WALK 'N' SNIFF: First Phase Spring 2019 Candles

I've been sporadically in and out of my nearest WB just to see what was up and each time there were more spring stuff than the last time. So without firther ado, let's talk about some newness....

Sundrenched Linen (8347G3A10) - To be honest, I wasn't expecting too much from this scent and after sniffing it, it's as meh as I thought it would be. I'm almost positive this is just a reworking/repackage with a twist of Fresh Linen. I have a bulb of it at home so I'll bring it with me next time I go back to the store just to compare. Basically it's a "fresh air" type scent, heavy with powdery cotton blossom note with fruit notes, particularly green apple and perhaps melon.

Sea Salt and Sandalwood (8337AGA1) - I was intrigued at first but what I smelled was not what I was expecting. Honestly, there's really not much to say about it; to me, it's a very non-descript "fresh" spa type of scent. I can't say with any amount of accuracy that I get any of the notes and what I do think I'm getting aren't mentioned in the description. I get a woodiness, a fresh air/ozone accord, perhaps a little citrus, some musk and very heavy on what I think is possibly sage. Tinadivalicious said in his review that it might be a repackage of Sand & Sea (a WB exclusive frrom 2016); I vaguely remember it but I think he might be right. Anyway, if you like musky, fresh, spa scents, then this is for you.

Coastal Morning (8348M8A2) - Straightup repackage of Ocean Mist & Citrus. Not much else to say about besides I think I perfer the new name over the old one

White Tea & Sage (8341AGA3) - So right off the bat, this is NOT White Tea & Ginger; as far as I can tell, it's new and I kinda like it. The name is a little misleading; I get more green tea than white tea; similar to Nectarine Green Tea and the old Slatkin-era Green Tea & White Pear . There is an earthiness that could very well be sage. And the bergamot, as always, adds a manly "cologney-ness". Overall, it's a smooth scent(not too astrigent or grassy) as well as calm and relaxing; this would be a good reading a book, meditating, doing yoga, taking a bubble bath candle.

Orchard Blossom (8346AGA2) - So for my ol schoolers out there, this is not Orchard Petals from backintheday. I was really hoping that this would be the return of the gorgeous one hit wonder Drenched Apple Flower but alas it is not that either. This actually reminded a lot of Spring - NOT A REPACKAGE but similar; it's in the same spring air/green grass/juicy apple family that Spring is in. If you remember Spring at all, imagine as women's bodycare - that's Orchard Blossom. There's a fresh air/ozone accord with a very apparent apple (and possibly pear) blossom as well as some another unmentioned white floral notes. And then there's that musk that sends it right over to bodycare land. If it wasn't for that musk, I would've been all over this scent but it smells too perfumey for me to enjoy.

ADDENDUM: there is a 2nd batch that came out later that smells like Beach Sage & Mint mixed with apple/apple blossom...very odd

The Perfect Spring - I only got to sniff a tester of this as my store had the wf bulbs but not the 3wicks. So right off the bat, this is NOT Spring. At first I thought this might be LUCK from last year, which was my JAM! Alas, it is not but it has a similar vibe. There's a definite grassy greeniness with a hint of woods and some dewy floral notes, think peony. And there's an apple/apple blossom that makes the blend very bright, crisp and spring-like. And there's a musk that kinda makes it smell bodycare-ish, like a unisex cologne. I'm diggin it; it's like if Spring and LUCK had a baby.

Lavender Woods (8337AGA5) - As you know, I love me some lavender and any scent with lavender in it makes me a happy homo. That said, I had some concerns about this particular scent and after smelling it, I was unfortunately right in my assumption - it is soooooooo similar to Lavender Coconut/Lavender Sea, to the point of being a repackage with a twist. While there's no coconut, I swear I get whiffs of it. I think with some coconut scents, there's some kind of added wood to round it out. It's Mahogany Apple, which smelled exactly like Mahogany Coconut but with apple but sometimes I got whiffs of coconut. I'm getting that same phenomenon with LW. I also think the lavender has been tweaked a bit with some added herbal notes; rosemary perhaps? Not getting sage. But yeah, there's no denying how similar LW is to Lavender Coconut which is kinda disappointing.

Wisteria Garden (8345K3A2) - this scent totally broke my heart. Wisteria is one of my all time favorite flowers so I was very intrigued with BBW's interpretation of it. I had Wisteria Vine from the candle company who shan't be named and really enjoyed it so I wondered how BBW's version would compare. UTTER DISAPPOINTMENT!!! Not only does the scent itself have nothing to do with wisteria but it's a friggin repackage. Tinadivalicious was right - it's Merci Paris/Thank You. The notes were "Creamy Vanilla, Rich Blackcurrant, Soft Jasmine" - the notes match up! Such a wasted opportunity.

Cucumber & Lily (8345K3A1) - I was very intrigued with this scent when I first heard about it but I didn't quite know what to expect. Having finally sniffed, I'm really diggin it. That said, this is one of those abstract conceptual scents where I'm skeptical of the notes and take them with a microscopic grain of salt. I'll have to revisit this scent (I do plan on buying it once it's on sale) but I'm not really getting the notes (cucumber, green tea, lily of the valley) I'll tell you what I do smell - Provence Garden...NOT A REPACKAGE but a close sibling. I get the same type of juicy and green notes that PG had mixed with white floral notes - think PG mixed with Lilac Blossom.

Angel Food Cupcake (8341AGA6) - If you're expecting yet another Frosted Cupcake repackage, you'll be pleasantly surprised to know that it isn't. Also if you're wondering if this could be the failed Frosted Cake Pop, according to those have smelled, this isn't that either. As far as I know, this is a new scent and it ain't too bad. Now a lot of people of social media have been complaining that it's really artificial and borderline chemical-y; I don't get that all. Personally I think it smells spot-on and I dig it...and that says lot coming from anti-bakery vanilla-hater like myself. I don't so much get cake so much as I do frosting..though how many of BBW's "cupcake" scents ACTUALLY smell like cake. I get a sweet vanilla heavy frosting with hint of cherry/amaretto. Overall, while not an exciting or unique scent, it's cute..and it's not Frosted Cupcake so small blessings.

Banana Bundt Cake (8352M8A1) So I, like many others, assumed this was Banana Pumpkin Muffin.... it's NOT a repackage/repackage with a twist but is still quite similar. BPM was a bit more warmer and cozier which made it appropriate as a fall scent; BBC doesn't quite have that warmth. Also the banana doesn't smell quite as authentic; it has that artificial, candy-ish "Banana Runts" vibe that a lot of BBW's most recent banana all share.  And I don't know if it's the power of suggestion/persuasion but I do get a nuttiness that suggests warm, baked walnuts which gives the scent less of a "banana bundt cake" feel and more of a "banana nut bread" vibe. It's a cute scent but nothing special. The scents receiving sooooooo much hype on social media (which, as usual, I don't think it deserves it) so I suggest sniffing with at your own discretion

Hot Fudge Sundae (8351M8A1) Another scent getting overhyped like crazy on social media and I fount it dissapointing and lacking anything special. So right off the bat, it is NOT Hot Cocoa & Cream or remotely anything similar BUT is it a new scent? I'm not entirely sure. When I first sniffed it, I got total Italy ~ Cannoli & Chocolate vibes..which dissipated the more I sniffed. I got a surprisingly authentic hot fudge syrup note covering a vanilla giving the illusion of vanilla ice cream. But the fudge note is still quite similar to the chocolate note in C&C. Either way, I just found this scent lacking and mising uumph; I would've loved just a hint of strawberry or maraschino cherry or even banana but just chocolate and vanilla by themselves I find a little boring.

Key Lime Pie (8340AGA4) - As you may (or may not know), in 2016 there was a failed test candle called Key Lime Pie   which was a repackage of Tequila Lime Cupcake from the previous year. I never got to smell KLP but I do have a TLC in my possession so I can't say with no amount of uncertainty that this new KLP is NOT a repackage and is a wholly new scent! So there's an actual crust note (that, from what I heard, the old KLP didn't have) and it's pretty dominant. And I do get a whipped vanillic gourmand note that gives the illusion of meringue. Now let's talk about the lime note. As you know limes, particularly key limes, are pretty tart; the essence of a good key lime pie is the tartness. While this new KLP is much more sharp and tart than TLC, like TLC I don't get actual lime. Lime is a pretty tricky note to use in home fragrance so most opt to use other notes to replicate lime. TLC didn't have an actual lime note and I don't think KLP does either. What I think it might be is verbena... which certain breeds of verbena do smell like lime. Also a lot of BBW'S verbena scents have almost Fruity Pebbles vibe to them..which KLP does kinda have. So yeah I'm gonna go with verbena, maybe a little lemongrass. While I'm not mad at it, I do wish there was actual lime essential note. If, like me, you enjoy citrus heavy blends, definitely give this a whiff or 2; this might quite possibly be my favorite scent outta this whole bunch!

No sign of Tahitian Coconut, Fresh Coconut & Eucalyptus, Garden Greenery (online only) or Water Hyancinth (online only).