This review dives into the Pioneer Woman Wax Melts from 2022, crafted by Rimports, the same company behind ScentSationals wax melts. Known for their charming and rustic aesthetic, Pioneer Woman products extend to home fragrance, and these wax melts are no exception.
Packaged in adorable floral tins, these wax melts immediately appeal with their visual charm. While the scent names and notes are printed in a font size that challenges the eyes, the reusable tins add a touch of practicality and sustainability, perfect for repurposing once the wax melts are finished.
Each tin contains 3 ounces of wax, divided into 10 flower-shaped melts. For those accustomed to using a single cube from standard 2 or 2.5 oz clamshells, one Pioneer Woman melt should suffice. However, the thickness can vary slightly between melts, so you might find yourself using two of the thinner ones to achieve your desired fragrance intensity. Priced at $4.67, they may seem more expensive upfront. However, considering you receive 10 melts instead of the usual 6, the cost effectively breaks down to around $2.80 per equivalent of a standard 2.5 oz clamshell, offering good value for the quantity.
For those interested in exploring even more recent releases, I also reviewed four newer Pioneer Woman wax melt scents in October 2022.
Let’s delve into the scents from this collection:
Acorn Wreath
Scent Notes: Autumn Apple, Acorns, Leaves & Pumpkin
Acorn Wreath captures the essence of fall with a dominant pumpkin pie fragrance, subtly intertwined with hints of autumn apple and a whisper of woodsy notes. While a slightly harsh undertone prevents it from being a perfect scent, it remains a pleasant and evocative autumnal aroma.
Cedar & Citrus
Scent Notes: Orange, Moss, Fir & Amber
Cedar & Citrus presents a sophisticated and invigorating blend. The bergamot and smoky pine create a cologne-like profile, enhanced by a rich, salty note and a refreshing undertone. Despite not being explicitly marketed as a cologne scent, its composition leans decidedly in that direction, making it a truly fantastic and masculine-leaning fragrance.
French Toast
Scent Notes: Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Bread, Vanilla, Spice & Maple
French Toast delivers a mouthwatering gourmand experience. The rich, buttery maple note takes center stage, complemented by brown sugar, a hint of butterscotch, and a delicate touch of cinnamon. It’s undeniably delicious, although the Maple Shortbread Cookies scent arguably captures the French Toast aroma even more accurately.
Frosted Rosemary
Scent Notes: Rosemary, Cypress, Wild Mint & Eucalyptus
Frosted Rosemary is an intensely minty and clarifying scent, reminiscent of a garden mint. It leans towards herbal rather than sweet, offering a pure mint fragrance with subtle undertones of sage, menthol, and eucalyptus. Notably absent are pine notes. This is an excellent choice for a refreshing and sinus-clearing melt, particularly soothing when you’re feeling under the weather.
Lemon & Blueberry Cupcakes
Scent Notes: Lemon Peel, Cream Cheese, Blueberry & Garden Mint
Lemon & Blueberry Cupcakes offers a delightful bakery-inspired aroma. The prominent lemon scent is reminiscent of lemon cheesecake, thanks to a cream cheese note, with a gentle touch of blueberry. It strikes a pleasant balance, avoiding excessive sweetness. While different from ScentSationals Lemon Blueberry Donuts (which is sweeter and more authentically blueberry-donut like), it shares similarities with Better Homes & Gardens Iced Lemon Poundcake and Oak & Rye Lemon Raspberry Bars. The inclusion of garden mint in the scent notes is unexpected, yet thankfully, no minty or herbal facets are detectable in the final fragrance.
Maple Shortbread Cookies
Scent Notes: Sugar Cane, Maple, Vanilla Bean & Shortbread
Maple Shortbread Cookies is a truly fantastic and delectable scent. Ironically, it arguably embodies the aroma of French Toast more effectively than the “French Toast” scent itself. It’s rich and buttery, dominated by maple, with a distinct cookie or slightly bready undertone. Cinnamon notes are absent, allowing the maple and cookie aspects to shine.
Pie Crust Cookies
Scent Notes: Pie Crust, Butter, Sugar & Cinnamon
Pie Crust Cookies delivers precisely what its name suggests: the comforting aroma of pie crust. However, the addition of cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg transforms it into something akin to pumpkin pie cookies or cinnamon spice cookies, rather than a plain pie crust. It evokes a warm and inviting baked goods fragrance without being overtly “pumpkiny.”
Red Apple & Fir
Scent Notes: Red Apple, Fir, Evergreen, Spruce & Wood
Red Apple & Fir is predominantly a pine scent with a subtle fruit accent. The fruit note leans more towards cranberry than apple, and it’s very understated, creating a composition that is approximately 95% pine and 5% cranberry. The pine itself is sharp and invigorating, rather than soft or smoky. It bears a strong resemblance to Better Homes & Gardens Fresh Cut Frasier, ScentSationals Vanilla Pine, and ScentSationals Sugar Pine – all characteristic “biting pine” scents from Rimports.
Red Mango & Mandarin
Scent Notes: Mango, Mandarin, Guava, Grapefruit & Orange
Red Mango & Mandarin is a fantastic, rich, and sweet citrus scent. It presents a predominantly orange aroma with a subtle salty undertone and a hint of lemon. It avoids the sourness of satsuma or the bitterness of grapefruit. A touch of tropical fruit adds complexity. While the scent is delightful, its longevity is relatively short, lasting only around 2 hours.
Rustic Wildflowers
Scent Notes: Sunflower, Marigold, Chrysanthemum & Meadow Grass
Rustic Wildflowers is a surprisingly woodsy and natural scent. It features wood and pine notes with a subtle herbal hint. It’s not sweet and lacks discernible floral notes. It even possesses a slightly savory quality, reminiscent of walking through a forest. Despite the inclusion of marigold and chrysanthemum, which are known for their bitterness, this scent is not bitter at all and is quite pleasant and grounded.
Spiced Apple Crisp
Scent Notes: Apple, Cinnamon, Salted Butter & Brown Sugar
Spiced Apple Crisp is a truly fantastic and authentic apple pie fragrance. It perfectly captures the essence of apple pie with nutmeg, cinnamon, and a generous dose of cloves. It’s a warm, inviting, and classic fall scent.
Teakwood & Oak
Scent Notes: Teakwood, Oak, Grapefruit, Tonka, Amber & Incense
Teakwood & Oak stands out as a highlight of this collection. It features a prominent oud note, characterized by a dark, intense, rich, woody aroma with tree sap and cedar nuances, devoid of smokiness, and with deep, slightly patchouli-like undertones. The scent is sweeter than pure oud, incorporating incense notes (Eastern spices and patchouli), hints of other woods, and amber for warmth. It’s an exceptionally captivating fragrance. While grapefruit is listed in the notes, it is undetectable. Interestingly, this scent was also available in the previous year’s Pioneer Woman wax melts collection, and the throw in this 2022 version was slightly weaker compared to the previous iteration.
In conclusion, the Pioneer Woman wax melts from 2022 offer a diverse range of scents, from gourmand delights to fresh and woodsy aromas. The charming packaging and affordable price point make them an attractive option for home fragrance enthusiasts. While scent throw and personal preferences vary, the collection provides a solid selection to explore.
