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!

The Naked Bee

A gift!  A gift!  I've been given a gift!  A friend was wandering around a shop checking out their inventory when she came across something she thought I'd love.  The next time I saw her she excitedly presented me with it:  The Naked Bee Orange Blossom Honey Moisturizing Hand & Body Lotion.

I looked quizzically at the spartan packaging of the brown pump bottle as she enthusiastically jumped around.  "You have to use it right now and tell me what you think it smells like," she encouraged.  I shrugged my shoulders, took a small amount of the 70% certified organic product, massaged it into my hands, and indulged in its scent.

She insisted on immediately knowing what I thought.  "Smarties!" I replied, suddenly craving the childhood candy.  But she disagreed, pulling out something from her cupboard.  "It is completely PEZ," the mother of two PEZ-loving kids argued, handing me a full dispenser.  As I munched away I agreed with her that it definitely had PEZ aromatics, but I still favored the overall smell to be Smarties-esque.

As the debate continued, I kept reapplying the lotion because those sweet, loud, nostalgic top notes quickly quietened (though did not completely disappear) to reveal a warmth in the heart.  It mellowed the candy top notes and enriched them to reveal a bouquet of citrus, soft floral, and honey.  It's a clean and comforting scent, as well as The Naked Bee's best selling variant!

The debate still continues, PEZ or Smarties, but it doesn't really matter because it's a fabulous fragrance (in a great lotion)!

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!

The Body Shop Chocomania Beurre Corporel [Body Butter]

When I was out shopping this week for Chocomania Body Scrub, what do you think I came across?  Why Chocomania Body Butter, of course!  Professed to have 48hours of "feel good hydration" and containing 12 Community Fair Trade Ingredients from around the world - I just had to try it out for myself.


So, how does its scent compare to Chocomania Body Scrub?  When I opened up the packaging it was definitely different.  In fact, in contrast to the scrub, when you open Chocomania Body Butter you are greeted not with a deep brown souffle, but a light peachy-beige cream.  I was surprised that it wasn't richer in color since it is a chocolate variant, but I definitely wasn't put off by its beige-i-ness.  Excited to see if this scent experience was anything like the scrub, I dove in.

When you first smell the body butter its scent is nearly as good as the scrub's.  You definitely get a delicious chocolate cake with indulgent chocolate frosting sensation, but you're not enveloped by it like with the scrub.  Saying that, it is a gorgeously gourmand aroma!


In use the fragrance has dry and slight shea butter aspects, like with the scrub, which keeps you from smelling like a chocolate factory.  In fact, a friend walked in the room and said that the aromas were creamy and perfumistic.  I asked if she smelled any chocolate, she said no.  When I gave her my arm to smell sure enough she confirmed that she could smell the chocolate on my skin, but only when her nose was less than a centimeter from it!


So, there you have it.  Like with the scrub, Chocomania Body Butter has an exquisitely formulated scent which pampers your senses and wraps you in chocolate.  Also, fantastically, it doesn't leave you smelling sickly sweet, but of a sophisticated, warm, dry scent.


In fact, if you're still looking for your Mother's Day gift (you better hurry because there is not much time left!), a Chocomania treat would be the perfect one!

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!

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.

Menthol me up! New Lubriderm Soothing Relief - Cooling Daily Lotion

Lubriderm launched a new variant in October - Soothing Relief.  It caught my attention because (and I quote from the packing itself) "Soothing Relief Daily Lotion with cooling menthol is formulated to help relieve itchy, dry skin".

Menthol, you say?  I knew menthol was a good decongestant, that it's used in some cigarettes, cough medicines, mouth washes and toothpastes, that it relieves minor aches and pains (think IcyHot), but I had never come across menthol in a lotion before.  So I did a little research.

It turns out that Lubriderm's competitors, Aveeno and Eucerin, both have a menthol itch/skin relief lotion in their product ranges.  It also turns out that the reason why these brands have a menthol variant is because menthol has itch relieving/preventing properties, i.e. it's an antipruritic - something I never knew!  No wonder these brands are adding it to their skin relief ranges!

Now being satisfied with my menthol knowledge, I believe it's time to get down to business.  How menthol-y is this menthol variant?

The initial scent out of the bottle is a very quiet, almost non-existent, menthol scent that barely covers the plastic-y base smell of the lotion.  In use, though, watch out!  The menthol comes alive and tingles the skin and the nose pleasantly with its simple, cough-drop-esque scent.

So, did I smell like I had lathered myself in Vicks VapoRub?  About five minutes after I put the lotion on my arms and legs, I asked a passerby to smell me.  Admittedly, they did look at me like I was crazy, but when they realized I was serious, they took a breath and answered 'no'.  When I asked if I smelled of menthol they also said 'no'.

Fantastic - I can confirm that if you use this lotion you will not smell like a walking medicine cabinet!  Thus, I would categorize this as a fragrance success - you get the cooling menthol benefits without the overwhelming menthol stench! 

Chateau Lorraine - would you like some wine with your skin care?

This past weekend while swanning around L.A. and admiring all the ridiculously expensive cars cruising the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway for all those not in the know), I dropped by the Rosenthal Malibu Tasting Room to delight in some local wine with friends.

I could go on about all the wonderful aromas and the dynamic flavors of wine we sampled, but I'm not going to.  While pausing to let my palette rest between tastings I found a free sample of body lotion.  Not one to pass up introductions to new products, I snagged one, stuck it in my bag and promptly forgot about it until I arrived back home.

At the time I picked up the lotion, I thought it was odd that a wine tasting room would have personal care samples, but once I read a little bit about the product it all made sense.

Chateau Lorraine Skin Care was created by father and son team, Ron and Chris Lewis, owners of a private label manufacturing company.  They were inspired to create their own line of products based on - you guessed it - the wine grape.  They found that wine grape extracts have a potent amount of antioxidant and anti-aging properties, which make it the perfect ingredient for a luxurious skin care range.  You can learn more about the product range, ingredients and technology of Chateau Lorraine Skin Care here.

As for me, I'm just interested in the scent of my free sample - Chateau Lorraine: Private Reserve, Antioxidant Body Lotion.  The description states that there are grape seed and blackcurrant oils in the formula: from this I infer that the scent will be fruity and sweet, but the deep purple packaging leads me to believe that this could be a heavy, possibly oriental scent.  What will it be?

Neither!  Intriguingly the scent opens with delicate gourmand hints of cream overlaid with cinnamon.  In use it develops into a light scent of green grape skin, but unfortunately as the lotion absorbs into my hands and arms the subtle scent nearly disappears and becomes mingled with hints of base, as in the formula's chemical base, not rich, fragrant dry down notes.  Although a bit base-y in scent, due to the subtlety of the fragrance my skin wasn't left smelling strong or horrible.  There is no doubt that this lotion's scent would easily sit silently under whatever perfume you wear.

My assessment?  I won't be purchasing this product, but the use of the wine grape and other grape related ingredients to create an antioxidant and anti-aging product is notable and unique, as is their distinctive way of reaching their target market through leaving samples in wine tasting rooms!

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: