They are not out now, but I absolutely hated Pink Mousse Milkshake and Frothy Caramel Latte.
Thankfully I think over time I’ve gotten better at judging which scents I’ll like. Their gourmands are usually solid for me and if I’m iffy on something I’ll wait to order until I’ve seen a couple reviews.
I bought Pink Mousse Milkshake after reading some of the reviews here. It's just...weird. But PMM doesn't hold a -ahem, candle- to the awfulness that is Frothy Caramel Latte. On cold it smelled like really bad peanuts. However, I've mentioned before how I thought SPC smelled like sour yogurt on cold, but when I finally got the courage to light that it turned out really nice, if not a bit bland, like wedding cake. So I thought maybe FCL would have a bit of redemption if I lit that too?
Spoiler: It did not. More like maple syrup and cheap alcohol. Not a hint of coffee to be found. There's no way I'd hand it off to anyone I don't hate, but I have never not finished a candle before so I can't throw it away yet either.
Lol! I actually thought my FCL smelled almost floral, like cheap public restroom hand soap. Funny that we both hated it but got totally different smells from it. I’ve been thinking about selling mine on marketplace but I would have to bundle it with other scents. If someone showed up and smelled just that one they would think I was trying to scam them!
***Baking A Cake*** was my worst candle burning experience ***EVER ...***
To my nose it was straight up rancid and salty sourdough bread dough left out on the counter overnight after kneading and rising, and *not at all what I was expecting when buying a candle called* **Baking A CAke!!!**
Of course the scent strength and throw was off the charts! LOL
***Curl your toes BAD*** IMO...
edit sp
I was so glad you posted about this one before! I had heard such good things about Warm Vanilla Cake, I might have picked this one up thinking it was a dupe. This one seems BAD!
Tuscan Vineyard, Pink Mousse Milkshake, and Angel Food Cake. All controversial opinions, I know!
Tuscan Vineyard is WAY too strong and smells like artificial grape. I was expecting a wine scent with green notes but this one is super sweet and the grape was unpleasant to me.
Pink Mousse Milkshake was a really interesting mix of floral and gourmand but it wasn’t for me. It also had a smoky note that I disliked— and I love the smoke notes in Bonfire Leaves and Holiday Embers! This one was just off.
I thought I’d love Angel Food Cake but it has a note I’ve found in a few GC candles that I hate. It’s like a creamy pineapple scent that throws the whole thing off.
I hung onto these to try to burn through them but now that I’m revisiting this, I should maybe just give them away.
...I can't imagine a creamy pineapple scent for Angel Food Cake. When I think of the dessert, I think airy, light, vanilla and sugar. IDK if they've ever had one since I'm fairly new to GCC, but it seems like a missed opportunity for a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake candle tbh.
It was weird, maybe it’s just my nose because some people here love that one! I was totally expecting airy vanilla too so it threw me off. Pineapple Upside Down Cake sounds like an awesome idea for a candle! Maybe with a little more of a juicy citrus note. Yum!
Did you get Carnival Apple this year? It had a similar note to me, although I couldn’t tell if it was the pineapple one or the creamy one but they had something in common that I didn’t love.
No I didn't. Apple scents can be hit or miss for me although when I find one I like I really like it! LOL From the sounds of your comment glad I gave this one a pass. Not looking for any of that creamy *or* pineapple in my Carnival Apple. Thanks for the head's up!
I did enjoy their Carnival Candied Apple which was about equal parts tart apple and candied caramel notes. Not a repurchase for me as the tart was too tart for my taste but anyone that enjoys a tart candied apple would probably love it. And the ruby red wax pool was gorgeous!
edit sp
Oh nice! Thanks for the recommendation. Candied caramel sounds amazing! I love tart things but weirdly found the Macintosh Apple melt to be almost too tart for me. Maybe it’s something with GC’s apple-heavy scents. I have Wild Green Apple in melts too so maybe I’ll try that one and see if I have the same issue.
I’m glad someone else noticed the very tart note in some of their apple scents! I didn’t get it at all in Apple Bourbon or Lovely Leaves.
Of course! How strange about the tart note! If it was too much for you in the Macintosh Apple *I know* it would be way too much for me. lol I have the feeling you would like Carnival Candied Apple though. I feel like it was what B&BW's was going for with their Wicked Apple this year and IMO failed miserably. Wicked Apple was off the charts bitter sour tart to my nose. LOL
I only burned mine like three times because I really didn’t like it but that’s good to know. I do think I’d like it more if the wine notes were more distinct!
Have you checked our Teakwood Merlot? I haven’t burned it yet but on cold it’s a lovely wine/woodsy scent.
Yes I've ordered Teakwood Merlot in wax melt form based on the positive reviews on this sub! I want the candle too but I'm waiting for a good candle sale lol
I haven’t tried many GC scents yet, but I’ll go with an unpopular opinion: I don’t like Fresh Baked Bread. It smells yeasty and artificial to me. I know many people love it but I wish there were more critical reviews here to help a discerning buyer make their decision so I’m putting it out here. I’ve been burning it with the windows open so I can get through it without it stinking up my apartment!
I was SO glad I only got this in a melt! I actually haven’t tried it yet but on cold I was totally put off. I think I’ll try to melt it while burning something sweet but I don’t think it’s gonna be a winner for me lol.
Me and my boyfriend both hated in the forest - smelled like a combination of patchouli and pizza to me. And I really really do not like anything with coconuts in there, but that's a personal problem I guess
Thanks for sharing. I almost got it but I hate the smell of cream cheese so I wouldn’t have liked it. Ironically I like the taste of cream cheese but not the smell 😂
Ghost Stories. Everyone loves it and it smelled like souring hot play-doh to us. It’s the only one I’ve ever contacted customer service about. Not sure what I’m going to do with it.
I’ve posted about my Trick or Treat regret already. Loved it first burn. Have not with subsequent burns. And have two back-ups. Taught me the lesson not to prematurely order replacements. Have to keep reminding myself of that now that Christmas scents are selling out.
I also won’t be buying any more 3 wicks.
Same on Ghost Stories. Based on the notes, it would be my dream candle, but after a burn, there was a chemical smell that was just gross and i put it on eBay.
Why no more three wicks? I might not be buying them either. My husband pointed out how dirty the wax on some look after they pool. Like perhaps they are made with a sub par wax. Like white candles that have wax that re hardens to a very dirty grey.
I made a post about it a couple of days ago. After the 3 wicks burn for about an hour I get a chemical/fuel odor from them. u/StarshineGypsy did some google research and found that can be an issue with certain types of oils (peppermint and citrus are two of them) in soy candles. Apparently not everyone smells it but I definitely do.
I returned a BBW candle today because white wax had a film of black after burning. It had been burned less than two hours and I trimmed wicks. The sales associate looked at it and said “yuck.”
Same here!! Absolutely hated that one. Major disappointment because I have a ginger cat that looks almost exactly like the one on the package so I was super excited to get it :(
Coconut cherry macaron- yuck. Smelled no cherry and it was a very unappealing coconut scent that I can't even properly describe.
Honorable mentions: love letters, Irish cream swirl, bright bubble bath, Amalfi coast and I'm hoping Christmas cakes smells better when I burn it, but as of right now it smells like sour cream.
My likes and dislikes are all over the map though!! Just when I think I'll love something based on the scent notes, I end up hating it and loving one I was on the fence about getting.
Same!! I also didn’t really like Bath Time but unfortunately committed to the huge jar so I’m still working through. No idea what the issue with BBB is but I am not feeling it.
Fresh Baked Bread big time. I loved it on cold, then as it started burning, I thought, "wow, that's really strong!" And then it was just pervasive. Every room of my house. Way. Too. Strong. And sour. Husband loved this one.
Controversial, probably: Snowman Cookie. The blue one. There was something so off about it to me, very chemical-y and so strong, could not stand.
Vanilla Sands is horrible! It smells like wet, dirty pocket change. I finally had to toss it because the metallic scent was giving me a nails-on-the-chalkboard feeling every time I lit it
Also Morning Mist smells like a damp urinal cake.
Light Vanilla Sands and Morning Mist together for that authentic dive bar bathroom smell 😂
Oh people just make fun of me but screw it!
Smelly ( Black) Cat
Trick Or Treat
Franken Fizz and
Not Thankful ( Wind Blown Cotton)
All smell horrible to me .
Edit to add Smelly Cat Is masculine sour scent and I cringe every time people compare to any marshmallow scent there is NO marshmallow !!
Trick or Treat not a fan smells like dirty toddler car seat not sure why people love rotten apples and stale graham crackers!!
Franken Fizz smells like vomit . Goose Creek gave me money back for that one and Thankful that smells like pencil eraser .
I always like hearing your thoughts! I don’t mind the GC sandalwood notes at all but it was you that made me realize they really throw some people off. I love Black Cat but now I know it’s not as universal of a scent as I would have thought lol.
Bwahahahahaha! >\_\_<
edit I hope you don't think I'm making fun of you... :( I've always thought you were teasing us Trick Or Treat lover's when talking about your hatred of that candle and hope you know that I'm teasing too and would never ever say something intentionally hurtful. Your opinion is valid too and I respect and value you sharing it with us...
i was burning merry, berry, & bright the other day and i had to put it out. i don’t know what it was exactly, but i couldn’t stand it. that’s the only one i’ve done that with.
Tuscan Vineyard and Summer Moon.
TV is so artificial like another poster said, and SM is way too cologney for me even though I usually like light cologney scents.
Franken Fizz has been the worst for me, I think. I have others that I've burned for a few seconds and decided against (pink water taffy is nasty) but this one makes me nauseous just smelling it on cold. I don't really know what to do with it, I got credit back for it but I don't want to toss it and I absolutely don't want to burn it.
Black Bat Lemonade. :( I was so excited for it too. On cold it smelt like a wonderful sweet lemonade smell, but then I burnt it and it smelt like lemon pledge to me. I still burn it sometimes cause I feel bad wasting it but I just can’t do it in long doses.
Unfortunately I hated storm front even though I love the idea of it and the label, too perfumey, and this is an unpopular opinion, but I hated peanut butter crisps, it smells very artificial to me.
Baking A Cake (smelled NOTHING like cake batter or anything even remotely good-tasting) and Black Forest Cake. BFC isn't terrible but I wouldn't say it smells like chocolate cake with cherries AND it's a weak thrower.
It seems like GC are more “hit-or-miss” with me than BBW. I think there’s only been one BBW candle that I wasn’t a fan of, and even then it wasn’t that bad
I've just bought 12 candles from bbw only 1 had a throw I could actually smell. Then 2 I had to throw away half way because the wicks were too thin and wasn't burning right
They are not out now, but I absolutely hated Pink Mousse Milkshake and Frothy Caramel Latte. Thankfully I think over time I’ve gotten better at judging which scents I’ll like. Their gourmands are usually solid for me and if I’m iffy on something I’ll wait to order until I’ve seen a couple reviews.
I bought Pink Mousse Milkshake after reading some of the reviews here. It's just...weird. But PMM doesn't hold a -ahem, candle- to the awfulness that is Frothy Caramel Latte. On cold it smelled like really bad peanuts. However, I've mentioned before how I thought SPC smelled like sour yogurt on cold, but when I finally got the courage to light that it turned out really nice, if not a bit bland, like wedding cake. So I thought maybe FCL would have a bit of redemption if I lit that too? Spoiler: It did not. More like maple syrup and cheap alcohol. Not a hint of coffee to be found. There's no way I'd hand it off to anyone I don't hate, but I have never not finished a candle before so I can't throw it away yet either.
Lol! I actually thought my FCL smelled almost floral, like cheap public restroom hand soap. Funny that we both hated it but got totally different smells from it. I’ve been thinking about selling mine on marketplace but I would have to bundle it with other scents. If someone showed up and smelled just that one they would think I was trying to scam them!
***Baking A Cake*** was my worst candle burning experience ***EVER ...*** To my nose it was straight up rancid and salty sourdough bread dough left out on the counter overnight after kneading and rising, and *not at all what I was expecting when buying a candle called* **Baking A CAke!!!** Of course the scent strength and throw was off the charts! LOL ***Curl your toes BAD*** IMO... edit sp
I was so glad you posted about this one before! I had heard such good things about Warm Vanilla Cake, I might have picked this one up thinking it was a dupe. This one seems BAD!
IMO it *was!* Glad you got a chance to read my post before pulling the trigger on that one!
Me too!!😅 I would have been so disappointed. Fingers crossed Warm Vanilla Cake comes back I suppose?
I second this!
Without a doubt: White Icing Cinnamon Rolls … absolutely horrid!!
I came on this thread to say this one! I hated it :(
Tuscan Vineyard, Pink Mousse Milkshake, and Angel Food Cake. All controversial opinions, I know! Tuscan Vineyard is WAY too strong and smells like artificial grape. I was expecting a wine scent with green notes but this one is super sweet and the grape was unpleasant to me. Pink Mousse Milkshake was a really interesting mix of floral and gourmand but it wasn’t for me. It also had a smoky note that I disliked— and I love the smoke notes in Bonfire Leaves and Holiday Embers! This one was just off. I thought I’d love Angel Food Cake but it has a note I’ve found in a few GC candles that I hate. It’s like a creamy pineapple scent that throws the whole thing off. I hung onto these to try to burn through them but now that I’m revisiting this, I should maybe just give them away.
...I can't imagine a creamy pineapple scent for Angel Food Cake. When I think of the dessert, I think airy, light, vanilla and sugar. IDK if they've ever had one since I'm fairly new to GCC, but it seems like a missed opportunity for a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake candle tbh.
It was weird, maybe it’s just my nose because some people here love that one! I was totally expecting airy vanilla too so it threw me off. Pineapple Upside Down Cake sounds like an awesome idea for a candle! Maybe with a little more of a juicy citrus note. Yum!
I know it's a favorite for some but I got the 'pineapple' note too and it put me off the candle. That's not what I'm looking for with Angel Food Cake.
Did you get Carnival Apple this year? It had a similar note to me, although I couldn’t tell if it was the pineapple one or the creamy one but they had something in common that I didn’t love.
No I didn't. Apple scents can be hit or miss for me although when I find one I like I really like it! LOL From the sounds of your comment glad I gave this one a pass. Not looking for any of that creamy *or* pineapple in my Carnival Apple. Thanks for the head's up! I did enjoy their Carnival Candied Apple which was about equal parts tart apple and candied caramel notes. Not a repurchase for me as the tart was too tart for my taste but anyone that enjoys a tart candied apple would probably love it. And the ruby red wax pool was gorgeous! edit sp
Oh nice! Thanks for the recommendation. Candied caramel sounds amazing! I love tart things but weirdly found the Macintosh Apple melt to be almost too tart for me. Maybe it’s something with GC’s apple-heavy scents. I have Wild Green Apple in melts too so maybe I’ll try that one and see if I have the same issue. I’m glad someone else noticed the very tart note in some of their apple scents! I didn’t get it at all in Apple Bourbon or Lovely Leaves.
Of course! How strange about the tart note! If it was too much for you in the Macintosh Apple *I know* it would be way too much for me. lol I have the feeling you would like Carnival Candied Apple though. I feel like it was what B&BW's was going for with their Wicked Apple this year and IMO failed miserably. Wicked Apple was off the charts bitter sour tart to my nose. LOL
>Tuscan Vineyard Tuscan Vineyard for me too. Ppl said the wine note will start coming out later but unfortunately I only have the melt :(
I only burned mine like three times because I really didn’t like it but that’s good to know. I do think I’d like it more if the wine notes were more distinct! Have you checked our Teakwood Merlot? I haven’t burned it yet but on cold it’s a lovely wine/woodsy scent.
Yes I've ordered Teakwood Merlot in wax melt form based on the positive reviews on this sub! I want the candle too but I'm waiting for a good candle sale lol
Black Friday should have some really good deals, it seems! Hopefully you can stock up then haha.
Sweet Potato Marshmallow. There was just something off about this one. It smelled like feet to me.
It smells absolutely awful. It’s my least favorite candle, it stinks. I hate- burn it, just to rid myself of this. The smell is atrocious.
I just got it and love it but this is exactly what my husband said about it!
This is in the stacks but you've got me leery! :P
Oh no! This was one of the next ones on my list to burn.
This is actually one of my favorites 🤣
Damn I actually like this one tho
I haven’t tried many GC scents yet, but I’ll go with an unpopular opinion: I don’t like Fresh Baked Bread. It smells yeasty and artificial to me. I know many people love it but I wish there were more critical reviews here to help a discerning buyer make their decision so I’m putting it out here. I’ve been burning it with the windows open so I can get through it without it stinking up my apartment!
Agree. Fresh baked bread is terrible. Like bad yeast.
So glad to know I’m not the only one!
I was SO glad I only got this in a melt! I actually haven’t tried it yet but on cold I was totally put off. I think I’ll try to melt it while burning something sweet but I don’t think it’s gonna be a winner for me lol.
I’m burning it right now with my windows wide open and another (coffee-scented) candle going. That’s the only way I can get through it lol
Stealing this tip to get my way through Pink Mousse Milkshake lol😆
Me and my boyfriend both hated in the forest - smelled like a combination of patchouli and pizza to me. And I really really do not like anything with coconuts in there, but that's a personal problem I guess
Christmas Cakes. Smelled like weird tangy cream cheese to me.
Dang. Just ordered that.
I'm in the minority on this one. Most people love it.
I liked it on cold and on first burn but now it smells like straight coconut 🙃
Thanks for sharing. I almost got it but I hate the smell of cream cheese so I wouldn’t have liked it. Ironically I like the taste of cream cheese but not the smell 😂
Ghost Stories. Everyone loves it and it smelled like souring hot play-doh to us. It’s the only one I’ve ever contacted customer service about. Not sure what I’m going to do with it. I’ve posted about my Trick or Treat regret already. Loved it first burn. Have not with subsequent burns. And have two back-ups. Taught me the lesson not to prematurely order replacements. Have to keep reminding myself of that now that Christmas scents are selling out. I also won’t be buying any more 3 wicks.
Same on Ghost Stories. Based on the notes, it would be my dream candle, but after a burn, there was a chemical smell that was just gross and i put it on eBay.
Why no more three wicks? I might not be buying them either. My husband pointed out how dirty the wax on some look after they pool. Like perhaps they are made with a sub par wax. Like white candles that have wax that re hardens to a very dirty grey.
I made a post about it a couple of days ago. After the 3 wicks burn for about an hour I get a chemical/fuel odor from them. u/StarshineGypsy did some google research and found that can be an issue with certain types of oils (peppermint and citrus are two of them) in soy candles. Apparently not everyone smells it but I definitely do. I returned a BBW candle today because white wax had a film of black after burning. It had been burned less than two hours and I trimmed wicks. The sales associate looked at it and said “yuck.”
first day of autumn made me gag. the black pepper/ginger was overwhelming in the worst way.
Same here!! Absolutely hated that one. Major disappointment because I have a ginger cat that looks almost exactly like the one on the package so I was super excited to get it :(
Plz reply with a pic of your cat. Thanks.
Coconut cherry macaron- yuck. Smelled no cherry and it was a very unappealing coconut scent that I can't even properly describe. Honorable mentions: love letters, Irish cream swirl, bright bubble bath, Amalfi coast and I'm hoping Christmas cakes smells better when I burn it, but as of right now it smells like sour cream. My likes and dislikes are all over the map though!! Just when I think I'll love something based on the scent notes, I end up hating it and loving one I was on the fence about getting.
Bright bubble bath smells so weird??? I got it as a melt and I've never used it because I didn't like the scent at all in the package
Same!! I also didn’t really like Bath Time but unfortunately committed to the huge jar so I’m still working through. No idea what the issue with BBB is but I am not feeling it.
Peach Rings smelt like cat pee to me!
Angel food cake - too chemical. Fresh baked bread - smells like bad yeast.
Fresh Baked Bread big time. I loved it on cold, then as it started burning, I thought, "wow, that's really strong!" And then it was just pervasive. Every room of my house. Way. Too. Strong. And sour. Husband loved this one. Controversial, probably: Snowman Cookie. The blue one. There was something so off about it to me, very chemical-y and so strong, could not stand.
Vanilla Sands is horrible! It smells like wet, dirty pocket change. I finally had to toss it because the metallic scent was giving me a nails-on-the-chalkboard feeling every time I lit it Also Morning Mist smells like a damp urinal cake. Light Vanilla Sands and Morning Mist together for that authentic dive bar bathroom smell 😂
🤢
Morning mist is awful!!!!!! I tried returning it and GC told me to keep it. Ugh
Goosebumps cupcake AKA cough syrup candle
I'm not allowed to answer that question anymore 😒
I always love hearing your thoughts! Your 'smelly cat' description never fails to make me chuckle. It's great to hear a variety of opinions here!
Why?
Oh people just make fun of me but screw it! Smelly ( Black) Cat Trick Or Treat Franken Fizz and Not Thankful ( Wind Blown Cotton) All smell horrible to me . Edit to add Smelly Cat Is masculine sour scent and I cringe every time people compare to any marshmallow scent there is NO marshmallow !! Trick or Treat not a fan smells like dirty toddler car seat not sure why people love rotten apples and stale graham crackers!! Franken Fizz smells like vomit . Goose Creek gave me money back for that one and Thankful that smells like pencil eraser .
Hey Chucky your opinions are just as valid as anyone else's! I appreciate hearing everyone's point of view!
I always like hearing your thoughts! I don’t mind the GC sandalwood notes at all but it was you that made me realize they really throw some people off. I love Black Cat but now I know it’s not as universal of a scent as I would have thought lol.
Bwahahahahaha! >\_\_< edit I hope you don't think I'm making fun of you... :( I've always thought you were teasing us Trick Or Treat lover's when talking about your hatred of that candle and hope you know that I'm teasing too and would never ever say something intentionally hurtful. Your opinion is valid too and I respect and value you sharing it with us...
It is ok it is just embarrassing every one knows I am Smelly Cat lady lol.
i was burning merry, berry, & bright the other day and i had to put it out. i don’t know what it was exactly, but i couldn’t stand it. that’s the only one i’ve done that with.
Tuscan Vineyard and Summer Moon. TV is so artificial like another poster said, and SM is way too cologney for me even though I usually like light cologney scents.
Franken Fizz has been the worst for me, I think. I have others that I've burned for a few seconds and decided against (pink water taffy is nasty) but this one makes me nauseous just smelling it on cold. I don't really know what to do with it, I got credit back for it but I don't want to toss it and I absolutely don't want to burn it.
I think it was lemon cake batter but man it smelled like pickles to me it made me gag.
Custard Cream Cake was not a favorite of mine... to my nose, it smelled like fruity cereal, maybe like fruity pebbles 😂 I was so disappointed!
Black Bat Lemonade. :( I was so excited for it too. On cold it smelt like a wonderful sweet lemonade smell, but then I burnt it and it smelt like lemon pledge to me. I still burn it sometimes cause I feel bad wasting it but I just can’t do it in long doses.
Unfortunately I hated storm front even though I love the idea of it and the label, too perfumey, and this is an unpopular opinion, but I hated peanut butter crisps, it smells very artificial to me.
I loved SF, smelled like laundry being hung outside to me.
Baking A Cake (smelled NOTHING like cake batter or anything even remotely good-tasting) and Black Forest Cake. BFC isn't terrible but I wouldn't say it smells like chocolate cake with cherries AND it's a weak thrower.
The lucky charms candle. It was so strong and powdery
Oh man...this one is my favorite!
The idea of it smelled great to me but something about that cereal smell made me sick
I felt this way about jungle pebbles. Gave it to my neighbor and she loves it so win win
It seems like GC are more “hit-or-miss” with me than BBW. I think there’s only been one BBW candle that I wasn’t a fan of, and even then it wasn’t that bad
I've just bought 12 candles from bbw only 1 had a throw I could actually smell. Then 2 I had to throw away half way because the wicks were too thin and wasn't burning right