BLAST FROM THE PAST: Lavender Macaroon (2011)

Products: candle
Area used in: n/a
Time Period: never, sniff-only

Description: An unexpected blend of lavender, warm caramel and brown sugar with just a touch of salt.

So ladies and gents...TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!!! And I decided to treat myself!

I finally found a Slatkin era candle that has eluded my grasp for years - Lavender Macaroon!

Some here's some history...

It first came out in 2011 in 1wick form only in a French patisserie themed trio - there was French Caramel Cake (which we now know as Pumpkin Spiced Cheesecake), Spiced Madeleine (aka Pumpkin Coconut) and Lavender Macaroon....Macaron (Shame on you Slatkin and L Brand for making that mistake). The three were later brought back in the fall as autumn themed bakery treats - French Caramel Cake became Brown Butter Praline, Spiced Madeleine became Toasted Coconut and Lavender Macaron became Lavender Caramel (and as a 3wick) Most people were perplexed by this scent (I'll explain later) which obviously means it didn't do well sale-wise and we haven't seen it since; it's all but forgotten now except for a handful of hardcore Slatkineers. When Paris ~ Lavender Macaron made it's debut back '15, many of us ol schoolers hoped and prayed that it would be a repackage...and it was..just not of Lavender Macaroon/Caramel.

So you may be wondering how could such a rare and unique sounding scent be unpopular and go extinct? Two words - bad marketing. Marketing could make or break a scent and unfortunately for LM/LC, it broke it. The scent itself wasn't bad just unexpected..as it says in the notes description. Furthermore, the scent didn't like what the name suggested. There's nothing remotely bakery or cookie like about it to give any semblance of a macaron. Even if there was a hint of almond, that could've worked but nope. Even when it was renamed Lavender Caramel which was closer to the truth, it just didn't smell bakery or gourmand enough nor was the caramel aspect sickeningly sweet and ooey-gooey like most caramel scents at BBW. It smelled oddly conceptual...which most conceptual scents tend not do to well as most BBW'ers are bakery lovers. And to have a bakery scent not smell bakery...utter sacrilege!

So what does this candle smell like? It's a strange scent for sure and very hard to DESCRIBE. So you do get caramel but as I said earlier it's not your standard BBW-ian gloopy diabetes inducing caramel. It smells like caramel made from brown sugar - a little darker and richer and smoother and not as intensely sweet. The caramel note feels more like caramel you would find in bodycare and not  caramel treat inspired home fragrance - it's softer and cozier and not ooey-gooey and gloopy. And you do get lavender, though not as intensely herbal and astringent; it's very soft and delicate like the lavender in Lavender Vanilla (and before anyone says anything, mixing lavender with caramel is most certainly a thing   ) Now here is where it gets truly weird! There's an added unlisted, unmentioned, undeniable green velvetty, pungent sage note. It doesn't lurk in the background and sneak up on you, it's the first note you get and it sucker punches you instantly. While it compliments the lavender, it's weird against the lavender and along with the salt notes adds a distinct savoriness. The combo of the caramel, the salt and the sage has prompted many to describe LM/LC as smelling like "Stove Top Stuffing ". I personally don't think so....but I can see why people would think that.

I really love this scent; I mean anything with lavender gets my attention but still. If this wasn't marketed as a gourmand scent to cater to the sweetie/bakery lovers, it could've stood a chance, had some success and we could've possibly have still seen it for awhile. Because it's such a comfy cozy, that should've been the selling point. If it was called something like "Comfort" or "Home" (like it's fellow caramel brethren Caramel Apple) or "Comfy Blanket" or "Cozy (Autumn) Kitchen and sold around Thanksgiving time. Something to think about BBW....