Top 5 Bath & Body Works Fragrances of ALL TIME!

I've been going into Bath & Body Works for as long as I can remember. My sister and I often went with each other and spent countless hours just smelling everything! Don't even get me started on the damage we'd do going in during the Semi-Annual sale. One of my fondest memories was driving home from the mall with my sister after we hit up Bath & Body Works and drained our wallets--we stopped at a red light and my sister asked me to take the items she bought out of the bag for her to smell before the light turned green again.

Because I've been pretty much obsessed with this company for most of my life, there are certain fragrances that I return to time and time again. So, whether you're looking for something new to try, you're curious in what my favorites are, or you're in another country just longing after what you can't get your hands on... I present to you my Top 5 Bath & Body Works Fragrances of ALL TIME! (Picture-heavy, so click through to see if your favorites made the cut!)

UPDATE 02 January 2014: Looking for more wintery scents? Check out my top winter picks from Bath and Body Works here!

Caribbean Escape. The BBW website describes this scent as a blend of "tropical melon, raspberry nectar and lemon mellowed by creamy coconut milk and raw sugarcane," but all I could really smell in this is pineapple (which I love!). Since revisiting the description after so many years, I can definitely pick up on the melon: more cantaloupe than honeydew, from what I can tell. This sweet, fruity fragrance is one that I fawn over nearly every time I'm in the store. The only downside, in my opinion, is that this fragrance only comes in the form of hand soap, room spray, candles, and hand sanitizing gel. If this was a perfume or body spray, it would probably be the only thing I'd ever use.

I would recommend this for people who love sweet, fruity fragrances and for those who wish they were on a tropical island getaway! I've purchased this fragrance in the form of foaming hand soap and as a concentrated room spray, but one day I'd really like to own this scent in a three-wick candle.

Rainkissed Leaves. This fragrance has apparently been around for quite a while, but I only stumbled across it recently. I found this scent for the first time while browsing last year's semi-annual sale online. I was really only drawn in by the gorgeous design on the bottle and the description ("a crisp scent, inspired by lush, green leaves refreshed by cool, summer rain"), so I purchased it blindly without testing it. I've been in love with it ever since! It smells very cool and "leafy," but in a naturally sweet way. I love this because it's sweet, but not in a sugary or fruity way. While I do love fruity, sugary scents, this is a wonderful change of pace. I've been using it daily this summer and it's not heavy at all.

I would recommend this for those who enjoy clean scents and are okay with smelling gently sweet. I've only purchased this in a body cream, but once I've whittled down my collection I'll probably buy the body mist.

Country Apple. My love affair with this scent probably started around ten years ago and is still going strong today. The website describes this scent as a "combination of ripe, red apples and creamy blossoms." This fruity sweet scent is not too overwhelming, like some might consider Caribbean Escape to be. I find that it captures the exact warmth and sweetness of ripe red delicious apples while still being pretty fresh. If my understanding is correct, Country Apple was replaced with Irresistible Apple for a while, but has since been brought back. And for good reason! I don't think Irresistible apple is quite as good. I own the eau de toilette of it, and although it's nice, fresh and fruity scent, it lacks the warmth of the red delicious apple that I fell in love with as a child.

I would recommend this scent for people who love fruity scents and the outdoors. Even if you're not too fond of the fruit, I would recommend this fragrance. I'm not the biggest fan of eating apples, but I love smelling like them. Who knew? I've purchased this in two body lotions, at least one shower gel.

Cotton Blossom. I never really enjoyed this fragrance growing up. I used to associate it with my aunt's house: whenever we would go to visit, she'd usually have this scent as a foaming hand soap in the bathroom. I thought it was the fanciest thing ever, but a bit too old-smelling for me. Perhaps I thought it was because in large quantities, this fragrance can smell a little bit like baby powder. On one recent trip to Bath &Body Works, however, I was shopping for hand soap and ended up picking up some Sea Island Cotton foaming hand soap, the most recent prototype of this classic fragrance. Ever since, I've been hooked! Both are wonderful.

I would recommend this for those who can enjoy a good, clean and gentle scent. I like this because I usually go for sweet, fruity floral scents, and this (as well as Rainkissed Leaves) I've purchased this scent in a body spray, shower gel, foaming hand soap, and a body lotion.

Butterfly Flower. This has been one of my favorite Bath & Body Works scents for the past few years. Once I smelled it in store, it reminded me of a gardenia-scented hand cream that my mother gave to me when I was a child. I loved that hand cream so much that I rationed it off pretty strictly! I'd been looking for a scent just like it ever since I ran out of that hand cream, so I snatched up this scent as soon as I could. This fragrance is "inspired by the natural elegance and playful femininity of butterfly garden in full bloom," which I think is a really helpful description because it says absolutely nothing about this scent at all. I find that Butterfly Flower is fresh, light and floral, with a certain sweetness to it.. The most obvious note in this fragrance is orchid. It smells really similar to Velvet Tuberose and Enchanted Orchid.

I would recommend this to those who like sweet florals and orchids. I've purchased this scent in an eau de toilette and two body lotions.

Honorable mention: what even is this

I bought this Pizzeria-scented candle as a gag gift for my father who hates candles, who's been making pizzas every Friday night since before I was born. It actually smells really good! The description says that it's a "fragrant blend of cracked black pepper, basil, tomato sauce and warm, crusty dough." All I really smell is oregano, but I still love it. I can't find this anywhere on the website, it came out with the Summer 2013 Italy collection and you can probably find it in your local Bath & Body Works store.

Fun fact: my dad tried to extinguish this candle after dinner the first night I brought it home (on a Friday, when we were having pizza)  by flicking at the flame with his finger. It would have worked except for the fact that he totally missed the flame, knocking the jar itself and sending the candle tumbling across the table. We're still finding melted wax around the kitchen.

Those are my Top 5 Bath and Body Works picks! Did any of your favorites make the list? Are there any I should be checking out? Let me know in a comment below!

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