Burberry The Beat

My latest perfume obsession is Burberry's The Beat.

Perfumes generally aren't my thing. Layering scented body wash and lotions is the way I prefer to go. But for The Beat, I make an exception. According to Sephora, the notes are bergamot, cardamom, pink pepper, mandarin, iris, bluebell, ceylon tea, white musk, vetiver, and cedarwood.

Describing scents is not my strong suit, as it's easier for me to say what it isn't than what it is. It doesn't smell like food, something sickeningly sweet, or like a grandma (not that grandmas don't smell great, but it is a decent descriptor to convey a scent that smells more heavy or even cloying). The Beat is a little musky and sweet all at once, and I can't remember ever smelling a perfume quite like it.

A scent is a success if people comment on it positively (and don't have to ask you to tone down the perfume because the people around you are suffocating. Scent sensitivity exists). One night I went to the grocery store to pick up a couple of random necessities. I was wearing my schlub clothes, my hair in a messy bun, no make-up, and basically feeling a nondescript as possible.

The place was pretty much empty and I was able to walk right up to an open cashier. I said hello to the guy and asked him how he was, the standard fare for polite greetings. He seemed to completely ignore me. Just as I was beginning to wonder if he was possibly hearing-impaired or really just that zoned out, he said, "Oh! I'm good."

Then he said, "You smell really good."

This threw me for a loop, and it threw him for one too because I could tell he had not meant to blurt that out. He looked to be a few years younger than me, and he handled his awkwardness by babbling. He even asked me if he should start wearing cologne so he could get girls' attention the way I had gotten his. It was so bizarre that I mistyped my PIN number. Oops!

Anyway. It made me laugh, and he had good intentions. Burberry The Beat: 1 (for being a great scent), awkward people like myself and the cashier: 1 (for getting to smell this great scent and enjoy awkward exchange).