If you like Piña Coladas, and getting caught in the rain
If you’re not into yoga, if you have half a brain
If you like making love at midnight, in the dunes of the cape
I’m the love that you’ve looked for, come with me, and escape
~ Rupert Holmes, Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
The minute I walked into the new The Body Shop store at KLCC (new concept store, first in Malaysia and only 2nd in Asia, after Japan!) and clapped my eyes on the new, limited edition Piñita Colada bath and body collection, I couldn’t stop humming the song. You know that song right? The aptly named Piña Colada song! If you saw me and didn’t notice me humming, not to worry, I was. In my head.
As much as I enjoy the jaunty, catchy tune and lyrics, and as lovely as it was to sip on piña colada on a hot afternoon, I’m actually not a fan of piña colada! LOL! If you’re unfamiliar, the piña colada drink is made of coconut cream, rum and pineapple juice and it’s very sweet. A very girlie drink – a drink you want to have in hand as you sit in a beach hut, facing the blue ocean, feeling the warm sea breeze blow through your hair.
As you can expect therefore, this is what the Piñita Colada collection evokes – Sea, sand, sun, cold drinks and hot sandy bodies… and sunscreen! 😀
Knowing what goes into a piña colada, I was hesitant at first, to try The Body Shop’s Piñita Colada collection. Coconut isn’t a scent or taste I like, and I’m not much into sweet, foody scents either. And yet, the Piñita Colada collection tantalizingly invites me to escape, as the song suggests.
So, I gave in and tried them.
There are 4 items in the Piñita Colada collection and incidentally, they don’t smell strongly of coconut (whew!) I wish there was smell-o-vision invented already, because you just HAVE TO SMELL THIS! You know what it smells of?
Summer. Sea. Sand. Hot sun. Warm bodies. Cold drinks.
The Piñita Colada collection is a seaside holiday in a tub or bottle or tube, and it’s incredibly sweet. The dominant scent is a fruity citrus pineapple, with a warm, sweet base of coconut cream. It is unmistakably a smell of sweet fruits, ripening in the sun. The scent of crushed pineapple juice running down your fingers.
Unsurprising, when you’re told that in there are pineapple and coconut extracts, and in the body scrub, there is even shredded coconut! Now, that got me thinking. Could I hop down to the local market, buy a bag of shredded coconut and turn it into my own home scrub? Hmm… 😛
My picks from the Piñita Colada collection are the Piñita Colada Shower Gel (RM35/250ml) which feels lovely and lush on skin, and fills your shower with the tropical scent of summer. It is otherwise your regular shower gel, washing off clean and isn’t drying on skin. The sweet scent doesn’t linger on the skin, which is a good or bad thing, depending on which camp you favour. I’m happy about that, but if you want it to last, you maybe disappointed.
The other item I liked was the Piñita Colada Exfoliating Cream Body Scrub (RM105/250ml). It isn’t harsh, although to be honest, it didn’t seem to exfoliate that much. It is also quite runny and is a bother in the shower. Why I like it however, is because of the creamy texture that seems to envelope my skin and leave it feeling soft and moist. As an exfoliator, I don’t think it’s much, but as a luxurious treat, it’s lovely. The scent is a little stronger in this one, but similarly, doesn’t stick to the skin.
My least favourite item is the Piñita Colada Body Butter (RM35/50ml, RM89/200ml), not because of the texture, which I find to be lighter than other Body Butters in The Body Shop (Heaven knows, I’ve used them all at some point over the years!) but because of the scent. As this is something you apply and leave on your skin, the scent will linger… and boy does it linger! If you love sweet, foody, rich scents, you will love this. You will go to bed smelling like a pineapple upside down cake.
But if you’re like me then this super-sweet scent will start to smell cloying after a while. I couldn’t take it. There is also a Piñita Colada Body Sorbet (RM75/200ml) which is a lightweight lotion, but like the body butter, anything in this scent that lingers on my skin isn’t for me.
However, if you think a sweet, heady, food-based scent tickles your sensorial fancy, then hopalong to The Body Shop soon, for this is a limited edition collection and once it’s gone, it’s gone! Rather like a tropical island escape, I reckon 😀
Now tell me – Piña Colada, is it your thing? Does this collection sound like something you’d like?
I don’t like sweet cocktails very much so no, Piña Colada isn’t my drink of choice. That said, when I’m by the beach, I’m often found chugging down water like it’s going out of style. Never quite mastered the art of chugging down cocktails – it just feels too hot to! 😀 I’m not crazy over this collection, but the Shower Gel and Body Scrub are alright to evoke those tropical island getaway feelings. But I’d pass on the creams.
Paris B
Prices of products are as indicated in the post above.
Availability: Limited Edition at The Body Shop stores, online (MY), Ulta
i bought the body scrub as here in US, buy any of it comes with a pretty beach bag. yay for the freebie
That sounds pretty! For some reason, it’s always more fun getting GWPs overseas!
When you said smell like summer and cold drink, I thought isn’t that what we have year long in Malaysia 😛
I think I might like this collection as your reviewed it as smell sweet fruity. I prefer something fresh or citrus or fruity or anything light but heavy floral fragrance makes me headache. The body butter sounds lovely as the smell last longer (sorry to disagree with you lol) and the shower+scrub also sounds nice if you prefer something spa-ish sensation. I guess if you want the scrub more exfoliating, just mix more coconut shred lol
Haha for a while, when it was rainy and very chilly here, it didn’t feel like summer at all! So nice 😛 But otherwise, you are right. This is perfect for our weather because it just feels right all year round 😀 This certainly doesn’t smell floral, which isn’t a scent I favour either. I think I’ll just go to the market and ask if they can give me the shreds after they perah the santan LOL!
I bought only the shower gel. I also prefer the sillage of my perfume on my skin.
The others lingered too long! Unless someone is into smelling like a cocktail, I think it’s best for night use maybe? LOL!
…for nights… interesting…LOL
Oooh I’m going to have to give this a good sniff when it arrives in Australia! 😀
Hopefully soon! Oh wait, it’s Winter now, maybe in Spring?