WALK 'N' SNIFF: Aloha Hawaii and Provence Garden
So yesterday I went to BBW to return/exchange my Spring candles/wf bulbs. Also I wanted to get my sniff on and see what the big deal was about these Aloha Hawaii candles.
Lanikai Coconut
I did not like this one at all! Honestly I'm not a big fan of coconut scents but if it's blended right with other notes, I could dig it i.e. Tiki Beach. But this one just smelled strange. It think it's the "seawater" note; it made what's an otherwise creamy really salty. HATED IT!
Pineapple Palm Grass
This truly smells like legit pineapple! And not your Dole's canned pineapple slices in syrup but a fresh pineapple from the market that's just been sliced and is dripping in its own fresh juices. This one is definitely one of the winners in this line!
Black Sands
This is definitely a "mandle"! I won't go so far as to say that it's "cologne-y" but there's a definitely a masculine vibe to it. Now as I was smelling this in the store, I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what it smelled liked. Then I rememeberd Touchthefiretwice's review and he said it smelled like Eucalyptus Mint & Rain...and he's a absolutely right! This smells exactly like EM&R with maybe a dash of Black Tie. I'm actually digging it! If you're anti-cologne-y/manly scents, just pass this one right on by!
Rainforest Sugarcane
This is a strange one! I was really hoping that it would smell like Sparkling Mojito from years ago but no so much. It reminded me of Snap Pea in the fact that initially I hated it but after a few sniffs I was on board. It's very green, very grassy and leafy. And there's a slight muddled lime scent chillin in the background. But I think it's the "sugarcane" note that kept throwin me for a loop. It kinda smells like brown natural raw sugar crystals you find in coffee houses. It's almost borderline maple syrupy. I just don't know this one!
Island Waters
I was super intrigued with this one as I love fresh, watery, oceany scents. This one didn't disappoint. It's very fresh and clean and watery with a hint of something lush and green in the background. I'm not 100% sure but I think this may be a repackage with a twist of Sunrise Lagoon from awhile back. Anyhoo, it's nice to finally have a watery summery scent that's not Oceanside or a repackage of Renew&Refresh. The only thing I 'm worried about is that on cold sniff, it's quite light. I'm hopin this has a decent throw.
Hawaiian Hibiscus
This is basically Aloha Waikiki 2.0. I even did a comparison sniff of the two to make sure I wasn't trippin. If you smelled Aloha Waikiki, then you know what Hawaiian Hibiscus smells like. If not, it's a super sweet floral scent..period. That's really all there is to say about it.
Mango Dragonfruit
This seems to be everybody's number one favorite, I mean everyone is goin apeshit over MD! Now there's talk that this is repackage of Merry Mango from this winter's Winter Market. I never got to smell that one so I can't verify if it is or not. It's a super sweet candy mango scent, not fresh or juicy, just sweet.
Red Guava Lava
This is another one that is getting everyone's panties soaking wet! Personally I don't think this is anything remotely exciting. It's basically a repackage of Pink Passionfruit from this spring's Fresh Picked line. I did a comparison test; it's slightly lighter but there's no denying that it smells just like PP.
I did wind up buying Rainforest Sugarcane, Island Waters and Black Sands
My store also had the Provence Garden in mason jars. Honestly y'all, I'm not impressed...
Provence Gardens
I'm soooo glad that this isn't a repackage of Tuscan Herbs. This scent is a little hard to describe. It's very green and vine-y smelling but it's sweet, like fruity sweet..possibly from the pear blossom. It's kinda like Green Grass or Fresh Bamboo but sweeter. I actually kinda liked this one!
Sundrenched Vineyard
I was a bit intrigued with this one as BBW really hasn't really done a grape/wine scent. I was shocked and disappointed when Touchthefiretwice said in his video review that it smelled like Cranberry Woods. I refused to believe BBW would be so audaciously lazy. However the proof was indeed in the pudding; I sniffed it and sure enough TTFT was right - it was absolutely a repackage of CW! No one can convince me otherwise! WTF BBW?! REALLY? CRANBERRY WOODS? WHAT THE HELL DOES THIS SCENT HAVE TO DO WITH WINE AND A FRIGGIN VINEYARD?! You know what..I just can't... NEXT...
French Lavender
I am happy to announce that this is not a repackage of Lavender Vanilla as I and others assumed it would be. This is by far the most perfect, spot on, genuine, authentic lavender scent BBW has ever made. And not a hint of vanilla...THANK GAWD!!! I'm so sick of BBW throwin vanilla in EVERYTHING! Anyhoo, this scent is amazeballs! If you're a hardcore lavender lover like me, you'll love this one!
Lemon Verbena
I'm fan of this one - I love verbena and I love anything lemon-y. If you're familiar with the test scent Lemon Cucumber from this spring's Fresh Picked, LV smells exactly like that sans the cucumber of course. It does however smell a bit like lemon/lime Fruity Pebbles. A lot of BBW's lemon and verbena based candles this spring all smell like Fruity Pebbles. Not that I'm complainin, I love me some Fruity Pebbles.
Citron Cedarwood
Every collection has to have a colone-y mandle and this one is it. It's like a sweeter version of Black Tie. I dunno if it's a repackage, but there's no denying that the two smell quite similar.
Springtime in Provence
DEAR...LORD!!!
Ever smelled a candle that smelled so off and rank that it had you gagging in the store? There have been a few funky offenders that had me nauseated after one whiff - Caribbean Escape... Winter Night..Thanksgiving. I'm gonna go ahead and add this one to this list. This shit is foul! It literally smells like unwashed, rank, musty, sweaty armpits! I tried sniffing it over and over trying desperately to get the peach and raspberry notes but to no avail. All I got was sweaty armpits! I will never visit Provence if it smells like this in spring!
Lanikai Coconut
I did not like this one at all! Honestly I'm not a big fan of coconut scents but if it's blended right with other notes, I could dig it i.e. Tiki Beach. But this one just smelled strange. It think it's the "seawater" note; it made what's an otherwise creamy really salty. HATED IT!
Pineapple Palm Grass
This truly smells like legit pineapple! And not your Dole's canned pineapple slices in syrup but a fresh pineapple from the market that's just been sliced and is dripping in its own fresh juices. This one is definitely one of the winners in this line!
Black Sands
This is definitely a "mandle"! I won't go so far as to say that it's "cologne-y" but there's a definitely a masculine vibe to it. Now as I was smelling this in the store, I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what it smelled liked. Then I rememeberd Touchthefiretwice's review and he said it smelled like Eucalyptus Mint & Rain...and he's a absolutely right! This smells exactly like EM&R with maybe a dash of Black Tie. I'm actually digging it! If you're anti-cologne-y/manly scents, just pass this one right on by!
Rainforest Sugarcane
This is a strange one! I was really hoping that it would smell like Sparkling Mojito from years ago but no so much. It reminded me of Snap Pea in the fact that initially I hated it but after a few sniffs I was on board. It's very green, very grassy and leafy. And there's a slight muddled lime scent chillin in the background. But I think it's the "sugarcane" note that kept throwin me for a loop. It kinda smells like brown natural raw sugar crystals you find in coffee houses. It's almost borderline maple syrupy. I just don't know this one!
Island Waters
I was super intrigued with this one as I love fresh, watery, oceany scents. This one didn't disappoint. It's very fresh and clean and watery with a hint of something lush and green in the background. I'm not 100% sure but I think this may be a repackage with a twist of Sunrise Lagoon from awhile back. Anyhoo, it's nice to finally have a watery summery scent that's not Oceanside or a repackage of Renew&Refresh. The only thing I 'm worried about is that on cold sniff, it's quite light. I'm hopin this has a decent throw.
Hawaiian Hibiscus
This is basically Aloha Waikiki 2.0. I even did a comparison sniff of the two to make sure I wasn't trippin. If you smelled Aloha Waikiki, then you know what Hawaiian Hibiscus smells like. If not, it's a super sweet floral scent..period. That's really all there is to say about it.
Mango Dragonfruit
This seems to be everybody's number one favorite, I mean everyone is goin apeshit over MD! Now there's talk that this is repackage of Merry Mango from this winter's Winter Market. I never got to smell that one so I can't verify if it is or not. It's a super sweet candy mango scent, not fresh or juicy, just sweet.
Red Guava Lava
This is another one that is getting everyone's panties soaking wet! Personally I don't think this is anything remotely exciting. It's basically a repackage of Pink Passionfruit from this spring's Fresh Picked line. I did a comparison test; it's slightly lighter but there's no denying that it smells just like PP.
I did wind up buying Rainforest Sugarcane, Island Waters and Black Sands
My store also had the Provence Garden in mason jars. Honestly y'all, I'm not impressed...
Provence Gardens
I'm soooo glad that this isn't a repackage of Tuscan Herbs. This scent is a little hard to describe. It's very green and vine-y smelling but it's sweet, like fruity sweet..possibly from the pear blossom. It's kinda like Green Grass or Fresh Bamboo but sweeter. I actually kinda liked this one!
Sundrenched Vineyard
I was a bit intrigued with this one as BBW really hasn't really done a grape/wine scent. I was shocked and disappointed when Touchthefiretwice said in his video review that it smelled like Cranberry Woods. I refused to believe BBW would be so audaciously lazy. However the proof was indeed in the pudding; I sniffed it and sure enough TTFT was right - it was absolutely a repackage of CW! No one can convince me otherwise! WTF BBW?! REALLY? CRANBERRY WOODS? WHAT THE HELL DOES THIS SCENT HAVE TO DO WITH WINE AND A FRIGGIN VINEYARD?! You know what..I just can't... NEXT...
French Lavender
I am happy to announce that this is not a repackage of Lavender Vanilla as I and others assumed it would be. This is by far the most perfect, spot on, genuine, authentic lavender scent BBW has ever made. And not a hint of vanilla...THANK GAWD!!! I'm so sick of BBW throwin vanilla in EVERYTHING! Anyhoo, this scent is amazeballs! If you're a hardcore lavender lover like me, you'll love this one!
Lemon Verbena
I'm fan of this one - I love verbena and I love anything lemon-y. If you're familiar with the test scent Lemon Cucumber from this spring's Fresh Picked, LV smells exactly like that sans the cucumber of course. It does however smell a bit like lemon/lime Fruity Pebbles. A lot of BBW's lemon and verbena based candles this spring all smell like Fruity Pebbles. Not that I'm complainin, I love me some Fruity Pebbles.
Citron Cedarwood
Every collection has to have a colone-y mandle and this one is it. It's like a sweeter version of Black Tie. I dunno if it's a repackage, but there's no denying that the two smell quite similar.
Springtime in Provence
DEAR...LORD!!!
Ever smelled a candle that smelled so off and rank that it had you gagging in the store? There have been a few funky offenders that had me nauseated after one whiff - Caribbean Escape... Winter Night..Thanksgiving. I'm gonna go ahead and add this one to this list. This shit is foul! It literally smells like unwashed, rank, musty, sweaty armpits! I tried sniffing it over and over trying desperately to get the peach and raspberry notes but to no avail. All I got was sweaty armpits! I will never visit Provence if it smells like this in spring!
LE PEEEEEYUUUUU!!!
I ended up purchasing Pineapple Palm Grass, Red Guava Lava and Tiki Beach.
ReplyDeletePineapple Palm Grass smells so juicy! Like there should be pineapple juice dripping off of the candle. IMO it smells different enough from Pineapple Mango to justify getting both of them. I also liked this one best of all the ones that I smelled.
Red Guava Lava smells good to me, but there is also a plastic-y element too. I catch it sometimes and other times I dont smell it. I am 95% sure I am going to be returning this one to get one of the Provence candles.
I liked Black Sands, Island Waters and Rainforest Sugarcane. I think the Black Tie twist is turning me off of Black Sands. I truly hated the smell of BT! Ugh. I have to smell these three again, but I think I am leaning towards either IW or RFSC.
I cant wait to smell Provence Gardens, French Lavender and Lemon Verbena. I am looking forward to French Lavender.
PPG is definitely a good one! And I agree that there is something plastic-y smelling about RGL.
ReplyDeleteGive BS a second chance; I think it's smells 10x better than BT!
I'm really lookin forward to FL myself as well. While I do like those other two, I can easily take a pass on both. But they are definitely worth a sniff!
I ended up purchasing Provence Garden, French Lavender and Lemon Verbena! LOL
ReplyDeleteI love the way all three of them smell cold, but that smell doesnt translate when burning for Provence Garden. That is just my opinion. It was interesting enough for me to buy it, but if I could have smelled it burning in the store, I would have passed on it.
I will keep it, but this is not one that I will be repurchasing.
I TOTALLY agree about Provence Garden. I was digging the cold throw but I was too unsure if it would smell while burning and frankly I wasn't invested or curious enough to experiment. French Lavender and Lemon Verbena are my jams!!! French Lavender is definitely repurchable in my opinion
ReplyDelete