While it seems to be too early to think Tropical anything, all bets are off these days with how fast new items are coming out at Bath and Body Works.
Since finding all of the new fragrances months ago, it surely surprised me when they all launched at once, rather than a few at a time...now leaving one collection still to come. The Tropical Traditions.
We normally see them well after the January releases, but there have been sightings of the Tropics body care hitting back rooms, (and a few photos of the travel sizes out on the floor) and word that we could see it as soon as January 18th when the New Spring Collections hit the stores shelves and some online. I was also reminded that Tuesday, January 19th after closing there will be another small edit to the floor set and they could come out then. Could. Not will, or won't I said...could as it was told to me.
As it turned out, select stores did set some Tropical Fragrances, both in travel sized minis and I have seen a few full sized products shared on Instagram as well. There is no sign of them online currently.
When I recently had the chance to buy all of the Tropical Traditions fragrances coming, I passed. I am currently de-stashing so much of my collection I felt I didn't need to add more to it, spending money on fragrances I have had, still have, and love.
It is happily shocking for me to look at my fragrance cabinet and see the shelves lined with items other than Bath and Body Works fragrances. I will be cleaning out the organizer drawers in another closet where some of the older items are now. Those items placed there as the fragrance cabinet shelves filled up becoming cast offs of times gone by.
That is part of the problem -- the fearing you will miss out on something great that comes out EVERY MONTH, so you grab it...or falling in love with a fragrance along with everyone else and stocking up on it...JUST IN CASE it doesn't return...and then it doesn't.
Did you ever wonder why some of the great scents that we all loved that sold out quickly never came back? I do too. We get Black Cherry Merlot, Champagne Toast, and Strawberry Pound Cake repackaged over and over again for every collection yet all of the requests for scents of long ago seem to go unheard, and unfulfilled. I suppose it is cheaper to give us the same ole scents, maybe a little weaker in strength with a different label slapped on it and call it a day. Are we that predictable?
A label with less descriptive scent notes shared lately... Lather, Spray, Repeat and don't ask what it's made of. Cupids Kiss as a scent note really doesn't help...much.
Any who, I did buy one of the Tropical Traditions scents because I wanted to see if it was new.
Belize Tropical Cabana. Scent Notes are: banana daiquiri, juicy pineapple, and golden sands. I bought this one thinking the pineapple, if it is in there, should freshen it up. Here is what I think.
The Body Lotion packaging feels some of how 2020 was overall. Lackluster. Empty. In Need of attention. Forgotten.
(My Nana would have called it a half-ass attempt as if you thought no one was looking) Nana would be right.
In comparison to the Body Cream which is tropical and brightly colored, this appears to be the, "Oh, just slap some tropical icon clip art on it and call it a day," kind of choice. I just looked at the bottom where the date stamp is and it begins with 0. ( There ya go. )
The scent: On me, I don't find this gourmand a fragrance at all. I am reviewing it with the body lotion because at the time of purchase, the body cream was not available. Had there been no scent "notes" listed when I first opened the bottle to smell it, I don't think I would have said, "Oh, I smell bananas,." Like a true fruit.
What I think smells like bananas was the pocketbac fragrance, Going Bananas. That smelled like bananas ( with alcohol ) and how I wished this Belize smelled, and stayed smelling like.
Bright and fruity...almost a kids gum-like scent out of the bottle dries down (on me) smelling like, of course, something else we have had before. Perhaps it's the base fragrances that makes that happen on some scents. I know I know it, I just can't remember which it is.
I get sandalwood. Coconut. Warm. Not perfume floral-like....but not close to gourmand and fruity as I had hoped.
It doesn't turn bad with my chemistry, and I will use this now as it feels like a warm and cozy fragrance instead of a warm, beach scent. I would recommend you try the lotion in store as well as the fragrance mist on your skin to see how it changes on dry down on you. And I look forward to reading your thoughts on Belize Tropical Cabana.
P.S. If I buy the travel mist in this scent, I will update my thoughts on it!
Check out all of the other Tropical Fragrances I have found so far...