Black Sand Beach – Yankee Candle Review

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2019. It has been updated in March 2020 as part of our rebranding process. The content of the review has remained essentially the same, with updated information from the industry when applicable. The author is no longer affiliated with Candlefind.

Intro To Black Sand Beach Candle Review

I was told by another candle connoisseur that Black Sand Beach from Yankee Candle smells just like Witches Brew – another scent I happen to love. As soon as I heard that, I of course had to purchase one to see for myself. Witches Brew isn’t always around and sometimes I’m just in the mood to smell that candle. Surprising too since it has patchouli in it, a scent I’m generally not a fan of.

READ MY REVIEW OF WITCHES BREW 

First Impression of Black Sand Beach:

When I received Black Sand Beach and smelled the wax, I didn’t think it smelled anything like Witches Brew. To me, it had a perfume sort of vibe to it. It didn’t smell bad, just not what I was expecting or hoping for. Here is the scent description for Black Sand Beach:

As striking as a stretch of black volcanic sand—black orchid, jasmine and patchouli create a strong, clean scent.

Top: Black Peppercorn
Mid: Night Blooming Jasmine, Black Orchid
Base: Dark Woods, Patchouli, Vanilla Bean

Smelling the wax and reading that description, this is what I smelled right off the bat – night blooming jasmine, black orchid and dark woods. Maybe vanilla bean but black peppercorn and patchouli? I wasn’t detecting a lick of those two. We shall see though once the candle is burning.

Which happens right now!

I lit my candle in a small powder room to start out and that’s where it stayed til the very end. Once the wick was lit, it took a good 10 hours to reach a full melt pool but the fragrance was present long before that and it smelled just as it did on cold sniff. A very floral sort of perfumey fragrance. The mid notes stood out the most to me with dark woods coming in last to complete this scent. Black Sand Beach definitely had a slight masculine vibe to it thanks to the dark woods. I think that’s what saved this candle from being chucked in the trash for me. Had it all been floral, I would have burned it for a single day and that’s it. Comparing it to Witches Brew…not even close. Not even in the same ball park. I don’t know why someone compared it to that. Oh well.

Strength – I would rate Black Sand Beach a 7 out of 10 in a small room. Burning this candle in a medium size room would give a softer fragrance but I’m sure still noticeable.

How Did My Black Sand Beach Candle Burn?

This candle burned great, just very, very slow. It took almost a full day to reach a complete melt pool and that’s definitely the key to burning a Yankee candle evenly. You have to reach that full melt pool. Otherwise, the candle will have a thick layer of wax leftover when you reach the bottom.

Closing to My Review:

I recommend Black Sand Beach for those of you who love floral and perfume fragrances. I’m not a fan so this candle was a one-time purchase for me. Pretty candle though and it was fun to watch burn with the black wax glowing and flickering.

Yankee Candles are perfect to burn in small rooms so if you don’t mind that and you catch a great sale, go for it. They do have some great fragrances. I have a slew of Yankee candles still yet to burn and review so stay tuned. And just an FYI… Black Sand Beach is still available from Yankee and other Yankee retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond and Walmart. It’s not a new fragrance, I’m just late to the party reviewing it.

Happy candle hunting!

~ Christina

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