WALK N SNIFF: Post SAS/Spring 2020 Candles Round 1

My dear readers, I do humbly apologize for not being so active on here and on social media. Things just got kinda busy for me but also, I was just bored with BBW. Even if I wasn't busy, I still wouldn't have had anything to say. I had zero interest in SAS and let it slip right by me. And now SAS is over, we have a chance to breathe, decompress, wait for BBW's offerings for spring.

So yeah, I kid yall not, yesterday was the first I had stepped foot inside of a BBW/WB since Candle Day! I had no reason to. At the time, I wanted to take advantage of the free wallflower plug/refill coupon and since I'd be there, I thought I might as well get my proverbial sniff on for the sake of a review. Even though I had kinda taken a sabbatical from my Bronzeblogger duties, I did occasionally peep out the oncoming newness on social. And I just recently watched Tinadivalicious' reviews which prompted me to get off my butt and get to smelling things for myself. That all said, without further ado, let's get to reviewing! There's a lot to unpack here so get comfortable, wrap up in a blanket, run a hot bath, pour yourself some wine cuz this'll be a long one!

Let's start with the miscellaneous new candles...

Saltwater Breeze (9352AGA5) - this is part of a standalone bodycare collection. I'm not a big fan of bodycare based candles but I wanted to give this a try as I am a fan of aquatic scents. Meh, plain and simple! First of all  the candle and the bodycare smell totally different...surprise surprise. Also it's not as aquatic smelling as the name would suggest. It's basically a feminine bodycare interpretation of aquaticness. What I get most is a fresh, soft powderiness reminiscent of Sea Island Cotton. And there are some dewy floral notes, peony perhaps or water lotus. There's a definitely a bit of musk and a little bit of citrus. Violet leaves...eh, I guess. This is just very blah and middle of the road; it's not bad, it's not good, it's just meh.  

ADDENDUM: My store did have the Daydream candles but they were  all wrapped up so I couldn't sniff any.

Passion (9352M8V1D) there's not too much to say about this one as the scent is pretty self explanatory. The tuberose is there - very white floraly, a little creamy, a little powdery, a little musky, soft and seductive. The ylang ylang adds to the white floralness as well as an exoticness. Combined, the blend has an almost Middle Eastern vibe; it also feels a little matronly. I think this would make a nice boudoir or hot bubble bath scent for the ladies (and maybe some men)

ADDENDUM: The one new Aromatherapy that I was excited for, Clarity (Peppermint Rosemary), is of course a goddamned mutheffin online exclusive

Now let's talk about this year's answer to Sweet Shop, the "Oh, Sweet Candle" collection skipping of course Banana Bundt Cake, Black Cherry MerNO, Lavender Marshmallow, Strawberry Poundcake and Unicorn Sprinkles leaving...

Passionfruit Vanilla Cupcake (9339M8S1K) - Ok so I can address the white elephant in the room? I'm the only person on the continent NOT getting passionfruit? I totally absolutely wholeheartedly do get pineapple - very reminiscent of Pineapple Creampuff and Pineapple Crumbcake without being repackages of either. And like all of BBW's "cupcake" scents, it's all cup no cake; there's nothing to suggesting a bakery aspect although unlike the other cupcake candles, you don't really get frosting either. There's just a nondescript, generic, artificial vanilla note thrown in; it's neither white cake vanilla or a frosting vanilla, just vanilla. White chocolate truffle...I'm calling BS on that! There's absolutely nothing chocolatey in this scent, white or otherwise. Overall, it's very meh and points off for the misleading name. So yeah, if you're a little leery about the passionfruit but you're about that pineapple life, this bud's for you!

Glazed Cinnamon Bun (9325K3B8) - so when I first heard about this, I thought for sure this would be a repackage of the now forgotten Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun candle from backintheday, which smelled the inside of a Cinnabon store in the mall on cold sniff but when lit, smelled like said store burned down in a huge fire. Having sniffed GCB, the 2 are NOT the same but very similar; I'd say the 2 are fraternal twins. So this is a pretty straightforward scent and I do have to give it an A for accuracy - it does smell like a legit cinnamon bun. There is a doughy somewhat yeasty bakery note with a non spicy/red hot cinnamon sugariness blended in. And you get a creamy sweet vanilla note that gives the illusion of icing. And then there's that orange note, it's very noticeable. I don't understand why it's there besides an attempt to give it some uumph and make the scent as a whole smell less autumnal. It's pleasant and it blends well but I personally find a bit weird and it kinda turns me off. Anyway, I do think it's a nice scent and I am tempted to buy it and give it a try in fall; I just can't wrap my head around cinnamony bakery scents after the holidays. 

Rosewater Meringue (9322AGA8) - OMG the hype over this candle!!! So this was a member of the ill-fated Rose collection that tested and failed. During the testing phase, this scent in particular was a popular underground hit...so much so that it was given a new look and thrown into this collection. Given the overhype on social media, I was expecting to be blown; as is almost was always the case, I wasn't. Essentially, this is Rosewater & Ivy with vanilla instead of ivy. I was expecting this more like Pink Petal Teacake that had a slighter softer more delicate rose note but what I got was an intense bam inyourface mama said knock you out nasal assault of rosewater. Rosewater and rose in general has to be used sparingly or else it's just grandma's perfume...which is what I got with this candle. I never thought I'd say this but I wish there was more of a gourmand aspect ie I wish it was more meringue and less rosewater. Perhaps if I were more of a rose lover, I can get on board with this one but I'm not and I just this far too intense. I much prefer PPTC. 

Be Mine/Candy Hearts (9352K3A1) not much to say about this one; straightup repackage of Pink Fairy Gumdrop from the past Christmastime. NEXT!

ADDENDUM: As you may (or may not) know, Peach Sugar Cone and Chocolate Marshmallow Cloud are online exclusives however there have been reports of them popping up in stores nationwide so keep your eyes peeled

Moving on the tropical beach looking collection, skipping Flamingo Beach, Mahogany Coconut, Pineapple Mango, and Turquoise Waters leaving...

Pacific Ocean Air (9329AGA3) - now when you hear a name like "pacific ocean air", you're probably imagining aquatic oceanic ozone notes, sea salt, maybe some citrus NOT noseful of pine! While this isn't Fresh Ballsack that BBW loves to shove into everything, I do believe it is one of it's abhorrent incarnations - Spring Ballsack. This was essentially Fresh Ballsack with the eucalyptus taken out and "ocean air/ozone" added in. Don't get me wrong, I like pine/balsam scents..around Christmastime, NOT in spring and certainly in a tropical beachy summery collection. And yes, I'm aware there are balsam trees on the Pacific Northwest coast HOWEVER I doubt this is where BBW was going for. Anyway, this isn't bad by any means but it is odd

Paradise Sunset (9321K3B2) - I really didn't know what think of this when I first heard about it. First of, it kinda sounded a little on the basic side. And as you may (or may not) know, coconut blends are not the bestest of friends. However, this kinda surprised me and I found myself really digging it. This scent kinda reminds me of Coconut Waters. Imagine that kinda Pina Colada-eque coconut blend with a healthy splash of lemon and you got yourself Paradise Sunset. It does its job; it puts you in the mood for fun and sun on the beach. If you're into beachy coconut scents like Coconut Waters, Tiki Beach, Fiji White Sands etc, then this would be worth sniffing. 

*deep breath oh, boy! Now it's time to tackle the the crapton of scents on the WB side! Let's start with the weird and random 60s psychedelic floral wallpaper collection, the one new scent being...

Spring Daylily (9330M8S1H) - if you're expecting a fresh dewy white floral scent, you'll be very disappointed. It smells oddly...masculine and, dare I say,...cologney. Then I took a good look at the notes... bergamot, that explains it! I don't get too much if any floral action. The bergamot is definitely there; it adds a bitter citrusiness as well a heavy cologney vibe. And there are unmentioned notes lurking in the background. There's an odd oriental (oriental being a fragrance term for resinous/incensey notes and blends, not the archaic racist slang for Asians) vibe this candle that kinda reminds me Baltic Black Pearl aka Indigo Sky. Yeah this kinda strange as well as unnecessary.

And now, on to the "Living the Good Life" collection, skipping Cinnamon Sugared Doughnut, Marshmallow Fireside and White Caramel Cold Brew and moving on to

Frosted Sugar Cookie (9343AGA1) - I feel like this is a bakery gourmand blend that BBW didn't really know what to do with. It doesn't really smell anything like what the name suggests. It doesn't particularly smell "frosted" and as for as the cookie aspect, it smells less like a sugar cookie and more like a molasses cookie. The brown sugar note is really dominant and gives this scent a very deep dark, brown molasses quality. There's a really rich butter note thats adds a slight savoriness. It reminds me a lot of a WB exclusive  from a couple of years ago called Pumpkin Sugar Cookie but I don't this is a repackage jus a similar vibe. It's a nice enough scent but kinda gets lost in the mix.

Vanilla Chai Latte (9337AGA3) - just like the other "chai" scents from years past, this doesn't smell like chai, just an assortment of chai-like spices. No tea note, no ginger, no cardamom, no black pepper, just whatever is left to give the illusion of chai. This particular chai scents adds coconut for exotic flair.  Out of all of the chai candles, the one this reminds me off the most is the rare Iced Almond Chai, with coconut replacing almond. This also kind of reminds of Spiced Coconut Milk from a few Christmases ago. If it's not a straightup repackage, then it's quite similar. Much like Frosted Sugar Cookie, it's nice but not a standout.

ADDENDUM: I don't remember seeing Salted Chocolate Caramel in the store, so I'll have keep an eye out the next time I'm there.

Moving on to the "Green Home" collection zooming past Tiki Beach, Cactus Blossom, Eucalyptus Mint, Watermelon Lemonade, Aloha Kiwi Passionfruit, White Tea &Sage, Sugared Lemon Zest and Rainforest Gardenia 

Tropical Banana (9320K3A3) - so a lot of folks were saying that this was a repackage of Banana Cabana....I really don't think it so. Close but no cigar. While familiar smelling, I'm pretty sure this is an entirely new scent. The scent itself is as straightforward as the name - it smells like a straightup legit banana. I don't get too much of creamy vanilla  and nary any coconut just a fresh banana right out of the peel. 

Coastal Sea Spray (9323M8D1F) - this scent is just bizarre! I thought perhaps someone placed the wrong lid on the one I sniffed however the nearby ones all smelled the same as well. Perhaps my nose was tripping after huffing so may other candles but let's be real, what's the likelihood of that happening. This is gonna sound so strange but Isweartagawd, I smelled Winter Mint & Spruce mixed with the lime note from Key Lime Pie! It doesn't smell watery or oceanic, there's no ozone, it doesn't smell or feel remotely summery or beachy or tropical. The cedarwood comes across very winter and piney. I smell both lavender and mint which assuming is supposed to be the "ocean air" and the lime comes outta nowhere; it doesn't mix well with the other notes at all and stands like a sore thumb. I dunno what this scent is trying to be in life but it's failing miserable. And with all of the ocean air scents at their disposal, why create a new scent that just doesn't work?! I don't get it.

And now the WB collection with the colored earthenware-esque strips on the label ("Hit Refresh"?) skipping everything except...

Blue Orchard Skies (9325M8S1G) - this candle is a bit misleading. Hearing the name, seeing the blue blue label, a reading the notes you'd think you get a very fresh air ozone scent with maybe a hint of greens, a bit of woods and a hint of apple. Yeah you don't get any of that except the apple and it's more than a hint. It's pretty much all you smell. I'm sure there are actual wood and green basenotes but that red apple is dominant AF. A lot of folks on social media were saying this was a repackage of ancient former BBW staple Country Apple...I don't think it is BUT it's very very similar. If you remember that scent at all, that's what this candle smells like kind of. It's an ok scent, I personally can't get into red apple scents outside of fall but whatevs. It quite misnamed and very much marketed wrong.   

Sea Island Blossom (9318AGA3) - expecting a soft exotic tropical gardenia/tiare flower type of scent? Nope, not so much. Straightup repackage of  Sunlit Cashmere

And last but certainly not least, here are all of the new WB core candles. I'll group them by tumblers

colored labels

Crystal Waters (9336AGA5) - this candle was seriously throwing me for a loop. I kept sniffing and re-sniffing because it smelled so friggin familiar but I just couldn't place it. It smells like an "ocean" scent that we've seen fairly recently. I think it might be the forgotten and overlooked Sapphire Seas from (I believe) last year but I'm not 100% sure. Anyway, it's nothing special, just a run of the mill fresh ocean scent, reminiscent of Turquoise Waters, Blue Ocean Waves, Island Waters, etc. A little bit of fresh watery ozone, some floral action and hint of something woody like a driftwood accord. 

Hibiscus Waterfalls (9339K3A1) - another run of the mill watery scent...although I like this a bit more than the aforementioned Crystal Waters. You get an instant blast of fresh ozone as well as something soft and powdery like cotton. There are some floral notes though I'm pretty sure it's not "hibiscus" as they have little to no scent. And there is a vaguely fruity sweetness but I can't say with any accuracy that it's peach/peach nectar.

Pink Lilac & Vanilla (9337AGA4) - this seems to be the runaway hit of the season as everybody and their grandma is going apeshit over this candle on social media. Personally, I thought it was just ok. Basically take Pink Petal Teacake or the Love Aromatherapy candle, take out the rose and replace with Fresh Cut Lilacs and that's basically Pink Lilac & Vanilla.  There's really not much else to say about it. It's a pleasant enough scent - light, pink, feminine, perfect for spring. And I suppose it's unique in the sense that you wouldn't really think to mix lilac with vanilla. Eh..

Sunshine & Daffodils (9337M8Z1A) - I was fully expecting the return of my beloved Spring or something similar Green Grass. What I got was essentially Lemon Verbena. I don't think it's a repackage but the two are very similar. I get more verbena than I do lemon. There are green notes enhancing the tartness of the "lemon". I'm hesitant to say that I get anything resembling "daffodils" but what I do get is a white floral, like lily. Overall it's a bright, cheerful, clean scent but it's soooo close Lemon Verbena that I don't get the point this; why not just release LV instead?

shiny iridescent tumblers

Citrus Crystals (9330K3A8) - as you may (or may not) know, this was a part of the infamous "online exclusive unicorn" candles. I'm assuming this candle in particular was popular enough to warrant a second release nationwide. There's really not too much to say about this one - it basically smells like orange soda. Do you like this smell of Crush or Fanta and desperately wished either were in candle form? Well here ya go, your wish has been granted. Orange, definitely. Lemon, absolutely. Guava, debatable.

White Surf (9338M8A1B) *sigh look, I love me some mandles, particularly of the watery oceanic ozonic variety HOWEVER even I must admit that I have grown weary of the multitudes of cologney blends masquerading as "ocean" scents; they two are NOT mutually exclusive. Honestly, how many more water, citrus, lavender, driftwood blends do we need? Ocean Driftwood, White Driftwood, Island Reef, Ocean Mist & Citrus/Coastal Morning, Fresh Sea Walk and the one this cande reminds me of the most, Seaside Mist. So yeah it's a cologney blend of ozone, some woods notes and a lot of lavender. It's not bad by any means but it's just the same kind of scent we've seen and sniffed time after time

pearlescent tumbler

Freesia Garden (9319AGA6) I was REALLY hoping this would be a repackage of the now forgotten Garden Freesia which was a gorgeous and accurate scent from way back during the Golden Era but alas it is not. This one is a bit odd. First of all it doesn't smell like freesia; it's blend of florals that aren't mentioned in the notes - hyacinth perhaps, lilac or violets. And I do get the rosewater. The weirdest things that there is a random and unmentioned apple/pear blend chilling in the background. If it was apple/pear blossom I could possibly get on board but it smells more like the actual fruit. It's not bad but odd; nothing something I would expect in floral "freesia" candle.

Midnight Orchid (9323AGA7) - this one is interesting. I believe it is new and I can't think of anything that it could be similar to. That said, it's not really my cup of tea. It has a very sensual old world, oriental, Middle Eastern vibe to it. It's also on the mature, matronly, "old lady" perfume side of things. There's a very heady white floral blend. Sandalwood is definitely the basenote. Maybe a bit of amber or musk to tie everything together. It's very a heady, soft, sensual, lusty blend and I do get a nighttime/under the moonlight vibe to this. At the risk of sounding cliche and stereotypical, it makes me think of caravans in the desert stopping at an oasis under a full moon. While this scent is not for me, I do think it's worth giving a sniff. 

ADDENDUM: Alas, my store didn't have the infamous Lavender Rose candle. 

Overall, honestly I was really underwhelmed. There really were no standouts, nothing remotely  nosegasmic, nothing got me excited or intrigued enough to buy. Just blah all across the board. And the scents I did want to smell either my store didn't have them or they're friggin online exclusives...and I flatout refuse to buy candles online just to review.  Real talk, I'm good. I mean, I'm not the biggest fan of spring scents however as a reviewer, it would be nice for something to excite me. I'm sincerely hoping there are more exciting and intriguing things on the horizon cuz this go-round is pretty disappointing.