Review: NEW Bath & Body Works Summer 2013 Summer Chill Collection products

Press Sample 

Bath & Body Works Summer 2013 Summer Chill Collection

A few weeks ago I posted the press info about the Summer 2013 Summer Chill Collection, and I recently received some products from this collection for review. There are three scents in this new collection: Coconut Water Chill, Citrus Orchid Chill and White Mango Chill.

This collection is now online (today, 7/7, is the last day of the Semi-Annual sale and this collection is part of the Buy 3 Get 3 Free sale). As of the time of this post, I do not know if these products are in stores yet (I've heard from a few of you that they should start to appear in stores shortly after the Semi-Annual Sale so, if you can't find them now, check back in the days to come).

From Bath & Body Works:

The Summer Chill Collection is the perfect cool-down.  With refreshing scents including exotic fruits and fragrant flowers, these Signature Collection products are sure to melt away the heat with just one touch to the skin.  Available in a Shower Gel ($11.00), Body Lotion ($11.00), Fine Fragrance Mist ($14.00), Shimmer Cooling Mist ($18.00), Travel Body Lotion ($5.00) and Travel Fragrance Mist ($7.00).

The advance samples that I received arrived in plain, not-for-retail bottles, so I'm showing you the press images for these reviews. Let's begin with the Fine Fragrance Mist in Citrus Orchid Chill:

Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist in Citrus Orchid Chill

(retail: $14 at Bath & Body Works, 8 oz)

From Bath & Body Works:

Top Notes: Watery Starfruit, Lemon Granita, Sparkling Tangelo
Mid Notes: Iced Blue Orchid, Chilled Lotus, Pink Jasmine

Dry Notes: White Amber Crystals, Exotic Teak, Solar Musk

Immediately after spraying this body mist, I definitely got the lemon and tangelo top notes. In fact, on my skin, I smelled the citrus notes for so long that I didn't think the floral notes of orchid, lotus and jasmine would ever kick in. But after about 5-10 minutes on my skin, the lovely, sweet orchid scent did break through, and the longer this fragrance sat on my skin, the more it started to smell like a lighter version of Bath & Body Works' Enchanted Orchid. I detect the same orchid, violet and gardenia notes that I love so much in Enchanted Orchid in this scent also (even though gardenia and violet aren't listed in the notes).

So in other words, if you are a fan of Enchanted Orchid, I think you'll like this fragrance too. It's like a lighter, more summery version  of Enchanted Orchid, with an initial burst of sweet, tart citrus that lightly lingers in the background.

Bath & Body Works Body Lotion in White Mango Chill

(retail: $11 at Bath & Body Works, 8 oz)

From Bath & Body Works:

White Mango Chill is an ice cold summer cooler of white mango, kiwi sorbet and strawberry frost frozen with muguet blossom and blue sugarcane.

I've eaten many, many mangoes in my lifetime, but I have never had the privilege of smelling (or tasting) a white mango, which I believe is native to Bali. So I can't really tell you how accurate the white mango note is in this fragrance, but I can tell you what it smells like to me.

When I first spread this lotion onto my skin, I immediately get "orange sherbet." BBW captures the "chilled" aspect in this body lotion and it really does smell like something cold without actually being cold. After a few minutes on the skin, The orange note develops into a more traditional mango note, and there's a nice hint of strawberry as well. After a few more minutes, I detect a hint of kiwi and finally I get that lovely, soft muguet (lily of the valley) note but this is definitely not what I would consider a floral fragrance. It's pure tropical fruit--the muguet just softens up the "zing" of the tart fruits a bit. I really love this lotion the longer it's on my skin.

Bath & Body Works Shower Gel in White Mango Chill

(retail: $11 at Bath & Body Works, 8 oz)

From Bath & Body Works:

White Mango Chill is an ice cold summer cooler of white mango, kiwi sorbet and strawberry frost frozen with muguet blossom and blue sugarcane.

As many of us know, fragrances can differ from product type to product type. For example, I adore Bath & Body Works Pink Chiffon in fragrance mist form, but I'm not so crazy about it in body lotion form. So let's discuss how White Mango Chill shower gel differs from the body lotion.

To my nose, the body lotion is softer and more "orange sherbet-y" than the shower gel. The shower gel, to my nose, is more crisp and tart and I also detect a stronger strawberry note than in the body lotion. I think this works to the shower gel's advantage here, because I personally like something a bit more bold and crisp in the shower, to wake up my senses in the morning. If you like your fruits tart and a bit bolder, then I'd say you'll probably be happy with the shower gel. But if you like your fruits a little more soft and sweet, the body lotion is probably going to appeal to you a bit more.

I hope this review helps you to determine whether or not you might want to give these new Summer Chill fragrances a sniff the next time you're at your local Bath & Body Works. I cannot wait to try the third fragrance in this collection, Coconut Water Chill, soon! 

I'm quite happy with the other two fragrances in this collection but I think my favorite for summer is White Mango Chill. Citrus Orchid Chill is nice too, but it feels more like a spring fragrance to me, just because I personally like florals in the springtime.

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.Blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews. For more information, click here.