Latest and greatest from Bath & Body Works - Amber Blush

Stop press - I've got it - the best Christmas present ever for a girl aged 10-15! It's the latest launch from Bath & Body Works (BBW), Amber Blush. But wait, there's more! Along with this, and the many other launches for the holiday season, BBW is promoting their ‘All New Daily Trio’.

If you haven't had a chance to check out the Daily Trio, never fear! It is a simple concept which, at the core, is your basic fragrance layering story meant to extend the longevity of the scent. Start with the shower gel, then the body lotion, finish with the spritz – et voila - longer lasting fragrance! This means Amber Blush was launched in each of these formats (see, perfect present, right?!), but does each format live up to its ‘crystallized amber kissed with bubbly raspberry champagne’ description? Let’s see how each performed…

As with any fragrance layering experience it’s necessary to commence with the shower gel. Its scent is sweet and intense! It is a cavity-causing cotton candy-berry-sugar with creamy vanilla and an ever so slight hint of coconut hiding in the mix. There aren't any amber notes, but rather the BBW vanilla-musk base that seems to be appearing in more and more of their fragrances.

Next up is the body lotion. I expected to have the same delightful experience - sweet and creamy. Sadly, this just wasn't the case, which must have to do with their new body lotion formula. BBW claims to have increased the shea by three times the amount in the old formula, which completely explains why the dominant note is shea butter… and base, with the tiniest bit of sweetness sneaking its surgary notes between the shea and base. To tell the truth, I'm not quite sure how this product made it to the shelves of BBW, but perhaps this is why they now encourage layering their products – they can’t get the fragrance strong enough in the formula now that it's got so much shea moisturizing power!

The final step in the scent layering experience is the spritz, or fragrance mist as BBW calls it. The mist does what the body lotion doesn’t: it’s all sugar-sweetness, like being drenched not just in cotton candy, but a blue raspberry icee that has the slightest dash of sweet-creamy-vanilla.

So, if you’re looking for that perfect gift the shower gel is the clear winner. But, should you want to give all three for the ultimate layering experience, this trio will leave your daughter, niece, babysitter, or whomever you gift it to, walking around in a bubble of sweet-vanilla-cream-blue raspberry icee. Though it’s not quite the ‘crystallized amber kissed with bubbly raspberry champagne’ BBW purports it to be, they will surely love it all the same!

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

Wrapped in BBW's Cashmere Glow

This past weekend saw the promotion of Bath and Body Works new Signature Collection scent, Cashmere Glow. Did you partake in the promo via Facebook and get your free 2oz sample? I did, and I can't tell you how great it was to walk in the shop, go straight to the cashier and receive my freebie! If you didn't participate, don't worry! It's currently on sale for $1, so if you want to pick one up it won't break the bank! Fabulous!

Cashmere Glow with vitamin e, jojoba, and shea butter is a familiarly pleasant and comforting scent. And, honestly, BBW should be proud (and possibly give a raise to their marketing team!) because for once I have to agree with their marketing! It actually does make me feel as if I'm wrapped in a cashmere blanket, warm and cozy on my couch in front of a fire on a cool autumn night. How did they manage to transport me to such a fantastic place? Why through the fragrance, of course! The scent is a delicate mix of sweet fruit, white floral, vanilla, and musk. The combined effect of these aromas makes a wearable, yet luxurious, scent, perfect for the coming cooler months.

I'm not often a BBW fan as their scents are usually overwhelmingly sweet, but not Cashmere Glow. It's warmingly subtle aroma will have you feeling comfortably confident, and others wondering what that wonderful scent you're wearing is!

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

Bath and Body Works Malibu Heat ...or should that be Miami Beach ?

I've been completely sucked in by the label of BBW's newest summer Signature fragrance Malibu Heat.  Shades of orange, pink, and yellow suffocate dry palm trees with their implied heat.  I'm immediately transported to a white sandy beach on a hot day, the warm ocean breeze swirling around, carrying salty, wet, marine scents to Hawaiian Tropic slathered sunbathers.  But, interestingly, I'm transported to Miami and not Malibu!  Tell me, though, what marketing department would name a woman's personal care product Miami Heat?  Definitely not a smart one.

Sniffing the scent from the bottle there is a distinct sweet-white floral-pineapple aroma.  It's reminiscent of the drinks you'd be sipping at bars on Ocean Drive in South Beach.  If you've ever been to Miami or seen Burn Notice, you'll know what I'm talking about.

In use the fragrance has a fizzy-sugar-y (aldehydic-esque) quality to it that appears to exist only in use.  All floral notes completely disappear leaving the pineapple scent to mix with these sugary (think white granulated sugar, not a caramel type of sugar) notes.

It is a decent fragrance that sits too lightly and indistinctly on the skin: after awhile the soft pineapple scent fades and all that's left is shea butter ...which is quite a bummer because I don't think I would mind wearing a fragrance that reminded me of sipping piña coladas at a cafe in South Beach, Miami!

BBW Lip Jewels Liplicious Lip Gloss: Blackberry Bling

It's the end of the sparkly week, but not quite yet for us!  Today we're going to look at one last variant of the current Lip Jewel Liplicious line from Bath and Body Works.  Like the first gloss, Glittering Cola, this one is tinted.  Unlike the first and second gloss, it's not a sweet soda scent, but a fruity one.

Blackberry Bling opens with sweet berry notes.  It is a scent that I would characterize more closely to blackcurrants than blackberries, though.  Never heard of blackcurrant?  Don't worry - it's not well known in the United States.  Why is this?  Let me tell you.

Well over a hundred years ago blackcurrants were all the rage.  These berries were eaten, grown, and enjoyed by the American populous.  This was until the US federal government banned growing them in the early 1900s.  Blackcurrents were known to carry a fatal fungus to the white pine tree, which in turn posed a threat to the lucrative logging industry.  This ended the life of the blackcurrant in the United States.

That is, until 2003 when a horticulturist in New York was able to get the ban lifted (in New York only).  He began growing these ill-fated berries and they are now being introduced back into the American fruit bowl.

At this point you might be asking yourself, how does Scents n Scentsibility know what a blackcurrant smells like?  See, while the berry is virtually unknown to the American consumer, it never fell out of favor in Europe (almost quite the opposite).  It is a common fruit there and it's a popular flavor for products.  Two examples are crème de cassis from France and blackcurrant squash (a concentrated fruit syrup for flavoring water) in the UK.

Enough of the history lesson, let's get back to Blackberry Bling!  It opens with a distinctly blackcurrant scent (a light, sweet combination of blueberry and raspberry).  Once on the lips the scent morphs to become sweeter, almost candy like.  Oddly, though, there is that same Trident Bubble Gum scent that was in Glittering Cola and Sparkling Soda.  It is sitting way at the back, but it is still there.

As Blackberry Bling sits on the lips the berry aroma is lighter, the sweet-candy-blueberry hints are nearly indistinct and the Trident Bubble Gum scent is dull.  I can't smell any of the base underneath, but there really is not much left of the scent.

I have to say that while the packaging for the Lip Jewels range is attractive (bordering on tacky), the gloss itself doesn't live up to its $8 price tag.  If you're going to spend that much money, I would recommend forking out the extra $2 and getting yourself a philosophy lip gloss!

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! 

BBW Lip Jewels Liplicious Lip Gloss: Glittering Cola

We're getting all sparkly this week with lip glosses from Bath and Body Works!  But, to be quite frank with you, Lip Jewels was not the lip gloss I was hoping to review today.  My ideal product would have been the new summer line of sorbet lip glosses (see right), but my nearest BBW was all sold out (boohoo).  So, I guess we'll have to be sparkly instead of sorbet-like.  Life could be worse.

This spring BBW launched new variants in their Lip Jewels Liplicious line.  There are five variants in total, of which three will be reviewed at Scents n Scentsibility.  The remaining variants are Crystal Candy and Iced Raspberry .

As this is a fragrance blog, I'll make no comment about the color, texture, or longevity of the gloss, but believe you me, I'll let you know about the scent!

tasty bottle cap candies!

Today's Liplicious Lip Jewel lip gloss is Glittering Cola.  The scent that immediately pops out as you bring the gloss to your lips is bottle cap candy.  Amazing what scent memories can do - I'm instantaneously transported back to childhood!

Then, when the gloss hits your lips it suddenly has aromas of Trident bubble gum.  These notes almost instantaneously mix and move to sit softly at the back, though.

As the gloss sits on the lips there is a faint scent of cola combined with a root beer-aniseed sweetness.  Disappointingly the scent-flavor is not dosed very strongly and underneath it you can easily pick out the neutral-plastic-y base of the gloss.

It's not the strongest smelling, nor lasting, lip gloss I have ever owned, but it is definitely something fun to have in the make-up drawer for when the nieces come to visit!

New Spring Candles from Bath & Body Works

We're off to the tropics today people!  I visited my local BBW recently and quickly became trapped inside forever, sniffing away at their hundreds (or what seemed like hundreds!) of re-launched and newly launched candles.  


There's Coco Lobo, Jungle Kiss, White Palm (which I am told is the best seller so far), Mango Beachwood ... and the list goes on and on !  You can check out the full product line here.  There was no way I was going to be able to evaluate all eighteen of the tropics candle line, so I settled on the one that I thought smelled the most interesting, even if it was a relaunch from last year: Tropical Spice.

When I was in the store I couldn't believe the cold throw the candle had!  Was it really a mix of coconut and vanilla and a huge slug of CINNAMON?  I had to get it home to check it out.  Once I did, though, and my nose cleared from smelling the many different variants in the store, I realized I was wrong!

My nose had been polluted by all of the other scents wafting around me!  Home and in a fragrantless environment, the cold throw showed its true colors.  Vanilla and cinnamon.  No coconut whatsoever, that must've been from another candle.  Talk about disappointing!  Five bucks says they've just taken one of their seasonal holiday scents and reconceptualized it (new wax color, new name, new label, old scent).  Oh well and ho-hum, life goes on!

I still pursued the smelling of the candle, even though I was disappointed by the uninteresting cold throw of vanilla, cinnamon and a tiny bit of sweet-bubble gum at the back (which keeps it from smelling Christmas-y).

There isn't too much to report on the hot throw.  It was a vanilla-cinnamon scent that struggled to over power the scent of wax when burned for over an hour.  Common and boring - I was so wrong when I picked it up in the store!  Such is life, I guess, good thing I was less disappointed with the other candle I bought.

Launched at the same time as the tropical line is BBW's more floral themed line of candles.  These variants include Lilac Blossom, Flower Shop, First Bloom, Spring and a few others.  I picked up Green Grass, which is a new launch this season.

The cold throw is a very green fragrance with hints of dry grass under a fresh watery cucumber with aspects of clean white floral.  Very pleasant indeed.  The hot throw is linear and scented the room with clean, bright cucumber and grassy-green scents.  This candle was definitely better formulated than the Tropical Spice, as was proven by its superior hot throw.

Assessment? Green Grass is definitely preferred to Tropical Spice, but if neither take your fancy, don't worry - there is no need to decide between these two!  There are still twenty-three other newly launched/re-launched candles to choose from!  Go get smelling!

BBW gets dressed up in Pink Chiffon

I took a trip today to Bath & Body Works to 'escape to the tropics' with their new tropical candles.  Don't worry, I did do this (I spent all too long in there, actually, trying to pick the most unique scents of the bunch to review here), but towards the end I have to admit that I got a little distracted.

See, when I got to the register they had the latest launch in their Signature Collection available in a 2oz size for $1.  How could I resist?  (You're right - I couldn't!)

So, while my new candles burn in their evaluation rooms, I have taken the liberty of checking out BBW's latest body lotion scent:

It is described as 'a light-as-air-pairing of soft pink petals and vanilla chiffon icing'.  So, we should expect a gourmand floral.  Is that what we get?

Well, first whiff out of the bottle we definitely can smell the light-as-air part - there is not very much fragrance there at all, which is very uncharacteristic for BBW!  Usually they are so strong that they knock me out with their overwhelming and sweeter-than-life scents!  Don't get me wrong, it is still sweet, but I somehow don't mind it as much because it isn't too busy offending my nose.

In use, it smells of a sweet, sugary cherry candy (so no, it isn't a gourmand floral), but it is still light with some hints of vanilla and musk minutely warming it up.  Saying that, this fragrance remains very light - so light in fact that I'm almost having to shove my hands up my nose to get the full dynamics of this new scent.

But that isn't a bad thing, I've decided.  I quite like that I haven't filled the room with an obnoxiously sweet scent while moisturizing my hands.  I bet the people around me appreciate it, too!

Thumbs up on this one, BBW!

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.

Seasonal Anti-bacs?! The latest line of PocketBacs from BBW

Copyright (c) <a href='http://www.123rf.com'>123RF Stock Photos</a>

It's the end of September, which means the stores are jam-packed with Halloween paraphernalia.  There are bags of candy to buy, as well as humongous pumpkins for carving (I can't wait to get my hands on one of those!), but one thing I didn't realize was that the Halloween theme had made its way into personal care products.

Admittedly, I was greatly bemused when I walked into Bath and Body Works (BBW) on Saturday and saw they had a range of Halloween scents in convenient travel size lotions.  Would you like some Wicked Spiced Pumpkin or is maybe Scream-A-Colada more to your taste?

I can't blame BBW, limited edition seasonal scents are an easy way to re-concept and re-invigorate tired fragrances or to test out new ones on consumers without too much consequence.  So, I understand their Halloween body lotion and hand soap ranges, but Halloween Anti-bacterial Sanitizing Hand Gel?

When I got home I went on BBW's website and it turns out that somewhere along the line I missed that Anti-bac had become a hot ticket item.  They have floral to gourmand to fruity variants in their trademarked PocketBac line.  It is undeniable that with this line BBW introduced the question to consumers: Who wants plain old Purell when you can have a cute, fun smelling BBW anti-bac?  Unsurprisingly, before I can answer that question, I'm going to have to get to smelling!

Zombie Tonic:  Marshmallow.

Vanilla accented alcohol that dries into a soft musk.

Bat bite: Apple.

Helloooo Green Apple!  The dry down smells like Granny Smith apple peel.

Phantom Pumpkin.

Pumpkin Spice Latte anyone?  This scent is barely discernible until the dry down, which is very subtly pleasant indeed.

Candy Corn: Caramel.

The most lightly fragranced one thus far.  At first there is a scent of alcohol and cream, which is reminiscent of first Bailey's and then Egg Nog, and then it dries down into a very light vanilla bean scent.

Gum ball.

Bazooka Joe!  Or if you don't know what that is just imagine a pink bubble gumball!  The scent is so strong and distinct, it's almost like you're chewing some bubblegum yourself.

Skulls: Forbidden Apple

Think McIntosh Apple 

Bones: Monster Mint

Minty with chocolately hints.

Scary Cats: Black Cherry

One word: Robitussin.  Which isn't necessarily a bad thing and, actually, in use it is a very sweet, yummy black cherry scent which sits nicely on the skin.

There you go - my evaluation of the eight scents that I picked up on their 8 for $5 deal.  Now that I have smelled them, how about we get back to the question - Who wants plain old Purell when you can have a cute, fun smelling BBW anti-bac?

Well, I hate to admit this, and you might have sensed at the beginning that I was sceptical at best about the idea of seasonal anti-bacs, but you know what?  They've convinced me - I definitely don't want plain, old, boring Purell!  The question now is which of these Halloween Pocketbacs to use first!

Paris ... with sugar on top

Ten years ago I experienced a truly 'romantic stroll through the streets of Paris' with a Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome.  Talk about Paris Amour!

Although, I don't remember the Eiffel Tower being pink and I don't think our romantic strolls along the Seine smelled quite like Bath & Body Works (BBW) newest edition to their Signature Collection - Paris Amour.

Paris Amour is currently available in travel size for $1, but will officially launch on Saturday, Aug 13 and be available in a multitude of formats.

BBW describes this fragrance as 'a dreamy blend of French tulips, apple blossoms and sparkling pink champagne, inspired by a romantic stroll through the streets of Paris'.

Marketing aside, here's what it smells like:

First introduction:  There is a definite sweetness that pervades through everything, but the richness of the creamy shea butter notes balance out the sweet notes.  Unfortunately both top and bottom notes cancel out any floral aspect of the fragrance.

In use:  The shea butter notes all but disappear.  They are replaced with subtle top notes of a soft, light floral scent and a huge slug of sickly, overpowering sweetness.

Even after ten minutes the cotton candy/smarties scent is all but drowning out the light floral notes that are struggling to break through.

After twenty minutes the creamy shea butter notes make an appearance once more, but they are still overwhelmed by the gourmand bottom sugary notes that dominate this fragrance.

In honor of my real Paris Amour I'll have to pass on this BBW one...

But if you're between the ages of 13 and 18, this fragrance is right up your rue!!  Grab a bottle - perhaps it'll even bring you some back-to-school amour!