by Julia Wooten
Brand: Goose Creek Candle Co.
Type: Winter Carnival Collection
Medium Apothecary Jars
Fragrances:
Apple Festival
Whipped Pumpkin Latte’
Sparkling Citrus
Vanilla Cashmere
Orange Berry Slush
Spun Sugar
Gingerbread Crisp
Iced Dew Drops
Cost: $20
Scent Strength: Medium/Strong
Introduction to my review:
Cooler months bring many candle burning opportunities. Something as simple as a candle’s flame can make a room feel warm and cozy. Goose Creek Candle Co. has injected a big dose of excitement into wintertime with a new collection of jar candles. Their collection is called Winter Carnival. These candle fragrances take classic scents and give each one a new twist. Apple Festival has a touch of musk. Vanilla Cashmere pairs sugared raspberry with notes of sandalwood. I had to let my adventurous spirit run wild and try these new fragrances. Hold onto your hats, people. Goose Creek Candle Company has eight new fragrances in their Winter Carnival collection and I gave each one a test drive.
Goose Creek Candle Company’s website is professional looking with loads of candle photos and descriptions. I found the site easy to navigate and interesting to browse. Beyond several jar candle collections, they offer pillars, melts, warmers, room sprays and even auto cards to scent your car. Prices are reasonable throughout the site, and there are occasional sales to be found. I recommend signing up for Goose Creek Candle Company’s newsletter or get connected through their facebook page.
What do my candles look like?
These medium sized jar candles are standard looking apothecary style containers with clear class and tight sealing lids. Each candle has a Goose Creek label on the side that features an pretty photograph representing the fragrance and the scent name. The labels are not meant to be removed, but they were attractive and I liked them. The wax colors were appropriate for each fragrance and the colors were vibrant, especially the pools of melted wax. To me that was the most beautiful part of a these candles…the melt pools. Each candle was double wicked and generously filled.
How did my Winter Carnival candles smell?
Apple Festival
I can never get enough apple scents. Apples are so versatile, both in cooking and, as luck would have it, in scenting options. Apple scents are ideal for blending with other fragrances so when I saw this description, I was already on board with the idea of mixing it up in a new way. The candle was the color of a red delicious apple.
“This Apple Festival fragrance takes you back to fall festivals with tones of warm apple slices, sandalwood, oak moss and sweet musk!”
This is a man’s apple scent. It is a fresh smelling, masculine fragrance… no pie… nothing pink… no sugar on top. Apple festival is like a walk through an apple orchard. I smelled the sweetness of the apple, woody tree bark and crisp, fresh air. This is one terrific fragrance! Even though I can smell sandalwood and oak moss, this did not strike me as a cologne type of scent. It’s predominantly an autumn/apple sniff. Where a cologne scent would sit heavily in the air, Apple festival is much brighter and livelier. It smelled refreshing and outdoorsy, like an entire apple tree, branches and all.
Whipped Pumpkin Latte’
Because this scent description used words like frothy and cozy, I couldn’t help but be smitten. Here is the description from Goose Creek Candle Co.:
“Stay warm and cozy with a frothy latte. “Brewed” with creamy maple, vanilla spice, warm milk, cinnamon stick, and white pumpkin spice.”
Stay warm and cozy? Don’t mind if I do. I snuggled down into this fragrance with visions of pumpkin scented cream in mind. Even the wax was a pretty pumpkin color. However, my nose smelled something entirely different. I smelled some pumpkin, sure, and a country store type of dried cinnamon, but the rest of the scent’s description was lost to me. This scent, although pleasant, smelled fruity to me, almost tangy. I wanted the creamy maple, warm milk and vanilla spice, but this one had me double checking the label to see if I had the right candle. The candle smelled good, but just wasn’t what I expected.
Sparkling Citrus
“Fresh and cool… Grapefruit zest. Winter white lily, vanilla cream, sugared musk 
and wild cherry.”
This was a terrific blast of fruit! Sparkling Citrus delivered a jolt of sweet juicy goodness. The grapefruit zest popped but wasn’t too sharp. It was refreshing, and the fragrance was as sweet as it was zesty. I burned this candle on a day that was cloudy and overcast. Sparkling Citrus really brightened the day. It was cheery and effervescent.
The wax was white and as it burned the melt pool had tiny specks of black all through it like French vanilla ice cream. I don’t know if it was from the wicks or fragrance, but the effect was rather pretty and I liked the look. This candle fits right in with Goose Creek Candle Co.’s Winter Carnival theme. It was wintery and whimsical…sure to put some pep in those long winter days.
Vanilla Cashmere 
“Wrap yourself in a cashmere blanket on a cool night while enjoying vanilla blossom, sugared raspberry, iced coconut and sandalwood milk.”
Vanilla Cashmere is perfect for dreaming of a holiday somewhere warm, far away from sub zero temperatures and snowy skies. The smells of coconut and vanilla were most apparent making this scent a uniquely tropical choice for winter. The hints of sugared raspberry were subtle and well blended in the mix. For myself, living in the south, coconut, sandalwood and vanilla fragrances are enjoyed year round so this candle is one that fits all seasons. This scent was very relaxing, and soft.
Orange Berry Slush
“Icy, cool and smooth… with tones of macintosh apple, clementine zest, cool cranberry, and juicy mandarin and red currant”
Here is another whimsically bright fruity scent for winter. Orange Berry Slush was awesome! Berries and citrus filled the air. This little powerhouse filled the room with fragrance and good cheer. It came highly recommended by Goose Creek Candle Co. so I was excited to try this vibrant red candle. When I first lifted the lid, I wasn’t wild about the cold sniff. Boy, cold sniffs sure can be deceiving. This baby smelled amazing when it got to burning. I thought, ah, now I get it. Orange Berry Slush jumped into the lead as one of my favorites from the collection. The scent was exactly like the name…lots of orange and tons of berry fragrance.
Spun Sugar
“A sweet and sticky treat with lemon sorbet, raspberry swirl, pink sugared plums, and sandalwood creme.”
Pink or blue? Which is your favorite cotton candy color? I go for the blue kind every time, so even though the wax was white, in my imagination I pegged this scent as the blue colored sugar rather than the pink. I realize that the description makes no mention of cotton candy, but that was the first thing that came to mind when I smelled this candle. Spun Sugar was a fun, carnival cotton candy scent. It was sweet times ten, with hints of raspberry and sweet plum. I didn’t pick up on the sandalwood crème, but I didn’t miss it either. This one was a true sugar rush and pure carnival FUN! It burned beautifully and had a medium throw. This was one of my family’s top picks.
Gingerbread Crisp
“Warm, creamy, and sweet with sugared ginger, cinnamon stocks, pumpkin mousse, sugar, and whipped vanilla.”
It’s no secret that I do love a good gingerbread scent, and this candle suited me just fine. I don’t know what it is about Gingerbread…yes I do, it’s that sugared ginger and I thought I smelled molasses too. That rich thick bittersweet gingerbread takes me right back to my grandmother’s kitchen when I was a child. We all have a few trigger scents that can transport us back in time to some comforting memory and for me, gingerbread is it.
I saved this jar for last so I could savor the fragrance. It had a warm, baked note and I could swear I smelled giant sugar crystals like you’d find on the tops of gingerbread cookies. I smelled butter, ginger, cinnamon sugar and more. This candle smelled good enough to eat. I absolutely loved it.
Iced Dew Drops
“Cool, soft and fresh frozen vanilla, soft winter wood, warm musk mandarin juice, iced pomegranate, winter jasmine, and blush rose.”
This candle was turquoise blue and when it burned, the melt pool was the most gorgeous deep ocean blue color…absolutely dazzling. The fragrance itself was gorgeous too. Iced Dew Drops is more fresh than floral…perfect for breathing a little life into a closed up home. The mandarin, wood, and vanilla stood out the most, but really the scent was so well blended that no one fragrance note dominated the scent. I smelled floral hints but couldn’t have picked out jasmine or rose by name. The winter wood kept the fruit in check. To me, this scent was like fresh, clean air with a bit of citrus. Beautiful! I could see this fragrance becoming a mainstay in my home throughout the winter months.
How did my candles burn?
The double wicks in these jar candles created good edge to edge scent pools. The wicks required average trimming before each relight. All of these jars had a good throw…some, like Orange Berry Slush and Whipped Pumpkin Latte were large room fillers. All of these candles burned really well, and the melt pools were spectacular. I have found consistently great burning candles at Goose Creek Candle Co.
Closing to my review… 
Fret not over those winter doldrums. An attitude adjustment is just a candle’s burn away with Goose Creek in the house. Their Winter Carnival collection is a spirited bunch of scents that really shakes things up. All of these scents can be found throughout Goose Creek Candle Co.’s website and are available in different sizes. With so many new scents to choose from, there is sure to be something for every nose. I, for one, have found some favorites.
Happy Candle Shopping!
~ Julia
