go east; From cherry blossoms to crushed-pearl powder, beauty has a brand-new muse.

Byline: Jane Shin Park

During her notorious reign over China in the late Qing Dynasty, there were certain luxuries the Empress Dowager Cixi could not do without: summers spent boating on the lake at the Summer Palace; European cigarettes (smoked through a slender ivory holder); and pearl powder dusted onto her face, which she swore softened and brightened her skin. While it would certainly be a shame to pulverize a radiant Mikimoto stud, Alina Roytberg and Lev Glazman, the duo behind Fresh, have gotten their hands on enough South Sea pearls to make their new Shimmer Powder with Crushed Pearl. Ever-so-slightly sparkly, scented pleasantly with white peaches, jasmine, and rose, it's directly influenced not only by Cixi's centuries-old beauty secret but by the elaborate grooming rituals Arthur Golden describes in Memoirs of a Geisha. In fact, Fresh teamed up with Sony Pictures to launch an entire Geisha-inspired collection-designed to coincide with the premiere of Rob Marshall's film adaptation this month (see page 348). There's a Flower Petal Mask with crushed hibiscus and peony, a luxurious Bath with Sake (a Japanese tradition 3,000 years old), and a mix-it-yourself Rice Face Wash.

But you don't have to be a modern-day geisha to appreciate the rich legacy of Asian beauty traditions. This season, it's the cosmetics floor where you'll find yourself receiving an impromptu crash course in the ...