Swift & Supersonically Snappy Short Review #77: Rosegirls Vanilla Bean Noel/Strawberry Raspberry Guava/Marilyn

Is this the longest scent name in history? Good on me for picking a mouthful of a blend name for our last round of muffin club.

Rosegirls Vanilla Bean Noel/Strawberry Raspberry Guava/Marilyn
Cold Rating: 7/10
Lit Rating: 7/10
Throw Rating: 9/10
Overall Rating: 7.5/10; sheer insanity when it comes to the throw. Melted this super spring blend when it was 90 degrees a few weeks back and we were holed up in our bedroom with the portable air conditioner and it still managed to seep through the cracks in the door and get into the rest of the house. Bright fruit potpourri blasts in your face the second it hits the hot plate. Mild VBN aroma since the fruits are really the star here. Basically, the most intense tropical drink you can think of is what this smells like. Melted this 6 hours in the bedroom on said day, and 8 hours in the bathroom several weeks later. 2 halves are better than a whole, so cutting muffins because melting a whole one was silly on my part for several years worth of go arounds. I HATE CUTTING WAX. Ruined shirts. Dry cleaning bills (ha, yeah right, I shop at Walmart, yo). Yellow and pink, my favorite colors! Rosegirls not always being available to customers. Mini melts hesitation. Facebook guilting to order more. Tweaking blends to suit other people's tastes can be difficult if you're going at it with no frame of reference as to how these individual scents smell!

Swift & Supersonically Snappy Short Review #76: Tiffany Candles' Blueberry Marshmallow

I realize you cannot see this tiny tart, but I have ruined so many damn shirts because of wax that I sometimes get in the habit of refusing to pull things out of baggies because I am running out of clothes. #deal

Tiffany Candles' Blueberry Marshmallow
Cold Rating: 7/10
Lit Rating: 7/10
Throw Rating: 6/10
Overall Rating: 7/10; apparently Tiffany's blueberry is one I can tolerate! Sweet, creamy, and slightly realistic mixed with slightly muffiny goodness. But no muffin?! Wanting to make muffins. Just as long as they aren't blueberry. AWWWW, CRAIG!! Bastard always complains about me making him muffins. Off trackness! Medium throw, lasted 5 hours in the bathroom. Sweetness filled the air and it was wonderful!! This tiny, tiny shape/sample! Loving her marshmallow scent. Blueberry hater. The snozzberries taste like snozzberries. Maybe subconscious fear of blueberries due to Willy Wonka???????? Maybe being turned into a blueberry gal in wax ever so slightly?? I'm blue, dahbahdeedahbahdie, dahbahdeedahbahdie!!!!

Random Post: Restaurant Review - 85° Bakery Cafe in San Diego, CA

Since Josh and I like to go out on occasion and I have a penchant for photographing my food, I figured I would review some restaurants and places around town! You know, in case any of you come to visit. ;)

For my birthday a few weeks ago, Josh and I decided to get a few snacks at the relatively new 85° Bakery Cafe, a Taiwanese chain that sells coffee and desserts. This place is always really crowded, and since it's less than a year old and the next closest store is in Irvine, about 90 miles away, well, you can be sure we had to get there early!

The storefront in all its glory. Basically, what you do is you go inside, you get a tray and a set of tongs and you load your tray up with whatever pastries, sweet and savory, you want to try! When there is fresh bread, someone will come out from the back and scream "FRESH BREAD!!!" and there will generally be massive amounts of trampling and almost murder and such, but since we went at 11am on a Tuesday, well, there was no fun, but still a relatively large amount of people for that time of day. Here's what we got!

As a huge coffee fan (read: addict), a billion and one friends told me to try their sea salt iced coffee, a specialty they are known for all over the map. And so I did. I love the salty/sweet combination in desserts, but in coffee, I felt like I was drinking caffeinated ocean water, and even though I didn't hate it, it definitely was not for me. The creaminess was good, but it needed a bit more sweetness to counteract all the salt. Yikes. This must be an acquired taste.

Josh's first pick was an apple tart. Though it looks nice and sweet on the outside, don't let its looks be deceiving. Though the crust was fine and the ring of cinnamon apples on top was a welcomed site, the inside apple filling had a weird taste to it. It was mushy, like puree, which I like, but the taste was sort of bitter and salty. Pass for both of us on this one.

My first pick was the classic egg tart. I have had this before when a few friends of mine brought one back for us to try from the Irvine store. WOW. Just as good as I remembered it. Flaky crust, almost like a croissant, and an eggy, slightly sweet inside singing my name. I should have gotten 3 of these and called it a day. VERY buttery, so don't be on a diet when you eat this. A must try!!

Josh's second pick. He is an anything, everything kind of chocolate lover, so when he saw this chocolate sponge roll cake, he thought he had died and gone to heaven. Wrong. The cake was very dry and tasted kind of like the inside of a Ho-Ho, but without the chocolate and sweetness and fun. And bigger. And spongier. And nastier. The filling was like a buttercream without the powdered sugar. Another pass from both of us on this item.

My second choice. This tasty delicacy is called Milk Pudding bread and OMG. I AM ADDICTED. We haven't been back here yet, but I have had dreams about this baby every night since. Oh man. So good. The bread was sticky and gooey, reflective of its insides. A creamy, satisfyingly sweet custard after 2 sweet-duds was welcomed on my palate and oh. so. tender. YUM. I need another few hundred of these, please.

Our mutual pick: the sun tart? The sun cookie? The sun pastry? (OH! I am a genius! I took a photo of the receipt!) Either way, it was gross and definitely not for us. It tasted very chalky, even though it looks super fresh and flaky, we were sorely disappointed with this as it came highly recommended by friends. Maybe it's just a little too weird for us weirdos.

$13.20 ain't bad for all this stuff. We mostly split everything, except he let me have the entire milk pudding because he didn't like the stickiness. MY GAIN!!
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That's our first trip to 85° Bakery Cafe! Have you ever been? Anything looking good to you? Any recommendations?

Swift & Supersonically Snappy Short Review #75: Tiffany Candles' Grape Muscadine

Do you ever feel goofy? My middle name should be goofy.

Tiffany Candles' Grape Muscadine
Cold Rating: 5/10
Lit Rating: 6/10
Throw Rating: 6/10
Overall Rating: 6/10; grape scents are not my forte, unless they are Goofy Grape from Beezy (see, you didn't think there was a connection with the goofy above, BUT THERE WAS. I will take my apology...................................now). Not really sure if this is supposed to smell like weird wine? But it does. Sort of fresh, but weirdly fruity, almost artificial. Free samples. Odd off notes in some wax. SHAPES! Tiffany Candles is sentimentally and (usually) performingly one of my favorite vendors. Not digging grape scents. Being into wine (the drink) lately, and the fruitier, the better. No tannin for me!! Grape peels??????? Medium average throw, lasted 4 hours in the bathroom before it not longer became noticeable to me. Tiffany has THE BEST scoopables in wax EVER. Try them. Glitter bombs!!!

Swift & Supersonically Snappy Short Review #74: Sniff My Tarts' Rosemary Mint/Spearmint/Peppermint

Mint powers, assemble!!!
Ya hear that, Joss Whedon? I SAID ASSEMBLE!!!!!!!

Sniff My Tarts' Rosemary Mint/Spearmint/Peppermint
Cold Rating: 10/10
Lit Rating: 10/10
Throw Rating: 10/10
Overall Rating: 10/10; AMAZING, THE BEST, WONDERFUL, ETC. Never having enough adjectives to describe how wondrous something is. Herbal rosemary toned down by the spearmint, which leads the way to the peppermint. Ooooooooooooh, the peppermint! Always wanting, needing, craving mint scents. Branching out from my normal pink peppermint at night scent. Insane throw, could smell this outside in the backyard, and in the living room with the door to the bedroom closed. This lasted in my warmer 2 days because I didn't want to turn it off. It did dissipate, obvs. Vendors not always opened when I need a "fix," TAT is tremendous for Sniff My Tarts, but damn if they aren't worth it!! Sniff My Tarts will always be Sniff My Farts to my husband. You must try this, it is the ultimate minty wonderblend. Saying wonder a lot in different forms. The word "wonderful" reminding me of a Christmas song. CHRISTMAS MEANS MINTS. CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wickless Wednesday: Current Favorite Songs!

MUSIC TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think Echosmith's "Bright" is my #1 favorite tune at the moment. It's sort of a simple beat, but I love the lyrics and the lead singer's voice. I really need to check out more songs from this band! It's happy and cute and you should check it out.

Do you remember music videos? I almost forgot they existed because who watched MTV anymore? LOL. Walk The Moon's "Shut Up And Dance" is an infectious song with a wonderful music video. Catchy, upbeat and cute, I dare you to listen to this song and not want to dance! Josh and I always find ourselves singing this song. #shimmy

Though I didn't 100% enjoy the film version of "Into The Woods," there were quite a few enjoyable songs from the soundtrack. "It Takes Two," sung by James Corden and Emily Blunt has been an earworm and has been stuck in my head for MONTHS. I love this song and the way their voices mesh together so well!! Plus, it helps that I am basically in love with James Corden and think he can do no wrong. <3

If I had to pick a current favorite solo artist, it would be Sam Smith. Everything I have heard from him I have adored. "Leave Your Lover" by Sam Smith, though wholly depressing and not at all related to my life, is the epitome of everything I love about music. You can hear the sorrow and the sadness and the despair in his voice, more and more with every note he sings. The song blossoms from something sad and desperate to something almost bitter within his voice. I just LOVE him as an artist, and this song is great. His album is stellar!

Have you seen "Guardians of the Galaxy" yet? If you haven't, I urge you to see it yesterday because it's one of the best movies of 2014. Anyways, Awesome Mix Vol. 1, the soundtrack for the movie, is pretty much the most amazing soundtrack ever made. it is so well crafted!! "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" by Elvin Bishop is a newly rediscovered song because of this soundtrack. I am obsessed. I play it every damn time I am in the car. It's such a good oldie tune. Check it out!
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There are my favorite songs right now! What tracks are YOU loving at the moment?? Let us all know! :)

Swift & Supersonically Snappy Short Review #73: Rosegirls Motion In The Ocean

Sometimes, a gal just wants to have fun.
You know, the motion in the ocean?
NOT THAT, YOU PERV. This!!

Rosegirls' Motion in the Ocean
Cold Rating: 8/10
Lit Rating: 8.5/10
Throw Rating: 8.5/10
Overall Rating: 8.5/10; a day at the spa took a turn to some sort of tropical orchard grove to make this well-crafted love child. Mostly sweet with and interesting fresh and tropical kick. Strong cold sniff and warm sniff scent. Loving the combination of an almost tropical fruit and oceany spa. Beautiful chunks, lovely colors. Strong throw, lasting, wafting, lingering. Perfect during a cleaning day. Stayed in the warmer for 12 hours and it was still there in the morning, but with less strength. Hard to get chunks, must catch openings with speed and no looking back. Worth the hype. Running out of RG, rationing versus indulgence.

Haul: Sugar and Spice Gourmet Soy Candles (Mostly) RTS Haul!

It has been quite a while since I have done a wax haul post, mainly because I have been melting like a madwoman and not really buying (LOL, within the last month, this is more of a "yeah right"). So, I figured, now is as good of a time as any to show you one of my first orders "back" into things! Shanna from Sugar and Spice Gourmet Soy Candles restocked some RTS scent shots the other day and I took this as an opportunity to replenish my stock from her. Shall we, then?

-Pink Peppermint Melt Crumbles (1 lb): this is the only non-RTS item in my order. I recently ran out of my bag of this scent from Shanna which I had purchased in 2013 (!!!) and was secretly hoarding until I could get some more RTS. With that accomplished, I happily melted my last little bits of that bag a week or two ago. This is a custom scent of pink sugar + peppermint and I absolutely love this version of it because it is insanely strong. If this bag is as good as the last one, it has replaced another vendor that I am no longer ordering from as the #1 pink peppermint in my book. Unlike serendipity, I could never get tired of my beloved pink peppermint. <3

-Strawberry Lemon Curd (2): when I saw this listed in Shanna's RTS list, I knew I needed 2 in case it was good. I mainly get her tangy, pungent lemon curd scent from this, but there is a bit more sweetness here than the melt a couple down from this one. What a great scent!

Strawberry Soda~delicious, bubbly, sugary strawberry accord intermingled with fruity notes of  raspberry and peaches sitting on base notes of  vanilla and musk

-Strawberry Soda: every once in a while, I get a weird hankerin' for a Strawberry Fanta. Weird, right?? Well, the strawberry in this sort of smells like that. It is definitely not an authentic strawberry. It's much more of a sweet, candy-like strawberry, but not in a bad or artificial way. There is a touch of fizziness to this melt as well, but it's not overwhelming. The musk listed is almost being picked up by my nose as well as a slightly floral note, but I have a hunch this will transform while melting.

Lemon Curd~Lemon Curd is a staple in afternoon English tea and is used as a delicate spread on finger cakes, sugar dusted scones, and tarts. Our rendition of this classic combines fresh, zesty lemons, warm vanilla extract and a hint of sugar blended with fresh cream.

-Lemon Curd: a repurchase for me from a scent I tried many moons ago. Shanna's lemon curd is my absolute favorite from any vendor. It is so authentic! A rich, bright, strong, tangy, in your face citrusy scent that is reminiscent of the lemon you'd find in a London Calling almost. So, so, so wonderful. A must have for citrus purists!

Down in the Islands~ sweet pineapple, acai berry, mango zest, tart passion fruit, yuzu zest, green apple, orchid leaves, and musky nuances.

-Down in the Islands: right off the bat, I get that tropical pineapple sweetness mingled with some other strong, pungent and slightly sharp note, which might be the yuzu, and it almost reminds me of a grapefruit scent. Zesty but still fruity, but I don't care for the sharpness in this one. The musk isn't as prominent here as it was above, and it makes me wonder if she changed her strawberry oil overall? This will be a "thick of summer" melt.

Pomegranate ~ sweet red fruit

-Pomegranate: I don't really have much experience with pomegranate as a fruit, but this sort of smells waxy. :( Almost like a cherry chapstick scent. I really don't like this one, unfortunately. I might mix it with some pink sugar or something, otherwise, I will save it if someone else wants it!

-Lemon Curd Rainbow Sherbet: Shanna makes one hell of a sherbet scent! I have melted other sherbet blends from her and find it perfect in comparison to the actual smell. The lemon curd is definitely the top note, but it dances around the rainbow sherbet scent delicately and perfectly, all topped off with a bit of creaminess. Mmmmm, it smells like a bowl of fresh ice cream. You HAVE to like fruit explosions to like this!

Serendipity Marshmallows ~*Sugar & Spice Exclusive Blend!* serendipity blended with marshmallow

-Serendipity Marshmallows: you know me, I loooove marshallow scents and I looooove serendipity! I outdid and overdid it with serendipity, though, so I got to a point where I stopped buying it. One melt can't hurt, right? This is SO strong! You get the gooey marshmallow mixed in the a coconut/cherry explosion from the serendipity...super delicious. I can't wait to melt this one.

-Violet & Birch: this one is really pretty. It's a very sweet and delicate flower with an almost perfumey note. I took a chance on this one for the bathroom and I feel it will be a 'half of a scent shot at different times' type of melt. Strong, though!

Peach Margarita~ Fresh and sweet succulent Peaches combined with sparkling notes of lime, lemon, and orange rinds makes this the perfect Party Drink!

-Peach Margarita: peach scents are usually not my jam, but when combined with margarita, this is quite nice! Very juicy and bubbly smelling. I do get a weird touch of something floraly, but it might just be there on cold sniff.

-Pineapple Serendipity: combining pineapple with coconutty serendipity is genius and I welcomed it with opened arms into my cart. This is now the ultimate tropical explosion! I love this scent and can't wait to melt it. Smells just like a wonderful drink. Mmmmm!!

Strawberry Milkshake~ A combination of vine ripened strawberries combined with notes of juicy orange and peach nectar

 -Strawberry Milkshake: Strawberry Milkshake sort of smells like a creamy strawberry mixed with the aforementioned pomegranate a little bit. I don't know if I get orange or peach as much as sweet and milky, but in a shake way, not a sour, curdled way. I like this one!

-Pineapple Coconut Cake: I didn't order this scent, so I wonder if Shanna sent this to me by accident since I also received the two mystery tarts below as my samples? Either way, this is quite lovely, too. A little cake-y, but not overly so or in a buttery, overwhelming way, and a good mix of pineapple and coconut. YUM!

-Mac Apple Fresh Cut Grass: another "where did this come from?" tart. Her mac apple scent is spot on and delicious, but as soon as I saw "fresh cut grass," I got turned off. I can't really smell anything over the apple, though, which I know I love from her, so I will melt this, but break it up between warmers.

-Mystery tarts (2): I both like and dislike that Shanna gives mystery tarts as samples. On the one hand, I like the idea of exploring and discovering new scents, but on the other, I hate not knowing what's in a scent specifically! GAH! I am torn! I like the one on the right, but the one on the left is not for me, so I will pass it along.
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There's my latest S&S haul! I am mostly pleased, especially with the pink peppermint, ohhhhh yeah!!! Have you tried this company? Do you prefer RTS or custom orders? And how do YOU feel about mystery tarts?!

Swift & Supersonically Snappy Short Review #72: Haley's Heavenly Scents' Spearmint

Since it's my birthday, I figured I'd melt something pepperminty, but this bad boy has been going since yesterday, so I'm not going to be the cause of its stopping. ;)

Haley's Heavenly Scents' Spearmint
Cold Sniff Rating: 10/10
Warm Sniff Rating: 10/10
Throw Rating: 10/10
Overall Rating: 10/10; In this case, soy greatly > outweighs paraffin. Insane, ridiculous, intense throw. Cold and warm scent are off the chain strong. 10/10 all the way. Loving mints, obsessed with mints, mostly at night, but any other time will do, too. Smells like gum, but again, in a good way. Disliking gum in spearmint flavor, but liking mints in spearmint flavor. 2-3 cubes per melt, usually 2, but this time, I went all out with 3 per. Needing to order from this vendor more frequently, but she mostly sells paraffin. Dreaded clamshells not so bad this time around. LEGIT OILS, came off on my fingers and I didn't care at all. Lasted from the morning yesterday until the afternoon today. Mints over gum any day, I will fight you on this. Birthdays, happy birthdays. Getting older. Almost 30. Scared. Cold. Naked and afraid Ok, not naked, just afraid. A 10/10 melt should whip me into shape. ;)

Order of the Odor: Volume 9

Welcome to the Order of the Odor! We all hope your May is warm and full of sunshine and flower scented breezes. Please join us in our question of the month and answer in the comments!

Do you scent your home with methods other than wax?

I use Bath & Body Works wallflowers from time to time. I have noticed they work sometimes, but not always. We always have air spray from Glade hanging around just in case there's a stinky problem that needs to be fixed quickly (trash, dog poop, other dog related smelliness, etc). I also have a couple of incense holders around and use them every once in a while, but mainly, I stick to wax tarts and candles!

Deb takes up back to when she shopped Etsy to fill her tart cravings. She posted about two cute vendors that may get your Etsy antenna back on and quivering for some cute hidden gems. There is also a fun blurb about some handmade soap... mmmmm... smelly things.....

Sunnee has sung praises for her beau Beezy's Strip 'N Go Naked before but now there is a new scent on the block that she is loving. Come see what delicious hot new aroma has Sunnee itching to order more of in the very near future.

Starburst, Skittles and vanilla marshmallows? Strong throw, TAT like a bolt of lightening, and a company that is almost always open? You need to see what Lolo has been melting recently so you can get in on a piece of this yummy scent. 

Vintage Chic Scents has been cornering the wax market on awesome samplers as of late. Julie hauled one this past month that had her sniffing in bliss. It contained some old faves and new finds. Find out which sampler she nabbed. 

In memory of Fannie.

"A dog will teach you unconditional love. If you can have that in your life, things won't be too bad." -Robert Wagner

Subscription Box Corner: April 2015 Love With Food Review!

Love With Food (the link above is a referral link, but don't feel like you have to click! the rest of the links below are non-referral links) was having an "only pay shipping" sale last month, and since the box was only $2, I jumped at the chance to find a subscription service that could finally replace my beloved Goodies Box. Let's dive right into this box since I have now had a chance to try all of the tasty goods!

As always, a box shot! I like that it's red, it sets it apart from other subscription boxes I have seen. Looks like each order gives 1 meal to someone to help fight hunger in America, an added bonus of the service! This is such an awesome cause and concept. Follow them on all their social media listed above!

The openings right off the bat...

Like most subscription boxes these days, Love With Food includes an insert detailing the contents of each box. I love this one! Product information, a brief description, ingredients, very cool!

this "snacking star" is a magnet! I ripped it while trying to pop it out, though. :(

In my very last Goodies box, I received a package of olives like this. Oloves are the same concept from a different brand! I am addicted to olives, so this was right up my alley. The garlic and basil flavors were melded perfectly against the saltiness of the green olives. I ate them straight from the package! The only thing I disliked were they were a teensy bit greasy, which was sort of crazy. There was a watery liquid (not much), and there was oil in there, too. Not a major complaint, though! 4.5/5.

I know I have asked this before, but where do we stand as a collective on the word "yummy"? Okay? Skeevy? Anywho, YUMMY Earth's Natural Sour Beans are much more like gum drop than jelly beans, but they were still really tasty. Not sure sour, though. Still, I could eat a lot of these in the drop of a hat. Almost disintegrating in your mouth because they are natural. Good treat! 4/5.

Mighty Leaf's Green Tea Tropical tea was good, but I'm not a huge fan of hot fruity teas. This was an interesting sort of pineappley tasting tea, but nothing I would personally ever purchase again. I think fruit tea fans would like this a lot, though. 2.5/5.

Back to Nature's honey graham sticks were little tiny graham crackers with a huge crunch. These were good, but rather uninteresting. I think they key here is these are made with natural ingredients and nothing crappy. Honestly, they tasted just as good, though I think they could have been a bit softer. 3.5/5.

Vintage Italia's Pasta Chips\ were amaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing!! The flavor was insane on these bad boys. They tasted like crackers with a great snap, but they were a bit more airy than crackers. WOW. I was blown away by how good these were and need to get some ASAP. The Garlic Olive Oil flavor is NOT for garlic haters, folks...nothing else to say but damn. Amazingly good. 5/5.

Wild Garden's sea salt quinoa chips and traditional hummus duo was good, but not great. The chips tasted stale, but this isn't the first time I have experiences quinoa chips like this. Maybe that's just the texture, like a stale rice cake only made from quinoa instead. The hummus on the other hand, while not as authentic as it probably should have been, was lemony and garlicky and good. 4/5 for the hummus, 2/5 for the chips.

I chuckled to myself when I saw this Luna bar in here. Deb from It's Always Something is a huge Luna bar fan and I almost saved it to send to her! But, I figured I needed to try it. Ehhh, it tastes like a health bar. The bright, tangy lemon really helped convince me I wasn't just eating twigs and protein. 3/5.

Walker's shortbread cookies are some of the most amazing cookies on the planet. Since they are only made with butter and flour and sugar and salt, well, you can guess why we don't keep 'em around the house. Pure, buttery goodness in every last bite. Melt in your mouth, not too sweet but not salty, the perfect shortbread cookie. Mmmmmm. 10/5.
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I am quite pleased with my first Love With Food experience~ Only a couple of minor misses for me, and everything else was quite good! Yay! Have you ever tried Love With Food? Does this look like a good box to you Anything stand out as something you might want to try? They seem to have a lot of sales, so if you're interested in trying this box, sign up for their emails!