Better Homes & Gardens Wax Melt Reviews from Walmart - Spring 2021
March 2, 2021
This is a review of the new Walmart Better Homes & Gardens wax melts for Spring 2021.
The 3.5 ounce size for $3.22 will be the only size available for these new scents (no 2 ounce size). It works out to a little bit more in the long run. $3.22 for 3.5 oz. is $.92 per oz, while $2 for 2.5 oz. is $.80 per oz. So pricing for the larger sized clamshells would be equivalent to $2.30 if they were 2.5 oz. But you do get 8 cubes in the pack instead of 6 (despite that the Walmart website shows them as having 6 cubes), so it actually works out to less in the long run due to the additional 2 cubes.
I love the new labels. They're simple and classy, it's easy to read the scent names, and most of all, the notes are listed right on the label!
However, the wax is extremely difficult to remove from the package. The scoring of the cubes only goes about halfway into the bottom of the cube rather than 2/3 of the way like most melts, and each cube is slightly thicker, the cubes are nearly impossible to break off by hand. I have to remove the entire block of wax from the package and use a knife to cut off a cube, and even that's difficult to do. This has been a deal-breaker for a lot of people; however, Rimports (the company that makes ScentSationals and Better Homes & Gardens wax melts) made an announcement in late February that they will be fixing this issue and the new clamshells will be arriving at Walmart stores within a few weeks, slowly phasing out the older packaging as those sell out.
Amber & Rose
Citrus, Berry, Floral, Amber, Wood, Vanilla & Sugarcane
This scent has a lot of different notes in it! Fresh, floral, sweet, rich and a little salty, mahogany, and bergamot (which gives it a little bit of a fresh body wash note). I really like this one, although it's not what I expected based on the scent name. I don't detect amber (which would impart a soft warmth). There may be a smidgen of rose, fruit and vanilla, maybe a smidgen of orange and/or lemon way way in the background? I wouldn't detect these other notes if I didn't know they were supposed to be there. This smells similar to
Yankee American Home Fragrant Spring Meadow, although that scent is slightly more floral.
Apricot Blossom & Bergamot
Bergamot, Currant, Green, Apricot Blossom, Fruit, Amber, Wood & Musk
This smells exactly like the Amber & Rose scent. I can't tell the difference. I thought maybe that scent was slightly more floral and this scent is slightly fresher, but I don't think so. When scents smell the same to me, it's easy to fool my nose into finding differences based on the scent names and official notes. So I take both packs, put them in a bag, shake the bag a few times and take them out with my eyes closed. Then I sniff both, not knowing which scent is which. I did that with these two scents, and they still smelled exactly the same. I had other people do the bag test too, and they said the same thing. There is zero peach (apricot) in this scent, but definitely bergamot. Like Amber & Rose, it's a great scent!
Lavender & Moss
Lavender, Fresh Moss, Green, Wood & Peppercorn
It's lavender with a woodsy, slightly cologney note. It's definitely not a medicinal lavender, and although it's kind of sweet, it's not a soft, girly lavender. I like it! Looking at the notes, they're spot on, and I do detect the "mossiness" with a "green" woodsy note.
Lemon Balm & Cedar
Lemon, Orange, Ivy, Neroli, Jasmine, Lemon Balm, Sandalwood, Cedarwood & Musk
A fantastic scent of orange with lemon and maybe a little bit of grapefruit. It has a tiny bit of a salty, savory, zesty note that makes it smell slightly like Better Homes & Gardens
Meyer Lemon Basil, but sweeter and not nearly as salty or savory. I'm sure I've smelled this exact scent before, and it's a dupe of another Rimports scent, but I don't know which one. Looking at the notes, I only smell the orange and lemon, with that hint of something herbal, savory and zesty in the background.
Palo Santo & Violet
Citrus, Oriental, Violet, Woods, Amber & Sweet
On cold sniff this is mostly a woodsy scent, although I detect a hint of fruity floral in the background. It's really not sweet though, nor is it a smoky wood, or pine, or sandalwood. It's kind of a waxy scent, but not in a bad way. When melted, however, it's sweeter (although still not overly sweet), with mostly plum, warm amber, and a floral, and less of the woodsy note. I like it! I don't know what the "Sweet" note is in the notes on the label, but I wonder if they left off a note and it was supposed to be "Sweet Plum"?
Pineapple & Sea Breeze
Ocean Seaspray, Pineapple, Honeydew, Orange, Coconut Water, Sea Salt, Orchid, Moss & Cedarwood
This is the same as the old Better Homes & Gardens
Caribbean Sea Breeze, even the same color, bold throw, and very similar notes ("ocean sea spray, pineapple, honeydew, coconut water, sea orchid, muguet, aquatic moss, white woods"). It's a fantastic scent of mostly coconut, with a sweet, very soapy note, and a fresh, watery note with an oceany vibe. It's perfect to melt in a bathroom.
Despite pineapple in the scent name and notes, I don't smell pineapple, although it could be way in the background. I think I do detect a hint of the honeydew though. No orange at all.
Pineapple & Vanilla
Lemon, Verbena, Pineapple, Black Currant, Jasmine, Listea, Sandalwood, Musk & Vanilla
This is definitely pineapple, but I also smell the vanilla, as well as a tiny bit of saltiness that smells like a smidgen of salted caramel way in the background. It's that saltiness that makes this scent really rich, almost nauseatingly so. Melt it in a very large room! Looking at the notes, I don't smell any of them except the pineapple and vanilla. No lemon, definitely no verbena, no currant, and no floral, woodsy or musky notes.
Pomegranate & Citron
Pomegranate, Citron, Pink Lady Apple, Red Currant, Persimmon, Sugar Crystals, Violet & Vanilla
I love red currant scents, and that's what this is. Currant is a fig-like soapy scent with a tiny bit of tartness, a hint of light wood, a smidgen of a perfumey note, and a smidgen of a berry note with hardly any sweetness (although this one has a little bit of sweetness, probably from the sugar). It's a very sophisticated scent that, when mixed with other scents, gives them a classy note. This one has a smidgen more fruit, apple I think, and sure enough it's there in the scent notes. There's also a smidgen of richness that could be plum and/or lemon, but neither of those are in the notes. I don't detect vanilla, violet or any floral notes.
Sage Leaf & Musk
Sage, Musk, Green, Herbal, Floral & Wood
I smell mostly pine, as well as the sage, but also a more savory herbal note which gives it a pungent, rich, very slightly sweet (although it's not a sweet scent) quality. That other herb could be rosemary and/or thyme. It smells like a salad with pine needles mixed in! I described Better Homes & Gardens
Cedarwood & Sage the same way, so it might be the same scent (I no longer have it to compare). Despite the pine, it's not one of my favorites. Looking at the notes, I don't detect any floral or musk notes at all (although that's probably the smidgen of sweetness).
Salted Caramel & Vanilla Bean
Sea Salt, Caramel, Vanilla Bean, Buttercream & Sugarcane
A super yummy scent of caramel (with just a bit of saltiness for richness), butterscotch, and sweet vanilla buttercream. It's the vanilla buttercream that sets this apart from other caramel scents, replacing a little bit of the "carameliness" with "vanillariness", and giving it a smidgen of chocolatiness. The notes are spot on.
Salted Coconut & Mahogany
Citrus, Herbal, Wood, Coconut & Vanilla
Walmart page says "White Mahogany & Coconut", so maybe it was renamed at the last minute. It's a sweet foodie coconut with vanilla and a hint of a cologney mahogany note. It smells a lot like Better Homes & Gardens
White Tahitian Woods (but that scent doesn't have the cologne note) and quite a bit like
ScentSationals Coconut Sands (which is more coconutty and slightly less sweet). Melted, it smells a bit like super sweet coconut candy, which makes it smell almost exactly like
Sonoma Coconut Mahogany (but just a tinge less sweet). Fantastic scent! Looking at the notes, I don't detect any citrus or herbal notes.
White Grapefruit & Pear
White Grapefruit, Pear, Kiwi, Freesia, Water Lily, Jasmine, Applewood, Vanilla & Musk
This is mostly fruit, with a bit of floral, but it's a very sweet, candy-like fruit that smells a lot like bubblegum. I do smell pear or apple, and maybe a smidgen of strawberry or something slightly tropical. Looking at the notes, the other fruit I'm smelling is the kiwi. I don't smell grapefruit at all, although it does have just a barely detectable smidgen of bitterness way in the background. I detect the freesia, but not the jasmine, and definitely no vanilla. It's different, and interesting, not sure if I love it though. Melting it, I also smell grape (not grapefruit, but grape), like grape bubblegum, but I also smell the pear. Kind of like a sweet taffy, not really candy, and there's something that gives it a little bit of bite, like a sour apple candy. It's very strong, and I can almost taste the sweetness in the back of my throat. For me, this one would benefit from a bit of vanilla mixed in to tone it down.
White Peach & Daisy
Granny Smith Apple, White Peach, Bergamot, Daisy, Rain Water, Melon, Cassis, Lemongrass & Amber
This is mostly a fruity scent but with a little bit of a floral. Peach is the main fruit. I also smell apple, and maybe a hint of melon. Looking at the notes, I don't detect lemongrass at all. I'm not a fan of peach scents, but I like this one. It smells very similar to another scent... and after some discussions in our Facebook group, that other scent is Better Homes & Gardens
Warm Spring Sunshine, whose notes are basically the same ("A fruity mix of Granny Smith apple, white peach and melon. A fresh, floral blend of spring daisy, garden florals and rain water rest on a calming base of sunlit amber and musk"). But they don't smell exactly the same to me. White Peach & Daisy is more peachy, while Warm Spring Sunshine is sweeter and more candy-like, with a "softer" peach note.
