Luminous

Initial thoughts: I wore this to bed and wondered why did I purchased this. It was harsh and reminded me of the perfumes my grandmother wore. I did not like it. It was so strong that I could not relax and go to sleep. I tried it again and was very careful not to over spray. I was shocked because I fell in love. I don’t know what changed. Luminous does open aggressively with a perfumy red current and aldehydic notes. It is a vintage scent profile, so I understand some of the criticism. But after that initial punch, the red current calms down to a sparkling tart berry. It is followed by a heavy powdery vintage cosmetic smell and then a very sweet amber and praline. This is sexy the way a movie star from the 1940s is sexy. And Luminous is classy the way black and white Christmas movies are classy. It is obviously a dupe of La Via Est Belle, and I would say they are 90% similar. Luminous seems like it was made in a different time, when women smoked cigarettes, wore evening gowns, and spoke with a Trans-Atlantic accent. La Via Est Belle is more contemporary; it’s something you will sample at Macy’s when shopping with your mother. The Praline is slightly less sweet than La Vie Est Belle. It also replaced the patchouli with amber, which makes Luminous smoother and easier to wear. The performance of this body spray is atomic. This will last until the next morning. This scent lifts off your skin and stays in the air. This is a body spray that will get you noticed. 9/10, this is one of my favorites from the bath and body works. For a layering suggestion try Luminous with Phulr’s Strawberry Letter. The red current and strawberry blend together beautifully. This is a mature winter combo with a fruity sexy edge.

It’s so funny how most fragrances I adore started with HATE 😭 and yes this is one of my “love at first hate” fragrances. Gosh I remember the utter disgust when I first sniffed this. It was the nastiest, antique, grandmother fumes that gave my nostrils an uppercut (HOW COULD A BODY MIST BE THIS STRONG??) After a few minutes, I completely forgot that I sprayed this on my wrist and wondered where that beautiful scent was coming from—pure sweetness and powdery goodness !! I reached for my water bottle and caught a whiff from my wrists. Ok, wow, who knew that wonderful aroma was actually from that dreaded grandmother fragrance. Excuse me, how did the gray-haired woman transform into a young lady wearing a sexy, long, red dress, black fur coat, and diamond jewelry? This scent is magnificent, it’s definitely how walking down the red carpet in 1930’s would feel like !! This is definitely one of BBW’s best scents. I love how it leans toward a perfume-y smell rather than their usual mists. It performs really well too !! This is one of their scents where I don’t find myself over-spraying in order to really smell it. Longevity? No problem !! It lasts me about 4-5 hours on clothes. + ofc I don’t mind reapplying once bc it’s affordable. I used to think this smells like Beyoncé heat but it took me some time to realize that it doesn’t, maybe it’s just the warm sweetness that gave me the impression. I’ve heard a lot of people say that this smells like LVEB tho !! If this is how LVEB smells like? I’ll surely love LVEB. Imagine layering it with luminous 🎀 A solid masterpiece from bbw !!

I got this hand soap for Christmas and was dying to smell it. It was love at first smell. This smells just like Sensual Amber before they reformulated it. I can't wait to get my hands on it🖤. Edit: So I got my hands on her. Everyone seems so polarized by her, but I LOVE IT. She's warm, cozy, sexy, and strong! I definitely smell major LVEB similarities. All smiles because I lovee LVEB. They seem to be discontinuing everything that I love or reformulating everything at BBW, so this was an awesome surprise. I still get og Sensual Amber with something sweeter in the background. I'm guessing that's the praline. I love how Praline has a nutty, cinnamon-like aspect going on. Kind of like the warm nuts you get at the carnival. I'm in love with this stuff. My new favorite ffm. I don't know how anyone could visualize this as "old woman?" She's an it girl that smells youthful but grown and sexy. An older woman could and should wear this. All age appropriate, yes. All season appropriate, check. But I definitely view this most dominate as a warm, sweater weather, cuddly snuggly, type vibe. I love me some sweet, juvenile scents as much as I love the refined and sophisticated, but this is definitely one of the more refined scents they have to offer. This is no Cotton Candy Clouds. I hope they keep it around. The dry down of this is almost uncanny to the dry down of LVEB. If you are looking for a cheap dupe, go for this. Or layer with it to last all day🖤.

I have a bunch of this. BBW clearance gift sets for $4.50 (what?!) & many BOGO’s & coupons & I was just drawn to it like “My Precious”...😭😝 It is a scent profile I love so idk why I’m always so puzzled when I can’t think of “where have I smelled this before...?”! It is 100% the BBW version of LVEB. Which, if you love that, you need this. BECAUSE...layering. It has a depth that imho the LVEB shower gelee & lotions (I own) honestly do not. If I add this I get more compliments! It works in the summer heat. I actually think that it smells even more like Sofia Vergara’s (unfortunately discontinued) Sofia than LVEB. The plum is prominent & jammy. There is more almond which makes it a bit more powdery than Lancôme’s Iris Pallida (?) whatever (imo), & powder just leaves tracks! So add this lotion & body spray & it just lasts & lasts. 🙌👍 If your skin eats scent like mine does, you’ll understand why it will make you (& your debit card) swoon with joy. If you like this, you’d probably enjoy Avon’s Imari Seduction or Bodycology’s Sweet Vanilla Wish (Walmart-super affordable & awesome body spray (or room freshener & body wash), or the OG LVEB. Thank you so much for reading my review! 🌷🫶🏻

I was sold on Luminous the moment I saw it being compared to La Vie Est Belle and Flowerbomb because I love both these fragrances. In fact on the day I received the Luminous mist I was wearing La Vie Est Belle Florale layered with Sensual Amber with a spritz of Flowerbomb added for oomph and if I may say so myself, I was smelling delicious. Maybe that’s why when I sprayed Luminous, I couldn’t tell the difference. I set it aside and didn’t think much about it. But today, having decided to give Luminous its own spot in the limelight, I sprayed the mist. At first I got the similarities again, but as it dried down, the praline shone through, making this deeper and warmer and generally more delectable. The iris in here is the same iris in Dolce Gabbana The Only One, and even if The Only One has caramel instead of praline, I think Luminous gives the same effect. Take away the sharpness of La Vie Est Belle, possibly from the patchouli, and replace it with a smooth amber and you have gorgeous Luminous. I have just placed an order for the EDP, the shower gel and the body butter and I can’t wait to bask in its sweet decadent warmth.