bliss lemon+sage body butter

Today we're going to check out a product which, though not exactly new, is from up and coming brand, Bliss. Bliss Spa was the creation of Marcia Kilgore, and while success didn't happen over night, it did come very quickly for this talented entrepreneur.

In the late '80s while studying at Columbia University, Kilgore started out giving facials to friends out of her apartment. As her skill grew, so did her clientele and in 1991 she opened up a one room office. Two years later she opened a three-roomed spa, and by 1996, with demand exceeding her space, she opened the first Bliss Spa in SoHo, New York.

With an emphasis on high quality skin care and services, and offering a pretentious-free environment, Bliss Spa was a hit. In 1999 it was acquired by LVMH, expanded internationally, and then acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Now with spas in ten US states and around the globe, Bliss Spa is truly a success!

But, what about its products? The products that were given out on JetBlue overnight flights and that are also amenities in Starwood Hotels? Well, I got my hot little hands on Bliss Lemon+Sage Body Butter (purchased at my local Sephora, and also available at Ulta), and it's scent is fantastic...it's just not lemon-y what-so-ever!

Bliss Lemon+Sage Body Butter (paraben free) is a gorgeously vibrant lime scent which has added depth from its herbaceously-green sage dynamics. It's a compelling fragrance that is both light and fresh; warm and earthy, and while the lotion itself is moisturizing, the scent is dry.

It's very interesting indeed, and makes me intrigued by their other scents! Which one is your favorite?

Have you tried this scent? Do you love it, do you hate it? Make sure to leave a comment below!

BBW Lip Jewels Liplicious Lip Gloss: Sparkling Soda

I've been reading up on the state of the lip gloss market and, if you're a lip gloss kind of person, you might be disappointed in what I've learned.  Despite the hundreds of different varieties you will find on sale at stores such as Bath and Body Works, the lip gloss market is actually not doing too well, especially when compared to the general lip stick market.  In fact, last month a WSJ article reported that the NPD Group, a market research firm, found "U.S. sales of lip color neared $290 million in 2011" [an increase of more than 13% from 2010], and "lip gloss sales declined by about 1% to about $182 million."  It is easy to assume that this is why BBW has attempted to keep their lip gloss lines fresh and new by frequently launching new variants, new colors, and new ranges.

I've done my part for the lip gloss market by purchasing three of BBW's Lip Jewels Liplicious Lip Glosses, but has BBW done its part by creating a product I want to wear and that I will buy again?  I'm not so sure they did that with Glittering Cola (reviewed in the last post).  Maybe they've managed it with Sparkling Soda?  Let's find out.

At first whiff Sparkling Soda is all sweet and delicious A&W Cream Soda.  It's like I'm sitting on the porch on a hot summer day being cooled by a long drink of cold soda.  Tasty.

Interestingly, once on the lips the same scent that presented itself in the Glittering Cola also shows itself in the Sparkling Soda - it is a very distinct scent of Trident Bubble Gum, not hubba bubba, not bazooka, but Trident.

Almost the reverse of the Glittering Cola, the in-use scent of Sparkling Soda that sits on your lips is that of Trident Bubble Gum mixed with bottle cap candy.  It is not a strong, cola flavored bottle cap scent like Glittering Cola, though, but more of a faint cream soda scent.  In contrast to Glittering Cola, there is no whiff of base; the scent does its job and covers it well.

Lip Jewels Liplicious Lip Gloss Sparkling Soda is a decent lip gloss with a decent scent, but I'm just not sure it is interesting enough to recommend buying ... Uh, oh!  I hope I haven't just contributed to the decline of the lip gloss market! 

Burt's Bees makes güd

A new personal care product has been popping up on shelves in local stores.  Have you spotted it?  It's bright and feel good-y, and it also has a smile built into its name:

Yup, we're checking out the latest product launch from the all-natural brand Burt's Bees.

Burt's Bees has deviated from their traditionally clean, neutral and simplistic package designs and has opted for a cutesy artistic look à la Eric Carle and bright, happy colors like pink and orange.  Continuing along the cutesy theme, they've named the variants Floral Cherrynova, Orange Petalooza  and  Vanilla Flame.  (Are you smiling yet?)

Their goal with all of this is no doubt to extend their brand to a younger consumer, but one that is still concerned about natural ingredients and potentially harmful chemicals (güd advertises on its packaging that it has no parabens, phthalates or petrochemicals).  (You smiling now?)

In a final blast of cutesiness and feel-goodness, güd strives to make you (and those around you) smile with their 'newtastic'* , 'smelltastic' scents.

So, since I've got my hands on this new product, am I smiling?  I was in a fruity mood while at the store so I picked up the previously mentioned Orange Petalooza body wash and the unmentioned Pearanormal Activity, which doesn't appear on the güd website.  Must be an exclusive to Target!

My first impression of Orange Petalooza: Blood Orange Flower is orange popsicle - sweet and tart and oh, so yummy!  In use, the dynamics of the scent change.  It becomes more sophisticated and although it is still sweet in the top notes it is weighed down with white floral notes and a tiny bit of musk right at the bottom as well.  This makes it a much more 'adult' fragrance.  The bottle claims that 'if you don't sing in the shower, you will now', and I'm definitely singing!

Now to what appears to be a Target exclusive: Pearanormal Activity: Pear & Açaí Berry body wash.  In  its neat form this scent is definitely not as strong as the Orange Petalooza.  It has sweet top notes that are barely recognizable as either pear or berry and warm gourmand, slightly vanilla-y undertones.  In use the fragrance continues to lack strength, but has a mild and pleasant sweet-berry-gourmand scent.  The bottle claims that 'it's like an invigorating towel snap. Without the sting.'  I say, what towel snap - I didn't feel a thing! ...and maybe this is why  Pearanormal Activity is missing from the güd website!

In any case, I am giving the thumbs up to Burt's Bees and güd.  I like the packaging, the variant names are fun and even though Pearanormal Activity wasn't that great, Orange Petalooza definitely makes up for it!!

*      *      *

*on a side note, did the marketers on the güd team at Burt's Bees have a loss of creativity? 

Why so repetitive?  How about: 'it's not just new, it's newrrific.  Available in three smelltastic scents.'  or 'it's not just new, it's newtastic.  Available in three smellalicious scents.' OR EVEN BETTER - 'it's not just new, it's newrrific.  Available in three smellalicious scents.'

Leave a comment -what do you think?  Can you suggest something better?

Starting off 2012 not too impressed: Pacifica Body Butters

I searched high and low for an exciting and thought-provoking interesting new launch to begin 2012 with, but unfortunately there isn't too much out there in the way of new products yet.  So, today we will evaluate a product that caught my eye in Sephora, and one that my wallet appreciated, too, after the expensive holiday season.

Check out this packaging and the variant names:

Pacifica Tahitian Gardenia Body Butter ... Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar.  

They seem to instantly transport you out of the dreary winter weather and off to far-off golden sunset lands.  Or they did me at least.  (Sigh).  So, I thought to myself, if the packaging is making me dream of far away places, I wonder how well the scent will transport me there?  When I got home after my purchase I set myself up and began smelling.

I decided to be swept away to India first with Indian Coconut Nectar Body Butter and unfortunately I really regret it.  Talk about a disappointment!  The first whiff out of my evaluation beaker brought me a mix of a lot of shea butter, a tiny bit of coconut and a good amount of base.  And it got worse in use.  It smells of base and cheap shea butter - it's a deep, nutty-plastic-y smell.  It caused me to comment, "God, that smells horrible."  I would suggest that they go back and reformulate.

So, it was with much trepidation that I tested the Tahitian Gardenia Body Butter.  This was a much more pleasant experience, the scent being a soft white floral.  The in-use experience continued to be inoffensive, although the soft floral scent does seem to slightly struggle to cover the unpleasant notes of the base.  But unlike the Coconut, a passer-by would not notice the base scent, nor would you unless you're holding your hands under your nose as I am currently doing.

You know, for the first time I am really disappointed in the products that I have picked up to review here, but maybe that is because I had such high hopes for them.  I loved the packaging, I loved the price point ($5 each for 2.5fl oz/73ml) and the woman at the register did nothing but big up these products.  After checking out the Pacifica website I was even falling in love with the brand itself.

But all that is gone now!  What a depressing disappointment the Indian Coconut Nectar turned out to be (I'm throwing it in the trash, FYI) ... but at least the Tahitian Gardenia Body Butter was decent enough and will probably get thrown in my hand bag for future use, instead of the trash can for never use.

Mint-aholics Unite for BBW's Limited Edition Twisted Peppermint!

Talk about your limited editions!  Bath and Body Works has relaunched their Holiday Traditions variant Twisted Peppermint, but for one week only!  It was a full 24hrs after this news that I made it to my local BBW and already they had sold out of the shower gel.  Unbelievable!

There it is.  Look at it standing there in all of its innocent minty glory.  As soon as I got my hands on the body lotion I eagerly opened the top and took a gentle whiff ... and the experience was Wow.  I'm not sure if it was 'only on the shelves for one week' wow, but definitely a capital letter Wow.

Its Fresh.  Its Tasty.  Its York Peppermint Pattie.  Yum.  The fragrance hits you with this wonderfully strong and refreshing peppermint while it has this gentle undertone of chocolate (and it isn't a cheap cocoa hit, but notes of dark chocolate).  For my first sniff out-of-the-bottle-in-the-store, I am very impressed with this fragrance.

At home and on the arms, I can confirm that BBW definitely got its inspiration for Twisted Peppermint from York's "Get the sensation!" tagline.  The scent is still wonderfully fresh and vibrantly peppermint with a subtle chocolate tone underneath, but on the skin the lotion has a cooling effect and it is almost a bit tingly in its refreshment.  It is definitely a sensation that adds a dynamic dimension to the fragrance and the body lotion as a whole.

So, while I'm not sure I want to walk around smelling like a York Peppermint Pattie, if you can get your hands on it, I really do recommend this body lotion - if not just to be able to say that you did!

*As a side note, they had a BOGOF deal going on so I also picked up the Twisted Peppermint Fragrance Mist.  It smells of fresh paint and is a huge disappointment - don't waste your time or money (even if it's free!) on this one.

Wrap your body in ribbons. Gold Bond's Sheer Ribbons, that is.

From first glance you can see that Sheer Ribbons body lotion strives to stand out.  With a closer look, you may even ask, are you sure that isn’t a hair care product?  But no, it’s not - the packaging is odd for a body lotion, but necessary for this product.

 

See this button?  It’s from here that 'ribbons' are created.  Gimmicky?  Of course.  Was I impressed?  Definitely. 

 There is no doubt that Gold Bond’s main goal was to create a luxurious product that differentiates itself from its competitors.  They have realized this goal with the packaging, labelling and product name, but what about the fragrance?

Sheer Ribbons comes in two variants, Pearl Radiance and Silk Softness.  I evaluated Sheer Ribbons: Silk Softness.  The marketing asserts that it’s ‘a blend of delicate mimosa petals, seductive Tuscan cyprus and apricot reduction’, which should make it a warm floral fragrance lifted by fruity hints.  In practice, it's a subtle, warm fragrance, but the floral/amber notes are overwhelmed by powdery ones, and no fruity hints can be detected at all (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).  In conclusion, it is an inoffensive, subtle fragrance that sits nicely on the skin.

From packaging to fragrance Gold Bond has created a luxurious new offering for the lotion shelf, but buyers beware!  It carries a luxurious price tag as well:

A ripe, sweet & juicy idea

This summer there's been a fruit invading store shelves and enticing shoppers.  It is the Pluot and it’s your product’s latest concept -

Personal Care?

Photo credit: Idea Go
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=809

Indulge your skin with the luscious fragrance of Passionflower & Pluot.  This light floral and sweet, sophisticated scent will leave you feeling pampered all day long.

Laundry Care?

Spoil your senses with the luxurious scent of honeyed pluot and sweet white floral in the new Raspberry Jewel & Jasmine liquid detergent.

Air Care?

Breathe life into your home with the refreshing summer scent of Sun-kissed Pluot & Sweet Summer Berries.

Hold on!  I can hear you asking, “but what is it?!”

Pronounced “ploo-ot”, this fruit is a hybrid of the plum and the apricot.  It has a smooth and often dark skin, and its flavor is sweet and intense, but delicious.  It could almost be mistaken for a perfectly juicy plum.

In the past two months pluots have been sighted and tasted at a San Franciscan farmer’s market, a fine foods grocery store and a Sam’s Club.  Excitingly this means consumers with many (and varied) backgrounds have been introduced to this fruit and thus would recognized it if used as a scent cue on a high end and/or mass market consumer product.

So, what are you waiting for?!  Get out there while the pluots are ripe and entice your customers with this exciting scent concept!