WHITE BARN EXCLUSIVENESS: Tequila Lime Cupcake

Products: candle
Area used in:  living room (weekends only)
Time Period: June - July

Description: Treat yourself to a fragrance that combines two of the best treats -a margarita and a cupcake - Freshly squeezed lime, tequila and a delicious cake topped with buttercream

So as soon as I heard about this bad boi, I was super intrigued as I LOVE lime scents. Sadly it was a White Barn exclusive with no sign of it going wide. I had to satisfy my growing curiousity. I made several bids on Evil-bay only to lose every single one. Eventually it take it as a sign that me obtaining this unicorn candle was not meant to be....until that is I got a heads up that a certain test store was once again doing phone orders. As soon as there's was a 2for24 sale, I ordered this as well as my first Bowties & Bourbon (when that too was a WB exclusive). I will admit, I wasn't entirely sold when I sniffed it for the first time but once I lit, I found myself really enjoying it.

Performance-wise, it was sheer utter PERFECTION! It'd had what I call "rice krispie" wicks - wicks that snap, crackle and pop when you light em. It also had the biggest and plumpest mushroom tops I've ever seen in a really long time. With every single burn, there was a consistently deep and even pool...too deep and even. As you know, BBW/WB shortened the burn time awhile back. That said, I had to really watch how long I left this burning cuz it melted and pooled out really quickly. The throw is AMAZEBALLS; it has "warm blanket" throw - not too knock you out strong but definitely not weak; it wraps around you like a warm blanket.

I've said this before, BBW doesn't do lime scents very well. I guess because lime can be too potent for home fragrance, they tend to substitute lime for other tart citrusy notes - lemongrass, pomelo, mandarin, etc. If you're expecting a straightup lime scent, you'll be kinda disappointed. You just get a vague citrusiness, I can't tell you what actual citrus notes I smell..lemongrass or lemon basil maybe...again, vague citrusiness.

BBW also doesn't have a good track record with "cupcake" scents. Pumpkin Cupcake, Red Velvet Cupcake, Cinnamon Frosting, Buttercream Mint....they all smelled like bastard versions of Frosted Cupcake. I thought for sure TLC would be FC with "lime". I am pleased as punch to report that that this is not the case. In fact, this is a new blend! You definitely get the "cupcake" aspect; you get a warm bakery note as well as a sweet creamy vanilla frosting note which blends ever so nicely with "lime-ness". As for the "tequila" aspect..not really. Can't say I get any liquor-y action although I do get a faint of saltiness, like the salted rim of a margarita. It kinda enhances the subtle tartness of whatever citrus notes used in this blend. I can see the direction WB was going with this in calling this candle "Tequila Lime Cupcake" though personally to me, it smells like key lime pie with salty "margarita" flavored whipped cream. More to the point, it reminds of Pinnacle Key Lime vodka; whenever I burn this, it always put me in the mood for key lime martini.

Anyhoo, this is a nice one and I'm actually quite glad that I got it. It's a shame that it was an exclusive cuz more people should've had the chance to experience it. It's a nice summertime scent; cozy, inviting, guest-friendly and a nice change from all the coconut, mangoey tropical crap we get bombarded with. Fingers crossed, it may pop up in stores during SAS. However as nice as I think TLC is, it's not a must have in my opinion. So don't drive yourself crazy trying to find and buy it. If it's in your store on sale during SAS or if it's reasonably priced on Evilbay or you have a friend who has an extra, then sure go ahead get it for the sake of it being "exclusivey" but otherwise don't waste your time.