WALK 'N' SNIFF: The Grand Return of Sweet Shop 2.0

As you know, Sweet Shop has made its grand return this year...and everyone, newbies and ol schoolers alike, are going apeshit. My IG newsfeed has been inundated with everyone's Sweet Shop hauls, which made me both annoyed and ever so slightly jealous. Now I must admit something that I'm sure will have an angry mob after me - I wasn't the biggest fan of SS collection backintheday...not that I thought it sucked or poorly executed but I'm just not a big fan of bakery scents. In fact I only bought two candles - Cinnamon Sugared Doughnuts and Lavender Marshmallow. As for its grand return all of these years later, I was more happy for everyone else, especially those poor unfortunate souls that only recently started getting into BBW. That said, I was quite elated at the prospect grabbing a few LMs (and possibly burning my old already burned 2014 version with reckless abandon). And I thought for the sake of nostalgia that I would be nice to resniff this collection; I was still living in New Orleans then and only got the basic nationwide releases but when I eventually moved to Jersey (and Garden State Plaza mall was still a test store) I got to sniff the remaining failures. Anyhoo, so none of the stores in my area had any SS candles. Lo and behold, I went to GSP on a whim and there they were; it was definitely a trip down memory lane.

So I already wrote a review on this collection back in 2014 but I thought it would be nice to write a new review with a fresher perspective. 

Pineapple Cream Puff (733AGA5) - there's really not much to say about this one as it smells like what the name suggests. You get soft sweet flaky bakery note, think choux pastry (which is what cream puffs are made of). Then you get a vanilla cream flavored with pineapple note that smells like the fruit and more like the juice, think Doles. To be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of pineapple in BBW's home fragrance as they also smell really artificial and this one is no exception. It's a cute scent and I give it high marks for uniqueness and I can see this being a pleasant guest friendly transitional scent between spring and summer but honestly, it's nothing groundbreaking 

Honey Cinnamon Crumb Cake (7328K3A2) - Again, there's really not much to say about this either. My opinion of it hasn't changed since I last sniffed it backintheday - it smells like graham crackers..more to the point honey graham crackers. There's a dry bakery note sweetened with cinnamon-sugar and there is drippy sweet glaziness that I suppose could be replicating "honey". People on social media claim to get a hint of floral..I personally don't. Perhaps what they pick up is the honey as real honey picks up floral notes whatever flower has been pollenated by bees. A few have mentioned this and I have to agree..there's an almost BO-like muskiness, like sweaty man ass...which in real life I don't have a problem with (depending on the ass of course) but I'm not sure I want to smell it in home fragrance, particularly in a gourmand/bakery scent. Yeah, this was a no back then and it still is now.   

ADDENDUM: HCCC is a repackage with a twist of the failed test scent from 2012 Sugar & Spice

Pink Bubblegum (7332G3A4) - most of you should've smelled this in it's awful quotes "Girl Gang" packaging. If you haven't, again there's really not much to say about it...it smells EXACTLY like bubblegum, particularly Bazooka Joe . Now the notes mention watermelon, vanilla, and sugarcane...I mean, I guess? Maybe those were components in the blend to replicate a gum smell and perhaps out of all of the notes used, those 3 sounded the most appealing. I personally can't pick out those 3 notes at all. Everyone went nuts for this went it was testing backintheday and everyone lost their proverbial shit when it came out as Girl Gang recently; both times I was indifferent. Now don't get me wrong, it's spot on and gets a A for accuracy and authenticity but that's the problem. I agree with those who say that it's awkward because it is so spot on and I just don't know if I want my domicile to smell like a bubblegum.  

Lemon Drops (7333AGA8) - I know this is becoming an ongoing theme BUUUTTT there's really not much to say about this one. If you've ever had lemon drops, especially Lemonheads, that's what this smells like. It's an intensely tart lemony candy smell. Many wrote this off as just a repackage of Limoncello...it is not! This is far more intensely zesty and tart.

ADDENDUM - I could be wrong but I think Sugared Lemon Zest from back in the spring was a repackage of this 

Lavender Marshmallow (7326K3A3) - Well gang, it's official...Lavender Marshmallow is no longer a unicorn candle!!!

Again, this scent is pretty straightforward. You have an astringent herbally French Lavender-esque lavender with a sweet powdery vanilla heavy marshmallow note..straightforward. Back in 2014, people seemed perplexed by this combo - a)lavender marshmallows are indeed a thing and they are delicious and also b.) these same individuals were at confused by Lavender Vanilla..same concept.

Now I'm sure everyone reading this are all thinking the same question and there has been much debate over this on social media....is Paris ~ Lavender Macaron the same as Lavender Marshmallow and vice versa.

YES AND NO!

The basenotes are pretty much the same but there is small but distinct difference.

Lavender Marshmallow has a distinct dryness and powderiness, as it should since it is supposed to smell like a marshmallow. Lavender Macaron on the other hand does not have that dryness but rather a sweet glaziness that almost reminds me of icing on a petit four. Moreover the lavender note is less crisp and intense than in Lavender Marshmallow. 

For the sake of argument lets just say that Lavender Macaron is a repackage WITH A TWIST of Lavender Marshmallow and leave it at that. That said, just speaking for myself, I prefer LMarshmallow over LMacaron and will probably burn the ones I have to get rid of them

Strawberry Sorbet (7331AGA5) - honestly, in my most humble of opinions, this is the worst scent in the bunch. It doesn't smell like sorbet or ice cream...it really doesn't smell like a dessert. It just smells like generic strawberry chapstick. It's so artificial and fake smelling with an off-putting waxiness.   

ADDENDUM - if you remember Easter ~ Cotton Candy Marshmallow, well that is a direct repackage of SS. Futhermore, SS is a repackage of Strawberry Picnic from 2013 and that was a repackage with a twist of Saltwater Taffy

Raspberry Peach Macaron (7328K3A5) - out of all of the scents in this collection, this was the most complex and the runaway hit out of all of the ones that made the nationwide release backintheday. That said, I never really understood its popularity. So right off the bat, this doesn't smell like a macaron; there's no bakery aspect that my nose can detect as well as no almond which would've made a rather nice addition to the blend. That said, I did get a glaziness similar Lavender Macaron..although I don't think that smells like a macaron either. All I really get is jam - a sweet pectinous  raspberry peach jam. or compote.I'm not a big fan of peach scents from BBW as they all smell like musty armpits to me and I get that in this but luckily the raspberry overpowers it.

ADDENDUM: RPM  is a repackage of Gelato from 2013

WARNING: Sooooooooo many people backintheday complained of its horrible craptatic burn after midrange. Moreover, once it got to that point, the scent itself changed into a horrible burnt, waxy, chemical mess. I doubt very seriously that that issue was taken care of so take that into consideration and buy with caution


Frosted Cupcake - I'm not gonna waste your time or mine talking about this one

Unfortunately it doesn't like the remaining failed scent, Pink Lemonade Poundcake, is getting released, which is odd. Fingers crossed it makes a late appearance during SAS but I'm not holding my breath. Moreover Red Velvet Cupcake and Cinnamon Sugared Doughnuts doesn't look they're getting released either...meh