WALK 'N' SNIFF: Winter 2017 Candles Part Deux
In case you missed it, here is PART ONE of my Winter 2017 candle review. This review will cover all of the scents that weren't in the store the last time I went (I went to two different stores to smell all of these scents btw).
Ok so I'm gonna start with the new random honey mason jar candles. This'll be quick cuz honestly found them all disgusting; I do NOT enjoy the smell of honey, especially in home fragrance
Coco Shea Honey - just smells like straight up coco shea butter
Cinnamon Honey Apple - this smelled familiar, like some apple cinnamon bakery scent from the past couple of years...Holiday Apple Crisp maybe, something like that
Warm Vanilla Honey - I think this is Honey Vanilla
Smoked Honey Woods - this smells like one of the recent caramelly/woodsy candles, kinda Caramel Woods-esque
Sweet Honey Bee - pretty sure this is the same Sweet Honey Bee, but more honey-ish maybe
ALL but Cinnamon Honey Apple made me gag and even that one I didn't love or like.
Ok moving right along. So neither store had Currant, Frankincense and Myrrh in the winter Elements collection so let's skip that and move ahead to the remainder of the holiday add-ons in the WB core collection
Merry Mimosa (7256A6A5) - * SIGH before I start this review, I need to rant for a sec
This is about my gurl Tinadivalicious. He gets a lot of unnecessary flak from people based on his reviews; people tend to use him a scapegoat when things smell differently than what he said. Also, what many perceive as him being "negative" is just plain unadulterated, much needed truth in a community full of newbies who think everything that comes out of BBW is the best thing since sliced bread. The quality of good ol fashioned candle reviewing has changed dramatically and not in a good way. There are very few (if any) reviewers on Youtube with extensive candle knowledge and fragrance note expertise and Tinadivalicious is one of them; for pissakes, he's been doing this since 2011! I don't agree with his assessments sometimes however I've been watching his vids since I first starting burning BBW candles and in my most humble opinion, he is by far the most reliable source to date on Youtube. Now on the review...
Occasionally, Tinadivalicious picks up something odd in a scent and I'll have a "really gurl?!" moment. Case in point, in one of his latest review, he mentioned that he picked up Aloha Kiwi Passionfruit ..and I was like "really gurl?!" His name, as always, was brought up when folks disagreed. Well Tinadivalicious gurl, I got your back...I totally smelled it! It's not a straight up repackage or repackage with a twist but soooo similar. For a scent that's marketed as holiday drink, MM smells oddly summery and tropical. There's no fizzy effervescence but there's something vaguely alcohol-y in the background, almost Champagne Toast-ish. And the apple, as I feared, is a little too reminiscent of Pink Apple Punch/Green Apple Champagne for my liking. I don't really know the point of this scent and why BBW felt the need to make it a "winter" scent. Instead of a bright apple, it should've been more on the cider side; apple cider mimosas are indeed a thing. And maybe a bit of cinnamon and/or clove; years ago, there was a fizzy apple cinnamon drink candle called Apple Ale, they should've used that instead.
Grapefruit Gin Fizz (7263G3A2) - I was really intrigued with this as I love grapefruit scents and I'm a big fan of gin. Grapefruit and gin are a winning combo; Salty Dogs are my jam! Anyhoo, I must say I'm ever so slightly disappointed. So first of all, in the same store, I smelled 2 distinctly different versions; one smelled like straightup resinous pine with a hint of vague nondescript citrus. The other version was a delightfully bright citrus heavy scent with a distinct grapefruit note and a little hint of juniper berries similar to Sweater Weather. And again, Tinadivalicious, I got your back; I do get the Summertime Soda vibe. The citrus with the grapefruit does remind me a little of Sprite or fizzy tablets. I do wish there was more of a nose-tingling effervescence like Summertime Soda..which brings me to my 2 complaints; 1)it doesn't smell like a drink and 2) like Merry Mimosa, it feels outta place season wise. I mean the first version felt kinda appropriate because of the heavy pine but the second one feels more springy/summery. I think I might buy one of the 2nd version just to try but based on cold sniff, I'm not blown away nor do I see myself stocking up.
Toasted Graham Cracker (7257K3A1) - when this scent was still testing, there were reports that it was new, that it smelled like actual graham crackers, that you could actually smell the cardamom, etc. Then a few days ago, when this started popping up in non test stores, people were saying that they got something totally different; they got...Pumpkin Sugared Doughnuts. I did have a "really gurl" moment and so did quite of other fellow candle enthusiasts but then I sniffed it...I gotta say, I did get Pumpkin Sugared Doughnuts severely watered down...and without the infamous manfeet toejam I got in my awful batch. There's a bakery note that smells less like graham cracker and more like a doughnut. And I don't so much get cardamom per se as I get pumpkin spice. It's not unpleasant (lord knows if I got something closer to this and not sweaty man feet, I might've kept my old PSD) but not what I expected. So yeah be aware that there's a definite possible of there being a test scent version and nationwide release version of this candle.
And finally, let's talk about the new scents in the Camp Winter collection...
Frozen Lake (tester) - I was really intrigued with this scent at first. First of all, it sounded..."cologney" and mandles during wintertime are few and far in between. And anything with lavender makes me a happy homo. But soooo many folks on social media were saying that it smelled like Sparkling Icicles, which despite being cologney, it isn't a fav of mine. After smelling it, people are half right; they are slightly similar. Personally I think it's more elegant and sophisticated. If I had to describe it simply, I would say think Sparkling Icicles but without the heavy citrus and mix in Peace ~ Iced Vanilla Woods. You get a lovely blend of herbal notes, almost to the point of being aromatherapy-ish. There's a soft, sweet but astringent lavender note similar to P~IVW mixed with a surprisingly unobtrusive eucalyptus note that sorta cools the blend and gives the scent a sense of the cold wintery outdoors. I pick up something vaquely minty but that could just be the lavender (a member of the mint family) playing alongside the eucalyptus. And there's a intense hit of sweet juniper, similar to the juniper in last year's Juniperberry & Pine and Snowed In. And the juniper is even more intense in wf bulb (which I bought for review purposes). I really enjoy this one, more so than I thought I would; it's fresh, crisp, a little sweet, a little manly. I do hope this one sticks around and replaces SI.
Snow Mountain Lodge (tester) - I wasn't particularly sure about this one and even after smelling it, I'm still unsure. So I and many other ol schoolers thought this might be Winter Night from backintheday...it isn't. I also thought it might a failed test scent from last winter called Fireside Christmas but after talking with my gurl Jenn/@theshow78 who actually had it, it isn't that either. So yay, newness! The notes for this scent are really vague; all we get is patchouli and embers yet I smell soooo much more. The note you get first is an intense crisp resinous pine note, leaning more to the balsam side. It reminded of a scent in recent years but I just couldn't place it. I bought a wf bulb just outta curiousity and I sniffed and sniffed and then it finally hit me - Welcome ~ Spiced Autumn Wreath..but without the spice; same exact balsam note. There also might be a bit cedar in the blend too. I also get just a hint of citrus, like orange and/or lemon peel/oil. I get the "ember" element..which might actually be just amber which usually gives a warm embery "fireside" vibe to scents. And there's that patchouli..which I am not a huge fan of. It adds a smoky, incense-y earthiness and intensifies the woodsy aspect of the scent. I think it's the patchouli hanging out with that W~SAW balsam note that's keeping me from liking this scent; it just makes me think of high hippies camping in the woods. That's said, it's not a bad scent and it's worth a sniff or 2 however if like me you're not a fan of patchouli, then this bud is not for you.
Campfire Donuts (7248M8A2) -*SIGH I had my doubts about this damn candle since the very start; I am ALWAYS disappointed with candles that are overhyped on social media; surely this candle could not be as mindblowing as folks were making it out to be...it isn't. After finally smelling it, I'm convinced there's some kind of social media induced crowd manipulation going on; people seeing the hype and the hauls which compels them to buy it to in order to fit in and they convince themselves that it's an awesome and amazing nosegasmic scent..it isn't. I'm sure some folks genuinely do love it but some other folks, I'm not so sure. Anyway, rant over. So it has been confirmed that CD is indeed a repackage of the infamous failed unicorn candle Chestnut Glazed Croissant..which caused sooooo controversy backintheday. I'm glad I never fell for the hype back then and spent time, energy and especially money getting my hands on it cuz I would've been extremely disappointed. At any rate, just based on what I smelled, this candle is misnamed and miss-marketed. I don't so much get a glaze but rather really sweet powdered sugar. There's definitely a bakery aspect..but it's so not a doughnut. If you're expecting something Cinnamon Sugared Doughnuts or Pumpkin Sugared Doughnuts, think again! It smells like straightup baked yeasty bread..which conjured memories of Slatkin's French Baguette (contrary to what a few folks have said, CD is NOT a repackage of French Baguette but the 2 are similar). The combo of the the powdered sugar and the yeasty bread makes this scent smell less like a "campfire donut (which is actually a thing, who know?!) but more like funnel cake or beignets . That's how this shouldve been marketed - either funnel cake in a summer fair themed collection or a beignets in a late winter/spring transitional New Orleans/Mardi Gras themed collection but a camping in winter scent...no! CD is not a bad scent by any means but it is sooooo not the mindblowing nosegasmic gem that people are making it out to be; DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!
Ok so I'm gonna start with the new random honey mason jar candles. This'll be quick cuz honestly found them all disgusting; I do NOT enjoy the smell of honey, especially in home fragrance
Coco Shea Honey - just smells like straight up coco shea butter
Cinnamon Honey Apple - this smelled familiar, like some apple cinnamon bakery scent from the past couple of years...
Warm Vanilla Honey - I think this is Honey Vanilla
Smoked Honey Woods - this smells like one of the recent caramelly/woodsy candles, kinda Caramel Woods-esque
Sweet Honey Bee - pretty sure this is the same Sweet Honey Bee, but more honey-ish maybe
ALL but Cinnamon Honey Apple made me gag and even that one I didn't love or like.
Ok moving right along. So neither store had Currant, Frankincense and Myrrh in the winter Elements collection so let's skip that and move ahead to the remainder of the holiday add-ons in the WB core collection
Merry Mimosa (7256A6A5) - * SIGH before I start this review, I need to rant for a sec
This is about my gurl Tinadivalicious. He gets a lot of unnecessary flak from people based on his reviews; people tend to use him a scapegoat when things smell differently than what he said. Also, what many perceive as him being "negative" is just plain unadulterated, much needed truth in a community full of newbies who think everything that comes out of BBW is the best thing since sliced bread. The quality of good ol fashioned candle reviewing has changed dramatically and not in a good way. There are very few (if any) reviewers on Youtube with extensive candle knowledge and fragrance note expertise and Tinadivalicious is one of them; for pissakes, he's been doing this since 2011! I don't agree with his assessments sometimes however I've been watching his vids since I first starting burning BBW candles and in my most humble opinion, he is by far the most reliable source to date on Youtube. Now on the review...
Occasionally, Tinadivalicious picks up something odd in a scent and I'll have a "really gurl?!" moment. Case in point, in one of his latest review, he mentioned that he picked up Aloha Kiwi Passionfruit ..and I was like "really gurl?!" His name, as always, was brought up when folks disagreed. Well Tinadivalicious gurl, I got your back...I totally smelled it! It's not a straight up repackage or repackage with a twist but soooo similar. For a scent that's marketed as holiday drink, MM smells oddly summery and tropical. There's no fizzy effervescence but there's something vaguely alcohol-y in the background, almost Champagne Toast-ish. And the apple, as I feared, is a little too reminiscent of Pink Apple Punch/Green Apple Champagne for my liking. I don't really know the point of this scent and why BBW felt the need to make it a "winter" scent. Instead of a bright apple, it should've been more on the cider side; apple cider mimosas are indeed a thing. And maybe a bit of cinnamon and/or clove; years ago, there was a fizzy apple cinnamon drink candle called Apple Ale, they should've used that instead.
Grapefruit Gin Fizz (7263G3A2) - I was really intrigued with this as I love grapefruit scents and I'm a big fan of gin. Grapefruit and gin are a winning combo; Salty Dogs are my jam! Anyhoo, I must say I'm ever so slightly disappointed. So first of all, in the same store, I smelled 2 distinctly different versions; one smelled like straightup resinous pine with a hint of vague nondescript citrus. The other version was a delightfully bright citrus heavy scent with a distinct grapefruit note and a little hint of juniper berries similar to Sweater Weather. And again, Tinadivalicious, I got your back; I do get the Summertime Soda vibe. The citrus with the grapefruit does remind me a little of Sprite or fizzy tablets. I do wish there was more of a nose-tingling effervescence like Summertime Soda..which brings me to my 2 complaints; 1)it doesn't smell like a drink and 2) like Merry Mimosa, it feels outta place season wise. I mean the first version felt kinda appropriate because of the heavy pine but the second one feels more springy/summery. I think I might buy one of the 2nd version just to try but based on cold sniff, I'm not blown away nor do I see myself stocking up.
Toasted Graham Cracker (7257K3A1) - when this scent was still testing, there were reports that it was new, that it smelled like actual graham crackers, that you could actually smell the cardamom, etc. Then a few days ago, when this started popping up in non test stores, people were saying that they got something totally different; they got...Pumpkin Sugared Doughnuts. I did have a "really gurl" moment and so did quite of other fellow candle enthusiasts but then I sniffed it...I gotta say, I did get Pumpkin Sugared Doughnuts severely watered down...and without the infamous manfeet toejam I got in my awful batch. There's a bakery note that smells less like graham cracker and more like a doughnut. And I don't so much get cardamom per se as I get pumpkin spice. It's not unpleasant (lord knows if I got something closer to this and not sweaty man feet, I might've kept my old PSD) but not what I expected. So yeah be aware that there's a definite possible of there being a test scent version and nationwide release version of this candle.
And finally, let's talk about the new scents in the Camp Winter collection...
Frozen Lake (tester) - I was really intrigued with this scent at first. First of all, it sounded..."cologney" and mandles during wintertime are few and far in between. And anything with lavender makes me a happy homo. But soooo many folks on social media were saying that it smelled like Sparkling Icicles, which despite being cologney, it isn't a fav of mine. After smelling it, people are half right; they are slightly similar. Personally I think it's more elegant and sophisticated. If I had to describe it simply, I would say think Sparkling Icicles but without the heavy citrus and mix in Peace ~ Iced Vanilla Woods. You get a lovely blend of herbal notes, almost to the point of being aromatherapy-ish. There's a soft, sweet but astringent lavender note similar to P~IVW mixed with a surprisingly unobtrusive eucalyptus note that sorta cools the blend and gives the scent a sense of the cold wintery outdoors. I pick up something vaquely minty but that could just be the lavender (a member of the mint family) playing alongside the eucalyptus. And there's a intense hit of sweet juniper, similar to the juniper in last year's Juniperberry & Pine and Snowed In. And the juniper is even more intense in wf bulb (which I bought for review purposes). I really enjoy this one, more so than I thought I would; it's fresh, crisp, a little sweet, a little manly. I do hope this one sticks around and replaces SI.
Snow Mountain Lodge (tester) - I wasn't particularly sure about this one and even after smelling it, I'm still unsure. So I and many other ol schoolers thought this might be Winter Night from backintheday...it isn't. I also thought it might a failed test scent from last winter called Fireside Christmas but after talking with my gurl Jenn/@theshow78 who actually had it, it isn't that either. So yay, newness! The notes for this scent are really vague; all we get is patchouli and embers yet I smell soooo much more. The note you get first is an intense crisp resinous pine note, leaning more to the balsam side. It reminded of a scent in recent years but I just couldn't place it. I bought a wf bulb just outta curiousity and I sniffed and sniffed and then it finally hit me - Welcome ~ Spiced Autumn Wreath..but without the spice; same exact balsam note. There also might be a bit cedar in the blend too. I also get just a hint of citrus, like orange and/or lemon peel/oil. I get the "ember" element..which might actually be just amber which usually gives a warm embery "fireside" vibe to scents. And there's that patchouli..which I am not a huge fan of. It adds a smoky, incense-y earthiness and intensifies the woodsy aspect of the scent. I think it's the patchouli hanging out with that W~SAW balsam note that's keeping me from liking this scent; it just makes me think of high hippies camping in the woods. That's said, it's not a bad scent and it's worth a sniff or 2 however if like me you're not a fan of patchouli, then this bud is not for you.
Campfire Donuts (7248M8A2) -*SIGH I had my doubts about this damn candle since the very start; I am ALWAYS disappointed with candles that are overhyped on social media; surely this candle could not be as mindblowing as folks were making it out to be...it isn't. After finally smelling it, I'm convinced there's some kind of social media induced crowd manipulation going on; people seeing the hype and the hauls which compels them to buy it to in order to fit in and they convince themselves that it's an awesome and amazing nosegasmic scent..it isn't. I'm sure some folks genuinely do love it but some other folks, I'm not so sure. Anyway, rant over. So it has been confirmed that CD is indeed a repackage of the infamous failed unicorn candle Chestnut Glazed Croissant..which caused sooooo controversy backintheday. I'm glad I never fell for the hype back then and spent time, energy and especially money getting my hands on it cuz I would've been extremely disappointed. At any rate, just based on what I smelled, this candle is misnamed and miss-marketed. I don't so much get a glaze but rather really sweet powdered sugar. There's definitely a bakery aspect..but it's so not a doughnut. If you're expecting something Cinnamon Sugared Doughnuts or Pumpkin Sugared Doughnuts, think again! It smells like straightup baked yeasty bread..which conjured memories of Slatkin's French Baguette (contrary to what a few folks have said, CD is NOT a repackage of French Baguette but the 2 are similar). The combo of the the powdered sugar and the yeasty bread makes this scent smell less like a "campfire donut (which is actually a thing, who know?!) but more like funnel cake or beignets . That's how this shouldve been marketed - either funnel cake in a summer fair themed collection or a beignets in a late winter/spring transitional New Orleans/Mardi Gras themed collection but a camping in winter scent...no! CD is not a bad scent by any means but it is sooooo not the mindblowing nosegasmic gem that people are making it out to be; DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!
I've just started watching Tinadivalious on YouTube, after seeing you mention him a few times, and I like him! He's engaging and clearly knows his stuff. You two agree on a lot!
ReplyDeleteAnd yeeeeees about Frozen Lake ���� In my head, it was Acqua Di Gio mixed with Sweater Weather but it still sounds great. And would you actually believe I have a Peace: Iced Vanilla Woods on the way?! Someone on here asked me for advice on selling off some of her B&BW candles and I cheekily asked for first refusal �� Anyway, I have that and one other - I restrained myself!
My store had Myrrh and Frankincense, and I'm pretty sure they're both repackages. Frankincense smells a lot like Winter, it's either exactly the same or either very close. I want to say it's not exactly the same because I don't like Winter but I liked this new one...but maybe that's just the marketing working on me lol.
ReplyDeleteMyrrh smelled so damn familiar, I smelled it again and again and I might be totally off my rocker...but I eventually concluded that it's like a watered-down Marshmallow Fireside. Which is so weird. It definitely had a smoky/fireside note. The sweeter marshmallow note was not very strong, if it was there...but they definitely smelled similar.
They also had Currant, which I did not like at all. It has a tartness to it, which I liked, but that was underneath something else that made me gag. It was a very weird smell.
I just smelled all 3 recently...
DeleteI soooo have to disagree with you about Frankincense, it doesn't smell anything like Winter at all to me
I can kinda see the Marshmallow Fireside reference,myrrh is supposed to smell sweet and woody but it's not a repackage
As for Currant, I agree it's weird. It's actually a repackage of an old Slatkin scent called Tomato Garden
Hey, just when you thought that BBW couldn't get any crazier with their beta tests, they do something so asinine it is almost beyond words. Today I noticed five new floral combo scents in these tall black glass tapered containers--completely a departure from ANY BBW candles. They appear to be soy based, as they are very soft. I liked the lilac & lavender one and since, with the sale, the associate was willing to sell them to me for $9.17, I picked up three. They were, get this, originally $26.50. I thought it was odd that they didn't say Bath & Body works anywhere on the label, so I turned the candle over and looked closely at the label on the bottom of the jar: DW Home Scents. YES! First they put out five florals going into the holiday season, and then I find out they are now introducing other brands into their line-up! WHAT?! DW Home scents are those awful, zero-throw candles that TJ Maxx and Marshall's sells. So, guess what. They are going RIGHT BACK to BBW. For f-sakes. I can't belive the direction they are headed!
ReplyDeleteOh that's old news; folks have been talkin about that all over social media. I really don't get it; very bizarre direction they're goin in
Delete