Swift & Supersonically Snappy Short Review #52: Scentsationals' Black Pepper & Rosemary

Macho, macho man!

Scentsationals' Black Pepper & Rosemary
Cold Rating: 8/10
Lit Rating: 8.5/10
Throw Rating: 9/10
Overall Rating: 8.5/10; just like the scent describes and nothing more. Manly scent. Very robust and strong. Amazing throw. Long lasting, 13 hours in the bathroom the first time I melted 2 cubes at a time. Generous gifts from amazing friends. <3 The notion of disliking Scentsationals clamshells because they come from Walmart is silly. Awesome bunch of melts most of the time. Tracking down things you like without finding multiples first. Getting giddy picking out melts for special occasions and holidays. Rosemary bushes native in San Diego. One in the backyard. Rosemary breakfast potatoes. Black pepper and rosemary chicken. Cooking with pepper and rosemary. Evocative picture on the label. Multiple cubes per clam. Not certain how "Mediterranean" this is,

Swift & Supersonically Snappy Short Review #19: Candles from the Keeping Room's Cedarwood Vanilla

The only redeeming value of summer is the nice, long nights, which are perfect for nice, long bonfires in the backyard. In fact, we're getting ready to have one right now! ;)

The strong cedar aroma tones down with sweet vanilla Celtic Moonspice...a wonderfully fragrant blend of warm spices, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Gives you that warm home & hearth feeling, like a cozy cottage with a fireplace on a cold snow evening.

Candles from the Keeping Room's Cedarwood Vanilla
Cold Rating: 6.5/10
Lit Rating: 8/10
Throw Rating: 8/10
Overall Rating: 8/10; an unexpected favorite as of recently. Very lovely tart! Excellent throw, stellar scent, extremely pleasant. Not even necessary for fall/winter. Vanilla-y Celtic Moonspice toning down the cedarwood makes this super smooth and uber fragrant, yet spicy and delicious. Realizing I like cedarwood, which is weird. Perfect scent descriptions a la Carol. Wanting to make a spice cake or pumpkin cookies. Missing all of the CFTKR openings since October last year. Not needing any more damn wax but wanting to BUY ALL THE THINGS!!! Remnants of fall. The Fall Slut, omg, have you checked out Deb's blog lately? I CRIED, so funny!!!

Swift & Supersonically Snappy Short Review #13: Aunt Smellman's Autumn Breeze

If you follow my on Instagram, you will know BigJ and I were in Vegas this week! We had a great time, even though my foot is still broken, we made it work! It was hot, but it was fun. I will have a picture post up soon.

Aunt Smellman's Autumn Breeze
Cold Rating: 3.5/10
Lit Rating: 3/10
Throw Rating: 7/10
Overall Rating: 4/10; slightly rounded down from 4.5. Not up my alley and couldn't get over it, but the throw on this was decent. Strange mix of scents, very musky and yet floral and slightly fruity. Some weird tree scents. Patchouli? Sandalwood? Strange??? Maybe ylang ylang. Not knowing how to pronounce ylang ylang...is it lang-lang, or ya-lang-ya-lang, or yang-yang?? WORDS ARE CONFUSING. Trees = shade = goodness = I hate the sun = I am pale. Nothing about this screams autumn to me in this, must doesn't necessarily mean fall time. Also, not so much breeze, just random concoction of ingredients. Free tarts. Using all the wax at once. All wax needs cure time. This would be better in soap form. Or potpourri.

Review: Kim's Tarts Sinus Relief

Who says you can't burn candles or melt tarts while you're sick?

Especially when the tart in question is called "Sinus Relief." Can't you just smell the mint from here? Ahhhhh, soothing.

I bought a bunch of tarts from Tart Candles by Kim a while back, but actually haven't gotten around to using any of them; then I remembered (in a moment of genius) that I had a bag of Sinus Relief tarts! WOOT!!

The website description reads: "Ever smell the scent of vick's vapor rub? Our sinus relief fragrance is a cool, crisp blend of camphor, eucalyptus, and mint. Great for snuffed up noses!"

Well, a stuffed up nose is what I've got! It's probably just a head cold, but I'd rather not infect anyone, so I'm kickin' it at home today. The entire bedroom smells like Vick's Vapor Rub, but not in a bad way. It's refreshing, minty, medicinal, perfect for these under-the-weather days. It has actually lifted my spirits a bit, and I'm able to smell a lot better! The throw is strong, and most of that probably has to do with the combination of scents.

Plus, this is SO MUCH NICER than actually using Vick's.

The best part about Kim's Tarts is that each bag (individually sealed with a cute little ribbon) contains 3 tarts and they only cost $1.50! How's THAT for a bargain!? Since this is the first tart I've tried from my order, my impression of this company so far is positive. Some of my tarts were veeeeeeeeery strong upon opening the package, so I am airing them out a bit before I melt them. Give them a try! Kim is really fast at correspondence, too, and you can tell she really cares about her customers. She even included 5 free sample tarts in my order! How sweet was that?! :)

Anyways, my weekend wax review will be up later tomorrow, so expect lots of minty goodness to help combat this cold. Have a good weekend, all, and don't forget to take advantage of the Buy 2 Get 2 free sale at Yankee Candle, if you choose! The code is: 2FREE.

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Kim's Tarts Sinus Relief
Cold Rating: 5.5/10, it doesn't actually smell that strong upon cold throw.
Lit Rating (for these tart reviews, substitute LIT for WARM): 6.5/10, super strong, refreshing, true sinus relief
Throw Rating: 6.5/10, very powerful in one room, but does a good job of not traveling too far outside
Overall Rating: 6.5/10; this one truly lives up to its name. It's enjoyable and helpful, but I'm not sure I'd love it if I wasn't sick...although, that might defeat the purpose, right?! Definitely medicinal, but somehow cooling at the same time.