WALK N SNIFF: Elements Candles *UPDATED

So I was right down the street from BBW and was going to stop by to buy some handsoaps; I was expecting to see any newness so I had every intention on making a short in and out trip. But lo and behold the had the first phase of Elements collection ie the candles with the light colored labels and white frosted glass.


So right off the bat, every single one of these is a repackage with a twist of something or another. They all smell like a particular scent but with a little tweak to give the illusion of being a new scent. Ok so lets begin...

Cinnamon =  Welcome ~ Spiced Autumn Wreath
If you're expecting this to be a sweet Cinnamon Sugared Doughnut scent or a red hot Cinnamon & Clove Buds type of scent, you will be very mistaken. It's definitely closer to SAW as it shares the same wood and pine/balsam basenotes. The only difference is that the cinnamon is slightly sweeter. There's also a weird sharpness from the wood/pine notes that immediately burned my nose and set off my sinuses and it's very similar to relatively unknown and forgotten WB exclusive Cashmere & Oak.

Lemongrass = Lemon Verbena
Straightup Lemon Verbena. It's not as soapy smelling and the lemony aspect is bit more bright and alert but it's otherwise the same

Cypress = Woodland Forest
This one was seriously throwin me for a loop cuz it smelled so familiar but I couldn't pinpoint what it could be. I kept picking up a note that reminded me of green bellpeppers...and that's when it hit me - Woodland Forest, which smelled like green bellpeppers to me. Honestly I can't detect any tweaks just green grass/leaves, moss and well, bell peppers

Rose = Flower Shop
So Tinadivalicious was talking about this candle in a recent review  and I refused to believe him when he said he thought it was Flower Shop but sure enough he was right - it's totally FS! Kinduva bizarre choice as a) there's Winter Rose/Blushing Pink Rose Petals as well as Rosewater & Ivy and b)Flower Shop has NO rose notes and doesn't smell remotely rosy. It seems that they toned down the cut green stem notes and maybe added a little musk but otherwise it's FS. Also, and it could just be nose falling prey to the power of suggestion, I smelled an added note that almost gives the illusion of rosiness but I don't think an actual rose note was added

Bergamot = Sparkling Waves
This one is so bizarre! First of all, it smells like practically nothing; it's so light to the point of being nonexistent and you have to shove the candle up your nostril to get even the most smallest whiff of fragrance. Once you did smell something, you're flabbergasted as it doesn't smell like what you'd expect. To me what little fragrance I got smelled like Sparkling Waves, which did have bergamot in the notes. Also occasionally I'd get hints of Oceanside as well. Very strange candle!

Eucalyptus = Aromatherapy Eucalyptus Spearmint
This isn't even worth talking about so I won't waste your time or mine

Almond = Creamy Nutmeg
To me, Creamy Nutmeg has always smelled like eggnog with amaretto and that's what I get with Almond. The creaminess has been toned down a bit, there's a bit more sweetness and this version smells slightly more bakery than beverage but those are the only difference. I have to laugh about this candle cuz everybody and their grandma are going nuts about this candle on social media and buying buttloadds of it yet the majority of these individuals all slept on, ignored and turned their noses up at Creamy Nutmeg when it made its grand return during last winter's SAS. And that ladies and gents is the power of marketing.

I think it's safe to assume that these should be in your local stores - if not now, then soon. And it seems that the rumours of these candles replacing  the time old Aromatherapy candles are true as I didn't see any of them in the store. So far it's seems like only the light candles are making appearances; no word if the dark ones have failed or if there will be a second phase/late arrivals. Not that theyre anything exciting; from what I've heard, they're all pretty much repackages/repackages with a twist. BTW the remaining dark scents include...

Pomegranate (aka Wild Huckleberry), Lavender (aka French Lavender) and Incense (= ?) have all gone wide with new light glass tumblers). Chamomile (aka Black Chamomile)Juniper (aka Silver Pine & Cedar)Vanilla  (aka Vanilla Pumpkin Marshmallow) have not, at least for now








Comments

  1. I typed a huge note, but it looks like it got deleted. Ugh. First, thanks for your diligent research and consistent reviews. You are my go-to source for reliable, heads up accounts of what is to come. I disagree with your assessment of Cinnamon as Autumn Wreath, although you could be right. I think the fragrance is a repackage of the icky Xmas scent, Sparkling Woods. That candle made my eyes water and I broke out in a rash from it. So I'll never forget that fragrance. LOL. I am immediately returning Bergamot without even burning it; it has zero scent on cold sniff. And I think it is similar to that awful dish-soapish Citron Cedarwood. Yuck. I also bought Cypress and I like that one a lot. You are spot on about this one being a repackage of Woodland Forest. This version has an even stronger throw and a lot of that bell pepper note you mention. But they added some extra juniper berry as the twist. Well, let me know what you think about Cinnamon now that I brought up Sparkling Woods. Thanks again for your entertaining reviews.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much! I'm glad I can be helpful

      I can see where you're going with Sparkling Woods; Cinnamon did have a chemical weirdness that made my nose burn. However there is still that spicy Cinnamon note that Sparkling Woods definitely didn't have as well as a cinnamon bark/pine/woods blend. To my nose, it's definitely closer to the Spiced Autumn Wreath/Cinnamon Pinecone/Pumpkin Woods family

      Delete
  2. I'm not familiar with Woodland Forest, but I thought that Cypress smelled kind of like the Tomato Vine candle we got earlier this year. I actually didn't hate it, to be honest, but I wound up going with Cinnamon and you're so right, it's very Autumn Wreath. It reminds me of those scented pine cones you can get around autumn/winter so it was kind of nostalgic for me lol. I kind of want to go back and get Almond though, and second-guessing not buying it the whole way out of the store lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can see that, Tomato Vines was a very potent green scent. That said, it's definitely Woodland Forest, it's too unique of a smell not to forget.

      As for Almond, that seems to be the fan favorite of the collection with everyone hyping it up on social media. Go back and snatch one while it's on sale

      Delete
  3. Well, I went back into BBW and sniffed that Cinnamon candle again, and you are correct. It is not Sparkling Woods. It's got some of that in it. I'd swear they morphed Autumn Wreath with some element of Sparkling Woods, but yes, it is definitely closer to Autumn Wreath. At any rate, I'm not buying that one. And I traded my unlit Bergamot (weird, almost scentless thing) and finally bit the bullet and tried Fresh Mint & Coconut, a scent that had grown on me every time I went in. THAT scent turned out to be a winner, much to my surprise. The throw is great on it, and it smells just like it does on cold sniff--only more intense.

    ReplyDelete
  4. How similar to Vanilla Sandalwood is the Almond?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Its interesting that you picked up green bell peppers for Cypress, because I bought, burned and enjoyed tomato vine from BBW which my dad pointed out smelled not only like tomato vine but also like green peppers. When I smelled this candle in the store, that's what I smelled right away but no one that I watched on youtube picked that up. Thank you for making me not feel crazy.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MY LAST POST: End of an Era

CANDLE RETROSPECTIVE: Brozeblogger's Top 20 Candles OF ALL TIME

NEWNESS UPDATE: Spring 2021 Candles