Thursday, September 29, 2011

Tonight in my Warmer Chestnuts and Brown Sugar!

Tonight I decided to melt Chestnuts and Brown Sugar from Front Porch Candle Co. This tart came in one of my sampler bags. I love the adorable mini donut shape.

I found Chestnuts and Brown Sugar interesting because I don't really know what a Chestnut would smell like as a scent. Brown Sugar is pretty basic, but seemed like an interesting combination.

Chestnuts and Brown Sugar is a great scent to melt and smell, but a horrible scent to write about. For some reason I am unable to wrap my brain around the appropriate adjectives to describe it. Brown Sugar is of course sweet, warm, and wonderful. But the chestnuts, now that is infinitely more complicated. It's subtle, and I wouldn't call it nutty. It almost seems like a brown sugar and bread scent, but without the yeasty undertones.

This scent has something to like for everyone. It's sweet enough to pass as a bakery type, it's easy enough on the nose for any one to love.
I would consider this a great substitute for people who have a hard time with cinnamon. Which also makes it a great choice for fall!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wahm's Scented Wax; 09/28/2011 Order in Photos!

I love Wahms! My order just came in today and everything is so beautiful.I went a little "Pink" crazy :P So here is my order in pictures!



 A pie in Pink Sugar, a loaf in Pink Dreams, a troll in Iced Lemon Cookies, 5 cups, 1 each of Mrs. Claus Cookies, Serendipity, Cake Batter Ice Cream, Pink Noel Madness, and Pink Cupcakes. The donuts are in Pink Noel Madness, and the Hello Kitty in Pumpkin Cornbread.
Close Up of the Cups





The Pink Dreams Loaf




A Pink Dreams Shoe!

And of course, the Pink Sugar Pie! The details on it are so cute!
Topped with little Ice Cream Scoops, Leaves, and Pink Sugar Sprinkles!

Already Melting a Slice of Pie!
Close Up of the Detailing!

















Monday, September 26, 2011

Tonight in my Warmer; Apples and Oak!

Tonight I am melting a new scent, from a new vendor Briar Rose Soy Candles. Briar Rose posted an ad some months ago about a special deal they had online. It was similar Groupon, at $20 for $50 worth of product. It was a screaming deal! I decided to wait until after I moved as a housewarming gift to myself. I got in touch with Leah Cass King the owner of Briar Rose and asked for a large sampling of her products. She sent out my box quickly, and I certainly got what I asked for! I have tons of tart double packs, clamshells, and a couple of candles as well.  Her prices are very reasonable and $50 will buy quite a lot. She even sent them out just a couple days before her wedding. I couldn't imagine taking time out of such a stressful schedule to do that!
I like the bit of paper covering the soy tart

So now I have a lot of scents to choose from, but there was one that stuck out above the rest. Apples and Oak. This scent came as a double pack of tarts. As an added touch, I noticed she has a thin film of paper over the top of each. With 100% soy, it is a brilliant idea. Soy gets a little mooshy easier than paraffin, and this way I don't get soy smoosh on the inside of the plastic baggy.


Anywho, Apples and Oak caught my eye and I had to melt it first. Briar Rose describes this scent as " A truly complex fragrance blend of McIntosh and Granny Smith apples, with notes of woodsy fresh oak leaves and oakmoss."
I never thought I would like a scent with oak in it, but I do. The apple top notes are exactly as you would expect. Crisp, full bodied and sweet. But the oak is so hard to describe. If I were blindfolded, and didn't know the name of the scent, I would have no idea it had wood notes. The best way to describe it is to say it "grounds" the apple scent, as it keeps it from being overly sweet.

If I have said it once, I've said it a thousand times, I love samplers!  Even if you don't fall in love with every scent, often enough you will find something new. Apples and Oak is not a scent I would have purchased, but I certainly will now! I will be looking out for other scents with oak too, and hopefully I will like those as much.

Last Night in my Warmer; Mountain Mist!

I started blogging about Mountain Mist last night, but went to bed early and didn't get to finish. I enjoyed this scent so much, I started remelting it as soon as I got home from work. Because I had to finish this post. :)

Mountain Mist is a scent I got from a tart swap. It is a 3 ounce clamshell made by Aroma with Altitude, owned by Wendy Wheatley Gordon. Her main focus is local customers and fairs, but she is available by email at aromawithaltitude@yahoo.com. She is super sweet, and if you are curious about trying her product, I'm sure she wouldn't mind sending you a list of her current inventory.
  This wax has such an enormous amount of scent packed into it, I was able to melt 1 cube in my smaller burner. (I love my owl, but it doesn't a whole lot of use)
Mountain Mist is fresh, clean and slightly masculine.

The fresh notes are a water/ozone type. It is a very bright scent, and seems almost citrusy. The masculine undertone may be an earthy note. I don't think it's Patchouli, possibly a wood type. It may be the name of the scent in my mind, but I can totally imagine a refreshing rain on a squeaky clean mountain top.
I would consider the tart swap a success based on the discovery of this scent alone. Wendy suggested it, and boy does she have me pegged. :)

Sunday, September 25, 2011

The Woman behind the Wax, Interview with the Owner of Sinful Scents!


Who are the women (and sometimes men!) who make this wax addiction a possibility? Whose hands actually created these lovely tarts and candles that scent my home? If you are anything like me, these are probably some of the things you have wondered. So I asked Mrs. Lindsay Coleman, the owner of Sinful Scents if she would like to do an interview with Life, Love and Fragrance. I am so excited that she said yes! So without further ado, the woman behind the wax!

Owner of Sinful Scents,  Lindsay Coleman!
Would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself? I'm 26 years old. I was born and raised in IL and currently live in FL. I am married to my childhood sweetheart and have two amazing puppies, a husky and a husky mix. I am employed full time for my in-law's termite and pest control company.

How did you learn how to make tarts and candles? 
I learned to make tarts & shots when the candle season started slowing down. I started doing YouTube videos, believe it or not and just tweaked the formulas to make them my own. 

When did Sinful Scents open for business?
January 1, 2011.

What made you decide to start Sinful Scents?
I've always wanted to have my own business. Not mainly for the money part, but I wanted something to call my own, something I could stand back and say, "Wow I did this!" and something I could be proud to show off. My husband's aunt is a huge help since she has her own jewelry and bottlecap accessories business and she introduced me to Etsy, which is where Sinful Scents was born.
Peppermint Swizzle Stick!



How did you come up with the name, Sinful Scents? 
I actually came up with the slogan first, "Products so fragrant, they should be a sin." Sinful Scents just fell into place after that. 

Does Sinful Scents have a store front? 
Currently I only sell Sinful Scents products online, but one day I definitely want to have a store front. 

What makes Sinful Scents different from other vendors?
I would definitely say the scent list! If you're looking for something sexy, sassy and sinful, Sinful Scents is the perfect place.


Do you use soy, paraffin or a blend? What are your opinions about each?
6oz Candle in Tin
Sinful Scents only carries soy wax. It's just a personal preference.  Most of the larger, well known candle/wax companies carry paraffin or a paraffin blend. It's difficult to find anyone that carries a 100% soy wax. I personally love the idea that soy wax is a renewable resource and it will burn twice as long as paraffin wax in a candle.
 
What is your best selling form, Tarts, Shots, or Melts?
Soy Shots are my #1 best seller!

Do you have an all time favorite scent, or does it change periodically? 
My all time favorite wax scent is Blue Bizzle in the Hizzle, which smells just like a fresh baked blueberry cobbler. My favorite lip candy flavor is Pink Lemonade. My favorite lotion scent is Sweet Nectar, which is a sumptuous blend of nectarine, honey, and delicate white florals.
 
Is your favorite scent also a best seller with your fans? 
Lip Candy!
My favorite scents do sell well, but I can't say they are my top sellers. Butter Pecan is the #1 in lip candy. Holiday Hunk is #1 in wax. Secret Lover is #1 in lotion.

Any new scents or products that we can look forward to? 
I am ALWAYS testing out new scents, so the list is ever-changing. As far as new product, I just recently added liquid hand soap. They only come in one scent Shake Your Coconuts right now, but they will soon be available in any scent on the list.

I see you have room sprays, soaps, and lip balms as well; do you have current plans to expand on these items? 
Eventually I plan on adding Body Spritz in the near future. I am always open to suggestions as well.


How do you come up with the fun names for your scents? 
I can't take all the credit for the scent names. They were created with the help of my family and an amazing candle friend of mine. 

Mango Tangerine Shea Butter Soap!

Do you do custom blends on request? 
ABSOLUTELY! If I don't have a particular scent that a customer is looking for, I can definitely find it. A few of the in-house blends that can be found on the scent list are ones that customers have requested. 



Have you converted many of your friends and family into wax addicts? YES! My mother-in-law LOVES candles and you will always find one burning in her home and now I'm converting her to tart melting. My mother was the same way growing up, which is probably where my love of candles came from.

What is your favorite type of warmer, Tealight or Electric? Why? I love my electric warmers! I have both electric and tealight, but I no longer use my tealight warmers. Personally, if I want something with a flame, I'll light up a candle. I mainly burn candles in the winter time.



If you could invite anyone to dinner who would it be? What would you serve? 

This is a tough one. It would probably be all of the great candle friends that I've met in the last couple of months. I would serve lasagna, it's probably my specialty next to wax slingin'. 
 
We love sales! Would you like to share a special sale with us? 
Just for taking the time to get to know the woman behind Sinful Scents, I am offering a Buy One, Get One Free sale on all of my soy shots. Simply add the scents you would like to purchase and I will double your order. Code:SASSYBOGO  
 
 Sale will end on Sunday, October 2nd 2011 at 11:59pm EST


 Thank you so much Lindsay!
You can check out Sinful Scents on Facebook. 
And her website www.sinfulscent.com

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Tonight in my Warmer; Cannoli!

Real Cannolis.
 Tonight I am melting a completely wax cannoli from Sweet Light Candle Co. I got my first "taste" of Sweet Light when they were offering free samples on their Facebook page. They sent me a mini muffin melt in Banana Nut scent.
Sweet Light specializes in handmade dessert candles. Muffins, Cookies, Cupcakes, Cannolis, and Cinnamon Buns are just a few options that are available from their wax "bakery". Looking through the photos is a little disorienting because it all looks so real. 

Sweet Light Cannoli
I loved the sample they sent so much I decided to place an order as a housewarming gift to myself. :)

I just received my package last night, and I had trouble deciding which to melt first. Everything arrived so beautifully. The cannolis were boxed, the individual cookie melts were bagged, and the mini cupcakes had their own plastic container, each tied with its own ribbon.

Mini Birthday Cake Cupcakes
I got a set of three mini cupcake melts in the Birthday Cake scent, and the detailing on the cupcakes are amazing. The bottom portion is pink and ridged like a real cupcake. The tops are textured as if it were really frosted, with a coating of a generous amount of multicolored sprinkles. Sweet Light describes this scent as "Warm vanilla birthday cake topped with sweet butter cream frosting" .
 Exactly what I wanted (yay!), I'll probably be melting these next. :)


Mini Wax Cookie Melts
I love miniature things. When I saw that they had wax melts in the shape of miniature cookies I was interested in giving them a try. I ordered a bag each of Cookie Dough and Sugar Cookie. Cookie Dough is written as "Warm baked cookie dough with hints of sweet vanilla" and Sugar cookie is "Warm vanilla sugar cookie dough" The photos make them look the same, but I am curious if they will smell the same as well. It's hard to smell the difference cold, I suspect this is a fragrance that doesn't release it's full potential until it melts. I will probably melt them in different rooms at the same time and to a comparison. 
Is this from a bakery?


Last but certainly not least are the cannolis!
For some people who may not know what they are, Cannolis are Italian pastry desserts. The shells are fried and crispy pastry dough. Inside is a sweet, creamy filling that usually contains ricotta (but not always). Like all pastries there are tons of different additions and variations, such as powdered sugar, chocolate chips, fruit ect ect.


In the box.
I love that they came in a box with ribbon. It was almost like I got treats from a real bakery, and they are big. The dimensions are posted on the website, but I'm pretty horrible at visualization and was pleasantly surprised to see the size of them. I took a picture with a 2 ounce tart as a size reference. I tried to see if it would fit in my electric warmer, which it would not.
I would probably recommend cutting it and melting it a few pieces at a time.


For size reference.
These are solid wax too, they are not hollow. Out of all the things I love about the looks of the cannoli, I am most impressed by the texturing on the sides. The shell looks as if it was actually fried with the bubbles and flaky bits on the outside. The cream filling looks fluffy, with real looking chocolate chips smooshed on each side. 
The cold scent is sweet but not nearly as impressive as how it smell after it has melted. Sweet Light Candle Co describes the scent as " A blend of sugar cookie dough and a chocolate chip cookie." I have to say, it's quite accurate. It's cookie sweet, with just a hint of chocolate. The throw is pretty impressive, even for my electric warmer. 




My whole order.
Sweet Light Candle Co has perfected the marriage between aesthetics and scent. Although I would use scallops and clamshell types tarts for every day use, these wax confections are lovely for special occasions and gifts. And hey, think of all the calories you save with  a wax cupcake instead of a real one!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Tonight in my Warmer; Crazy Candy Corn!

Hooray! My order from Country Home Scents arrived today! Ever since I had seen pictures of Country Home's tarts on the Wax Addicts United Page I couldn't get them out of my mind. Each tart is like a miniature work of art. I appreciate the workmanship and the care that went into every melt I received. Bedecked in glitter, sprinkles, marshmallows, gumballs, popcorn, and much more (even a cute little bumblebee)! They are almost too beautiful to melt. Almost.

Look how beautiful!
So tonight, I wanted to try a scent I never had before. Crazy Candy Corn! Autumn seasonal scents are pretty tough for a gal that doesn't care for cinnamon and spice. So instead I take refuge in sweet scents like marshmallow, vanillas, and apple. I really like Candy Corn (the actually candy), so I picked this tart first, thinking it would perhaps become a scent I would really enjoy.

And boy was I right! Before I start gushing about how much I love the smell. Look at it, this is adorable! It's colored orange with lots of glitter and an actual piece of candy corn stuck on the top. I'm not sure if I was supposed to take it off, but I figured it wouldn't hurt anything so I left it on. It looks like its starting to melt a bit (after a few hours) but the candy is holding it's shape quite well.
I left the Candy Corn in the wax.
As for the scent, I am loving it! If I were blindfolded, I would probably be able to guess it was a sweet treat type of scent, but not specifically that its Candy Corn (I haven't smelled candy corn since last Halloween). It's soft, sweet, and the throw is pretty good too. If your looking for an amazing fall or Halloween scent, try Crazy Candy Corn, because it is absolutely wonderful.

 Now I wish I had some real candy corn. (That's okay though because it's very likely  that some will make its way into my house very soon).

 I'm glad I ordered one of the larger sampler packs, I have many more beautiful tarts to play with.  
My entire order!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Tonight in my Warmer; Bonfire Bliss!

I've been craving a marshmallow type scent today, so I started to rummage through my Box-O-Tarts and came across Bonfire Bliss. This scent comes in a 2 ounce cup from Crabby Candle Co.
Crabby is a vendor I purchase from quite a bit, and I want to say this came in one of the sampler boxes, but I kind of mixed them all together so I can't remember for sure. (Sorry!) I don't think it is currently listed on the website, but if she has any of the scent left I'm sure she would make some. She's really good about working with people about special orders and such.
 Anywho, I'm not quite sure why marshmallow seems like a Fall scent to me, but it does. I find the sweet familiar scent comforting, and Bonfire Bliss does that, with a twist!

Ive never been camping, or every actually had a bonfire, but I would like to one day. And when I do, I hope it smells like this. Sure, you got your classic marshmallow, but there are a couple other scents swirling around in there. One is some sort of wood scent, perhaps a cedar, or pine. I kind of get that hint of "evergreen", so I wouldn't say a sandalwood type at all. (The woodsy note is definitely secondary to the marshmallows. I think it just adds an extra layer of depth, because this is not a strong wood scent at all.)

The last thing in Bonfire Bliss is harder to place, perhaps a very faint hint of smoke. I think anyway. Sometimes its hard to tell if that's what I really smell, or if that just what I think I smell.

Which is actually a very interesting topic that I would perhaps like to delve into at some point in the future. I was chatting with someone the other day and we got around to talking about how the names of scents can actually alter our opinions. 
I don't have a scent description to work off of, so I'll have to ask the "Crabby Lady" (LOL I hope she doesn't mind if I call her that!!) for a description. I would love to know how accurate my nose is, or how persuasive my mind is.

Either way, my brain is telling me my living room smells like marshmallows melting over a crackling fire, and by golly that's good enough for me!

Monday, September 19, 2011

More info than you probably wanted to know!

Who's the woman behind the blog?
Well that would be me! I thought it would  be fun to do a very quick over view in pictures!

So this is me. A photo you might have seen before. I'm not terribly photogenic so if I find one I like, I tend to stick with it!















I just added this photo because it makes me laugh. Early 90's Halloween with my dad (acid washed jeans?!?) I was a fairy princess, because I was too cool to be a fairy, or a princess, I had to be both!












I met my husband playing World of Warcraft. We are a match made in nerdy heaven.











Five years later we're still very happy. I have to admit I'm a pretty lucky lady.













This is my Mom, she was invited to the wedding too. She was the first person who laughed at my terrible jokes, so you know, she's a good sport.










Freya, my adorable kitty. Don't let that face fool you. Shes devious!
This is Jess, she's my really awesome friend who also lives in California. She also laughs at my jokes, but is the nicest person I have ever met so that might be why. I got her into candles and tarts as well, so I'm convinced her husband is going to call and thank me any day now.
She's also like a foot taller than me.















I was the "Ambassador of Dance" at her wedding. Trust me, it's hard to get your groove on and be photogenic at the same time.



Anywho, that's probably enough for now :) I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing!