WHITE BARN EXCLUSIVENESS: Lime Granita Margarita

Products: candle 
Area used in:  living room (weekends)
Time Period: whenever

Description: A refreshing new twist on a classic cocktail and a frozen dessert arrives in bright notes of Key limes, sea salt and crushed ice

2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
Pinch of coarse sea salt
Hint of Agave nectar - CHA CHA CHA!!!


When I first heard about this scent, I was so friggin excited! I've said it before and I'll say it again, I LOVE lime scents! Sadly BBW doesn't have a good track record with lime scents...look at the last lime scent we had...blegghhh. Of course, because this was a scent that I really wanted, it didn't go wide. Luckily my White Barn had a bunch of these, so YAY!!!

Now I'm sure y'all all heard about the very confusing kerfuffle about this scent. So they kept LGM as a White Barn exclusive and in it's place released Island Marg. IM is a more safe, mainstream, consumer-friendly scent so it makes sense. Now they changed the name yet kept the notes from LGM (key limes, sea salt, ice)..cuz, ya know, we're stupid and won't notice. I heard that there was a version with the name "Island Margarita" but it was actually LGM...so how would anyone know which version they're getting?! Meanwhile at White Barns, they had both LGM and IM..both with exact same notes! Does any of this make sense to y'all cuz it definitely doesn't to me!

So you're probably wondering "what's the difference between LGM and IM?"

I'll tell you! IM is waaaayyyyy more sweeter. Now it could be my nose playing tricks on me but I feel like this version of IM has been tweaked; it smelled less candy-ish and more salty. And there's no lime in IM at all, despite what the "new" notes suggest. LGM on the other hand is straight lime goodness; verdant, juicy, zesty, tart lime. LGM smells more like a drink than IM ever will.

Now as much as I would like to hype this scent up, I'm afraid I have some bad news! The performance kinda SUCKS!!! On the first couple of burns, it took forever to pool and it still left a little fingernail sliver of wax on the side. It took a couple of burns for it to correct itself. But even that I can deal with. My biggest issue is the throw, it's so slight that it's practically nonexistent. You have to literally stand over the candle, the flames singing your nosehair to smell anything. That said, what you smell that close smells AMAZING!

Now there has been some debate amongst us ol school BBW'ers/Slatkineers as to what this smells like. Because this was supposed to be an icy lime scent, the obvious choice was Lime Ice from waaaaaaay back in the day. The notes were lime, orange and mint...makes sense. I was talking about it with Josh/TTFT and he actually had one in his collection; he said it smelled similar but it wasn't a repackage. I and several others thought perhaps it might be another Slatkin classic, Sparkling Mojito (lemon zest, pomelo, orange zest, mint, sugarcane). I had some old wf bulbs of it and I gotta say, it's very VERY similar but again, not a repackage.

Compared to SM, LGM has more of a genuine legit lime note, more so than any other lime scent BBW/WB has ever released. There's no other citrusy note pretending to be lime - no pomelo, no lemon, no lemongrass; just straight up fresh, juicy, tart, zesty, mouth-puckering lime! And you can also smell sea salt which accentuates and freshens the lime note. But then there's an unmentioned mintiness thrown in, like spearmint; I suppose that mint was supposed to give that icy "granita" feel. Not so much. The mint just makes this smell less like a margarita and more like a mojito...I daresay a Sparkling Mojito! However there's no effervescence like SM but it does come across as a drink as opposed to the frozen treat that it was intended to be.

Now some people have complained that it smelled weird once lit, almost astringent. I can totally see that. With citrus heavy scents, BBW candles go in either one of two directions - candy or cleaner. LGM is definitely on the cleaner side. It's sweet for a lime scent but not sweet enough to make it candyish. The lime and mint combo definitely gives it fresh crisp cleaner/dentist office vibe a la Lemon Mint Leaf

Is LGM worth getting? Mmmmmmmm...I would say yes...for two reasons - it's the only genuine lime scent on the market (providing you actually like lime scents) and it's an exclusive. If you like lime, and it's at your local NEARBY White Barn (do not drive hours or make a day trip for this candle) and it's on sale, get it. However, be warned that you run the risk of it having low throw. Do not burn this in a big room; this is definitely a boudoir, small office or bathroom scent.   If lime scents don't appeal to you and you don't live near a White Barn, just stick to IM!

Check out Touchthefiretwice's Lime Granita Margarita comparison vid

CANDLE SPOTLIGHT: White Sand Beaches

Products: candle and wf bulb 
Area used in:  bedroom 
Time Period: end of July - mid August

Description: Escape to your dream beach with an airy mixture of coastal tiare flowers, sun-kissed driftwood and bergamot leaves

So I've ready ranted and raved how sick to damn death I am of all of these Hawaiian/tropical/beachy scents. That said I pretty much ignored this whole collection... except for this scent. I was only intrigued by it cuz it sounded...cologney. Honestly it was a desperation buy cuz I needed cologney yet summery/beachy scent for my bedroom. Betwixt yall and me, the candle is almost done and frankly I won't miss it.

Performance-wise, it was a dream, I never had any burn/wax issues. The flames were always nice and high and the wax always consistently melted into a nice deep amber colored pool. And the throw was pretty decent; I'd describe it as medium-strong. It filled my bedroom with no problem.

Sounds all to the good right? Here's the problem, I don't really like the scent!

First of all, I need to rant for a second...

What is BBW's obsession with "driftwood"? Seriously, it's in everything now! It started off with Ocean Driftwood aka Mahogany Teakwood...come on need I say more?! Then they put it in this scent, then Nantucket Sails, then Sun Tan...when will it end?! I know it's just a marketing ploy to make wood notes sound more summery and beachy and appealing to the womenfolk..but come the f*** on!!! Enough is enough! Attention BBW, driftwood is wet rotting wood chunks..I repeat...WET ROTTING WOOD CHUNKS!!!

Ok now that that is out of my system, on to the review...

So looking at the notes, you would think this would smell very fresh, like last year's Beach Day? Yeah no! When I smelled it in the store before I bought, I thought for sure it was failed test scent from the Coastal Cool collection called Pacific Coast Highway (ocean mists, vetiver woods and pacific breezes) but nope I was wrong. There's nothing fresh or watery/oceany or beachy about this scent at all..just a sweet, almost cloying resinous cheap men's cologne...which I hate describing things as "cologney" cuz that's cheap and lazy but honestly that's the best way I can describe it. I don't really smell any of the notes. I don't get powdery floral notes at all. There's definitely wood but it ain't no damn driftwood! Mahogany maybe? And I get the same ...cologne" bergamot note that you get in all the other bergamot based scents - Black Pepper Bergamot, Villa Bergamot/Bergamot Woods, Flannel, etc. It almost reminds me of last fall's Tailgate aka Mad About Madrid, a very warm, borderline spicy/peppery, sappy/resinous wood heavy scent with cologney bergamot. 

The wf bulb was pretty strong too..though the bulb was a little weird. I would walk by it and occasionally I get a hint of..wait for it...Autumn Night. It's the strangest thing!

This for me was definitely a one time only scent; I'm not gonna miss it when it's gone and I won't get it again if it makes a reappearance in future summers. It's not a bad scent, but it's not a good one either. And the name and notes are very misleading; nothing about this scent makes me thing of white sand beaches! for those of you who missed this and was curious, don't be!

CANDLE SPOTLIGHT: Pomelo Paradise

Products: candle 
Area used in:  living room (weekends)
Time Period: end of July - mid August

Description: The fragrance of freshly sliced pomelo grapefruit blends beautifully with notes of mango and sunny papaya


So basically, I bought this scent out of desperation. I wanted a summery fruit scent that wasn't super heavy on the mango and wasn't bogged down by coconut. And I was a bit bamboozled by the name and notes. After sniffing it in the store several times, I was very unimpressed but again, I was desperate.

So performance-wise, this candle was aiight! Nothing special! No mushroom tops, but the flames were still relatively high. No tunneling, no canyoning. You can't really see the progression of the wax pool because of the frosted colored tumbler, but I assume it was deep.

And now onto the scent...sigh

First of all, what is BBW's obsession with pomelo?! This was the summer of pomelo, it's in friggin EVERYTHING! Candles, soaps/pocketbacs, bodycare, pomelo pomelo POMELO. And this pomelo craze only started this summer; outside of last spring's Pomelo Grapefruit, I don't recall BBW mentioning pomelo much in things at all! BBW, have y'all actually smelled a pomelo before? I don't think y'all have!

That said, I don't get ANNNNNNNNNYYYY pomelo AT ALL! Which just drives my point on home; slapping on that pomelo label on ish that smells nothing like pomelo!

What I do smell however is Coastal Sun, a very basic watered down Coastal Sun, the poor man's Coastal Sun! I also get a hint of Papaya Sunrise; just generic candy/bubblegum "tropical" dark fruit notes. Lastly, there's a very faint generic mango note a la Sweet Maui Mango/Mango Dragonfruit/Merry Mango. And it could be my nose playing tricks on me, but I get a faint of Tropical Tango/Mango Coconut Cooler. So yeah, take Coastal Sun, add a pinch of Papaya Sunrise with a tiny splash of Sweet Maui Mango and my friends, you've got yourself Pomelo Paradise.

Because we have Coastal Sun and Papaya Sunrise and Sweet Maui Mango, PP to me was very unnecessary and a complete waste of space. Compared to the other scents in this collection  , PP was very uninspired and pretty generic. It's not a bad scent by any means, but it's far from exciting. If this actually smelled like pomelo with a more vibrant mango and a more subtle but still luscious papaya/guava/passionfruit yumminess, this could've been awesome. But yeah, not so much! 

WHITE BARN EXCLUSIVENESS: Summer Bonfire

Products: candle 
Area used in:  bedroom 
Time Period: end of July - mid August

Description: The perfect summer night at the beach comes to life in notes of warm woods, orange blossoms and green leaves


Every once in awhile BBW marketing/scent-making team really gets their creative juices flowin and in mad scientist like fashion creates a Frankenstein-ian scent that is so different, so out there, so weird that after one sniff, you turn into Scooby-doo...

 

AROO?!!!

  

Summer Bonfire is one of those scents! Much like last year's Snap Peas (another really weird scent), I kept going back and forth sniffing and resniffing. My bf really liked it so I decided to just get it for him. It eventually became our go to weekend afternoon nap candle. After a couple of burns, I found myself actually enjoying it. So much so, that I eventually bought another one.

Performance-wise, it burned like a mutha-effin BOSS. Huge mushroom tops, super high steppin flames, a constant deep and even amber-colored pool...and get this, despite having a light cream wax color, the wax didn't get very cruddy, barely noticeable. Throw-wise, this sucker is STRONG! It has what I call "warm blanket" throw - it doesn't strangle or chokehold but rather warmly but firmly embracing...which is why my bf and I choose to burn this during our naps. It has a very calming, lulling aromatherapy Lavender Vanilla type vibe to it.

And now the scent..oh boy. The scent is weird and very hard to describe. I'm pretty good at describing scents but this time around, I admit I'm having some difficulty. SB reminds me a lot of some Slatkin classic woodsy scents from back in the day, like Winter - complex multi-faceted scents with so many notes put together that you wouldn't think go together but they do yet at the same you have a really hard time describing the scent as a whole. 

A lot of people have compared this Slatkin's original Marshmallow Fireside (not the Summertime Smores remake that we have in stores now) in the sense that both scents have a creamy sweet vanilla element alongside intense smoky woodsy notes. That said, SB is NOT a repackage with a twist of MF but they do have similar elements. That said, if you're expecting this to have some sugary sweet candy-like overtones, you're gonna be very disappointed. There is a vanilla like sweetness but it's earthy and hearty, almost like Tonka bean; more aromatherapy-ish than candy-ish. Then there's the woodsy aspect. Think Fireside but take away the leather and amber and leave just a hint of smoke. That's what you get in SB. The  woodsy notes are very light and almost creamy, like sandalwood...which also adds the creamy/sweet/aromatherapy type feel. Then there's the note that's a matter of much debate, the orange flower. I see to be the only person who smells it, most say that they don't at all. I smell it plain as day, it' to me it's light but definitely there. It's a sweet powdery borderline body fragrance type orange blossom scent very reminiscent of Beach Cabana. Green leaves..I don't really know what they mean by that, that could be practically anything. That said, I do get the slightest hint of outdoorsiness freshness that compliments the orange blossoms and wood notes. All in all, I can see where they were going with this scent image-wise -  a small camp fire (less intense Firesidey warm woods notes) in the sand on the beach in the summer (orange blossom and green leaves).

In conclusion, I commend BBW from taking a break from all the repackages and sugar sweet candy bakery cutsy pink coochie scents and coconut crap and creating a new blend that is this strange and out there. This is and will definitely not be everybody's cup of tea; the overall weirdness on cold throw have and will turn people off. But for you brave souls out there who crave unique fragrances and prefer the more conceptual and outdoorsy/woodsy type scents, do give this one a try!

NEWNESS UPDATE: New and Improved Aromatherapy collection

So we all woke up to an unexpected yet pretty amazing surprise online this morn...

BEHOLD!!!

They've updated the old standard Aromatherapy candles! Look at those wax colors! Look at those lovely labels! So much better than the old Aromatherapy candles we're so used to...

My bf is OBSESSED with Orange Ginger; he LOVES the lotion and the shower gel and at one point had a 4oz 1wick waaayy from '10 or '11. He has ranted and raved that there hasn't been a 3wick of it in years. Meanwhile I've scouring thru Evilbay for one only to find a handful, all of which over $40+!!! Ain't nobody got time  fa dat! Needless to say he was very excited when I showed him the new one online.

Meanwhile I'm freaking out about the Eucalyptus Tea candle. As far as I know, there has never been a 3wick of it back in the day. Out of all of the aromatherapy body care, ET is by far my favorite. I love to use the shower gel for bubble baths in fall which I would normally pair with Sweater Weather (to pretend I'm in a hot tub on a brisk autumn evening). Needless to say I'm beyond elated that there is now an ET candle for me to use instead.

Now a couple of folks in Instagramland  have been freakin out that there is no Lavender Chamomile candle...which I personally prefer over Lavender Vanilla. I have a feeling that what we see is what we're gonna get as those 5 have been the most popular aromatherapy scents over the years. As for me, I would've loved to have seen a Lemon Zest (I used that shower gel in the summer), but eh, I'll manage. I'm too excited about Eucalyptus Tea!

So I dunno about y'all but I'm pretty excited about this. I'm sure newer folks to BBW won't be as excited or if they are, they're more excited over the newness factor. However, I think for as old "Slatkineers" this is kinda a big deal. For me, this collection is a little nostalgic; it was the aromatherapy body care and candles that brought me to BBW in the first place and kickstarted my obsession.

Once these are on sale, I WILL be stocking up!

I gotta say with this, and Wine and Cork candles, and all of the seemingly new scents for fall, BBW is starting to redeem themselves. Well effin done BBW!

NEWNESS UPDATE: Fall 2015 Test Scents

Well ladies and gentlemen, it's about that time again - stores are testing the upcoming fall scent collections. Instagram has been blowing up with pictures of pretty much all of the candles in the lineup giving everyone a major fallgasm!

So it looks like we're getting 3 collections - we're getting classic conceptual fallsy outdoorsy collection with tinted/ombre tumblers a la Turquoise Waters, a very standard BBWian autumnal collection with a mix of old and new bakery and outdoorsy scents and of course..again..yet another all pumpkin and nothin but the pumpkin collection for the 3rd time in a row. At first glance, a good 80% percent of these sound and look new but then again, you never know until you sniff them.

Pumpkin
Pumpkin Pie - Save room for this delicious autumnal blend of creamy pumpkin, whipped vanilla and flaky pie crust that's as sweet as your favorite pumpkin pie (Supposedly this is new and not Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin or Pumpkin Carving)

Pumpkin Milkshake - Drink up the best of fall in a cool creamy blend if pumpkin puree, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream (An Instagram gurlfriend said that this is a repackage of...VANILLA SNOWFLAKE!!!)

Pumpkin Spiced Cheesecake - Decadent velvety cheesecake transform your favorite fall treat into a something even more special in notes of spiced pumpkin, fresh cream and a golden crust (an Instagramer said that this smelled similar to Pumpkin Cupcake. Could this also be Pumpkin Carrot Cake from '13?)

Pumpkin Coconut - Enjoy a fall treat with a touch of the tropics in a blend of toasted coconut, spiced pumpkin puree and a dash of vanilla (First of all, ugghhh!!! Secondly, what the **** does coconut have to do with fall? Didn't we get enough of that ish in the summer? This is probably Vanilla Coconut with a touch of cinnamon? This better not go wide!!!)

Cranberry Pumpkin - Fresh from the patch, pumpkin blends with tart cranberry in a fragrance that brings the best of fall into your home (Hmmm..Cranberry Woods? Cranberry Harvest? Cranberry Cider?)

Pumpkin Sugar Cookie - Fresh from the patch, pumpkin, cinnamon sugar and a dash of vanilla, - all the ingredients to make the sweet scent of fall's finest cookie (it's not Pumpkin Sugared Toejam mess from last fall or Pumpkin Gingerbread or  Snickerdoodle from this winter. It apparently smells similar to Merry Cookie)

Apple Pumpkin Pancakes - Start your day with the satisfying scent of fluffy pumpkin pancakes topped with warm chopped apples and crunchy walnuts (what? no Pumpkin Pecan Waffles? Thank GOD!!! I'm intrigued! By all accounts, this smells very similar to my bae Apple Crumble)

Returning scents include Pumpkin Caramel Latte, Caramel Pumpkin Swirl and Vanilla Pumpkin Marshmallow


Harvest
Buttercream Icing - Enjoy the sweetest flavors of fall with the mouthwatering fragrance of fluffy buttercream frosting on top of a just baked vanilla cupcake (this has to be Frosted Cupcake, I'll be highly be surprised if it isn't)

Brown Sugar Allspice - Fall's sweetness and spice balances perfectly in a blend of sparkling brown sugar crystals and freshly ground allspice (I'm stumped. Brown Sugared Apples? Kitchen Spice? Honey Cinnamon Crumbcake? Sugar & Spice?)

Apple Picking - The fragrance of crisp apples ripe for the picking, morning dew and a hint of autumn spice (I'm assuming this based of the Weekend Apple Picking soap)

Radiant Red Maple - The aroma of crisp red McIntosh apples, smoky woods and a hint of toasted marshmallows bring a feeling of fall into the air (that marshmallow note is throwin me for a loop though...reworking of Summer Bonfire with apple notes instead of orange notes?)

Porchside Pumpkin - Bring in the welcoming scent of a porchside pumpkin blended with cardamom spice and aromatic wood (Maybe Pumpkin Hayride from '13? Though according to an Instrgramer, this smells like pumpkin and cologne)

Returning scents include Sweater Weather, Flannel, Marshmallow Fireside, Autumn and Pumpkin Apple


Fall Color Drive
Golden Cinnamon - Simply break off its golden bark to release the warmth of autumn's finest cinnamon - sticks of cinnamon bark, soothing vanilla and a dash of salted caramel (I thought this might be White Barn NO1 Nutmeg & Spice but a buddy of mine on Instagram said it smelled very similar to Cider Lane/Warm Caramel Cider with a cinnamon-y bakery note)

Toasted Vanilla Caramel Warm up chilly fall days with this blend of toasted vanilla, smoldering woods and golden caramel (that said buddy said that this smelled like Applewood Bonfire with caramel)

Returning scents include Autumn Sky, Beautiful Day (DAFUQ?!!!), and Sweater Weather

I'm more than a little concern that there has been absolutely NO mention of Leaves!!! Hopefully it'll appear during the national release once everything is done testing...fingers crossed!

Anyhoo for further info check out Lifeinsidethepage.com

If you're on Instagram, be sure to check out tinybubblesfloating, iambored24, fallandwintercollection, stephan1emar1e, whitebarncandlefan, carebearhugzz and _fromvictoria for awesome pictures

And as always these are available on Evilbay courtesy of makingsunshinehappen

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

SHOP 'N' GO: June '15 SAS Haul

First of all, let me apologize for being away so long; as I was writing this post, I realized that I hadn't written anything in over a month. Honestly I hadn't had anything to write about til now. At any rate, mea culpa!

So it's the last weekend of SAS and I for one couldn't be happier! This SAS SUCKED!!! It was, in my most humble opinion, the absolute worse SAS in BBW history! The sales were utter crap, no good discounts/bargains. There are (as for as I know), 8 stores in my vicinity and I went to 6... not a SINGLE ONE had any 75% rare gems/hidden treasures nor any scents pre- Spring/Summer. Utter BS!
Nonetheless, I still managed to get some goodies for the sake of stocking.

Behold my collective SAS HAUL!!!

So the very first weekend, my bf and I went to the new White Barn in GSP. I had a feeling that the store wouldn't have any goodies is it's fairly new...and I was right. But since I was there and I decided to take advantage of the $10 3wick sale at the time. I got...

• Coastal Sun
• Suntan
• Renew & Refresh
• Southern Sweet Tea
• Bowties & Bourbon
• Iced Almond Chai (the only "rare" scent the store had and it was there by itself. I don't really like it and I may exchange it)
• Strawberry Rhubarb Marmalade
• 1 Perfect Beach Day deep cleansing soap (for my bf for work)

I did 2 transactions and used a 10off40 coupon and a 10off30 survey coupon and after this came to about $50something

The week after there was a flash $9 3wick sale but there werent many candles that I wanted. So this was a desperation online purch. I bought...

• Cherry Blossom Sangria
• Home ~ Sweet Caramel Comfort (aka Caramel Apple)
• Perfect Beach Day deep cleansing soap

For this, I used an online only 20% off coupon

Shortly after that last purchase, I made another online order. I had been waiting patiently for the American Summer wf bulbs go on sale and they finally dropped down to $3.25. I bought...

• 5 Coastal Suns
• 1 Beach Grass
• 1 Nantucket Sails
• 1 Beach Day 2pack

For this I used a 20% off/free shipping over $25 coupon. Everything but Nantucket Sails is currently plugged in

Lastly, last week on my lunchbreak I went to nearby store to pickup some last minute stuff. I was planning to buy these online at some point but decided to see if the stores had them so I could avoid paying shipping/handling. And thankfully they did. I bought...

• Summer Bonfire
• 5 more Coastal Suns
• Mahogany Teakwood shower gel (for my bf)
• Eucalyptus Tea aromatherapy shower gel

For this I used 10off30 survey coupon. I shouldve waited a week later cuz all wf bulbs were on sale for $2.50 but eh what can ya do?!

And that ladies and gents, is it! I havent bought anything else and have no intention to. Altogether, this might have cost me a liitle over $100; I'm sure my bank account and my bf are both letting out sighs of relief. While I'm very satisfied with my purchases, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed at not getting any rare finds. It's all good, that's more money I get to spend on the new stuff.

That said, we have some exciting stuff on the horizon. By this time next week, the Poptails and Destination candles will be in stores. Then we have the Cork &Wine candles coming out as a teaser for fall scents in August. And speaking of fall scents, some of the fall collections are currently testing in some stores and they sound...interesting. Bring it on!!!!

Now compare this haul to last year's haul....