Review: Bath and Body Works Cotton Blossom lotion

Bath and Body Works started its summer Semi-Annual Sale last week, and two of my Project Pan products that I've finished are currently part of the big sale, so I thought it'd be a good time to give my two cents about the products. The other product is the Beach Cabana candle, whose review you can read here, if you're interested in it.

The second product, then, is the Cotton Blossom body lotion, which is on sale for $3 or less in stores and online right now (retails for $11 normally). I got this just last year, and the fragrance is part of Bath and Body Works' "Pleasures" collection, which is normally found only online but can sometimes be found in stores during their Semi-Annual Sale. The bottle I have is from the older packaging from when the fragrance could still be found in stores, and the new packaging seems to reflect the update all of the store's lotions and body products have gotten. It seems the formula of the new Cotton Blossom lotion may also be different now, as the labeling on the new bottle claims that it is made "with aloe and Vitamin E" whereas mine says "infused with real orange blossom and cotton extracts."

Here is the product description:

Inspired by the scent of pure cotton linen blowing in the breeze, this fragrance is clean, fresh and powdery soft.
Naturally Pampering Ingredients: Conditioning Aloe Vera, Protective Grape Seed Extract, Nourishing Vitamins E & C

So maybe the formula for the Pleasures/Signature line has remained the same after all.

That said, let's move onto what's most important -- the fragrance. I'd heard so many good things about Cotton Blossom that I had to try it for myself. At its base, it's a very sharp fresh linen scent. But as it dries, it becomes more floral and powdery smelling. I've also used Bath and Body Works' other cotton scent, Sea Island Cotton, before. They're different. Sea Island Cotton is more masculine smelling, more "salty." Cotton Blossom has a little bit of salt air to it, but it's very slight. Would I buy it again? Probably not. I didn't mind the scent, but it wasn't a favorite of mine. And as with a lot of Bath and Body Works lotions, the scent was quite strong, even hours after application. Perhaps I would buy it again in its body mist form, but it's unlikely.

I have to say that I really loved the lotion's formula. I have lotions from their Signature/Pleasures line in the old packaging, and I have lotions from their current Signature line in the new packaging, and I do notice a difference. In 2010 or 2011, the company reformulated a lot of their lotions to include shea  butter and jojoba, but I actually prefer the original formula. For one, the old formula (which is still available on their website for now and probably during this Semi-Annual Sale) is a lot thicker and, I think, moisturizing. The newer formula is much runnier and reminds me of drugstore brands, like St. Ives and Vaseline. I like a thicker lotion, particularly on my hands.

If it weren't for the fact that I'm trying to eliminate parabens and petroleum products from my life, I would definitely repurchase this product ... in the Cotton Blossom scent or any scent that didn't rub me the wrong way.

Extra information about the Bath and Body Works Cotton Blossom body lotion, 8 fl oz/236 ml (circa 2012) ...

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Petrolaum, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Fragrance, Ceteareth-20, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Extract, Citrus Auratium Dulcis (Orange) Flower Extract, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Diaxolidnyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Benzyl Alcohol, Tetrosodium EDTA, Disodium EDTA, Blue 1, Yellow 5, Red 33.

This finished product is not tested on animals.

Danielle Bradbery #MusicMonday

source: NBC.com

So I'm a sucker for good vocalists, especially ones with pure voices (although I do like a bit of gruff in a man). Danielle Bradbery is only 16 years old and a finalist on "The Voice" here in the U.S. I don't watch the show so much as I drop by during commercial breaks of whatever trashy (trashier ... coughTheBachelorettecough) show I'm watching at the moment. Sometimes, when I run out of things to watch on Hulu, I'll watch little 3 minute "The Voice" performances.

From what I've seen of this season, there are better singers and certainly more seasoned and better performers than Danielle. But none of them have a voice as pretty as hers. What's frustrated me about watching Danielle, however, is the general lack of emotion on her face and/or lack of stage presence in her televised performances. Maybe it's nerves, maybe it's something else ... from what I've seen on YouTube from before "The Voice", she definitely has a personality.

Fortunately for me, all of the contestants have recorded studio versions of some of the songs they've performed on the show, and that means I can listen to Danielle's beautiful voice without having a mini conniption over how there's no connection between her facial emotions (or lack thereof) and voice. (Now I know how people felt about David Archuleta during season 7 of "American Idol"!)

So here ya go ... studio versions of some of my favorite performances of hers. She does mostly country, but she also does a number of Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On" too.

 

And one of her in, maybe, "her element" (relaxed). Her voice is incredible.

Review: Bath and Body Works Beach Cabana candle

In case you didn't know, Bath and Body Works is currently having its Semi-Annual Sale right now ... this is the Sale of Doom during which I end up "stocking up" on lotions and body splashes that I end up with half-used bottles of 7 years later. Oh yes. Things get marked down to as low as 75% of its original price.

Two of the items that I've already finished up from my Project Pan are currently part of the Bath and Body Works Semi-Annual Sale, so I thought it would be a good time to check in with my reviews of them. The other review will come later this week. Now, I think both of the products have been repackaged, but I don't think the products themselves have changed all that much.

I have to say, the label really sucked me in. It reminds me of
those colorful huts on Brighton Beach in Melbourne.

The second product, then, is the Beach Cabana candle in its 3-wick form. This product has been repackaged since I bought it at the last Semi-Annual Sale in December, but I believe the burn and the fragrance have remain unchanged. The candle (as with all of its 3-wick candles) usually retails for $20, but often goes on sale for 2 for $22. If you're interested in this candle, you can get it for 50% off in stores and online right now, and probably less as the sale goes on (it ends July 7th), if it remains in stock.

In terms of fragrance, this is actually quite similar to Cotton Blossom. Here is the description Bath and Body Works gave for my particular candle:

The new description for the candle currently in stores is quite similar:

Fragrant, sweet jasmine, orange blossom and the fresh scent of fluffy white towels evoke the endless-summer feel. Breathe in the air under a beach cabana and instantly transport your senses to the shore.

I've read some of the reviews on the Bath and Body Works, and I couldn't help but laugh. For a lot of these summer/resort candles, consumers have really, really bought into the marketing. To me, there is absolutely nothing about this that screams "beach" or "cabana." It's a very soft, powdery scent, not unlike fresh linen. I have no idea what orange blossoms smell like, but if they are sharp and powdery, then I can dig that description. Jasmine? Absolutely not. (I also owned the Tiki Beach candle, a vanilla-coconut scent that Bath and Body Works claimed evoked "resort glamour" and people were saying it really smelled like the beach to them. Guffaw.) To me, Beach Cabana is the type of candle you burn while or after you've cleaned the house and want to "air it out." Or maybe while you're folding laundry, because you just love the scent of soft, fluffy, clean towels.

In terms of burn, it was flawless. The flames were never low, and I don't think the wicks smoked much or more than usual. I'm not terribly picky about how my candles burn, as long as not too much wax is wasted. There was absolutely no wax wasted in the burning of Beach Cabana, but it did turn that yucky caramel-grey color in the last third of its burn, and it attained a bit of a smoky smell so that it smelled as if my clean towels were maybe being overheated in the dryer.

Would I repurchase this candle? Not in the 3-wick. The scent just wasn't anything interesting enough to warrant such a long-lasting candle (a.k.a I got bored of it), but I would buy it in the smaller one-wick, 4 ounce size just to use to freshen up the house. I do really like Bath and Body Works candles, though, because they -- as far as I can tell -- don't use paraffin wax, which is a petroleum byproduct.

Extra information about the Bath and Body Works Beach Cabana candle, 14.5 oz/411 grams ...

- Highly fragranced candles exclusively made using the highest concentration of the richest fragrance oils.
- An improved, exclusive blend of vegetable wax and lead-free wicks, resulting in an improved, more even burning candle and an amazing fragrance experience.
- Burns approximately 30-45 hours (I think the new ones claim a 25-45 hour burn)

Made in USA (under Slatkin & Co. brand)