Ashland Scented Wax Melts at Michael's - Spring 2017 Scents Review

Ashland Scented Wax Melts at Michael's - Spring 2017 Scents Review

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These just came out at Michael's Arts & Crafts. They're $3.99 each, which is pricey (Walmart wax is $2 for the same amount). However, after new scents are out for a few weeks, Michael's often has a 40% discount on the wax, bringing it down to a much more affordable $2.40. And sometimes they have additional sales down to $1.19! You have to keep checking the stores, since the sale is not usually posted on their website.

Michael's also came out with Aromabeads Singles for the first time. I've reviewed those at http://www.scentedwaxreviews.com/2017/01/aromabeads-singles-spring-2017-scents.html.

Weekend Bliss

A fresh watery scent with a sweet warm ambery note and a touch of floral. This has a bit of a candy note too. It smells a little bit like Scentsy Luna. Throw is only fair though, around a 2.5 out of 5.

Cucumber Mint

I can barely smell anything on cold sniff. I think I do smell cucumber and a hint of mint, but it's just too weak to tell. Melted, it's a fresh herbal scent but I can't figure out the notes since throw is not very good, maybe a 2 out of 5.

Daisy Chain

A sunny summery floral. Throw is fair, around a 2.5 out of 5.

Wild Honeysuckle

This smells like a pleasant honeysuckle scented soap. It's not overly sweet, and throw is excellent, 3.5 or 4 out of 5, which I didn't expect because it was so weak on cold.

Mandarin Teak

This is the most interesting scent out of all the new spring scents. It's a creamy orange with a woodsy note, and some other notes that I can't identify that help to temper the orange and wood notes so that they're not too strong. This might be my favorite scent of the new Spring Collection, and throw is excellent, around a 3.5 or 4 out of 5.

Pink Sea Salt

I expected this to be similar to ScentSationals Himalayan Pink Salt scent, but it's not. It's a fresh pleasant watery floral, not too sweet, with maybe a smidgeon of saltiness. It smells like shower gel. Melted, it smelled clean, like someone just got out of the shower. But throw wasn't great, around a 2 or maybe 2.5 out of 5. This would do best in a very small room, and it's a perfect scent for a bathroom.

For the trios, they don't label the 3 individual scents, so I name them myself based on the picture on the label and what it smells like to me.

Sea Air Trio

Marine Water (blue) – A typical fresh sweet slightly salty oceany type scent. Poor throw, around a 1.5 or maybe 2 out of 5.

Aqua Mineral (greenish blue) – I can't tell what this is since it's very weak on cold sniff. Another fresh watery scent I think? Poor throw, around a 1.5 out of 5.

Ocean Peony (green) – A fresh watery floral scent. Poor throw, barely a 2 out of 5.

Evening Petals Trio

Violet Waters (light purple) – A nice perfumey floral with a little bit of warmth. This actually does smell like violets, and the throw is excellent, around a 3.5 or 4 out of 5.

Cashmere Plum (pink) – This smells similar to the light purple scent, but sweeter and warmer. It smells similar to Scentsy Luna, and throw is very good, around a 3 or 3.5.

Evening Orchid (medium purple) – Another nice perfumey floral but different from the other two, smells a bit like an iris flower. This one has a raw wood note. Nice scent, but throw is not good, around a 2 or maybe 2.5 out of 5.

Berry Citrus Trio

This is the same Berry Citrus Trio from Spring 2016, but the wax colors are different.

Cherimoya (peach color) – Cherimoya tastes like banana, coconut, strawberry, mango, and pineapple). This is a slightly tropical succulent berry scent, and throw is excellent, 4 out of 5.

Fresh Strawberry (pink color) – This is a creamy candy-like strawberry scent like ice cream or scented lipstick or strawberry with a girly "pink sugar" or marshmallow note. Throw is excellent, around a 3.5 out of 5.

Pomegranate Lime (light green color) – This one is not strong on cold sniff, but I do smell berries with a lime note. When melted, it smells like a combination of orange and lime, like an orange/lime cream soda but without the fizziness. Throw is very good, around a 3 out of 5.

At the Café Trio

Cinnamon Shortbread – A sweet roll with buttery and gooey cinnamon. There's no coffee in this one. Throw is excellent, 3.5 or 4 out of 5.

Chocolate Croissant – I smell chocolate with a bready note. I don't think this has coffee in it. Throw is quite good, around a 3 or maybe 3.5 out of 5.

Caramel Latte – A rich creamy caramel coffee scent. Throw is excellent, 4 out of 5.

Vanilla Trio

This is the same Vanilla Trio from Spring 2016.

Vanilla Bean – A nice sweet vanilla with a buttercream note, and throw is quite good, around a 3 or 3.5 out of 5.

Vanilla Cream (Cookie) – I thought this was going to be a buttercream scent based on the picture, but it smells more like a warm vanilla cookie, and throw is excellent, around a 3.5 or 4 out of 5.

Creamy Vanilla Coconut – This is a typical fake coconut scent, like a cheap coconut air freshener. But I think it's combined with a little bit of vanilla so it's not really too bad. Throw is fair, around a 2.5 out of 5.

Apple Trio

Spiced Apple – The picture shows red apples with sticks of cinnamon, but I don't smell cinnamon in this one, or if it's there it's very subtle. It smells a lot like the green apples scent, but this one has a very slight caramel note and a smidgeon of a fake apple note. Very nice scent! Throw is excellent, around a 4 out of 5.

Apple Bounty (Green Apples) – Sweet apple without any spices or caramel or cider notes. It's kind of authentic, but also has a bit of a candy sweetness as well. It smells almost exactly like the red apple scent. Another very nice scent. Throw is excellent, at least 4 out of 5.

Apple Golden (Yellow Apples) – This one smells like sweet apple juice with a hint of spice, or a very light apple cider. Throw is very good, around a 3.5 out of 5.

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Aromabeads Singles – Spring 2017 Scents from Hanna's Candles and Michael's

Aromabeads Singles – Spring 2017 Scents from Hanna's Candles and Michael's

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Michael's Arts & Crafts store is now carrying Aromabeads Singles, as of January 2017 (new spring scents). Aromabeads Singles are made by Hanna's Candles, and Hanna's Candles also makes the Ashland brand wax melts for Michael's.

These scents are only available at Michael's. They're labeled $1.99, but they rang up as $1.19 regular price:

Cucumber Granita

On cold sniff this is an herbal lemongrass type scent. It has a bitter lemon rind note but I can also smell the green watery cucumber in the background. It's zesty and savory, but also fresh at the same time. When melted, however, I don't get the zesty lemony notes, only the bland cucumber and it smells a little like paint. I don't care for it. Throw is quite good though, around a 3 out of 5.

Blushed Peony

This smells like a mix of candy and floral, but it's not overly sweet like a Pink Sugar type scent. It's definitely a sweet feminine fragrance though, like a woman's shower gel. Throw is very good, around a 3 or 3.5 out of 5.

Ginger Zest

Wow, this is definitely ginger, no doubt about it! I think there's also a bit of a lemon note in the background which gives it the zest. It's a very authentic ginger scent, not sweet like ginger ale, but like the actual ginger root that you cook with, and the slight lemony note (which is not as strong melted as it is on cold sniff) gives it a little kick. This is a nice energetic scent! Throw is excellent, 4 out of 5.

Grapefruit Pomelo

On cold sniff I smell grapefruit, as well as a succulent peachy note which is probably supposed to be the pomelo (a pomelo smells like grapefruit but sweeter and without the bitterness). It's very refreshing! When melted, however, most of the scent was gone within 15 minutes, replaced by a burnt bitter chemical note. Throw was poor, maybe a 1 or 1.5 out of 5.

Lotus Blossom

This one smells more like a laundry scent than a true floral. I can't figure out the notes, but it seems like there's some kind of fruit in there. And it has a bitter metallic chemical note that I don't like. Throw was very good, around a 3 or 3.5 out of 5, but I had to remove it from the warmer due to that awful bitter note.

Oceans

This is a nice pleasant bathroom scent, fresh and watery with a hint of floral and laundry and maybe a smidgeon of baby powder. Smells like a fresh women's shower gel. Throw is excellent, around a 3.5 out of 5.

I did not get the Pink Sea Salt scent, as I bought this scent in the solid wax melt (which I will review separately). I also did not buy the Vanilla Cream scent, as it's a typical vanilla scent and probably the same as one of the vanilla scents from the Ashland Vanilla Trio wax melt (which I will review separately).

The following scents are NOT from Michael's, but they're newer scents from the Hanna's Candles website. I've reviewed all of their other Aromabeads Singles scents (http://www.scentedwaxreviews.com/search?q=aromabeads+singles). These can be ordered from the Hanna's Candle website, where they are $1.49 each:

Fresh Cotton Blossom

Notes: Fresh sparkling aldehydes, lemon water, and cool ozone with fresh laundry accord and muguet petals. Driftwood and blue musk add a comforting finish.
 Sweet clean floral fabric softener scent. Not a biting laundry detergent scent. This is similar to the Linen Basket scent, which is a light clean soapy floral with a laundry note. While Linen Basket had zero throw, Fresh Cotton Blossom has a very good throw, around a 3 or 3.5 out of 5.

Tropical Smoothie

Notes: Wweet mango and fresh papaya swirl with accents of peach and guava infused with sweet peach blossom, apricot flower, jasmine, and ylang ylang.
 This is the same scent as Mainstays Peach & Mango (from Walmart). I believe Hanna's Candles makes the Mainstays wax melts. It smells like an authentic juicy peach, with a hint of sweet guava. It's a fantastic scent, and if you've missed the Mainstays Peach & Mango because it's out of season, this is a perfect substitute. And like the Mainstays version, throw is excellent, 4 out of 5.

Pumpkin Brulee

Notes: Harvest pumpkin with notes of nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla
 A rich pumpkin pie scent with a buttery cinnamon note, like what a cinnamon bun would smell like if it had pumpkin pie filling and a rich buttery pie crust. This one is a scent monster that took over the entire house, 5 out of 5 throw.

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Aldi Huntington Home Scented Wax Melts Review - January 2017

Aldi Huntington Home Scented Wax Melts Review - January 2017

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Aldi comes out with 4 different wax scents 3 times a year: February (spring scents), April (summer scents), and September (fall scents). They only have candles in the winter, no wax melts. This year, they've come out with 4 new scents in the first week of January, which is unusual. I'm not sure if these are supposed to be their spring scents, or if they will come out with different spring scents in mid-February as usual.

The Aldi wax melts are $1.69 each (regular price), which is even cheaper than the $2 wax at Walmart. They are manufactured by Hanna's Candles, the company that makes Ashland melts for Michael's (the tall rectangular packaging, not the older smaller packaging with the creamy wax), and the old Mainstays triple melts for Walmart (which were discontinued about 2 years ago), so in general the Aldi wax is very good quality.

This time the wax has a slightly softer and greasier surface than the usual Hanna's/Aldi wax. Companies sometimes do this to create a quicker wax pool. It's still a hard wax though, not soft and messy like Goose Creek and Colonial Candle wax melts.

Here are the 4 scents:

Vanilla Suede
Based on the name I expected a warm ambery vanilla, but no, this smells like a super sweet rich chocolate chip cookie, and it's fantastic! Melted, however, it has kind of a pancake note, like maybe chocolate chip pancakes. Throw is very good, around a 3.5 or 4 out of 5.

Salted Caramel
This is not a salted caramel scent; it's pear with a slight caramel note. Still a very nice scent, but most likely an older scent repackaged with a new name. It smells better melted than on cold sniff, and the caramel note really comes out. This scent should be called "Caramelized Pears", since pear is the main note. I love this one, and throw is excellent, 4 out of 5.

Tranquil Sky
This is a nice tropical scent with a hint of sweet fruit and a candy note, like a sweet tropical flavored candy. Throw is excellent, 4 out of 5.

Tuscan Vineyard
This smells like grape juice or cheap wine, but it also has a waxy chemical note, so it's my least favorite. When melted, that bad plastic chemical note really comes out and smells like vinyl, like something burning that shouldn't be burning. I had to remove it from the warmer as my roommate said it smelled like electrical wires burning. Throw was good, around 3 out of 5.


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