This was one of the scents that I chose on Candle Day. Without going into too much up front, I kinda dig it in an odd way and we'll get more into that here in a minute.
Lets get into the packaging first.
The inside of the lid is fitted with the plastic ring liner. My guess would be that the liner keeps the scent in and keeps the wax from drying out but of course I could be wrong.
The glass is a funky color to me. It's not white, it's not yellow. Maybe a dark shade of ivory? It has the appearance of frosted glass and the flames create a nice glow when the candle is lit once it has burned down.
I'm guessing that the white at the bottom is supposed to be whipped cream.
But... what about the really important parts? How does this candle burn, what does it smell like and how well does the scent, if any, travel? I'm sure that those are the things that really brought you here to check this out so let us get into that.
Since I purchased this candle online, giving it a whiff ahead of time wasn't possible. So it went straight up to my nose the second I took it out of the delivery box. Lid off. Nose down in there and there it was. A smell from my childhood that took me by surprise.
Once again I was in the way back machine. I don't know who is going to remember this doll but it was part of the Strawberry Shortcake franchise. Banana Twirl was her name. She wasn't one of the most popular dolls but I had her because I have always loved the smell of fake banana. To this day, some of my favorite candies are the banana flavored Runts and banana Laffy Taffy. It's my jam and I love the stuff.
For the first burn, I decided to go somewhere different. The bookcase in the dining room. The room is 12' by 14' and sits between the kitchen and the living room. As a side note, my home is not open concept. You have to pass through a doorway to go from room to room.
I allowed it to burn for 4 hours the first time and was actually quite pleased with the way the wicks performed and the pooling. It did have a bit of a struggle in one very small spot with pooling but after a couple of hours the candle was fully pooled and burning nicely.
I do have to add that the wicks did mushroom after the candle was extinguished. Not terribly bad or to the point where anything dropped into the wax but I did remove the tops before burning it again.
In my experience, this candle does have a decent throw. I don't expect a Bath and Body Works candle to fill my entire house with scent, ever. I have yet to find one that had that amount of umph behind it but this one did put out enough scent to meander into the entry way of the kitchen and the dining room. I was really happy with the throw.
To elaborate on the throw a bit... it's not the life of the party but a definite participant that contributes to the conversation and is interactive with the other guests.
The second and third burns were in my office because I wanted to thoroughly enjoy the scent that this candle offers. It sat on a shelf about four feet away from my chair and the scent from this candle was consistent. When I walked out of the room and back in, I could smell it in the hallway around the doorway.
So what does this candle smell like when it is burning? Well, it's not what Bath and Body Works says about this Banana Split Milkshake candle. At least not to my nose.
The Bath and Body works listed notes for this candle are:
- Sweet Banana
- Chocolate Sauce
- Cherry on Top
When this candle is lit on fire, the banana is the top note but just like when it is cold it does have an artificial smell to it. If you don't like fake banana flavoring, you won't like this candle either.
It's a very child like scent. A birthday party that is filled with small voices and laughter. Vanilla cake with banana cream icing and a hint of warm sugar as an after taste. It's thick like a crowded room but has plenty of space to move around and it definitely does not drown you. A banana vanilla milkshake but without the chill because the scent is very warm.
I really don't get a chocolate sauce and the cherry is definitely missing in action on this one. Not even a hint of them anywhere to be found.
My Final Thoughts and Will I Buy this Candle Again?
This candle packed a huge surprise for me with the scent. It literally sent me back to my childhood and sparked memories of things that I love. That my friends really is personal bias because it hit a personal connection in the memory bank and the feels for me. Of course not everyone is going to experience that with this candle but one thing to remember is that scent is a powerful thing in so many ways. Perfumes, food smells and candle scents are just a few things in the world that can spark a memory.
Yes, I will purchase this one again. It burned well and the throw was decent. Not to mention that I really do like the scent. It does have a bit of a plastic smell but Banana Twirl and all of the other Strawberry Shortcake dolls did or do too. To me, this scent is part of my childhood and I love it.
