Sonoma Winter Holiday 2016 Wax Melts from Kohl's - Review

Sonoma Winter Holiday 2016 Wax Melts from Kohl's

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You can view close-ups of each wax melt label at https://www.pinterest.com/scentedwax/sonoma-scented-wax-melts-kohls/.

Lakeside Campfire
"Feel like you are back at camp with the scents of lakeside air, mulled apples, smoky cinnamon and birch wood"
Smells like part men's cologne and part industrial soap, with a nice salty water or fresh air note, and a slight smoky note. I don't smell apples or cinnamon at all. It's an "okay" scent. Throw was not great, maybe a 2.5 or 3 out of 5.

Autumn Breeze
"Orange, star anise and peppermint mixed with warm cognac and sandalwood"
Sonoma put out an Autumn Breeze scent last year with the same light aqua color, so I assumed it was a dupe. But it smells completely different. Last year's Autumn Breeze was a nice sweet cedar wood type scent. But this year's Autumn Breeze is more of a non-descript sweet scent, a little like syrup, and I don't really smell the woodsy notes that I did last year. I don't smell orange, anise, or peppermint either. It's not a bad scent, but I like last year's better. Throw was okay, around a 3 out of 5.

Harvest Sunrise
"A bouquet of spices wrapped around a rich blend of citrus, musk and vanilla"
This smells like fall leaves, that slightly woodsy scent with a smidgeon of old apples. It's very similar to the Falling Leaves scent, but more sour and woodsy and with less of the apple note. I don't smell citrus or musk, and it's not a spicy scent either. It's a nice fall scent. Throw is pretty good, around a 3.5 out of 5, but the scent started dissipating within an hour.

Snow Days
"Let this joyful scent bring back memories of childhood winters through juicy apples and soft florals coupled with warm vanilla and amber"
This is definitely not a winter or holiday scent, but it's fantastic anyway. It's pretty much a dead on dupe of ScentSationals Blackberry Cider (even though they're made by different companies), which also smells a lot like Goose Creek Blackberry Parfait and Scentsy Luna. It's a deep rich warm sweet ambery scent. I don't smell apples at all. Throw is excellent, around a 3.5 or 4 out of 5.

Holiday Eggnog
"Eggnog, warm milk and vanilla cream mixes with ground cinnamon, clove, orange peel and nutmeg"
This is a bit different from last year's Holiday Eggnog scent. While last year's scent was more of a salty milky vanilla with a bakery note and just a hint of nutmeg (not enough nutmeg), that turned into sweet warm buttery rolls when melted, this year's scent is more milky and less salty, still with very little nutmeg. It smells more like vanilla shortbread cookies, and although neither scent really smells like eggnog, I think this year's scent captures it a bit more due to the milkiness and less saltiness. When melted, there's also a slight smokiness, like slightly burned milk, but not in a bad way. Throw is pretty good, around a 3 or 3.5 out of 5.

Vanilla & Evergreen
"A creamy winter mix of fresh evergreen, chilled spearmint, cinnamon-rum and candied vanilla"
On cold sniff I smell spruce with a little bit of vanilla in the background. I don't smell mint, cinnamon, or rum. Melted, it just smells like a nice spruce scent and I don't really smell the vanilla in the background. Throw is pretty good, around a 3 or maybe 3.5 out of 5.

Winter Berry Spruce
"Frozen berries and holiday spruce mingle with sweet notes of delectable caramel"
I thought this was a dupe of last year's Winterberry & Pine, but although it's very similar, this one is sweeter with more of the berry note, so I like it more. Melted, I don't smell berry but it's a nice pine scent with a sweetness in the background. Throw is excellent.

In From The Cold
"Warm cedar, aromatic oak, spiced herbs, rich autumn leaves and a hint of crisp harvest apple"
This is a dupe for last year's Winter Hearth, a fantastic scent! This smells like sweet tobacco with caramel and a bit of clove and just a hint of smokiness, and possibly a smidgeon of fig. It's a rich warm fragrance, sweet but not candy type sweet. Throw is pretty much the same as last year's Winter Hearth, around a 3 out of 5.

Cinnamon Sugar Donut
"Cinnamon and almond mix with vanilla bean, maple and sugar cane"
On cold sniff I smell cinnamon sugar and the almond note, a nice interesting combination. But I don't smell the almond at all when melted, just the sweet rich cinnamon sugar scent with a doughy note which really makes it smell like a cinnamon sugar donut. It smells fantastic, and throw is very good, around a 3.5 out of 5.


I DID NOT GET THE FOLLOWING SCENTS (either they're dupes from last year, or I did not like the scent):

Silent Night
"Amber pairs with aromatic notes of pine and lavender layered on top of sweet sandalwood"
This smells a lot like last year's Harvest Moon and Autumn Hayride scents. I don't think it's a dupe, but it's so similar that it didn't make sense for me to get something that smells so much like other scents I already have. I smell pine first, with a smoky background and a very slight sweetness which might be the lavender, although I don't actually smell lavender.

Let It Snow
"Sparkling sweet peppermint, frosted snowflakes and spun sugar wrap sheer vanilla"
I looked for this one but couldn't find it in the store. If I do, I'll update this review. I wonder if it's the same scent as last year's Falling Snow, which was a nice pure mint scent. Although I suspect that Let It Snow will be sweeter due to the "spun sugar" note, whereas Falling Snow was just a pure chilly mint.

Woodland Pine
"Sparkling icicles and frozen eucalyptus combine with white clove bud, balsam fir, cedarwood, amber and cool musk"
This is a dupe from last year. Pine or spruce with a slight hint of eucalyptus. It has a slight sinus-clearing menthol effect, but not much. Throw was very good.

Apple Cider
"Warm apple cider sweetened with brown sugar and a hint of cinnamon"
Generic fake apple scent

Tree Farm
"Bright scent of fresh-cut Aspen cedar, frosted Fraser and Italian cypress enhanced with citrus-splashed sage, birchwood, a touch of crisp winter holly and wild thyme"
Plain old pine scent

Balsam Fir
"Crisp fir, pine and fresh balsam are enriched with cedarwood and oak moss to complement notes of winter musk and silver birch"
This is a dupe from last year, a pine scent with a hint of something else I can't put my finger on, maybe a slight woodsy note or something that smells a little "old"? Very strong on cold sniff. Melted, I don't detect that "old" note, just an authentic rich smoky spruce, like the sap of a spruce tree. Last year's had an excellent throw, so I assume this year's would as well.

Falling Leaves
"Crisp green apple, orchard pear, oakwood and harvest acorn"
This is a dupe from last year. It smells like apples on the ground in October, at the end of the apple season, mixed with brown leaves. Almost like old apples, but not in a bad way. It smells like apple cider with a mossy note, not very sweet, and very little spice if any. Definitely a fall scent. Last year's had an excellent throw, so I assume this year's would as well.

Holiday Cookies
"Freshly baked sugar cookies topped with decadent buttercream frosting"
This is a dupe from last year, a yummy rich vanilla cookie bakery scent, like cookies right out of the oven. Sweet, but not overly sweet. And there may be just a smidgeon of nut? Last year's had an excellent throw, so I assume this year's would as well.

Autumn Hayride
"Orange, white clove, and cinnamon bark mix with cedar wood, oak moss and vanilla bean"
This is a dupe from last year, a fantastic smoky woodsy scent that smells like burning leaves. I don't smell any of the notes mentioned; maybe the Kohl's website put the wrong scent notes with the wrong scent. Last year's had an excellent throw, so I assume this year's would as well.

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffin
"Pumpkin infuses with cranberry, cinnamon and clove with a hint of buttery vanilla and brown sugar"
I didn't like this one. I don't smell any of the notes shown above, but maybe a touch of a sweet bready note, but it smells like a chemical.  Very light on cold sniff.

Brown Sugar Peaches
"Sweet peaches drizzled in warm salted caramel, brown sugar, and creamy vanilla"
I didn't like this one. It doesn't smell like peaches or brown sugar. I can't put my finger on it, but I think it has a chemical note as well.

Gingerbread House
"Ginger and sparkling sugar blend with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, butter & bourbon vanilla"
This is a dupe from last year. It really smells like gingerbread, a rich bakery scent with spices. On cold sniff I detect nutmeg and ginger, with just a hint of cinnamon. This really smells like bread, and it's not very sweet. When I melted last year's, the cinnamon took over and became a bit overwhelming. But if you like cinnamon, you'll probably love this one. Last year's had very good throw, so I assume this year's would as well.

Caramel Toffee
"Creamy caramel, butterscotch and fudge mixed with cinnamon and clove"
This is a dupe from last year or the previous year, a fantastic sweet rich buttery caramel with excellent throw.

Under the Mistletoe
"Black currant, lemon and rosemary blend effortlessly with lavender, mint and cedar leaf"
This has slight pine and berry notes, with a slight chemical note but it smells pretty nice. I believe it's a dupe of another scent from last year, or maybe the previous year. I'm not sure why I didn't get this one. Maybe I thought I already had it. I think I do smell the currant, but not sure about the lemon or mint.

Deck the Halls
"Freshly ground cinnamon sticks, a dash of crushed clove bud, sweet toasted nutmeg and warm brown sugar"
This is a dupe from last year, and I didn't buy it then either because it's straight cinnamon.

Pumpkin Pecan Pie
"Harvest pumpkin, maple, cinnamon and toasted pecan"
This is a dupe from last year, a nice caramel scent. Last year's throw was just "okay", and the scent only lasted 2 to 3 hours.

Pumpkin Latte
"Creamy brown sugar and sweet pumpkin mixed with clove and cinnamon"
This is a dupe from last year, a very strong coffee scent with a lot of cream, a little sweetness, and maybe a hint of nutmeg. Throw is excellent. Description on Kohl's website must be incorrect, because it doesn't list coffee at all.

Pumpkin Harvest
This is a dupe from last year, a sweet juicy fresh apple scent with fall spices mixed in. Not too much spice to be overwhelming though. I don't smell much pumpkin in this one, and that's a good thing. Throw was "okay". I couldn't find this one on the Kohl's website, so I don't have an official scent description.

Pumpkin Spice
"Creamy pumpkin, rich brown sugar, and gingered vanilla"
Just a typical pumpkin spice scent.


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