Beauty hors d’oeuvres: The Body Shop Vanilla Pumpkin Body Butter is a decadent dessert without the calories!

Hello peeps! I usually fall off the face of the earth for a little longer than this but a lot’s been happening out there, so I figured it was time I made my reappearance like that proverbial bad penny! LOL! And just in time for Autumn, Halloween and all the pumpkin spice flavours that abound is The Body Shop Vanilla Pumpkin Body Butter.

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The Vanilla Pumpkin scent isn’t new, it was introduced last year, 2017, I believe. But it makes its appearance at this time of year in a brand new limited edition packaging, that is at once not only autumnal, but Halloween appropriate 😀

Does pumpkin mania grab you each year come Fall/Autumn?

I love eating pumpkin – roast it, with salt, pepper, olive oil and a dash of herbs as I’ve done here. It’s SO GOOD!! 😛

But as a scent, I usually find that pumpkin smells too sweet for my olfactory senses, and in a way, this is true of The Body Shop Fall for Pumpkin Vanilla Pumpkin Body Butter.

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I’ll tell you what I like – I like the texture.

I used to use The Body Shop Body Butters a lot back in the day, and I used to go for the really heavy ones like Shea Butter or Mango. Not only did I smell like a dessert, I was about as buttery as a cake too! LOL! 😀 Those were very heavy textures, although they were amazing for very dry skin.

My dad used to use the Shea Butter Body Butter for cracked heels. Swore up and down by it, and it was so cost effective because one tub lasted forever 😛

The texture of The Body Shop Vanilla Pumpkin Body Butter is much lighter. You can see my attempt at being fancy and pretending I’m a chef in the picture LOL 😀 I figured, it was a good way to showcase the texture.

The texture feels lighter, more like buttercream than butter (you can tell I have cakes on my mind 😛 ) It is still fairly heavy – nothing like their Body Yogurt – but I think very nice if you are in a cool environment. So turn on that air-conditioning (here in Malaysia) and you will love how soft it makes your skin feel once you rub it in.

All that said however, like cakes and desserts, you must have a sweet tooth (or nose) when using The Body Shop Vanilla Pumpkin Body Butter, because it does smell sweet. To my nose, the pumpkin scent isn’t very strong, so it smells more to me like vanilla, mixed in with tonka bean, maple syrup and an almost nutty note which I read is hazelnut. Sounds delicious doesn’t it?

There is a rich, sweet, almost gourmand scent to this body butter. It smells of cake and pudding and creme brulee. If you have a sweet tooth, you might even find yourself craving sweets at this point. Dangerous, when slathering yourself before bed! 😛

While it is pleasant, I personally do not favour gourmand scents. But if you do, (I know many people do!) then get it, because it’s limited edition and all that 😉

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Worth mentioning also is the packaging. The design is inspired by Central and South America’s Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), celebrated on 2 November. You can just about see the skull right?

I thought it was interesting, because The Body Shop is now owned by Natura & Co, a Brazilian company. So I do wonder if it is a little nod to their culture and traditions – and if it is, I love it! 🙂

PROS: Lighter creamy texture feels more comfortable on skin in warm weather, Moisturising to skin, Smells good if you like sweet, gourmand scents

CONS: Very sweet and gourmand scent if you don’t like that, Contents in tub can shift

PRICE: RM83 | £15 | US$21 for 200ml

WHERE TO BUY: The Body Shop stores and online

Will you try the Fall for Pumpkin Vanilla Pumpkin Body Butter?

Get all the smells of a dessert bar without the calories LOL! 😀

Paris B