All over the place...

I can't believe how long it's been since we've written! These are mostly reviews of scents I ordered for the holiday/winter season, but there are some regular ones in there too. I'm already looking forward to spring! The quest for 1. a body cream that smells exactly like Bumble and Bumble's Creme de Coco shampoo and conditioner, 2. a fresh true strawberry scent and 3. a fresh true pineapple scent are my biggest challenges, so I'm already looking around. :)

My very first order from The Body Dessert Shop (http://www.thebodydessertshop.com) finally came! I have to say turnaround time was really slow so I'd be hesitant to order again, but the products were very good quality and I found a scent I loved. :) The texture of the shea body butter seems identical to B&I's body fluff, which I adore.

Birthday Cake: Very true cake scent complete with icing, not overly sweet. It does go a little too sweet on me so I'm not sure if I'd get a full size, but it's really a nice scent.

Black Raspberry Vanilla: I'm in love with this scent and I didn't even order it! Colleen threw in a tiny sample and I'm so glad she did. I can't smell vanilla at all which is perfect for me, since no vanilla scents have worked on me. This sounds very strange but it's kind of an artificial raspberry but still fresh and clean, I can almost smell soap in it. Just a lovely tart fresh raspberry scent. I have to buy the full size now!

Eggnog Cream: Finally a true eggnog scent, a little spicier than I would have liked and not as creamy as Philosophy's 3 in 1, but nice. I'm not sure I'd order it again though and I may not even use it this season as I'm overloaded with winter scents!

Fresh Vanilla (BBW dupe): I'm not sure how close this is to the BBW version but this is a great vanilla scent. I'm not really into vanilla since every one I've tried has turned on me, but this is excellent as far as vanillas go - not too sweet, not too creamy and not too much like extract.

Peppermint Cocoa: Nice blend but smells very similar to Bissy's Boutique's version. I'm pretty sure it's going to turn on me.

Pink Buttercream Frosting: This was also a sample Colleen threw in, very nice foody scent, but not for me. A little too sweet.

Pumpkin Blizzard: I'm not sure what to think about this. Right now on cold sniff it's a very sour pumpkin. But the gals at the bath and body board told me to let it sit for a week or two and it'll get better. So we'll see what happens.

Warm Vanilla Gingerbread: Really delicious and true gingerbread scent. I think it was a little too spicy on me but you can smell both the vanilla and the gingerbread.

Coconut Hut (all are souffles or butters unless noted)
Apple Torta Sabiosa: Lena was kind enough to include a small sample of this but it wasn't for me. I guess if you like foody scents it may be nice, but there was something really off about it.

Blue Ribbon Pumpkin Pie: Nice pumpkin pie scent but mostly I could only smell pie crust. If you like your pumpkin pie scent to be heavy on the pie crust, go for it. I prefer CH's Pumpkin Pie a la Mode.

Frosted Hawaiian Mimosa: Sadly this was very artificial and slightly plastic-y. I couldn't smell any of the individual notes, just an overly sweet candy smell.

Kissing on the Beach: This is great if you love coconut and vanilla. Not overly sweet or coconutty. Unfortunately it turned on me. Sigh.

Mai Tai: This had promise in the jar, a nice fun fruity scent. On me it was truly awful though.

Mango Lassi: This did not smell remotely like mango to me, it was very generic with a really odd base. Just smelled totally off.

Melting Marshmallow Hot Chocolate: Totally delicious blend of chocolate and marshmallow. It's much heavier on the chocolate but it's not overly sweet or strong. Best of all it doesn't turn on me!

Polynesian Ruby Pomegranate: Another gift from my gal pal! Still on the fence with this. Lovely tropical fruity scent but I can't tell if it's too candy-ish or not.

Summer Lemonade: I love this in the scrub but not in a butter. It was a strong floral lemon scent, not a fresh slightly sweet lemonade at all. Looks like I'll be sticking with SDE's Fresh Lemonade.

Tropical Fruit Slices: Not one of the best CH scents - very artificial, like fruit candy, and has a strange drydown. Overly sweet and not all that fruity.

Bathed & Infused (all fluffs/lotions unless noted)
Bali: I was disappointed in this, couldn't pick out any individual scents, just a really generic slightly fruity scent. Not one of B&I's best.

Cocomania (Lush Trichomania dupe): I can't compare this to the Lush original but this didn't smell all that coconutty to me. It was more of a plain nut, almost like TBS nut body butter.

Coconut Beach: I thought I was crazy for a while, but there is indeed a very strong amaretto note. Not coconutty at all to my nose.

Eggnog Poundcake: Too foody for me, I don't like sweet cakey scents and couldn't smell much eggnog in this. If you love poundcake with a twist though, go for it.

Gingerbread Creme: Truly amazing and true gingerbread scent, not too sweet and not too spicy. Will definitely repurchase next holiday season. :)

Ivory Rose: Such a lovely blend, you could smell both the Ivory and a soft rose. But it turned on me, it was like a musty old rose. :(

MacIntosh Apple: very fresh and true but turned on me. :(

Mint Chocolate Marshmallows: Admittedly I don't get much mint and no marshmallow from this, I mostly smell a sweet chocolate. It's a nice chocolate with just a touch of mint.

St. Lucia: This is a great blend, it's a creamy but clean coconut. Really fresh and pretty. Unfortunately it turned on me.

Sunset Beach: Lovely but smelled like air freshener on me. It's like Bobbi Brown's Beach but just a tad creamier.

There was also a sample of Luv Luv (dupe of the Moschino fragrance) which was way too strong and floral. I'm not sure how close it is to the original but it definitely wasn't for me.

Some other random things that didn't work for me (these are just some notes to myself!): SDA Lime Margarita, Pineapple Jasmine, Blackberry Bubbles, Pumpkins on Parade and Summer Lovin'; Auntie Rhubarb Coconut Creme Pie; Bissy's Boutique Gingerbread Applesauce, Pina Colada, Hawaiian Hula and Pumpkin Pie Filling.

As for retailer bath and body items, I've found some great stuff recently: 100% Pure Blood Orange shea butter, Philosophy Cinnamon Buns and BBW Gingerbread 3 in 1.