Bath and Body Works Holiday Traditions Collection

The holidays are beginning! The first group of holiday products that I have seen in stores are the Bath and Body Works Holiday Traditions Collection that I end up collecting every single year. This year, we have three returning fragrances and one new one to test out. So far the body products and the hand soaps have been released and the home fragrance products should be out for sale in the very beginning of November. I am very happy that my returning favorite, Vanilla Bean Noel, is back again this year.

Vanilla Bean Noel has always been a best selling Christmas fragrance for the simple reason that it is one of the best smelling vanilla fragrances that has ever been released. Bath and Body Works states, "Our exclusive Vanilla Bean Noel is a warm blend of fresh vanilla bean, warm caramel, and rich, comforting cream". In previous years, the lotion and the cream have smelled different than the spray and shower gel, with the moisturizers smelling more like vanilla frosting and the other products smelling like a less sweet vanilla. However, I am happy to report that this year, all the products have the same lovely lotion fragrance.

The second returing fragrance is Winter Candy Apple. This fragrance is another one that I have liked in previous years, but I tend to go through cycles with this fragrance. I will love it one year and hate it the next. This year is a love it year so far but I don't know how long that will last. "Our exclusive Winter Candy Apple is a mouthwatering blend of crisp apple, candied orange, and rich cinnamon spice". This fragrance is the best in the shower gel and the home fragrance items. I like it in the moisturizers but I find that the spray doesn't work very well with my body chemistry.

The last returning fragrance is the ever-popular Twisted Peppermint. Personally, I still long for this product in the 3 in 1 formula but as long as I can have it in any type of body products, I am happy. "Our exclusive Twisted Peppermint is a tempting blend of cool, refreshing mint, white sugar, and just a hint of rich vanilla". This is a fragrance that I only like in the body products, I find it too strong in the body spray and the home fragrance forms. I wish that Bath and Body Works would have brought back the body scrub in it again this year but they didn't for some reason.

The only new fragrance that came out this year is named Snowkissed Berry. I feel like every year some type of berry fragrance comes out in this collection but is never repeated the following year. And I have a tradition of never liking the berry fragrance and they always smell awful on me. "Our exclusive Snowkissed Berry is a festive blend of juniper berry, sparkling cranberry, amber, and white musk". This one has very little fragrance both when applied and in the bottle. I think that this is a fragrance that will go over very well with younger girls since it is very light. None of the products in this fragrance are for me.

I really didn't buy many products so far this year. I was just replacing a few things that I am getting low on and the Snowkissed Berry didn't work so I didn't leave with a giant bag this year. I am very happy to note that Bath and Body Works has been improving the quality of their Signature Collection products so now the Triple Moisture Body Cream and the lotion spiked with Shea Butter are now available in these fragrances. This year, I also had a bunch of coupons for free products so I made it work quite well. The only items that I walked out with were the Vanilla Bean Noel body cream and the fragrance mist, since it finally smells like the lotion does. I didn't need anymore shower gel since somehow over the years, I ended up with an odd amout of shower gels and lotions. Since I am in love with Winter Candy Apple this year, I bought the shower gel and the lotion. I also both the little Pocketbacs in both of these fragrances and the Twisted Peppermint. I still have so much 3 in 1 and lotion from Twisted Peppermint that I won't need any of it for at least another year, the only item that I am running lower on is the body scrub. I might go back and pick up several of the hand soaps and lip glosses in this collection for little gifts but I got my holiday season started off right.

photo courtesy of Bath and Body Works