Tag Archives: bath & body works

Jul2

Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul

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Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul

Hello!! When it comes to bath and body care in my household, Bath & Body Works reigns supreme. We are huge fans of their foaming hand soap, shower gel, lotion, wallflowers, and hand sanitizers but I would never consider paying full price for them. Rather, I wait until the summer and winter Semi Annual Sales and do a massive restock of all of the goods that keep us smelling good. A few weeks ago, I received a text that said B&BW was offering an early preview of the Semi Annual Sale to their reward members and I hopped on it! For seventy dollars, I scored a total of eighteen items and you just can’t beat that! Check it out and let’s discuss the hand soaps from this haul:

Normally, I go nuts on hand soap during the Semi Annual Sale because we use ours constantly throughout the day. However, I just had a restock of my beloved soaps so I limited myself to four different scents – a couple of the classics and some Christmas in June vibes. I am smelling two of these for the first time as I write this so let’s see what I think lol:

Hot Cocoa & Cream: Wow, this is an incredibly straightforward and new to me scent. If you have ever had a steaming mug of hot cocoa, frothy whipped cream, and sweet marshmallows on a winter day, then that is exactly what Hot Cocoa & Cream smells like. In fact, the featured notes closely mimic what I just said with “decadent milk chocolate, fresh steamed milk, and mini marshmallows”. This would be an amazing scent to do holiday gift baskets with. Love it!

Winter Candy Apple: Other than Vanilla Bean Noel and Twisted Peppermint, Winter Candy Apple is one of my favorite holiday scents from B&BW. Of course, I love anything with the word apple in it when it comes to fragrances! Winter Candy Apple offers notes of “red apples, winter rose petals, and candied oranges”. It smells like a freshly made winter potpourri or tea and is a perfect blend between the apple and orange. It has a bit of spice to it but is primarily oh so sweet.

Fresh Amalfi Lemon: This is the other new to me scent in the batch and it is an interesting one. I was assuming Fresh Amalfi Lemon would be straight up lemon but it surprised me with the notes featured of “lemon leaves, chilled spearmint, and cedarwood citrus”. This is lemony and minty all in one and I actually don’t know how to feel about it lol. It’s not the best nor the worst, but I wouldn’t purchase this one again.

Cucumber Melon: A timeless classic, indeed! It’s hard not to think about Cucumber Melon when you think about Bath & Body Works. It is such a nostalgic scent from junior high and I can vividly remember the notes of “crisp cucumber, watery honeydew, and juicy cantaloupe” wafting around the gym locker room lol. This scent is so melony, so fresh, and just top tier B&BW. I always have to get a little something something from the Cucumber Melon line every Semi Annual Sale!

Stay tuned for more from my haul all week as well as a brand new OOTD! ❤

What is your favorite B&BW scent? Which scent do you wish B&BW would bring back (It’s Pearberry all the way for me!)? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun18

Bath & Body Works Birthday Freebie

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Bath & Body Works Birthday Freebie

Hello! During my hand soap restock at Bath & Body Works that you saw yesterday, I also got to pick out a free travel size item for my birthday. I absolutely love cashing in on those birthday offers and it’s so nice to get a little treat from the stores that I frequent. While I did have some difficulty selecting my hand soaps, my birthday freebie was a no brainer. I am a HUGE fan of the Gingham line from B&BW and when I saw that there was a new addition to the collection, it was game over! Check it out:

Literally every time the Gingham line is updated, I have to see what that’s all about lol. I have tried every single Gingham expansion and have no plans on stopping now, as you can see. Although nothing will ever be better than the OG, Gingham All-American is a really nice addition. The packaging screams red, white, and blue but the fragrance notes of “juicy red fruits, white freesia, and blueberry sugar” do all the talking! 😀

Gingham All-American is a fresh summer berry delight. I primarily can pick up on raspberry and strawberry with just the slightest hint of the freesia. I am not a floral scent fan, but I find that the flowers in the Gingham line almost feel like an afterthought and you really have to work to pick up on it. That is perfectly fine by me! This scent is juicy, a little tart from the raspberries, and gives all of the summer fruit salad vibes. What a fabulous birthday gift to get a new fragrance from my favorite line!

If you are a Gingham fan too, RUN – don’t walk to give All-American a try. You will definitely be in for a treat!

What is your go to fragrance? What is your favorite scent from the Gingham line? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun17

Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

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Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

Hello!! While I love a good skin care restock, one of my favorite things is when I am running low on my beloved foaming hand soap because that means a trip to Bath & Body Works is in order. Their foaming hand soap has been a staple in my apartment since moving out of chez parents and I legit couldn’t imagine using anything else. It is simply the best! This past week, I made a stop at B&BW for a reup on my must have and ended up with all new to me scents. Take a look and let’s discuss:

White Tea & Sage: As I browsed the soap department, I found that the pickings were incredibly slim and was smelling different scents for the heck of it. White Tea & Sage is something that I wouldn’t have given a second glance to, but I gave it a shot and was surprised by how much I liked it. The featured notes include “fresh tea, lemon, and herbs”. I can definitely pick up on the lemon but it mainly just smells minty, which is perfectly fine by me. I am a minty fragrance gal and White Tea & Sage is crisp and invigorating. Look at me broadening my horizons!

Pineapple Prosecco: If you are a fan of pineapple, then this scent is for you! If not, then this scent is not for you! While Pineapple Prosecco offers notes of “sparkling pineapple, bubbly Prosecco, and white nectarine”, it just smells like straight up pineapple lol. This scent is juicy and the slightest bit tart and perfect for summertime.

Sweet Strawberry Scoop: Strawberry fragrances tend to be hit or miss for me as they can often verge on being too sweet. I loved the Strawberry line from The Body Shop and the Sweet Strawberry Scoop from B&BW is very nice. The fragrance notes in this scent are “sugared pink strawberries and vanilla bean ice cream”. The vanilla ice cream makes this scent really rich and it smells like pure strawberries and cream. Once again, this is a great summertime scent!

Fresh Watermelon: Do you remember what the Watermelon Lip Smackers smelled like? If so, then that is exactly what B&BW’s Fresh Watermelon smells like and I am SO there for it. Although the notes of this scent offer “fresh cut watermelon, pink sea salt, and sweet sunrise”, it is artificial watermelon smelling through and through. If you are looking for a pure, light watermelon fragrance then this is not the scent for you. If you are looking for a heavy dose of Lip Smackers nostalgia, however, go for it!!

Garden Tea Cookie: I was so conflicted about if Garden Tea Cookie smelled good to me or not and the final consensus was that it did lol. This is a very unique scent and is something that I usually wouldn’t go for, but this shopping trip was all about shaking things up. Garden Tea Cookie features notes of “powdered sugar, fresh citrus zest, and whipped vanilla”. It really does smell like a freshly baked tea cookie! I typically am not one for dessert fragrances but that zingy citrus and airy powdered sugar sold me!

This was an interesting trip to B&BW because I had to smell a ton of different soaps to end up with my final selection. I learned that, under the right circumstances, I might be a dessert and earthy fragrance fan after all!

What are some of your must have products at home? Where do you shop for bath and body care? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun6

Bath & Body Works Birthday Haul

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Bath & Body Works Birthday Haul

Hello!! This past Monday, Johnny and I enjoyed a wonderful birthday dinner at Texas Roadhouse with his parents. It might seem like an odd choice for a vegetarian, but apps and salads always reign supreme for me! After a whole weekend of celebrating our birthaversary, this was the perfect cherry on top. Any time with my in laws is such a gift that anything else is completely unnecessary. However, it was so nice to be spoiled with some goodies to pamper with from Bath & Body Works. I never don’t want bath and body care since I use it daily and I can’t wait to use one of my old favorites and new to me scents. Check it out:

Champagne Toast: Lol, let me start off by saying that Champagne Toast is a staple in my household and one time Johnny thought the packaging read “Champagne and Toast”. I can never picture it as its normal name again! ANYWHO, Champagne Toast is a classic B&BW scent featuring notes of “bubbly champagne, sparkling berries, and juicy tangerine”. Some scents based on alcohol smell so much like the real thing which can be really off putting. Champagne Toast does smell bubbly, yes, but thanks to the berry and tangerine, it’s a lot like a sparkling juice. It is light, fizzy, and fruity and would definitely be a safe bet to gift with. If you aren’t a fan of giving alcohol as a gift, a bundle of Champagne Toast products is the next best thing!

Waikiki Beach Coconut: My husband is all about tropical scents. Me? Not really, but I only wear lotion to bed so whatever it smells like doesn’t matter all that much to me. The only tropical scent I do like a lot, however, is coconut! I always loved the coconut line from The Body Shop and while nothing will beat that, the Waikiki Beach Coconut is very nice. This scent offers notes of “tropical white coconut, saltwater breezes, and sun-bleached woods”. While I can’t speak for the sun-bleached woods, lol, this scent smells exactly like sun, sand, and surf. It has a bit more musk to it than a traditional coconut scent but, all in all, this is a day at the beach fragrance for sure.

Starfruit Sangria: Speaking of alcohol based scents that don’t smell like alcohol at all, we have Starfruit Sangria which features notes of “golden starfruit, kiwi nectar, and chilled sangria”. This scent is incredibly light and it’s hard to pick up on the fruit notes as starfruit and kiwi aren’t exactly known for a strong aroma. It’s a very soft and fresh scent, which is perfectly fine by me because I don’t care for anything too overpowering. Like Champagne Toast, Starfruit Sangria would be a great gifting option if you are not sure what fragrances your giftee likes. Perfect for a summer birthday!

I haven’t had a good Bath & Body Works haul since their winter semi annual sale and my stockpile has been in need of a re-up. These sweet gifts will certainly tide me over until the next big sale!

What is your favorite thing to receive as a gift? What do you like to gift for other people? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun2

May 2025 Finishes

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May 2025 Finishes

Hello everyone! Holy moly! We’re in June already and haven’t discussed my beauty finishes for May so let’s get right on that today. The entirety of May was dreary and cold but the products that I used up were red hot and highly successful. I loved using several new to me goodies and cannot wait to visit TJMaxx soon for a skin and bath and body care restock. I don’t want to speak too soon, but I have a feeling I will be getting beaucoup gift cards for my upcoming thirty-first (Ahhh!) birthday! Rather than ruminate on another year older, let’s talk products instead:

Would I Use Again?

Evoluderm Micellar Water: YES

Bath & Body Works Gingham Fragrance Spray: YES

ValJean Labs Hyaluronic Acid + Micellar Water Foaming Cleanser: YES!!!!

Bath & Body Works Pretty As A Peach Lotion: YES

Precision Beauty Glow Up Vitamin C Serum: YES!

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Fragrance Spray: Gingham is one of my all time favorite scents by Bath & Body Works. It is crisp, clean, and just smells fresh. It’s the perfect mixture of fruity and floral and I have used my body spray religiously until the last drop. I couldn’t even tell you how long it took me to finish this bottle because I feel like I have been using it for forever lol. While I am sad to be done with it, I am excited to try a new scent considering it has probably been close to a year of going Gingham! Is the scent from B&BW fragrance sprays long lasting? Hard no. Will I continue to use them? Absolutely.

ValJean Labs Cleanser: This Hyaluronic Acid + Micellar Water Foaming Cleanser by ValJean Labs is, easily, one of the best ones I have used in recent memory. It took well over three months to finish the bottle and I am hoping to find more at TJMaxx because I will be buying the lot. This cleanser is so delightfully reminiscent of the Aloe Foaming Cleanser by The Body Shop and a little of it went such a long way. With every use, my skin felt so clean, soft, and refreshed. It is a phenomenal any time cleanser and I think it would be so great during the hot summer months. If you have a normal or sensitive skin type, I cannot recommend this cleanser enough!!

B&BW Lotion: When it comes to fruity scents, I am ALL about apple and peach. Apple will always reign supreme but peach is a close second and I just love my Pretty As A Peach from B&BW. This scent is just pure, peachy goodness with no bells and whistles. If you, too, are a fan – then go for this fragrance because you will be just as obsessed as I am! It took me one month of daily use to finish the bottle.

Precision Beauty Serum: I had been striking out with serums recently and this Vitamin C gem by Precision Beauty was a game changer. I needed a serum win and this one delivered in a big way! While it was a tad thicker in consistency than what I prefer, it made a big difference in the radiance and glow department. My skin looked so bright, refreshed, and alert even though I am always half asleep lol. Because this serum was fairly thick, half of the dropper was all I needed for full coverage and it took me one month of twice daily use to complete it. I would definitely buy it again!

This month introduced me to two new favorite products and no duds. You can’t beat that!! Stay tuned for more product reviews so we can decide what’s a hit and miss together!

Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you have used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May12

Bath & Body Works May Freebie

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Bath & Body Works May Freebie

Hello!! As you all know, I live for my freebie coupons in the mail from Bath & Body Works. There is nothing better than free and it is so nice to pick out a little treat without paying one red cent. This week, I cashed in a free travel size product coupon and wanted to go for a body cream as I am pretty well stocked on shower gels. Rather than do a sniff test on a bunch of different options, I let fate decide and just grabbed whatever looked pretty lol. Of course, I want a lotion that I think smells good but it’s never too big of a factor for me since I only wear it to bed. I ended up with a new scent called Always & Forever because I loved the packaging! Peep that lace and pearls:

Clearly, Always & Forever is a wedding inspired fragrance and offers notes of “pearlized pink pepper (whatever that is), white roses, and sheer sandalwood”. I am not a huge fan of floral or musky scents but this one actually isn’t too bad because it’s nice and light. I can’t speak for the pearlized pink pepper lol but the notes of roses and sandalwood are soft enough that is just smells fresh and kind of powdery. I can’t say that I would get this scent again but I do like it more than I originally anticipated and that’s good enough for me. It is, however, a perfect spring scent if you prefer a not too in your face floral fragrance!

My random selection for my freebie ended up being right down the middle and that was no harm no foul. After shopping at B&BW for so long, it’s sometimes fun to just pick out whatever and see what sticks!

What is your favorite Bath & Body Works scent? Do you like to use the same scents or switch them out? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr30

April 2025 Finishes

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April 2025 Finishes

Howdy!! Just like that, April is drawing to a close and it went by in the blink of an eye. Honestly, I’m sad to see it go because April was a pretty good month for me. In its entirety, I got to bask in the glow of being, blessedly, way less busy and enjoying all of the fun that comes with it. It has been a gift to make plans, keep them, and genuinely look forward to what’s next. Speaking of looking forward to what’s next, I can’t wait to test out lots more skin and bath and body care goodies. This past month was nothing exciting in that regard which typically means that May will be the month to finish long term products and try something new. Take a look at these empties and let’s discuss:

Would I Use Again?

Bath & Body Works Costa Rica Pink Pineapple Sunrise: YES!!!!

Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Lotion: Yes

Pearlessence Argan + Vitamin E Facial Oil: No

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Shower Gel: Johnny is a huge fan of tropical scents. Me? Not so much. However, I absolutely love the scent of pineapple and the Costa Rica Pink Pineapple Sunrise from B&BW was the bomb.com! This fragrance was incredibly straight forward and if you love the smell of fresh pineapple too, then this scent is for you. This shower gel gave me a heaping dose of sunshine even on the greyest April days and I enjoyed using it daily for the whole month.

Pearlessence Facial Oil: I decided to experiment with facial oils this winter and the lesson I learned is that I don’t like it at all lol. The initial test product by CleanBeauty was an instant no from me but I still had the Argan + Vitamin E oil by Pearlessence and wanted to just get it over with. I will say that this was a fair bit lighter as far as facial oils go and while I appreciated that, it was still much too heavy for my liking. If you have very dry skin, the Pearlessence oil could be a good option for you. If not, this is a product you can definitely skip on. It took me about five weeks of twice daily use to finish the bottle and I was so happy to be done with it!

Like I said, this wasn’t a very exciting product roundup so let’s wrap it up and I will see all of you darlings in May! ❤

Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you have used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr5

Bath & Body Works March Freebie

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Bath & Body Works March Freebie

Howdy! I had a recent trip to Bath & Body Works to restock my beloved foaming hand soap and cash in a freebie coupon. While I love shopping at B&BW, there comes a point in the process when I am simply smelled out lol. I took a whiff of so many different hand soaps that everything just started smelling the exact same. Once my soaps were selected, I literally could not smell one more product – even for my free travel size lotion. So, I grabbed what I thought was the cutest packaging, checked out, and gulped down the fresh air as soon as I exited the store. Let’s find out together what Strawberry Pound Cake smells like because this is my first time smelling it too!

^^^ Seriously, though – how cute is that packaging?!

I have never ventured into strawberry fragrances because the desire was lacking. In fact, the Strawberry Pound Cake line from B&BW is one that I passed on several times when I had freebie coupons. I loved the strawberry line from The Body Shop and once I find a scent that I like, I declare everything else to not be as good lol. Because I was smelled out, I threw caution to the wind and decided to go for it and am glad I did. I wouldn’t say I would get it again, but it’s actually pretty nice!

Strawberry Pound Cake features notes of “fresh strawberries, golden shortcake, and whipped cream”. That is basically the scent in a nutshell – it smells exactly like the dessert so, in other words, good enough to eat! I have mixed feelings about this fragrance. As a lotion, it’s fine because I only wear lotion to bed. Would I buy a fragrance spray of it? Hard no. I am a huge fan of most fruity scents but Strawberry Pound Cake is more of a food fragrance and I have no idea why but I am just not there for it. Maybe because I would be hungry if I was smelling dessert all day? 😀

Strawberry Pound Cake is a hit or miss scent but it is certainly a transparent one. If you are down to smell like dessert, you will be in for a treat!

What is your favorite fruit fragrance? What is your favorite fragrance line from B&BW? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr3

Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

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Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

Howdy! The foaming hand soaps from Bath & Body Works are a staple at chez moi and Johnny. We absolutely love them and so do all of our guests – especially our nieces! We were running low on our supply and it couldn’t have happened at a better time because I just got some coupons in the mail. During one of my work breaks, I hit up B&BW for a re-up and ended up with five new soaps and a freebie item for twenty bucks. You can’t beat that! I picked out several new to us scents and this was truly Johnny’s time to shine. He is a tropical boy and the store was jam packed with beachy, fruity, summery scents for days. Check it out:

Pink Kiwi Berry: One of my favorites of the bunch! The Pink Kiwi Berry soap seriously smells like candy – almost like a watermelon Jolly Rancher and it is delightful. I can literally smell the sugar crystals, which makes sense as this scent offers notes of “sweet kiwi, candied citrus, and sunny orchids”. I can’t speak to the sunny orchids lol but if you are looking for a sweet/tart scent that is primarily sweet, you are going to LOVE Pink Kiwi Berry!

Peach Bellini: You already KNOW I had to get me a Peach Bellini – one of my tried and true scents. In fact, this was one of the first hand soaps I purchased when I moved into my own apartment! It has been a go to of mine for over six years and I don’t plan on not getting it anytime soon. If you are a fan of all things peach and haven’t tried Peach Bellini from B&BW – what are you waiting for?! It is like biting into a juicy peach with every use.

Mango Papaya Paradise: Let’s hear it for the boy because this scent is one hundred percent Johnny. I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of mango fragrances because I always thought the mango line from The Body Shop smelled moldy lol. However, the Mango Papaya Paradise is pretty nice! This scent features notes of “succulent mango, golden papaya, and warm tropical breeze”. It is my least favorite in the bunch strictly for my preferences but it does smell fresh and zingy and I know my main squeeze will love it!

Sweet Kiwi & Starfruit: Now, this tropical scent, I like! The packaging also really pleases me! The Sweet Kiwi & Starfruit is more subtle – it actually smells reminiscent of a toned down version of the Pink Kiwi Berry. As that was my favorite scent from the haul, what’s not to like?! This soap offers notes of “golden kiwi, juicy starfruit, and solar woods” (Whatever solar woods smells like). If you are looking for a fragrance that packs a punch, this is one you could skip on. Should your tastes match a subtly sweet scent, you are in for a treat.

Vanilla Swirl: This is a new vanilla scent from B&BW and as a HUGE fan of all things vanilla, I had to hop on it! Vanilla Swirl is what it is. If you, too, live for vanilla fragrances then this is a must buy. If not, then definitely skip on it because this is a true vanilla scent through and through.

As I actually shopped in store for this haul, it was a wildly successful one with a little something for me and my Johnny!

Do you like tropical scents? What is your favorite fragrance? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar31

March 2025 Finishes

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March 2025 Finishes

Oh hey! It’s the last day of March and, I’ve got to say, it has been a pretty good month for your favorite lil blogger. And the fact that spring is… springing makes everything that much better! Before we dive head first into April showers to bring May flowers, it’s time to discuss my beauty finishes for the month. I’ve also got to say, they were pretty good too! Check it out:

Would I Use Again?

Evoluderm Vitamin C Micellar Water: NO

Envy Hyaluronic Acid & Ceramides Cleanser: NO

Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple Lotion: YES

Vital Beauty Cooling Eye Gel: YES

Clinical Works Hyaluronic Acid Face Cream: YES!!

Why/Why Not?

Evoluderm Micellar Water: During a TJMaxx skin care haul, I purchased a full bottle and travel size pack of the Evoluderm Vitamin C micellar water. I used up the travel size one last month, didn’t care for it, and completing the full size bottle solidified my “whomp whomp” sentiments. I noticed no positive changes in my skin with the different formula and makeup removal was more difficult. I have tried countless variations of traditional micellar water and always find myself wanting to return to my old standby. I am glad I can get back to the classic Evoluderm micellar water now that this dud is done!

Envy Cleanser: I have been using the Hyaluronic Acid & Ceramides cleanser by Envy every day for the past three months and change. I am SO happy to be done with it because I was less than impressed. Despite the fact that is lathered well and there was a lot of bang for the buck since a little went a long way, the results just weren’t there. It also had more of a cream texture which, in my opinion, is far less refreshing than my go to foaming cleansers. This is definitely a product that can be skipped on.

Clinical Works Moisturizer: Now, this Hyaluronic Acid moisturizer by Clinical Works was a winner and I so wish I had more! It took me five weeks of twice daily use to finish the big jar and I could absolutely see a difference in my skin. It looked bright, dewy, and was simply glowing. My skin felt soft and smooth and it looked it, too. This pleasing somewhere in between a gel and cream texture would be perfect for late spring and summer use and I am keeping my fingers, toes, and eyes crossed that I can find more at TJMaxx. Highly recommend!

Even though there were a few losers in the mix, this batch of empties was a GREAT SUCCESS because I truly couldn’t wait to be done with some of these long term products. I hope I have better luck with their replacements!

Which products did you finish up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you have used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah