Big Lots (Living Colors) Fall Holiday Christmas 2022 Wax Melts Reviews
October 17, 2022
This is a review of 26 Living Colors Fall and Christmas 2022 wax melts from Big Lots, way more seasonal scents than they've come out with in the past, and better scent quality and throw than other Big Lots wax melts I've had in the past.
Both the Fall and Christmas/Holiday scents came out together this year. They don't include a brand name like Living Colors or Real Living. They're made in the Dominican Republic, with a few made in Vietnam, and they cost $3.49 for 2.32 oz.
I'm not sure if Big Lots has discontinued their regular wax melts, as these are the first new scents they've had in a year (usually Big Lots comes out with some new scents every 2 or 3 months).
I didn't realize when I did my review video that these can be found on the Big Lots website (they can be picked up in-store and also delivered locally), where they do indeed include scent notes!
Alpine Spruce
Fragrant notes of luminous spruce, fresh evergreen and resinous pine layer with musk-infused woods, cool mint and earthy patchouli essence
I didn't find this scent after I already had done my video review. On cold sniff it's a nice pine scent with a little bit of that "biting" pine note, as well as a hint of a green herbal note like sage or rosemary. I think I'm also getting a tiny bit of garden mint. Melted, however, it more green and herbal than pine, almost a little like oregano and other garden greens like sage, and not really minty. I'm definitely getting the pine as well, but I'd say is half the green sage type note and half pine, making it different from either of the other pine scents in this collection. I like this one too!
Apple Cinnamon
Crushed cinnamon sticks and spicy clove are dusted over fruity Red Delicious, Gala and Honeycrisp apples freshened with zesty citrus accents
A typical, generic apple cinnamon scent, but it's nice. A bit more cinnamon than apple, but not a Big Red gum type cinnamon.
Arctic Breeze
Notes of frost, sweet mint leaf, silver eucalyptus, balsamic fir and woodland iris
I've smelled this scent before. I'm getting a fresh mountain air type vibe with a slight soapy note, a little bit of pine, and maybe a smidgen of vanilla and possibly sandalwood. It's not sweet at all, and kind of smells a bit "dull" or "dusty". It's a unique scent, although not my favorite, but I think it would be great for toning down scents that are too sweet or even too "piney".
Cashmere & Amber
Blissful elements of warm amber and comforting vanilla orchid melt with sweet hints of sugary fruits over earthy patchouli and soft, floral musk
This smells a lot like
Better Homes & Gardens Soft Cashmere Amber, a warm, velvety, ambery, rich, sweet musk scent with a teensy bit of a light woodsy note like sandalwood, and possibly a smidgen of patchouli way in the background. Fantastic scent!
Christmas Morning (Let's Snow)
A sweet blend of apple, pastry, caramel, butter, brown sugar and vanilla notes
Fantastic, yummy scent of sweet vanilla, molasses, brown sugar, and a nutty note which might be cardamom (in that order). I thought I also detected a smidgen of butterscotch, but I'm not sure. I love this scent! Looking at the notes, yes, now I do detect the apple, although it's very subtle.
Christmas Tree
A warm blend of pine, resin, aromatic, herbal, fir needle and musk notes
A very nice, standard pine scent with a tiny bit of a smoky note and a smidgen of that "biting" pine note. It's a very common scent, but it smells great, surprisingly good, and strong, for Big Lots wax.
Cinnamon Sticks
Fragrant cinnamon bark and woodland spice intermingle with a bright complex of frosted mint leaf, cool evergreen and luminous Douglas fir
Sweet Red Hot Cinnamon candies scent, richer than most, with possibly a smidgen of cloves. And I think I detect a smidgen of pine, but I'm not sure. Looking at the notes, I'm not getting mint, but there's the pine.
Cranberry Wreath
A festive fusion of holiday greens adorned with bright red cranberries and sweet cherries draped with dark plum fruit, golden quince and white musk
A fun, happy scent of sweet maraschino cherries! It's not cranberry at all, no bitterness, and no harshness like black cherry. I love this scent! Looking at the notes, there's the cherries! And I thought I detected a very slight, barely noticeable perfuminess.
Fall Leaves & Acorns
Fresh-picked acorn fused with aromatic cinnamon, crushed clove and sweet anise over herbal nuances amid maple undertones and a touch of pure vanilla
I've smelled this scent before. It's a super savory, slightly salty scent of herbs, pine, brown leaves, and chestnut. It's not sweet at all. It's an interesting scent, but not one of my favorites. Looking at the notes, I'm not getting cinnamon, clove, maple, or anise/licorice.
Falling Leaves
Fallen leaves, sweet pear and effervescent citron swirl with verdant eucalyptus and wild rosemary infused with soft patchouli and floral nuances
This scent is not included in my review video because I didn't find it until after I did the video. It's pine, wood, a slight peppery note, maybe a smidgen of fruit like apple, and possibly a barely detectable smidgen of a citrusy note. It's very slightly sweet on cold sniff, but not when melted. But it's not an old apple fallen to the ground and mixed with brown leaves type scent. Looking at the notes, I'm not getting eucalyptus (no nasal clearing effects) or patchouli, or even floral although that could be way in the background. It reminds me a bit of
Better Homes & Gardens Fragrant Woodland Walk.
Frankincense & Myrrh
Smooth sandalwood and aromatic myrrh combine with subtle leather elements infused with creamy vanilla, glowing amber and crushed patchouli
Fantastic, rich scent that smells like a combination of sweet tobacco with a hint of oud, tiny bit of patchouli, and smidgen of men's cologne. It reminds me a bit of
Better Homes & Gardens Frankincense & Patchouli, and even a little of
ScentSationals Flirtatious, but this scent is richer, "darker", and with more of the oud and tobacco type notes. I adore this incredible scent, and it lasted the entire day.
Fresh Balsam
The traditional aroma of aromatic pine needle and balsamic fir draped with festive embellishments of white citrus, frosted herbs and ethereal musk
A nice pine scent with just a hint of sweetness. This has a little bit of that "biting" pine note, and no woodsy or smoky notes. It might have a smidgen of cinnamon way in the background (but that's not in the notes).
Harvest Hot Toddy
Hand-picked apples combine in a spicy blend of fresh cinnamon sticks and freshly crushed clove accented with sugared citrus and ginger syrup
A nice apple cider scent with mulling spices. It's sweet but not super sweet like apple juice. It also has a bit of that old brown apples fallen on the ground and mixed with brown leaves note, but in a really good way. I like it!
Holly & Ivy
The refreshing brilliance of aromatic cypress and crisp juniper berry wrapped in frosted mint leaf over woodland herbs and transparent musk
A slightly generic pine scent with slight woodsy and smoky notes. It's similar to the Fresh Balsam scent, but that scent is more biting, more "piney", and has a smidgen of sweetness. I like them both, but I do like the Fresh Balsam scent more. This one might be the same as the Christmas Tree scent (which is part of a different collection); they smell exactly the same to me.
Maple Praline Pie
Fresh from the oven, warm praline pie drizzled with golden threads of rich, buttery maple syrup for a delicious, homemade fall treat
A yummy scent of caramel, maple and nuts. It's sweet, rich, and just a little salty.
Mulled Berry Cider
A festive fusion of traditional cider notes enhanced with velvety merlot steeped with fruity raspberry, winter cranberry and gingered citrus
I don't like this scent at all. I can tell that it's apple cider, but it's very fake and chemical-laden, and has a sour, bitter, moldy note. Looking at the notes, there's the source of the moldy note: wine! Wine scented candles and wax melts almost always have that overly "fermented" type note that I don't like.
Pomander Pumpkin
The zesty brightness of fresh orange and sweet mandarin splashes over warm elements of spicy clove bud and glowing ambered pumpkin
This is indeed a pomander scent, which is basically a combination of orange and cloves, and sometimes apple. I don't really detect the cloves note in the pomander scents, but once you smell pomander, you'll recognize it whenever you smell it again. It's not one of my favorite scents, but this one has a bit of a nutmeg note that gives it a little bit of a pumpkin vibe, so it's actually quite nice.
Pumpkin Cream Pie
Freshly grated cinnamon stick, ground nutmeg and zesty ginger join warm pastry nuances sweetened with buttery brown sugar and a tangy splash of mandarin orange
A very nice sweet pumpkin pie scent with a bit more cinnamon than other similar scents, making it smell a bit like a pumpkin cinnamon roll.
Spiced Buttercream
Decadent notes of silky buttercream layer with zesty white ginger over balancing notes of warm cinnamon, spicy clove and delectable vanilla
A yummy scent of allspice, molasses, ginger, a hint of cloves, and maybe a smidgen of cinnamon. And of course, the super sweet vanilla buttercream note which really comes out when melted, although the spices are at the forefront. It's not a pumpkin spice scent at all. I love it!
Sugar Cookie
The irresistible aroma of sweet cookie dough infused with warm vanilla bean, pure sugar and rich morsels of creamy milk chocolate
I didn't find this scent after I already had done my video review. It's a nice, but generic, super sweet vanilla sugar cookie type scent. I'm not getting any chocolate notes. After a few hours it started to take on a slightly bitter chemical note.
Sweet Apple Cider
Irresistible notes of delectably sweet apples warmed with a fragrant blend of spicy cinnamon accents and clove-infused pumpkin tea
This scent is not included in my review video because I didn't find it until after I did the video. It's a sweet scent of apples with a little bit of cinnamon, more like apple juice with cinnamon rather than apple cider (no harsh mulling spices). I think I'm also getting another fruity note in there as well, maybe some kind of berry. It's similar to the Apple Cinnamon and Harvest Hot Toddy scents. Comparing it side by side with Apple Cinnamon, this scent is fruitier and the Apple Cinnamon scent is more bland, generic and fake, and not as sweet, and with maybe a tiny bit of mulling spices. Comparing it side by side with Harvest Hot Toddy, that scent is not quite as sweet, and has quite a bit of mulling spices and more cinnamon, as well as cloves that I'm not getting in this scent. Out of the three similar scents, I like this one the most. Looking at the notes, I'm not really getting cloves, and definitely not pumpkin, but not sure about the tea, perhaps way way in the background.
Warm & Cozy
Soft layers of creamy sandalwood and warm cedar are folded with a comforting complex of tonka-brushed vanilla, white patchouli and transparent musk
I can't figure out exactly what I'm smelling, but I like it. I'm getting notes of tobacco, wood, vanilla, and a hint of cinnamon. It's sweet but not overly sweet, it's not perfumey, and it's very slightly foodie.
Warm Cinnamon
A warm blend of spice, cinnamon, peppermint, green, fir needle and musk notes
I'm not a fan of straight cinnamon scents, but this is more than that. It's super sweet, like cinnamon candy, but not as spicy as Red Hot candies. I'm also getting vanilla, and possibly a smidgen of a nutty note. On cold sniff I think I'm also getting a barely detectable smidgen of pine, but I don't smell that when melting. I really like it. Looking at the notes, there's the pine (fir). I'm not getting peppermint though.
Warm Pumpkin Spice
Notes of vanilla, maple and pure brown sugar lend sweetness to dark undertones of spicy clove bud and warm cinnamon.
This smells just like gingerbread or ginger snap cookies. I'm not getting any pumpkin spice type notes like nutmeg or cinnamon. I like it!
Winterberry Garland (Be Merry)
A sweet blend of fruit, berry, currant, amber, vanilla and citrus notes
Slightly sour cranberry punch type scent. It has that bitter wine or champagne note that I don't care for.
Woodland Fig
A fragrant accord of luminous birch and woodland-oak embellished with herbal lavender, citrus-freshened fig, green cardamom and white musk
This scent is indeed fig, which is a savory, woodsy, soapier version of currant (although real figs are very sweet). This scent is kind of sour, slightly vinegary, a little peppery, and very savory, with just a smidgen of sweetness. It's a bit similar to the Fall Leaves & Acorns scent. It's interesting, and I kind of like it, but it's a bit too savory for me. Looking at the notes, I'm not getting lavender at all.
