Yankee Candle Review: Cafe Al Fresco Melt Cup

                   

My Review for:   Yankee Candle- Cafe Al Fresco

                 

Yankee Candle Description:  "The warm air of a bustling outdoor café kissed with sweet notes of cinnamon, coffee and a dash of caramel."

                                        

Fragrance Notes:

                                Top:    Cinnamon Sprinkle, Coffee

                       Mid:   Cappuccino, Frothy Milk

                                         Base:  Crystallized Sugar, Caramel Drizzle

Mike's Favorite Scent.

I'll admit that I'm quite late writing this review, as I have had this melt cup since Valentine's Day, and I'm just now sitting down to write the review. We've used it several times and even bought another one because this is Mike's favorite Yankee Candle scent. Cold Sniff:  This definitely reads sweet. I'm getting sugar, cream, and mostly caramel. Not so much the cinnamon & coffee notes I was expecting. I am more reminded of maple syrup than any sort of coffee beans. I'm really hoping the coffee will be brought out when it's cooking in my Scenterpiece. Lets Melt! It doesn't take long for the predominately sweet smell to waft throughout my living room. The maple type of sweetness is now more of a confectionery sugar sweetness. Much less powerful than it was on cold sniff. It's a pleasant scent, and not at all overbearing. No maple-induced headaches here. Unfortunately, no roasted coffee bean notes either. This is not a cup of coffee with cream & sugar. Less cup of coffee, more Coffee flavored sugary beverage. Cup of caramel with a dash of coffee. It's been almost an hour and Cafe Al Fresco's scent doesn't travel further than my living room doorway.  I occasionally get a vanilla note, wafting in and out of my hallway. The throw was stronger upon it's first use. I could smell it at the bottom of my stairs. Now that we've used half it's life, the throw is about a 6.5. Good for a Medium sized room. If you are looking for a Muddy Waters, Downtown Burlington Coffee House smell, sadly this isn't it. It badly needs a roasted coffee bean note to balance out all that sugar. If you enjoy the smell of coffee drinks, like Frappes, Cappuccinos, and Lattes, this is right up your alley. For me, this is dessert. It wouldn't wake me up in the morning. If you know what to expect, and I hope I helped prepare you, you won't be disappointed. This Melt Cup does smell good, and it starts off with phenomenal throw. If you like sweet scents, go for it. You will probably love it. -Fragrance:   6.5/10 -Throw:         9/10 -Overall:        B Until Next Time, my Candle Subjects! 💗The Candle Queen

Yankee Candle Review: Blush Bouquet Melt Cup

find me on Blogspot!

My Review for:   Yankee Candle- Blush Bouquet

                 

Yankee Description: "Welcoming pink peonies, lilies, and citrus blossoms in a bespoke bouquet fit for the center of the table."

                                        

               Fragrance Notes: 

                 Top:  Cherry Blossoms 

                          Mid:  Peony, Sweet Pea, Lily 

Base: Amber

What A Pleasure

Cold sniff: My first thought is that this is a light, clean smell that's not super distinct, but really pretty. It's a blend of flowers with no flower overshadowing the other. It reminds me of something... but I can't quite put  my finger on it. Maybe it will reveal itself later. Lets Melt This Baby! Upon 30 mins of being in my Scenterpiece, the fragrance itself is still light, but the throw is about a 7 in my medium sized living room. Though it has decent throw, this is a smell your nose gets used to after a few minutes. The florals have intensified a bit, but I have trouble smelling any amber. My guess is the amber gives the fragrance a little warmth, a little depth that softens and mutes the explosion of florals. There's a sweetness to it, but it reads CLEAN, not cloying. This makes it tolerable to people with floral overload sensitivities, and/or allergies.  I am reminded of a perfume I used to smell on a daily basis, so there's nostalgia there. In the early Aughts, I worked for Estee Lauder. I'm extremely familure with all their fragrances from that time period. Blush Bouquet very much reminds me of Estee Lauder's Pleasures. I wore it quite a bit while I was working. It was one of their younger, lighter, prettier scents, and it smelled good on almost anyone. Picture a young girl of 17, wearing a white sundress and flowers in her hair. She's walking barefoot through a field of wildflowers, while the wind blows both her hair and the all the various floral smells mingle with each blowing tendril. Take a deep breath.... that's what this smells like. Floral Beauty & Youth. Like Pleasures, it's a soft, sweet, inoffensive & well blended floral that will be IDEAL for mixing, since the fragrance strength is rather mild. Throw this melt cup on while burning any other floral candle and you can't go wrong. I burned a Gardenia candle, while Blush Bouquet was melting, and it punched up the scent considerably. It was such a fantastic blend, I am now looking for a candle that includes: Cherry Blossoms, Peony, Sweet Pea, Lily & Gardenia. I'd like to be able to smell this blend, whenever I want, at the flick of a Bic. I'm not sure if I would purchase a full size of this candle, just for mixing purposes. I wish the fragrance strength on it's own was enough without having to add a heavier floral to punch it up. Maybe Amber wasn't the right way to go with the base note. I feel like that is the reason the fragrance is muted. They could have gone with a non-foody, floral vanilla, and I think they would have had an absolute winner. As it is, this is still a nice candle for a smaller room, if you want to burn it on it's own. If you are sensitive to strong floral notes, this is a good candle/melt cup for you. I also recommend it to the older Millennials who have fond memories of wearing/smelling this perfume in the early 2000's. Now if I could just find a candle that smells like Vanilla Fields..... -Fragrance: 7/10       (fragrance is lovely but it could be stronger!) -Throw:       7/10        (good for smaller rooms) -Overall:       B Until Next Time, my Candle Subjects!

💗The Candle Queen

Goose Creek Wax Melt Review: Holiday Rum Cake

                         

My Review for:   Goose Creek- Holiday Rum Cake

                 

Goose Creek Description: "Absolutely delicious! Delight in this festive, gourmet blend. It's Holiday Rum Cake Heaven!"

                                        

Fragrance Notes:

                                  Top:    Rich Cream, Warm Butter

                                         Mid:   Warm Vanilla Cake, Cocoa Drizzle

                                              Base:  Sweet Vanilla Bean, Light Rum Notes

Wow

Does that smell Good. I can't decide what smells better on cold sniff, the Butter Cookie Candle or Holiday Rum Cake wax melt. They both appeal to my love of bakery/cookie/cake scents, and they are done VERY WELL. Read: Better than YANKEE in this department. I had read that Goose Creek's bakery candles were superior, and it only took one little sniff to confirm this. The first note I detect is a kind of buttery, lightly spiced, moist, sticky & delicious cake. This cake is not frosted, but straight out of the oven and onto your plate. I could eat this wax with a spoon right now. It smells entirely true to life. How could this POSSIBLY get better? Lets Melt This Baby! After about 5 mins in my Scenterpiece, my living room is already starting to smell like cake. It's pretty amazing, as it intensifies everything I loved about this scent on cold sniff. A little later, I can smell it going up the stairs and throughout my hallway. The butter notes are stronger upon melting, deepening the moistness of the cake notes. It's a very warm & inviting scent. It doesn't read "sweet" despite the vanilla and cocoa notes. I can't even pick out them out, as they they seem to blend & bolster all the other notes. It's more bakery than sweet, which is why I think I like it so much. This is by far the best scent I currently own. I am kicking myself HARD for not snapping up the large sized jar while it was still in stock. I won't make that mistake the next time it's available.. Unfortunately that probably won't happen until the holidays roll around again.. As soon as I see it back in stock, into my cart it goes. It's THAT GOOD people. I'm a cookie girl, but this scent makes me want to try Rum Cake. If it tastes as delicious as this wax melt smells, I've been missing out. I can't imagine anyone not loving this scent. It smells like I've been baking a cake too complicated & delicious for me to actually attempt. My cake wouldn't compare. I recommend Holiday Rum Cake to anyone & Everyone. It might be the best thing you've ever smelled. I feel like I could smell this everyday, for the rest of my life, and probably never get sick of it. -Fragrance:   10/10   (beyond expectations!) -Throw:         10/10   (fills the whole house!) -Overall:        A++ Until Next Time, my Candle Subjects! 💗The Candle Queen

Yankee Candle Review: Sun-Drenched Apricot Rose

My Review for:   Yankee Candle- Sun-Drenched Apricot Rose

                 

Yankee Candle Description: "A full bloom scent of lush, orange apricot and soft petals."

                                        

Fragrance Notes:

                                                     Top:     Sun-Drenched Apricot, Nectarine Blossom

                            Mid:    Apricot Roses, Gardenia Petals

                 Base:  Sheer Musk, Soft Powder

Hello Peach.

I'm not super familiar with Apricots. My only experience with anything Apricot scented was my Baby Apricot Strawberry Shortcake doll. She was a doll that blew you scented kisses when you hugged her/squeezed her belly, and I always thought she smelled sweet & wonderful. I also like Rose, Gardenia and Nectarines, so buying this candle seemed like a no-brainer. My first thought on cold sniff was, I didn't know Apricot and Nectarines would smell so peachy. Overwhelmingly peachy., Unfortunately, Peach lover I am not. That being said, I do believe this is a decent balance of Peach to Rose. It's approx 60% Peach, 40% Rose.I think I would like it more if the numbers were flipped. I want the Rose to came through more than the Peach/Apricot. Unless the Nectarine Blossoms also smell like peach, they are undetectable. Same thing for the Gardenia My major problem with this scent is, the peach gives the rose a mustiness that isn't pleasant to my nose. Rose scents are tricky to do properly and mixing the wrong Rose note w/ almost any blend will send it to musty rose or old lady perfume category. This isn't the Rose Road I would have gone down, nor would I have used ANY sort of musk for it's base. Yankee needed a little greenery here to lighten up the heaviness. The more I search for it, the more I dislike the scent itself. Oh well....Let's Light Her Up! This is a candle that lightly fragranced my mid-large sized bedroom, without me having to close the door to trap the scent. The throw is about a 6/10. If I close the door, it will be about a 7/10, which might be too much for me to handle, considering I wasn't a huge fan on cold sniff. The first note you smell is the Rose, infused with the Peach/Nectarine. The Rose floral note has dissipated some, though it becomes a bit much after a few hours, due to the musty note. I almost wish I could smell the powdery base, even though I tend to stay away from those types of candles. I think it would have REALLY helped balance things out. The closer you get to the candle, the more you pick up the Rose. It's definitely Rose and not any other type of floral, so unfortunately the Gardenia still doesn't come through. You can't possibly mistake the Rose note for any other type of floral. The fragrance itself is STRONG, but the throw is not, which makes this candle pretty guest friendly. I actually got a compliment on this particular fragrance, from my guy friend, Geoff. I never would have guessed he would enjoy it enough to tell me my house smelled good. This is also a very pretty coral pink colored candle that will brighten up anyone's decor. If you like Peaches, you will probably like this candle. Me, I wouldn't buy it again. They should rename it Sun-Drenched Peaches & Rose if they want to present a candle that actually smells like it's name. -Fragrance:   6/10   (smells like peaches) -Throw:         6.5/10   (will lightly scent a medium sized room) -Overall:        C+ Until Next Time, my Candle Subjects! 💗The Candle Queen

Goose Creek Candle Review: Caramel Pumpkin Swirl

                

My Review for:   Goose Creek- Pumpkin Caramel Swirl

                 

Goose Creek Description: "The heartwarming aroma of a home-made cheesecake drizzled with creamy caramel and harvest fresh pumpkin sauce."

                                        

Fragrance Notes:

                                             Top:    Buttery Swirl, Caramel

                               Mid:   Creamy Pumpkin

                                  Base:  Sweet Cheesecake

What Does A Cheesecake Candle Smell Like?

This is my first Cheesecake candle and I'm really curious what Goose Creek's Cheesecake note will be like. I have nothing to compare it to, so I'm flying blind here. On cold sniff, I can smell a blend of spices, sweet caramel, and a light dairy note that definitely reads cheesecake. I'm impressed  how well they captured that particular note. It isn't cake or pie, I can easily smell the difference. I think this was well done, but I have nothing to compare it to, so I don't know if another company makes a better or more authentic Cheesecake note. Because the cold sniff was fainter than I thought, I really hope this fragrance opens up upon Lighting. When lit, this is an attractive looking candle, with the flame dancing nicely over the hazel-brown wax color. This also comes as a novelty candle w/ a jar shaped like a pumpkin. I am a sucker for anything Pumpkin, and these jars are adorable. Goose Creek put all their pumpkin fragrances in pumpkin jars last year. I got the pumpkin jar for a gift, right after buying myself the exact same scent. The one I bought for myself was a larger sized artwork jar candle. It was rather hilarious actually. Now I have two of them, so I hope I really like this particular scent. I'll briefly mention the larger jar, I bought for myself, and how it has weaker scent strength and about a 6/10 for throw. In comparison to my pumpkin jar, this one was a poor imitation! My little Pumpkin was much stronger than my large jar. It wasn't even close. It threw like a champ w/ it's fragrance strength taking over my entire living room. It took less than an hour to fill my mid-sized living room with it's gourmand deliciousness. My pumpkin jar has a richness to it's scent that my large jar lacks. My large jar isn't balanced as nicely, and the Cheesecake note comes through a bit sour or tangy. It lacks the strong spice & bakery notes, I get from my pumpkin jar. I'm really happy Mike surprised me with the pumpkin jar because if I was reviewing my large jar, this would have been an entirely different review. I can't recommend the large jar. I just don't think you will get the whole Pumpkin Caramel Swirl Cheesecake Experience. I CAN recommend the pumpkin jar. I DO recommend the pumpkin jar. This is a nice, warm, autumn/fall Pumpkin scent STAPLE. It screams leaves changing color & days getting shorter, though you can burn it all year and mix/layer it with other scents for variety. It's a complicated scent and a joy to smell. Every time you smell it, if you pay attention, you will pick up different notes from Goose Creek's expert layering. It's a must for pumpkin & cheesecake lovers. It could use a tad more CAKE and slightly less dairy, but it's almost perfect. It's definitely not your average, everyday bakery cake/cookie candle. Expect different. Expect sweet. Expect drizzled. Expect Creamy. Expect that your going to like it. -Fragrance:   8/10 -Throw:         9/10 -Overall:        A Until Next Time, my Candle Subjects! 💗The Candle Queen

Bath & Body Works Current Scent List

If you are anything like me, you like just reading fragrance DESCRIPTIONS. I close my eyes and imagine the possible scent combinations. Sometimes I just want to have a list of candles with matching notes, so I can find one similar to another one I like. Candle companies like to retire their scents every season/year, so the lists are always changing. I've decided to keep track of BATH & BODY WORKS (B&BW) Candle/Home fragrance descriptions to help myself and the masses REMEMBER what the notes & descriptions are for their CURRENT online candles, room sprays & wallflowers.

This is a passion project of mine. Information will be updated as often as new fragrances are added and retired. It's a huge undertaking, but I'm up for the task. I hope to have some of the most comprehensive scented candle lists on the internet.There will be a key code listed at the bottom for quick references on what the current status of each fragrance is. You will know when a fragrance is being retired, and what the description and notes are before B&BW pulls the info off the internet.

Any help, information, reviews and corrections are GREATLY appreciated. Send me an email, or feel free to leave comments. Without further ado, I give you

Bath & Body Works Current HOME Fragrances 2019
Bath & Body Works Current BODY CARE scents 2019

Sooo... THAT'S what I've been doing all month. I HAVE many reviews in the works, including B&BW candles, wallflowers, and body creams. Stay tuned my friends, and please keep checking back for updates.

Til Next Time! 

The Candle Queen <3

Yankee Candle 50th Anniversary Returning Classic: Blueberry

 

My Review for:   Yankee Candle Returning Classic- Blueberry

                 

Yankee Candle Description:
 "Wonderfully tangy and sweet . . . a pure, delicious burst of juicy wild blueberry aroma."

                                        

Fragrance Notes:

                               Top:  Tart Candied Citrus

                                                   Mid:  Wild Blueberry, Raspberry, Cherry

                        Base: Musk, Soft Violet

OOO Boy....

This is a tale of two reviews, so please bear with me. I'm going to give you my cold sniff, thoughts on the FIRST burn, and my conclusion based on all burns thereafter. Here are the gory details: Cold Sniff Impression: Grape Soda. Grape Drink. It's not even Kool-Aid, but something entirely loaded with sugar, and a lingering acrid body I just can't place. Old wine maybe? It smells artificial, but I can smell some Blueberry over the grape soda top notes. It smells like smooshed blueberry that's sat out too long, so it's starting to go bad. It hit me, like a punch to the face, as soon as I took the top off the jar. I didn't have to put my nose to the candle. I had to put my nose AWAY from it! If you like sugary, overripe, smooshed blueberry w/ a twist of grape soda, you're in luck because this candle is STRONG. I think it's the strongest candle I have. I swore I could smell it, sitting on my coffee table with the top still on. Despite my strong revulsion to this particular take on "Blueberry", Let's Light This Puppy. After about 45 mins. I can only smell it from 10 feet away. No big deal. Some candles start to pool right away and some it take a little longer. After about 90 mins, this scent has taken over my medium sized living room and can be smelled all throughout the hallway. Thankfully, I smell less grape soda, which I am guessing came from the candied citrus top notes. I had this candle going for about 3 hours until it gave me a horrible headache and I couldn't take the smell anymore. This candle badly needed a bakery note or creamy-vanilla to calm down the berries and sugar. Is the smooshed berry smell also the "wild blueberry" smell? Or is it the combo of blueberry, raspberry and cherry that gives it that weird quality. It's a mishmash of berries, and I really wanted the blueberry to sing on it's own. This is the first candle I've had to put out because it gave me a headache. I'm pretty tolerant of smells, but this one was a bit too much for my uber-sensitive nose. If at first you don't succeed... try again. I gave this candle another shot. This time I left the window open a few inches. I was in the bedroom, absolutely DREADING coming back to a nauseating, headache inducing smell. Walking out into the hallway, it didn't smell terrible and I was shocked. The throw is still very strong. I can now smell it coming into my house from the garage downstairs. From a distance, it smells really nice. It reminded both my boyfriend and I of our beloved Blueberry Muffin Candle. Back in the living room, ground zero, the closer you get to the candle, the less it smells like bakery blueberry. Now it smells closer to the smooshed blueberry of yore. BUT I can tolerate it. Maybe my newfound respect for this fragrance was because I had the window open. A few hours later, the house is still pleasantly scented with Blueberry Pie filling. This scent has had an amazing transformation. I haven't experienced this significant a change of fragrance, from one burning to the next, until now. This just goes to show you, first impressions aren't everything when it comes to candles. There are a lot of notes to this simply named candle. You have to burn it a while to break through the layers and finally let the musk and violet come through. I can't smell these notes in particular, but they have definitely changed the fragrance in a big way. I think Yankee Candle's Returning Favorite Blueberry will be a fabulous mixing candle for any of my weaker bakery, berry, or even floral scented candles. The sky is the limit, though I do have to keep in mind, the Blueberry candle is SO STRONG, it could overpower the candles I mix it with. When I try layering Blueberry with something else, I will update this post. For now, this candle stands on it's own, and it's a great candle to add to your collection. Don't let the initial grape soda, artificial smooshed berry smell keep you from enjoying the main body. Burn it twice, and you'll see what I'm talking about. This candle isn't for everyone, but if you like the smell of blueberry pie FILLING without the bakery notes, you will appreciate the richness found in this candle. -Fragrance: 6/10   (points for transformative powers!) -Throw:    10/10 -Overall: B- Until Next Time, my Candle Subjects! 💗The Candle Queen