Gels/Soaps -Bath and Body Works - Couvent des Minimes Honey and Shea Comforting Shower Gelee
Chandler5 3/8/2005 11:32:00 PM
A shower gel that has a bit less lather than traditional BBW gels, but has a beautiful fragrance and does a good job of cleaning without overdrying skin. The scent is a pure, sweet honey, and it is somewhat strong but delicious!
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Scrubs -Bath and Body Works - Couvent des Minimes Honey and Shea Extra Gentle Sugar Scrub
Chandler5 3/8/2005 11:28:00 PM
Quick review. Very finely granulated sugar scrub, no stinging, and the oil blend is less greasy than BBW's traditional sugar scrubs. The scent is pure honey, sweet and true. Delicious. Gripes about package (in sample, a screw-top glass jar, which leads to contamination... but not unlike other BBW scrub packaging).
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Fragrances -Bath and Body Works - Aromatherapy Sensual Roll-On
Chandler5 3/8/2005 11:25:00 PM
Wow. Like, wow. This roll-on contains pure essential oils in a carrier base, and is uberconvenient save for the glass bottle. The sensual scent is a blend of neroli, violet and cassie (acacia?) essences. The overall scent is a light neroli that has a slight exotic, green floral undercurrent, almost balsamic like lavender but not overblown like some lavender products are. Absolutely wonderful.
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Gels/Soaps -Bath and Body Works - Aromatherapy Rose Sandalwood
Chandler5 3/4/2005 6:15:00 AM
Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, so let's not snark on other peoples' experience of fragrances. Sandalwood Rose is not exactly what I expected - the predominant note is a sort of creamy, pungent sandalwood with a sweet herbal midnote, and the topnote is a nondescript, rather weak rose. I find that unlike most of the Aromatherapy line this one clings, and it's the almost sickly sweet sandalwood that lingers. It's not bad, but perhaps too feminine for me to wear without drawing some arched eyebrows. I would purchase again, though, as it is a unique, calming fragrance.
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Scrubs -Bath and Body Works - Island Hot Spot Warming Body Scrub
Chandler5 2/7/2005 8:35:00 AM
Not terribly satisfied with this item. The SAs made it sound very awesome, and I had thought that it would have been more 'warming.' One mentioned that it smelled 'just like a pina colada.' Well, I beg to differ, this smells more like a bad batch of rice pudding to me, with a hint of bizarre coconut. The warming effect lasts about two seconds, and then the scrub becomes a pricey, runny and diluted traditional sugar scrub. You have to rinse well, too, or your skin is left feeling tacky. Oh well.
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Lotions/ Creams -Bath and Body Works - Aromatherapy Sensual Massage Butter
Chandler5 1/28/2005 5:36:00 PM
A butter blended with shea and cocoa butter together, enhanced with the essential oils of neroli, ylang-ylang, and sandalwood. The result is a perfectly tempered exotic, woodsy floral that doesn't overpower but definitely gets the senses going. The butter is very soft and melts swiftly on the fingertips, absorbing into skin very quickly and giving it a nice slip. The ingredients are, as far as I can tell, all natural, and there's not even artificial fragrance or preservatives in it! Makes me wonder what the shelf life is. Unlike BBW's other creams, lotions and potions, this stuff comes sealed. Regardless, this is cool stuff. $18/4 oz. Also comes in comforting (spicy orange-herbal), relaxing (eucalyptus, lemon, spearmint) and calming (lavender, vanilla, and sweet orange).
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -Bath and Body Works - Need a Margarita? Citrus Body Scrub
Chandler5 1/28/2005 5:33:00 PM
Wow! I'm very impressed. I expected a sharper citrus note (more orange, like most of the true blue stuff) but this really surprised me. It's a very true margarita scent, effervescent lime and even an alcoholic overtone. Remarkable! The scrub is also a sugar scrub, which means no wincing in pain from salt attacking dry skin! The stuff is pricey, though - 12 bucks for six ounces, whereas BBW's usual sugar scrubs (aromatherapy) are 20 bucks for sixteen ounces. Haven't picked it up yet... but it's next on my list!
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Lotions/ Creams -Bath and Body Works - Aromatherapy Ylang Rose Nourishing Lotion
Chandler5 1/28/2005 5:31:00 PM
Meh is what comes to mind. They discontinued ylang-ylang myrrh and I guess replaced it with this. It's not terrible - it does have a natural ylang note that does have a touch of the ferocity and exotic nature of the flower. However, the sharp 'bite' of the essence is severely hampered by the addition of a sweet rose, rendering the total fragrance more 'romantic,' I guess. Unfortunately, ylang rose doesn't have the same exotic, sensual bite that the ylang-ylang myrrh had, and I'll miss it. Worth a shot if you like exotic florals, but not if you want something reminiscent of nights on the prowl, out on the town.
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Lotions/ Creams -Bath and Body Works - Aromatherapy Lemongrass Mandarin Nourishing Lotion
Chandler5 1/28/2005 5:28:00 PM
Great formulation. Definitely a super-strong, true to life lemongrass scent with a touch of sweet orange citrus... but not enough to dampen the LEMONGRASS!!! aroma. I'll pass, but it's not bad.
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Fragrances -Chantecaille - Wisteria
Chandler5 12/9/2004 7:44:00 PM
I love wisteria. This is not wisteria. The packaging looks simple, which gives it a rather cheap look... and, well, dangit, if I'm going to shell out for Chantecaille, it should smell like draping lilac blossoms exuding their faint and almost sickly-sweet, powdery fresh fragrance from vines draped over a gazebo... Not like this random mix of white florals and rose. Argh.
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Skincare - Body -Zia - Body Butter
Chandler5 11/22/2004 11:55:00 PM
I've experienced better moisturizers. Was very surprised that this butter was absorbed so quickly - thought that I would soon have wonderfully moisturized skin, but my skin just felt sorta tacky, and then a little sub-moisturized. Same feel as after using a BBW lotion, and that's not as rich as their creams! However, the scent is very nice - a lavender neroli with a little woodsy bite. I find myself slathering this expensive butter on just to get a small effect, so I won't buy again. It may make a good summer moisturizer though.
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Gels/Soaps -Bath and Body Works - Pure Simplicity Salt Toning Body Wash
Chandler5 11/20/2004 6:07:00 PM
Gripe: that same annoying screw-top that other products in the Pure Simplicity Line have, the one that after you've squirted product out and have closed it some glops loose and you either lose it or it makes a mess of your countertop. I like the aroma of this gel, it reminds me of something very aquatic, very East Coast beach. Whenever I lather it up I am hit with a green, genuine fresh seaweed with a hint of dusty sand and ocean spray. There's no sweetness or floral in this at all, so hence it may lie towards the guy perspective... but, as a guy, I don't mind! The gel lathers really well and the scent (if you like it!) lingers long afterwards. I also have no idea why they consider this toning, as it cleans just like their other gels, but apart from this gimmick I like this gel for the warmer months.
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Fragrances -Demeter - Natural Attraction Always Sexy
Chandler5 11/10/2004 7:17:00 PM
Oh. Yum. So, not being a heavy coffee drinker, I would occasionally indulge in some chai tea whilst I was an undergrad. Again, I found myself at Sephora between classes, perusing the fragrance aisles and being an oddity, a guy wandering the women's fragrance side (hey! I like scents, k?), a few strips of testers besotten with various Demeters. I find myself intrigued by these Natural Attraction sprays - hey, it's a gimmick, but with the way things are... I'm prone to 'em. So Always Focused and Always Calm go on strips, blah, nondescript herbals... Always Lonely gives me a little choke because of the Chocolate-Vanilla-ROSEWOOD scent... and then I pick up Always Sexy, expecting this to be some kind of musky rose-violet-vanilla mixture. Oh, I am so wrong. I spritz it on and the first notes to hit are a twist of ginger, caramel, and vanilla cream. These notes recede without disappearing into an elaborate blend of pepper, cardamom, nutmeg... and it all dries down to a rich, tea-kissed, frosted caramel honey spice cookie that lingers. And heck, if this stuff makes me more appealing, I'm all the more for it. 25 bucks for 2 ounces is great, in my opinion, since this spray has a considerably longer scent lifespan than most other Demeters... ack, please don't discontinue it! Oh. I heard that the sprays on Demeters are particularly finicky and prone to breakage. Well... the spray pump on mine is already leaning a bit to one side and not sitting completely vertical, but it still works. I hope it doesn't jam on me, since a little of this goes a long way and I think direct application would result in my knocking out my classmates. Urf. (ETA: Above, it's not 'Always Lonely,' but 'Never Lonely.' Heh. Talk about a strangely appropriate slip. I wouldn't go near me if I smelled like a giant rainforest cake.)
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Styling Products -Aveda - Confixor
Chandler5 11/9/2004 12:56:00 PM
On me, I have mixed success with this stuff. I usually use it right after I've shampooed, conditioned, etc. If I use it with the Elixir leave-in I have slightly better results. It does a good job of 'spiking' and maintaining thick curls in my short guy hair, but boy is this stuff tacky. It adds plenty of shine. However, I think I just about killed my classmates one day when I ran out of my apartment, having just put about a dime-size drop in my hair. I plunked down, opened my book, took in a deep breath, and nearly choked on how strong the aroma was. Not a terrible scent, mind you, but I think it was probably quite distracting to those around me. Give it some time to dry down. I think I'm going to try another lighter product from Aveda after I'm through with this... which will be forever, given I have a big tube of the stuff.
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Moisturizers -EO - 3- Moisturize- White Tea & Sage
Chandler5 11/7/2004 6:19:00 PM
My current HG, after having bounced back and forth from cheap stuff that kinda worked (St. Ives) to pricier (L'Occitane) to midrange (Korres). This tube I picked up at Whole Foods because I liked both the ingredients in it. While my face errs towards oily, and this moisturizer is touted for normal/combo skin, I find that my face is much softer, clearer, and less prone to breakouts with regular use. I apply it morning and night, as needed, and it doesn't take much to cover my skin. It sinks in rapidly and has a pleasant, light lemon citrus scent. Price is good, 15 bucks or so for a tube that's lasted me a good two months so far. I'd definitely recommend this.
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