WALK 'N' SNIFF: Spring 2016 candles *UPDATED*

Ok so let's start with the Taco Bell/Fiesta candles. Btw I'm only reviewing the new scents...

Cinnamon Spiced Vanilla - so this is straightup repackage of Cinnamon Sugared Doughnuts, the ORIGINAL Cinnamon Sugared Doughnuts. So you newbies out there are probably familiar with White Barn Market version of CSD, which was a hot doughy mess. However we ol schoolers know the wonder, glory and splendor of the old CSD (2011-2014) which smelled like authentic cake doughnuts fresh from the grease (yes you could even smell the grease) and rolled in cinnamon sugar. And that is what CSV smells like; it smells like freshly made churros still warm from the grease and sprinkled in cinnamon sugar.

Guava Piña Colada - this is yet another repackage - this one is Mango Coconut Cooler; same generic BBWian mango and coconut notes. Why BBW choose this instead of Guava Colada from last spring is beyond me!

Baja Cactus Flower - this seems to be the runaway hit of this collection cuz everybody is going nuts over this one. Even I found myself liking it. You get an undertone of fresh and sweet coconut water with an added clean green note  a la aloe vera. Lastly you get a nosepunch of powdery white floral notes - definitely gardenia with possibly added jasmine and/or amaryllis. It's in the same summery feminine fresh/clean/powdery family as Beach Cabana, Rainforest Gardenia and Tahitian Island Blossom.

Pineapple Lily - PU!!!! WTF BBW?!!! First of all, if you're wondering what a pineapple lily actually smells - basically sulphur and/or rotting meat (it seems BBW thought the name sound interesting and exotic but didn't do the rest of their research) Luckily the candle doesn't smell anything like that however it's still very bizarre. It basically smells like Suntan/Poolside (for you newbies, it smelled exactly like Coppertone suntan lotion) with an added days old leftover wet cut grass and rotten green leaves. You get coconut meat, lots of citrus (orange, lemon, grapefruit, yuzu), a small minute hint of pineapple or the outside of the pineapple and a really unpleasant green note. Absolutely disgusting! Why this went wide and not Prixkly Pear Sugarcane is beyond me.

*Prickly Pear Sugarcane and Mayan Caramel  did not make the cut

And now let's rap about those floral/fruity bakery candles

Mocha Latte Swirl - This is the bombdiggity! So right off the bat, this is NOT a repackage of Espresso Bar/Harvest Coffee/Gourmet Espresso. In fact, I daresay MLS is better! The underlying coffee is similar to EB but isn't as bitter. And as the name suggest, there is a chocolate note but again, it isnt as bitter as EB; it's more balanced and sweet and smooth. And even though EB mentioned vanilla/cream, you didn't really smell it however you do in MLS. And lastly, there is caramel note that kinda smells more like burnt sugar to me. So yeah, think Starbucks Mocha Latte with halfandhalf cream sweetened with raw sugar crystals with whipped cream on top drizzled with caramel.

Blueberries & Cream - this is another one that everyone is going apeshit for. And it's a new scent! The scent itself is pretty straightforward/self explanatory; you get an authentic genuine (non Blueberry Pumpkin Patch) tart and juicy blueberry with an almost yogurt like cream note- think  Dannon or Oikos blueberry yogurt. So I do get the hype but on the other hand I don't; honestly I liked this one but I wasn't blown away by any means.

Lemon Mint Tea - So I grabbed this one to sniff totally expecting Lemon Mint Leaf which I hate. However I smelled something totally different and unexpected - I got Lime Granita Margarita! I smelled the same lime and mint combo that's in LGM with the smallest hint of London Calling-esque black tea notes...though even that I'm not sure I actually smell and might just be a trick.

*DISCLAIMER* There are two different batches of this candle - one smells like LGM and the other smells like Lemon Mint Leaf and your store could have either one

Sugared Peony Petals - Oh boy, what a disappointing waste of a scent this is! And if you're expecting this to smell like the beloved underground hit Pink Petal Teacake, you're gonna find yourself very disappointed. The floral "peony" notes is very similar to Tokyo Petals/Peony Petals and there's the slightest hint of a sugary vanilla icing note. It's a very weird blend, one part old lady perfume, one part fake bakery/frosting...again, such a waste!

*Key Lime Pie unfortunately did not make the cut

And now the White Barn Core collection

Pure White Cotton - You would think from the name and notes that this would be a completely new scent but nope. This is straightup Fresh Cotton from back in the day. For you newbies, there's a 2packer of wf bulbs of this scent online. There's not much to say about this scent - it's fresh clean laundry detergent/fabric softener/dryer sheet scent. You get a noseful of intensely powdery floral notes - jasmine, lily, gardenia and rose all wrapped in equally intense musk. No coconut whatsoever. Why BBW felt the need to change the name and notes of this scent is beyond me; it's a feeble attempt to make an old scent new.

UPDATE: I found an old Fresh Cotton wf bulb in my collection... the two are similar but not the same. I think this actually might be closer to another ol school cotton scent called Sea Island Cotton

Fresh Cut Lilacs - so contrary to the obvious, this is NOT Lilac Blossom... I daresay this is better (I always found Lilac Blossom way too powdery) What I think this might be a repackage of is Garden Freesia...if it's not then it's very very similar. There are definitely floral notes that BBW isn't mentioning - violets perhaps, some hyancinth, maybe a hint of freesia. And unlike the original LB, this version is very heavy on the musk and there's an added "green" note like freshly cut stems. Personally I'll take green notes and musk over powder any day.

Mahogany Coconut - Ive joked with my candle buddies on IG that because of BBW's obsession with Mahogany Teakwood and coconut that "Mahogany Coconut" was bound to happen...and sure enough it happened. I had no intention on entertaining this scent at all...that is until I sniffed and to my surprise, I found myself actually liking it. Even though I loathe coconut scents with a passion, I find this blend rather pleasant; it's along the lines of Tiki Beach or Copacabana Beach (it's more closer to Copacabana Beach). And the Mahogany Teakwood aspect isn't as cologney/Abercrombie &Fitch-ey as I thought; the woody notes smell more sweet and surprisingly blends well with the coconut. So yeah, its easy to write this off as Mahogany Teakwood with coconut but this actually smells better than you think it would.

Midnight Blue Citrus - so this badboi came outta nowehere and I was a little intrigued. Based on the name I thought it would be either a fresh cologney scent a la Beach Day or a watery scent like Turquoise Waters. It's neither; its a very unexpectedly sweet candy like scent. There's an undertone of ozone like freshness but on top of that is an overwhelmingly sweet sugary candied citrus notes very similar to Pomelo Paradise. I don't really understand this scent at all and what it's attempting to convey.

Bergamot Waters - so as y'all may or may not know, this scent was first known as Master Bath in the Home Atmosphere collection and this Christmas it was repackaged as Tahiti in the holiday Destination collection and now here it is. Having never smelled Tahiti or Master Bath I didn't know what to expect... I thought this would a watery blend like Beach Day or Turquoise Waters or Sea to Santorini. It is in fact a repackage of Lakeside Sunrise/Sapphire Sky. I definitely wasn't expecting that!

Black Pepper & Bergamot - TBA

Cashmere & Oak - TBA

Suncrisp Apple - TBA

Golden Grapefruit - TBA

Coconut Sandalwood - TBA

And finally the lone two new Destination scents...

Paris ~ Lavender Macaron - So this basically smells Lavender Marshmallow, almost exactly! For those of you unfortunate souls who never got to experience the majesty and splendor of LM, I feel like this is the next best thing! The only difference is there is a bakery-esque undertone...that doesn't smell like a macaron. To me, this smells less like macarons and more like petit-fours..more exactly, the icing of petit-fours. It almost reminds me of Pink Petal Teacake but with lavender instead rose/strawberries. And the lavender smells exactly like the lavender note in LM - not as potent as French Lavender but not as powdery as Lavender Vanilla. On the one hand I like this scent a lot but on the other hand it doesn't smell like what the name suggests; there should've been an almond note or something to make it more macaron-y.

Tahiti ~ Passionflower - Much like Fresh Cut Lilac, don't walk by this scent thinking it's the same scent you've already smelled in the past; despite the name, it isn't the same and is actually something totally different and for the most part new! While the old "Passionflower" smelled fruity and artificial, this smells more tropical and feminine. There's a definite undertone of coconut milk with powdery notes of jasmine and orange blossoms. BTW solar musk isn't a thing, it's basically a blanket term for fragrance notes used in tropical "sunny" scents ie tiare, frangipani, orchid, orange blossom, ylang-ylang etc. Anyhoo, if you like scents like Beach Cabana, Tahiti Island Blossom, Rainforest Gardenia and Endless Weekend, then you'll like this one.