Pumpkin Body Butter - THIS YEAR'S WARNING

It's that time of year!!!

Pumpkin season at Trader Joe's is here!

Yes, it is time for my annual warning:

Pumpkin Body Butter has hit the shelves

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Body Butter is gross!!!

Take my advice - steer clear!

If you are into pumpkin, go crazy, buy all the other pumpkin merch at TJ's.  But for heaven's sake, unless you want to walk around smelling like a Thanksgiving table decoration, do not buy TRADER JOE'S PUMPKIN BODY BUTTER.  :)

Here is the link to my original review of it:  Pumpkin Body Butter Review October 2015

And here is the link to last year's warning:  Pumpkin Body Butter 2016

Crappy Reviews - A Look Back At Some TRADER JOE'S PRODUCT CLUNKERS

I recently worked with an interpreter I had never met before, and we hit it off.  We seemed to have the same philosophies toward our work and laughed at the same stuff, so we became Facebook friends.  Today he noticed a Trader Joe’s review I had posted on my personal FB page and commented on it, so I told him about the Trader Joe’s 365 Facebook page and the tons of reviews I have written.  He started reading, found the review on English Butter Fudge and seemed incredulous that we thought a FUDGE was too sweet.  😊   That got me thinking – I should look though the blog and find some of the products that we gave BAD REVIEWS to and lump them together.  Sort of like a “Worst Of” list!!  So I am going to pick out 10 products that we gave clunker reviews to and list them here.  Here we go (in no particular order):

·         We should start off with ENGLISH BUTTER FUDGE, the review that made me start thinking about what we consider Trader Joe’s clunkers.  We gave it 1.5 stars and said it was tooooo sugary (which is saying something coming from David).  Review here: English Butter Fudge Review

Care for some English Butter Fudge anyone??

•  Next up is PUMPKIN BODY BUTTER. It scored a 2 star review, but that “high score” was really for the cool packaging it used to have (they may have changed it by now) and NOT for the body butter.  It is a seasonal product that comes out in the fall, so you can’t get it now even if you want to (and WHY would you WANT to???), but this review will serve as a warning to you for when it hits the shelves this year:  Pumpkin Body Butter Review

I will skip this when it returns this autumn

·         Clunker product number three is MANGO COCONUT FLAVORED CARAMEL CORN.  It, too, is seasonal, but the summer mango craze may hit the Trader Joe’s shelves soon and this may re-appear!  If you like eating suntan lotion, by all means buy this popcorn, cuz that is what it tastes like.  2.25 star review here:  Mango Coconut Flavored Caramel Corn Review

The "before" photo - when Mango Coconut Flavored Caramel Corn sounded AMAZING.

·         This wine, a local Ohio wine purchased at Trader Joe’s on a road trip, may well be the only wine we have ever poured down a sink drain…  NASO ROSSO LAURELLO VINEYARDS RED WINE (aka Scary Clown wine) tasted (to us) like a mix of cough syrup, Kool-Aid, and sugar.  It got a .25 star rating – yes, less than half a star.  Review here:  Scary Clown Wine Review

Wine, down the drain, sad, sad, sad

·         I am not sure if Trader Joe’s still carries MOLTEN SALTED BUTTERSCOTCH MACARONS, but if they do, you should know that we gave them a 1.5 star rating and one of the guest reviewers said they tasted like throw up…  Review here:  Molten Salted Butterscotch Macarons Review

Here David was EXCITED about this treat.  This is before he TASTED them.

·         I swear we don’t normally say stuff tastes like cough syrup, but here is another product where we did – the 1.75 star CHERRY CIDER.  Yuck.  Review here: Cherry Cider Review

A bit of cough syrup, errr, I mean cherry cider with breakfast 

·         Trader Joe’s BLACK BEAN ROTINI is a product that received ZERO STARS in our review, not even a teeny tiny fraction of a star!!  And one blog reader (named anonymous :) ) left this comment that cracked me up about it, “My husband can eat anything that even pretends to be pasta.  He spit this out.  Also glad we didn’t waste good sauce on this crap.”  Black Bean Rotini Review

This photo captures the essence of Black Bean Rotini

·         HEAD TO TOE MOISTURIZING BALM, what can I say…  I wrote the original review of it on March 30, 2015, and over 2 years later I am STILL trying to get through the same tiny tin of this greasy crap.  1.5 stars, and one of the most often read reviews on the blog for some reason.  Head to Toe Moisturizing Balm Review

Here I am with greasy crap on my hair

·         We didn’t dig Trader Joe’s COCONUT WATER.  In fact, we thought it was gross…  But hey, this one might just be us.  Still, the review has some funny photos and the water only got .75 stars…  Review here:  Coconut Water Review

·         And the last stinky review for this go-round is FROZEN BRUSSELS SPROUTS.  We love, love, love fresh Brussels Sprouts so thought these would be a no-brainer.  We were oh so wrong…  Frozen Brussels Sprouts Review

These things were disgusting

There you have it.  Those are 10 products that won’t be put in our Trader Joe’s carts again. 

Three things, though.  First, know that we really LIKE most of the stuff at Trader Joe’s!!  Don’t let this rundown of product fails (for us) make you think that we hate Trader Joe’s!  On the contrary – we shop there multiple times every week and eat TONS of food from there!

And secondly - if there is ever a product at Trader Joe’s that you want to try in the store, YOU CAN!!  Just ask any associate if you can try whatever (except beer or wine).  They will open it for you on the spot and let you sample it, no kidding!!!  And they don’t even make you feel weird for asking – it is part of their normal operations to let customers sample!

And lastly, if you ever buy something at Trader Joe’s, get it home, try it, and don’t like it, TAKE IT BACK.  They are the best store about returns!!  We don’t often run into things we need to return but when we do I am not hesitant to bring stuff back.  They have big signs in all of their locations explaining their awesome return policy – buy it, try it, don’t like it, return it!!  Just bring it back to the store, take it to customer service when you get there, and let them know you are returning.  Then shop and get whatever you want, and when you check out tell the cashier you have a return at customer service.  The cashier will ring the bell at their station and get the info on your return and VOILA, no mess no fuss your product fail is returned! 

Happy shopping 😊 . 

Return of the Pomegranate (Body Butter)

Look, I do not want to get all political in this forum, that is not what this space is for.  This is for TRADER JOE’S, for heaven’s sake, not for politics.  But I feel that I must put it out there, at least acknowledge the fact, that I am not feeling up to snapping funny photos of David and I chowing down on mini pies and the like right now.  It is a somber, confusing time for me. 

And yet – we all must eat.  And in our case, that means we must make a trip to Trader Joe’s. 

And lucky for me, it meant that I found POMEGRANATE BODY BUTTER is back in stock.  Yes, a holiday favorite has returned.  If you follow this blog you might know that I am not a huge fan (at all…) of TJ’s PUMPKIN Body Butter (bleck!), but the Pomegranate is good!! 

Here it is folks!  It is back!

They have changed the packaging this year- funked it up a bit and it looks nice.  They did NOT change the price tag – it is still the low, low price of $5.49.  Sadly, they didn’t take my advice to change the LID to the cool lid they give to the yucky Pumpkin scent, the one where you can snap the lid up off instead of having to twist it off.  Not having the advanced lid is the only reason this product got a 4.75 instead of a 5 star rating last year!  You would THINK they would want to up their game, man!  But if they are not changing the lid, I am not changing the rating.

Packaging THIS year

Packaging LAST year

Anyway, you should for sure grab yourself a tub during this holiday season.  And actually, you might want to grab an extra tub to squirrel away for later, cuz when the first tub runs out, you might miss it and they won’t have it anymore.  And if you have someone on your holiday shopping list who likes lotion, this might be a good gift!  Now don’t say I didn’t help you with your shopping.

Here is the full review from last year (which has more fun photos, cuz it was before the 2016 Presidential American election…): 2015 Pomegranate Body Butter Review

And you know what?  If you are reading this, and want to try this product but don't have a Trader Joe's in your area, check on E-Bay and other sites.  If you can't find anyone selling it for at or near the REAL PRICE ($5.49) comment here and we can work together.  You can send me money and I will get you some at TJ's and mail it to you (sorry, you will have to pay for shipping, but it will be better than getting ripped off by some online retailer!).  Just consider it my early holiday gift to you.

Here is to a winter with no dry skin.

Price: $5.49

Rating: 4.75

Pumpkin Body Butter: WARNING, IT IS BACK!

It's that time of year again.

It is AUTUMN, when all things Trader Joe's turn PUMPKIN, even the body butter.  But please, learn from my mistake.  I tried it last year, I took one for the team.  Here is the review (the product got a higher review than it should have solely because of the good PACKAGING, packaging I am not even sure it HAS anymore since the follow-up body butters at Trader Joe's didn't):

Pumpkin Body Butter Review

Unless you want to walk around this fall smelling like a Thanksgiving candle, just don't do it - don't buy this body butter.

It's baaaaack....

Oh, I am sure there are some die hard fans out there going, "YESSSS - THE PUMPKIN BODY BUTTER IS BACKKKK!", but I ain't one of 'em.

Bleck.

You have been warned.  

Day 335 - Pomegranate Body Butter

YES, YES, YES.

I was very fearful to try this seasonal body butter.  After all, the last time I invested in a tub of season TJ’s body butter things went horribly wrong…  (See the review of Pumpkin Body Butter here...)  

  

Not gonna lie - I was really nervous to try this after my experiment with PUMPKIN BODY BUTTER failed miserably...

But hey, I didn’t want to let one little mishap spoil my love of body cream/lotion/butter…  I wanted to GET BACK ON THE HORSE and try another new product!!!  So I nervously asked at the Trader Joe’s customer service counter if perhaps they had an open tub of this that I could try a bit of…  Turns out they DIDN’T, but the woman I asked had been wanting to try some herself and was more than happy to grab one and open it up for me.

Nervously, I put my finger in and pulled a plop of the white cream out.  I rubbed it on my hands.  And I went in for the SMELL TEST, the area where the Pumpkin Spiced Body Butter had failed oh so miserably…  Would this Pomegranate Cream smell like a Christmas pie of some sort???  A candle?????

Pretty label, but would it have a pretty SMELL????

My nose was pleasantly surprised – IT SMELLED GOOD!!!  So I bought a tub and took it home with me to give it the ultimate test – the all-over after shower body cream test!!!

I am pleased to announce that this body butter PASSED THE TEST!!! 

It’s lovely!  The texture is nice, it is quite thick.  The coverage goes on well – it is not heavy or greasy.  The scent is very delicate and pleasant.  I realized that even though I like to eat pomegranate seeds, I have no metal/olfactory idea of what POMEGRANATES smell like.  If this cream is any indication, they smell clean, fresh, and light!!!  And what I like about it is that it smells good, but it is a light enough scent that I feel perfectly find putting a different scented perfume OVER it and I do not feel like I have competing smells going on.

I really like this product.  I am so happy I grabbed one.  It reminds me of a body butter that I really like from Sephora (Sephora brand) that David sometimes treats me with as a Christmas gift. 

They had quite a few the day I got mine - I hope there are more because I may "need" to pick up another one...  

I would give this TJ’s Pomegranate Body Butter a score of 5, except the ONE THING I liked about the Pumpkin Body Butter, the cool lid that you could pop off the middle of instead of having to unscrew the whole thing, that part is MISSING on the Pomegranate version.  It just has a stupid old fashioned screw on/off lid.  Oh Trader Joe’s – whyyyy did you not use those cool lids on this holiday scent??  They rocked.  I need to take off a bit in the score for that oversight.

Great price - you won't find a tub of nice body butter at this low price in fancy stores like Sephora.

I recommend you pick up a tub or two of this the next time you are at Trader Joe’s.  It is really well priced, too.  Word has it they will sell out quickly, so chop chop!

 Price – $5.49

Rating – 4.75

Day 285 - Pumpkin Body Butter

I was not going to buy this.  One of the premises of this blog is that I would not buy anything that I anticipated before even trying it I would dislike it – that does not seem fair to the ratings to go into with a negative attitude.  But I was curious about this body butter…  I love lotion – I use it every single day.  And I really like body butters (oh man, the unscented generic one from Sephora is amaaaazing and David often gets me a tub of it for Christmas!).  So I wondered about this Trader Joe’s one, but I was afraid I would not like the scent.

Look, it is LUXURIOUS, it says so right on the label!!!

One night recently when I was checking out at Trader Joe’s I asked my checker if he has tried this product yet.  He had a stack of them sitting at his register.  He said he hadn’t tried it (secretly I was hoping he would say, “Should we open one up and give it a whiff??” but he didn’t).  But then I overheard the cashier right behind me offering some to HIS customer to try!  Well, you don’t have to ask me twice (technically, no one had asked me once, but go with it…)!!  I turned around and inserted myself into their conversation and grabbed a blob of the body butter to rub on my hands.

Of COURSE it is a "Flyer Item" - it is OCTOBER!  Every pumpkin product is a flyer item this month.  :)

It was nice!  The texture seemed good and the smell was not overpowering (as I had feared it might be).   It seemed to smell more like AUTUMN, more like SPICE, than stinking like a PUMPKIN PIE.  It was nice.  I thought maybe I had previously just had a bad attitude toward pumpkin scented things and I should get with the program. 

In store selfie...  I was a little bit nervous about this product...

I would have picked up a tub of it then and there but my cashier was done ringing me up and had everything bagged so I finished up and left.  But the next time I went into a TJ’s I got a tub of the Pumpkin Body Butter.  I was still NERVOUS, mind you, but the little sample on my hands had gone well enough that I thought a tub might be just the thing for the autumn weather.

That charge of $4.99 for this product will soon be a refund…

I put this body butter on today after my shower.  I mean – I PUT.  IT.  ON.  Everywhere.  All over my whole body.  It is sticky going on.  Once it was all on and rubbed in it was not too sticky, however…

I SMELL LIKE A CANDLE.  I smell like a rust colored pillar candle in the middle of a harvest centerpiece on the Thanksgiving table.  David said, “You are bloody AUTUMNAL is what you are!!”.

If you like smelling like a human sized pumpkin pie this is the body butter for you.

I don’t really smell so much like – well – I smell more like a PIE than I would like.  I am not the sort of person who likes fragrances that smell like FOOD.  Case in point, you will not see BIRTHDAY CAKE scented lotion in my cupboard (even though I really like one manufacturer who mistakenly (IMHO) makes that scent…).  That is disgusting!  If I want to eat a birthday cake I will EAT A BIRTHDAY CAKE.  I don’t want my ARM to smell like a birthday cake!!!

So, to wrap this up, this body butter goes on sticky.  After you get it on the texture is okay.  And the scent is good IIIIFFF you want to walk around smelling like a big pumpkin pie (or centerpiece candle).  If you do not want to smell like a pumpkin pie, just use some from a sample jar one time on your hands when you are at Trader Joe’s.  Trust me.  Learn from my mistake.

I have to give them points for the lid.  It's quite ingenious.

Because this is not sticky after you get it on, and because some people actually want to smell like walking desserts, I do not feel I can give this product a zero score (even though I am going to return it and ask for my money back).  I mean, some people might LIKE this…  It is not HORRIBLE.  It did not make me throw up and I did not jump in the shower and wash it all off.  Oh, it also has a really cool lid , you can either unscrew it like a traditional body butter lid or you can pop the middle of the top off. 

Because of those positive, I will not give it this product a zero.  J

P.S. – lest you think I hate all things pumpkin, make sure to read tomorrow’s review of MINI PUMPKIN PIES!

Price - $4.99

Rating - 2