Strange Encounters of the Scented Kind

One day last week, Ms. New Beauty was minding her own business and going about her normal routine. She woke up, checked email, made it to the hairdresser for her standing weekly appointment just a little late but still right on time (you know, late enough that she wouldn't have to wait for her stylist to finish up his other client, but not so late that he had moved on to someone else), and sat down for a nice lunch at a restaurant near school. As MNB was heading to her car after lunch, she felt someone walking just a little too close on her back and turned around to find a girl, couldn't have been any older than 19, walking behind her. Chalking it up to just one of those things, MNB kept right on walking. A few steps later that same girl was again just a little too close, but this time on her side. Being the city girl that she is, Ms. New Beauty automatically figured the girl was trying to pickpocket her, so she grabbed her purse tighter and put some pep in her step.

Two seconds later, the girl approached Ms. New Beauty saying "I know this is going to sound weird but . . ." Now, we all know that is the worst way to start a sentence with a stranger and all kinds of horrible endings rushed through MNB's head. Before MNB could decide whether to just run to her car that was only a few steps away or wait for the ending, the girl finished her sentence with "what are you wearing because you smell really nice." MNB, completely taken aback that a stranger on the street was smelling her, could barely mumble the name of her scent before that urge to run to the car won out. After the awkwardness of the encounter wore, MNB realized that she was slightly flattered, she smelled so good even strangers noticed.

That powerful scent whose name I could barely remember at the time, ladies, is Fresh Sake. I figured if it smelled sweet enough to attract an unknown, albeit weird, girl on the street, it was definitely worthy of a review here. (Note: the above story is completely true because I am so not creative enough to come up with something like that on my own. These things really happen to me.)

Fresh Sake

Fresh Sake is a light, sweet scent with an adult appeal. To me, it smells like the kind of perfume you'd find on a 25 year old investment banker who's sitting in an early morning meeting with a client still in the same pumps she wore to the club the night before. Subtle and conservative yet subversive and mysterious at the same time. I just love those kinds of juxtapositions, since I fancy myself the kind of girl who would wear the club pumps to work, once I actually get a job.

The holidays are the best time of year to try new scents, because gift sets abound. Try the Fresh A Grain of Rice gift set, which includes the Sake perfume, dry oil, and soap, for only $35. Only available at Sephora.


And, since we're talking about Fresh, I have to mention my favorite scent in their line, Fresh Lychee Sugar. It's a sweet fruity perfume, perfect for summers and weekends. A Spoonful of Sugar features Lychee Sugar in addtion to two more Fresh perfume favorites, Sugar Blossom and the signature Fresh scent, Lemon Sugar. This is another one that's only available at Sephora. Don't you just love them? And, personally, I love, love, loved the Cirque de Beaute holiday catalog, lawsuits be damned.

Smell sweet, but beware of strangers on your scent, and don't forget that Ms. New Beauty told you!