WALK N SNIFF: Summer SAS 2019 Candles

So as you know, yesterday was the first day of SAS in stores. I went in first thing as soon as the store opened. There were only a handful of people there so I could walk around and sniff at my leisure. My store didn't have the Backyard Bliss candles or late additions to the Going Places/Destinations collection but otherwise, everything else was there. So without further ado, let's get on with the review!

Ice Cream Shop at the moment is an online exclusive although it has been popping up at random stores.  Just based on what I remember the old one smelling like, take Creamy Nutmeg, mix in a hint of Summer Boardwalk and top it off with a bit of cherry - that ladies and gents is Ice Cream Shop.

Saltwater Taffy (9121M8S1B) - surprisingly this is not Strawberry Picnic/Strawberry Sorbet/Cotton Candy Marshmallow that Saltwater Taffy was in the past. Like I said in my previous post, there were 2 batches of this candle when the collection was testing and I believe this version is closer or a straightup dupe of the original original. So this does kinda smell like saltwater taffy . There's a creaminess as well as a savory butteriness accentuated by salt. There's also an artificial "berry" syrup-like note that you would find flavoring saltwater taffy candy; it leans more towards raspberry with a tiny hint of cherry. I personally find this berry blend a little too artificial and waxy/Chapstick-y as I do most of BBW's berry (especially raspberry) heavy scents and it kinda turns me off but that's just me. Anyway, SWT is very much a novelty scent and I will give it an A for accuracy as it does smell like legit saltwater taffy and makes you wanna take a stroll down the boardwalk.

Beach Grass (9120AGA6) - this smells exactly like the original one. I would say the simplest way to describe this scent is think of this as a summery/beachy Renew & Refresh. Like R&R, Beach Grass is dewy, fresh, airy scent with a similar calm and relaxing vibe. You get a bit of ozone that kinda gives the blend an airy beach breeze/ocean air type of vibe. And there is a grassiness, but it's not as sharp as most grass scents tend to be; it's very subtle and just adds a pleasant hint of green to the blend. And there is some floral action - the freesia (perhaps a but of jasmine too?) gives the blend a lightness and brightness and adds a bit more to the grassiness. This always reminds me sitting on the patio of a beachhouse and smelling the scent of beach grass and salt on the beach breeze. It's a fresh and clean guest friendly scent that'll give your place a summer beachhouse feel.

White Sands (9126G3A3) - so both times this scent came out in the past, I really wanted to like it but I just couldn't do it. When it came back this time, I thought perhaps the 3rd time would be the charm and I'd finally like it. So I sniffed and it smells completely different - for whatever reason, it smells almost exactly like Salted Ocean Air. I even smelled the 2 candles side by side to compare and picked up little to no differences. I would say maybe SOA is a bit more herbal and WS is a bit more floral..but yeah, other than that, exactly the same. I don't remember the old one smelling anything like SOA; the old one had a Tiki Beach-esque coconut/floral blend and a super sharp grapefruit note with bit of ozone that almost came across as poolwater/chlorine. Yeah, I don't understand the need to change this scent and to change it to a scent that is already in stores.

Love is Here (9099AGA1) - it's just Suntan, good ol fashioned tanning lotion in a tumbler. I dunno what made them equate suntan lotion with gay Pride but whatever

Firecracker Pop (9122AGA6) When I first heard about this scent and saw the notes, I thought for sure it would the now forgotten Spiked Cherry Limesicle or my bae Summertime Soda, which either would make sense but alas, no. It's a straightup repackage of Cherry Frost - maraschino cherry with the slightest suggestion of citrus. It's super sweet and kinda flat, no coolness or effervescence or something to liven it up or give the illusion of a frozen treat.

ADDENDUM: I saw a few people on IG post that they thought FP smelled like Frosted Cake Pop. This could be a batch variance but there is a possibility their noses are whack.

As you may or may not know, the Barkyard Bliss candles have been popping up in stores but they are not on sale or part of the SAS promotion. Like I said earlier, my store had none of them but there were Blueberry Pie wf bulbs/refills with testers.

Blueberry Pie - this candle has been BLOWING UP on social media; everybody and their grandma have been talking and posting nonstop about this damn candle. The hype is so real that folks have been buying this candle FULL PRICE!!! Insanity!!! I've said it before and I'll see it again, I am always skeptical and leery about any candle getting overhyped on social media as it's never as good as folks claim it to be. I have to say...I'm pleasantly surprised and I actually like it!

Basically, if Sweet Cherry Pie and Blueberry Maple Pancakes had a baby, Blueberry Pie would be it. It also kinda giving me Blueberry Pumpkin Patch vibes. You get sugary cooked blueberry filling similar to BMP and a very buttery crust similar to SCP. I almost get a streusel or sugar topped lattice as well. Yeah, A for accuracy!

As you know, me and bakery scents are not the best of friends, but this scent has me intrigued. I'll definitely need to smell the 3wick to make a full decision/judgement but so far I'm diggin it. So yeah, a bakery scent that the Bronzeblogger approves is definitely worth sniffing.

So another collection managed to slip under the radar called the "Mediterranean Market". I believe it's a bodycare promotion set to go full swing after SAS but 5 wf bulbs/refills have popped up in stores and online. No word if there will be matching candles; I would assume there will be you never know with BBW. Here's the thing; these new scents all sound like they are repackages but having sniffed them (I did end up buying them for review purposes since they were on sale) none of them are what you think they might be. Anyhoo, those 5 scents are.... 

Villa Bergamot - first of all, completely disregard the notes as those seem to be the notes for Heirloom Apple. The real notes are bergamot, geranium and lavender. So this candle first came out as a late addition to the Italian  Piazza collection back in spring 2013. It would later be repackaged as Michigan Avenue in a Chicago inspired line, as the fall scent Bergamot Woods later the same year and most recently as Bergamot & Suede in the Spa Day collection in 2016. There's really not much to say about it besides it smells...cologney. It kinda smells like an actual cologne - Tommy Hilfiger's Tommy. Yeah, it's a bergamot based late spring into summer manly/boudoir/mancave scent.

Tuscan Herb Garden - just based on the name, we ol schoolers all assumed that it just had be Tuscan Herbs from the same Italian Piazza collection  but nope not so much. BBW completely psyched us out with the name as it's a completely different smelling scent than the name suggests. Based on the notes, I thought it might be Garden Arugula & Verbena from the Test Lab collection but I was talking with a candle buddy (shoutout to @southrencomfort) who actually owned one and confirmed they weren't the same. I was racking my brain trying to figure out what this might be as this was too unique and complex of a scent for BBW to come up with on their own. I knew there were a bunch of basil based scents way backintheday in the 2000s and after a simple Google search, one scent caught my eye - Herb Vinaigrette from (I believe) 2008, way before my time. Peep the notes ...

"Basil, Mustard Seed, Lavender, Freesia & Sicilian Lemon"

DING DING DING..I THINK WE MAY HAVE A WINNER!

Anyway, let's talk about how it smells. So you get a melange of lush and green herbal notes - definitely basil, a little bit of earthy velvety sage, little bit of parsley, possibly some thyme and/or coriander - something in that blend is sharp. But before you smell anything, you get an intense blast of lemon zest/oil; definitely on the cleaner side. And there are some herbal notes hiding under the lemon note; there might be a hint of lemon verbena but what I get most is lavender, one of lemon's partner in crime in home fragrance. The more I look at the notes for Herb Vinaigrette, the more I think THG may be a repackage of it cuz I totally get those notes. This scent is gonna be a hard sell; the basics will absolutely hate it - it's conceptual, it's herbal, and the lemon isn't gourmand. However for those of you with taste and enjoys green scents or cleaner lemon scents, this bud's for you. This would make for a nice spring into summer scent as well as a disinfecting scent for cleaning or cooking. I would totally buy a candle of this if it were available.   

Coastal Capri - based on the name and notes, you would think this would this Capri ~ Freshwater & Sea Salt aka Sea to Santorini but nope! BBW tricked us again. This one kinda threw me for loop. At first I thought it was Island Reef aka Frozen Lake - it isn't. I also thought it might Seaside Mist - it isn't. However there are components in CC that get from both of those scents. So yeah, imagine Seaside Mist mixed with Frozen Lake and you get Coastal Capri. There's a definite ozonic feel to it, very sea/ocean air. And there is a bit of sea saltiness to the blend. Then there's a hit of lavender, common in watery scents as it adds a coolness and calmness with a bit of astringency. The notes mention birch, I can see that as there is something in the blend that's cool and almost minty. I also get some kind of citrus - something sharp and acidic like grapefruit or pomelo or even bergamot. Let's just get it over with...*sigh this is...cologney. It smells almost like a "men's" bodycare, like shower gel (it kinda smells a little soapy). Like Tuscan Herb Garden, CC is gonna be a hard sell cuz it's both conceptual and cologney. But good for BBW for getting our of their comfort zone and appealing to the basics and experimenting with funky and complex blends.

Cranberry Peach Prosecco - so right off the bat, no this isn't Cranberry Pear Bellini nor is it Peach Bellini. However if you took Peach Bellini and mixed it with Champagne Toast, that's kinda what CPP smells like. Actually what I think this might be is the one hit wonder Seaside Mimosa. The notes sound similar..

"pink champagne, sweet mandarin and peach nectar"

Seaside Mimosa was based off of bodycare and to be honest, CPP smells like bodycare to me. Anyway, overall it's a very sweet and bubble scent. Cranberry..eh, that's debatable. I'm gonna go with blackcurrant as that note is common and present in all BBW's "champagne" scents. I do get peach; it kinda reminds of Peach Cilantro Twist, especially since I also pick up mango; the mango kinda reminds me of Mango Mai Tai. I also get a sweeet almost candy-like orange/mandarin note. Lastly, there is bubbliness, very similar to the nose tingling effervescence of Champagne Toast. All in all, it's a cute scent, very flirty and summery but nothing exciting or groundbreaking.

Sweet Tiramisu - alright, let's just get this out of the way. No, this is NOT Espresso Bar and no this is NOT Paris Cafe. I do believe this is a new blend however I do get a hodge-podge of notes from other candle. Take Angel Food Cupcake, add a dash of Cinnamon Sugared Doughnut and pour in some Espresso Bar and you got yourself Sweet Tiramisu.  There's a definite and apparent bakery note that smells like white sponge cake with almond filling (makes sense as tiramisu using vanilla ladyfingers and often amaretto is poured on top). And I dunno if my nose was trippin but I picked up a cinnamon sugar note, odd for a "tiramisu" inspired scent. And there is a chocolate/espresso blend a la Espresso Bar that's on top and sorta hugs all of the other notes together. I also pick up something dark and boozy, like brandy or rum (either are sometimes used in classic tiramisu). Overall, it smells pretty authentic. I'm diggin it; if there's a candle I might buy.

I have heard some reports that some ST wf bulbs smelled like straightup burnt black coffee. It could be a batch variation (although you don't see that with wf bulbs hardly ever) or these individuals' nose are just whack. Who knows but take that into account if you're on the hunt of ST.