Break out the firecrackers and sparklers, July has finally arrived and so has this review! Sorry that it has taken awhile to get this up, but you know how holiday plans go. Can you guys believe that we are half way through the year? It seems crazy to think so much time has past. For me it has been one year exactly since I first discovered Candles By Victoria. That makes this month an extra special month for me. This month's review is mainly filled with summery type scents with a few odds and ends here and there. Without further ado here is this month's scent review...
 |
| Summer bakery scents... |
Banana Pancake:
Color: Pineapple Yellow
Cold Throw: OMG this is sooo good! That's the first thing that popped into my head when I smelt this. I really didn't have very high expectations for this one because I figured the banana would be that candy Runt's banana and I wasn't sure I was going to like the pancake element because I figured it would smell bready or yeasty smelling. This doesn't smell like any of those things. This is legit banana pancakes. I get that delicious authentic flapjacks smell that is kind of light and fluffy with a hint of baking cinnamon (not Red Hot) and the slightest drop of maple. (Don't worry syrup haters it is hardly noticeable) I also smell like bakery banana slices mixed into everything. This one is so yummy! It smells just like the comforting breakfast treat it is modeled after. If you wanted a pancake or flapjack smell that didn't smell like maple syrup then you need to try this one out.
Warm Throw: I continued to really like this one, however it was much better for me on cold throw. When I warmed it up it I found it was a weak scent thrower. I had to use half a shot to be able to smell it and even then it was a barely noticeable. I was a little disappointed by that since it has such a wonderful and delicious cold throw. It has been my experience that the shots are more powerful smelling than the candle forms are, but I think I might try and get this in a mini-jelly jar and hope that it's throw is better. This one is just too yummy not to have in my collection.
 |
| Why can't I smell you?! |
Sea Salt Caramels:
Color: Goldenrod Yellow
Cold Throw: For those of you who aren't big on overly sweet bakery scents, this is the one for you. This one is a sweet and salty mixture. I get that sweet yet subdued caramel candy sort of scent sprinkled with pure sea salt to take away some of that sweetness. These remind me of the kind that you buy at the fair that come wrapped in those little white wax wrappers. Smells like real sea salted caramels to me.
Warm Throw: This one was okay, the rich caramel kind of faded a little bit once it was warmed up and the slight sea salt note comes into play even more. Summed up it is a slightly caramel, slightly sea salt with just an average scent throw. If you aren't partial to sweet scents then you will probably like this one a lot since the salty note makes the caramel only semi-sweet.
 |
| Gotta give it to Victoria she does food dupes so well. |
Strawberry Shortcake:
Color: Dark Raspberry
Cold Throw: The first thing I smell is a light strawberry jam. I don't get any white frosting at all, but I do get a slight pound cake fragrance sitting in the background. It doesn't really smell like a real strawberry shortcake to me, but it is still yummy smelling. I'd say this is more of a pound cake iced with strawberry jam.
Warm Throw: The strawberry jam fragrance transformed into more of the authentic strawberry juice that ends up soaking into the pound cake at the bottom of the dish. That was actually all I could smell of this. I didn't smell any pound cake aside from the real strawberry juice smell, nor did I get any whipped cream on top. To me this wasn't really a strawberry shortcake so much as a genuine strawberry juice fragrance. I would have liked to have smelt the pound cake at least. This one wasn't bad by any means, but it wasn't what I was expecting.
Strawberry Taffy:
Color: Dark Maroon
Cold Throw: This is an interesting strawberry fragrance because it doesn't smell like any of the other strawberry scents I have tried so far. The strawberry in this one is close to Fresh Picked Strawberries, in that it smells like a generic strawberry fragrance, but it isn't as sweet. I wouldn't say this one smells like the candy kind of strawberry taffy, (think strawberry Laffy Taffy) but it almost smells like strawberry salt walter taffy. If it was a little sweeter strawberry I think it could be almost a dead ringer for salt water taffy. But it just isn't sweet or strong enough on the generic strawberry. Still this is an interesting strawberry that is different from most of the others on the list.
Warm Throw: I stand by my first initial description. This one is a very different strawberry than Victoria's other strawberries. This one is closest to Fresh Picked Strawberries because it is a kind of generic artificial strawberry, but tis one isn't as sweet. This is like a semi-sweet artificial strawbery fragrance with a medium scent throw. It's nice and unique on it's own, but really didn't smell anything like strawberry taffy to me.
 |
| The last two were totally unexpected but still good. |
 |
| Fruity fragrances... |
Summer Sorbet:
Color: Pineapple Yellow
Cold Throw: This is an interesting fruit medley blend. I get the slight hint of melons more like honeydew then cantaloupe. But the usual strong fragrance that comes with melons has been tampered down quite a bit. So it is a more subdued melon. Then I get a tiny splash of citrus like grapefruit maybe. It is all rounded out with a slightly semi-sweet fruit that I can't pinpoint. The description says berries, but I don't get any dark berry smell at all. This is just one of those scents where all the fruits combine to make an entirely new unique fruity fragrance that doesn't exactly smell like any one discernable fruit.
Warm Throw: The berries and melons really come out more once warmed. The melons are sort of like honeydew melons but not as thick as a lot of honeydew scents can be. The berries really tone the strength of the melons down and add more light fruitiness to the mix. The scents just blend together so well to create a totally new fragrance that is light and fruity and really unique. This one is not like a typical fruity blend. In fact this one kind of reminds me of Yankee's Summer Scoops, though I do not know for sure if this is supposed to be a dupe of that or not. The scent throw was about medium average. I feel like this fragrance is easily overlooked. Fruit lovers take notice this is a blend you probably haven't smelt before.
Orange Vanilla:
Color: Yellow Orange
Cold Throw: It took about a month before this one cured enough to where I wanted it. In the beginning it was more orange juice like than vanilla, but now it is equal parts sweet orange and creamy vanilla. It reminds me of a Dreamsicle only a tad less sweet or ice cream like. This is orange without being a too sharp citrusy orange that I find in like orange juice. I would have liked a bit more vanilla to take it to that Dreamsicle/ Orange Sherbet level, but this one still smells great. If you are a fan of the orange vanilla mixture then you will like this one.
Warm Throw: As with before I would have liked this one to be a tad bit on the sweeter side, but other than that this was a really nice mild scent. It does indeed continue to smell like a slightly less creamier version of a Dreamsicle. This simple scent combination is really good for breezy summer afternoons when you want something a little sweet, but not overly so in the heat. The scent throw was a little under average, but nothing too weak. If you are using shots you might want to just go ahead and put in half the shot in.
Carmen Miranda:
Color: Burnt Orange
Cold Throw: I can immediately pinpoint peaches and oranges in this one. There is also a background of some other mixed fruit, but peach and orange is mainly what I smell. The peach is a fresh peach smell similar to that of Georgia Peach and the orange is a really fresh orange. The mixed fruits in the background are not heavy like the ones in Fruit Salad. They are light and blend together really nicely. This is really juicy and fruity smelling.
Warm Throw: This one continues to smell exactly the same as it does on cold throw. Peaches and oranges are the main fragrance with just a small background of some other nicely blended fruit. This one is super juicy! I really liked this one and I think if you are a peach or orange lover you will really like this one too. Great for summer fruit lovers too!
 |
| These fruity blends made me happy! |
Monkey Juice:
Color: Pineapple Yellow
Cold Throw: This is a complicated scent. There is alot of scents going on in this little bitty container. I get the bubblegum straight off, but it isn't the Bazooka Joe kind, more like the generic less powerful pink bubblegum type. I also get the candied banana fragrance that is similar to Wonka Runt's candies. Then I get Victoria's kiwi scent. While I like all of those fragrances on their own, I'm not a fan of them mixed all together. They don't blend well in my opinion. It smells like each scent is competing with all of the others.
Warm Throw: Continued to smell the same once warmed up. There was just too much going on in this fragrance for me. The banana, kiwi, bubblegum combo just does not mix well and it ended up being overly sweet. This one has a really strong scent throw and while I love candy like sweet scents this one is just too much for me personally. I feel like my nose just got bitchslapped by a banana kiwi bubblegum stick. However if you are a candy fan and like super sweet scents then this one is for you.
 |
| I found this one to be too sickeningly sweet. |
 |
| Tropical scents... |
White Nectarine & Pink Coral:
Color: Dark Maroon
Cold Throw: A major fan favorite this one is and I can certainly see why. A lot of people compare this to a pink Herbal Essences shampoo while I've heard others compare this to peach ring gummie candies. Personally I agree whole heartedly with both. This one has a sweet artificial peach gummie candy smell, but it also has a fruity slightly shampoo or soapy note in the background. This is a super pretty fruity/clean/sweet scent. I guess I can see now why those girls in the commercial moan out "Yes, Yes, Yes!" while washing their hair if it smells anything like this. I would love to get this in Melissa's bath products.
Warm Throw: The peach ring scent fades a little and so this one ended up smelling more on the Herbal Essences Shampoo side of things but it still smelt amazing! Such a lovely and unique fruity/clean fragrance. I haven't smelled any other candle fragrance like it anywhere. This one is a strong thrower and is great for any season really. It is kind of girly fruity and fun. This one has made it's way onto my favorites list!
 |
| Got the urge to Herbal? Maybe just stick to White Nectarine &Pink Coral.... |
Tropical Kisses:
Color: Dark Raspberry
Cold Throw: The first thing I smell is peaches and coconut in the top notes. If I sniff a little deeper I can also pick out the pineapples. However I don't get any hint of grapefruit, orange, or apple slices. I like how the peach, pineapple, and coconut all blend together well to create a new scent, yet you can still pick out the individual fruits as well. This one is incredibly fruity and juicy.
Warm Throw: This is a tropical scent that is on the more lighter side; the scent throw itself is average, but it isn't a heavy smelling scent at all which a lot of tropical scents tend to be. The peach, coconut, pineapple combo blends together to make like a fruity tropical drink smell. You would think that peaches, coconuts, and pineapples being strong scents in general would make this one a fruity punch in the face, but it isn't like that at all. It's really nice, but mild for a tropical scent. A great pick for summer.
Bermuda Triangle:
Color: Cobalt Blue
Cold Throw: I get a very mixed tropical scent without any hint of the usual culprits which make up most fruity tropical scents like coconut or pineapple. All of the fruits in this one combine and blend together so well that I can't immediately pick out one individual fruit. Normally I can smell a scent and can pick out at least one fruit for sure, but not with this one. I had to look up the description just to see what fruits I was smelling. I can smell the honeydew, but it isn't a super strong melony scent. It mixes well with like a grapefruit note. It's tropical smelling without being too sweet or tart.
Warm Throw: This is just a really sweet tropical fruity blend without relying on the run of the mill coconut or pineapple fragrances. It's kind of melony without being too strong on the melons with an undercurrent of a blend of mild fruits underneath. The scent throw is right around the medium range and the scent itself isn't in your face tropical. I would recommend this to those who like fruity tropical scents, but are tired of the typical run of the mill coconut and pineapple fragrances.
Jimmy Buffet:
Color: Pineapple Yellow
Cold Throw: It's Five O' Clock Somewhere in Margaritaville... and I bet they probably have a drink that smells like this. This is a wonderful mixture of Pina Colada and Pineapple. It smells like a wonderful tropical drink that one would sip out of a coconut cup with a tiny umbrella on top. I get the creamy milky coconut but there is a little extra kick with the fresh strong pineapples.
Warm Throw: Personally I like this one better than Pina Colada. The pineapple in this one is strong enough to where it doesn't get swallowed up by the milky coconut. The two scents are equally balanced and the mix together to create a great milky tropical fruity drink. The scent throw was average on this one. Not very strong, but then again not weak. If you like Pina Colada then you will really like this one. It is like Pina Colada's exotic big sister.
 |
| It's 5 o'clock somewhere when you're burning these babies. |
 |
| And some extra scents... |
Sweet Angel Dust:
Color: Pearl White
Cold Throw: Another one from Candleman's Closet; which for those who don't know are all "Hush" dupes, only take out the H and add an L. Otherwise known as that company that shall not be named. I'm not exactly sure what this particular scent is supposed to be duping, but I believe it is Snow Fairy. It smells to me very similar to Pink Bubblegum Crush. It has that same artificial syrupy sticky sweetness, however it isn't candy-ish like PBC. It is very sugary sweet and almost girly smelling to me. Once you smell it you can immediately tell is is a signature scent from that company that shall not be named. It is hard to describe but for those of you who have smelt a few of the Hush products or even just smelled a lot of Candleman's Closet, you can instantly tell what that certain undefinable note is that almost all their scents seem to have.
Warm Throw: Okay I lied, this one is definitely candy-ish. It isn't a fruity kind of candy more like a sugary sweet plain ribbon candy. It's a very light candy sweetness that is somewhat girly and lovely. I burned this while I was working (I'm a nanny) and it was a hit with the kids. The scent throw is just average, but it's really good if you like really sweet candy fragrances like Pink Bubblegum Crush.
 |
| This one was a favorite with kids. |
Lighthouse Point:
Color: Teal Blue
Cold Throw: To me this smells like a men's aftershave so I can see why the description talks about sailors and feeling the wind and sea on their faces. I smell some oceany based men's type of cologne. It just has this coolness to it with a hint of sea air and ocean waves. I can see this being either a men's shaving cream, aftershave gel, or even just a men's cologne. As far as masculine scents go this one is pretty nice. It isn't overpowering which I really like. It reminds me of a sexy lifeguard running in slow motion down the beach, carrying a boogie board, with the wind whipping his hair back. (Oh, was that a Baywatch reference?)
Warm Throw: Yep this one is definitely a more "masculine" fragrance. It continued to smell just like an aftershave or men's cool water cologne. There was however the tiniest sharpness to it that only came out once melted. I want to say it was a little spice, but there was nothing remotely cinnamon or clove or any of the usual spices about it. Not sure what it was but it added just a little sharp kick underneath the cool oceany men's cologne smell. This one was a strong thrower but I didn't find the cologne to be too overwhelming like some kind of perfume/cologne fragrances can be. Smells masculine and kind of sexy to me. Not sure I would want to burn this a lot, but hey I still like it.
 |
| I've suddenly forgotten how to swim... |
Put A Ring On It:
Color: Dark Raspberry
Cold Throw: Unlike what the description says, this does not smell edible in the least. In fact this smells sort of like a very musky women's perfume. I don't really smell any fruits or greenery or chocolate in this at all. All I smell is like a dry florally top note with a background of heavy musk. I can pick out the jasmine and violet but they are what make up that "dry" floral note. This one isn't bad if you like deeper muskier women's perfume type of scents.
Warm Throw: Holy smokes is this one a strong scent thrower! It filled up my entire downstairs area in about thirty minutes and I only used a forth of the scent shot. That being said this one is a musky women's perfume fragrance through and through. I mainly smelled the jasmine with just a hint of the violets in the background coupled with a lot of feminine musk. This would be great for those of you who like muskier jasmine perfumes. However, I am not one of those people and this one was just too much for my stingy nose. I think I will just listen to the song alone from now on without melting the scent shot.
 |
| Wasn't a fan of this version... |
That's it for this month's scent review. Last month I asked about making a scent directory for all the scents that I have reviewed so far in an alphabetical and categorial list. I am currently working on getting that up for you guys. It may take a few more months because I am not only re-documenting all of the reviews I'm also burning some of the scents over again just to make sure that I have officially past the curing times on some of them. I want to make the reviews as accurate as I can so that may take some time to get up for you guys. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this little review and I will return next month with new scents to review for you all. Take care guys and don't forget the SPF!!
