Product Review – Four Fruit-Scented Lotions for Summer!

Fruit Scents for Summer!

Bah! It’s so overcast and foggy here. Welcome to summer in the Bay. On days like this, I need a jumpstart to get me in a summer mood. I’m a fragrance person, so I love using scented lotions when the seasons change. For summer, I like light florals and fruit fragrances. I recently road tested four different summer fruit scents for Makeup and Beauty Blog. Here’s the skinny:

Bath & Body Works Fresh Pineapple
Serve this Fresh Pineapple lotion up with a tiny umbrella; the scent is more like an uber-sweet pina colada and makes me want to buy you a drank like T-Pain. On my skin I find Fresh Pineapple too sweet-smelling, like pineapple candy, rather than fresh cut pineapple. I wish the scent had more tartness, and I think it would be the shizz if it were combined with a citrus scent. However, it’s worth a go if you like strong, sweet pineapple scents. $9.50 for an 8oz bottle.

Bath & Body Works Tropical Passionfruit
I will be the first person to admit I have no idea what a passionfruit should really smell like. Does it smell like passion? Does it smell like fruit? Who really knows? Anyway, I really love this lotion. I smell citrus notes combined with the mysterious tropical passionfruit smell, so it has some complexity and is a perfect balance between sweetness and tartness.

While Bath & Body Works lotions are not the most moisturizing, I like them because I find most of the scents work well with my body chemistry. I don’t like lotions to be cloying because then I get a headache after a few hours, and these lotions fade nicely over time.

I’ve tried the Body Cream version of this, but I prefer the lotion because it sinks in easily and doesn’t leave a greasy film on my skin. I also have the Shower Gel. Yummy! $9.50 for an 8oz bottle.

The Body Shop Mango Body Butter
I love the smell of this, and I used this years ago when the Body Butters were somewhat reasonably priced and the formulation was thicker and more moisturizing.

I still love the smell because it reminds me of summer days and watching my mom cut up mangos at the kitchen table. I don’t know when they revamped the texture of the Body Butters, but I’m not too crazy about this current formula, which I find too fluffy in comparison to the old school ones. Mango scent fiends will like the fresh-cut mango smell. However, I wouldn’t pay full price for this — at $17.50 for a 6.9 oz jar, the quality isn’t enough to justify the steep price for yours truly.

Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush Strawberry Fizz Body Drink Lotion
Full disclosure: the nice PR folks who handle the Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush account sent me this for review.

I probably wouldn’t have picked this up on my own because I’ve had allergy issues with Victoria’s Secret Garden lotion in the past. But, I tried this out for a week and found that I didn’t have a skin reaction to it, yay. What I like most about the texture of this lotion is that it’s thin but still moisturizing — it worked well for my feet and my hands. The smell of this lotion varies for me. Sometimes it reminds me of strawberry hard candies with the chewy center, other times it smells like pink bubble gum. This would be a good summer treat for a teenager or a younger sister, so if you’ve got to find a gift for your daughter or a younger sis you might wanna give this a whiff. $12.00 for a 6.7 oz tube.

I’ve been on makeup lockdown for the last two months but that is soon to end because I got two giftcards to Nordstrom for my birthday burning a hole in my hot little hand. I went by the MAC counter on Sunday to check out Moonbath and the Tendertones and while I was tempted I decided to refrain and do a bit more research before I bought anything. I know for sure I want a Technakohl liner and Viva Glam V Lipglass. I am going to refrain from buying any more brown eye shadow but I can’t promise anything, LOL.

I hope that wherever you are that it’s warm and that you are wearing something CUTE and SUMMERY!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen