It has become a ritual to pop to concept home fragrance store, Love Aroma (I go to the one in Leicester, although there are 10 branches in the UK) whenever a new Yankee Candle collection launches. Even though I know I'll buy them all for the sake of the blog, I cherish the moment that I smell a scent for the first time.
Whilst not my local store, Love Aroma has the full Yankee Candle range compared to the small selection that some stores (Clintons etc.) have. Love Aroma is the largest independent Yankee Candle retailer in the UK, as well as selling a whole host of other amazing candle brands, including Woodwick, Stoneglow and Kringle Candle, all of which you will be seeing in upcoming posts.
The start of April saw the release of the Q2 collection from Yankee Candle. Riviera Escape is the summer collection with a difference. Far from being the beach-themed scents of 2015's Life's A Beach collection, Riviera Escape takes a more refined approach. Comprising four fragrances, we have the namesake, Riviera Escape, Olive & Thyme, Sea Salt & Sage and Summer Peach.
Riviera Escape* (£1.49) is an oceanic scent designed to represent glittering promenades and blossom covered hillsides in the Riviera. With marine and floral accords, this is a lighter take on the aquatic scent done many a time before by Yankee Candle (Turquoise Sky, Oceanside, Beach Holiday etc.). Sea Grass and amber notes add an earthiness that stops the scent becoming too sweet.
This scent is a more palatable version of last year's Beach Holiday (which I did not enjoy), and the blossoms adds a balance to what could have been a more masculine scent. Although I'm not the hugest fan of ocean scents in general, Riviera Escape makes for a pleasant, fresh bathroom burn. The label is amazing too!
The first thing I thought when seeing Sea Salt & Sage* (£1.49) for the first time was its similarity to the popular Jo Malone scent, Wood Sage & Sea Salt. The first thing I wondered? Whether it's similar. Personally, I would say no. Sea Salt & Sage is definitely a masculine scent, whereas the Jo Malone has a more subtle sweetness.
With top notes of sea salt and bergamot, there is a definite cooling sensation, like an ocean spray from the English shoreline. The heart is herbal, with sea lavender and sage, and the base brings nuances of white amber and vetiver.
There are few masculine home fragrance scents that I love (November Rain and Killimanjaro Stars), and although it has a similar tone, I find Sea Salt & Sage unique in my collection. Without being full on strong aftershave, it has a certain showerfresh subtlety, an eau de cologne or splash providing relief from the heat. It is definitely different from the Jo Malone offering, but I love it nonetheless.
Summer Peach* (£1.80) is a strange inclusion amongst the predominantly fresh and masculine scents. Being a fruity lover, it was the one I had the highest hopes for and it was easily my favourite on cold sniff. Georgia Peach top notes mingle with a sweeter peach heart and a combination of musk and vanilla add to that sun-ripened warm quality. The image I get is sweet, syrupy canned peaches, as the scent is a synthetic peach, but wonderfully so.
Summer Peach bares similarity to Mango Peach Salsa, one of my favourite summer scents, as well as the discontinued Bahama Breeze. I can imagine this one becoming a summer favourite, but I don't find it unique enough beside Mango Peach Salsa to add it to my collection in jar form.
The scent that surprised me the most, in terms of the disparity of what I imagined from reading the description to smelling the scent for the first time, was Olive & Thyme* (£1.49) without a doubt. I had hoped for a doppleganger to Lush's awesome Olive Branch shower gel, something warm, woody and distinctly Mediterranean.
Olive & Thyme is initially sharp to the nose, with top notes of olive leaf, lemon and orange. It mellows slightly with the herbal heart of thyme, making it a very green scent. Finally we have musk, giving the scent a certain mustiness of a true-to-life olive scent.
Whilst it isn't what I expected, Olive & Thyme is so unique among my candle collection. It is fresh and herbal, far from my usual taste, but it has a level of sophistication among it. I'd rate this as the ideal scent for the kitchen, not quite foody but fresh and cleansing. The more I smell it, the more I relate to holidays spent in Greece, the natural aroma of the leafy vegetation and the earthy nature of their cuisine.
Overall, I liked the concept of the Riviera Escape collection. I think it is one of the most innovative releases Yankee Candle have presented in recent times. Even though Summer Peach was always going to be a sure-fire hit, it was Sea Salt & Sage and Olive & Thyme that really surprised me and came out as favourites from the collection. The fresh and salty sea spray is something that I found incredibly true-to-life, and although Olive & Thyme isn't something I'd have immediately put in a summer collection, I'm really intrigued to see how I will feel about its Mediterranean tones in the warmer months.
All of the Q2 Riviera Escapes collection can be found at Love Aroma.You can even pick up gift packs of all the new scents in melt form, ready for your testing, and there's a gorgeous range of Mediterranean-inspired accessories too.
UPDATE: The lovely people at Love Aroma have kindly extended the discount code so you can use it all the way up until May 31st! Use code BehindTheScent for 10% off online!
Have you tried any of the Riviera Escape collection?
What was your favourite scent?
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