Been waiting a long time for these to exist. Very glad they finally do.
I had a really rough day today. Came home to find my first TWB melts had been delivered. It's been about an hour and I'm just...not having a bad day any more. I've measured - my blood pressure has literally dropped since getting one of these cubes melted (not medical advice). This scent in particular is like a bubble bath for the soul. Not in the sense of smelling like a bubble bath, but in that it feels healing, cleansing. All the acidity of modern life is totally neutralised, and I cannot thank The Wandering Bee enough for doing that for me.
I'm writing this as a beardy "manly" man who, before my love affair with my first Antique Bookshop candle, didn't believe in aromatherapy as a concept - and didn't understand what I thought of as "girly" things like candles and wax and scent. These aren't girly OR manly because they aren't fashion scents. They're the entire story of a place I've never been - and as I write this, that story is unfolding itself to fill my living room. Long may it continue.
The Wandering Bee scents are easily identified (for me at least) by the skill in the blending of aromas. It's masterful. You can see the level of care put in just by the number of different aromas involved in building each scent - but once melted, I'm not smelling them individually at all. They become one beautiful, unique, enveloping atmosphere. I couldn't pick out a single overbearing or overly-prominent aroma in here, every deep breath gives me something new. Everything listed on the front is in there, serving a function, working together, but balanced so perfectly that it's like stealing the atmosphere from somewhere else I'd much rather be, and setting it free in my home.
I have used many wax melts, at prices both far below and far above these, from brands which try to cultivate similar vibes (visually at least) and within half an hour I can tell you these are the best - and really, really, really good value. There's no tacky glitter, or bits of moss or herbs floating around in them, and they're not dyed silly colours, because they do not need those things. They don't need to tell you what to smell, or what to feel. It's right there within minutes of lighting the tea light. The glitter and plants and colours are evoked only by the scent, as they should be.
Smart, simple and eco-friendly packaging, clearly with so much thought put in. The black-on-black printing on the side of the box is deeply pleasing to me - not in any way Gothic-looking, not too modern, it's just timeless. Same as the scent.
They're not wrapped in plastic. In fact, there's even a little hole in the boxes so you can have a cheeky pre-sniff. A wonderful touch that I've not really seen before, because other wax melts would lose their scent in a box like that. These will not - I can say already that the quality is right in-line with TWB's candles. I've previously used the very last bits of one of their candles as a kind of desperation wax melt and it lasted AGES. I have no doubt this will too. 60 hours stated in total on the box, so about 10 hours per melt as I understand it, but I'm confident they'll last a lot longer.
The brand is so understated, and it all looks so effortless. But I know from visiting the shop that Every. Single. Thing. About these is intentional, and the result is really powerful. Doesn't matter whether you believe in aromatherapy, or even care about it. The strength and throw of these is going to have its effect on you.
I have to agree with the two little breaks in The Wandering Bee's modesty on the box. These ARE kick ass wax melts, and you ARE basically wizards.
Thanks team :)
