WALK 'N' SNIFF: Winter 2014 Candles Part One
Hey e'rybody! Let me first off apologize for bein MIA lately. I've had a lot goin lately, including a new job, so I don't have nearly as much free time as I used to. Furthermore, up until today, I hadn't had much to talk about B&BW-wise; I had nothing to review that I hadn't reviewed already and I haven't been inside a B&BW store until a few days ago. After work, I visited my favorite store in the city and it had all of the winter scents so I decided to get my sniff and mentally note which scents I was going to eventually get.
Because there are so many scents to talk about, I decided that instead of making one long ass post that Id split it into two parts. Part one will be the Ski Lodge/Snow and Slopes and Home Traditions candles and Part two will be the Holiday Traditions and Martini and Mistletoe collections. So let's begin...
So everybody should know what Fresh Balsam, Winter, Tis the Season, Vanilla Snowflake, Marshmallow Fireside and Mahogany Teakwood smells like so I'm not gonna talk about em. So I'll just talk about the less popular as well as new scents.
Sparkling Icicles
I've already done a review about this so I won't go into great depth about it. It basically smells like a fresh, cool, "aqua" men's cologne - more to the point it smells EXACTLY like Acqua di Gio.
Hot Buttered Rum
This has been around for awhile. I'm personally not a big fan of it; it's too sweet for me. If you like ooey gooey sugar high inducing caramel-y type scents like Pumpkin Caramel Latte, Summer Boardwalk, Salted Caramel, etc, you'll like this. In fact, if you ever smelled this year's Bourbon Butterscotch, that smells almost exactly like HBR. It's warm, ooey gooey, caramel-y scent with a hint a strong sweet dark alcohol
Spiced Apple Toddy
Another winter classic that's been around for awhile. There's not much to say about - it smells like a watered down Leaves. Take out the nectar and mandarin and berries, leave the apple/cider/cinnamon and add a dash of brown liquor and that's SAT.
Ski Lodge
This in my opinion is the star of this collection. When I first heard about this, I didn't know what to think; I thought I would be a repackage of Vanilla Cedarwood or Vanilla Firewood or that good awful Good Natured Christmas. But (unless someone can prove me wrong), I think this may a new scent...PRAISE THE LORD!!! It's hard to describe. It's woodsy without smelling "cologne-y", it's sweet without smelling candy-sh, it's smoky without smelling like an old chimney. A reviewer on the website described it perfectly - "If Fireside and Espresso Bar Had a Baby..." It's got the woody/smoky action like Fireside without leather note and the intensity with the sweet vanilla/cocoa action of Espresso Bar. It feels like you're inside a ski resort/cabin in front of the fire sipping cocoa. It's warm, it's cozy, it's inviting - I REALLY like this one a lot!
*Snow and Slopes, despite it being the name of this collection, did not make the cut
And now onto the Home Traditions candles. I won't talk about the stuff everyone (should) know - Cinnamon & Clove Buds (Red Hot/Hot Tamale candies), Cinnamon Frosting (Frosted Cupcake mixed with Cinnamon&Clove Buds) and Merry Cookie (vanilla scented wax).
Gourmet Espresso
Let's not beat around the bush, it's Espresso Bar plain and simple....next!
Pumpkin Gingerbread
Why PUMPKIN?! Isn't this supposed to be a "WINTER" scent?! Anyhoo, this one...it's new but not new if that make sense. It's smells...familiar. For you ol school BBW'ers out there, it's very similar to Frosted Gingerbread. I never liked that one; to me it always smelled like corn chips. And there's a sharp intense spice note that made it smell a little like curry. Luckily PG doesn't have that sharp curry action; I think this smells more like actual gingerbread that FG did. Also there is a "pumpkin" note; an earthiness with cinnamon/nutmeg/ginger "pumpkin pie" spice; kinda smells like Pumpkin Cupcake. So yeah, PG is basically Frosted Gingerbread mixed with Pumpkin Cupcake.
Butterscotch Toffee
Ehh, there's not much to say about this one.Again, it's new but not new...familiar smelling. Just your standard B&BW-ian take on caramel/toffee/butterscotch scents. If you liked Bourbon Butterscotch, Salted Caramel, Sea Salt & Maple Popcorn, Hot Buttered Rum, then you'll like this.
Mint Mocha Bark
This seems to be the run away hit of this collection; ER'YBODY and their grandma has been ravin about it. Most reviewers have said the same thing about it and I have to agree - this smells like a mix of Mint Chocolate and last year's Buttercream Mint. The chocolate note is there but hidden in the background. You mainly get a cool but not overpowering "Twisted Peppermint-iness" with a milky somewhat buttery creaminess. Yeah, Mint Chocolate and Buttercream Mint's love child. Personally I think Mint Chocolate (especially last year's version) smells better but that's just my humble opinion.
*Snickerdoodle and Holiday Apple Crisp did not make the cut, although HAC is available as a wf bulb online
Stay tuned for Part Deux......
Because there are so many scents to talk about, I decided that instead of making one long ass post that Id split it into two parts. Part one will be the Ski Lodge/Snow and Slopes and Home Traditions candles and Part two will be the Holiday Traditions and Martini and Mistletoe collections. So let's begin...
So everybody should know what Fresh Balsam, Winter, Tis the Season, Vanilla Snowflake, Marshmallow Fireside and Mahogany Teakwood smells like so I'm not gonna talk about em. So I'll just talk about the less popular as well as new scents.
Sparkling Icicles
I've already done a review about this so I won't go into great depth about it. It basically smells like a fresh, cool, "aqua" men's cologne - more to the point it smells EXACTLY like Acqua di Gio.
Hot Buttered Rum
This has been around for awhile. I'm personally not a big fan of it; it's too sweet for me. If you like ooey gooey sugar high inducing caramel-y type scents like Pumpkin Caramel Latte, Summer Boardwalk, Salted Caramel, etc, you'll like this. In fact, if you ever smelled this year's Bourbon Butterscotch, that smells almost exactly like HBR. It's warm, ooey gooey, caramel-y scent with a hint a strong sweet dark alcohol
Spiced Apple Toddy
Another winter classic that's been around for awhile. There's not much to say about - it smells like a watered down Leaves. Take out the nectar and mandarin and berries, leave the apple/cider/cinnamon and add a dash of brown liquor and that's SAT.
Ski Lodge
This in my opinion is the star of this collection. When I first heard about this, I didn't know what to think; I thought I would be a repackage of Vanilla Cedarwood or Vanilla Firewood or that good awful Good Natured Christmas. But (unless someone can prove me wrong), I think this may a new scent...PRAISE THE LORD!!! It's hard to describe. It's woodsy without smelling "cologne-y", it's sweet without smelling candy-sh, it's smoky without smelling like an old chimney. A reviewer on the website described it perfectly - "If Fireside and Espresso Bar Had a Baby..." It's got the woody/smoky action like Fireside without leather note and the intensity with the sweet vanilla/cocoa action of Espresso Bar. It feels like you're inside a ski resort/cabin in front of the fire sipping cocoa. It's warm, it's cozy, it's inviting - I REALLY like this one a lot!
*Snow and Slopes, despite it being the name of this collection, did not make the cut
And now onto the Home Traditions candles. I won't talk about the stuff everyone (should) know - Cinnamon & Clove Buds (Red Hot/Hot Tamale candies), Cinnamon Frosting (Frosted Cupcake mixed with Cinnamon&Clove Buds) and Merry Cookie (vanilla scented wax).
Gourmet Espresso
Let's not beat around the bush, it's Espresso Bar plain and simple....next!
Pumpkin Gingerbread
Why PUMPKIN?! Isn't this supposed to be a "WINTER" scent?! Anyhoo, this one...it's new but not new if that make sense. It's smells...familiar. For you ol school BBW'ers out there, it's very similar to Frosted Gingerbread. I never liked that one; to me it always smelled like corn chips. And there's a sharp intense spice note that made it smell a little like curry. Luckily PG doesn't have that sharp curry action; I think this smells more like actual gingerbread that FG did. Also there is a "pumpkin" note; an earthiness with cinnamon/nutmeg/ginger "pumpkin pie" spice; kinda smells like Pumpkin Cupcake. So yeah, PG is basically Frosted Gingerbread mixed with Pumpkin Cupcake.
Butterscotch Toffee
Ehh, there's not much to say about this one.Again, it's new but not new...familiar smelling. Just your standard B&BW-ian take on caramel/toffee/butterscotch scents. If you liked Bourbon Butterscotch, Salted Caramel, Sea Salt & Maple Popcorn, Hot Buttered Rum, then you'll like this.
Mint Mocha Bark
This seems to be the run away hit of this collection; ER'YBODY and their grandma has been ravin about it. Most reviewers have said the same thing about it and I have to agree - this smells like a mix of Mint Chocolate and last year's Buttercream Mint. The chocolate note is there but hidden in the background. You mainly get a cool but not overpowering "Twisted Peppermint-iness" with a milky somewhat buttery creaminess. Yeah, Mint Chocolate and Buttercream Mint's love child. Personally I think Mint Chocolate (especially last year's version) smells better but that's just my humble opinion.
*Snickerdoodle and Holiday Apple Crisp did not make the cut, although HAC is available as a wf bulb online
Stay tuned for Part Deux......
Went to my local B&BW and they had Mahogany Teakwood handsoap! Also, Sparkling Icicles, Winter and maybe two other scents.
ReplyDeleteI dunno what I think of those. Those are scents I'm not sure I'd want my hands to smell like
ReplyDeleteExactly!
ReplyDelete