Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
09/12/2023
Exciter76
78 Reviews
Exciter76
2
Does Anyone Remember When B&BW Tried To Be A Serious Contender?
My very first perfume review, written on April 26, 2009:
Why, oh why did Bath & Body Works do away with this scent?! It was among the best of their scents. It was understatedly sexy yet simple.
I use it sparingly for fear it'll run out and I won't have a way of replacing it.
Addendum written sometime in 2011 or 2012:
I wasn't too pleased with my simplistic first review of Magnolia Blossom. Moonlight Path is a simplistic scent that is deserving of a simplistic, nice review. Not my precious Magnolia Blossom.
Let me be clear, it's a simple, linear fragrance. But sometimes simple is best. To add something, anything to this simple scent is to add a daisy to a beautiful bouquet of rich, red roses. It just does not fit. (2023 Me wants to know why 2009 Me is lying like this???)
Magnolia and nothing but magnolia. It's glorious! It starts out mildly sweet and full of magnolia and ends mild and still full of magnolia. It is among B&BW's finest fragrances.
Why they discontinued Magnolia Blossom will forever baffle me. Then again, they seem to have a habit of keeping their safest--and sometimes most uninspired--scents for all posterity and do away with their most interesting scents. (Vanilla Noir is going the way of Magnolia Blossom, another one of the company's more interesting fragrances.)
It's September 12, 2023 and I've learned long ago I'm not Bath & Body Works' demographic, but that's neither here nor there:
Yeah, I said it. I'm too old... or so they think. I still go in there for my layering soaps and lotions because your girl ain't out here trying to be ashy, especially as she nears fifty years old. As for perfumes and body sprays, B&BW is trying to sell their wares to my nieces and nephews, not me. Times have changed and B&BW is staggering behind, still offering teenagers re-hashed fruit stews and candied slop. But every once in a while they stop pandering and offer something good (White Gardenia, I'm looking at you). Back in the aughts, they offered some truly spectacular scents, especially for the price point, and it wasn't a one-off like it is now.
There were florals, gourmands, dark ambers, and everything in between. I'd go so far as to say it was B&BW's renaissance period. There was something for everyone, for every age and socioeconomic demographic. To me, Magnolia Blossom Eau de Toilette was an example of those varied and very satisfying offerings.
What made Magnolia Blossom Eau de Toilette so beloved to me? It was like a simple pair of cream colored linen pants. It was classy, simple, easy to wear either alone or layered. It was suitable for all ages and all situations. I felt like one of those "ladies who lunch" when I wore it. When I ran out I was distraught.
Running out of Magnolia Blossom Eau de Toilette turned out to be a good thing for me. In my quest for a quality magnolia scent I was able to step into indie and niche scents. It also inspired me to write about my perfumed opinions, regardless if the world wanted to hear it or not. I'm still looking for a scent that evokes that "cream colored linen pants" feel that Magnolia Blossom Eau de Toilette imparted. In the meantime, I can regale younger generations with tales of B&BW's quality products for all tastes and people. I might not be believed, though.
Why, oh why did Bath & Body Works do away with this scent?! It was among the best of their scents. It was understatedly sexy yet simple.
I use it sparingly for fear it'll run out and I won't have a way of replacing it.
Addendum written sometime in 2011 or 2012:
I wasn't too pleased with my simplistic first review of Magnolia Blossom. Moonlight Path is a simplistic scent that is deserving of a simplistic, nice review. Not my precious Magnolia Blossom.
Let me be clear, it's a simple, linear fragrance. But sometimes simple is best. To add something, anything to this simple scent is to add a daisy to a beautiful bouquet of rich, red roses. It just does not fit. (2023 Me wants to know why 2009 Me is lying like this???)
Magnolia and nothing but magnolia. It's glorious! It starts out mildly sweet and full of magnolia and ends mild and still full of magnolia. It is among B&BW's finest fragrances.
Why they discontinued Magnolia Blossom will forever baffle me. Then again, they seem to have a habit of keeping their safest--and sometimes most uninspired--scents for all posterity and do away with their most interesting scents. (Vanilla Noir is going the way of Magnolia Blossom, another one of the company's more interesting fragrances.)
It's September 12, 2023 and I've learned long ago I'm not Bath & Body Works' demographic, but that's neither here nor there:
Yeah, I said it. I'm too old... or so they think. I still go in there for my layering soaps and lotions because your girl ain't out here trying to be ashy, especially as she nears fifty years old. As for perfumes and body sprays, B&BW is trying to sell their wares to my nieces and nephews, not me. Times have changed and B&BW is staggering behind, still offering teenagers re-hashed fruit stews and candied slop. But every once in a while they stop pandering and offer something good (White Gardenia, I'm looking at you). Back in the aughts, they offered some truly spectacular scents, especially for the price point, and it wasn't a one-off like it is now.
There were florals, gourmands, dark ambers, and everything in between. I'd go so far as to say it was B&BW's renaissance period. There was something for everyone, for every age and socioeconomic demographic. To me, Magnolia Blossom Eau de Toilette was an example of those varied and very satisfying offerings.
What made Magnolia Blossom Eau de Toilette so beloved to me? It was like a simple pair of cream colored linen pants. It was classy, simple, easy to wear either alone or layered. It was suitable for all ages and all situations. I felt like one of those "ladies who lunch" when I wore it. When I ran out I was distraught.
Running out of Magnolia Blossom Eau de Toilette turned out to be a good thing for me. In my quest for a quality magnolia scent I was able to step into indie and niche scents. It also inspired me to write about my perfumed opinions, regardless if the world wanted to hear it or not. I'm still looking for a scent that evokes that "cream colored linen pants" feel that Magnolia Blossom Eau de Toilette imparted. In the meantime, I can regale younger generations with tales of B&BW's quality products for all tastes and people. I might not be believed, though.
