Thursday, January 31, 2013

Haul: The Happy Little Bee Haul #1

The Happy Little Bee is a newish Etsy site that sells wax clamshells and scent shots! Yay for new vendors! Well, I heard that they were going to be in the upcoming February Simply Sensational Sampler box, so I checked them out. Their prices were fairly reasonable, so I placed a tiny order to get a feel for this company! Follow me!
This is the package I received; on it, the owner, Debbie, wrote "Fragile, Love Inside" on the envelope! How cute, huh? I just had to share that with you all, it totally made me smile. :)
Her packaging is SO FREAKING ADORABLE, yellow and black, like a little bee! The curled ribbon was a cute touch, too. I loved this, and it is also good to note that everything was tightly secured because of the ribbon as well! (Ignore the box, that was from a different order)
Here is her business card and the note she left me in my package. She did include a few extras for me, which was super sweet. As always, we wax fiends do not expect freebies or extras, but we do enjoy them when we get them! Completely unrelated to this order, Debbie, if you happen to be reading, I like your handwriting. :)
Let's start with the freebies, shall we? She sent me scent shots in Hawaiian Mist (one I was debating back and forth about getting, but opted not to), Cherry Popsicle (Josh's favorite of the entire package), and, wait for it, FRESH DILL PICKLES. I actually ordered this one, so I am excited to try it! YAY! 
*Also, please note, as per her Etsy page, while her scent shots are in 2 oz. containers, her scent shots are between 1.25-1.50 oz. full. This is not a problem because I knew about it ahead of time, I just wonder if maybe the owner would want to save herself money and get smaller containers? I think the larger ones are more expensive! Lasting Scent Candles uses smaller containers (not as deep), I believe (they are obviously smaller than the 2 oz. cups), so they do make them somewhere. I'd hate for start-up company to get lots of complaints because customer don't always read the descriptions well!
This is the only clamshell I got in my order and it is in the scent Honey Almond. You get both the honey and almond notes, yet they aren't super strong, I'd say a 5.5/10 on cold sniff. I am going to let these cure, but I did read somewhere on her page that this is a light scent. Totally fine by me, I want to enjoy Honey Almond as a background note most of the time, not as something that will punch me in the face with strength. Also, her little bee logo is adorable!
Here's my 6-pack in all its glory! From left to right, top to bottom, we have: FRESH DILL PICKLES!!! (so excited to try this weird, unique scent!), Buttered Popcorn (yet again, another unique scent), Orange Buttercream Cupcake (very, very lovely), Blackberry Jam (pretty nice), Doctor Pepper (smells more like the chapstick than the soda), and Cinnamon Apples (you can't go wrong with this scent). I am super excited to try these out, but I will let them cure at least 2 weeks before I melt them.

Hope you enjoyed my haul! She's only got a limited amount of scents on her Etsy page right now, but I think I got the best of them all! Unique, different scents is what I'm up to trying these days. Also, visit her Facebook page by clicking the link right here!!

Review: Tiffany Candles High Maintenance (NEW SCENT!)

Tiffany Candles has always won me over in the past, but this sampler has been hit and miss for me. Some of the scents have not been my cup of tea, and other have surprised me.
The scent description for one of their new scents, "High Maintenance," reads: A fab blend of red fruits….raspberry, strawberry & cranberry; enhanced by apples & licorice, with light floral tones of gardenia, jasmine & heliotrope; background of exotic woods & white musk create a lingering warmth. Do I get fruit? Absolutely. Musk and woods? Sure, a little bit. Licorice? No. LIGHT florals? No, only because this one was stronnnnng on the floral notes. It would have been nice to smell exactly what fruits were in this, but they all sort of melded together in one big blob of berry-sweetness. Also, I would have liked to get the licorice notes in this, I think it could have strongly enhanced the muskiness and perfuminess of this tart. This one was nice, I just don't know if I was a fan. I doubt I'd repurchase it because I am not devoted to anything floral, but it was a nice change of pace from my usual cinnamon/serendipity/mint line-up.

~~~~~~~~~~
Tiffany Candles High Maintenance
Cold Rating: 5/10; I pretty much only smell perfume with the slightest hint of berry undertone in this one.
Lit Rating: 5.5/10; the floral overpowers the fruit in this one; I get no licorice, which I would have liked to faintly smell. I don't know...I just wasn't a fan. Someone who liked berries and florals might appreciate this more.
Throw Rating: 6/10; it had a decent throw, but didn't linger too far outside the bedroom!
Overall Rating: 5.5/10; while this wasn't my favorite scent of the sampler pack, there were many other ones I did enjoy. This doesn't mean it's bad, I just wasn't a fan, as hard as I tried. On to the next scent!

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Review: Tiffany Candles Vanilla Sandalwood (NEW SCENT!)

Sandalwood is in a lot of candles and tarts as a background note. I don't think I really like sandalwood; in my opinion, it is often too potent, bordering the line between potpourri/woodsy and old lady's attic ever so slightly...
However, Tiffany Candles blend of vanilla and sandalwood is spectacular. Like I said, I'm usually not a fan, but, yet again, Tiffany has changed my perspective on what I know I hate. WHO AM I??????!!

I received this sample with my order from Tiffany when she reopened her website a couple weeks ago. I was excited to try a few of her new fragrances and push my own personal scent limits, but Vanilla Sandalwood? BLEH, I hate sandalwood, I thought to myself...I am sure glad I tried this one! Her Vanilla Sandalwood is very complex, yet slightly creamy. It has perfumey notes, but it doesn't smell too overwhelming. The vanilla definitely tones down the woodsy notes and made this one a definitely purchasable scent for me! If you think you won't like it, try it, you might surprise yourself!

~~~~~~~~~~
Tiffany Candles Vanilla Sandalwood 
Cold Rating: 6/10; muted slightly by the vanilla, you can definitely tell this has sandalwood in it. But, I pressed on...
Lit Rating: 7/10; ...and I am impressed once again! Creamy yet perfumey and woodsy, slightly floral...a great scent for the bathroom or kitchen, I'd imagine!
Throw Rating: 7/10; pretty good throw! I could smell it lingering out towards the living room. It did a fabulous job filling up our bedroom, that's for sure.
Overall Rating: 6.5/10; overall, I am impressed in both this tart and myself! I am walking a fine line between pressing my boundaries and knowing my limits when it comes to wax.* If I think something is too adventurous, I find myself trying it anyway...what's life if we hold back and don't try something?!

*If you thought this was a stretch for me (since I'm not a huge fan of florals or woodsy or perfumey scents), wait until you see what I have coming for y'all soon... ;)

Off Topic Tuesday: Favorite TV Shows

I hate to admit it, but I like watching TV, everything from the cartoon "Bob's Burgers" to the drama "Grey's Anatomy." I'm just a sucker for cheap entertainment.

My question for you on this week's Off Topic Tuesday is: What are some of your favorite TV shows?
Here are some of mine!
I hate to say "literally," but this is literally the greatest show on television. "Homeland" stars recent Golden Globe winners Claire Danes (as CIA agent and general crazy person Carrie Matheson) and Damian Lewis (as former P.O.W. and dude with suspected "ill-will towards America" Sargent Nicholas Brody), as well as Mandy Patinkin (as CIA bad-ass Saul Berenson). If you like shows with LOTS of twists and turns, this is the show for you. The characters are great, the suspense KILLS me, the actors are phenomenal, and the story....well, I really can't say too much without giving something away. This show just ended its second season, and will return in September 2013. Look for it on Showtime.
Kerry Washington plays professional "fixer" Olivia Pope on "Scandal," who we quickly discover is driven to keep a "clean" professional life, while entertaining a very "messy" personal one. She left her position at the White House to start her own professional "clean-up" business helping others fix their messes before they go public, but made sure to start an affair with the married president of the United States (Fitzgerald Grant, played by actor/director and resident Hottie McHotPants Tony Goldwyn) first. Ooooooo. SCANDALous! Olivia's team of often unethical, not always squeaky clean characters provides a great and entertaining show, and the chemistry between Washington and Goldwyn is dynamite! ABC is the place to be on Thursday nights.
"Parks and Recreation" is such a great show, and Josh, who doesn't generally watch TV, loves it! Between Ron Swanson's (Nick Offerman) moustache and love of meat to Leslie Knope's (Amy Poehler) eagerness to do a good, noble job cleaning up her city of Pawnee, hilarity ensues each Thursday night on NBC (luckily, on at a different time now instead of airing the same time as "Grey's Anatomy" or "Scandal". You can tell the cast really gets along well, and each character provides a different type of humor, making this one of the funniest shows on TV.
Once Conan O'Brien got screwed over by Jay Leno, I made a vow to follow him anywhere he went if he got a new show. Well, HE DID! "Conan" is now on TBS at 11:00pm. I make it a point to watch his show every single day, even if it's just his monologue, and I haven't missed a show yet. While is does seem a bit defeated over the entire NBC fiasco, my love for Conan will never die. :)

I'll leave the summaries at 3, but here is a list of some of the other shows I enjoy:
-Parenthood, I cry every single week I watch this show, and it's only getting better and better. The actors are fantastic, the story lines are depressing, and it really holds my attention.
-The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, obviously a fabulous, humorous look at the goings-on in America and around the world. Jon Stewart is my fav.
-Modern Family, about 3 different families of varied cultural backgrounds, ages, and sexual orientations, and how they all get along and live with one another.
-Raising Hope, a hilarious comedy about a guy with a dysfunctional and fun family who becomes a father at a fairly young age.
-The Ultimate Fighter, a reality show following MMA (mixed martial arts) fighters in their quest to become the next Ultimate Fighter and win a six-figure contact with the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).
-Archer, dirty but hilarious cartoon about an international spy named Sterling Archer.
-Pretty Little Liars, yes, I am 26 years old and I watch a show about teenagers in high school. IT'S A GUILTY PLEASURE SHOW, back up haters. ;)
-Cougar Town, NOT about women being cougars anymore! Courtney Cox at her finest (???).

Aaaaaaaand that's all, folks!

Monday, January 28, 2013

Review: Lasting Scent Candles Coconut Marshmallow Latte

It was raining this past week. Rainy, foggy, dim.
The forecast promised rain on Thursday and Friday morning that would fade as the afternoon arrived...
(...and I still maintain that being a weather person is the only job you can have where you can lie and get away with it...)
It rain most of Thursday and Friday...and Saturday and half of Sunday...(just in case you missed it, I live in San Diego...we don't get much water falling from the skies in these parts)

...where am I going with this? Not that I needed a reason, but rain means cold, and cold means coffee. How did I make this jump? Because I did, THAT'S why.
After the last coffee incident, I had sworn off all latte/mocha/frappa-who-see-wuts-it scents for a looooong time...but Lasting Scent Candles' Coconut Marshmallow Latte was calling my name the other day. The mix of sweet marshmallow, aromatic coffee, and rich, tropical coconut marry extremely well scent. So well, in fact, that it becomes WAY stronger once all the elements are added. This scent shot was just great, it lasted a really long time, and was super potent. It transported me to an island where it smells like coffee all the time...and I kind of liked it! I am addicted to coffee, I love it, and this was just fabulous. Give it a try! Makes me feel almost like I've got a piping hot drink in my hands.

~~~~~~~~~~
Lasting Scent Candles Coconut Marshmallow Latte
Cold Rating: 7/10; very potent on cold sniff; it will be noted that this wax is extremely soft in the cup, so it came out of the scent shot easily; full smelling experience. Every note gets its chance to shine.
Lit Rating: 8/10; simply amazing, like I brewed a fresh pot of coffee and shaved fresh coconut inside, topped with fluffy marshmallows. YUM!
Throw Rating: 8/10; super strong, distributed all across the house. IN YOUR FACE scent!
Overall Rating: 7.5/10; VAST improvement over my last coffee experience. Makes me want java now. Double-checking post to make sure I hadn't added extra letters wheen I speell theem ouut becausse C-O-F-F-E-E. Heh? Fre? ;)

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Weekend Wax Review: January 25-27

Good lord, this was a busy week!
The melting never stops around here, and it was a CFTKR-crazy weekend! Here's a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly (EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE NO UGLIES!!!).
Is wassail a drink? I think it is, something that is had during Christmas time, right? Well, it wassail usually so pineappley?! This was pretty great, but it was very, very tropical. It should be called Christmas at the Beach! There might have been a faint hint of apple cinnamon spice, but the main note I got was pineapple. On cold sniff, 5.5/10, it was sort of subdued. While warming, 6/10. The throw was a 5/10, did not move out of the bedroom, for a total of 5.5/10. It was nice, but not strong enough for my liking. I don't think I'd buy this again.
People rave about Front Porch's Ultimate Bakery being one of the best scents every created. I believe this is Carol's take on that scent. It's definitely a winner, even from a bakery-liker (I AM NOT TO LOVE YET, y'all). This one was creamy, decadently buttery from the cake and cookies and bread, with wisps of buttercream frosting, to boot! Just an amazing and sweet bakery scent. It made me want cookies. On cold sniff, 6.5/10. While warming, 7/10. The throw was a 7/10 as well, for a total of 7/10! Loved this one and would for sure repurchase it.
Another fabulous and amazing scent from Carol's wonder-hands (too much?? :P). You really get a nice, rich, buttery cake alongside a heavy-handed spice, featuring cinnamon, some clove, a hint of nutmeg? Not so much coffee, but then again, I believe this was advertised as NOT a coffee scent. Straight 7's across the board, 7/10! :)
This we DID NOT like. In my mind, for some reason, when I see "harvest," I associate the scent with spice/spices/spicedness. This was doughy, yeasty, and way too buttery. I find zucchini scents wet and salty, and I just haven't found a vendor who makes one that I care for. On cold sniff, 4.5/10. While warming, 3.5/10. The throw was a 6/10, for a total of 4.5/10. Not a fan, sorry!
Can you tell we were in the mood for bakery and spicy scents?! Celtic Moonspice is a favorite of mine, from any vendor. It's just a fantastic blend of spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. You can really feel the passion in this one, friends, it sizzles with warmth and love!On cold sniff, 7/10. While warming, 8/10. The throw was a 7/10, for a total of 7.5/10! Fantastic!
This was the Friday nightly melt....just spectacular. Carol has way more hits than misses in my book. This one was a great mix of her awesomely strong pink sugar and creamy vanilla bean noel. On cold sniff, 7/10. While warming, 8.5/10. The throw was 7/10, for a grand total of 7.5/10!
Here, we have a tart from Cupcake Candles in Cherry Crumb Pie...quite a realistic cherry scent on cold sniff, but it became very, very artificial while warming. It was strong for about 45 minutes, then faded, and fast. On cold sniff, 7/10. While warming, though, 5/10. The throw started strong, but fizzled at 4.5/10. The total on this one is 5.5/10.
Front Porch and I have been at an impasse. I have a lot of stock from Angie, so I don't need more, but I wish she would restock more varieties of scents. It seems to be the same 10 things over and over. Friday she actually made some new things, but nothing that caught my eye. I do keep checking, though. Love Dare is a favorite of many, but not me, UGH. This was just plain gross. It was overly strong, it smelled carbonated (not in a good way), and like musty perfume. I need to stick with what I know and not try anything funny. NO FUNNY BUSINESS. On cold sniff, 5/10. While warming, 3.5/10. The throw was a 6/10, for a total of 4.5/10, and I rounded down.

I snapped a photo of Closet Full of Wax's Peppermint, but deleted it from my phone and it never sent to my computer! D'OH!! It's a shame, too, it was such a pretty glittered white color. It was quite potent! On cold sniff, 6/10. While warming, 8/10. The throw was a little bit more muted than most peppermint, at a 6/10, for a total of 6.5/10!

Have a spectacular week, scent fans, and happy melting! :)

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Haul: Ollie's Soaps #3

I am back again with another haul from Ollie's Soaps! (sorry if you received multiple posts in your email, I am working with a new keyboard that is much short than my older on). As you all know, Ayano, the owner of Ollie's Soaps is such a sweet lady! She always send samples and a hand written thank you note, touches that I personally love in a tart company. She posted a new item on her Etsy site, WAX COOKIES!!! I had to get one! This was the main reason for my order, but I got a few other things, some I've been dying to try, and some old favs. Here are some pictures!
BEHOLD!! The cookie in all its glory!! The scent is Pink Vanilla Butter Fudge, which smells freakin' FANTASTIC!! I love the sprinkles on there, it looks so completely realistic, even Josh thought it was real from far away. This cookie is at least 3oz, too!
The other reason for my order is that I needed more Peppermint Apple (bottom clamshell). I am obsessed with this scent: it's fresh, clean, crisp, yet pepperminty, refreshing, and sprightly! Just fabulous. Her Serendipity (top right) smells great, too. There was a faint skunky smell in this clamshell, though. Finally, I got a clamshell in Pink Peppermint (top left). She blends these two together really well and I am a huge fan of it.
Finally, I got a 6-pack of scalloped tarts. From top to bottom, left to right, we have: Apple Iced Tea (I got a sample of this scent and had to get another one), Bear Claws (for an upcoming comparison post I have a'brewin'), Cranberry Apple (a good blend), Lemon Colada (very lemony but still a hint of tropical underneath all the lemon scent), Pink Serendipity (a favorite of mine), and Wildberry Mousse (smells great, more berry than whipped mousse!).
She also sent me some sample: one mystery scent shot, a scalloped tart in Pear Champagne (VERY bubbly!), and a scalloped tart in Raspberry Harvest (raspberry with hints of spices).
This is what the mystery scent shot looks like close up! It is7 different colors in one, I have never seen anything like this! I am going to let it cure for a while to bring out the full scent, then melt this ASAP! It's so pretty!

Hope you enjoyed my haul! :)

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Review: Rosegirls Caramel Dipped Pears

Halloween: if I say this word, what do you think of? Pumpkins, perhaps? Costumes! Ghosts and goblins. Candy and...caramel apples! YUM!!
I figured, hey, I like caramel, and I like pears...this would probably be really great, even though it's not up my alley...
.....and OH MY GOD, was it ever fantastic. I feel like I sound like a broken record, but Rosegirls has been AMAZING me lately. This, again, no exception. The tart, juicy pears mixes with the sweet, creamy, candied caramel smell to make a fantastic, wonderful, brilliant combination and nose sensation! REALLY! The first scent you get is an overwhelming caramel, but if you move away and take a closer sniff, the pears are mixed in there and fabulously bright; they really tone down the sweetness of the caramel. I am so, so impressed. Rosegirls is making me a bakery, candy, sweet scented wax lover!

~~~~~~~~~~
Rosegirls Caramel Dipped Pears
Cold Rating: 6.5/10; overwhelming caramel toned down slightly by pears...wondering if this was a wise choice.
Lit Rating: 8/10; wowza! You'd have to smell this for yourself to believe me, it's one of the best mixed I have smelled! Pears need to get used more frequently in wax!
Throw Rating: 8.5/10; so super strong, I even smelled it 2 days after melting! It lingered across the entire home.
Overall Rating: 7.5/10; pear and caramel pair well together = replacing caramel apples for Halloween with pears! Loving Rosegirls, not loving commitment to 8oz. per bag.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Wickless Wednesday: Zoya 3-In-1 Remover +

A lot of people who like wax are also into beauty products.
Me, not so much.
Sure, I'll paint my nails about once a month or so, get an occasional pedicure, and always wear perfume, but don't expect me to make a sock bun while applying multiple layers of eye shadow and discussing the benefits between powdered vs. liquid foundation anytime soon.
This bad boy is the 3-in-1 nail polish remover from Zoya (although when I bought it, it was a few bucks cheaper). I heard about this products from Organized Like Jen, AKA My Housewife Life, AKA The Busy Bee Buzz (you can also follow her on Twitter and her blog...wow, that was a mouthful). She uses this to take off her polish and has for a long time, I guess. I'm skeptical about other people's beauty product reviews just because everyone is different: some people have sensitivities to smells, or creams, or make-ups, so what's right for you might not be right for Suzie So-And-So.

Let me tell you, ladies and gents (if there are any gents...), this stuff is MAGICAL. It doesn't smell like your typical nail polish remover...it's got an amazing lavender fragrance! How this works is: you twist the cap at the top into the unlock position, push down once or twice with your paper towel or cotton ball(whatever you use to remove your polish), then click back into "lock," and scrub over over your nails. With four or five swipes only, your polish is GONE. FINITO. ADIOS. OUT OF HERE. No traces that it ever existed!

I am so impressed by this stuff. It is a bit expensive, $10 per bottle, but it is worth every single penny to not smell that awful nail polish remover smell for hours lingering in the air. Even though I bought it through Amazon.com, you can buy it on Zoya's website (I'm not sure where you can get it in real life, though, since I avoid beauty stores like the plague). I give Zoya's 3-in-1 Remover + a solid 9/10, it is simply amazing!!

*Remember, I was not paid to discuss and review this product. All opinions and words are my own, and I paid for the product with my own money.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Review: Rosegirls Orange Danish and Ice Cream Scoop Bread

Along the same lines as sugar cookie dough bread, what the heck IS ice cream scoop bread?! Where do vendors come up with these wacky ideas for breads?? I don't know what they are, but I want them now.
I started this at 12:10pm and it lasted until 1:30pm THE NEXT DAY. This scent was so strong, so delicious, so amazing. The orange danish smelled flaky, fresh, and citrusy, and when combined with the creamy ice cream note and bready undertones, it came together to create something really fantastic. There were two fairly small-medium chunks in this baggie from my sampler, so I just plopped both of them in, and boy, am I glad I did...I think that's why it lasted so long! If you want to/get to/feel compelled to order from Rosegirls, DEFINITELY give this one a try...it's amazing!

~~~~~~~~~~
Rosegirls Orange Danish and Ice Cream Scoop Bread 
Cold Rating: 7/10; I can truly smell each note individually: orange danish, ice cream, bread...this one is fairly strong on cold sniff!
Lit Rating: 8/10; amazing! Just great! Creamy, orangy, bready, sweet.....everything in this was to die for. Really solid scent!
Throw Rating: 8/10; the throw on this bad boy is outstanding! I could smell it all the way out on the patio. Just fantastic.
Overall Rating: 7.5/10; overall, a great fruit-bakery scent. I have been so impressed by 'chunks' from both Rosegirls AND Sniff My Tarts! Chunks might be the way to go...I just wish they would allow us to have 4oz. bags still, 8oz. is a big commitment (everything you've seen reviewed from RG has been from a sampler box, but in order to get a scent you like, you have to buy them in 8oz. chunk bags for $9 a piece), especially if you end up not liking a scent.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Review: Candles From The Keeping Room's Pink Sugar Milk

This is the conversation I had with myself upon cold sniffing Pink Sugar Milk from a Candles From The Keeping Room sampler a few months ago.
"Come on, Lauren, just try it...you might even like it!"
"Pink Sugar Milk from Candles From The Keeping Room...COME ON! It'll be a slam dunk!"
"You like pink sugar, you like milk...what could be bad about it!?"
While warming: NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. 
Milk smells and tastes good by itself...
...WARM MILK IS, WAS, AND WILL ALWAYS BE A BAD CHOICE.
Some people rave about this scent, saying it is comforting*, sweet, inviting**....
(yeah, if by comforting* you mean 'vomitous' and inviting** you mean 'I will never go to your house again as long as I live...')
If you like "milky" scents, you will love this. Me, I am not a fan.

~~~~~~~~~~
Candles From The Keeping Room's Pink Sugar Milk
Cold Rating: 5/10; mild milkiness masked by deceptively sweet pink sugar.
Lit Rating: 2.5/10; ugh. I thought the trash hadn't been taken out in days. I left and came back while this started and was greeted by such pleasant pink at the doorway, and such sourness in the bedroom. No. Just no.
Throw Rating: 5/10; it was unfortunately sort of strong, lingered a little ways out of the bedroom...
Overall Rating: 4/10; I really enjoy trying new and different scents for the fun of it. If you think this is weird, just wait and see what I have in store for you...

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Weekend Wax Review: January 18-20

This has been one stressful week, folks.
I'm convinced I have the fly virus just gestating inside my body, waiting to rear its ugly head once something is finally going right in life.
I'll spare you the details, but yeah...lots of "stress melting" going on, for real. Like, non-stop melt-a-thon. Jumping right into it...and if you want to scroll passed, do so, this is going to be a long weekend post:
Again with the candy corn...I will re-refer to the Lewis Black skit about this horrid abomination of a candy (read; delicious, tasty, "no one will admit they are a fan" treat). This tarts from Victoria's Designer Creations was probably one of the strongest tarts I've smelled. EVER. It was so strong I had to turn it off! This mixes a deep caramel scent with buttery undertones shrouded in tooth-aching sweetness. WOW, I am impressed by the performance...but this was not my scent. I shouldn't have put the entire thing in, my mistake! On cold sniff, 7.5/10. While warming, 6.5/10. The throw was a 9/10, for a total of 7.5/10. Dang, Victoria's stuff is mighty intense, and while I wouldn't buy this one again, I may purchase from her in the future (if the CS stuff gets resolved).
I had never heard of Lil Candle Store until I started getting the Simply Sensational Sampler boxes. This scent had a lot of potential, but for me, it fell flat. The chocolate part of this fragrance overpowered the cheesecake AND the cherry completely...and it wasn't a flattering chocolate scent. Unfortunately, this was not good. On cold sniff, 5/10. While warming, 3/10. The throw was 4/10, for a total of 4/10. I would be more than willing to try this company again if it was stuff I actually like. Not a repurchase for me.
Lavender Vanilla has got to be one of my favorite candle from Bath & Body Works. I've been melting this one a lot lately and am hoping to buy another one on the next 2/$20 sale! I gave one to my grandma for her birthday in October and she liked it as well! On cold sniff, 7/10. While warming, 9/10. The throw is about a 8/10, for a final tally of 8/10. Just a great relaxing scent, and A DEFINITE repurchase!!!
When it comes to selection and price, no one can touch Haley's Heavenly Scents. If you buy $25 worth of wax, you get free shipping AND a couple of free packs of tarts! I got only sampler packs in my first order, and Jack Frost happened to be in the winter sampler. When I think of Jack Frost, I think of a nice combination of mint, possibly some vanilla, a hint of powder perhaps...this one was almost medicinal! It made Josh's lip swell (again), which happens every so often with scents that cause him to have a reaction. It was nice at first, but as time went on, I felt like I was in an exam room at a dentist's office. On cold sniff, 6/10. While warming, 4/10. The throw was unfortunately decent, 6.5/10. The total on this is 5.5/10. If the mint was a bit less medicinally assertive, I would be inclined to repurchase.
Christmas Pudding from CFTKR...is this the same as figgy pudding?? I have no clue, BUT LOOK AT THAT CUTE BUNDT SHAPE!!!!! This scent was oddly fascinating...you definitely get a hint of burnt cream atop a fruity note, but I didn't know what this was until I looked at the website, plum! Weird, but interesting. I was digging it at first, but after a while it started to get overbearing. On cold sniff, 6.5/10. While warming, 5.5/10. The throw was decent, 6/10, for a grand total of 6/10. Interesting is all I have to say about that, and I probably won't repurchase it.
I am really becoming a huge fan of Streetman Candle Company. Heather's has amazing customer service and her products are fairly consistent if you let them curew. One of the samples she sent me was Sleigh Bells Ringing...this is a very manly fragrance, met with tree and musky notes. I couldn't find a scent description for this one on her site because it is seasonal, but I'm pretty sure I'm on the right track. This one was lovely on cold sniff, with a 6/10. While warming, 7/10. The throw was a 6/10, for a total of 6.5/10. Very nice evocation of holidays past!
Granny's Kountry Candles' Skinny Dipping promised an orangey, floral, and musky scent straight from summertime...but it fell way short. I have had hit and miss luck with GKC, and this smelled like straight artificial orange mixed with a faint hint of something, to me. Not a repurchase. On cold sniff, 5/10. While warming, 3/10. The throw was a 4.5/10, for a total of 4/10.
Another GKC scent...this was basically just a floral smorgasbord. Nothing "tank tops & flip flops" about it, really...when I hear that, I expect beachy clean or sunshine fresh, with hints of floral...but not a freakin' flower shop. On cold sniff, 6/10, it had promise. While warming, 4/10. The throw was decent at 6/10, for a total of 5/10.
Orange Clove, however, has been one of my favorites of the month. My grandma always has a box of Constant Comment Bigelow Tea at her house...and part of me just loves smelling it, let alone drinking it. She gave me a few boxes a while back, and I still have half of a box of one left. This smells EXACTLY like Constant Comment! It's spicy, orangey (NOT artificial this time), bright and clean. It was REALLY strong, too! On cold sniff, 5/10, more subdued than the others in this bunch. While warming, 8/10. The throw was great with a 7/10, for a total of 6.5/10, and an eternal love for Constant Comment.
What do YOU think a Corner Country Store smells like? If I was a stereotypical American, I would imagine goats, hillbillies, and mud-wrasslin'...but I am not that stereotypical jerk. I imagine potpourri, cinnamon sticks, freshly brewed tea, grandma's perfume...but this was surprisingly pleasant! Very intoxicating, in fact...a great mix of cinnamon and apples, almost like a mulled cider. On cold sniff, 6/10. While warming, 7/10. The throw wasn't too strong, with a 4.5/10, for a grand total of 6/10 (I tend to round down, but in this case, I rounded up because 5.5 doesn't seem high enough). A really nice scent!
Just like a cornucopia, Thanksgiving from Sugar & Spice Gourmet Soy Candles had a wide variety of scents, from sweet potato to spices, from apples to bready notes, from corn to a creamy marshmallow note, this was very, very lovely. On cold sniff, 6/10. While warming, 7/10. The throw was a 6/10, for a total of 6.5/10. They are a great RTS company, check them out!
 I'm not too sure what berries are in Tiffany Candles' Berry Me Alive, but I was not a fan. Berry scents are just not for me, unless they are mixed with spice. On cold sniff, 5.5/10. While warming, 4/10. The throw was decent with a 5.5/10, for a total of 5/10; don't get me wrong, YOU might like this if you're a fan of straight fruit or berries, but I was not convinced.
Pumpkin Pie Spice, however, was a nice mix of spices and pumpkin! I enjoyed this one, even if it mostly stayed in the bedroom. On cold sniff, 6/10. While warming, 6/10. The throw was a 5.5/10, for a total of 6/10!
Finally, I close out the weekend wax review with Avaga Margarita from CFTKR. This was a nice, fresh and clean scent, as fresh as tequila and margarita can be, anyway! It was really bright and lovely. You could get individual whiffs of salt, margarita mix/sweetness, and tequila. On cold sniff, 5.5/10, a bit muddled. While warming, 7/10. The throw was a 7/10 as well, for a total of 6.5/10! A great, refreshing way to end my reviews!
~~~~~~~~~~
Here's to having a better week! Enjoy, all! :)

Haul: Candles By Victoria's New Year's Day Sale

Back with another haul, this time from Candles By Victoria! She was having a 15% off NYE sale for a few hours, so I decided to participate. With what I had in my cart, shipping was basically only $3 instead of her usual $9 (with the discount, I mean). So, I purchased one 3-pack of the same scent (Bath Time With Pooh), 5 scents I have heard a lot about online (I dub them "fan favorites"), and a sampler pack ("Victoria's Favorites"). After melting one scent shot from this order way too hastily, I am going to let these cure a looooooooong while, because I hear that the longer they sit, the better (which is true of any vendor, but apparently more-so with Victoria's stuff?).
From top to bottom and left to right, we have Sweet Pea (Bath & Body Works Dupe), Emerald Sea, Blueberry Cheesecake, Fair Day, and Honey Vanilla Love Dust (a chocolate and honey combination, also a dupe for some sort of candy, if I'm not mistaken?). These are from the Victoria's Favorites sampler.
Closing out the sampler scents, we have More Trix Up My Sleeve (Trix cereal scent, a very lemony version of Froot Loops), Cajun Cornbread (again with the corns...), Fresh Baked Bread (this smells almost identical to Bath & Body Works' French Baguette, but is not a dupe), Breaking Dawn (a very orangey scent), and Feathers Everywhere (a combo of Twilight and Skinny Dippin').
These are the ones I've heard a lot about online. They are: Three Ring Circus, Sugar Kisses (cotton candy mixed with raspberry guava), Pink Sugar and Coconut (two of my favorite scents combined), Captain Crunch Berries (like the cereal), and Bella Swan (a very floral, almost grape scent). Looking forward to trying each of these!
Last buy not least is the ever popular Bath Time With Pooh. I made the mistake of sticking the ENTIRE SCENT SHOT into the warmer the first day I got the package....WOW, it was so soapy and overwhelming that I could only stand it for about two and a half ours, then had to turn off the warmer. I will let them cure from now one. Hope you enjoyed!  

Do you like CBV? What are some of your favorites from her?

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Review: Tiffany Candles' Bear Claws (NEW SCENT)

There are few things finer than a good piece of chocolate. Or a donut. Or cinnamon. Or pastries.....wax? Candles? Friends? Rainbows? PANDA SNEEZE????

Changing topics slightly...Tiffany Candles recently re-opened its shop after their Christmas vacation, hooray!! Upon the re-open, they offered a couple of sampler packs, so people could try out their new scents. Some samplers had 6 fluted melts in their new scents, others had 12 melts; I was lucky enough to get my hands on the 12 scent sampler. I love trying new scents from different vendors.
Josh picked the first one we tried, which was Bear Claws. The description of this scent is: Layers of sweet flaky pastry made irresistible with mouthwatering hints of chocolate, honey, almonds, raisins, and confectioner's sugar. Sounds pretty amazing, right? Have you ever eaten a Bear Claw? They are FANTASTIC. Well, this scent was good, but it wasn't Bear Claws as I have known it in my life. The dominant note of this scent was chocolate, in fact, that's all we got from this. It pretty much masked everything else in the tart. I would have liked to see this be more of an almond-y, honey-y, flaky fragrance as opposed to a straight chocolate donut. Not saying this was bad, it was just not Bear Claws! It threw me for a loop.

~~~~~~~~~~
Tiffany Candles' Bear Claws 
Cold Rating: 5.5/10; it smelled pretty good on cold sniff, but you definitely smell a pastried chocolate over anything else.
Lit Rating: 5.5/10; while it's not bad, I am not the best judge when it comes to chocolate scents because they are definitely not my favorite(s). This was one of the best chocolate scents I have tried, but it wasn't  what I think of as a Bear Claws type of scent.
Throw Rating: 6/10; it was pretty strong, barely lingered into the living room and bathroom, but had an overall medium throw.
Overall Rating: 5.5/10; while the throw was decent, I was a bit thrown by this...I wanted to like it, but just couldn't get past the initial confusion. Josh even asked at one point if I had grabbed the wrong scent and thrown it in, but no, it was Bear Claws. No harm, no foul. If you like chocolate scents, give this a try.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Review: Closet Full of Wax's Wildberry Mousse and Facebook Winnings!

Closet Full of Wax is a new wax vendor that I saw pop up on a Facebook group. I "liked" their page and figured I'd see what they had to offer. They had a contest on Sunday where the first 5 people to like their contest status got to choose 6 scents for some freebies! Well, I was one of the first few people to do this and WON! Here are my winnings!
When they said pick 6 scent, I figured, "cool, 6 single tarts, what a great deal!" but no, they are two to a pack! WOO-HOO! They had a lot of great scents, but here's what I chose, from left to right and top to bottom: Serendipity, Amaretto, Wildberry Mousse, Peppermint, Pistachio Pudding Cake, and Cotton Candy. All of these smell fantastic, except for Amaretto...there's something about it on cold sniff that smells "off," but I'll hold judgment until I melt them!
Wildberry Mousse was Josh's pick to melt first and boy. was it a good choice! Any "wildberry mousse" type of scents are fast-rising favorites in my book...the mix of creaminess and berries is simple amazing most of the time. This one was no exception. It started out pretty mild, but kicked into gear about 45 minutes into melting. Closet Full of Wax is a vendor to watch out for in the future! They are going to do another giveaway when they hit 100 "likes" on Facebook, so stay tuned!

~~~~~~~~~~
Closet Full of Wax's Wildberry Mousse 
Cold Rating: 5.5/10; faint hint of creamy berry, but nothing too strong...might be paraffin, so this might contribute to why it's a light scent.
Lit Rating: 7/10; quite nice! Started slow and worked its way up to a fragrant punch!
Throw Rating: 6/10; pretty good, but it can't be overlooked that it started slowly and upped into something that traveled a little bit.
Overall Rating: 6/10; new found appreciation for wildberry mousse scents. New vendors are fun to try, and even more fun to try for free. Great customer service. Looking forward to trying more. #winning.