As of now my latest obsession is pineapple. I discovered Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Pineapple and ever since then I've been trying to find great vanilla-pineapple scents to layer with it. Of course, my love for more fruity, less sweet pineapple has not faded, but has only gotten stronger now that the weather is warmer. Will be breaking out the L'Artisan Ananas Fizz soon!
BI
I got all of the following scents in the fluff.
Blue Hawaiian - Generic fruit scent to my nose, couldn't pick up any individual notes. The drydown on me was surprisingly nice and not plastic, but it still was somewhat artificial.
Fresh Strawberries - Not quite the strawberry scent I was looking for, very sweet. It smelled very close to SDE's Strawberries & Cream, which, while a very nice scent, I was looking for something more fruity and fresh rather than sweet.
Pina Colada - At first I got a strong amaretto note, but after I let it sit for a week it was a very true pina colada scent, rivaling CH's. Too bad it turned on me. :(
Junebug - Nice combination of fresh fruit, sweet banana and the tiniest hint of coconut. However, on me it was all banana. While I love eating bananas I'm not big into smelling like them. :P
I also swapped for Orange Neroli and I'm so glad I did - it's divine! Similar to Bobbi Brown's beach fragrance, but with a touch of citrus to make it fresher and a tiny bit less sweet. Nicole was kind enough to include sample jars of Green and Foule et Furie. Foule et Furie was way too floral and strong for my nose, but if you're into those types of scents it might be nice for you. The same thing with Green - not my type of scent (not into green, herbal, spa scents) but if that's what you're after it's great.
Okay, onto SDE! Love the quality of all of Marliss' products but these scents just didn't work for me. :( I got all of these in the Satin Scentations body butter.
Blackberry Bliss - Sadly this smelled like potpourri to my nose, and it got even more floral, almost spicy when I tried it on. It doesn't smell anything like blackberry or any berry for that matter, at least to me.
Key Lime - Was so excited about this since not many e-tailers carry a plain lime scent (not margarita, lime sherbert, etc., just a straight lime) but this didn't work. In the jar it's a nice tart fruity scent (a tiny bit off of a true lime) but on me it smelled like bathroom cleaner. As it faded it definitely got better, it developed into more of a soapy scent, but still not lime. My search for a lime that smells just like L'Atelier du Savon Citron Vert continues.
Strawberry Fields - Still on the fence about this. At first it smelled like burnt sugar to me, but I let it sit for a week and I got more of a strawberry scent out of it. Still, it smells very sweet and not really a fresh true strawberry, more of a sugary fruit scent.
Tangerine Sensation - So sad about this! Smells delicious in the container, a sharp citrusy scent, but on me it was almost vomit-like. I have no idea why my body chemistry torments me so. If you like citrusy scents and don't have a weird chemistry like mine, I highly recommend this.
Lipglossina gave me big samples of Coconut Frosting Oasis, which is totally scrumptious, and Raspberry Sorbet Bermuda Beach Smoother, also delicious. I'm debating to order both of those in body creams!
Coconut Hut
I ordered my beloved Pineapple Slices body butter and scrub, as well as scrubs in Pina Colada and Coconut Milk. Love all of these in scrubs! For samples, I ordered the following scents in the Big Kahuna body butter.
Blackberry - I was amazed at how much this grew on me. I sniffed it, didn't like it, and let it sit for a week. I tried it on again and it smelled much better. Then I tried it on after using Philosophy's Blackberry 3 in 1, and it smelled even better. So I think next time I may order the full size of butter and a scrub! It smells like a very true blackberry to my nose, very sharp and tart but not overpowering. Great fruity scent for summer!
Pina Colada - This works for me in a scrub but alas, not in a butter. It turned to plastic. While I tried this on last year in the souffle, I figured I might have a better chance with it not turning if I got it in a butter. No such luck. Still, it's definitely the truest Pina Colada scent I've sniffed.
Waikiki Coconut - Similar to Pina Colada, but much more plasticky to me.
Coconut Kanantik - This just smelled like a slightly sweet coconut. Nothing earth-shattering in my opinion, and it was total plastic when I put it on. If you're going to go with a slightly sweet coconut from CH, try Beached Coconut instead.
Coconut Gelato - Nice in the container, but horrible on me. The coconut is very light and it smelled mostly like sweet cake to me, but when I put it on it was sweet plastic.
Tropical Paradise - This was nothing special to me. I couldn't pick out any of the individual notes listed in the scent description, it was just an off fruity smell. I didn't even bother trying it on.
Lena also included samples of Honolulu Hot Pants and Polynesian Ruby Pomegranate. Honolulu Hot Pants smelled almost identical to Sea Foam Slushie to me (which I'm not a huge fan of), just stronger. Polynesian Ruby Pomegranate is a nice fruity scent and you can definitely get a good pomegranate note from it, but I think the scent would work best in a scrub. Still, it's not awful on me so I'll use up the jar.
Suds and Light
This was my first order from Suds and overall I was really pleased! Michelle's blends are really nice and for the most part they didn't turn on me, which is very important! I got all of the following scents in the Featherlite souffle. The Featherlite texture is nice for summer, but I think in winter I'm going to need a heavier cream - these are much lighter than CH's body butters or BI fluffs.
Caribbean - Nice blend of coconut and pineapple. I think it turns slightly plastic on me, but like Coconut Milk (see review below), it seems to be different every time I wear it.
Coconut Milk - Argh, I keep going back and forth on this one. One day is smells like the most perfect coconut (like my beloved Bumble and Bumble creme de coco shampoo) but the next it's plastic. I'll have to keep trying it and see what happens. In the jar though it's definitely a very nice true coconut, so if you like coconut definitely get this, it's one of the best ones I've come across.
Island Pineapple - This was just okay for me as far as pineapple scents go. I found it to be a little sweet and artificial, so I think I may try her Pineapple Slices and Pineapple Salad next time to see if those are better on me. If you like pineapple scents though it's worth trying out.
Speckled Strawberry - Alas, this smelled just like SDE's Strawberries 'n' Cream on me. Nice scent but not what I was looking for.
Tropicana - Lovely blend of Vanilla Bean Noel and pineapple. I asked Michelle to go heavier on the pineapple, but I think if I ordered it in equal parts like she normally blends it, it's going to be a great dupe of the CSP Vanille Pineapple. Definitely my fave scent from this order!
Cleanse Your Soul
I also ventured into CYS recently. While I can't say the scents I ordered worked for me, the quality of the emollients is fantastic!
Full of Grace - Really nice blend, but too heavy on the vanilla for me. On me all I could smell was vanilla with just the tiniest hint of raspberry. Great scent but not what I was looking for.
Pineapple Blossom - I couldn't smell any pineapple in this, just a stuffy floral scent. Oh well.
Pineapple Supreme - Was so looking forward to this, pineapple fiend that I am, and was so disappointed. It was an overly sweet cloying pineapple, and so artificial it only barely resembled a pineapple scent.
Summer Strawberries - This smelled so sugary to me in the container, and on me it turned so horribly sweet I couldn't even smell the strawberry. Still, if you're looking for a sweet but not creamy strawberry scent give it a try.
Tequila Lime - Disappointed in this, thought it would be much more tart. It smelled like sugared lime to me, not like jello, but more like lime candy. On me, as with Summer Strawberries, it was super sweet and I couldn't smell any lime. But if you like lime scents in general it might be nice.
I also procured samples of Joyful Heart, Veil of Grace, and State of Grace! Veil of Grace is lemon and Vanilla Bean Noel. It's a nice scent but it didn't knock my socks off. I think with lemon scents I prefer a nice tart lemon as opposed to one mixed with something sweet. State of Grace is really nice, orange and VBN mixed. I'm still trying to decide on whether to order it in an emollient. Joyful Heart is a lovely blend of coconut and VBN, I'm also debating whether to order it.
