This is a review of Better Homes and Gardens Wax Melts from Walmart for Spring 2016. There are a fair amount of tropical scents, perfect for the summer!
Apricot Rose Water
Sun drenched apricot, nectarine blossom and pink grapefruit become enlivened with rosewater, gardenia petals and white peach. White musk, vanilla and creamy sandalwood gives it a smooth finish.
This is kind of like a "tropical" peach scent, like an authentic fruit, and it's sour rather than sweet. I don't smell any rose. When melted, it's very similar to the new ScentSationals Isla Bonita with the "sour fruit" scent. I'm not sure if I like it, as it's very sour, but not like a nice lemon sour. It might smell better mixed with something like vanilla to temper that sourness.
By The Pool Duo
This duo is from last year, and the package is dated 2015. These scents are just "okay" for me.
Splash
This smells like fresh clean tropical water with a bit of coconut and a hint of salt. It started out very strong and a bit harsh, but after about an hour the scent dissipated just enough to eliminate some of the harshness.
Coconut
This smells like dry coconut flakes used for baking (in a good way), but has that "fake" coconut note.
Caribbean Sea Breeze
Ocean sea spray, water pineapple and honeydew captivates the senses. Coconut water, sea orchid and muguet lead into aquatic moss and white woods in the base for a tranquil finish.
This is a fantastic coconut scent with a hint of fresh air, a smidgen of tropical fruit, and a barely detectable floral note.
Exotic Paradise Punch
The sparkling scent of juicy pineapple, sweet orange and Fuji apple becomes enriched with Rainier cherries and passion fruit. Tahitian vanilla and white musk leave a beautiful fragrance experience.
This scent came out in 2014 and it doesn't look like it's coming back, but the old ones are being restocked on the Walmart shelves (don't worry, ScentSationals and Better Homes & Gardens scents last for several years). This scent is similar to Better Homes & Gardens Fresh Pulled Taffy. Both scents smell like hard candy with a sweet lemon drop note. But Fresh Pulled Taffy has more of a cotton candy vibe, and Exotic Paradise Punch also has a sweet tropical note, making it smell more like a Kool-Aid type drink. Melted, it really smells like Fresh Pulled Taffy!
Hideaway in Paradise Duo
This duo is from last year, and the package is dated 2015.
Mai Tai
A delicious blend of fresh squeezed orange, apple slices and sundrenched peaches. Sugarcane and sangria add sweetness.
A sweet, pleasant, slightly perfumey tropical scent. It doesn't have that sour note that a lot of tropical scents have, and no pineapple or coconut.
Saltwater Sands
Sweet orange blossom and mandarin combined with waterlily, island florals and golden sand
A nice sweet, perfumey soapy scent with a hint of floral.
Iced Lemon Poundcake
A medley of homemade vanilla infused pound cake drizzled in lemon essence icing and a twist of candied lemon zest
This one is different from the new ScentSationals Iced Lemon Sugar Cookies. Cookies is more lemony, while Poundcake is more like vanilla cake with lemon flavored sugar frosting. But there's something "off" about the scent, like a weird sour waxy note that I don't care for. It has some similarities to the Savory Blackberry Cobbler scent.
Island Pomelo Dragonfruit
Bright, sunny pomelo, sweet orange and pink grapefruit, blended with candied dragonfruit and island mango, fused with hints of green citrus leaf and warm citron woods
This is a nice bright orange scent, actually more like mandarin, which is basically orange but with a tropical note. It's very similar to Better Homes & Gardens Cranberry Mandarin Splash. But Cranberry Mandarin Splash is a little more bitter, and Island Pomelo Dragonfruit has a little more of a citrus note, and I think even a touch of lemon. I like this scent much better than Cranberry Mandarin Splash. I'd classify this more as a citrus scent rather than a tropical scent.
Saltwater Sea Escape Duo
This duo is from last year, and the package is dated 2015.
Sea Orchid
Explore the depths of the ocean with this fruity marine fragrance, featuring fuzzy peach, nectarine, beach coral and driftwood.
A fresh, sweet, watery scent with a soapy note, a little bit like ScentSationals Rainy Day, but with a slight chlorine note like a fresh swimming pool. I like it!
Coral
Pineapple water and fresh ozones open this fragrance into a beautiful blend of white orchid, jasmine and violet leaf.
A sweet tropical fruit scent without coconut or sour tropical fruit notes. It's almost like strawberry with a tropical note. Very nice!
Savory Blackberry Cobbler
Juicy and plump sun-ripe blackberries sweetened with white sugar crystals and topped with a buttery cobbler crust
This is not like any other ScentSationals or bakery berry scents. "Savory" is the keyword here. This is not a sweet dessert type scent. I do smell blackberries, but they're slightly sour blackberries (what is it with the sour fruit theme of a lot of the new Walmart wax melt scents?). I also smell the crust, but it's not a rich buttery crust, more like unsweetened raw dough. There's an off-putting note in this scent, like a slightly sour or "clay" type note. If any scent ever needed some sweet vanilla mixed in, this would be it. I don't really care for it.
Serene Spa Resort
Breezy, sea salted greens and fresh ozonic florals gleam with sparkling citrus highlights over a warm background of ambered driftwood and mossy marines
This is a fresh salty water scent with maybe a smidgen of eucalyptus and maybe a slight touch of ScentSationals Zen on cold sniff. It's not a sweet scent at all, more of a fresh "spa" scent. The closest scent to this one is maybe ScentSationals White Water, but it's not exact. When melted, I don't detect the eucalyptus or Zen notes that I did on cold sniff; it's just a nice salty slightly herbal water scent.
Smoky Gray Mist
Softly smoked woods surrounded by the emerald freshness of crystal marines, shimmering ozone, and cool citrus fruit splashed over dewy cyclamen and aromatic herbs touched by amber
This is a super fresh men's cologne scent that smells very strong on cold sniff; in fact, it's kind of "in your face" strong, like a clean aftershave with a high alcohol content. If you don't like men's cologne scents, this one might annoy you.
Sun Washed Poppies
An intriguing floral/fruity blend that opens with notes of sweet apple, pink raspberry and white pepper. A playful heart of rose petals, jasmine and wild poppies leads into a sensuous comforting base of sandalwood and sun-washed musk.
A beautiful summer scent, this smells like strawberries combined with a floral. I knew I'd smelled this one before! It's a dupe of the discontinued Better Homes & Gardens Sun-Kissed Tulips.
Sunset Creek Azalea
An alluring grove of canyon azalea, jasmine and rose petals, topped with bright lemon, sunny daffodil and early spring greens. Aromas of white oak and creek moss are infused for a soothing finish.
A very nice fruity floral with a hint of baby powder. It smells a little bit like a preteen girl's perfume, but it's not annoying, and it doesn't smell like "candy" type perfume.
Tropical Beach Getaway Duo
This duo is from last year, and the package is dated 2015.
Beach Flowers
This is a sweet scent with a floral note, and just a smidgen of a sour dragonfruit note like ScentSationals Isla Bonita.. It's kind of a boring, nondescript scent.
Dragonfruit
This has a berry note, maybe strawberry, but with that sour note in the background that smells a lot like ScentSationals Isla Bonita.
White Peach Mango
A fruity infusion of white peach, apricot and sweet orange is blended with mandarin water and exotic mango nectar. Sugar cane and vanilla bean are added to the base and deliver a smooth finish.
This smells like mango with some peach mixed in. It has kind of a "fake" peach note, like a cheap peach scented air freshener spray. I don't care for this scent.
Wild Honeysuckle Pear
Luminous accords of wild honeysuckle, sweet orange blossom and sparkling pear wraps around an intoxicating floral bouquet of yellow freesia, muguet and gardenia petals. A soothing base of sweet musk further exudes a tranquil experience.
I swear this is a dupe of another scent that I might no longer have. It's a soapy floral, but pear, I don't know about that. It's not really honeysuckle either. It's kind of a "harsh" floral, if that makes sense, not perfumey at all, maybe a slight chemical note? It's light on cold sniff, and doesn't smell nearly as good as it sounds.
