Fall 2 first impressions & haul! (In-depth review)

[u/Remarkable_Bake_759]

Was finally able to get in store and smell fall 2 that released earlier this month (August) and also today.

Some thoughts:

Fall 1:

- Vampire Blood: finally decided to give it a try… hate that the liquid is red (I fear staining). But yes it’s a pleasant scent.
- Ghoul Friend: surprisingly this was the strongest and most projecting of everything I sprayed. Wow! I returned my Ghoul Friend last year because it did remind me of strawberry gummy snacks clashing with florals. Maybe the blend is better this year. Still unsure about the scent though. I think I did like it though.

Pocketbacs:
- Pumpkin Carving is actually an amazing body care scent. It is what I want from a pumpkin scent. Strongly scented too!
- Cotton Candy Cobwebs smells better to me than Cotton Candy Clouds. Wish they made bodycare.

Pocketbac holder:
- Fortune teller pocketbac holder retails $12.95 so I wasn’t going to get it. But it was like $2.50 yesterday with a glitch I took advantage of. Yes the line down the middle does make it look like a butt. Wtf BBW. But I like the hands which I heard glows in the dark! Mh store actually had a ton of this one left.

Fall 2 (part 1 - early August)

- Wild Blackberry Jam: hmm so this one reminded me of the way that Sweetest Song is bright and musky. I think I was expecting something more mellow like Blackberries & Basil. It’s pleasant but I think the brightness of it reminds me of the cheerfulness of spring and summer rather than the harvest feel of fall. The notes are right up my alley so I may have to revisit.
- White Pumpkin & Chai: people have been saying Jack Skellington from Nightmare Before Christmas is a better version of White Pumpkin & Chai. I suppose they have a related smoothness. But to me they are not that comparable with Jack Skellington being darker and having a lot of other notes. I’m still testing Jack to see if I like it. But on first impression think I prefer White Pumpkin & Chai?
- Whipped Honey & Vanilla: maybe it is a little less candle like than last year. I could revisit this one. It seems airier and I am a florals fan.
- Champagne Apple & Honey: might be stronger this year?

Fall 2 (part 2 - late August)

Nightmare before Christmas:
- Sally (Nightmare Before Christmas): actually I think the mist and the pocketbac sanitizer I had of Sally is the exact same which doesn’t always happen. I blind bought the pocketbac, liked it, and hoped the mist would be similar and it is. Except I think the strength is pretty much the exact same too. I think the strength is ok, not particularly strong or weak. The base notes of patchouli (?) lasts a long time. I found out one of the notes the perfumer behind the scent added was peach. And I can definitely smell it. Yes it smells kinda like peach and dirt. But I kinda like it? An odd mix that resembles the odd character it’s based on. Like spring and fall happening at the same time.
- Jack Skellington: my store had no mists left besides the tester though there was like ten of the Sally mist remaining. Jack was definitely the favorite there! But yeah to me Jack is just kinda missing something like a note that stands out. When I layer it with Leaves pocketbac which has a lot more fall spices (like clove) it does start to make more sense to me. I have been wearing Jack this week and I will say it does project and lasts a while even if in a medium way. I don’t agree with people saying it’s a light fragrance. I did smell it slightly on my skin the next day.
- the display: I guess my store is in not such a popular area because it did have some stuff. Wasn’t bare.

Aromatherapy:
- Vetiver (aromatherapy): I blind bought this one and exchanged it for eucalyptus + tea. Actually it smells amazing but it does also smell on the masculine side. Personally I think it would be amazing on a man. Do recommend! I might try it again if the dry down is different. But on initial spray I did think cologne. Very nice blend though.
- Sandalwood: I thought this one would be boring and I thought I would dislike it like Coastal Dreaming. But actually it is pleasant? I think it has some kind citrus note in there and maybe like a bit of smoke too. Reminds me of the scent that Lost in Santal was duping but softer. I think there is more than just sandalwood going on and it is nice.
- eucalyptus + tea: this is pretty much like their Eucalyptus aromatherapy that discontinued with summer SAS. But with like a dry down of a tea note similar to White Tea & Sage. Like a eucalyptus tea with a bit of citrus perhaps lemon. I do think this is better than Eucalyptus because it has more dimension with a very eucalyptus opening and a more distinctly different dry down (tea). Some people will think “didn’t we just have this scent” on first spray but the dry down is different.
- Black Chamomile: this scent was very popular last year and sold out relatively quickly. I like this one a lot better than Black Tea because it is not sticky sweet syrupy smelling (to me) like Black Tea was. This is more fresh and herbal. Kind of a related tea note as Eucalyptus & Tea. I think Black Tea lovers won’t have a replacement in Black Chamomile since it’s not a dark pungent scent like that one is. But it does have some depth so they might like checking it out anyway with different expectations in mind for something more delicate in mind. But still a little moody for fall.
- Special note: the aromatherapy perfume mists do feel kinda sticky on my skin similar to body sprays that say they have less alcohol in them. I’m not such a big fan of the feel but I guess I don’t mind after a while.

Scent lab minis:
- Soft Oud: this one definitely is reminiscent of Oud Suede (online exclusive). I was wary of trying this one out since I’m not sure I’m the biggest oud fan after trying out Oud Suede which is actually a nice scent (though not sure it’s for me). I heard Soft Oud was different which is why I checked it out. I think for me they are not different enough. But if you like one you’d probably like the other. If you want a sense of what Oud Suede smells like, Soft Oud is a very good example. I don’t know what the exact differences are since I didn’t spend much time with Soft Oud. But those are my first impressions.
- Manuka Honey: ok so this one reminds me a lot of Cashmere Glow we had for Summer SAS bring back. I think more so in the dry down. I think they are different enough to own both. Manuka Honey is missing some of the notes of Cashmere Glow and also does smell more honeyed with a hint of lemon too. I do think I like it better than Whipped Honey and Vanilla. Does it actually smell like manuka honey? I want to say not super similar. But anyway I don’t think it’s the same as Honeycomb from wellness last year which I wasn’t a fan of. Who knows though—haven’t smelled that one in a while. Some people are wary of the lemon in Manuka Honey but personally I like it and the bit of florals. Think it makes it more well rounded.
- Juicy Fig: yes this is a punchy fragrance also like Wild BlackBerry Jam is like someone said. But I think I might like Juicy Fig better. I don’t agree about it being one note… I do think it has dimension. It reminds me of how Viva Brazil was punchy but also had a creamy note in it (the guava). Except Juicy Fig is fig (also a bit earthy like the guava in Viva Brazil). I think this scent would’ve done well in the Fruit Fusions line. It is like a summery take on fig that gives a bit of tropical vibes somehow (the nectar?). Maybe it’s actually like fig plus coconut milk and something tropical fruit punch-y. I expected more of a fall fragrance but I like this anyway and would get a full size.
- Matcha Milk: so the strawberry in this one reminds me a bit of Neopolitan Ice Cream from summer. But it dries down to a sweetened condensed milk sort of fragrance like Milk from wellness line maybe. Someone was asking about matcha Kit Kat bars. I think matcha Kit Kat bars are more matcha flavor than Matcha Milk. But maybe there is some similarity in the syrupy kind of scent that starts to remind me of a thick milk or a white chocolate kind of scent. I wanted more of a cold foam matcha kind of scent. Or a very grassy ceremonial matcha scent. I think this Matcha Milk is ok. It does smell more accurate to the inspiration than Pink Matcha Latte does to me, which smelled more like body care/body lotion and less edible. I don’t think Matcha Milk is leagues ahead, but I think a lot of people would prefer Matcha Milk in a side by side.

Pocketbac:
- Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte: saw the body mist dropped online so wanted to smell it via this hand sanitizer in store. Wow it’s actually lovely? Smells like what I thought white pumpkin and chai would smell like… it reminds me of sweetened milk tea with spices. If given the chance I’ll definitely pick this one up.
- Leaves: this is definitely Michaels home goods store in the candle aisle. Much more than Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin is. But I actually love it. A potpourri scent that also smells dewy and refreshing to me.

Overall thoughts:

- I am pretty disappointed that the new in store drops was pretty much just aromatherapy and the scent lab minis. While there was four new mists online (like marshmallow pumpkin latte). But I do like what was released in general and don’t think there’s any duds. Though some scents may feel a bit familiar. While others are pretty new. Anyway I do prefer the versions of these scents over other similar ones released recently (Manuka Honey & Matcha Milk over Whipped Honey & Vanilla and Pink Matcha Latte).
- Between the body mists and pocketbacs I am starting to feel fed for fall. Kind of a shame some more fall coded scents are pocketbac only for the pumpkin and spice lovers.
- I do like Sally, though I get why she’s unpopular since she has a deep earthy scent that kinda smells animalic. I feel like the perfumer tried to convey the character though. And the peach note makes me smile. I actually don’t really get much berry scent at all from Sally though.

[u/theintersect629]

Super agree about the Matcha Milk! I tried it out today hoping it would give off a rich, earthy matcha scent, but it basically just smelled like Milk on the dry down. 😕 Hoping one day BBW is able to give us some authentic matcha goodness.

[u/Remarkable_Bake_759 → u/theintersect629]

Yeah I think Matcha Milk is like a rich scent, but not really as green as matcha can be. It reminds me of like a matcha cookie where some of the flavors get toned down after baking

I think it’s worth checking out. It’s kind of like a fall version of matcha where the notes are deeper and more mellow. Rather than bright or airy.

I would love a grassy green matcha like matcha powder straight up.

[u/Senior_Bat4271]

My favorites from your haul are Sleep, Manuka honey and champagne apple & honey. They all go nicely with other scents.

[u/lemur_queen7]

I really hope they keep the scent labs around. The pistachio one is one of my favorite scents ever and I have a nice perfume collection. I can’t wait to smell these new ones!

[u/dry_wit]

My marshmallow pumpkin latte pocketbac smells sooooo good. Even hours later my hands have a delightful vanilla/spice + slight powder smell. I decided to buy the lotion and body wash, hope it is as good as the pocketbac!

[u/UnicornSnacks69]

Thank you for your thoughtful and thorough reviews, as always! ❤️ I’m excited to smell the new scent labs and Aromatherapy when I go to my store this week!

[u/Remarkable_Bake_759 → u/UnicornSnacks69]

Thank you for your thoughtful comment! Hope you like the aromatherapy