I Am So Fresh

I’ve purposely only used Sephora links in today’s precious post. Why? It’s all because of Demery, so go and blame her. Or, rather, embrace her. Love her. Take your lip liner and paint flowers on her cheeks. Who’s Demery? She’s the Real Girl Beauty reader who sent me the fantabulous information that Sephora.com (online only, folks!) is having a 20% off sale. Need to read that again? TWENTY PERCENT OFF. The sale starts Monday, Nov. 14th and ends Monday, Nov. 21st. Just use the code FF2005 at checkout.

And now back to our regular programming. Oh, crap. You’ve all fainted with joy and NO ONE is left to read my entry. Poo.

But you know what? I think we all share something, and I think that’s why when I read your comments and emails, I feel like I’m amongst my people. That something is the rush of adrenaline, that giddy squeally feeling you get when you find a new favorite product. When I make a new discovery, all I want to do is run and tell every one of my girlfriends. But, well, you could probably guess that—what with the whole, telling the internet too and all. The thing is? I think that’s how you are, also, when you find a new beloved product. Like I said—we’re each other’s peeps. Beauty peeps.

So guess what? I’ve found a new fragrance so luxurious, sweet, sultry, musky, sexy, and darling all at once that I want to scream it from the rooftops! The bloggy, pink-paged, entry-filled rooftops!

But first, you must know Real Girl’s scent history. After all, who’s to say one girl’s favorite will be another’s? What kind of Scent Gal am I? Would you believe—at my origin, I was no scent gal at all? It’s true. For the first eighteen years of my life, I was allowed no scent. No vanilla candles, no fragrant flowers, and certainly, certainly NO PERFUME.

Heh. You’re imagining Cinderella locked in her aerie dungeon, aren’t you? Poor Real Mom. I’ve probably gone and made her feel bad. See, she’s allergic. To any scented anything at all in the history of scented things that have ever existed. As you might imagine, I’ve spent the past few years of my adult life surrounding myself with every luscious scent I could find. So let’s trot down that memory lane….

My first must-have fragrance, Gucci Rush, was purchased at (today’s special!) Sephora. It was love at first sniff. I consider it a low-note perfume, a deep, sexy, musky perfume. I imagine a humid day in Hawaii, when the scents of saturated flowers mingle with the dewy air. I fell deeper in love when I gave my Rush its first test drive—I was on vacation in London, and let’s just say I heard more English men use the word “gorgeous” than I ever have before or since. Men like the Gucci Rush. They just do.

But after a while, I wanted to feel lighter. I was in a springy, breezy mood. That’s when I fell in love with the still sexy—but in a cuter way--Stila Crème Bouquet. (By the way, for some reason the roll-on smells different to me, and I’m not a huge fan despite the alluring price reduction.) My dear Crème Bouquet, your pink, flowery bottle is almost empty, and that makes Real Girl very sad. For your powdery, vanilla-tinged aroma, mingling with the subtlest, least cloying flowers, can only cause happiness to my nose. I still love you, never fear. And I will buy another bottle soon because you'll always be special to me.

Yet that said…

I have a new pet. I love her. Fresh Sake. She's still in her pretty red box because it’s too precious to throw away. The simplicity of the bottle, with its minimally drawn flowers. Just heaven. And the scent! Oh, my God, the scent! I sense a similarity to Gucci Rush in that it’s got some musky undertones, but there’s sweetness too, a dash of succulent fruit. That’s what hits you first—the peachy sweetness. But then the fragrance settles to its true form, letting the softer, deeper, muskier scents through. The result, quite frankly—and no surprise—reminds me of a mixture of Gucci Rush and Stila Crème Bouquet. The sultry and the sweet have finally married and formed the perfect union. Or, as Real Boy said, “Ooh, I like that.”

Spray it on your wrist and wait five minutes. Then see what you think. This entry has taken me twice as long to write because—duh—I keep pausing to sniff myself. I wish I could better describe Sake’s complexity. But hey—stop by your local Sephora and see what you think.

But, wait!! I totally forgot—there’s more!! Fresh has another line of fragrances, called their Index, which seems to offer something for everyone. I haven’t tried every single one yet, but right now I’m partial to Redcurrant Basil. I mean…man, Fresh. Your scents can knock me over with a feather.

(Erm…except for Sugar, which smells nothing like sugar and should in fact be called Lemon Pledge.)

So, now you know all my scenty secrets. I’ve avoided discussing them before because fragrance is such a matter of personal taste. But that’s why I’d love for you gals to tell us all about your favorite scent. Questions? Comments? Fragrance descriptions? Hit us with ‘em!!

I’ll always be your,
Real Girl
xx