For the Spring season, the internet has began dishing out perfume advice. Some of the advice is typical, but a lot of it can be eye opening or downright bizarre.
First, stealing or making counterfeit perfume can not only be a social faux pas, it can get you arrested. On Wednesday, CBS reported that two men were arrested in New York’s Perfume District on Broadway for selling and making counterfeit perfume. The men were charged with trademark counterfeiting, but what’s worse is what they used to make their fake products.
“What is often in fake fragrances are ingredients like antifreeze, poorly based chemicals — and urine,” President Valerie Salembier of the Authentics Foundation told CBS, “If it’s too pale, that means it’s heavy alcohol. If it’s too dark, it is most likely using faux chemicals.”
YouTube has lots of advice on how to avoid counterfeit products, especially in New York City:
Stealing perfume can lower your social acumen and land you in court. Don’t follow the path of a Dubai airport safety officer who absentmindedly used perfume he found at work. Gulf News published this embarrassing exchange in court:
“’I took the bottle by mistake. I found it at the section where I worked and used it to smell nice. I liked the perfume and I mistakenly placed the bottle in a bag and was caught by security while leaving my workplace,’ said R.K. when he entered a not guilty plea before the Dubai Court of First Instance.
‘What do you mean that you took it by mistake?’ presiding judge Maher Salama Al Mahdi asked him.
‘Sir, I did intend to steal it. I tried the perfume for a while and liked it. I decided to use it but I did not want to steal it. What happened was a mistake,’ replied the suspect.
Thereafter presiding judge Al Mahdi changed the charge to attempted theft.
It could have been more embarrassing. The guard could have been caught stealing pizza scented perfume, or worse:
If you need help finding the perfume that’s right for you, there are a myriad of iPhone apps to help you in your search. Or you can just upgrade your iPhone case into a perfume dispenser:
For those who don’t use perfume, the Huffington Post came up with a list of other possible liquids for the case, including water (to cool down in summer), hot sauce (to help with lunch), and vodka (for “liquid courage on the go”).
Image via Rahul Dharod, YouTube.