Fall Stash Update: I LIED

After I posted my fall stash for the Fall Fun Series, I got to browsing the other rooms in my house to see if I had any lingering fall blends I could melt and showcase...

...and then it happened.

I hit the motherload.

I found an entire bag of wax squeezed between the bed and the wall in our spare bedroom. I'm not even going to ask how it got there, but it did. Needless to say, there was some stuff in there...some really good stuff. Here's what I found!

Perhaps the most exciting discovery: ONE MORE APPLE CLOVE BUTTER. Yaaaaaaaaaaas!!

And one more Amish Quilt, too!

If you're new to Lake Providence Lodge and love spicy scents, Karen's The Lodge's Kitchen is one of my top 3 favorite fall scents (along with Apple Clove Butter from Beezy Tarts and Country Charm from CFTKR). It is super strong and is the perfect blend of spiciness. I am thrilled to have an extra one of these!

Cinnamon Creek was from my order last year, so I'm happy to have any more of Karen's wax while I can. I really need to order from her again. This one has a touch of sweetness added to the cinnamon apple notes I get when I smell it. Oh boy, this is gonna be excellent.

MORE AMISH QUILT! Apparently I had some in every room? ;) This is from Haley's Heavenly Scents, and since I haven't ordered from Janet in a long, long time, I don't exactly know how old this is. Oops! Guess I'll give it a go in the bathroom warmer right now!

As you know, I showcased 2 bags of Mountain Cider from Butterfly Lane Scents in my fall stash post, but I found this little guy in the bag and I am melting it now. It's seriously incredible. As soon as it hit the warmer, BUH-BAM! Insta-fall.

EXTRA COUNTRY CHARM TARTS!!!!!! I told you guys I hoarded this! This has to be 2 years old. My favoriteeeeeeeeeeee.

I'm super glad I was able to pick up cinnamon cider when Carol opened a long while back, this is a good blend. Though it's not my favorite apple/cinnamon/spicy scent from her, it's still a nice one. You can rarely go wrong with Carol's fall scents.

Sorry I lied about my stash, ladies and gents. Can you forgive me?

Fall Fun Series: Fall Melting Stash!

Hey everyone! I'm here to show my fall melting stash. What I thought was a pretty big collection is actually quite small, and I *just* finished organizing it, thus the later than everyone else post! I cheated a little bit, I'm not taking photos of all of my candles because that would take too darn long, haha! Take a look!

One box. One. Lousy. Box. What's that? What's that, wax fairy?? You want me to buy some more fall scents??? Are you sure, wax fairy???

The most recent addition to the box comes from Butterfly Lane Scents, a favorite vendor of mine. Her Mountain Cider scent is to die for. Incredible fall blend. Had to have 2 bags, HAD TO.

Not sure why my stupid phone doesn't want to focus on her bags, but this is Amish Quilt, one out of two of my favorite fall time blends. Any vendor, any time, Amish Quilt is a go-to staple for fall!

The other of the two scents is Celtic Moonspice. I only have this little tiny scoopable from Rosegirls to sustain me. That wax fairy is getting pretty loud in my ear now...

A recent favorite addition to the fall blend favs, cinnamon glazed oranges from Rosegirls. Incredible. I've noticed these scoopables aren't as strong as some of the other RG wax I've had in the past, though.

I believe it's Julie who likes Cranberry Lodge from RG, right, J? I got this because someone is always raves about how wonderful it is, and for some reason, this strikes me as something Julie would like, too! It's lovely!

Country Charm from Candles from the Keeping Room is a scent I have been hoarding. I have one more bag somewhere in the house, but I can't find it. I bought 2 big bags like 2 years ago and have only used them sparingly. I know, I know, they are going to go bad eventually. But they work now, so that's all that matters! Her Mulled Cider is also quite fragrant and strong, it's definitely one to check out for apple and spice lovers. And more Amish Quilt, of course.

Sniff My Tarts is best known for their bakery blends, but her spicy scents are also excellent, if you can find the right ones! Farmer's Market is one of those scents. I should have got more when she opened last!

This pie is a year old and remains untouched. I love Brown Sugar Fig, but I haven't had the urge to melt it. I guess I should start soon.

These are the randoms. I have a couple of Christmas scents from Lasting Scent Candles from...last year? Earlier this year? I can't remember. And Mulled Apple Cider in the back from Dessa's is from Julie, I am melting it as we speak! It smells incredible and is wafting through the entire house as I type this out. I LOVE FALL!!

Sorry I don't have more melts to share with you, but if I buy any fall type stuff in the near future, I will be sure to haul it! What's in everyone else's stash?:

 Amanda at ThriftyPolished

Ashley at The Bohemian Sassenach

Hayley at Polished at Heart

Jessica at The Meltdown Blog

Julie at The Redolent Mermaid

Lauren at LoloLovesScents

Liz at Furianne

Stephanie at Imperfectly Painted
Sunnee at Our Sunny Life 

Swift & Supersonically Snappy Short Review #103: Glitterati's Mac Apple Cranberry Woods Vanilla Bean Noel

What a looooooooooooooong scent name! Good lord!

Glitterati Candle Company's Mac Apple Cranberry Woods VBN
Cold Rating: 7/10
Lit Rating: 8/10
Throw Rating: 7.5/10
Overall Rating: 7.5/10; an intriguing blend of scents. The apple is the strongest, crisp and fresh, but right behind it is the intense woodsy odor mingling with sweet cranberry. The vanilla mellows it all together to make a wonderful fall and winter blend. This tiny tart threw better than some full size tarts I have melted. Same problems as before, wanting to order but can't, insanely long waiting periods, worth the wait??? Gotta be quick about getting on a list!! Loving this small sample size, especially when it throws this brilliant. Lasted 8 hours in the bathroom, perfect for a gloomy day. Conjuring up ideas for next year's Thanksgiving and Christmas day scents.

Random Post: "I Love Fall" Tag!

So, let me start off by saying I am sorry I have been neglecting this blog o' mine for the better part of the last 2 months. I need to get my posting schedule straightened out so I can stop doing huge posts with tons of reviews and focus on smaller, more in-depth reviews once again. I am also waaay behind on commenting on my favorite blogs, so please, don't think I am ignoring you! I just need to stop focusing so much on our movie blog. :)

Deb over at It's Always Something tagged me to do the I Love Fall tag, so here it is!

*~I LOVE FALL TAG~*

1. Favorite fall Starbucks drink?
The last few years or so, I have gotten over the pumpkin spice latte. I used to crave them, and now I only get 2 or 3 a year. I really love a good chai tea latte, but that's not seasonal. I also like the peppermint mocha which, again, isn't seasonal. Once a year, like candy corn, I am convinced (by myself) that the salted caramel mocha is a good idea and I order it only to be disappointed. Any additions or subtractions that would make that a good drink??

2. Favorite fall Bath & Body Works candle?
They don't carry it anymore (I don't think??), but a few years ago they made a candle called Autumn and it is freaking incredible. I love it! I also love Leaves and Spiced Apple Toddy, which comes out between Halloween and Christmas, but is still more fall than winter.

3. Favorite Yankee candle?
Home Sweet Home is always a sure bet. Cinnamon, spices, apples and perhaps some other fruits, you can't go wrong!

4. Favorite Thanksgiving food?
It's gotta be the turkey itself, but if I'm being honest, my favorite thing is post Thanksgiving dinner sandwiches. After you have your initial meal, which is usually in the early afternoon, provided you don't stuff yourself, you make a sandwich with turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and maybe some gravy on the side and go to town. Do this with a nice crusty bread, sourdough is my bread of choices for said sandwich. Hell yeah.

5. Hayride or corn maze?
Hayrides sound relaxing and fun, corn mazes sound like my (a fat kid's) worst nightmare.

6. Favorite fall Bath & Body Works soap?
Tough choice. Though it's not seasonal, I love the Black Cherry Merlot, which is all purpose, in my opinion. As far as fall soaps go, anything with a crisp leaves and apple scent will fit the bill.

7. Favorite horror/Halloween movie?
Horror movies, ehh? This is my specialty, movies! If we're kickin' it old school, it'd be a toss-up between "Poltergeist" and the original "Halloween," most likely. As far as new horror movies go, "The Mist" is pretty awesome. Kiddie movies are good, too, and we watch those on Halloween morning. My go-to is "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown," it's just not Halloween without it. On November 1st, we watch "The Nightmare Before Christmas," since we often debate whether it's more Halloween (for October viewing) or Christmas (for December watchin'), so we just settled on November. :)

8. Favorite candy to eat at Halloween?
Another tough question. You gotta love Reese's peanut butter pumpkins! Besides those, I love York peppermint patties. And call me weird, but I also love Smarties.

9. Favorite fall activity?
One day every year in October or early November, Josh and I wake up super early and go to our favorite breakfast joint and get pumpkin pancakes. Then, we go to our local pumpkin patch and spend the say feeding animals, going into the markets, and taking in the scenery. It's as close as we get to changing seasons in San Diego. ;)

10a. Pumpkin pie or apple pie?
Why so many food related questions?! Now I am hungry! I can make apple pie any time of the year, so I am inclined to say pumpkin pie, but it suffers the same problem as all pumpkin flavored things...it gets tiring real quick. So, I usually make both.

10b. Hot apple cider or hot cocoa?
I have to agree with Deb on this one, hot cocoa is much more winter-y, so I'll go with hot apple cider. Especially the stuff from Trader Joe's warmed on the stove with an extra cinnamon stick and some spiced rum.......not that I'm counting the days until that or anything....

And that's my tag! I tag Michelle from waxing about, Lynda (who doesn't have a blog, but can comment here!), and anyone and everyone who wants to share in the comments below!

Swift & Supersonically Snappy Short Review #25: Butterfly Lane's Celtic Moonspice

Can you feel it? (Commmmmmmmmmmmin' in the aaaaaaaaaaaaaair tonnnnnnnight???)
*sniff sniff*
Fall is coming, folks!!! It's so close I can almost taste it!!

Butterfly Lane's Celtic Moonspice
Cold Rating: 7/10
Lit Rating: 7.5/10
Throw Rating: 7.5/10
Overall Rating: 7.5/10; all my favorite fall spices and homeyness wrapped up into one splendid scent. Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, oh my! Pretty great throw, lingering smell. Lasted 6 hours in the bedroom. Not as strong or prominent as other vendors' wax with the same scent. Waiting for the heat and mugginess to arrive...oh wait, it is already here and has been here for a month. UGH. No me gusta the heat. Getting my hopes us for fall every year only to have it not last very long. Vendors opening and closing and opening again. Glad to have the chance to buy more of her products before fall!

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.

Haul: Another Bath & Body Works Haul

...so, I couldn't stay away from the cheap prices of the Semi-Annual Sale!

Josh bought me a super cute cheetah print/bright pink ScentPortable thing for Christmas and I put it in my car. Well, about 2 months ago I ran out of the fragrance refills for it and haven't bought any since Christmas! They were having a sale, buy 3 get 1 free, which isn't great, but I needed some anyways, so one for free is fine! Here we have lavender vanilla, fresh cotton, clean mist (which smells AMAZING, I got this one right after Christmas), and Caribbean Escape (in my car now). It's a nice summertime smell!

Next, we have PocketBacs! 5 for $5 is a great deal, and I promised Josh I'd buy him one for men so he stopped smelling like he was wearing perfume. Most of these are new, I think. Ocean For Men is the one not pictured and in the car for Josh. Pink Berry Citrus is in the spare bathroom, Ocean Pearl is on my nightstand, Citrus Orchid Chill is in the bathroom, and Coconut Water Chill is in the office. All of these scents are really nice, super summery, and you can never have enough hand sanitizer.

When we lived at our condo, I would go to the B&BW right up the street every single time candles were on sale and would always talk to the gals who worked there. Well, turns out one of the ladies (actually, the one I liked the most!) now works at the store closest to our new place! YAY! She talked me into buying this candle...it smells so good, I don't know how it slipped past me for so long. It's very fruity, and again, another summertime scent. Could you tell what I was looking for? LOL.

Turns out, the two soap holders I bought from my last Bath & Body Works haul didn't fit the pumpy foam soaps...ARGH! One of them will be going to a good home for Christmas. I saw these and liked them so much, I got two to match. Woohoo! Love the design on them.

Well, I put one of the skinny, non-foaming hand soap holders in the spare bathroom, and needed some soaps to go along with it! I bought these two soaps (since I knew from buying the PocketBacs that I loved Island Bamboo and just took a wild guess with Beach Flower) and actually like them equally if not better than the foam soap. I KNOW, I KNOW, I have judged many a public place for not having foaming soap...OH WELL, these smell awesome and now we're used to them.

Anyways, it's safe to say that since I'm doing Project Wax I won't be buying stuff at Bath & Body Works any time soon. But, those fall candles are out online already AND I AM REALLY EXCITED AND CAN HARDLY CONTAIN MY JOY FOR FALL AND WINTER. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

My fall candle wishlist (courtesy of Cia @ See It, Love It, Buy It!):

• Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin (of course, love this scent)
• Marshmallow Fireside (my favorite scent in B&BW history)
• Applewood Bonfire (this is a new scent for the year and it sounds like it's a real winner)
• Leave (as you have probably guessed from reading past entries in this bloggy blog, I'm mildy obsessed with Leaves)
• Pumpkin Pecan Waffles (I. Want. To. Eat. The. Photo.)
• Pumpkin Cupcake (will be a new scent for me even though it's an old favorite
• Blackberry Spice (this one sounds incredible...as long as the blackberry isn't perfumey!)
• Pumpkin Apples (if it's anything like the Front Porch scent, then YES, YES, YES!!!)
• Test scents: Pumpkin Carrot Cake, Creamy Pumpkin, Coconut Woods, Sage & Cedar, Pumpkin Woods, and Vanilla Vetiver

Anywhoozle, I might post again today, or might not, so if not, have a great weekend! :)

Review: Slatkin & Co.'s Spiced Apple Toddy

Around our house, the spicier, the better...
...well, in terms of cinnamon, that is.
I personally LOVE spicy food. If you're talking about habaneros, jalapenos, or hot sauce, then Josh is not a fan (for me, stuff can't get hot enough!)...
...but if we're talking about cinnamon, we're both there with nostrils ready for sniffin' and our mouths a'ready for eatin'. We can't get enough of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg...you know, baking spices.

Josh bought me the 14.5 oz, 3-wick Spiced Apple Toddy candle from Bath & Body Works as a Christmas gift. I was reluctant because, when I was in the store, I smelled this candle and thought it smelled way too caramel-filled. What I think happened was someone switched the candle and lid because this scent is brilliant! It is a great mix of mulled cider, a slight alcohol note (brandy), tart cranberry, (plum, too, but I don't necessarily get that note) and a hint of spices. The apple in this is so strong!

Luckily, I have not had any issues with this candle, as you can see, the wax pool is deep and even, and the wicks have been alright, even though they are pretty thin. Overall, I would repurchase this a thousand times! It was a very lovely fall and winter time of scent. I have been trying to burn it to finish it, so I burn it when we are in the living room for long periods of time, and it always lasts at least 4 hours. Love it!

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Slatkin & Co.'s Spiced Apple Toddy
Cold Rating: 7.5/10; you get all of the notes individually on cold sniff: apples/cider, spices, cranberry, a hint of alcohol...just great on cold sniff, super strong!
Lit Rating: 8.5/10; marvelous! Everything has come together nicely on each burn! I have had no problems with this candle. One of my favorites and I didn't even know it!
Throw Rating: 8/10; this candle lingers throughout the entire house while warming AND once it's extinguished! It consistently overpowers whatever I've got going in the bedroom (if we're in the living room, or vice versa).
Overall Rating: 8/10; I am happy to report this is one of the best scents I tried of what I purchased/received from Bath & Body Works last year! I will definitely repurchase this...I am so impressed! Going to finish it up today or tomorrow, and I'm kicking myself for not buying more when they were on sale this weekend (BAN, ugh!). Try this one! :)

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.

~~~~~~~~~~ 
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).

Review: White Barn's Cranberry Woods 14.5 oz 3-Wick Candle

Very few things define fall and winter together. Pumpkins are mainly for Halloween, Christmas trees are, obviously, spoken for with Christmas...

(another terrible photo! What the heck is going on with my phone?!)
...but what about cranberry? Cranberry works for both fall AND winter holidays! They have earned themselves a place on the Thanksgiving table are often used in Christmas decorations. These little berries bring much joy and delight, to those of you who enjoy them.

Cranberry Woods combines a rustic, woodsy scent with cranberries and a very, very small amount of cinnamon to make one uber-powerful candle! I'm not sure what blackcurrants smell like, but there's definitely another subtle fruity note to this fragrance. The only disappointment about this candle is, on a second day burn, my candle sort of dudded out; luckily for me, it turned itself around! I really enjoy this candle, and Josh did too. I would absolutely repurchase this again!

~~~~~~~~~~
White Barn's Cranberry Woods
Cold Rating: 7/10; surprisingly strong cranberry scent that is not too overpowered by the woods aspect.

Lit Rating: 8/10; a true delight for either fall OR winter! Super strong, although my particular candle had performance issues several times.

Throw Rating: 7/10; definitely traveled throughout the house, permeated the air, and it was as if we were picking cranberries in the wilderness...no, really!
Overall Rating: 7/10; a solid contender for one of my favorite fall fragrances!

Review: The Bathing Garden's Snowed In

After the Harvest fiasco I had the other day,  my main scent goal was finding something spicy to takes its disappointing place. What I stumbled upon in my Project Wax bag was nothing short of a miracle.

(...wow, that photo is HORRIBLY slanted, ha!)

Knowing what I know (well, what little I know) about online wax vendors, I have had nothing but positive experiences with The Bathing Garden. Shannon, the owner of this Etsy shop (soon to be independent website after the holidays!) does a ridiculously fantastic job at making highly scented wax clamshells. Besides making great products, she is also known for adding special little touches, like the little snowflake in the corner of my clamshell. I have gotten several items from her, each one a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Snowed In was no exception, as it was simply amazing. Describing this will really do no justice to the power it possessed; it traveled throughout the condo and lingered for long after it the warmer was turned off. The spiciness from just two cubes was wonderfully overpowering, which is exactly what I was seeking after my Harvest letdown (yes, it needed repeating). Between the cinnamon/nutmeg/clove aroma, there was definitely apple in this scent,maybe some mild berry notes, too. I don't have a scent description because she doesn't have this particular product for sale right now, but this is DEFINITELY a spice based scent. One of my favorites from Shannon, for sure!

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The Bathing Garden's Snowed In
Cold Rating: 7/10; very strong in the clamshell, surprisingly so: often times, spicy scents can get muted on cold sniff!
Lit Rating: 8.5/10; a fabulous mix of spice with mild fruitiness; just lovely!
Throw Rating: 8/10; traveled far, lasted long, wonderful performance.
Overall Rating: 8/10; one of my favorites from The Bathing Garden, and I've now come to the realization that I prefer smaller online vendors over Yankee...*sigh*

Review: Yankee Candle's Harvest

Harvest is, quite possibly, one of Yankee Candle's most popular scents. People absolutely rave about this fragrance...

I was so looking forward to this candle. I think part of me saved it because I didn't want it to be gone...but I was so underwhelmed. The scent notes in this candle are: cinnamon, clove, musk, and apples. All I smelled from this was musty cupboards. The culprit may have been the plastic wrap, but why? This candle was less than 3 months old, why would it be gross already? I'm tired of Yankee getting my hopes up only to smash them down at the last second. UGH! Where's the wonderfully cinnamony candle I was promised!? Bah humbug! I had the entire tart melting for about 2 hours before I had to dump it out and start a better scent. I am disappoint, Yankee!

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Yankee Candle Harvest
Cold Rating: 4/10; even smells musty, but can be overlooked...you really do smell cinnamon after you get past the icky smell.
Lit Rating: 3/10; I don't know what else to say...
Throw Rating: 4/10; middle of the road, but unpleasant. Something seeped into my votive, I think, and made it gross...but the grossness stuck around for a while, even after it was tossed.
Overall Rating: 3.5/10; so disappointing. I wonder if it would be different in a larger size than just a votive. This is one of the biggest letdowns of the year. :(

Melt-A-Palooza: Kim's Tarts, Part I

As I've stated in past reviews, the tarts by Kim I have tried have been hit or miss. Some were pretty dang great, some were either unscented or just plain smelly. Regardless of MY opinions, for your money, I doubt you're going to find a cheaper vendor around the internet...3 scalloped tarts for $1.50 with free shipping of any order over $35?? That's an amazingly great deal. On the other hand, if you're paying good money, you might want to buy somewhere that is consistent with its products. Agree or disagree, this is the first company I purchased wax from online (besides Yankee and B&BW), so I want them to succeed!

I decided to have a MAJOR Kim's Tarts meltdown today! I kicked my tart warmer into high gear and got to meltin' this afternoon; it's the perfect day for a nice, waxy melt-a-palooza, as it is tad bit gloomy with a little bit of drizzle! Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog entry in the next few days because I melted so many different scents. :)

1) Kim's Tarts Trick or Treats is just average. I meant to melt this during Halloween, but I completely forgot. On cold throw, there was a barely there sweet smell, but I could not distinguish what it was. As it began to melt, the room was flooded by a spicy aroma of cinnamon, which quickly melded with an artificial pumpkin/apple note. It was very sweet, too, but Splenda-sweet, not sugar cane.

Kim's Tarts' Trick or Treats
Cold Rating: 3.5/10; very, very faint sweet smell, yet indistinguishable.
Lit Rating: 5/10; not much more to say...too sweet, too fake smelling, the spice was nice, but it was overpowered by artificial apple and pumpkin.
Throw Rating: 5/10; medium scent throw, nothing else to say about that.
Overall Rating: 4.5/10; artificiality hampers what could have been an otherwise delicious smelling tart.

2) On the positive side, Leaves (type) was pretty dead on compared to the popular Bath & Body Works scent. It had a fabulous dried apple scent coupled with spices and a slightly sweet maple aroma. Festive, bright, and strong while melting! Cold. however, most of Kim's Tarts are middle of the road, at best.

Kim's Tarts' Leaves
Cold Rating: 5/10; still almost nothing, but this scent had the most fragrance out of any of the Kim's Tarts I have smelled.
Lit Rating: 7.5/10
Throw Rating: 8/10
Overall Rating: 7/10

3) Have you ever eaten chestnuts in their original form? I haven't, so I have no idea what to go on, fragrance wise. This one smelled pretty dang great! I'm super excited that this batch of Kim's Tarts have been decent because, like I said, I want their business to succeed. This one, while named Chestnuts and Brown Sugar, should really be named creamy graham crackers. It smelled like honey, brown sugar, a touch of butter, with a little hint of creamy vanilla or marshmallow. It was really pleasant!

Kim's Tarts' Chestnuts and Brown Sugar
Cold Rating: 5/10; average, nothing special, even with extra oils on top of the tart. GRRRRRRR!!
Lit Rating: 6.5/10; decent smell of graham crackers, not overly nutty, sugary yet buttery at the same time.
Throw Rating: 6.5/10
Overall Rating: 6/10; pretty good! I enjoyed this scent, but it smelled like graham crackers more than chestnuts and brown sugar. Definitely a bakery scent without cake or cookie fragrance!

4) What's your favorite type of pie? Mine just happens to be Lemon Meringue Pie. So, what would any logical person do, apart from making one or buying one from a local store or bakery? BUY IT IN TART FORM, OF COURSE! This one was really, really great! You could actually smell each element of a lemon meringue pie individually in different whiffs!

Kim's Tarts' Lemon Meringue Pie
Cold Rating: 5.5/10; average flaky, crusty, lemony scent on cold sniff.
Lit Rating: 7.5/10; pretty strong! Enjoyed this scent, but I always have to use 2 or even all 3 tarts to get this result.
Throw Rating: 7/10; traveled around the entire house, but lingered the farthest away from the bedroom.
Overall Rating: 6.5/10; smells like a real lemon meringue pie! Strong, too. Great performance, I am pleased!

Weekend Wax Review: November 17-18

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, folks! It's the most wonderful time of the year!

We're in charge of the turkey this year. Problems?
...neither of us have ever made a turkey.
...our oven is awful.
...I have an aversion to touching poultry.

IT WILL BE FINE. I keep telling myself that we are adults, we can handle this...
...and then I think of giblets. *shiver*
So, mom, if you're reading this, sorry in advance for potentially poisoning your guests. KIDDING!! (heh??? HEH???)

We melted a pretty good amount of wax this weekend. Josh works all day on Saturday and Sunday, so I kept it simple while he was gone and tried to melt things I didn't think he would like. I melted Kim's Tarts' Christmas Wish (review coming soon) and Fruit Loops. Fruit Loops from Kim's Tarts was pretty good, but not the best Fruit Loops scent I've tried. It lasted a good 6 hours during the day, though, which was awesome. I'd say overall a 6/10. Kim's has been really hit or miss, but this one was decent!

Also, I wandered back into the world of Scentsy with Pumpkin Marshmallow, which is a bar I won from a Happy Fall Y'all giveaway online! This scent was pretty good, but not great; we had this going in the plug-in Scentsy warmerabove, also something I won in the giveaway, but it filled up the back section of our condo pretty fast. It really did smell like marshmallows, but it had a hefty amount of artificial sweetness. Overall, I'd say this was a 5/10; would have liked to smell a bit more spicy, or even some pumpkin...it was very muted. Just because something is strong doesn't necessarily mean it's a good scent. Also, who says pumpkins have to go away after Halloween?! I love this plug-in warmer!

Last night we warmed Tinsel from My Candle Box, a vendor featured in the November Simply Sensational box. This fragrance was fabulous! It smelled like pink sugar combined with strawberries and a hint of peppermint. I warmed it before we went to bed and left it on until the middle of the night. This morning, it was still going strong. Gotta give it up to vendors who have perfected the art of longevity in their wax, right? Great nighttime fragrance! Unfortunately, I'd give it a 4/10 on cold sniff (we could hardly smell anything in the plastic baggie), 7/10 while warming, 7/10 for the throw, which means a 6/10 overall.

Right now, I have Pumpkins and Pralines from CFTKR, of Candles From The Keeping Room*, melting in the bedroom. This is another fabulous sweet smell true to its name. It smells like freshly toasted and sugar-coated pralines on top of a pumpkin pie. Crusty, buttery, creamy, sugary...ohhhh so so so so good. Heavy on the sweet pralines, with subtle pumpkin aroma. 6.5/10 on cold sniff, 6/10 while melting, 7/10 for throw, 6.5/10 overall. Decadent, but can get very sweet and one-note pretty fast (again, this is just my opinion). Try it out, though, it's a good one!

*Another note about CFTKR: Carol, the owner, is so super sweet, and really fast with her shipping. She communicates with customers on her Facebook page nearly every single day with updates about not just her shop, but her life as well. She puts so much time and effort into her wax that I would DEFINITELY purchase from her again even though her shipping costs can be high. In an effort to make up for these costs, though, she adds a ton of samples in every order. I got 9, yes, 9 SAMPLES, ranging in size and shape! How cool is that?! Her scents are unique, her shapes are really cute, and her quality is great! What more could you ask for? Her shop is closed right now, but she will be re-opening after Thanksgiving!

**Another note about this: Being the genius that I am, I decided to include photos in my Weekend Wax Reviews from now on. It's too time consuming to review everything I've EVER melted, so I'll do in-depth, longer reviews on the fragrances/vendors I either loved/hated/found so-so, and then add extra pictures and smaller reviews on the weekend! Like I said, GENIUS!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week, y'all!

PS: I just noticed all of the above scents hovered around a 6/10. This is not on purpose, it's just a coincidence I noticed from my notes.

Review: Kim's Tarts' Farmhouse Cider

My husband Josh has come around about my wax fetish..

[is fetish the right word? Habit? Love? Addiction? Problem? Bueller??]

At first, I don't think he saw the point. While we want our house to smell lovely and not like a trash can, I don't know if he exactly got why I like candles and wax. Of course, I'm purely speculating...maybe he's understood the entire time but was simply giving me a hard time! Some people like fine cigars, sports cards, movie memorabilia...I like candles and wax. 

I've started trying to include him more in my scent travels...

[Travels? Is THAT the right word?? Exploits? Cravings? Adventures? BUELLER???]

Instead of me always picking the scent of the day/night based on what we each like, he's been picking what we melt/burn lately! So, last night, when I read the contents from my Project Wax bag (I'll explain this in my next post), he picked Kim's Tarts' Farmhouse Cider. An excellent choice, my fine feathered friend...now I KNOW this is not the right phrase, it's just something I always say. :)

...I really wish I could review this scent better. We wanted to love it...

Per Kim's Tarts website, the notes for this scent are: "Fresh, ground cinnamon, generously sprinkled over tasty hot apple cider. Allspice, fresh clove bud, and drips of Vermont maple complete this flavorful treat. The scent of hot spiced cider warms the soul. SUPER STRONG!" To me, this fragrance pretty much sounded like a dupe for the Bath & Body Works scent with the same name. What we expected to get was an overwhelming spicy apple scent, dripping with fall delight...something that would run us out of the room because it was so strong...

...unfortunately, that was not the case. On cold sniff, the scent was virtually nonexistent. I added one of the 3 scalloped tarts to start into my 24-watt hot plate warmer and figured we'd try our luck anyways. Well, the first one was melted completely and I didn't even know it. If I put my nose almost directly on the wax, I could get a tiny hint of cinnamon, otherwise, nothin'. I added another tart to see if it yielded better results...then had to add the third and final tart when 2 didn't do squat. While the fragrance was fractionally improved with the addition of the remaining 2 tarts, this scent did almost nothing for us. It was really disappointing because the description promised strength where there was none. Onto the next thing!

Happy melting, everyone!

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Kim's Tarts Farmhouse Cider
Cold Rating: 2/10; this one had no fragrance at all. There was a slight hint of something in the middle tart in the bag of 3, but it was not anything included in the Farmhouse Cider description.
Lit Rating: 3/10; one point for each tart, I suppose. Disappointingly light scent after a raving description about strength.
Throw Rating: 2/10; again, you had to be ON TOP of the wax to get any throw.
Overall Rating: 2.5/10; it's hard to review something that basically has no throw, smell, or general use. But, this is 2 out of 3 tarts I've tried from Kim's Tarts that have had a less than average performance. I still have quite a few bags filled with tarts left to melt, and my hunch is I'd better do it fast or else there will be no scent in the wax left to review!

Review: Tiffany Candles' Hocus Pocus

Josh and I LOVE Halloween, and typically, we decorate our house with all sorts of awesomeness. But this year, with all that has been going on in the last two months, Halloween sort of came and went with no extravagance. We got a couple of horror movies got watched, but that's about it. We didn't decorate our house, we didn't get our little pup his Darth Vader costume, we didn't even take our Halloween box out of the closet...

In fact, Halloween just felt like a major bummer this year. The only trick-or-treaters we got at our house were our niece and nephew, which was the highlight of our night. It was so cool to see them all dressed up knocking at our door! There were other kids outside going door-to-door, but they passed us by, and it was depressing. The people in our apartment complex aren't very friendly.

The only other festive thing I did this year, during the day, was melt Tiffany Candles' Hocus Pocus. This scent shot is a sweet mix of caramel apple and candy corn.* Many of the YouTubers have done reviews raving about this scent, so in my very first order from this company, I made it a point to add it to my bag! The lusciousness of this scent really shines through in an unexpected mix of caramel and candy, but the apple fragrance is a bit muddled on cold sniff. Once it started warming, though, you get a powerful, consistent punch of pure, candy-coated heaven. This company, along with Front Porch Candle Co., really have my attention towards their bakery and sweet scents!

I had it going for 6 hours and the scent was so strong that I could not, in good conscience, throw it away. So, I did what any normal person would do and poured it back into the container...and all over the desk....and all over my shirt. OOPS, I guess I was just too excited and clingy to the one thing that made the holiday fabulous this year!

Here's to hoping next year's Halloween won't be a bummer, man!

*sidebar: Lewis Black does a HILARIOUS comedy bit about candy corn, you can view it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU6S3-cXtKs

**Also, Tiffany Candles now has a new blend of wax that DOES NOT NEED TO CURE! YAY!!! So, if you place an order, you can begin melting your goodies ASAP, instead of waiting a few weeks for the items to cure!

~~~~~~~~~~

Tiffany Candles Hocus Pocus
Cold Rating: 6/10; strong and sweet; interesting note: I almost got a hint of butter on cold sniff!
Lit Rating: 7.5/10; caramel goodness mixed with the timeless classic, candy corn; apple scent a bit muted, but it started to come through once it was melting.
Throw Rating: 7.5/10; traveled all over the house from the bedroom. Also, melted perfectly, and saved just as well, too! We got at least 6 hours of scent from this fragrance.
Overall Rating: 7/10; I wish I had more of this to melt! Josh, who is a fan of sweets, loved this one! Tiffany Candles has been consistent with excellent performance, a powerful throw, scent longevity, and each fragrance I melt from them makes me want to give them all my money. SO GOOD!!! :-)

Review: JMae's Pumpkin Spice tart

It's alright to burn your samples first, right? There's no rule that says you have to burn your purchased products first...

...Right???!

Because seriously, this pumpkin spice soy tart has been calling my name ever since I opened my package. This tart is adorable and in a cute pumpkin shape! I appreciate these little touches that set online vendors apart from the big named businesses.

Even though Halloween is over, that's no excuse to put pumpkin scents back in storage! Pumpkin and spice are two of my favorite scents, and they are even better when combined. JMae's pumpkin spice soy tart does have these two ingredients, but is, unfortunately, short lived. It only had fragrance for about 2 hours; plus, the scent didn't travel far, just to the doorway of the bedroom. This is not necessarily bad, but I would have liked a bigger scent throw when melting! The other thing is, instead of being scented with evenly with pumpkin and spice, it was heavy on the spice, which is fine...but I couldn't exactly place what spice it was. Maybe allspice? Maybe an all-purpose pumpkin pie spice, combining multiple spices? Something was off about it. To me, this scent invokes more of a cinnamon bun or cinnamon toast type of aroma, with subtle hints of pumpkin. It was semi-powerful, but faded fast. It also did that weird, not solidifying thing when I turned off the warmer. I have 3 tarts left from this company, so let's see how those stack up later on in the days to come!

~~~~~~~~~~
JMae's Pumpkin Spice
Cold Rating: 4/10; the only scent I got on cold throw was some sort of spice that I couldn't put my finger on...it made me sad there was hardly any scent, but...
Lit Rating: 5/10; it was sort of bakery, sort of spicy, not really all that pumpkiny...I definitely got a hint of cinnamon, but I really couldn't place what the other scent was AND IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!
Throw Rating: 5/10; it stayed in the bedroom and didn't drift too far, just average.
Overall Rating: 5/10; I'm sad that I didn't get much out of this scent. Maybe it was an off day, but the scent only lasted about 2 hours and then it was gone. Poof...where did it go?! It stuck around pervasively at first, then fizzled out, as some tarts tend to do. It had a decent spicy scent, though!

Weekend Wax Review: November 2-4

I melted quite a few things this weekend.

Part of me wants to go through my stash of Tiffany Candles as slow as possible because I looooooooooooove their products. I have not found one scent from them that I haven't been in love with! This weekend, I melted: Hocus Pocus (caramel apple mixed with candy corn, very sweet but very fruity, too), Mulled Cider (a fantastic mix of apples, oranges, and spices, mainly clove and a hint of cinnamon, I think), and I burned my 4oz. jelly jar of Stress Relief some more.

From Bath & Body Works, I burned my 'Tis The Season candle, as well as Snowed In, and Leaves, which is always a great choice.

Yankee Candle also got a little bit of action this weekend: I burned my large tumbler of Midnight Jasmine for a few hours as well.

...I guess this weekend wax review includes Friday, too!

Ollie's Soaps got some love this weekend, too! Josh suggested I try Sinus Relief, since he was having allergy symptoms.

Finally, I melted a couple successful scents from Front Porch, which included Pink Peppermint, a newly discovered favorite of mine. Lavender Marshmallow, however, is my first negative experience with this company...it smelled like sweet bug spray to me! I guess you run that risk being a lavender fan!

Anywho, this is a day late and a dollar short, but have an awesome week! Happy melting!

Review: Bath & Body Works' Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin

Fall is such a great season. It is the beginning of holiday baking, allows us to carve pumpkins, excitement for Christmas starts looming, and is just filled with joy in general! Nothing says 'autumn' like a hearty pan of pumpkin cupcakes, cinnamon and spices filling the air, and a hot cup of apple cider to tide you over on a wispy, cool day.

Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin sure does the trick! It is much more muted than Spiced Pumpkin from Yankee Candle, but then again, the operative word of this candle is "SWEET." There is definitely vanilla cream in this fragrance, as indicated by the scent description, which is not off-putting at all! In fact, the vanilla does a good job at NOT being the superstar, as per usual. This is not to say I don't enjoy Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, because I really do! It's strong without being imposing, pumpkiny without being hit in the face with a gourd, spicy without being choked with clove buds, etc; though the first scent note I get from this IS clove, I don't mind at all...it seems like a lot of the candle folk online do not like overly spicy scents...MORE FOR ME, then! :)

And hey, take a look at that burn! I have been having so many problems with Slatkin/White Barn/Bath& Body Works' wicks this year and I was surprised to see a candle that ACTUALLY worked well and fast. Probably half of the candles I've purchased this year from B&BW have had uneven burns, low scent throws because of uneven burns, thin and flimsy wicks...it's sort of been a tragedy. Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin had a fantastic burn, even when burned two or three days later! It was satisfying to get a candle that did what it was supposed to do.

Unfortunately, I waited too long to post this review, and this scent is no longer in a 14.5 oz. candle anymore. They released the fall candles right on the cusp of summer's end and quickly got rid of them to make room for the new winter lines. It's a shame because I had a few family members in mind who would have gotten a kick out of this fragrance. Oh well, onto the next scent line! If you can get your hands on this one, or it makes a triumphant return, go for it, you probably won't be disappointed!

Hey, candles at B&BW are 2/$20 again this week, and I'm not sure when it's ending. Check it out, you know where to find them!

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Bath & Body Works Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin
Cold Rating: 6/10; sweet and spicy, pumpkin is muted, but this is not a deterrent.
Lit Rating: 7/10; perfect harmony of all of fall's classic fragrances: spices, pumpkin, and vanilla! Also, had fantastic performance, which is worth noting during this year of awful burns.
Throw Rating: 6.5/10; it took a while for the throw to smack me in the face, but once it was there, there was no stopping it.
Overall Rating: 6.5/10; an all-around great fall scent: nothing more, nothing less! :)

Weekend Wax Review: October 20-21

Is there such a thing as too much wax?

...No, no, I don't think there is.

I burned A LOT of wax this weekend. I just couldn't stay satisfied with one scent for very long! Usually, I stick with one fragrance all day, but lately, I have been randomly switching out my warmers mid-day. No biggie, it just means a cacophony of scents. :)

In the bathroom, I melted Cinnamon Bear all weekend. It smells so wonderful, and this scent does wonders in a small room. It really and truly smells like a package of cinnamon gummy bears!

In the living room, I burned Spiced Pumpkin again while hanging out with some of my good friends. We watch a little bit of "Sons of Anarchy," "Extreme Couponing," and playing with our pup. Good times! My friend also brought over Gold Canyon's Sugar Cookie; as you well know, we are not the biggest bakery fans in the world, but this scent was, in a word, FANTABULOUS...actually, that's NOT a word, but who cares! Heavy on the vanilla, sugary, like we were actually baking cookies! YUM! It was amazing, it smelled like my grandma's holiday cookies I look forward to each year, multiple times a year... *HINT HINT, NANA!* :)

The bedroom, though, is where I seem to have done the most damage. I melted:

-Tiffany Candles' Pumpkin Pie Spice in a scent shot, in honor of Laura. Josh said we should melt this because she always made an awesome pumpkin pie right around this time of year. *sigh* We melted this one for almost 16 hours, actually, on accident. The scent lasted until we woke up! Definitely a winner.

-Tiffany Candles' Winter Dreams in a scent shot, not sure what the description of this one was, but it was hit or miss, and didn't last very long, surprisingly!

-Tiffany Candles' Stress Relief, 4oz jelly jar style. Burned this for about an hour and fell asleep while it was melting, so I had to turn it off. NO NAPS WHILE BURNING!! I loved this one, it's faintly medicinal, though. The blend of lavender and sage can really be smelled in this candle. It's just great!

-Bath & Body Works' Leaves, but in the 14.5oz 3-wick. Classic Fall scent, one of my top 10 favorite candles EVER.

-Bath & Body Works' Lavender Vanilla, 14.5oz 3-wick...needed to de-stress for a bit, and this is the perfect calming scent!

-The Bathing Garden's "Snowed In," which left both Josh and I equally impressed and unimpressed. The scent was SO STRONG when we first started melting it, but it fizzled quickly.

-JMae's Soaps & Candles' Black Raspberry Vanilla, which I will be doing a full review of as soon as I can! :)

...actually, this doesn't seem like very much stuff.

I missed a KILLER sale at Bath & Body Works this weekend online, but that's okay. I really don't need any more wax.

Have a good week, everyone!!