I was so excited to see all of Lena's new scents for the holidays! I ordered in mid-November and got a couple sample packs in the body butters and a perfume sample pack, all of which arrived less than a week after I placed my order. Most of them are really excellent, not to mention unique. Lena has outdone herself!
Butters:
Caramel Gingerbread Cupcake - Mmmm! I don't really get much of a cupcake note from this, but the caramel balances out the spiciness of the gingerbread perfectly. It's so sweet and yummy! On my skin though it dried down to a vague sweet scent, so I won't be purchasing in a full size, but I still highly recommend it.
Eggnog Marshmallow Fluff - Again, an equal blend of eggnog and marshmallow, but the eggnog seemed a bit off to me as it did with Eggnog Float and Eggnog Cupcake (from last season's holiday scents.) I smell mostly spicy and no creamy notes. Even though the marshmallow component is terrific, it's not enough to salvage the weird eggnog. On my skin, as with Caramel Gingerbread Cupcake, it just turned to a generic sweet scent.
Gingerbread Caramello Latte - Really yummy. I love how you can smell all three notes with none overpowering another. Unfortunately my chemistry only picked up the gingerbread, not the caramel or coffee. Oh well.
Gingerbread Marshmallow Man - My fave of the new holiday scents. It's equal parts gingerbread and marshmallow and amazingly, it doesn't turn on me. I would prefer more marshmallow but I'm planning on layering it with Who Likes Marshmallow? EdP so that'll take care of my craving.
Gingerbread Sugar Cookie - This was a little too spicy for me in the container - I didn't really get any sugar cookie - and on my skin it was all spice. Oh well. I think CH's Gingerbread Man is the best gingerbread cookie scent on the menu.
Pineapple Buttercream Cupcake - Not a holiday scent but I've been wanting to try this for a while. Totally delicious. On my skin it's identical to my beloved CSP Vanille Pineapple perfume, so now I've found the perfect scent to layer with it!
Perfumes:
House of Gingerbread - I think this is surpassing Gingerbread Man as my go-to gingerbread scent on CH's scent list. It really is like soft gingerbread and not a gingerbread cookie. It's spicy but definitely tempered with something else - maybe the honey note? In any case, it's an amazing gingerbread scent and not overly spicy, which is always an issue with me and my chemistry!
Marshmallow Stuffing - To my nose this was very similar to Gingerbread Marshmallow Man, so I don't think anyone would need both. On my skin this was actually more gingerbread than marshmallow. Overall it's not a remarkable scent - good, but not all that unique.
Who Likes Marshmallow? - A delicious and true marshmallow scent without the toasted note. It's very light on my skin but so good. I've already ordered a full size!
A word about all the scents with gingerbread notes - these need time to cure! I sniffed everything the day my order arrived and everything just smelled like gingerbread. Within a few days, however, all of the other notes appeared, and a few weeks later I think the scents were fully developed. So don't be upset if you get your order and all you smell is gingerbread. ;)
