WALK N SNIFF: "Polaroid" Collection, "White Marble" Collection, Happy Camper Collection
So I haven't been in BBW since the first week of SAS; I got what I wanted to get then and afterwards, I honestly had no desire to go back. Fast forward to the last week of SAS...THANK FRIGGIN GAWD... I heard that the last of the summer collections would start appearing in most store this week. I schlepped to my nearest BBW and lo and behold, there they all were. So let's get started; let's start with the Polaroid candles
I rather like the look of this collection; very clean looking and and very summery. The polaroid on top of pictures on the label is kinda weird but that doesn't really bother me. What does bother me about this collection the lack of a stream-lined theme - is it a "boardwalk" theme or is it a "pool party" theme, what is it?! Futhermore, you have all of these summery/hangin out at the boardwalk gourmand scents and then you have random ass Pool Party and Endless Weekend (wtf is BBW's obsession with this damn scent?!) thrown in; why not just have ALL gourmand scents, like a boardwalk themed summer version of Sweet Shoppe?! I don't get it. Anyway, on to the candle reviews (skipping Boardwalk and Endless Weekend)
Waffle Cone (8141G3A8) - as you know, this is indeed a repackage of the oh so overhyped Berry Waffle Cone . I didn't like it then and I certainly don't like it now; it seems I'm in the minority because of everyone else's coochies are a-flutter over this scent and my newsfeed on IG is inundated with pictures of it. So for those who have never smelled Berry Waffle Cone, take Pumpkin Pecan Waffles, mix in Warm Apple Pie and Berry Pumpkin Strudel and top that with Vanilla Bean and that is essentially BWC. Although I find that this latest incarnation has significantly less berry to it but other than that, it's basically the same.
Orange Cream Soda (8149AGA1) - this definitely a repackage of last summer's Orange Creamsicle. There's really not much to say about this scent - it's an orange based scent with a little bit of lemon zest and vanilla cream.
Cherry Snow Cone (8141AGA1) - I was very intrigued with this scent because I'm obsessed with anything that is sour cherry or cherry-lime flavored/scented. I initially assumed that this was gonna be a repackage of Spiked Cherry Limesicle from 2015 but it is an altogether new scent. That said, i have to admit I'm not really impressed or blown away; it's cute but not nearly as nosegasmic as I thought it would be. So first you get a very artificial sour cherry note that almost reads a bit medicinal, like Luden's Wild Cherry cough drops. I don't really get lime so much as I get lemon-lime, like soda; speaking of which, this has a lemon-lime blend and soda effervescence very similar to Summertime Soda. And there is a bit of vanilla that sorta smooths and mellows out all of those sour/tart notes; I kinda get the "vanilla shaved ice" description in the notes - it's like shaved ice with vanilla syrup and then topped with cherry-lime syrup. It's a cute scent worth getting one or two but it's not stock-up-able.
Pool Party (8150M8A1) - this was another scent that I was initially intrigued with...until I started listening to what some folks on social media thought about it...which I should really know better. So folks were assuming or flat-out saying that it was Poolside aka Suntan or that it was (or might be) similar, which I'm not a big fan of. Having finally sniffed it...it's not! Lesson learned - be careful to who you listen for reviews on social media. Then I watched Tinadivalicious' review and he mentioned that it smelled like one of my jams from the Slatkin era - Sea Spray . Alas, it's not a repackage of my beloved Sea Spray but it's very similar...and again, nothing like Suntan. It has a watery sea water/sea air base that's Sea Spray-ish - some cucumber action, a little bit of melon and some ozone. And there is a coconut note, think more coconut water and not coconut meat or milk; that said, that coconut water reminds me of..well.. Coconut Water. There's also some kind of tropical fruit that adds a sweetness to the blend, my guess is pineapple. And there's an unexplained creaminess that almost gives this scent a bodycare vibe, probably a bit of sandalwood. I like this scent but honestly, it's nothing special and it feels a little out of place in this collection.
And now let's move on to the summer/fall transitional scents starting with the White Marble candles
This collection is sooooo unnecessary and pointless. Once again, here's BBW throwing random ass scents together and hoping they stick - no cohesion, no theme, no point. Now maybe if the scents they picked were a little more high end and had notes that invoked "white", it could've worked. Anyway, on to the review (skipping Vanilla Birch. White Gardenia and Ma-blah-gony Stankwood)
White Caramel Cold Brew (8145G3A1) - as you know, I have an intense hatred all of BBW's caramel/butterscotch/toffee/maple scents as they all make me sick to my stomach. However I was kinda hoping that this would be a repackage of Pumpkin Caramel Latte as that is one of the few caramel scents that I tolerate. It is not..which makes absolutely no sense. It's a new scent although it smells like every other caramel scent on the market. So right off the bat, there is absolutely ZERO "cold brew"/coffee aspect; it is just straightup nauseatingly sweet ooey-gooey caramel. And it's not mentioned in the notes; but lurking in the background is a red-hot Cinnamon and Clove Buds-esque spiciness that sneaks up behind the caramel and sucker-punches you in the nose; it almost reminds me of Cayenne Caramel from backintheday. Again, if you're gonna have a spicy caramel "latte" scent, I don't unerstand not just repackaging Pumpkin Caramel Latte which is sooo much better than this crap.
Marshmallow Musk (8137AGA1) - scents like this kinda annoy me because a) the scent smells NOTHING like what the name suggest and b) the name is strictly for marketing; BBW knows that some folks (cough cough basic bitches) love anything with marshmallow in it. So just a headsup, if you're expecting this to smell like a bag of marshmallows, you'll be disappointed - it's smells like bodycare..for older women. I thought at first that it might be Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte as that smelled less like a dessert beverage and more like matronly bodycare..it's not. Then I heard on social media that it smelled like something from LUSH so I thought that it might be NOOK ...it's not but it does have a similar mature bodycare vibe to it. So there is what could be described as "marshamallow-ey"; think a bag of mini marshmallows covered in powder...but it could've easily just been called vanilla. The combo of amber and musk (and maybe sandalwood) is killer and both hit your nose before the "marshmallow" does; the two notes kinda give the blend an exotic Oriental perfume vibe. Overall, this scent is just so random, weirdly marketed and flat-out unnecessary.
And now, finally the Happy Camper collection
I know I'm being a Negative Nancy in this review but I have to be honest. This collection was such a wasted opportunity and had potential to be awesome. It could've easily rivaled the popular Lakeside collection from backintheday but nope, BBW chose to play it safe and picked mass appeal scents. Very boring! Anyway, review time (skipping Watermelon Lemonade, Flannel and Campfire Doughnuts)
In-tents Coffee = Paris Cafe
May the Forest be with you = Evergreen
Citrus & Sandalwood = Sandalwood Citrus aka Citron Cedarwood
Toasted Smores (8155G3A8) this candle is head-scratcher for sure. First of all, it smells nothing like smores at all. It basically smells like a mix of Cinnamon Pretzel Twist and Toasted Graham Latte which is just bizarre. But here's where things get weirder. The wallflower refill and tester candle smells like Italy ~ Chocolate & Cannolis..which smelled like actual smores (and Slatkin's Smore scent). Why not repackage Italy..why did Italy exist in the first place..why not release that scent in this collection?!
I rather like the look of this collection; very clean looking and and very summery. The polaroid on top of pictures on the label is kinda weird but that doesn't really bother me. What does bother me about this collection the lack of a stream-lined theme - is it a "boardwalk" theme or is it a "pool party" theme, what is it?! Futhermore, you have all of these summery/hangin out at the boardwalk gourmand scents and then you have random ass Pool Party and Endless Weekend (wtf is BBW's obsession with this damn scent?!) thrown in; why not just have ALL gourmand scents, like a boardwalk themed summer version of Sweet Shoppe?! I don't get it. Anyway, on to the candle reviews (skipping Boardwalk and Endless Weekend)
Waffle Cone (8141G3A8) - as you know, this is indeed a repackage of the oh so overhyped Berry Waffle Cone . I didn't like it then and I certainly don't like it now; it seems I'm in the minority because of everyone else's coochies are a-flutter over this scent and my newsfeed on IG is inundated with pictures of it. So for those who have never smelled Berry Waffle Cone, take Pumpkin Pecan Waffles, mix in Warm Apple Pie and Berry Pumpkin Strudel and top that with Vanilla Bean and that is essentially BWC. Although I find that this latest incarnation has significantly less berry to it but other than that, it's basically the same.
Orange Cream Soda (8149AGA1) - this definitely a repackage of last summer's Orange Creamsicle. There's really not much to say about this scent - it's an orange based scent with a little bit of lemon zest and vanilla cream.
Cherry Snow Cone (8141AGA1) - I was very intrigued with this scent because I'm obsessed with anything that is sour cherry or cherry-lime flavored/scented. I initially assumed that this was gonna be a repackage of Spiked Cherry Limesicle from 2015 but it is an altogether new scent. That said, i have to admit I'm not really impressed or blown away; it's cute but not nearly as nosegasmic as I thought it would be. So first you get a very artificial sour cherry note that almost reads a bit medicinal, like Luden's Wild Cherry cough drops. I don't really get lime so much as I get lemon-lime, like soda; speaking of which, this has a lemon-lime blend and soda effervescence very similar to Summertime Soda. And there is a bit of vanilla that sorta smooths and mellows out all of those sour/tart notes; I kinda get the "vanilla shaved ice" description in the notes - it's like shaved ice with vanilla syrup and then topped with cherry-lime syrup. It's a cute scent worth getting one or two but it's not stock-up-able.
Pool Party (8150M8A1) - this was another scent that I was initially intrigued with...until I started listening to what some folks on social media thought about it...which I should really know better. So folks were assuming or flat-out saying that it was Poolside aka Suntan or that it was (or might be) similar, which I'm not a big fan of. Having finally sniffed it...it's not! Lesson learned - be careful to who you listen for reviews on social media. Then I watched Tinadivalicious' review and he mentioned that it smelled like one of my jams from the Slatkin era - Sea Spray . Alas, it's not a repackage of my beloved Sea Spray but it's very similar...and again, nothing like Suntan. It has a watery sea water/sea air base that's Sea Spray-ish - some cucumber action, a little bit of melon and some ozone. And there is a coconut note, think more coconut water and not coconut meat or milk; that said, that coconut water reminds me of..well.. Coconut Water. There's also some kind of tropical fruit that adds a sweetness to the blend, my guess is pineapple. And there's an unexplained creaminess that almost gives this scent a bodycare vibe, probably a bit of sandalwood. I like this scent but honestly, it's nothing special and it feels a little out of place in this collection.
And now let's move on to the summer/fall transitional scents starting with the White Marble candles
This collection is sooooo unnecessary and pointless. Once again, here's BBW throwing random ass scents together and hoping they stick - no cohesion, no theme, no point. Now maybe if the scents they picked were a little more high end and had notes that invoked "white", it could've worked. Anyway, on to the review (skipping Vanilla Birch. White Gardenia and Ma-blah-gony Stankwood)
White Caramel Cold Brew (8145G3A1) - as you know, I have an intense hatred all of BBW's caramel/butterscotch/toffee/maple scents as they all make me sick to my stomach. However I was kinda hoping that this would be a repackage of Pumpkin Caramel Latte as that is one of the few caramel scents that I tolerate. It is not..which makes absolutely no sense. It's a new scent although it smells like every other caramel scent on the market. So right off the bat, there is absolutely ZERO "cold brew"/coffee aspect; it is just straightup nauseatingly sweet ooey-gooey caramel. And it's not mentioned in the notes; but lurking in the background is a red-hot Cinnamon and Clove Buds-esque spiciness that sneaks up behind the caramel and sucker-punches you in the nose; it almost reminds me of Cayenne Caramel from backintheday. Again, if you're gonna have a spicy caramel "latte" scent, I don't unerstand not just repackaging Pumpkin Caramel Latte which is sooo much better than this crap.
Marshmallow Musk (8137AGA1) - scents like this kinda annoy me because a) the scent smells NOTHING like what the name suggest and b) the name is strictly for marketing; BBW knows that some folks (cough cough basic bitches) love anything with marshmallow in it. So just a headsup, if you're expecting this to smell like a bag of marshmallows, you'll be disappointed - it's smells like bodycare..for older women. I thought at first that it might be Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte as that smelled less like a dessert beverage and more like matronly bodycare..it's not. Then I heard on social media that it smelled like something from LUSH so I thought that it might be NOOK ...it's not but it does have a similar mature bodycare vibe to it. So there is what could be described as "marshamallow-ey"; think a bag of mini marshmallows covered in powder...but it could've easily just been called vanilla. The combo of amber and musk (and maybe sandalwood) is killer and both hit your nose before the "marshmallow" does; the two notes kinda give the blend an exotic Oriental perfume vibe. Overall, this scent is just so random, weirdly marketed and flat-out unnecessary.
And now, finally the Happy Camper collection
I know I'm being a Negative Nancy in this review but I have to be honest. This collection was such a wasted opportunity and had potential to be awesome. It could've easily rivaled the popular Lakeside collection from backintheday but nope, BBW chose to play it safe and picked mass appeal scents. Very boring! Anyway, review time (skipping Watermelon Lemonade, Flannel and Campfire Doughnuts)
In-tents Coffee = Paris Cafe
May the Forest be with you = Evergreen
Citrus & Sandalwood = Sandalwood Citrus aka Citron Cedarwood
Toasted Smores (8155G3A8) this candle is head-scratcher for sure. First of all, it smells nothing like smores at all. It basically smells like a mix of Cinnamon Pretzel Twist and Toasted Graham Latte which is just bizarre. But here's where things get weirder. The wallflower refill and tester candle smells like Italy ~ Chocolate & Cannolis..which smelled like actual smores (and Slatkin's Smore scent). Why not repackage Italy..why did Italy exist in the first place..why not release that scent in this collection?!
ADDENDUM: I may need to sniff this candle again because folks on social media swear that they get a hint of chocolate.
ADDENDUM: It's been confirmed to be a repackage of last fall's failed test scent Bonfire Smores
Wildflower Meadow (8141AGA1) - so back in 2013 in the Lakeside collection, there was failed test scent called "Wildflower Valley". I have no clue if WM is repackage/return of it but the notes are essentially the same. There's really not much to say about it; it's a late spring/early summer type of floral scent. The floral notes are a little sweet and soft and there's a slight hint of grass. I also get something that kinda smells apple-ish. It's cute, it's nice but it's also kinda boring. If this is indeed the return of WV, its kinda disappointing cuz there were much better scents in that collection worth bringing back (cough cough Boathouse Row)
ADDENDUM: It's been confirmed to be a repackage of last fall's failed test scent Bonfire Smores
Wildflower Meadow (8141AGA1) - so back in 2013 in the Lakeside collection, there was failed test scent called "Wildflower Valley". I have no clue if WM is repackage/return of it but the notes are essentially the same. There's really not much to say about it; it's a late spring/early summer type of floral scent. The floral notes are a little sweet and soft and there's a slight hint of grass. I also get something that kinda smells apple-ish. It's cute, it's nice but it's also kinda boring. If this is indeed the return of WV, its kinda disappointing cuz there were much better scents in that collection worth bringing back (cough cough Boathouse Row)
I went and smelled all the new ones today and I gotta say, I really like Toasted S'mores and Wildflower Meadow. I'm a sucker for sweet floral scents, even though I know they're boring. I had bought a wallflower during SAS that was called "First Blooms" that smells similar so I wanna get the WM candle to match.
ReplyDeleteAnd idk what you're talking about personally, I think Toasted S'mores smells very s'mores like. I'm a big fan, and I'm a hard sell for bakery/sweet candles.