‘getting her moneys worth?’. That’s incredibly cheeky. I’m assuming they weren’t paying you to stay there? Even if they did contribute something, that’s rude.

Oh come on it’s not a flamin hotel ! Massively rude OP I wouldn’t dream of doing this. She should have asked you first if you’d mind whereby I’m sure you would have let her. There’s some CF around !

I agree.

most people I know don't have "guest rooms" it's a spare bedroom that is used for other things and used if someone is staying over. A secondary use of the room really. I don't know anyone who has a guest room laid out with a variety of perfumes etc to use.

op, she was cheeky, and the comment about getting her moneys worth proves that.

I can’t believe people think it’s ok to use what’s on display behind a glass door! Of course she should not have used them. You are not overly precious OP, what she did (and said) was incredibly rude.

I think I would move the cabinet to your bedroom the next time you have guests OP. As long as she's just had a shot and not snaffled a bottle or 2.

At least you know they all smell lovely on someone and not too overpowering. People will be thinking the same about you when you wear them.

I’m really surprised by some of the comments on here!
I would never assume that someone would have put a selection of expensive perfumes in their spare room for me to use as I fancy.

I wouldn’t dream of using other people’s things even if they were left out on display, I have manners and I’m not a child with limited impulse control. It’s very weird, and I’m shocked at the amount of people who think it’s not.

Ah, just a few squirts of perfume that you'll prob not get through before it goes off anyway! Yeah, it's very cheeky but it's also amusing. At least you had a lovely smelling guest and not stuck smelling a perfume you hated all week :-)

Send her a bill seeing as she got her moneys worth! If she’s sprayed herself liberally daily with each perfume she easily could have gone through £200+ worth of perfume!!!

I think this as well. Her comment could've been construed as cheeky, but we all say daft things when we're on the spot.

I've been reminded of when I was on the French exchange (30+ years ago!). I was a big fan of Cabotine perfume at the time, I thought because it was strong it was sophisticated! I remember going back to my bedroom after school and panicking because I could smell it and thought the bottle had leaked. It hadn't, it was still all fine in my toilet bag. Then I went through to the kitchen and the mother greeted me with a hug - reeking of my blessed perfume 😂 Now that was cheeky fuckery. She also asked me to play piano for her and her boyfriend one evening and they enjoyed it so much they started dry humping on the sofa.

Yeah, she's a CF. I'm confused about the "getting my money's worth" comment too.

I purposefully leave nice toiletries in the guest bedroom, guests often say it’s like visiting a nice hotel and there are always nice fluffy towels on the bed, a basket of assorted toiletries and couple of bottles of water. I want my guests to be comfortable and if they have forgotten something it’s on hand for them without having to ask. I’d say if you’re leaving things in the guest bedroom then expect them to be used. If it’s personal to you then keep it in your personal space

This. We will one day have 1 or 2 “spare” rooms and I will be keeping things in them and not expecting people who come to stay to go rifling through my cupboards! I can see now that I might have to tell people that those things aren’t for guest use because I’m not actually running a hotel. Madness.

I think there's definitely that split. I don't wear perfume and have no interest in it but I have heard people talk about their "signature scent" so I think people do see it as a much more personal thing that I would consider it.

Abd I wouldn't have known if they were particularly expensive ones from the names. I don't really think of perfume being something people have a lot of, more 1 or 2 options hence I would probably assume a big collection of half-used bottles were unwanted ones

Think she is a totally cheeky CF! But do get one of those glass cabinet locks you can slide on if you get other guests. I would not let this person back. Ever!

It's not the end of the world is it..? There are serious issue in the world, a guest using your perfume is a bit of a faux par on her behalf, but who cares. Let it go!

I’m uneasy on this as, I would think a locked door is verboten but an unlocked glass door, showing an array of perfumes, and no specific instruction such as “By the way, the perfumes are part of my personal collection — please help yourself to the guest toiletries instead” would make me think you are leaving them for me to choose to use, or not.

I think it’s weird that you put something in the guest room, that’s not for guests to touch.

Whilst I wouldn’t have touched them (thinking it odd that there were perfume bottles in a glass cabinet in the guest room), I don’t think it’s weird if some guests would sample them.

Nonsense. Perfume is a personal toiletry; it's rude to help oneself! She was quite the clod to do so.

Civilized people don't need to have things hidden from them.

If I'm honest, I hide my perfume if friends are coming round and using our bathroom because a bottle of Chanel by the sink is too much of a temptation for some people.

Extremely rude and cheeky OP.
So many clearly have no idea how to behave.

Perfume ages fast how do you get through it? As it was in the guest room most people would assume it was for the use of guests particularly as it ages so quickly. I always leave toiletaries etc for guests to use.

Could you calculate how much her sprays were worth and send her a bill?

Personally, I wouldn’t touch somebody else’s belongings if I was a guest in their home. Even if they said help yourself, I still wouldn’t.