Tea and pudding: A review of The Garden Bath

I hadn't intended to play with any of the perfume oils from The Garden Bath yet, as I am still working my way through the samples from Wiggle Perfume. However, I stupidly dropped the little bag that had my two free samples in it, and realised hours and hours later when the kitchen smelled like someone had been making sticky date pudding and no one had (still waiting for that one The Photographer bought all the ingredients for about four months ago) that one of them had broken. I had no choice but to smother myself in what was left of Butter Rum Cafe.

The notes from the site say:

Imagine a warm, frothy mug of sweet, creamy cappuccino with a generous splash (or two) of deliciously smooth buttered rum. A delightful, rich buttery coffee fragrance that's perfect for the cold days of winter!

However, my first thought was not coffee, but pudding. It made me think of those Winter puddings that pile on the kilos but make you feel so good on a cold rainy night - sticky date, caramel, butterscotch, etc. It's definitely a Winter comfort scent. A few years ago I had a Demeter cologne called Sticky Toffee Pudding, and that's what this one reminded me of.

I'm a fan of warm food smells, so I liked this one very much.

I hate tea, but it's one of those things I have always wished I could get a taste for, because I love the accessories and ceremony of tea. I want an excuse to own lots of pretty floral teacups, and collect teapots, and knit quirky tea cosies. I want one of those little squeezy things that look like flies' eyes. I love going into tea shops and seeing the range they have. Every six months or so I buy some green tea, because it's meant to be one of the super foods, and after forcing myself to drink a couple of cups I realise that I really do hate it, and on the shelf it goes. Then a few months later I think, "I'm going to make myself acquire a taste for green tea", and the circle of life continues.

The second free sample I was sent was Jade Gardens. The first thing I thought of when I smelled it was tea, and when I looked up the site and checked the notes, it mentions "soft wood, tea, honey...". This is a fragrance I would never have bought for myself based on the description - none of those scents generally are of any interest to me. However, I am really glad that Donna sent it to me to try, because I love it. And now I finally have a way to enjoy tea. I wonder if that means I can legitimately start buying teapots now...