DROPPIN CANDLE KNOWLEDGE/WALK N SNIFF-ISH REVIEW - Winter 2020 Candles ~ (Recent) Returning Scents
Ok, so in this post I'm gonna discuss returning scents that made their debut after The Golden Age i.e. after 2014
In case you missed it, here is Part 1 and here's the original WALK N SNIFF Review of this year's newness.
Blueberry Sugar
Debut: 2017
This one was always a headscratcher to me; I never really understand why this existed in the first place or why it became and remains so popular? And while I know actual blueberry sugar exists, why does it have to do with Christmas? What about it made BBW think it needs to be a holiday scent? Why are so many people ok with being bs'ed? So many unanswered questions. Honestly to me, it's not that great or novel or exciting of a scent; essentially it' Blueberry Twist sans the twist, ie the weird yogurt-y vanilla note. I guess it smells sugary, a little cotton candy-ish.
Caramel Drizzle
Debut: 2019
There really isn't much too say about this one; it's just your typical BBW-ian caramel scent...with maybe a bit more creaminess than usual. I'm not sure why BBW feels the need to create all of these caramel scents when they have little to no difference between them. And I could be wrong, but I associate caramel with fall, not so much the holidays.
Crushed Candy Cane
Debut: 2018
So this is basically what Twisted Peppermint tries to be. It's a straightforward scent that smells like what the name and notes suggest - it smells like a legit candy cane, crushed or otherwise. I think it's a welcome addition to the holiday pantheon and a decent alternative for those who find TP a little too potent.
Frosted Coconut Snowball
Debut: 2018
I've said it before and I'll say it again - I LOATHE bodycare candles; they're just always off smelling, less authentic and/or cloying. And the fact that this is a coconut scent (a note I'm not the fondest of) just adds another layer of disgust and overall indifference. I could be wrong but to be me, this just smells like a generic typically BBWi-ian coconut with little to no noticeable nuances or layers.
Frozen Lake
Debut: 2017
This is one of those scents that I liked in theory but not so much in execution. It was everything (again, in theory) that I enjoy in a scent - it's cool feeling, it's herbal and it's on the manly side. I really wanted to like this but this something in the blend that makes my nose a bit unhappy. It's a lovely blend of lavender and eucalyptus - can't go wrong there. And there's some Sweater Weather-esque juniper (I would describe this as a late winter version of Sweater Weather) that adds cool/crisp alpine-ness. But there's something sharp and almost bug spray chemical-ness in the blend that I just don't like and I dunno what it is (granted I tried the wf refill and not the candle, maybe the candle doesn't have that sharpness). It's a decent enough scent but I just wish BBW didn't shoehorn it into every collection regardless of season (I'm not sure if it's really popular and BBW is trying to profit off of it or if they personally are obsessed with this scent and are desperately trying to make it a thing); they even had the audacity to repackage it as a summer scent (is it a "frozen lake" or an "island reef? It can't be both!)
Debut: 2016
This is one of those scents that I initially liked at the very beginning but over time I grew indifferent because it was just shoved in my face all the time. As we hadn't had a hot chocolate scent since 2011 so when it appeared back in 2016, it was definitely a "about damn time" moment. And it was actually good and smelled like legit instant cocoa with marshmallows; it definitely put you in the mood for a mug of Swiss Miss or Abuelita. BBW (and most home fragrance companies in general) sometimes misses the mark with chocolate scents with them smelling a bit off...but not HC&C. I daresay, it's one of the best and most authentic chocolate scents BBW has ever made. Alas, whenever they create a really good scent, they have a habit of beating a dead horse into pulp . HC&C gets released and re-released and repackaged ad nauseam instead of letting customers enjoy the seasonal novelty of it. Just speaking for myself, I quickly got sick of seeing it and am now utterly over it.
Debut: 2015
When this first came out, I LOVED it! I raved about this scent and that it was the best thing ever - a lavender based scent made into a winter (not so much holiday as it was marketed to be backintheday) scent - yes maam, scent me the eff up! Over time, I kinda fell out of love with it...and I think it's because of the name. It was originally "PEACE"...yeah, it's calm and "peaceful" scent. But then taking away PEACE and just calling it Iced Vanilla Woods...which a)sounds boring and b)isn't particularly a good indicator or description of what the scent smells like. Plus the candle was never in a collection with pretty packaging, just the drab WB core tumblers...normally, packaging isn't something I care about but in this instance, a boring name and boring packaging kinda made the scent itself boring to me. It's not a bad scent at all and has nuances that would make everyone happy. I do wish it was marketed better.
MaBLAHgony Ballsack
Debut: 2015
As you know, BBW is obsessed with MaBLAHgony STANKwood...why, I'm not sure. There was a period of time when they were determined to milk the mahogany teet dry and created a series of unfortunate events - a succession of mahogany blends...Mahogany Balsam being the first of these olfactoral Frankenstein monsters. So this is literally just Mahogany Teakwood mixed with Fresh Balsam...that's it. While it's certainly not the worst of these abominations (I'm lookin at you Mahogany Peach ), it's nothing exciting and there is no reason for it all to exist.
Snowflakes & Citrus
Debut: 2016
..... this is just Midnight Blue Citrus
Spiced Gingerbread
Debut: 2016
Despite gingerbread being a quintessential Christmastime bakery treat and home fragrance scent, BBW has been inconsistent with its gingerbread candles. The first one being Frosted Gingerbread (which smelled less like gingerbread and more like corn chips) that came out in 2011, again in 2012 and for reason tested and failed in 2013. Then in 2014 we got Pumpkin Gingerbread (later repackaged sometime later as Pumpkin Spice batch #2). Then in 2016, we got Spiced Gingerbread and that's been off and on ever since. It's a decent enough scent and it smells like a home fragrance take on gingerbread; there's really not much to say about it except it smells like gingerbread. It's certainly not the worse of these gingerbread incarnations (that would be FG) but it's not the best (that would PG).
Debut: 2019
This scent seems to be very polarizing amongst candle enthusiasts; people either really love it or they really hate it. I'm in the camp that loves...which was a total surprise and shock to me as I fully prepared to hate it. First off there's vanilla/marshmallow top note which I tend to loathe and on top of that is red-hot cinnamon, another note I despise so combination of both was just a double whammy of yuck. Plot-twist, it wasn't nearly as gross as I thought it would be. Personally I think TPC right up there with scents like Tis the Season and Winter and Evergreen and Winter Garland and Citrus & Spice/Holiday Pomander that just somehow captures the holiday spirit and feels very Christmasy but in a very nostalgic, old-fashioned old-timey old-world kinda way...which I tend to generate towards for holiday scents. Also TPC (much like the aforementioned scents) feels like it's been around for years or rather, should've been around for years. I think it's a welcome addition and I hope it sticks around as a holiday staple.
Debut: 2019
Based on folks' reaction to it this year and last, this was the runaway hit and star of the ill-fated Woodland Evergreen collection. It would be the only scent from said collection to be re-released some time later in winter with brand spanking new holiday themed packaging. Because it was so popular last year, it returned this year and I've feeling it's gonna be here to stay. I think it's popularity is due to it sweetness which tones down what would be an otherwise intensely strong pine scent, which tend not to be as popular.
Vanilla Balsam
Debut: 2016
This was basically created to entice the weaklings whose noses can't handle typical pine scents into sniffing and buying a pine scent. What do you do with a polarizing note like pine/balsam? Mix in a crowd pleaser like creamy/powdery diabetes-inducing ice cream-like vanilla of course! Take fan fav Lavender Vanilla and replace the lavender with Fresh Ballsack and that's Vanilla Balsam.
Debut: 2019
I have to be honest...I only have the faintest memory of this candle. For me, it was one of those scents that was so unremarkable that it just didn't leave much of an impression on me. I vaguely remember it smell like manly and herbal and, at the time, reminded me up Irish Spring soap. If it comes back again in the near future post-plague, I'll have to make it a point to sniff it again and update my mental sniff files.
Omg, I am so with you on Hot Cocoa and Cream! I was still working at BBW when it came out and I was OBSESSED with it, because I hate chocolate scents but they really nailed it with smelling exactly like hot chocolate. But when it became a fall scent AND a winter scent, and then they somehow carried it into spring and summer, and then it's in multiple collections, and then they even made it a Halloween candle! Like my god, give it a rest. You don't need to make 15 reiterations of the same scent, just make one! It sells well enough!
ReplyDelete