WALK 'N' SNIFF: Destinations and Poptails

So out of sheer boredom, I went for stroll in Manhattan and made a pit stop to BBW.


I was trying to be discreet

Despite the current $12 sale, I didn't buy anything; nay, I only stopped in to see what I could see and sniff what I could sniff. So let's get started...

The Destination collection...sigh. So as y'all know, EVERY SINGLE ONE of these is a repackage, not a new scent in the bunch! On the one hand, they brought back/repackaged some Slatkin classics but on the other hand, is it really too hard to come up with entirely new scents?!!!

So some of these aren't worth talking about cuz they're pretty obvious...

Paris French Daydream - Paris Daydream
New York - Black Tie/Sage and Cedar
London Tea & Lemon - London Calling
Istanbul Sparkling Amber - Sparkling/Sensual Amber

Let's talk about the less obvious one

Hawaii ~ Aloha Passionflower - this one is throwin me for a loop. At first I thought it might be an old Slatkin scent called Passionflower , cuz they have same exact notes. Now here's where I'm confused. I always thought Passionflower smelled more watery and fruity and was repackaged as Pink Apple Punch. Maybe I was wrong? Perhaps Passionflower did smell as floral as Hawaii does. Hawaii APF does have that watery fruity vibes thanks to the pear and casaba melon but I get awful lot of floral, a floral note I can't quite pinpoint. I was talking with TTFT who thought it might be Aloha Waikiki/Hawaiian Hibiscus...possibly.  Regardless of what it is, I didn't care for it. Easy pass!

Barcelona ~ Mandarins and Mosaics - another repackage of a classic Slatkin summer scent - Caribbean Salsa (pineapple nectar, peach, Yuzu flower, vanilla). It's just a hodgepodge of sweet tropical fruit made even sweeter by vanilla. Think tropical fruit salad in syrup. Some people have even likened it to candy, mainly gummy bears. To me, this was a weird choice; they should've chosen a scent that was more sultry, sensual, perhaps masculine - Mad about Madrid or Havana Heat or better yet, BLACK PEPPER BERGAMOT..any excuse to bring back my bae! But alas, BBW has to keep things mainstream and safe for their customers.

Amsterdam ~ Tulips and Windmills - there has much contention as to what his candle was a repackage of. Judging from strictly the name, most assumed that it was a now extinct Slatkin spring scent called Pink Tulips..it makes sense don't it. However the more savvy candle connoisseurs from looking at the notes instantly recognized it as another extinct Slatkin scent called Flower Shop as the notes are exactly the same. After sniffing I today, there's no doubt it my mind - it is indeed Flower Shop albeit tweaked. It's not as potent and there isn't as much floral powderiness but other than that it's essentially the same. Flower Shop was the BEST floral scent in the history is Slatkin/BBW scents so I'm glad it's back even with another name and look.

Italy ~ Espresso Cafe (Espresso Bar) Los Angeles ~ Palm Trees and Sunshine Bora Bora ~ Bungalow Beaches (Meet me in Tahiti) and Bangkok ~ Golden Temples and Spices (Tropical Spice) did not make the nationwide cut


The Poptails candles...sigh. Can I rant for a second? So when I first heard about these, I was sort borderline excited. I did enjoy the Summer Sips collection from last summer and this collection seemed to be a nod to it. But, as is always the case, the actual new and different scents didn't make the cut and the same ol boring scents we see all the time did, again, BBW loves to be safe and mainstream for their customers.

I wont talk about Mango Coconut Cooler, Pink Apple Punch or Watermelon Lemonade as EVERYBODY and their grandma (should) know what these all smell like.

Limoncello Poptail - duh, its Limoncello..NEXT!!!

Spiked Cherry Limesicle - I was initially intrigued by this one; I love cherries, I love limes, I love cherry-lime. However part of me was leery, this had to be Cherry Blossom Sangria. Yet so many disagreed and said it wasn't the same..and I believed them. Alas I smelled it in the store and it is indeed Cherry Blossom Sangria, albeit tweaked. There is an ever so faint lime-esque tartness in the background but that's the only difference; SCL is more tart than the CBS. But that's the ONLY difference.

Sangria Berry Freeze - So when I first heard about this one, I thought for sure that it would be Sparkling Berry Fizz from Summer Sips aka Champagne Toast but actually it's not...I daresay, this might be a new scent. Scent-wise, I'm hardpressed to say I smell the notes (strawberries, boysenberries, white wine). I get more darker berries, like blackberries and blueberries. As for white wine...I guess? I guess maybe a sweet green grape Moscato like wine. So yeah, I would say this smells like a generic super sweet green grape juice blended with blackberries

Island Margarita - prepare to get very confused! So as you know there was a scent called Lime Granita Margarita and it seemingly appeared to not have made the cut. WRONG! BBW changed the name to....ISLAND MARGARITA. Wait, there's more! Not only that but they have also released the regular original Island Margarita. Wait there's more! The new Island Margaritas have the same notes as Lime Granita Margarita (key limes, sea salt, crushed ice). Wait there's more! So some stores, most likely the WB may have both Island Margs alongside each other or Lime Granita Margarita alongside Island Margarita. Has your brain imploded yet? Mine certainly has. So I smelled the regular Island Marg today...and it appears to have been tweaked. It's not as candy sweet and the salt rim note has been amped but other than that, it's practically the same.

Banana Kiwi Colada and Twisted Caramel Gelato did not make the nationwide cut

Comments

  1. I finally went into B&BW today to sniff the Poptails collection and purchase candles from the Destinations collection, but sadly the Destinations candles won't be released here until August 31st.

    Interestingly enough, I think B&BW ships failed test candles up to Canada--Calgary Alberta at least--for sales, as both Banana Kiwi Colada and Twisted Caramel Gelato were readily available. I remember the same thing happening in the past with Tequila Lime Cupcake, and there were still oodles of TLCs for sale at my store today even after the SAS. That's my theory on what they do with the failed test candles.

    I've also seen Seaside Mimosa on the B&BW website and Instagram, which design-wise, appears to be a standalone candle not with a particular collection. There were two other candles for sale that look to be in that 'collection' that I haven't seen discussed on any blogs or anything - Beach Breeze and Sunkissed Days. I know they're part of the bath and body care collection, but I don't recall anything about them being released as candles.

    Beach Breeze was a fresh, watery scent. It was actually surprisingly nice, and I'm not usually a fan of fresh watery scents. Sunkissed Days shocked me a bit, in a good way - It was a musky fruity floral... not quite like any scents I've smelled in the past couple of years. I would have purchased it if I wasn't totally over summer scents.

    Anyways, thanks as always for the great post! I follow your blog religiously awaiting new posts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. First of all, thank you so much for checking out my blog, that means a lot to me

    I do think they send failed test scents (that arent already in test stores) to either outlet stores in the states or regular stores up there in Canada. Personally, there should be a thing as "failed test scents" and all scents should be readily available everywhere, but thats a rant for a different day lol

    I heard thru the grapevine that due to a company error, Sunkissed Days and Beach Breeze may not be released and will probably only be available in the few stores there in now

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just wanted to thank you again for pointing out Amsterdam is Flower Shop to me on Instagram! I bought 2 online yesterday and at this point, I don't mind paying $12 a piece (plus a 20% off code) for a couple more of my beloved Flower Shop! Thanks, as always, for your wonderful blog and thoughts! <3

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  4. I think the aloha passionflower is bahama fizz. I only ever smelled the room spray and It was a long time ago but the scent just reminds me of that.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think aloha passionflower is bahama fizz.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I dunno about that. I remember BF being very fruity and heavy on the banana... but I could be wrong

    ReplyDelete

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