SCENT EXPOSÉ: Mamma Mia ~ The Puzzling Perplexity of Pizzeria

(batch #9144M8A1A)

This candle is BLOWING UP on social media! People are buying this up like crazy; I swear if I see one SAS haul with this candle in it, I'm gonna scream! Now whether or not people are buying this cuz they genuinely like it or buying it simply for the novelty and uniqueness of it or buying it just to show off and be one of the cool kids is anyone's guess. But there's no denying the popularity of this candle and the fact that it has been flying off the shelves since it came out.

Here's what I particularly find annoying about this - people assume this candle is new and just appeared out of nowhere. I have been avoiding reading or watching reviews of this candle because it's irksome how many folks (ie newbies) don't do their homework before they review. A little research would show that this candle ISN'T new and has existed before.

Pizzeria first came out during the Golden Age of BBW. In late spring 2013, there was a collection called the "Italian Piazza" collection, inspired mostly by Tuscany... (back when BBW had concrete and substantial themes with mostly new scents that actually matched the theme). We got to see/sniff some truly new and very unique scents as well as some not great ones.

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND WATCH TOUCHTHEFIRETWICE'S REVIEW OF THIS COLLECTION!!!

And then there was Pizzeria - the only candle in this collection to test and fail. However some stores (like mine back in home in NOLA) did get shipments of it around SAS. I sniffed it and put it right back on the shelf.

So what does smell Pizzeria smell like?

First there's one thing I'd like to address about this scent that hardly anyone nowadays have brought up.

Pizzeria doesn't smell like pizza. I repeat...PIZZERIA DOESN'T SMELL LIKE PIZZA!!!

It's not supposed to smell like actual pizza; it's a conceptual scent meant to capture smells of a pizza joint with all of the various ingredients still lingering in the air. Hence why it's called "Pizzeria" and not "Pizza"

So when Pizzeria first came out, pretty much EVERYBODY made the same comparison AND this comparison still rings true with this new updated version...

Pizzeria smells like Pizza Combos. If you have never experienced Pizza Combos, go to your nearest CVS/RiteAid/Wal-greens/Duane Reade, go to the snack section, get yourself a bag, open that badboi up, take a handful and get your life right!

So within this fragrance, you got all of the things you'll find in a runofthemill pizza joint. You totally got the metal shakers of dried oregano, the glass pepper shakers of red chile flakes, countertops covered in flour with doughballs ready to be rolled by some sexy hairy swarthy paizan. The oregano note was super strong and potent and hit your nose immediately before anything else. And there was a bakery note that gave the illusion of potential pizza dough. I personally got a little black pepper (which were mentioned in the notes of the old version) as well as a note that kinda reminded me of olive oil.

Now how does this new version compare?

Personally, it smells tweaked; there are definite notes that were either added or made more prominent.  I totally get tomato which I didn't all get at all in the old version. The oregano isn't quite as prominent and in your face and I also pick more basil than in the old version. That said, the basenotes smell exactly the same.

You may be wondering what is my personal opinion of it and is worth buying?

*sigh I like the creativity and uniqueness of it; it's definitely a weird niche/novelty scent. And I'm here for conceptual scents that tell a story and conjures images of a certain locale. However, real talk...I can NOT with this scent; it's just too savory! Me and gourmand scents have a very tenuous relationship and I can usually get board if the scent is authentic...and that's my problem with Pizzeria - it's too authentic. It's like French Baguette; it's awkward how genuine and authentic it smells. I'm just not sure that I want my apartment to smell like the inside of a pizza joint or a bag of Pizza Combos. I just don't want my place to remain smelling savory; I love to cook and I love the smell of home cooking and cooking ingredients but I don't particularly want my place to smell like whatever meal I'm making all day. Soooo yeah, Pizzeria issa no for me..or as the say in Italia... no.

That said, I still believe that Pizzeria is absolutely worth smelling just for the novelty of it. And with any and all over-hyped scents on social media, don't believe the hype. If/when you see Pizzeria in your store, approach it with a open mind and nose and with no expectations. And don't buy it because everybody else is buying it, don't be the person! And when you put it up in your basket and are ready to buy, ask yourself if you really want your place to smell savory. Or are you buying it to be a sniff only or as decoration or as a conversation piece. Please don't buy it just because everyone and their grandma is buying it in order to show off to the other people and their grandmas who bought it!

At any rate, I'm glad it's back and I hope this will pave the way for more past failed test scents to make their way out from the vault.