WALK 'N' SNIFF: First day of SAS ~ Drink Collection and Destinations Collection

So as you may or may not know, WB stores started SAS a day early. Since neither of us had stepped inside of a WB in ages, we thought we'd have a day of shopping and give the mall a visit. I guess word hadn't gotten out that there would be an early start to SAS cuz the store wasn't busy at all. Since it was the first day, I wasn't expecting any surprises or hidden treasures - a lot of leftover spring stuff, a few scents scattered around from this past winter and random overabundance of Wisdom candles . They've brought back the Camp Winter collection and the Test Lab candles were all at 75% (BTW they're 75% off at ALL WB stores) but none of that really interested; what did interest me was finally getting to sniff the Drink and Destination candles.

So without further ado, lets get into it starting with the Drink candles

Banana Split Milkshake (8127M8A1) - so this is the one "new" scents in this collection..and I say "new" with parentheses because it does smell familiar. So right off the bat, you do smell banana...on the other hand, the "split" and the "milkshake" aspects are debatable. The banana note reminds me soooooo much of the WB exclusive Banana Pumpkin Muffin  ;it shares that same artificial banana flavored Runt's with a hint of vanilla quality. Now the notes mention chocolate, which is essential to a banana split; I did pick what "could" be "chocolate" though I wonder if it's just the power of the persuasion with the notes playing an olfactoral trick on me.  I got absolutely no cherry whatsoever. All that said, is this scent spot on? Absolutely not. Overall, it's cute novelty scent for summer and if you're into the gourmand scents, especially banana, then you'll probably like it. Otherwise, sniff it and keep moving.

Root Beer Float - so this is a scent straight out of the Slatkin vault; it's the grand return of the same scent from the 2012 Boardwalk collection. So right of the bat, this scent is very authentic..at least the root beer part of it. There's no vanilla ice cream aspect to it all but rather just straight up soda. So every review from both then and now all essentially say the same thing - it smells medicinal and wintergreen-ish and minty. Hello, it's supposed to! The ingredients of standard root beer are sassafras wintergreen, licorice root, sarsaparilla root, nutmeg, acacia, anise, molasses, cinnamon, clove, honey and vanilla and that's basically what you get in this candle. You get the wintergreen..which is usually oil from birch trees which is why there's than minty aspect. There are some root beer spices and there is a hint of vanilla - not vanilla ice cream as the name and notes suggest but rather vanilla bean. And you do get nose-tingling effervescence. Personally, I think it's spot on; it reminds me of the Barq's root beer from back home I used to drink as a kid. Is this scent the best thing ever? Not by any means. But, like Banana Split Milkshake, it's a cute summer scent to be bought for the novelty of it and the nostalgia it brings.

Coconut Water (8108G3A4) - this is yet another scent from the Slatkin vaults; it's the return of a one hit wonder from spring/summer 2012 - it came out only once and disappeared...until now. Real talk, it's not very  exciting or groundbreaking; it's a standard and nondescript coconut scent. It has the same coconut note that's in Coconut Lime Verbena /Coconut Lime Breeze  . There is a freshly cut and slightly tart pineapple note as well as something else vaguely citrusy and acidic, lemon perhaps. I also get some kinda of heady white flower, similar to the vanilla orchid note in Tiki Beach. Basically, this is a pina colada scent...which was/is kinda unnecessary as there was/is an actual pina colada scent  in the vault. It's a cute scent but nothing special - it's a nice lounging in the bathtub scent and it's a good scent to layer with. I personally like CW as it's one of the few coconut based scents that I can tolerate but I'd be lying if I said it was this was the most amazing coconut scent ever cuz it isn't.

Summertime Soda (8122A3A3) - the real reason to get excited over this collection - I know it was for me. This is the grand return of one of the first unicorn candles . Now there has been some debate on social media amongst ol schoolers who remember the old 2013 version and whether or not this new version is the same. I say that it is the same however it has been tweaked...actually no, I kinda take that back. I wonder if it has been tweaked or if it's just a matter using a different grade of fragrance oils thus giving the illusion of tweakedness. At any rate, the point is the new version does smell slightly different. I'm sure all of this is highly irrelevant to newbies who never smelled it or knew it existed and would rather know what it smells like. So do you know or remember Mountain Dew Code Red ie cherry flavored Mountain Dew? Well, that's exactly what this candle smells like. You get a lemon-lime blend, ever so slight cleaner-ish and noseful of bubbly tingly effervescence; that effervescence is the best part cuz it's so authentic and more bubbly than other drink scent on the market. Now here's where to contention lies. The old SS had a faint but noticeable cherry note that kinda snuck up on  you. This new version has an even fainter cherry note and it is much heavier on the citrus. Honestly I don't think it matters one way or the other; the seeming lack of cherry doesn't take away from the scent at all and I personally still love it. It's a cute novelty scent that conjures childhood memory, totally fun in the sun in a jar.


Ok now lets move on the Destination

Iceland - it's Frozen Lake from Camp Winter 

Thailand - it's Thai Coconut Basmati from the Test Lab collection

Italy (8122M8A2) - *sigh *eyeroll here we go again, another bakery/gourmand scent that everyone is overhyping on social media and the actual cent itself it's just meh. General rule of thumb, if you see a scent that everyone and their grandma gushes over ad nauseum, just assume that it's not all that! Case in point, this damn candle. First of all, regardless of what anyone on social media will have you believe, it does NOT smell like cannolis. I may not be EYE-TALIAN  but I know what a cannoli smells like and this aint it. It smells like smores...more to the point, it smells like Slatkin's S'mores candle from fall 2012; not a repackage but very similar. I had an old Smores candle but I gave it away cuz I wasn't a huge fan of it but from what I remember, S'mores and I~C&C are quite similar. There is no denying that there's a definite graham cracker note as well as marshmallow present in the blend. And you do get a hint of chocolate.  It's not a bad scent, actually it's quite pleasant but it's not nearly as amazing and spot on as folks are making it out to be.

Paris (8123K3A1) - *SIGH
While I commend BBW for not just lazily giving us Champagne Toast or Lavender Macaron or Paris Daydream and actually taking time to create something new and unique, I think they took it a little too far. This is quite possibly one of the weirdest, nonsensical and unappealing blends I've ever smelled. Burnt coffee ground and old lady perfume...how is that a successful combo? That's basically what it smells like. Take Paris Cafe and mix in a little Rosewater & Ivy and that's basically P~CB. I mean, I get the image - visiting a Parisian coffeehouse in spring with the smell of nearby blossoms in the breeze however the execution of bringing that visual to life was done all wrong. It smells less like a coffeehouse and more like a whorehouse; think an old Parisienne madame spraying rosewater perfume on herself and having several cups of cafe au lait before going out for a day of tricking. If you want your domicile to smell like a house of ill repute on top of a run down coffeeshop, then this is the scent for you. I personally find the aroma of used coffee grounds, old lady perfume and regret a little unappetizing.