Monday, December 31, 2012

Off Topic Tuesday: Happy New Year!!

Today on Lolo Loves Scents, I am going to be starting a new set of Tuesday posts: Off Topic Tuesday! It might not happen every week, but I'll do my best to keep up the tradition! 

So, HAPPY NEW YEAR, everybody! :) 

Boy, 2012 was something else. Seriously.
After 2010, I didn't think it could get much worse...then 2012 reared its ugly, snarling face.

Welp, 2013 has to be better than last year. In fact, I'm going to make it my life's mission that 2013 will be the best year EVAR.
(...I feel like my best friend and I say this same exact thing every single year)

So, to kick Off Topic Tuesday off right, here's a picture of my wonderful, silly pup, Freddo! He's technically from 2011, but it's been to fun watching him grow for the first year of his life. He's a mini Schnauzer, and he's my first dog, well, a dog that's all my own, well, our own, ha!....

...PUP-CEPTION??????
This was taken a while ago, but he looks pretty much the same (just a bit bigger). I love this lil' guy!

Do you have any pets? Feel free to share photos or links to photos! :)

Review: Sniff My Tarts Coffee Bean

When faced with a tart on cold sniff, 94.725% of the time, I pretty much know off the bat if I'm going to like it or not. Very rarely am I surprised by something waxy. Do you feel the same way??
Well, this was a surprise.
...and unfortunately, not a welcome one.

This tart from Sniff My Tarts' in the scent Coffee Bean was purchased as part of a destash (look for an upcoming blog entry about my first destash experience). If you remember, I was a bit disappointed with my first SMT order because half of the tart cups and bags were broken; the first 2 scents I've melted from my order, though, have been AMAZING...

This, however, was not.

On cold sniff, it had a very strong coffee scent with a hint of a deeper espresso note. Also, I swear I smelled a faint rice krispies aroma while it was inside the baggie. While warming............well, let's just say I could not stomach it. I even had to throw the wax out before it was finishing melting completely...it was just not good, y'all. There was coffee alright, but it was skunky. I'm not even kidding, halfway through the melting process, I thought a skunk wandered into our house and sprayed all over everything!

When I opened the destash package, I thought, "gee, something stinks like a skunk...oh well, must just be me!"
NOPE.
It was salty skunk, too, and we all know SALTY SKUNKS ARE THE WORST KIND OF SKUNKS.

The throw was unfortunately strong. I don't know if it was just because of the destash box/bag/person, or if it truly smells like this, or if the wax was old, or something else, anything else...I want to give SMT the benefit of the doubt, but I can't overlook the fact that my curtains still smell like Pepe Le Pew.

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Sniff My Tarts Coffee Bean 
Cold Rating: 5.5/10; decent amount of strength, only notes of coffee, possibly espresso, some random rice krispies type of scent.
Lit Rating: 1/10; DROWNING SEA SALTED SKUNKS OF DOOM.
Throw Rating: 6/10; unfortunately rather strong.
Overall Rating: 3.5/10; I'm keeping the mindset that this was NOT the fault of Sniff My Tarts, but rather the person I bought it from. That's totally fine, but if it smelled like this to them, I wish they wouldn't have given it away, and I wish I wouldn't have paid for it!

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Weekend Wax Review: December 27-30

Waking up on the morning of December 22nd, 3 days before my favorite day of the entire year, I felt that all too familiar itchy and scratchy rawness in the back of my throat...
"...oh no," I thought, "I'm going to be sick on Christmas..."
...yup.

...I'm fairly certain I've infected given my cold to every single person I've ever met, so, if I saw you in person this week and you're reading this now, I'm sorry in advance for giving you the plague.

Needless to say, I didn't melt ANYTHING until Thursday night, thus, the extra day in this weekend wax review.
So, Thursday night, I was digging through a bag of single wax tarts when I found Ollie's Soaps' Sinus Relief. DUH, why didn't I do Sinus Relief SOONER in my sickness?! This one was r-i-d-i-c-u-l-o-u-s-l-y STRONG! It really helped with my stuffy nose. In fact, it was a nice, soothing scent, with a bit of medicinal note underneath. On cold sniff, 7/10. While warming, 7/10. The throw was a 6.5/10, for a total of 7/10!
I got my Haley's Heavenly Scents order on Christmas eve, YAY for early waxages (this is what I call a package of wax...Josh thinks I'm nuts, but he says it now, too, HA!)! However, due to the cold, I could not smell anything until the weekend. Friday night, we melted Snow Angels, which was a nice creamy mint scent. I couldn't place what it was while melting, but it smelled like butter. Josh didn't smell the same thing, though, so I chalked it up to my sickness. I don't like to check scent descriptions until AFTER I pour out the wax, so I can see if my ol' sniffer is/was on the right track. Sure enough, this was a buttercream mint Yankee type. On cold sniff, 6/10. While warming, 6/10. The throw wasn't too strong, 5/10, for a total of 6/10.
Blur city up in this picture...but anywho, Tiffany Candles' Snickerdoodle was a sample I've been sitting on for a few months. I was feeling like a cookie scent this morning, so I popped it in. WOW, this one was very pleasant! I'm generally not a cookie type of gal, but this was really, really nice! There was a rich, buttery note mixed in with a cinnamon sugar. On cold sniff, barely anything, 4.5/10, just the faintest hint of cookie. While warming, 6.5/10. This is in the old wax blend, but it was surprisingly strong with a 6.5/10. Overall, 6/10, and I'd love to try this in the new wax blend!
Last, but certainly not least, we have Sniff My Tarts' Pink Coconut Vanilla Butter Fudge...man, oh man, this was simply amazing. Between the creaminess of the coconut, the butteriness of the fudge, and the sweetness of the pink sugar, this has got to be one of my top 10 scents of the year, it was that good. WOWZA. On cold sniff, 7.5/10. While warming, 9.5/10. It was strong, too, 9/10. Grand total is 9/10. If you get a chance to order from this company, TRY. THIS. SCENT. It's incredible how these ladies can blend fragrances together to creating something fantastic!!

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Enjoy your week, everyone! :)

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Review: White Barn's Black Pepper Bergamot 14.5 oz 3-Wick Candles

It's okay to want to smell a man sometimes, right?

Not the unshowered, stinky foot scent of a man...(wonderful visual for a Saturday afternoon, eh??)

...I mean the fresh, musky, clean, aftershavey, sort of sexy and cologned scent of a man.

You know, how Robert Downey Jr. would probably smell if he happened to walk by you on the street.
Like a million dollars....

No?.....no?????

I'm of the opinion that, given the right type of masculine scent, this line of thinking is perfectly acceptable, dare I say normal.
...Plus, Robert Downey Jr.
Black Pepper Bergamot...where to begin. This is a 14.5oz candle, 3 wick, with plenty of problems. The scent is masculine, sexy, and peppery. I enjoy it thoroughly. I have had this candle since, oh I don't know, September? October? Well, I finally started burning it...
...and this is what I've gotten performance-ly speaking both times. A VERY uneven burn, no full wax pool whatsoever, and barely any scent throw. The photo above was taken 2.5 hours into the burn.

I am disappoint. This is fabulous scent marred by poor performance. As I have stated several times in this post, this is what I imagine Robert Downey Jr. smells like and now...I'll never know...

*cue long, deep gaze into a vast space of nothingness*

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White Barn's Black Pepper Bergamot
Cold Rating: 7.5/10; strong and sexy, you can really smell the pepper mixed in with bergamot.
Lit Rating: 2.5/10; pithy scent throw, uneven wax pool, no full wax pool, thin white wicks of death.
Throw Rating: 3/10; upper level strength, but not the strongest thing I've ever melted.
Overall Rating: 4/10; "Whatever happens, I'll leave it all to chance; Another heartache - another failed romance; On and on...Does anybody know what we are living for?" /end Queen's "The Show Must Go On." High hopes and shattered dreams. No Robert Downey Jr. sexiness.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Review: Rosegirls Apple Pumpkin Puff Pastry

Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful holiday, if you celebrate, and that you are all safe and happy! :)
My dear Josh bought me some CFTKR wax for Christmas!!! He made me open it last, he was so funny about it...I'm sure Carol was confused since he and I apparently placed orders like a day apart from one another, LOL.
He also bought me two candles from Bath & Body Works...
...and the 5 new 2013 Spring scents votives from Yankee Candle. It was a very waxy Christmas for me!

Anywho, onto the review!
Apple Pumpkin Puff Pastry is from a company called Rosegirls. One day, I just happened to be at the right place at the right time when their online store opened, and I got my hands on a mixed box of cake chunk melts. I believe it came with 20 chunks of wax for $25?? I don't quite remember, and their website is close right now. Out of the 20, there were only a few that did not "smell" like "me" (well, "us"). I have not tried this company before...
...and let me tell you: if everything smells as good as Apple Pumpkin Puff Pastry, then Rosegirls is amazing.

It took a while for this chunk to get going. It started off timid in scent, but then kept growing and growing...every 5 minutes, there was a new scent involved: first apple, then cinnamon, then pumpkin, then a hint of clove, a tiny hint of puff pastry, then vanilla, more cinnamon apples...it's simple fabulous. Once the initial timidity was over, it also got very, very strong, like, throughout the house strong. I am absolutely writing this scent combination down to repurchase, it's right up our alley!

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Rosegirls' Apple Pumpkin Puff Pastry
Cold Rating: 7.5/10; you can definitely smell each of the main ingredients on cold sniff, and a very other players, as well.
Lit Rating: 9/10; fabulous combination of fruit, spice, and a hint of bakery, too!
Throw Rating: 8.5/10; upper level strength, but not the strongest thing I've ever melted.
Overall Rating: 8/10; a winner in my book! I have heard great things about this company, and I am looking forward to melting my other chunk melts as time progresses. Great, strong apple cinnamon type of fragrance. Thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Weekend Wax Review: December 21-23

Only 2 more days! Only 2 more days!!!!

This weekend has been absolutely insane. Between baking cookies with my mom and grandma all day Friday, shopping/wrapping/cooking on Saturday, and cleaning the house/more baking/picking up my friend at the airport/going to dinner/Lebowski today, I barely had any time to melt my precious wax! I did get through a few things earlier in the weekend, though.
First, I melted my sample of Pleasant Christmas from Ava's Country Cupboard. This scent was basically straight-up wood burning fireplace. It was nice, but got overwhelming. Even one tiny little gingerbread man packed a powerful punch. On cold sniff, 6.5/10. While warming, 6.5/10. The throw was 7/10, for a total of 6.5/10. I enjoyed it, but the smell of fireplace can get to be too much after a while.
Tiffany Candles Jelly Donut sample was....weird. There was a hint of sugary pastry, but I'm not sure if the fruit smell was a mix of something or what, like grape and something else?? It was pretty strange, and it did not perform well. The scent throw was not super strong, and I feel like you had to be right on top of it to get anything. This sample is in her old wax blend. On cold sniff, 5/10. While warming, 4/10. The throw was 4/10, for a total of 4/10.
I was less than pleased when my Sniff My Tarts order came and half the containers were broken. However, as long as the wax is good, it doesn't really matter in the long run. Lemon Danish Sticky Marshmallow was a chunk sample I got with my order...AND IT WAS AWESOME. It smelled like lemon danish mixed with creamy fruit loops or Trix cereal! The throw was pretty strong, and it lasted all afternoon and into the next night. I was super, super impressed. On cold sniff, 7/10. While warming 8/10. The throw was a 7.5/10, overall it was a 7.5/10. Like I said, impressive!
Not a fan of this one at all. For a split second, it smelled bready, but then the yeast combined with blueberry to morph into something that smelled like blueberry Go-Gurt. YEESH! I think I will stick to sweet breads from Front Porch, not fruity breads. On cold sniff, 5/10. While warming, 3/10. Throw was 5/10, for a total of 4.5/10.
This photo does not do this scent shot justice...the color of Pink Toasty Marshmallow from Beezy Tarts was a RADIANT, absolutely brilliant hot pink and everything I own must now be turned into this color. This scent was S-T-R-O-N-G and wonderful! In its cup, the only thing I could smell was pink sugar, but while it was warming, it turned into this creamy, toasty mix of pink sugar and marshmallow. It was such a lovely surprise since a lot of marshmallow scents aren't super strong! On cold sniff, 7/10. While warming, 8/10, and it lasted for almost 2 days. The throw was about a 7.5/10, for a total of 7.5/10! Beezy Tarts continues to be a rising star in my book! :)
Finally, we have Hot Toddy from Candles from the Keeping Room...as a side note, have you SEEN the list of remakes Carol has been working on for her re-open after the holidays?! OMG, it's HUGE. It's going to take all of my being not to place an order, ha! Hot Toddy smelled better cold, actually. The throw was alright, but it just didn't perform as well as something like Mulled Cider or another apple scent. It was nice and appley, though, it just stayed in one room! On cold sniff, 7/10. While melting, 6/10. The throw was 5.5/10, for a total of 6/10.
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In case I don't get around to updating again before the actual holiday, Merry Christmas, all!
What are your plans, anything fun? Anyone traveling?
Monday morning we're doing Christmas with my brother-in-law and his family, then that night we're going to my friend's house for dinner. Christmas morning will be at my mom's, and then we're having appetizers and dessert at our place! It's going to be a jam-packed few days! Be safe and have a wonderful time, oh, and don't forget to melt some wax while you're at it! :)

Friday, December 21, 2012

Review: Front Porch's Smoochin' By The Fire

Front Porch and I have a love/hate relationship...
...allow me to explain before you jump to conclusions!

I LOVE this vendor. Their bakery scents are fantabulous and have made me, a well-documented non-bakery lover, a huge fan in bread, pastry, and cookie scents. The hate, however, should be obvious:
1) They charge $0.00 for shipping.
2) They ship your packages pretty fast.
And THE BIGGEST OFFENDER OF THEM ALL: 3) They post new stock EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Is this MY hangup? Yes, completely. Could I remove myself from their email updates, Facebook fan page, and private wax group? Yes, I could...but I don't. It's for the best, really. I have to know what's coming out when! I have to be in the Front Porch loop! OH WELL. Don't judge me!

Marshmallow Fireside is not only one of the top Bath & Body Works scents to the general public, and it has found a new fan in me this fall/winter season. A hint of marshmallow sweetness mixes perfectly with the toasting on an open fire smell.
Smoochin' by the Fire is supposed to be a Marshmallow Fireside dupe, if I'm not mistaken. It is DEFINITELY an attempt, but it is much smokier than its B&BW counterpart; while I don't mind smoky scents, this one was a bit overpowering. I would have liked to smell a bit more vanilla and/or marshmallow in this scent, but overall, it was a really close dupe! I'd definitely purchase this scent again.

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Front Porch's Smoochin' by the Fire
Cold Rating: 5.5/10; not super strong in any scent except for smoke/fire/fireplace.
Lit Rating: 5.5/10; good smell, but the smoke is overpowering. Can't tell if I liked it or not!
Throw Rating: 6.5/10; medium strength, a little overwhelming when it competed with the Christmas tree in the living room!
Overall Rating: 6/10; I enjoyed the experience of this scent. Felt like I was toasting marshmallows at a bonfire. Infinite warmth from a bonfire. Fire. Cold (In San Diego, cold is 50 degrees to us).

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Wickless Wednesday: Bath & Body Works Cherry Blossom Fine Fragrance Mist

Good perfume/body spray is hard to come by, in my opinion. I've smelled most of the fragrance mists at one time or another from Bath & Body Works, with the exception of a few newer scents. Overall...
...one of my favorites is Cherry Blossom. No, not Japanese Cherry Blossom, just straight Cherry Blossom. As you can see, in the two months I've had it, I've used quite a bit! This scent often goes by the wayside because B&BW offers so many other different and more versatile fragrances...bottom line, people forget about this scent. I had no idea it existed until I swapped out a few fine fragrance mists from an online order; I thought I would love them, ended up hating them, and exchanged them. Well friends, this is an alluring, sexy mix of floral with slightly fruity notes mixed in. It's a bit musky, a bit feminine...all in all, one of my favs! On cold sniff, 8/10. While wearing, 6.5/10: as with so many other B&BW fragrances, the scent doesn't stick around long, but you can get wisps of it throughout the day. The throw/longevity is about 6/10, for a 7/10 overall total. Hopefully it doesn't go away anytime soon!

Review: Ollie's Soaps Donut Shop, NEW Lemon Cheesecake, Pumpkin Souffle, and Zucchini Bread Noel

Over the last few days, I have been on a bakery kick...yes, me, the one who said she didn't like bakery scents. Live and learn what you like, folks! Some bakery stuff isn't too bad! We're allowed to change our minds, right?!

Welp, as I said in my last post about Ollie's Soaps, I was planning to do another comprehensive review of some of Ayano's products before receiving my surprise package. What better way to indulge than by melting, you guessed it, melt-a-palooza of Ollie's Soaps' bakery scents! :)
I started off my bakery kick with Donut Shop, and what an amazing choice it was! Donut Shop seems to be hit or miss: some vendors make the scent too strong on the bread/yeast/butter, and others make them perfectly, Ayano included. This is more of a cinnamony donut scent, which I LOVE! You really get the smell of walking into a freshly baked donut shop and gawking at the pastries with sparkling cinnamon and sugar crystals on top! So yummy! On cold sniff, 6.5/10, it smells like your basic donut scent with mild tones of cinnamon. While melting, 7.5/10. The throw was a 7/10, pretty strong and did the trick. Overall, 7/10: cinnamony wisps of wonderment. Delicious visions of donuts. Perfect puffs of pastry. This made no sense, but it was grand!
Well, I hate to bring it back up, but my first go around with Ollie's Soaps' lemon cheesecake was not so pleasant. She has changed her scent combination and it has really redeemed itself this time around. You get the creaminess of the cheesecake with a touch of buttery graham crackers layered underneath a bright but silky lemon note. Really, really good job on this blend, Ayano! It wasn't super strong for very long, but it was certainly a welcomed treat. On cold sniff, 5.5/10. While warming, 6.5/10. The throw was about a 6/10, for a total of 6/10! Redemption is sweet (like cheesecake, GET IT??!). :)
Alls I know about a souffle is that it's supposedly one of the hardest things to make properly in the culinary world. I've never had one, so I don't know how to describe them. Basically, it's a puffed-up cake made from egg whites, and can be savory OR sweet. Sounds yummy! Well, pumpkin souffle was definitely a heavier scent, very, very bakery, with a hint of pumpkin. Not super sweet, but pretty rich smelling. It lingered long after I turned off the warmer, too. On cold sniff, 5/10, all I got was a eggy note. While warming, 5.5/10, not much pumpkin, but it wasn't too bad. Throw was 6/10, for a total of 5.5/10...not my favorite, but certainly not bad!
There have been a few zucchini blends that just didn't do it for me: they were either too yeasty and bready, or too savory. Well, this is the perfect blend between yeast and sweet and bread and zucchini. The vanilla bean noel really tones down the breadiness and zucchininess of this scent! I swear there was a hint of a cinnmony note in it, too, which made it all the better. I truly enjoyed this scent. It lasted a long time and even overpowered the Christmas tree in the living room! On cold sniff, 6/10. While warming, 8/10. Throe was 8/10 for a total of 7.5/10. Very, very nice zucchini blend, and I recommend you get your hands on this!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Review: Tiffany Candles' Sinus Relief

Josh asked me the other night if I had anything waxy that could help with a stuffed-up nose. He has pretty bad allergies from time to time. I was shocked that he asked me for an aromatic fix! Dare I say he might even be taking an interest in the wax world!?
Tiffany Candles Sinus Relief may not have cured his allergies, but it was a pleasant scent. There was definitely a combination of both peppermint and spearmint, because straight spearmint or straight peppermint can get overwhelming if they aren't blended properly. This scent shot in Tiffany's old wax does a great job of mixing the two. There was also some eucalyptus in the scent as well, but it wasn't overly dominant. Frankly, I would have liked this scent to be a bit stronger, but it was nice and lulling for sleep time. I think I purchased this a while back in their new wax blend, so I will have to dig it out and see if I can tell the difference. If you like herbal, soothing scents, this one's for you!

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Tiffany Candles Sinus Relief
Cold Rating: 4/10; not much of anything except a bit of a minty smell.
Lit Rating: 6/10; you definitely get a little bit of peppermint and spearmint, a hint of eucalyptus, but it's not super strong. I enjoyed this smell, though.
Throw Rating: 4.5/10; it stayed in the bedroom mainly, nothing too powerful; we needed something localized for sleeping, anyway.
Overall Rating: 5/10; a so-so throw and a not-so strong scent makes this an average scent shot. I have a hunch that the new wax will be strong, which is good because I really do enjoy this scent for a nighttime relaxation tool!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Dud Candles!

Candles should come with the following warning label:

"We fully intend on getting your hopes up, only to drown them in a perfectly tunneled pool of melted wax and dud wicks."

Well, okay, not ALL candles, but some should have this warning.

It seems as if I have been having a lot of trouble with my White Barn, Slatkin, and Bath & Body Works candles. From dud wicks to tunneling, I have now had to return/exchange a total of 5 candles. Luckily, Bath & Body Works has a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee return policy, so if you have a dud or just don't like it, then you can exchange or return the product.
-SIDEBAR- DO NOT burn a candle almost all the way to the bottom and then exchange them...that's basically stealing and you should be ashamed. Scoldy McScoldScold.

THIS IS NOT TO DISSUADE ANYONE FROM BUYING! Just letting you know.
...and I'm not the only one having these problems! TONS of people all over the internet have noted the same exact issues.

So, my friends, have you had this issue with your candles, regardless of where you purchased them? Let me know, and if you have any tips or trick to fix bad burns, measly wicks, or smoky candles, please let me know!

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Weekend Wax Review: December 14-16

Hi again! Sorry about the sad post yesterday, I was just feeling overcome with sadness. This is going to be Josh's (and my) first Christmas without his mom and grandma, and he's taking it pretty hard. The tragic incident in Newtown, CT only exacerbated the sadness.

And now, back to wax. Anywho, I melted some stuff this weekend and tried my damnedest to complete my first Project Wax bag...and now I'm done! YAY! Time to move onto a new bag! I think it's easier to melt stuff if they are in one location instead of spread out all throughout the house. Let's get to what I melted this weekend!
First up was my Ava's Country Cupboard cinnamon cheesecake free sample. This scent was really, really pleasant. I got a creamy, cheesecake note right off the bat that melded into a cinnamon delight. On cold sniff, 5.5/10. While warming, 6.5/10. Throw was decent, 6/10. Overall, 6/10! I might even consider purchasing this one!
Josh requested something spicy the other day, so I chose Autumn Harvest from Crabby Candle Company. It was wonderful, very pumpkiny, cinnamony, and musky. I loved it! The throw was super strong and it lasted about 6-7 hours. Crabby Candle Co. makes very great wax products! On cold sniff, 6/10. While warming, 8/10. Throw was a 7/10, for a grand total of 7/10. Definitely a repurch!
Lately, I've been loving Bath & Body Works' Spice candle, which, apparently, is going to be part of the White Barn core collection! Yay! It's very spicy, obviously, with dried orange peel and bit of mild vanilla mixed in. The burn has been even and clean, and I love the photo on the label, very classic. On old sniff, it's a 7/10, fabulous. While burning, the same, 7/10. The throw is a little bit less around a 6.5/10. Overall, 7/10, one of my favorites from Bath & Body Works, and I will definitely buy again! SALE NOTICE: Candles are 2/$20 right now, but I'm pretty sure they are jumping up to 2/$22 permanently next year. BOO.
Do you remember Chupa Chups? When I was a wee lass, these lollipops were all the rage, plus, they were featured in "Spice World." Don't you DARE judge me about this flaw-free movie!!!!! Anywho, this smells like a strawberries and cream Chupa Chups lollipop. I liked Paradise from Tiffany Candles, but Josh did not; he said it smelled like sour milk! This is the first time we've maaaaaajorly disagreed on a scent. On cold throw, 4/10, you only get cream and hardly any strawberry. While warming, 5.5/10. The throw was strong at first but fizzled quickly, so 4/10. Overall, the total comes to 4.5/10. I wouldn't repurchase this one just because Josh didn't enjoy it...can't wait until we try CFTKR's sugar milk, LOL. Just FYI: the wax portion of Tiffany's site is closed until the new year, so save up your money!
Front Porch....oh, Front Porch......how I love thee. Pumpkin Eggnog sounded interesting to me, so I decided to melt it this weekend. I was NOT disappointed! The throw on this little tart was strong! I find myself loving the grubby tarts more and more, as opposed to any other type. They are such a perfect shape and don't require any cutting. You really get a wonderful blend of pumpkin and creamy eggnog in this one. Just a note: I have not yet had a cup of eggnog yet this holiday season. On cold sniff, 6/10. While warming, 7.5/10. The throw was medium, 6/10. Overall, a 6.5/10. I would repurchase one or two of these again!
I got these little gingerbread men in Sugar Corn Pudding from the Simply Sensational Sampler. I was unsure about this at first since it is so outside anything I would ever buy or like. But, I was pleasantly surprised! You definitely smelled corn, sugar, butter, and sweetness, without it being too corny or buttery. I also got a maple note in this, and a heavy one at that; it started out on the lighter side (the maple/sweet note), but grew and grew. On cold sniff, all I got was corn, so that's why I got nervous, 4.5/10. On warm throw, 6/10. The throw was good, 6/10. Overall, 5.5/10. Not sure if I would buy this, but it was nice to try!
This small jar candle from Yankee in Home for the Holidays burned fantastically, as you can see from the above photo. I burned it for a reeeeeeeally long time. The throw was in the middle range, and it went up and down. It was a nice mix of cinnamon/clove and balsam/cedarwood, with a hint of fruit in the mix as well. I enjoyed it, I might stick it on my warmer next time because the wick was crazy sooty, which has never happened to me! On cold sniff, 5/10. On warm throw, 6/10. Throw was 5.5/10, for an overall total of 5.5/10.
This is my first experience with Beezy Tarts; I placed a small RTS (ready to ship) order and chose some of my favorite scents that were still available. My tarts came SUPER fast, and my order included 2 sample, a baggie filled with candy, and a huuuuuge chunk of soap! Pumpkin Creme Brulee was a super strong creamy pumpkin type of smell with maybe a bit of an eggy/custardy note. I enjoyed my first sample from this company, in a cute donut shape! On cold sniff, 6.5/10. While warming, 6.5/10. The throw was a 7/10. Overall, 6.5/10.
Pics, Petals & Scents has been in the last 2 Simply Sensational Sampler boxes. The last sample I melted from this company was awesome, very spicy, very fall. Sugared Spruce is very winter, and I'm not sure how I feel about the scent in general. It was a very lovely tree scent, and you definitely got a sweetness, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. It performed well, threw a strong scent throw, but....ehh. On cold throw, 7/10. On warm throw, 5/10, decent. The throw was a 7 as well, for a total of 6/10, I just wouldn't repurchase it. That doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to what Pics, Petals & Scents has to offer in the new year!

That's my weekend wax review! Only 9 days until Christmas, w0ot! Enjoy, do your shopping early (MOM), and happy melting!! :)

Project Wax Round 1, update #4

*Any items substituted will be noted as such and replaced with something different*

COMPLETED! I moved two things to the next bag because they were larger cubes...next time I won't add full clam shells.

*Project Wax #1* (start date: November 13, 2012)

Kim's Tarts
-Christmas Wish (3 pack)
-Fruit Loops (3 pack)
-Farmhouse Cider (3 pack)
-Trick of Treat (3 pack)
-Chestnuts and Brown Sugar sample
-Leaves sample
-Praline Pound Cake sample
-White Christmas (3 pack)
-Christmas Splendor (3 pack)
-Christmas Eve (3 pack)

Ollie's Soaps
-Pumpkin Souffle sample (2 pumpkins)
-Lemon Cheesecake sample
-Grapefruit Melon sample
-Peppermint Apple sample scalloped tart
-Pink Peppermint scalloped tart
-Donut Shop scalloped tart*
-Zucchini Bread Noel scalloped tart
-Brandied Pear scalloped tart

Front Porch
-Buttercream and Coconut
-Amish Friendship Bread
-Lime Cookies
-Lavender Sugar Cookie Dough Bread
-Pumpkin Eggnog
-Purple and Pink Wine
-Lavender Marshmallow
-Lavender Love Dare 

Scentsy
-Pumpkin Marshmallow bar (7 cubes)

Candles From The Keeping Room
-Pumpkin and Pralines
-Pink Sugared Waffers* (repurchase, favorite, amazing, etc)
-Christmas Pudding sample
-Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll sample (replaced with Coffee Cake & Spice because I am giving this one away for Christmas!)
-Coffee Cake & Spice

Streetman Candle Company
-Pumpkin Sugar Cookie
-Strawberry Sugar

Rincon Scents
-Mango Cooler

Dutch Candle Company
-Autumn Forest

Yankee Candle
-Mistletoe
-Harvest
-Be Thankful
-Apple Pumpkin
-Autumn Leaves
-Christmas at the Beach
-North Pole
-Red Berry & Cedar

Pics, Petals & Scents
-Cozy Fall Nights 

JMae's Candles and Soaps
-Lemon Poppyseed
-Pineapple Orchid

My Candle Box
-Tinsel Me Pink itty bitty soy drops

The Bathing Garden
-2 cubes of Sleigh Ride
-4 cubes of Jack Frost  --> -2 cubes of Jack Frost
-4 cubes of Snowed In --> 2 cubes of Snowed In

Ava's Country Cupboard
-Christmas Splendor sample
-Pleasant Christmas sample
-Cinnamon Cheesecake sample (added in place of a tart I gave away)

Tiffany Candles
-Paradise scent shot
-Fruity Loops scent shot
-Coconut & Pineapple scalloped tart

Granny's Kountry Candles
-Tank Tops & Flip Flops scent shot
-Home Sweet Home scent shot (...so...I have no idea where this scent shot went...it can't just get up and walk away, but it's nowhere to be found, LOL. I'll just count this as a loss, since I've added so much other stuff in between making me original and final lists).

Sugar & Spice Gourmet Soy Candles
-Christmas Trees & Santa's Cookies*
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Red is week 1
Blue is week 2
Green is week 3
Purple is week 4
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 Not sure what Project Wax is all about? CLICK HERE to find out!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Off Topic Tuesday: Recent Horror in Newtown, CT

I don't live in Connecticut, in fact, I live on the other side of the country. I don't (think I) know anyone in Connecticut. It's been a long time since I've been in elementary school. Josh and I don't have children of our own...

...But none of this means I don't have a heart or soul that aches this morning.

I think we all feel the same way today after what happened in Newtown, CT yesterday. We are sad, we are angry, we want answers to why someone, an individual so heartless, could stoop to the level he did, could do what he did...
Will this make it better, knowing why he did it? No, it won't.
Will it bring back the innocent lives lost? No, unfortunately, it won't.
Will it change anything? We can only hope horrific incidents like this might change policies, opinions, and attitudes for the better. I'm not going to get political, and understand that there are two sides to every issue, but SOMETHING has to change. SOMEONE has to give. We're getting nowhere, and have been getting nowhere for a long time.

I cried off and on yesterday because of this senseless tragedy, yet I kept myself glued to the television off and on. It's so, so depressing, gut-wrenching, deplorable...those poor children and innocent victims...so many words to describe the one word that keeps popping up in my head: STOP. Stop the hatred, stop the violence, stop the aggression.

Hug the ones you love tightly because, luckily, we get another day with them. Also, please keep Newtown, CT in your hearts and thoughts. This is not okay.

*Candle related to this cause: if you want to help out, CLARO candle is giving 100% of the proceeds of their 'special cause' candle directly to the victims and their families, and those impacted by this tragedy. Visit http://clarocandles.com/ to buy one and donate.
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**I just felt so overwhelmed by this that I had to share my thoughts. Hope you all understand...if not, regular fun, happy wax news will resume tomorrow.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Review: The Scented Princess' Glazed Jelly Donut Cookie

Do you like donuts? I do, I do!

I think it's the neatest thing that my mom and her boyfriend get donuts almost every Saturday. It's a cool tradition to have with someone! One donut a week won't kill you!
This is the next best thing to a real jelly donut, minus the calories, of course. I have tried, oh, about 3 or 4 donut scents from various vendors, but this one takes the cake (har-har-har, pastry pun!!!!!!!). The Scented Princess has a wide variety of fabulous scents and received A TON of love during her BOGO Black Friday sale. I got this sample of glazed jelly donut cookie in the Simply Sensational Box. What it lacks in throw it makes up for in scent. It really does smell just like a jelly donut, glazed and all, with a hint of cookie. I did, however, have to be close to the warmer in order to smell it. That being said, it had a great fragrance!

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The Scented Princess' Glazed Jelly Donut Cookie
Cold Rating: 5.5/10; not the strongest on cold throw, but you can definitely smell the glaze, the donut, and a hint of cookie.
Lit Rating: 6.5/10; love the scent, it smells like you just walked into a bakery that had finished a fresh round of jelly donuts! YUM!
Throw Rating: 5/10; it stayed in the bedroom, but you had to be right on top of it to smell anything powerfully.
Overall Rating: 5.5/10; the truest jelly donut scent I have smelled to date. Love the stocking shape, so festive! Makes me want to always purchase the Simply Sensational Sampler. Unfortunately, it made me want donuts at 8pm...looking forward to when my tarts from this vendor will be done curing. :)

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Haul: Sniff My Tarts Haul #1

I have been so looking forward to receiving my package from Sniff My Tarts, a highly recommended online wax chunk vendor. I first heard about Sniff My Tarts from ErinMakinScents, a wax YouTuber that I follow. She RAVES about this company. It's cool to note that this is a mother-daughter company, run by Donna and Amy.

It just so happens that when they re-opened their site, they were having a sale on chunks and tart cups (scent shots): if you bought 1 scent shot, you could get another one for free (in the same scent), and if you bought an 8oz. bag of chunks, you could get a 4oz. bag of the same scent for free (I think it was buy 8oz. get 4oz. free, but I don't remember since I only bought scent shots.). If I have not yet tried a wax vendor, my process is simple: buy from the company only when they have a sale, and try to get a good variety of my go-to favorites (cinnamons, citruses, pinks, serendipity scents, spicy scents). Since 8 ounces plus another 4 ounces seemed like A LOT of wax to try for my very first order, I decided to go with the scent shots...you never know, what one person raves about you might end up hating, then be stuck with 12 ounces of icky. As per the Sniff My Tarts private wax group on Facebook, the owners let us know that 18 (2 of each scent, for a total of 9 scents) tart cups would fit comfortably in a priority flat-rate envelope from USPS; since I knew that, if I chose this option, shipping would only be about $6, I decided to narrow my selections down to 9 scents in order to save on shipping...

...boy, was that a mistake.
This is how my order looked when all was said and done. Out of 18 scent shots, half of them had packaging that was destroyed. As you can see, the vendor tried to keep the lids on with tape, but it didn't work very well.
The cups and lids were crunched and broken, some lids even ripped across the entire length of the lid. The wax was crumbling all over the place...I have no idea if this happened because of the way it was packaged and sent or if it happened at the post office and/or in transit, but this is not okay. I wouldn't have had a problem with this but the owners specifically said that 18 cups would fit just fine in a flat-rate envelope. The envelope was wrapped so tightly with tape that it was compressed into a package-ball.
Like I said, one or two would have been okay with me, I understand stuff gets messed up in transit...but 9?! What the heck happened??!! It's sort of ridiculous, actually, and I wonder if they have this problem all the time with their shipments? I guess I learned my lesson...only get stuff sent to me in a flat-rate box, even if it costs more money to do so.
Fortunately, everything smells really great, but I don't have any cellophane or Ziploc baggies to put my tarts into...so I was forced to wrap them with aluminum foil for the time being. I know that the plastic baggies we have suck the scent out of the wax, so that's a no-go.
These are all different scents, folks. Most of what I purchased was either a blend with pink sugar or cotton candy, thus the pink tint to most of my tarts. I've never had this problem ever before, with tart cups/lids OR packaging problems, so I am just here to share my experience.
Another thing is that the bags these tart cups were wrapped in was completely torn apart, and not just a little...I mean end to end. The only thing holding this together is the ribbon at the top. :(

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I am disappointed. Like I said, I've never had this problem in my wax travels. If I want to order from Sniff My Tarts again, I now have the feeling like I'm almost forced to buy the more expensive chunks (which come in cello baggies, if I'm not mistaken) to prevent this problem from happening again. Luckily, I can tell I'm really going to enjoy melting their wax...everything smells just superb. At the end of the day, I guess this is what matters, I just wish  my package didn't get destroyed!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Review: Candles From The Keeping Room's Blackberry Jam Butter Cookie

If you've read my blog at all in the last month, you'll now that I have recently purchased products from Candles From The Keeping Room for the first time. You will also know I have loved each of Carol's products I have tried so far...
...and while this scent is alright, that's all it is. Blackberry Jam Butter Cookie is a scent that is talked about quite a lot on Facebook wax groups and YouTube; people LOVE this scent because it often so perfectly blends the fruity blackberry scent with a creamy, buttery cookie note. Unfortunately, CFTKR does include this fruity blackberry fragrance, but whatever the cookie note is gets lost in a sea of floral randomness.In addition to this, it's not very strong at all. I'm also not sure what caused the floral note, but it was just weird. There was almost no cookie scent in this, a tiny bit of butter, and then a random flower overtone. I am not a fan, and luckily I didn't pick a bag of this specific scent up in my last order. There are still many, many, many other scents I prefer, and still love Carol's work and everything she does for her customers! :)

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Candles From The Keeping Room's Blackberry Jam Butter Cookie
Cold Rating: 4/10; there's a hint of a buttery fragrance, a tiny bit of fruit, but nothing more.
Lit Rating: 4/10; weird floral note overpowers the tiny bit of blackberry and butter cookie you get from this scent. Sort of perfumey, sort of floraly.
Throw Rating: 4/10; it stayed in the bedroom and didn't drift too far, just average.
Overall Rating: 4/10; I'm sad to report this is the first CFTKR scent I have not absolutely loved, but there is plenty more time to try all my other fabulous samples and purchased items! :)

Monday, December 10, 2012

Weekend Wax Review: December 7-9

First off, I want to start by saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my mom! I love you very much, happy 30th birthday. ;)

In wax world news, I'm trying to finish my Project Wax bag before the new year begins. Next time I do a Project Wax assignment, I will give myself more realistic expectations and I won't keep adding things to the bag!

This week, we bought and decorated our Christmas tree! YAY! We melted quite a bit, but wanted to enjoy the tree, too!

...After the hell of a year that we've had, we're trying to remain positive about the holiday, even though it's sad and hard to do so. There's a local radio station here in San Diego that plays non-stop Christmas music from Thanksgiving to Christmas day, and well, it's literally been on at our house every single day since Turkey day; we're just trying to keep our spirits bright!
*It's interesting to note that, each year that Josh and I have lived together (this being the third), there have been one or two specific songs that play EVERY SINGLE TIME we turn on Christmas music channels. This year, the songs are "Blue Christmas" by Elvis Presley (which is only 'the song' this year because, at a wine party with our friends, I said how much I dislike Elvis, LOL) and "Christmas in the Sand" by Colbie Caillat. I'm not exaggerating, it's ever freaking time. I'm getting off track...onto the weekend wax reviews!
...I need to learn to stay away from Front Porch's lavender scents. Straight-up Sugar Cookie Dough Bread is one of my favorite scents from this company, but it is so overpowered by the lavender that I just didn't like it at all. It was strong, and people LOVE their lavender blends, but I've been so spoiled by Tiffany Candles' lavender that I think anything else won't be up to par for me. Oh well, no love lost for the company. On cold sniff, 5/10: you get the lavender and the sugar cookie dough bread, and it smells alright. On warm sniff, 4/10, way too much lavender. Throw rating, 7/10, super strong, traveled all around the house and even overpowered the Christmas tree! Overall, 5.5/10: not my favorite, but you can't count things down if they are strong!
This was a new scent for me from Front Porch. It is an in-house blend, described as a mix of sugary cookies and lime filling. Less sugar cookie, more lime explosion. Just a lovely mix of bakery and citrus! I really enjoyed this one. On cold sniff, 7/10. On warm sniff, 7.5/10. The throw was strong, with a 7. Overall, 7/10!
I love lemon scents. Lemon Poppyseed by JMae's Soaps & Candles was fantastic! It was such a great mix of bakery/muffin/cake and lemon. On the top of this scent shot are little tiny black crystals of sugar (I think) made to look like poppy seeds! On cold sniff, 5.5/10, it wasn't too terribly strong on cold sniff. On warm sniff, 7.5/10. Throw is about a 6/10. Overall, 6/10! Loved this one!
Winter Dreams is a cinnamony, piney, berry scent blended together. Note that this is in their old wax blend, but it was still pretty strong. I enjoyed the scent and it was perfect as a Christmas scent! On cold sniff, 5/10, just a small amount of pine and cinnamon, but no berry. While melting, 6/10. Throw was 6/10. Overall, 6/10, not my favorite from Tiffany Candles, but still a great scent!
I've been trying to melt my samples from Ava's Country Cupboard, they have been pretty enjoyable!...but Christmas Splendor was nothing like the scent description of apple, fir, balsam, oak, and cinnamon...it pretty much smelled like artificial cherry chapstick. I did not like it, and was disappointed because I was really looking for it. On cold sniff, 4/10. While melting, 3.5/10. Throw was measly, 4/10. 4/10 overall, misnamed and not enjoyable.
This was my favorite tart this month, and one of the best scents I have ever melted. Wildberry Noel...in a word, perfection. It smells like raspberry Zingers! Truly magnificent, and Carol has done it once again. Is there anything Candles from the Keeping Room CAN'T do?! On cold sniff, 8.5/10. While warming, 9/10. Throw, 8/10. Overall, 8.5/10. Stellar scent!
Cozy Fall Nights from Pics, Petals & Scents is a perfect combination of apples and cinnamon! Great scent while warming, decent strength, and it lasted a few hours. I like the unique variety of shapes this sample had (from the Simply Sensational Sampler November box). On cold sniff, 7/10. While warming, 7.5/10. Throw was a little bit less at a 6/10. Overall, 7/10.
Here's the second of the two mystery tarts I got from my last order with The Bathing Garden. This has been sitting for a few months, since the last time I ordered was a while ago. I'm not sure why, but out of the two mystery tarts, I preferred the other one. This one had an odd note to it, maybe a heavy allspice or a different type of spice? Nothing I recognized or cared for much. On cold sniff, 6.5/10. While warming, 4.5/10. Throw was decent, 6/10. Overall, 5.5/10.
The last tart I melted was the most disappointing. Mango Cooler from Rincon Scents was very artificially sweet smelling...it almost had a Kool-Aid sort of odor. It was strong, but the scent nearly choked me unconscious with its sugary, tropical smell! I did not like it very much, but someone who likes super sugary or exceptionally fruity scents will probably dig this. On cold sniff, 6/10. On warm sniff, 3.5/10. Throw was about a 7/10. Overall, 5.5/10. Unfortunately, if it were up to me, it'd be lower based on scent alone, but it performed well.
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Only 15 more days until Christmas! YAY!!!