Spring in Winter: Febreze Petal & Pure

In case you're tired of your Christmas fragrances or if the winter weather already has you dreaming of spring, never fear!  While I was cruising around the store and taking my usual foray into the air freshener aisle I came across what I believe to be the first (of 2012) spring air freshener candle on my local Target's shelf.

It was standing out proud with its light yellow pigment bright against the deep colors of red, green, purple and blue of the Christmas/holiday variants.  How could I not pick up that little ray of sunshine, Febreze's Petal & Pure?

I smelled it briefly as I held it and was immediately intrigued - it was a sweet banana scent with a light white floral hue coming through behind it.  Even though I didn't know if it was a new launch or not, the idea of a banana scented candle piqued my interest and I had to get it home to evaluate it.

After I did a bit of research, it turns out that Febreze Petal & Pure is indeed not a new launch.  It was first seen on the shelves in February 2011, but I figure that since it was launched this year it is still relevant and new ... and interesting.

When I took the candle out of its packaging the cold throw was still of a good, strong strength smelling of banana, sweetness and light white floral.  Needless to say I had high hopes for the hot throw.

Unfortunately, when tested in my evaluation room, the candle seemed to lose its scent.  All that appeared to be emitted was a non-fragranced wax-base scent.  When I put the candle out and allowed it to cool, once again the pleasantly fragrant fruity-banana-floral scent returned.  How disappointing that it didn't appear to have a good hot throw!

Would I recommend the Febreze Petal & Pure candle?  My answer is yes, but with a caveat.  You see, I inadvertently tested the candle once more!  I was in my kitchen and having no other fragrance handy I decided to light this candle.  After awhile the room (which is open plan, I might add) was filled with a light sweet-floral scent with only minute hints of the unfragranced wax base underneath (which is the only scent I smelled in my small, windowless evaluation room).

Thus, the caveat:  if you have a small room all you'll be smelling is candle wax and no sweet-fruit-floral fragrance!

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.

Method Limited Editions

To tell you the truth, I am not the biggest Method user out there.  Actually, I don't think that I have ever used Method before, which is why I thought it was high time to do so.

Supposedly, 'sometimes change is nice', which is why Method launched a limited edition range in September.  The new variants include: 

Juicy Pear, Clementine, Waterfall and Lemon Mint  

Although I was tempted by the Juicy Pear, the variant I got my hands on is the Lemon Mint.  Lemon mixed with mint?  Now, that sounds interesting.

Sadly, it wasn't.  Neat, the fragrance is very functional, smelling first of sweet lemon drops and then alcohol.  There is no scent of mint, which is a disappointment.  Maybe in dilute?

Nope, not there either.  In use, it is a very earthy, agrestic lemon scent with spikes of menthol (which, although obtained from mint oil, it is a very different scent from mint!).  In addition, the earthy-agrestic notes nearly overwhelm the lemon making it quite a dirty scent.

I'm not overly enthralled with the fragrance of this hand soap, but maybe I should have known that this 'naturally derived formula' was going to smell well, natural!

Launched with style: the new Diane fragrance from Diane Von Furstenberg

Back in October I received all kinds of alerts about a new fragrance launching from designer Diane von Furstenberg: Diane.  Unlike other perfumes with their fascinating (and sometimes confusing) TV commercials, von Furstenberg opted for a modern way to advertise: the flash mob.

Throughout the course of October there were flash mobs in New York, Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, Warsaw and Milan.  All these flash mobs did their work - they got me excited about the fragrance and eager to learn what it was all about.

So, off to Sephora I went (the sole distributor of the fragrance) and here is what I discovered.  Diane is a very womanly fragrance, opening with distinct top notes of patchouli that are combined with layers of caramel and musk and then mixed with light florals, which bring height to the fragrance.  The fragrance is linear as it dries down, retaining the same scent throughout.  

This fragrance is reminiscent of the powerhouse fragrances from the 1980s.  Which isn't necessarily bad ... if you like that kind of thing.

philosophy: smile and be merry? Definitely with marshmallows for toasting!

What a fabulous surprise - a newly launched limited edition product just fell right into my hands - Philosophy's Marshmallows for Toasting 'high gloss, high-flavor marshmallow fluff lip shine'.  What a mouthful!

Image by © Charles Gold/CORBIS

Now normally I wouldn't evaluate a lip gloss, but this one smells so scrumptious I just had to.  The unfortunate part is that it doesn't smell like marshmallows. So, if it doesn't smell like marshmallows, what does it smell like?

Well, let me tell you.  It smells like wonderfully, gorgeously delicious maple syrup.  Wearing this lip gloss is like eating pancakes all day long, but without the caloric consequences!

Not satisfied with this delectable maple syrup just on your lips?  Philosophy has also launched Marshmallows for Toasting in a shampoo, body wash and bubble bath so you can bathe your whole body in this tasty scent!

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! 

Nevermind that it's October - Christmas is here! (otherwise known as: Yankee Candle: Three New Holiday Fragrances)

Unbelievable.  I just decided on what air freshener to fragrance my home with this Fall and then I receive the news that Yankee Candle has their Holiday Fragrances out.  No rest for the weary, I tell you!

Don't worry, this holiday season Yankee Candle has stocked their regular favorites:

But they have also launched three new variants, and I've got my hands on them for your smelling pleasure.

Let's begin with Cherries on Snow.  Firstly, the variant name.  Truthfully, and I don't know about you, but I don't associate cherries with winter and I have definitely never seen them on snow.  Maybe 'Clementines & Snow', or 'Winter Pomegranate' would have been more appropriate - what do you think?  Please, comment below!  Anyway, let's put Yankee Candle's attempt to creatively expand their range to the side, and look at the fragrance.

Remember me?

When I picked this up in the store it smelled so wonderfully of sweet cherry candy, but when I unwrapped the candle at home to properly assess the cold throw I was disappointed.  It smelled exactly like a Strawberry Shortcake Doll - a light sweet berry scent mixed with plastic.  Disappointingly, yet unsurprisingly at the same time, the hot throw was not very impressive either.  The Strawberry Shortcake Doll smell pervaded my testing area with no traces of the sweet cherry candy scent that I experienced in the store.  Thumbs down on this one.

Mountain Berry is next up and thankfully this one wasn't a let down.  The cold throw is a menthol-y evergreen invoking scent that pleasantly tingles the nose with its freshness.  It didn't change much in hot throw either.  The scent was still strong and evergreen, but had lost the hints of menthol that were in the cold throw.  Very pleasant.  One last thought, and I am not sure if many of you will know this association, but this fragrance immediately reminded me of the Original Spring Green variant of Vitabath from the 1980s (a favorite around my grandparents' house).

The last new launch from Yankee Candle for this holiday season is Christmas Rose.  Out of the three scents this had the strongest and most overbearing cold throw.  Like the Mountain Berries, nothing much changed at all with the hot throw.  It was still strong, overbearing and a linear rose scent.  If you like roses, you shouldn't miss out on this one!

So, there you go.  Yankee Candle's three new launches for this holiday season.  And just in time, too - I mean, it's nearly November for goodness sake!