Hiya Posse Peeps, Bath & Body Works are often sneered at by the heavy duty perfumista but I think they are unfairly disliked and love that they bring fragrance on a budget. They have sets so you can layer. Even household & car ambient scenting products so you can have a scented theme running from your person, and through your life, that defines you. Something else they do really well is multiple sizes so you can have your small sized travel set and your extra large at home economy size.
Bath and Body Works
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Bath and Body Works Twilight Woods:
Twilight Woods is so weird because it smells very little like woods but a lot like a candy store with some candies like those Strawberries & Creams or a Splice Ice Block (Pine/Lime & Cream). Though it smells artificially sweet I quite like it and it almost smells tongue-in-cheek, as if they know it’s over the top but love it anyway. There is a lightly urinous/skanky vibe too that could be sweating body or nearly rotting fruit that collides brilliantly with the not quite cotton candy sweetness. If CdG got together with Byredo I think they might bring something like Twilight Woods but with costlier ingredients and perfumistas may get into it.
Bath and Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar:
Warm Vanilla Sugar was the first Bath & Body works scent I tried and it was in a hand wash, the one with sugar crystals in it. From there I tried the Bubble Bath and now I also have the fragrance (a decant) and I really like it. Completely artificial, non edible vanilla cut through with some cream and spices. Now that I’ve looked at the notes it tells me there is a rice accord, until now it had completely passed me by but there is a rice pudding feel to Warm Vanilla Sugar that I’d overlooked till now. This really works better as functional fragrance but I am still enjoying smelling like a plastic rice-pudding vanilla-cupcake too. Surprisingly un-cloying sweetness. A little like Biscotti.
Bath and Body Works site
Beauty Encounter also has an excellent selection
If you liked this then drop on over to Australian Perfume Junkies and continue the fragrant conversation there, we love visitors.
Do you have a Bath and Body Works that you love? What about other super affordable fragrance options?
Portia xx
I’m a B&BW fan – which is good, probably, because there aren’t any other stores selling scented body products in my area. (No Lush, no Body Shop, no Jo Malone… I live in the sticks.) I’m with several other people in thinking that the perfume smells considerably cheaper than the body products do, and I rarely buy B&BW stuff that you spray on. Dark Kiss is an exception, and for a long while I had a big crush on Velvet Tuberose, which these days smells very artificial to me. A lot of their stuff is waaaaay sweet and frooty, as well (well, okay, Dark Kiss is sweet too, but in the same sort of manner as Hanae Mori).
I really like the liquid hand soaps – Coconut Lime Verbena is a favorite. I love the Aromatherapy Orange Ginger hand lotion. And the shower gels/lotions/creams often blend very well with upmarket stuff. For example, Moonlight Path goes well with No. 5, while White Citrus goes great with any light citrusy white floral, like Cristalle. Actually, Velvet Tuberose in body products is better than the fragrance.
When I was first married (um, XX years ago!), they had a fragrance called Freesia, and it was wonderful. The current version, Sheer Freesia, is Not At All the Same… sigh.
I’m currently obsessed with Dark Kiss – here are the notes (isn’t it nice BBW provides the top, middle, and bottom notes?):
Top Notes: Black Raspberry, Burgundy Rose
Mid Notes: Bergamot Incense, Plum Musk Amber, Geranium, Peony
Dry Notes: Dark Vanilla Bean, Labdanum, Vetiver, Sensual Balsam
I love how BBW will surprise you with more sophisticated ingredients (see Vetiver above, and by the way Twilight Woods has Oud in it), and since they have so much selection there is a something for everyone. Even though I’ve matured my nose and taste I still adore my Sweet Pea lotion and Cashmere Glow body wash (they’re my comfort scents).
Unfortunately their perfumes are rather hit or miss on my skin – they tend to smell like “cheap” chemicals versus aldehydes (which I enjoy as a die-hard Alien and Lolita Lempicka fan). However, their aromatherapy products do not smell cheap and are more concentrated (last longer on my skin) than their other bath products.
Pro tip – BBW products are an easy and cheap way to get an idea of what kinds of scents will layer well with a perfume. The body wash scents fade rather quickly so if the combo is ghastly you don’t necessarily have to go and wash the perfume off.
AHA! Clever tip SS.
WOW! That note list for Dark Kiss looks stunning.
Portia xx
Dark Kiss is really good – it’s one of my (very picky) college-age daughter’s favorites, and I love it because she wears it. (Occasionally. She bounces between Dark Kiss and Prada Infusion d’Iris, depending on her mood.)
Forgot my cheap thrill! Am currently exploring the Body Shop. Love Smoky Poppy and Virgin Mojito shower gels. Honeymania shower gel is just ok, not really honey but floral. Will use it up but not repurchase.
I have a 17 year old daughter so I visit BBW every time we go to the mall. Her favorite is Warm Vanilla Sugar which I like. She used to like Blushing Cherry Blossom which is discontinued. Both those scents don’t give me headaches, like many of their scents do.
My son liked a shower gel called Oak which I have maybe six of because I bought all I could when I realized it was discontinued. Love that and it is his “special occasion scent” , as he is rationing it.
Many years ago they had a Vetyver scent (shower gel selling for $98 currently on ebay !) which was divine. I wish they did scents like this instead of all fruity florals.
That being said I am currently obsessed with Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte shower gel, which smells like none of those things to me, just a really sweet scent . Bought the “fine fragrance mist” and it is horrible. Just smells like alcohol to me.
Like Twilight Woods on one of my coworkers but it just gives me a whopping headache.
Do like some of their candles.
Hey Barbara B
SO nice that your son loves scent. That’s cool.
Warm Vanilla Sugar seems to be a firm favourite, it’s the hand wash in my bathroom and I love it every time.
OOOOH Candles?
I didn’t even know.
Portia xx
My current cheap thrill is C. Booth Honeysuckle and Mimosa body cream- I catch hints of honeysuckle, orange blossom, and gardenia. It’s wonderful for summer, and can sometimes be found on sale at places like TJ Maxx.
Hi Trinacria,
Body creams make me flip, love them. Especially when I can find a cheapy that works with my frags./
Portia xx
My favorite BBW scent ever was Vanilla Noir- a dark sexy vanilla. I still enjoy Twilight Woods, Warm Vanilla Sugar & Secret Wonderland.
Hi there Nicole,
Vanilla Noir sounds heaven.
What does Secret Wonderland smell of?
Portia xx
I liked BBW’s Wild Honeysuckle line — for some reason, the perfume was like catnip to my then-boyfriend. And I enjoy a lot of the liquid hand soaps, just for the pleasant smell when you wash up.
Love finding a fragrant weakness Heidi. Basically, whenever my partner Jin wears Bottega Veneta he gets his way in all things.
Yes, the hand washes are a quick burst of fun fragrance.
Portia xx
BBW’s bath products are okay, but I do find their perfumes/body mists too cheap-smelling. I want a discount Jo Malone! i.e. some pretty, largely floral fragrances at a good price…
Hi AnnieA,
Fair call. Yes, it’s interesting that the body and bath products smell less cheapy cheap. I wonder if it’s because we are so used to spritzing the best?
HA! A discount Jo Malone? In a perfect world…..
Portia xx
I never found a BBW scent to really glom on to, but not because I am a snob; I just didn’t find one that I really liked. When Victoria’s Secret first ventured into bath products, they had several I liked… Pear Glace and an apricot one. I buy at all price points, and am thrilled when I find a cheapie to love. Loves Baby Soft Jasmine is a huge favorite of mine still, and sits right next to my Joy and Jasmine et Cigarette. (I wonder if Etienne de Swardt would be amused by that, or appalled ??)
Hi there Tammy,
Ha Ha ha! I bet Etienne de Swardt would be a bit of both. The man clearly enjoys irony.
Portia xx
I really wanted to like this brand as I really love the sound of the concepts behind their scents. Unfortunately when I ordered their Wild Honeysuckle body mist I found it smelled not a bit like any honeysuckle, certainly not wild honeysuckle. It just smelled like hairspray. Now, it could have just been that one product that reeked but nonetheless it put me off the company.
Therefore if I smelled the scents you have written about I would probably agree with you. It’s brave of you to admit you kind of like the ‘artificial’ smell of Twilight Woods, and it’s rather funny that something of the name smells like ‘strawberries and cream’. I think the only artificial smell I can say I sometimes like is girly blackberries. Reminds me a little of my childhood.
Hey there Neyon,
In Australia we had some of the most outrageously artificial tasting lollies and sweets that our parents fed us. These freaky sweet frags remind me wistfully of easier times, a bright, pampered, sunlit childhood with friends and family.
I’m sure some of the BBW line is pretty yuck but I think that of a couple of my favourite lines too: by Kilian, Byredo, ELdO and Creed, to name a few, all have frags in their collection that I would prefer not to smell EVER.
Portia xx
Be glad you don’t have them in Australia. Chiggers are tiny little red mites that burrow under your skin and then die there. They raise up a bump that itches like crazy for at least a week, often two if you don’t have some strong steroid cream. They have a predilection for creases behind your knees and in your nether regions. Not really polite to scratch in public. They also like the lower legs. Feared and loathed in the southern U.S. !
GAWD! They sound freaking ghastly.
Then again, we have more than our fair share of nasty critters down here
Portia xx
I responded in the wrong place, but will add here that they also like to get right around your bra straps and bands…anywhere your clothes rub, really; I guess they’re too small to gain purchase and bite unless they have something to sort of swaddle them. I may have to give up gardening because of them; we have them so bad here (Arkansas), and I react so strongly to them.
Hi Portia! I love BBW for their body washes. I have far too many stockpiled. Warm Vanilla Sugar is a really easy comfort scent. I was shopping once and a lady next to me smelled so good that I finally had to ask her about her fragrance and it was Warm Vanilla Sugar! Dark Kiss is another favorite for the shower. But don’t use it camping as it defies all insect repellents in its attraction to biting insects (chiggers especially).
Hey there Sapphire,
What is a chigger? Never heard of them.
Interesting what smells amazing on people walking nearby. I’m often surprised at the price points of things that I compliment people on.
Portia xx
Chiggers are little bitty bitey demon-spawned bastards from the depths of hell. They live in the tall grass and woods, and are some sort of mite, IIRC. The itch they induce is unlike anything you can imagine. The stuff nightmares are made of. I am especially sensitive to them.
Thanks for the information, Sapphire, I shall avoid Dark Kiss!
Howdy, Portia! There’s some fun BBW stuff, no doubt about it. Don’t think they make it anymore, but I enjoyed their tuberose shower gel and their coconut shower gel; i mixed them to try for the Carnal Flower effect. Plus, as you noted, gotta love all their travel sizes.
Hey Ann,
I’m so glad you have a BBW story. Did the Carnal Flower effect work? GENIUS
Portia xx
Twilight Woods is not woody but there’s something I like about it anyway. It’s way sweet. I’m not sure why but it makes me think of Christmas shopping even though there’s nothing Christmas about it. I like Warm Vanilla Sugar too. I’m not too proud to buy Bath and Body works scents. I really like White Tea and Ginger and P.S. I Love You was quite nice too. There is nothing wrong with affordable smellies. I like their body products and when they’re having a clearance sale you cannot beat the prices.
Poodle,
I’m right with you. Warm Vanilla sugar Bath Gel as BUBBLE BATH smells freaking amazing and creates a fabulous base.
Proud? I got everything but proud.
Portia xx