Review of Four Summery Scented Candles from AromaSoy by Grazia in the Scents Cactus & Sea Salt, Coconut Vanilla Silk, Hanalei Bay, & Cherry Limone Italian Ice

Introduction to my Review of Aroma Soy by Grazia Candles:

Hello summer!! For my review this time, I picked out four summery scents from a company that I’ve wanted to try for a long time, AromaSoy by Grazia. The descriptions listed by the owner, Grazia Pandolfo-Wilson, were so tempting that I couldn’t wait to get started.

AromaSoy specializes in strongly scented, environmentally friendly candles and melts. The wax used in all candles and melts is a dye-free, soybean/botanical blend, and only all-cotton or paper wicks are used. In addition to the tarts, which are called “ScentiMelts” and are offered in 1 oz cups, Grazia’s got a ton of different candle styles to choose from, including votives and different containers such as wine goblets, champagne glasses, cylinders, and 55 oz glass buckets. Rounding out the selections are unscented soy tealights and candle accessories.

Grazia’s website brings to mind a virtual storefront – to me at least – where you have to open the door (or click on) the Galerie Aromatique to view the candle offerings, which are grouped by collection. In addition to the Signature Collection of classic boutique and jar candles, you can choose from:

AromaArt Candles – beautiful, hand-painted and hand-crafted containers

Hoosierland Farms – pretty country jars with rusty lids and folk art and hand-painted labels

Vineyard – hand-painted wine goblets, jars and cylinders in vineyard scents

Wedding Candles – a variety of hand-painted champagne flutes and buckets, goblets and other containers in romantic and vineyard scents.

Once you click on the Galerie Aromatique, it’s really easy to navigate around the site and find the scent descriptions and the candles you need.

The labels for all the candles were identical and clear with Grazia’s signature “Deco Lady” picture and the name of the company; the scent names were listed on the bottom of the jar. As noted earlier the wax for all the candles was left its natural color, a creamy white that fits in with any décor, and for a festive touch all the candles and melts had a scattering of glitter on top which looked pretty when the candle was burning.

Every year seems to bring with it a couple of “hot” fragrances that everyone is talking about, and this year there has been a lot of buzz about Cactus & Sea Salt. It’s been high on my list to try, and it is really a wonderful fragrance. Here’s the description of it from AromaSoy:

“I LOVE this new scent. It reminds me a lot of the ocean! One of the most unique scents you will ever smell, this modernized version of a classic summer theme stimulates the senses with its freshness and vitality. The new botanical twist of an oceanic accord has dramatic tones of cactus with fresh green elements and unexpected texture. This vibrant green quality creates a shimmering top note that accents the fragrance signature of fresh sea spray. Unexpected salty accents add newness to the blend while elements of sea moss and warm driftwood create rich undertones that support the fragrance from within.”

Cactus & Sea Salt is very fresh, clean and complex – it really does smell like salty ocean air with a strong undercurrent of green notes. It’s perfect for summer but also would work well year-round. I can’t honestly say whether or not the green scent is cactus – I’ve never actually smelled a cactus before, since they’re not too plentiful here in New England, and I’ve never wanted to get close enough to the needles on the indoor variety to actually smell one! But I can definitely smell the salty air in the fragrance in addition to the herbal notes. What’s also great about Cactus & Sea Salt is that it seems to also blend very well with almost any other fragrance – this is rare and a definite plus if you like to burn or melt more than one scent at a time.

The throw on Grazia’s version was, as promised by her site, huge. After I lit my 10 oz candle and put it in the corner of my living room, and after only 15 minutes it had filled that room and had filtered down the hall into the kitchen. After a half hour, I could smell it throughout the house – upstairs, downstairs and even in the basement. The throw was equally strong in the melt as well – I could smell it everywhere even with all the windows open.

Coconut Vanilla Silk

This was another winner, and tied Cactus & Sea Salt for my favorite AromaSoy scents. It’s also a huge thrower, both in candle and melt form – identical in performance to the Cactus candle. What did it actually smell like? Here’s Grazia’s description of the scent:

“Like the name, a sweet freshly grated coconut scent with a perfect balance of Madagascar vanilla and the strongest coconut scent I‘ve ever come across. SUPER SCENT!”

This fragrance is a classic example of how different noses can detect different things within a scent. Both cold and hot, I thought the vanilla in this fragrance definitely predominated with a strong undercurrent of coconut. I also thought the coconut in this one smelled more like toasted coconut than fresh coconut. My daughter, however, thought this candle smelled like popcorn! I can see where she would get this because the scent has a strong buttery note to it. Bottom line: if you love scents like Coconut Cream Pie, this one is definitely for you! It’s sweet, buttery bakery with a tropical twist, and I loved it.

Hanalei Bay

This is really a lovely fragrance and perfect for all you floral lovers out there! Grazia describes this one as:

“A very upscale and sophisticated floral mingled with just the right amount of fruits. Everyone that smells this scent loves it and I know you will too!! One of my personal favorites that reminded me of the sweet and heady tropical fruit and floral aromas wafting off the Pacific in Hanalei Bay, Hawaii.”
 
I couldn’t detect any fruit in this one, but it is definitely sophisticated and complex. While it was burning I kept thinking what a nice scent this would be for a wedding, bridal shower or perhaps an anniversary or evening cocktail party. It is a truly gorgeous, feminine, warm-weather blend – almost spa-like and like the description says, reminiscent of tropical flowers.

My Hanalei Bay candle came in a four ounce jar which I placed in the powder room because of its size. If you like florals but are not heavy into them, this is the perfect size for you, because this scent is powerful! It filled up the bathroom and I could smell it in the hall and in other rooms as well – an amazing throw for a candle that’s not much bigger than a votive. The melt was just as strong if not more so, filling the entire house again. If you’re sensitive to strong floral scents like I am, you may want to beware – I had to turn the tart warmer off after only an hour because it was just too strong and gave me a headache that lasted the rest of the day.

Cherry Limone Italian Ice

I had high hopes for this one, because I love fruity, summery dessert and drink scents, and I also love many of the cherry/lemonade and cherry/lime combos out there. Unfortunately, however, this was the only one of the four scents I tested that really didn’t do it for me.

The scent description for Cherry Limone Italian Ice, which is an AromaSoy signature scent, reads as follows:

“A sweet and refreshing, luscious, strong, ripe mountain black cherry aroma, whipped with tangy mouthwatering fresh squeezed Mediterranean lemons that are then frozen to perfection. Dig out the little wooden spoons for this thirst quenching hot summer refreshment.”

I could smell a little of the cherry and lemon blend in this, but not a lot, and nothing at all of the slight fresh or fizzy undertone I would have expected in an Italian ice scent. I kept trying to figure out how to best describe the aroma when my husband walked in the room and said it smelled like I was burning shampoo! He put his finger right on it – it really did smell like hot shampoo. Not a bad scent, but not exactly Cherry Limone Italian Ice either.

This was also the only one of the four candles (and melts) with a light to moderate throw to it. My four ounce candle only filled a portion of the powder room, and the melt was only able to scent one room rather than multiples.

I would highly recommend AromaSoy by Grazia candles and melts. Even though the Cherry Limone scent didn’t work out for me, I really liked the others, and anyway… there are always going to be some scents that work better than others for you. Grazia has more than 150 scents listed, so there are definitely lots to choose from in addition to all the candle styles! She really knows her product well and takes a lot of pride and care in what she does, so you can expect great customer service and answers to any questions you may have.

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