WALK 'N' SNIFF: Winter '16 Scents Part Deux
So I heard that there was a WB store in the Bronx. I was feeling adventurous so I hopped on a subway and made my way to the Boogie Down. It turned into a very very long and confusing trip and I will never do again but I made it and it was truly an adventure.
So the store pretty much had all of the second phase of winter scents (except Cinnamon Pinecone and Chestnut & Birch) so without further ado, let's get started...
Juniperberry & Pine - so I was initially very intrigued with this scent as it sounded right up my alley. Curiousity got the best of me so I ordered the wf bulb last week during the 3.50 sale; I got it, sniffed it and hated it. Fast forward to today with me sniffing the candle finally..my opinion hadn't changed...HATED. I will say this, it gets points for accuracy cuz you do smell all of the notes - you get crisp outdoorsy juniper and the cranberry is the typical sweet Ocean Spray cranberry juice you get in BBW home fragrance. The pine is not your typical crisp astringent pine needle note but more resin from the bark and branches and the peppermint is the very last thing to travel up your nose. My problem with this scent is that there is too much going. Furthermore the blend suggests than outdorsy/alpiney vibe but it smells oddly sweet but not in fun way; the combination of cranberry juice with the juniper and pine sap note plus the sweet peppermint gives the scent a syrupiness that's kinda offputting; it almost smells medicinal like cough syrup or a throat lozenge. It's just all kinds of wrong! To me JP&P smells like the Snowed in candle mixed with generic cough syrup, not cute!
Smoked Vanilla - yet another scent that sounds promising but is just a tumbler full of NOPE. Right off the bat, it's not Marshmallow Fireside/Summertime S'mores nor Cozy Cabin/Ski Lodge nor Vanilla Firewood or Toasted Vanilla Caramel or Pumpkin Fireside. Despite what the name or notes might suggest, there's no vanilla. The name should've been just "Smoke" cuz that is pretty much all you smell; think smoke and ash from a doused out campfire. Speaking of campfire, back in summer 2013 in the Lakeside/Summer Lake collection there was a failed test scent called "Campfire Cookout" that smelled like straightup smoke and I'm thinkin that's what this is a repackage of. I'm waiting on candle guru Touchthefiretwice to confirm as he owned and reviewed that candle.
Roasted Chestnuts and Cherries - man, just one disappointment after the other! So thought this might be a repackage of Toasted Pistachio Delight from 2011 and I went back and forth in the store..but I don't think it is. So it looks like this is new...but don't get your hopes up, the scent is nothing exciting. So I just got a noseful of crushed pistachios, no chestnuts roasted or otherwise. It's vaguely bakery-ish, like a pistachio biscotti or some kind of treat with crushed pistachio. And there is a cherry/amaretto note but it's so faint that you gotta huff and puff to get just a hint of it.
Frosty Air - so BBW randomly released a wf bulb called "Eucalyptus & Cotton"...and then they repackaged it as Frosty Air. So it smells exactly the way it sounds - Eucalyptus Mint mixed with Pure White Cotton. It's not frosty nor is it airy and there's nothing remotely wintery about it.
Snowflakes & Citrus - straightup Midnight Blue Citrus...doesn't make sense to me, doesn't make sense to you
Spiced Gingerbread - so backintheday there was a scent called Gingerbread, later renamed Frosted Gingerbread...I don't think this is that..which is good cuz it was weird; it wasn't so much gingerbread as it was corn chips. To me, SG smells like a watered down, less robust version of Pumpkin Gingerbread
Maple Cinnamon Pancakes - oy vey...I dunno where to begin with this sonuvabitch! So don't let the name fool you into thinking it's newness; it's a straightup repackage of..wait for it...PUMPKIN CARAMEL LATTE. There's no fluffy buttery flapjacks drowned in maple syrupiness...just straightup caramel milk! How, BBW, how the actual f*** does a fall beverage suddenly become a winter sweet breakfast? How the actual f*** does caramel suddenly become maple and pumpkin latte into pancakes?! And what the actual f*** does "maple cinnamon pancakes" have to do with Christmas anydamnway?! BBW has repackaged some cringeworthy facepalm/headscratch-inducing repackages but this takes the cake, the pancake to be exact. It's stupid, lazy and downright insulting. And the sad thing is Desperate Daisies and Clueless Claras who don't know any better nor care are gonna buy this lame ass candle just for the name and label alone!
Hot Cocoa & Cream - I'm not a huge fan of chocolate in any capacity and with the exception of Chocolate Bacon Cupcake and Mint Chocolate, I've disliked BBW's various takes on chocolate. That said I initially had no interest in this candle. However so many people were hyping this candle up on social media tgat I became intrigued and I gotta say, after smelling it I can say without a shadow of doubt that it's most definitely worth the hype - this is the SHIZNIT!!! Now let's get real for a sec - if you're expecting this to smell like a hot steaming cup of rich smooth decadent chocolate a la Starbucks, you will be dissapointed. This definitely more of the Swiss Miss variety..but it's sooooo spot on! It really smells like you just opened a packet of Swiss Miss powder with the dehydrated mini marshmallows. And there is a creaminess..which normally BBW seems to eff up and always ends up smelling sour (*cough *cough Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake)..no expired milk here thank gawd. Backintheday circa 2011, there was a Hot Chocolate candle ; I can't confirm if it's a repackage or not but by all accounts it is albeit updated/revamped.
Holiday Sparkle - repackage of Bergamot Waters...NEXT!
Berry Vanilla Bean - this one is really strange. First of all, it's not Blueberries & Creme or Blueberry Twist! Secondly, completely disregard the notes cuz it's BS! There is a vague berriness (blackberry/blueberry?) that almost comes across smelling like Sangria Berry Freeze..which to smell in winter is kinda bizarre. The vanilla isn't vanilla bean as the name suggests nor is it a cream or marshmallow type vanilla; it smells oddly buttercream frosting-ish and doesn't mix well at all with the berry notes. I dunno what the scent is supposed to be or represent or conjure, it's just there with no purpose. And there's absolute nothing wintery or holiday-ish about it all. Total waste of a scent. Don't be suprised if pops up in spring or summer.
Winter Spruce & Pine - I already did a review on this
In case you missed it, here's the WALK N SNIFF review of the first phase of winter scents
So the store pretty much had all of the second phase of winter scents (except Cinnamon Pinecone and Chestnut & Birch) so without further ado, let's get started...
Juniperberry & Pine - so I was initially very intrigued with this scent as it sounded right up my alley. Curiousity got the best of me so I ordered the wf bulb last week during the 3.50 sale; I got it, sniffed it and hated it. Fast forward to today with me sniffing the candle finally..my opinion hadn't changed...HATED. I will say this, it gets points for accuracy cuz you do smell all of the notes - you get crisp outdoorsy juniper and the cranberry is the typical sweet Ocean Spray cranberry juice you get in BBW home fragrance. The pine is not your typical crisp astringent pine needle note but more resin from the bark and branches and the peppermint is the very last thing to travel up your nose. My problem with this scent is that there is too much going. Furthermore the blend suggests than outdorsy/alpiney vibe but it smells oddly sweet but not in fun way; the combination of cranberry juice with the juniper and pine sap note plus the sweet peppermint gives the scent a syrupiness that's kinda offputting; it almost smells medicinal like cough syrup or a throat lozenge. It's just all kinds of wrong! To me JP&P smells like the Snowed in candle mixed with generic cough syrup, not cute!
Smoked Vanilla - yet another scent that sounds promising but is just a tumbler full of NOPE. Right off the bat, it's not Marshmallow Fireside/Summertime S'mores nor Cozy Cabin/Ski Lodge nor Vanilla Firewood or Toasted Vanilla Caramel or Pumpkin Fireside. Despite what the name or notes might suggest, there's no vanilla. The name should've been just "Smoke" cuz that is pretty much all you smell; think smoke and ash from a doused out campfire. Speaking of campfire, back in summer 2013 in the Lakeside/Summer Lake collection there was a failed test scent called "Campfire Cookout" that smelled like straightup smoke and I'm thinkin that's what this is a repackage of. I'm waiting on candle guru Touchthefiretwice to confirm as he owned and reviewed that candle.
Roasted Chestnuts and Cherries - man, just one disappointment after the other! So thought this might be a repackage of Toasted Pistachio Delight from 2011 and I went back and forth in the store..but I don't think it is. So it looks like this is new...but don't get your hopes up, the scent is nothing exciting. So I just got a noseful of crushed pistachios, no chestnuts roasted or otherwise. It's vaguely bakery-ish, like a pistachio biscotti or some kind of treat with crushed pistachio. And there is a cherry/amaretto note but it's so faint that you gotta huff and puff to get just a hint of it.
Frosty Air - so BBW randomly released a wf bulb called "Eucalyptus & Cotton"...and then they repackaged it as Frosty Air. So it smells exactly the way it sounds - Eucalyptus Mint mixed with Pure White Cotton. It's not frosty nor is it airy and there's nothing remotely wintery about it.
Snowflakes & Citrus - straightup Midnight Blue Citrus...doesn't make sense to me, doesn't make sense to you
Spiced Gingerbread - so backintheday there was a scent called Gingerbread, later renamed Frosted Gingerbread...I don't think this is that..which is good cuz it was weird; it wasn't so much gingerbread as it was corn chips. To me, SG smells like a watered down, less robust version of Pumpkin Gingerbread
Maple Cinnamon Pancakes - oy vey...I dunno where to begin with this sonuvabitch! So don't let the name fool you into thinking it's newness; it's a straightup repackage of..wait for it...PUMPKIN CARAMEL LATTE. There's no fluffy buttery flapjacks drowned in maple syrupiness...just straightup caramel milk! How, BBW, how the actual f*** does a fall beverage suddenly become a winter sweet breakfast? How the actual f*** does caramel suddenly become maple and pumpkin latte into pancakes?! And what the actual f*** does "maple cinnamon pancakes" have to do with Christmas anydamnway?! BBW has repackaged some cringeworthy facepalm/headscratch-inducing repackages but this takes the cake, the pancake to be exact. It's stupid, lazy and downright insulting. And the sad thing is Desperate Daisies and Clueless Claras who don't know any better nor care are gonna buy this lame ass candle just for the name and label alone!
Hot Cocoa & Cream - I'm not a huge fan of chocolate in any capacity and with the exception of Chocolate Bacon Cupcake and Mint Chocolate, I've disliked BBW's various takes on chocolate. That said I initially had no interest in this candle. However so many people were hyping this candle up on social media tgat I became intrigued and I gotta say, after smelling it I can say without a shadow of doubt that it's most definitely worth the hype - this is the SHIZNIT!!! Now let's get real for a sec - if you're expecting this to smell like a hot steaming cup of rich smooth decadent chocolate a la Starbucks, you will be dissapointed. This definitely more of the Swiss Miss variety..but it's sooooo spot on! It really smells like you just opened a packet of Swiss Miss powder with the dehydrated mini marshmallows. And there is a creaminess..which normally BBW seems to eff up and always ends up smelling sour (*cough *cough Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake)..no expired milk here thank gawd. Backintheday circa 2011, there was a Hot Chocolate candle ; I can't confirm if it's a repackage or not but by all accounts it is albeit updated/revamped.
Holiday Sparkle - repackage of Bergamot Waters...NEXT!
Berry Vanilla Bean - this one is really strange. First of all, it's not Blueberries & Creme or Blueberry Twist! Secondly, completely disregard the notes cuz it's BS! There is a vague berriness (blackberry/blueberry?) that almost comes across smelling like Sangria Berry Freeze..which to smell in winter is kinda bizarre. The vanilla isn't vanilla bean as the name suggests nor is it a cream or marshmallow type vanilla; it smells oddly buttercream frosting-ish and doesn't mix well at all with the berry notes. I dunno what the scent is supposed to be or represent or conjure, it's just there with no purpose. And there's absolute nothing wintery or holiday-ish about it all. Total waste of a scent. Don't be suprised if pops up in spring or summer.
Winter Spruce & Pine - I already did a review on this
In case you missed it, here's the WALK N SNIFF review of the first phase of winter scents
Firstly, I've never commented on your blog, but I've been following you for over a year. I totally depend on all of your store visits and reviews! Thank you for that.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, just bought Smoked Vanilla a few days ago. I've been pining for a return of Vanilla Firewood, so despite the smokiness I crossed my fingers and brought it home. Disappointed. It's basically Sandalwood Vanilla with a weird smoke, but not as smoky as the cold sniff.
First of all, I wanna say hi as well as thank you for commenting. I'm very glad to hear my candle rants on here are helpful
DeleteAnd yes, Smoky Vanilla is really gnarly, not a fan at all. Do not know what BBW was thinking with that scent
googling for smoked vanilla bought me here,
ReplyDeletenot sure why the dislike, it's woody and oudy not as sweet and wimpy as some of their candles are.
but YVMV
the green background is hard to read, but I get it's a Christmas theme you want :-)