Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Wahm's Scented Wax; Special Grandson Sale!

I'm a sucker for a good bargain. In honor of Julie's (owner of Wahm's Scented Wax) grandson, she was running a great sale. With a $25 dollar purchase, she would throw in a free scoop melt and a mini pie!

I have had good experiences with every vendor I have tried so far, but there is something about Wahm's that is special. Not only are the scents amazing and of incredible quality, but you can see the care and craftmanship that goes into everything. The cookies, loafs, and scoops, are clear evidence she has a talent for creativity and aesthetics.  Even the packaging inside the box, from the pink, red, and blue tissue paper, to the star printed bag my wax loaf came in, the attention to detail really makes you feel as if every order is special.

Now on to my goodies! :)
Some of the items I ordered specifically, and the others I asked to be surprised.
I got a bunch of individual tarts, requested in random scents. The scents she chose for me were Cake Mix, Gummy Bears, Pink Peeps, Pumpkin Souffle, Christmas Wish, Banana Berry Zucchini, Zucchini Fluff, and Cranberry Apple Marmalade. 
Cranberry Apple Marmalade is red on the bottom with a layer of white on the top and red sugar sprinkles. I wasn't expecting a double colored tart and I have to say that I'm very impressed, it looks beautiful.
She also gave me 2 Hello Kitty shaped tarts. One in Sage & Citrus (very strong, smells fresh!) and Berry Scones (very very berry!) Never had cartoon shaped tarts before, I hope I don't get sad when the face melts away :)

I ordered my first loaf in one of my favorite scents ever, Pink Noel!
Not only does it smell great, look at how beautiful it is! Its covered in pink sugar sprinkles, little wax strawberries, and gumdrops (I think they're gumdrops anyway). Presliced in 8 pieces with a pink layer on the bottom, and white layer on the top.

I requested the frosted cookies in Ice Cream Scoop Bread per her recommendation. They look so real it's almost eerie. The details on the frosting are great, as well as the green sugar sprinkles. (I LOVE these kinds of sprinkles). The cold scent is pretty good, so I can't wait to see how much I like them melted.
It would be a mean trick to put them in the kitchen cabinet. My husband would likely mistake them for real cookies, until the first bite that is. :) 


 I asked Julie to choose the scent for my scoop melt, and she chose Vanilla Pumpkin Pie. It is literally a scoop made of wax, filled with more wax, in more of the same scent, but in tiny pumpkin shapes. It's almost too beautiful to melt. It smells (and looks) just like Thanksgiving to me.
Tiny Pumpkins!

The second freebie I got was the mini pie. It came in Pink Strawberry Shake. Presliced just like the loaf, and covered with pink sprinkles and little wax strawberries.









I love ordering from Wahm's, out of all the items I recieved the only scents I requested was for the loaf (Pink Noel) and cookies (Ice Cream Scoop Bread). I haven't tried any of these scents before, and some of them I wouldn't have ordered on my own, but just like last time, I will likely discover a new favorite and break my normal scented boundaries. Still not sure how much I care for bakery, (except for cake, I love cake) and haven't been brave enough to try anything zucchini scented (although I have heard a lot of people rave about them). But that's the whole reason I ask to be surprised. If you are ever brave enough I would recommend trying it at least once.

I was lucky enough to win one of her comment contests during Bingo game night. So with my next purchase of $25.00 I get a free large slicable pie! So I suppose you can expect to see another Wahm's order in the near future!




Monday, August 29, 2011

Tonight in my Warmer; Marshmallow Ambrosia!




Boy does it feel good to be back home with my scented treasures! It's been a little while since I have melted a scent from Candles by Victoria, so tonight I picked Marshmallow Ambrosia.
This scent came as an individual 2 ounce "scent shot".
I was looking through the website, there are a TON of scents to choose from, plus there are SAMPLER PACKS! Whoo hoo!
Candles by Victoria describes this scent as
"Marshmallow Ambrosia~ A wonderful combination of marshmallows and fruit.. this is a yummy scent!" 

Marshmallow Ambrosia smells exactly like you think it would...like MARSHMALLOWS!
It's sweet, sugary, and warm, with a scent that's not quite vanilla.
This seems very much a Fall type of scent, although I'm not sure why. I don't think I eat anymore marshmallows in Autumn than I do any other time of year. Maybe because its a home-y type fragrance, which is a change of pace from the tropical types that seem to dominate during the summer time.
I didn't get much of the fruity notes until after the tart had melted. I can't tell what type of fruit it is supposed to be, but you can tell that there is a little extra "oomph" in it. I don't think its a berry or citrus, my guess (emphasis on guess) would be apple, or apricot?
I love that the fruit is there, but doesn't overpower the marshmallow scent.

Marshmallow Ambrosia is a great scent on its own, but I think I will also try tossing it in my electric warmer with Pink Sugar. It would add a rich full bodied sweetness with a touch of fruit.  There are a ton of Pink Sugar blends out there, but I think this would be a good one too.

I like to think of marshmallow as vanilla's cousin. They are so similar, they are both sweet and incredibly versatile.I love vanilla with a passion so no doubt marshmallow with be another regular in my lineup. :)
I will want to try a pure marshmallow soon, and then other types of blends. I'm not sure why I haven't melted more marshmallow scents before, I kind of feel like I have been missing out!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Tonight in my Warmer; Help Name Me!

I have a special tart by the name of Help Name Me! from Crabby Candle Co. Its square and yellow, but that's all I know.
Crabby wants some help naming this mystery scent, and I'm more than happy to try to take a swing at it!
The cold scent is bright, fresh and citrusy, with is a slight twang of sweetness I can't quite place.  After the tart has melted the warm fruity smells expands and envelops the room. It smells a lot like lemons, with a little orange as well.
This tart is bright, and fresh, I percieve it as a "happy" type scent. You know how they say orange juice is liquid sunshine? Help Name Me! makes me think of warm scented sunshine.
So when Crabby asks us what the name of this scent should be, all I could think of was Sunshine, or perhaps Harvest Sunshine if it is a strictly autumn scent.
I made a post on Crabby's Facebook page and asked what the scent notes were, and if it really was lemon that I detected. The description I got was "Crisp white tea with a combination of jasmine, violet, lavender and orange flowers. The dry down is a clean citrus musk. (and yes, the citrus is indeed lemon!)"

I was surprised that there were florals in this tart. Maybe that accounts for the slight sweet note I detected. The crisp white tea is an interesting addition, I had no idea it was in there, but now I think I can smell it. (Unless its the power of suggestion!)
So even after knowing the specific notes, I still think Sunrise is a great name. 


There are some other good names in the running too. If you have some time, go check out Crabby's Facebook Page and vote on a name for this great scent!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Today in my Warmer; Buttercream Drizzled Bread!

I've been trying more and more bakery type scents lately. Since so many people love them, I've been adamant about wanting to find some that I could really enjoy too.
After not liking a few I was excited when I tried this one, and couldn't wait to write about it.

Buttercream Drizzled Bread is from the "Bread Basket" sampler pack from Front Porch Candle Co. It came in a really cute doughnut shape, with adorable heart printed packaging.
 The cold scent is almost all sweet. It's not until it melts that the bread notes are really noticeable.
It's no secret that I love buttercream, and this scent is buttercream with a twist. The bread addition in this tart really add warmth and heartiness in to what would otherwise be a scent that is all sweet. It's a more complex, toned down version of buttercream.

The throw is pretty decent, I had it melting on my desk, and could smell it from my kitchen.

Buttercream Drizzled Bread reminds me a little bit of sweet rolls my mother in law made for me once. She was making cinnamon rolls one morning, (We were visiting very early. I think it may have been during the holidays). and she remember that I am one of the few people on the planet that hates cinnamon. She was sweet enough to make a few cinnamon-less cinnamon rolls, just for me :)
It's moments like those that the "in laws" truly feel like family.

It goes without saying that a scent you enjoy is great, but a scent you enjoy that also reminds you of a pleasant memory, is something special.













Saturday, August 20, 2011

Today in my Warmer; Blue Sugar!

Today I decided to dip into my Crabby Candle Co. tester box and try out Blue Sugar.

I've mentioned this a couple times, but for those of you who don't know, Crabby Candle does a monthly box of tester scents at $10 shipped. I also signed up for the Fall box so I'm really excited for that. :)
Blue Sugar is a lot like Pink Sugar, only....blue! Kidding, of course. There are actually quite a few differences between the two, Blue Sugar is much more masculine, in scent as well in color.

 Blue Sugar is very sweet, but it also has darker, heavier notes. It seems to have patchouli, or some sort of "woodsy" tone, but it's hard to guess which one. It's heavier than sandalwood, maybe an oak or cedar?

Patchouli is okay, but not one of my favorites. It's a little too "hippy-ish" or "natural" for me. And while I would never use it on it's own, it makes a great addition to this scent and I love it.
Patchouli and woodsy scents are generally very strong, but Blue Sugar has enough sweetness so that it doesn't scream MANLY SCENT!, or become overwhelmingly "Earthy".
For the strictly bakery folks, this may not be for you. Although there are enough sugar and vanilla notes to make it interesting for those who would otherwise be turned off.
The throw is pretty good, and I am considering moving it from my tealight warmer to my electric one.

I would love to have Blue Sugar made into a soap for my husband to use, maybe even for myself if I have the notion!







































Thursday, August 18, 2011

Tonight in my Warmer; Pink Sand Scrub!



Tonight, I am melting a  scent from the Can-Do-Candles Spa sampler pack, Pink Sand Scrub! Often times, I try to choose my scents randomly, but not this time! After the initial sniff of all my new scented treasures, I couldn't wait to melt this one.
Pink Sand Scrub is a lovely pink color and has an amazing cold scent. I can't tell if its supposed to be a scent with Pink Sugar in it, or if it is supposed to be similar to Pink Sands from Yankee Candle. (I doubt it though, I dislike Pink Sands with a passion)

Its sweet and slightly fruity with a clean, but not soapy base to it. It has an enormous throw and passed my "husband test" with flying colors. He walks into the living room, looks around and asked "Whats that fruity smell?"

I find many fruity scents to be tart and sometimes a wee bit too strong. I'm thankful that Pink Sand Scrub is not like that. It has a powerful throw, but is soft, and almost candy like. Think of a strawberry flavored taffy scent with a slightly fresh undertone.
I picked my favorite scent out of the whole sampler pack, so its not a surprise for me to say I really really like this scent. If you want a little fresh, and a little sweet, Pink Sand Scrub is perfect!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Spa Tart Sampler from Can-Do-Candles!

I've probably said it a million times, but... I LOVE sampler packs!
I was on a wax ban that lasted a grand total of 3 days until I saw this.

Can-Do-Candles had a quick sale especially for Facebook fans. 10 Spa Samplers packs ready to go. Each sampler included a vinyl zip top bag, a sponge and 10 full sized tarts. The best part? It was only $11.00 with shipping included!

The picture makes it a little hard to see, so I listed the scents in the bag.


1. Rosemary Mint - (Green) Minty, and slightly masculine. 
2. Mr. Clean - (White) I'll have to ask about this one. Smells like Axe body wash to me.
3. Day Spa- (Light Pink) Soft clean and faintly fruity
4. Avocado Facial- (Light Green) smells like plants scrubbed clean
5. Tranquility- (Aquamarine) Very strong Fresh, almost a Laundry detergent type
6. Detoxifier- (Orange) Bright citrus
7. Pink Sand Scrub- (Pink) Very sweet, like clean bubblegum.
8. Cucumber Slices- (Faint Green) Scrubbed cucumbers, much lighter than Avocado Facial
9. Body Wrap- (Dark Green) Heavier than Avocado Facial, but not as soapy
10. Sea Salt Scrub- (White) Like a very soft high end soap
11. Meditation- (Blue) A cleaner version of Ocean Water or Ocean Breeze.

She advertised 10 tarts, but I got 11! I think Mr. Clean was a freebie, since it was the only one outside of the zip top bag.
Thank you so much Donna from Can-Do-Candles for offering this steal of a deal!

Can-Do has amazing tarts, and to get all of this for $11.00 with shipping is incredible. I love fresh scents so much, I am in heaven right now. The only problem I have now is trying to figure out which one I want to melt first. :)

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Bath and Body Works Review; Charmed Life!

Full line up to be released in October
I love when Bath & Body Works holds their Fragrance Events!
It was the first day of the Paris Amour launch, and with a purchase of any Signature Collection product you receive a full sized bottle of their next scent, Charmed Life. Charmed Life came inside a little pink bag with a Eiffel Tower zipper pull. The bag is okay, but I was far more excited to get my hands on this new scent.






The extended description I found describes Charmed Life as "A scent that dares you to live your most exciting life. Flirt with a stranger, splurge on stilettos, wear nothing but your favorite fragrance to bed and revel in pure pleasure—Charmed Life empowers you to do it all. The aroma of indulgence, Charmed Life is a sexy new addition to the Signature Collection. The sparkling blend of bright fruits, dazzling pink pepper, and frosted white orchids lets your spoil yourself every day. Charmed Life is a part of Bath & Body Works’ “Sexy” collection, a set of scents designed to make you feel alluring, confident and sensual.

My Fragrance Event Purchase
The extended description is a bit overdone. A scent daring me to "splurge on stilettos", and get me to "revel in pure pleasure"? Will it "empower me to do it all?"
Not likely, but I suppose you have to appreciate the enthusiasm Bath and Body Works tries to inject into their product.
Also, where is the pink pepper and the white orchids?!? I don't see it anywhere in the scent notes I was able to find.
And of course we have another "sexy" scent. (Has any one else noticed Bath & Body works has been putting everything in their "sexy" collection? Is there anything they have made lately NOT in the sexy category?) I suppose "sexy" sells, but I'm over it. Can we use another word please?

The back of the bottle reads "Charmed Life, a positively sexy blend of juicy guava sparkling pear and creamy vanilla musk, inspired by taking chances, having fun and savoring life's fabulous moments."
 
The specific notes are

TOP NOTES
Juicy Guava, Crisp Apple, Sparkling Pear, Succulent Red Berries

MID NOTES
Peony Petals, Soft Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Coconut Milk

DRY NOTES
Apricot Skin, Creamy Vanilla, Praline, Sandalwood, Addictive Musk

I can smell some of the fruity top notes, but I wouldn't be able to pick them out. Same with the floral mid notes. As for the base notes, the most prominent is the musk, with a bit of the vanilla.

It is by far the most mature scent Bath and Body Works has produced in a long time. If you like very perfumy scents, and musk, this is the scent for you!
I enjoy the dry down on this scent quite a bit, it's soft, and lasts quite a while. 
The best way to describe it would be a mature version of Paris Amour. Lightly fruity, lightly floral, but a lot of sweet musk.
I didn't care for the packaging much on this product. It kind of seems like they randomly put the polka dots and 4 pointed stars on the label. A large ring in the lower left hand corner, and a bow at the top. (Aaargh, another bow!)

While I was a little lukewarm on Paris Amour, I think I will really enjoy Charmed Life. 


Saturday, August 13, 2011

Tonight in my Warmer; Gimme S'more!

It's been one of THOSE days.
Today was my last day of working for my current employer, and I start my new job on Monday.
I spent most of today trying to wrap up everything I could, while simultaneously saying goodbye to many people I enjoyed spending so many of my work days with. Kind of stressful, kind of sad. I'm excited to embark on my new opportunity, but I already miss some great people I will be leaving behind.That being said, I decided I needed something sweet and comforting tonight. So I bring to you....Gimme S'more! from Crabby Candle Co's August tester box.

It's chocolately, its marshmallowy it's graham crackery....its S'mores!
I've never been camping, but when was young, my brother and I would microwave marshmallows until they puffed up and grew enormous. Then plop them on top of yummy chocolate and graham crackers. Usually on weekends when we would stay up late and watch movies. :)




That is exactly what this scent makes me remember. Gimme S'more! is amazing. It's a rich blend of sweet chocolate, and creamy marshmallow with just a hint of a warm graham scent. I would say it's a majority chocolate, with the marshmallows right behind.
This tart was pretty strong cold, and when it melted it intensified ten fold. I could smell the throw for Gimme S'more! from my bedroom!
I would be surprised if this didn't become a regular part of Crabby's line up. I can't think of anything some one would not like about this scent. It's sweet, comforting, and warm. And just about everyone has a loving childhood S'more experience. (Even the indoor campers like me!)



Friday, August 12, 2011

Tonight in my Warmer; Pink & Lime!

It's sweet, it's tart, its.....Pink & Lime!
An enormous shout out to Kristina LaForte who was so generous in sending me some "scent shots"from Candles by Victoria. I'm not really picky about scent (except for my initial reservations about bakery and cinnamon, which I'm breaking through) but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked every scent she gave me. She even gave me my favorite floral scent (besides Rose) Sweet Pea!

To keep it fun I picked tonight's scent randomly. Believe it or not, this is the normal way for me to decide what scent to melt. :) I tend to over think things and I love surprises!

Just like many ladies out there, I am a huge Pink Sugar fan. It's sweet, its feminine, and it's Pink! Everything smells good when combined with Pink Sugar, and Lime is no exception. Although I like them, I tend to do tropical type scents the least. So I've never tried a Lime tart on its own, but it seems to me, that Pink & Lime is the best of both worlds. The sweetness of Pink Sugar plus the tartness of Lime is a really interesting combination, and one I probably would not have thought of on my own. Such different ends of the spectrum, it's interesting how they blend and compliment each other. I think it confuses my nose. :) One moment i smell the Pink Sugar, than the Lime.

I understand why so many people like the "scent shots" from Candles by Victoria. They are very well scented and have a great throw to them.
Not sure what to put in your warmer tonight? A Pink blend like this one is a great solution!

Just out of curiosity I have an open ended question for you. Is there ANY scent that doesn't smell great with Pink Sugar?

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Bath and Bodyworks Review; Halloween Edition Lotions!

 I've had these lotions for about a week now. I wanted to smell each of them before I wrote up a blog post of my opinions. Haven't really been much of a fan of Bath & Body Work's seasonal collections this year, and was pleasantly surprised by the Halloween scents. So from least favorite to most;


Scream-a-Colada. Did not purchase due to protest. I am offically boycotting Coconut scents for a while.   B&BW has gone way over board with the coconut scents this year. (The entire coconut collection, Hawaii Coconut, creamy coconut, coconut lime breeze, exotic coconut, vanilla coconut ect.) Coconuts are okay, but after this year I'm a little sick of it.

Plum Potions is the scent I thought i would like the most, but ended up liking the least.  It is described as "an enticing blend sweet plum, blood orange and black raspberry" When you first put it on, the berries and plum are the foremost notes. Unfortunatly I think it has a slight medicinal tone to it. It is a bit nicer when it dries down, but has a tang I'm not fond of. It's almost like a darker version of berry vanilla, or slightly similar to midnight pomegranate. Although I do love the packaging! The purple sparklies go great with the black bottle.

Spider Cider; is written as "an intoxicating blend of juicy red berries, mouthwatering lemon and black sugar" I don't get any lemon off of Spider Cider. This scent is incredibly sweet, and is almost indistinguishable from orange Pez, or Starburst. After the burst of orange, the berries are secondary.  Which I thought was unusal. Isn't Cider made from apples? With "Cider" in the name, I was expecting something a little heavier or spicy. It's not necessarily a bad scent, but I don't think it matches the name at all.
Although the packaging is fun! It has spiderwebs and a splat that says "Made With Real Spiders"!   



 Black Candy Apple; the Bath and Body Work's website says this scent is "a tempting blend of juicy apple, caramelized sugar and irresistible vanilla" As with Plum Potions, I love the sparkly label! The description is right on. It smells like a sweet candy apple, with the vanilla being subtle but supportive. It isn't a tart apple at all. It is sweet, but not sticky sweet like the citrus collection, it has darker undertones. At first I was leery when I received the bottle, but was pleasantly surprised when I found out it smells much better on the skin than in the bottle. I think I even like the dry down a little better than the initial burst of fragrance (although that's good too!).


Wicked Spiced Pumpkin is described as  "white pumpkin, fresh ginger and whipped vanilla musk" I really liked this one a lot more than I thought I would. It is warm and spicy, and reminds me of  my favorite snack at Starbucks. Pumpkin Loaf! It is the least sweet of the lotions, it's a much more mature scent than the others, but is well rounded by the vanilla. As a personal note I was quite pleased that there is no cinnamon scent! Cinnamon as a home fragrance is okay, but I'm not a fan of having it on my skin. In many scents, cinnamon and pumpkin go together hand in hand. It was refreshing to have a savory and spicy type fragrance that doesn't make me feel like a dessert.

Sinful Vanilla was my favorite of all the Halloween scents. Described as " an indulgent blend of vanilla bean, whipped marshmallow and vanilla cream" If you have read any of my previous reviews you probably know how obsessed with vanilla I am. But this vanilla is a little darker than the others. It's creamier than Warm Vanilla Sugar, but not super sticky candy sweet. The dry down for Sinful Vanilla lasts a lot longer than almost any other vanilla scent I have tried. It smells a bit musky and slight perfumey.
I know for many people that's a bit of a turn off, but it's right up my alley.

I know the Halloween scents are only seasonal, but I hope they repackage and continued with at least some of them. These are much better than the other collections this year. While some of the scents from this year seemed a bit rushed and slapdash, I feel as though the Halloween Collection got a lot of thought and love. Kudos to you B&BW, these are wonderful!
Made With Real Spiders








Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Front Porch Candle Co/ Tonight, Pink Caramel Apples!

Four sampler bags plus my freebie!
I'm a very lucky girl tonight! I am pleased to announce I received my very first order from Front Porch Candle Co.! I got pulled in by their BOGO sale they had last week, but ordered for their sampler packs. If you've read my reviews before I'm sure you already know I am in LOVE with sampler packs. There are too many amazing scents out there to not try new ones all the time. Plus, I'm horrible at picking scents, I over think way too much. Getting a bunch of surprise scents is half the fun. :)
Samplers out of the bags
So diving right in, I got 4 different sampler bags. The Bread Basket Sampler, Just a Spoon Full of Sugar Sampler, Romantic Evening Sampler, and the Grab Bag Sampler. The Grab bag was completely random. Yay!

They were also kind enough to toss in a really nice freebie. They are mini cinnamon roll shaped in the Pink Cherries Scent. 
Pink Caramel Apple!
The individual sample tarts are in this adorable doughnut shape. They come 8 scents in each bag. So I have 32 new fun scents to try! Not to mention the Pink Cherries freebie.
Since I was a bit overwhelmed with all the great smellies, I mixed them all together, closed my eyes, and grabbed one. So tonights scent.....Pink Caramel Apples!
So far I haven't tried a vendor I haven't liked, and rarely is there a scent I don't care for (so far) but whoa! I was blown away! For such a little donutty tart, the scent that came off of this was incredible. The throw is excellent, and Pink Caramel Apples is amazing. It's sweet and fruity, and the apple scent is eerily accurate.
Donut!
Donut closeup!
The apples are first and foremost, with a undertone of warmth that must be the caramel.  The Pink Sugar addition is wonderful. Even though it's quite understated because of the other, stronger scents you can tell it's there.

Pink Caramel Apples was a wonderful way to kick off my experience with Front Porch Candle Co, and I can't wait to try even more!