Joann's Hudson 43 Wax Melts Reviews - August 2020

A fantastic crisp, very sweet authentic apple scent. There may be a hint of vanilla in the background, but it's not a bakery, cinnamon, or cider scent at all. This is one of the better apple scents I've smelled! Looking at the notes, I don't detect cinnamon at all. But when melted, it did take on a hint of a bakery note. Apple scents are usually strong throwers, so it's unusual that this one wasn't, especially since it's quite strong on cold sniff.

This smells nothing like I expected it would based on the scent name, and when I sniffed it at the store, I sniffed several to make sure that I didn't have one with the wrong lid! It smells a bit like Pink Sugar (a very sweet girly scent with notes of cotton candy, lily of the valley, vanilla, musk, and raspberry)! In fact, it smells a lot like ScentSationals Girlfriend Night! It's a super toothachingly sweet marshmallowy candy type scent with apple, a very sweet gardenia type floral, vanilla, musk, and a hint of raspberry, which also happen to be the scent notes for Pink Sugar perfume and ScentSationals Girlfriend Night. It's fantastic and I love these super sweet girly type scents!! Looking at the notes, the only one that I detect is the musk. There are zero woodsy or mossy notes at all.

This is definitely a bourbon scent, but it doesn't have that odd sour fermentation note that a lot of alcohol type wax melt scents have. It's a very rich, sweet scent of maple with a little bit of cloves and caramel, as well as vanilla and the very slightly smoky bourbon note, and maybe a smidgen of a black pepper note. The combination of notes makes it smell basically like burnt maple, but in a really good way! Looking at the notes, I don't think I smell oak or any woodsy notes.

When I bought this, my car smelled like coffee even though the clamshell was closed and it was in a plastic bag. If I open it in my room, the whole room smells like coffee! And this might be one of the best coffee scents I've ever smelled on cold sniff. It has just a tiny bit of bitterness, just enough for authenticity. It also has a hint of a mocha/chocolate note, and a sweet milky, creamy vanilla note in the background. The sweetness is subtle, so it's not a typical sweet coffee scent with a bunch of other notes mixed in. Although when melted, it does smell a bit more "typical", and the chocolate scent comes out a little more, but it's still a great scent.

A nice, interesting scent with a green, mossy, herbal note, along with a hint of hothouse gardenias, the warmth of amber and mahogany, and a cologney note.

This is an oceany water scent with a bland aloe (cucumbery) type note, as well as a hint of a sweet cologney note (even though the scent itself is not all that sweet), and a little bit of lavender. Looking at the scent notes, I don't detect any linen or laundry notes at all. This one is just "meh" for me as it's a bit on the bland side.

A wonderful sweet rich warm spicy fragrance of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. It's not overly cinnamony, and it's not a bakery or pumpkin pie type scent despite the nutmeg. There could also be a barely detectable smidgen of patchouli way in the background, since I'm detecting a very faint incensey or perfumey note. Looking at the notes, there's the musk, but the cinnamon isn't "tangy" or really all that strong at all. I'm not a fan of a lot of spicy fall type scents, but I really like this one.

A super sweet strawberry scent with a marshmallowy note. I think there's also a bit of raspberry in there. It's not a totally authentic scent, but that's okay because it smells good. Looking at the notes, I don't detect blueberry.

This might be the most authentic savory herbal scent I've ever smelled in a wax melt. I smell rosemary and a hint of lemongrass, along with a smidgen of a very slightly sweet herb. It has a bit of an upscale spa quality, although not quite since it's more savory than sweet. Looking at the notes, the very slightly sweet herb could be garden mint, although I don't detect mint per se. Fantastic, natural herbal scent.

This scent is somewhere between a cologne/men's body wash scent and a fresh, slightly watery scent, with light wood and herbal notes. It's a nice subtle scent, and not overly sweet. Looking at the notes, I don't smell linen or any laundry notes.

It's definitely magnolia, which smells a bit like rose with a hint of lemon. This one also has a bit of a soapy note, and a smidgen of bitterness (but not enough for me to not like the scent), and when it's melting I detect a tiny bit of a baby powder note. Comparing it to ScentSationals Magnolia, that scent is sweeter and with much more of the rose note. Goose Creek Candle Blooming Magnolia is definitely more lemony. Swan Creek Magnolia Mist is the most lemony of all, being primarily lemon with the floral note. I love all of these scents, although I like the stronger lemony note in the other brands more, and the smidgen of baby powder in this scent more.

A warm, rich mahogany wood scent (which is a deep woodsy scent but not a typical raw wood type note, more of a warm, classy, ambery type of wood) with a fresh oceany slightly men's body wash note. It's a fantastic scent, and not overly sweet. It smells like Better Homes & Gardens Mahogany & Sandalwood (which I believe is the same scent as Bath & Body Works Mahogany Teakwood) but with the addition of that fresh note.

This smells like juicy peach (mangos have a spicy peach note and sometimes a hint of pineapple) with a little bit of tartness from the papaya (which contains the papain enzyme that has an unpleasantly pungent, bitter note). I'm not a fan of peach scents in general, but this one doesn't have that "cat pee" note that a lot of peach scents tend to have, and the papaya note is quite subtle, so I like it! Looking at the notes, I don't detect ginger at all.

I smell peach, but it's not a bad cat pee peach smell at all. It smells like the fuzzy outside of a real peach, with a fresh crisp apple note and maybe a hint of floral. There's also a smidgen of a sour or bitter note which actually works well in this scent and makes it smell more authentic. When melted, it's not as sweet and I don't detect the apple note, and it takes on a smidgen of that slightly musty champagne note that a lot of alcohol based scents have, although not nearly enough to ruin the scent. Looking at the scent notes, the smidgen of bitterness is probably the grapefruit. I'm not a fan of peach scents, but I like this one!

Peony scents often have a rose note, but this one doesn't. It's a very sweet (almost nauseatingly so), rich floral with a hint of musk and maybe warm cashmere, as well as foodie notes of vanilla and super sweet caramel and bourbon with maybe a hint of honey (although it's not totally a foodie scent either). It's kind of like Pink Sugar but with no fruity notes at all. I adore this scent! Looking at the notes, I don't detect anything fresh or watery.

I'm not a fan of pineapple scents, but this one smells like super sweet, thirst-quenching pineapple juice, so I like it! And unlike most pineapple scents, there's no coconut in this one (at least I don't think so). Zero ginger notes though, which is actually a good thing.

Like Birch Moss, this scent is not at all what I would expect based on the name. It's a super sweet perfumey scent that smells like gardenia, lily of the valley, and bit of vanilla and a tiny bit of a candy note. It's fantastic! It smells a lot like the Birch Moss scent, although that scent is even sweeter, with an apple note that this scent doesn't have, while this scent is a little more perfumey with a bit more of the floral note. Looking at the notes, they're very similar to Birch Moss (whose notes are Birch, Oak, Moss, Musk), so obviously their moss note is actually Pink Sugar! (The musk note is most likely the gardenia type scent, which is also present in their Charmed Ivy scent which also has a gardenia type note, and the oak note is probably the amber like mahogany warmth that gives it a hint of a vanilla note).

This is a classy scent of sweet cedar and light wood, with a hint of a cologney note, a tiny bit of a bland Ivory soapy note (in a good way), and "possibly" (but maybe not?) a barely detectable smidgen of leather. It's like walking into an upscale furniture store. It smells just like Better Homes & Gardens Pure White Woods. I love it, and the scent lasted all day, at least 10 hours!

Real sunflowers don't have a scent at all (at least nothing floral). This is a super sweet scent of gardenia and maybe jasmine, with a little bit of a musky note. I adore super sweet floral scents, so of course I love this one. But there's also something way in the background that's barely noticeable, like a "dry down" note that smells a bit like mildew, but it's so subtle that most people won't even notice it. Looking at the notes, I don't detect any linen or laundry type notes, or woodsy notes at all (although that dry down note could be a mossy wood).

Beautiful scent that smells like super sweet gardenia, with a hint of orange blossom (neroli) that gives it a smidgen of a Coppertone suntan oil note. Despite the gardenia note, it's sweet but not overly sweet, and there's something else in there that's tempering the sweetness, maybe wood? But it's not a woodsy scent at all. Looking at the scent notes, bamboo and aloe are bland, watery, almost cucumbery notes, which I don't like, but this scent doesn't even have a smidgen of that type of note in it, although that could be what's tempering the sweetness. I love this scent!

Yep, this is a sweet pea floral, but it's richer and with a bit of a fruity note (maybe cherry and a smidgen of watermelon) as well as a foodie note like vanilla. It's very nice! Looking at the notes, I don't smell rose.

This is very similar to the Coastal Winds scent, probably because they both contain the sea salt note. This scent is bland and aloe-y as well, but without the sweet cologney note that Coastal Winds has. It's also a bit salty, and has a hint of black pepper. It's not sweet at all. On its own, it's quite bland, like a salty, peppery cucumber although it's not savory or zesty at all. I think it would work well as a mixer to tone down cologney or floral scents that are too sweet, or lemon or savory scents that are too zesty. Looking at the scent notes, I don't smell any of them except the sea salt.

A lovely, soft, subtle men's cologne note that's not overly sweet or harsh, and might have a smidgen of lavender and leather. It's very similar to ScentSationals Black Tux, although it has a slightly soapy note that Black Tux doesn't have. I love this one!

I smell lemongrass, zesty lemon, and lavender. It's a zesty, kind of savory scent, with barely a smidgen of sweetness, if any. There's also something else way in the background that I can't figure out, maybe coconut? It would be a spa scent but it's a bit too lemony. Which is perfectly okay because it's absolutely incredible, like hoard-worthy! Looking at the scent notes, I'm surprised I don't see lemon or lemongrass. But there's the coconut, and the jasmine might be the smidgen of sweetness, although you really won't notice it.