Sunday, October 14, 2012

Bath and Body Works Holiday Traditions

Holiday Traditions are officially here and I am so excited!  I can't get in the mood to start shopping for the holidays and to even look at holiday products until I use my Vanilla Bean Noel for the first time in October.  I have already started using it on a regular basis and I can't wait for my yearly purchase of Holiday Traditions.  Last year, I stocked up on Vanilla Bean Noel and Pink Sugarplum and the year before it was all about Vanilla Bean Noel and Winter Candy Apple.  I don't see Twisted Peppermint on the Bath and Body Works website yet so I wonder if it will be released closer to Thanksgiving...  I know I want to buy more Vanilla Bean Noel this year but part of me can't decide what other fragrance to buy more of, I love the Pink Sugarplum and use it more than Winter Candy Apple however I bought Pink Sugarplum last year and left the Winter Candy Apple on the shelves.  And I see another scent this year!  Decisions, decisions!

I know that Bath and Body Works has not yet released all of their holiday products so I am going to start slowly stocking up on the available body products and hand soaps and then continue to pick more items up as the line grows throughout the holiday season.  I am even more excited for the Holiday Traditions this year since the products will be available in all the new formulas that have been released throughout the year.  I don't really do the fragrance mist in these scents (I have one in Vanilla Bean Noel that I rarely wear), the shower gels and moisturizers are another story.  I love the new shea butter shower gel formula that this company released last summer and it will be so much better for my skin this winter season.

There are four scents currently available: Vanilla Bean Noel, Winter Candy Apple, Pink Sugarplum, and Frosted Snowberry.  I know that I already own products in ths first three and something is telling me that Frosted Snowberry was out several years ago and I remember not liking it.  At least I know that I rule one fragrance out already...

Of course we are going to start with Vanilla Bean Noel, this is still the best selling of the Holiday Traditions and the one that has been my favorite ever since I first tried it in college.  Vanilla Bean Noel is the traditional holiday scent and it hasn't changed ever since I first tried it.  This fragrance is described by Bath and Body Works as "a warm blend of fresh vanilla bean, warm caramel, and rich comforting cream".  The top notes are: Natural Vanilla, Sweet Buttery.  The heart notes of Vanilla Bean Noel are: Caramel, Hint of Chocolate.  The base notes are: Soft Musk, Sugar Cookie.  Vanilla Bean Noel smells exactly like a combination of sweet frosting, pure vanilla, and yummy caramel.  I buy products ine this fragrance every single year and I use them as fast as I buy them.

The second fragrance is the other most traditional of the fragrances, Winter Candy Apple.  This is another fragrance that I first tried during my first holiday season working for this company back in college.  This fragrance is the spiciest of the holiday fragrances, it is "a sweet, wintry medley of crisp apple, candied orange, and rich cinnamon spice".  The top notes are: Candy Apple, Orange Zest.  The middle notes of the fragrance are: Maple, Cinnamon, Neroli, Rose.  The bottom notes are: Winter Musk, Orris, Oakmoss.  This fragrance is a mix between sweet and a bit of spice, it can be a bit too much for me to wear sometimes and I do tend to go through it much slower than I do any of the others.  However, the home fragrance is this scent is one of my favorite during the holidays and I will buy a candle or two, whether or not I decide to pick up some body products.

The third fragrance is Pink Sugarplum, one that was introduced last year and that I fell in love with the first time that I smelled it.  I love the scent of sugar plums, even though I have never actually had one of the candies, and I bought a ton of products in this scent last year.  This fragrance is one of the few sugar plum scented body products that I have ever seen, the only other one was a limited edition Davies Gate from several years ago.  Pink Sugarplum is described as "an addictive blend of sugared plum, sparkling tangerine, and vanilla musk".  The top notes of this fragrance are: Chambord, Vintage, Champagne, Sparkling Tangerine.  The middle notes are: Red Hibiscus, White Nectarine, Black Currant, Juicy Passionfruit.  The bottom notes are: Plum Wood, Sugared Musk, Vanilla Extract.  This fragrance is a great mix of sugar plum and vanilla, I just love this fragrance and I know that I will end up buying a few more products in it this year. 

The "new" fragrance for this year is Frosted Snowberry, berry scents don't always work with my skin chemistry so I often skip over berry scentes unless there is a good mixture of other notes in it.  I am not sure how different this will be from the other berry scents that have been released with the Holiday Traditions scent so I will have to smell this in the store and report back.  This fragrance is "a bright blend of winter blackberries, warm caramel and iced musk.", the Bath and Body Works website states that this is a brand new fragrance so I will have to try it out.  The notes don't sound like a mixture of notes that I would like to begin with so I doubt that I will be buying any products in this scent.  The top notes are: Bright Bergamot, Blackberry, Freesia.  The heart notes are: Peony Buds, Sweet Plum, Cyclamen, Framboise.  The base notes of this fragrance are: Sueded Cedar, Frosted Musk, Drizzled Caramel.  It is very obvious to see how much Bath and Body Works has changed their fragrances as the time progresses...

So what will be in my shopping bag this year?  Vanilla Bean Noel and Pink Sugarplum of course!  I am still undecided on the Winter Candy Apple body products but I will be buying a candle in this scent.  I still have a Vanill Bean Noel candle from last year so I won't need another this year.  The holiday shopping season has begun!!!

photo courtesy of Bath and Body Works

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