NEWNESS UPDATE: Random Candle Releases

For those of you not on social media, BBW has recently released some new candles completely out of the blue and they're very random.

So there's a quartet of White Barn Core scents that have been sneaking into both BBW and WB stores in the past couple of days. They aren't test scents nor are they exclusives so if they're not in your stores, just be patient.

Strawberry Cupcake - The irresistible fragrance of buttercream frosting made from garden strawberries on a classic Madagascar vanilla cupcake 

Just based on the name and notes, I had a feeling this scent was gonna be basic as hell. After sniffing it, my assumption was correct - it's basic! This is quite possibly one of the most blah smelling scents I've ever huffed at BBW! The good thing is that isn't a repackage - it's not Strawberry Vanilla nor is it Happy Easter/Strawberry Sorbet/Strawberry Picnic...but that's the only good thing about it. The name is really misleading cuz it doesn't really smell like a cupcake.  Now you would think based on the name that it would be some variant on Frosted Cupcake/Buttercream Frosting or Vanilla Bean/Vanilla Bean Marshmallow..nope. There's no cake aspect or frosting at all! You get a faint hint of generic vanilla and the bakery notes come across more as flaky like a pie crust; if anything this smells more like a strawberry pie than a strawberry cupcake. And then there's that strawberry note. Again, very faint. And it doesn't quite smell like strawberry but rather vaguely berry-ish, very nondescript. It almost comes across more like raspberry. That said, I've mentioned this to my candlebuddies on IG and they all agree, it smells sooooo similar to Gelato  /  Raspberry Peach Macaron. I don't think it's a straightup repackage (or perhaps it is with a tweak.) but there's no denying their similarities. Honestly this candle is such a waste of time and effort. The whole strawberry/vanilla combo has been done to death and BBW has yet to make a decent blend. And there are so many better options - they could've brought back Pinkpetal Teacake or Pink Lemonade Poundcake or Strawberry Rhubarb Marmalde or just plain ol Raspberry Peach Macaron.

Pomegranate Lemonade - A fragrance inspired by an ice-cold glass of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, pomegranate nectar and a touch of sugar

I'd like to make a general announcement...

ATTENTION NEWBIES!!! POMEGRANATE LEMONADE IS NEITHER SMILE,  WINE DOWN OR POMEGRANATE SPRITZER!!! IT IS NOT A REPACKAGE!!!

This is the much anticipated re-release of the Slatkin era Pomegranate Lemonade which was for awhile a summer staple but alas has not been seen since spring 2012. Since then we have seen clones of PL, namely Pink Sangria and Pomegranate Spritzer, both of which are very very similar but not straightup repackages nor were they as good as the original.

Sigh...I hate how dumbed down the notes are. Compare the new notes with the old classic notes...

"Juicy pomegranate, pink grapefruit and lemon zest blend deliciously and then are infused with rose petals, sheer woods and sugared citron for a refreshing treat"

Now doesn't that sound better?! Anyhoo, the scent is very straightforward - you get intense citrus notes with a splash of zesty pomegranate. It's mouthpuckeringly zesty but at the same time sweet without being obnoxiously candy-like. It's zesty, it's juicy, it's bright, it's refreshing - just a perfect candle for summertime! I've been wanting this scent to come back and now that it is, I could not be happier!

Also returning is Lavender Vanilla and Summer Boardwalk. Just a headsup..both of these are significantly light on cold throw that past versions


Now as y'all, we're getting another (lackluster) Poptails collection after SAS. It seems a new scent in this collection has appeared post-test phase...

Pina Colada Smoothie - Glow with this amazing combination of mango nectar, crushed pineapple and sweet grapefruit

*facepalm

WTF BBW?!!! Do you guys NOT know what's in a pina colada?! The one time there should be coconut in a scent, there isn't any!

Now back in the Slatkin days there was an actually pina colada inspired scent called Island Colada and it was pretty darn good..for a coconut scent. (FYI there are 2pack wf bulbs of IC online, buy em!) I  was REALLY hoping this would be a repackage of that but NOPE! There was also another scent called Coconut Waters with pina colada-esque notes (coconut milk, vanilla, pineapple, citrus) that would've worked as well but again, NOPE. Here's yet another example of BBW wasting time and effort on a sub par new scent instead of bringing back a classic that actually makes more sense. Now I haven't seen or sniffed this but according to my sources, the scent is very heavy on the pineapple and is a total repackage of...wait for it...Golden Pineapple Luau. Why BBW, just why?!!!