Review: Bath and Body Works' Getaway Tote #BBWInsider
Sunday, May 25, 2014
I'm back with yet another Bath and Body Works Insider sample to review, and this time around, it's the Getaway Tote. The BBW Insiders program gives out free samples for Insiders to review, in concert with new releases at its stores. If you're interested in applying to become an Insider or finding out how the program works, I wrote about it in my previous entry, which you can read here.
The latest Insider sample I received is the Getaway Tote, once dubbed the "Mother's Day VIP Tote Bag" during the holiday, and I received it around two weeks after I signed up for it, on the same day I received the Endless Weekend sample. The Getaway Tote was an incredibly generous sample, consisting of nine items in total, with a total retail price of $113.50.
The tote bag itself is a medium-to-large sized natural-colored canvas bag, with slightly metallic gold-colored stripes. The handles are lightly padded with faux leather straps, and the inner lining is a colorful ditzy floral print, with a pocket. The entire tote bag zips up at the top, and Bath and Body Works has it tagged at $45.
The bath and beauty products came packaged in cellophane, and features the World Gardens signature scent Morocco Orchid and Pink Amber, along with lavender-scented goodies from the Provence Garden spring line. A full-sized trio (fine fragrance mist, body lotion, shower gel) of the Morocco Orchid and Pink Amber scent was included, along with a French Lavender mini candle, a gentle foaming hand soap in Lavender Blossom, a mini Forever Midnight eau de parfum, a Wild Passion Flower hand cream, and a big hot pink shower pouf.
I'm not going to go into the nitty gritty of the ingredients and performance of the Morocco Orchid and Pink Amber daily trio because it was basically exactly the same as the Endless Weekend daily trio, which you can read about here. I will, however, delve into the scent. The packaging describes Morocco Orchid and Pink Amber as "lush Morocco orchid, sensual amber & succulent apricot capture the rich warmth of a lively marketplace and glittering desert." Nice.
The scent's top, middle and dry notes are listed as such:
- Top Notes: Lemon Verbena, Succulent Apricot, Desert Sand Accord, Spiced Fig
- Mid Notes: Jasmine, Marrakesh Orchid, Turmeric
- Dry Notes: Creamy Vanilla, Kashmir Wood, Pink Amber
As with the Endless Weekend trio, I found that the three products in the Morocco Orchid and Pink Amber scent smelled slightly different, though not as widely as Endless Weekend's trio. Overall, I was surprised to find that I preferred this scent over Endless Weekend -- Morocco Orchid and Pink Amber is definitely longer lasting and punchier, much more of an evening and even autumn/winter scent. In the shower gel form, I got a lot of bright, juicy notes and a little citrus and musk. There is no distinctive spice in this form, and I found that the shower gel was slightly more moisturizing than the Endless Weekend shower gel, though I chalk that up to having used a tad more product this time around. Lasting power was about the same -- about an hour post-shower.
The fine fragrance mist smells incredibly "full-bodied" immediately after spraying -- very bright and fruity, smelling of red apple (I assume this is the "spiced fig" note). As it settles, the bright top notes fade into something spicy and sharp, which I think is the combination of "Desert Sand Accord" and Turmeric. I couldn't smell any hint of vanilla and found the fragrance quite heavy and mature, with the definite presence of wood, amber and a hint of spice. As it dries down, it does take on a more generic musky amber scent. Due to the intensity of the scent, the mist is longer-lasting than the Endless Weekend mist, topping out at a handful of hours.
The body lotion actually turned out to be my favorite of the three products in the daily trio. The citrusy top note (perhaps the lemon verbena) lingers on longer than any of the top notes do in the fine fragrance mist, and in general, the separate notes are more prominent. It's slightly spicy peppery (rather than cinnamon-y) and slightly tart or fruity, with only a hint of musk. It's definitely quite intense and more of an evening scent, and dries down to a peppery-fruity mix.
The lavender products are intensely scented, and were the first things I smelled before I even got to opening the bag. The French Lavender mini candle is straight-up lavender, though its description says there is "a hint of vanilla." Though I'm not the biggest fan of lavender, I find the scent soothing and pleasant enough. The biggest problem with this mini candle for me was its performance -- there was practically no throw from the mini candle because it burned so poorly. Though others have had similar complaints about BBW's mini candles in the past, I had a great experience with the Bergamot Woods mini candle and have rarely had burn problems with the BBW's candles. I may have received a "defective" candle and recommend trying the candle in its 3-wick form if you are a true lavender lover. (I've heard the 3-wick is mind-blowingly strong in the French Lavender scent.)
The Lavender Blossom Gentle Foaming Hand Soap has a slightly less astringent lavender scent, with its notes being lavender, vanilla and fresh sage. I am a huge sage fan and got no sage in this, but this is a much sweeter lavender than the candle. Performance-wise, I don't typically use foaming hand soaps and find this one to be slightly drying, though I have heard that BBW's newest foaming hand soap formulation is more moisturizing than its previous iterations. I have refrained from using BBW hand soaps in the past, but the company has very recently reformulated all of its hand soaps to remove the antibacterial ingredient triclosan. I think the Lavender Blossom hand soap would do well to deodorize, especially since its lasting power on the hands is quite good, and I'm excited to check out BBW's deep cleansing hand soaps, which come in gel form.
The Wild Passion Flower Nourishing Hand Cream is slightly disappointing. A little goes a long way with this product, and though it goes on slightly greasy, it dries down to a nice powdery/velvety texture. The hand cream is definitely thicker than the body lotion and probably Bath and Body Works' Triple Moisture Cream, but I did not feel that it moisturized any better. Perhaps because it dried down so well, I felt my hands were dry and that I needed to reapply within an hour, despite not having washed my hands in the interim. The scent is predominantly a melon scent, which surprised me. I'd been expecting more of a passionfruit-meets-floral kind of scent based on the name, but Wild Passion Flower really reminds me of a '90s scent -- perhaps even one from BBW's arsenal (parts of it remind me simultaneously of Sun-Ripened Raspberry and Pearberry). The nourishing hand cream contains mineral oil and dimethicone, along with methylparaben and propylparaben.
The Wild Passion Flower Nourishing Hand Cream is slightly disappointing. A little goes a long way with this product, and though it goes on slightly greasy, it dries down to a nice powdery/velvety texture. The hand cream is definitely thicker than the body lotion and probably Bath and Body Works' Triple Moisture Cream, but I did not feel that it moisturized any better. Perhaps because it dried down so well, I felt my hands were dry and that I needed to reapply within an hour, despite not having washed my hands in the interim. The scent is predominantly a melon scent, which surprised me. I'd been expecting more of a passionfruit-meets-floral kind of scent based on the name, but Wild Passion Flower really reminds me of a '90s scent -- perhaps even one from BBW's arsenal (parts of it remind me simultaneously of Sun-Ripened Raspberry and Pearberry). The nourishing hand cream contains mineral oil and dimethicone, along with methylparaben and propylparaben.
Last, but not least, I come to the Forever Midnight mini eau de parfum. The packaging, even in the mini form, is a stunning translucent deep violet. Bath and Body Works describes it as "an irresistible blend of night-blooming vanilla orchid & luscious plum nectar warmed by rich caramel liqueur." On the skin, it's a lot more vanilla-based and girly (rather than womanly) than I'd expected. The top notes are a powdery-floral, but dry down quite quickly to an almost soapy vanilla scent, with a nice creaminess that incorporates hints of tart fruit and floral. The full notes are:
- Top Notes: Plum Nectar, Apple Blossom, Caramelized Pear
- Mid Notes: Night Blooming Vanilla Orchid, Midnight Jasmine, Gardenia
- Dry Notes: Caramel Liqueur, Whipped Meringue, Sandalwood
Of these notes, I want to say that I can definitely smell the whipped meringue, night blooming vanilla orchid and gardenia. The fruity smell is slightly tart and dark, which seems most like "plum nectar." I can't say I really smell any caramel liqueur (unless it smells like burnt caramel), but sandalwood may very well be present in a small dose. Overall, Forever Midnight isn't an overly sweet fragrance, nor is it particularly mature. It reminds me of a perfume one of my high school friends used to wear, and I think that fragrance is Lolita Lempicka, in the purple apple packaging. It's like a "typical" Bath and Body Works on steroids, and the lasting power is (unsurprisingly) much better than that of the fine fragrance mist, and the notes take a touch longer to develop. When the fragrance settles, it retains more of its initial top notes than I've experienced with the fine fragrance mists or body lotions.
Unfortunately, I've heard that Forever Midnight is bowing out at the upcoming Semi-Annual Sale, so if this is a favorite of yours or sounds like a scent you may enjoy, I urge to you to check it out before the Semi-Annual Sale ends this July.
That sums up my review of the Getaway Tote and the products included -- I know it was a lot! I want to reiterate that I received all of these products free-of-charge from Bath and Body Works to review through the BBW Insiders program. I am not affiliated with Bath and Body Works.
More information on each of these products, their ingredients and prices ...
Ingredients, Morocco Orchid and Pink Amber Shower Gel (10 fl ounces/295 mL, retailing for $12.50) ...Water, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, TEA-Lauryl Sulfate, Oleth-10, Lauramidopropyl Betaine, Fragrance, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauramide MIPA, Lauramide MEA, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Shea Butter, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium PCA, Polyquaternium-7, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Polysorbate 20, PEG-40 Castor Oil, PPG-12-Buteth-16, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Triethylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Triethanolamine, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, BHT, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Benzyl Alcohol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Salicylate, Citronellol, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Blue 1, Red 33, Ext. Violet 2, Yellow 5
Ingredients, Morocco Orchid and Pink Amber Fine Fragrance Mist (8 fl ounces/236 mL, retailing for $14) ...
Alcohol Denaturated, Water, Fragrance, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Propylene Glycol, Butyl Methoxydibenzomylmethane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citronellol, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Linalool, Blue 1, Ext. Violet 2, Red 33
Ingredients, Morocco Orchid and Pink Amber Body Lotion (8 fl ounces/236 mL, retailing for $12.50) ...
Water, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Fragrance, Ceteareth-20, Isododecane, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Shea Butter, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Panthenol, Jojoba Seed Oil, Carbomer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, BHT, Dizolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Benzyl Alcohol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citral, Citronellol, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Limonene, Linalool, Blue 1, Ext. Violet 2
Ingredients, Wild Passion Flower Nourishing Hand Cream (2 fl ounces/59 mL, retailing for $5) ...
Water, Mineral Oil, Cyclopentasiloxane, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Fragrance, Glycol Stearate, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Shea Butter, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Triethanolamine, Cetyl Acetate, Carbomer, DMDM Hydantoin, Cetylated Lanolin Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Polysorbate 20, Panthenol, Keratin Amin Acids, Biotin, Niacinadmie, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool
French Lavender mini candle (1.3 ounces/36g, retails for $4.50)
Ingredients, Lavender Blossom Gentle Foaming Hand Soap (8.75 fl ounces/259 mL, retailing for $6.50) ...
Water, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Fragrance, Oleth-10, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Propanediol, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Triethylene Glycol, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzophenone-4, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methlisothiazolinone, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene, Coumarin, Ext. Violet 2, Red 33, Blue 1, Yellow 5
Ingredients, Forever Midnight Mini Eau de Parfum (0.25 fl ounces/7 mL, retailing for $10) ...
Alcohol Denatured, Fragrance, Water, BHT, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citronellol, Coumarin, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonen, Linalool
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