Scent Sheer Costume National 2003

During the sale a few weeks ago at a small perfumery in Hamburg, I let myself be advised by the knowledgeable lady there, contrary to my usual habits. I was the only customer, so we had all the peace and time in the world. I wanted to try a bit, what would suit me...?

A quick, assessing glance, and she pulled Scent Sheer Eau Fraîche from the shelf. “Why don’t you try this one,” she said. I tried it - and was immediately thrilled. Or rather: I took an instant liking to this unassuming fragrance in its unremarkable bottle; I felt comfortable with it right away, how did she know....?

What makes this scent special? Even when sprayed, it’s clear: here we have something very fine and delicate before us, something friendly and slightly shy, but by no means trivial or boring. The association of “thin little water” never crosses my mind. It starts with a fresh-soft, yet spicy note; hibiscus alone is definitely not it (as the entire fragrance pyramid is certainly quite strongly reduced here).
It has something friendly and calming about it, like the unexpected smile of a nice person that you catch when you’re walking through the streets weighed down by worries, heavy thoughts, and gloom. Suddenly, the sun breaks through, not a blinding, radiant sun, but a slightly overcast sun that gives not only light but also a caressing softness to the air.

This person and I sit at a table in the café, outside, under the linden trees, whose green, dense foliage provides us with shade and tranquility. The murmuring of the other guests lulls us, and our gaze drifts to the small side street where the café is located, and where the lively but not hectic everyday hustle and bustle of the neighborhood flows by.
We talk a little, we already know each other, we are familiar. We sit very close, and I can smell the scent emanating from the skin, warm, secure, a bit like light, very, very soft leather, a bit spicy like fine sweat too, but not unpleasantly sweaty or pungent. Just a close, quite authentic whisper. Everything is just a whisper, and yet so beautiful and soothing: that’s what I need now, exactly that, nothing else.

I want to bury my face in this skin and snuggle up, feel the calm and warmth, and that’s exactly what I do now. I lay my head on the shoulders, close my eyes, and breathe in the calming scent. It’s a bright calm, not a dark one. The friendly calm of a clear day, not the sleep-inducing dark calm of night. A smile, a fine bright ray in the gray.
A delicate jasmine breeze wafts over, is it the perfumed tea at the neighboring table, or is it also the skin? The fine wood, are they the benches, are they the branches of the linden trees, or is it also the skin? Come a little closer, come ...

Scent Sheer is like a healing balm laid on a wound. Like a warm hand on a cold one. Like a warm smile that you need right now. And how much you needed it becomes clear only when you receive it.

However, it is fleeting, unfortunately; it lasts just as long as this spontaneous chat in the café, but sometimes that’s actually enough to restore the chemistry of the heart and mind.

By the way, reapplying works excellently here, so that the scent can keep smiling warmly at me all day long, whenever I need it.