Tonight in my warmer; Orange Creamsicle!

This morning I realized that I had not done any sort of fruity scent in my "Tonight in my warmer" reviews! I was looking through my tarts and picked 3 that I liked, Orange Creamsicle, Strawberry Musk and Papaya Passion. Then decided it would be more fun if I let the readers decide. So, after a full day of polling, Orange Creamsicle was the clear winner. Come by the facebook page if you would like to vote. Life, Love and Fragrance on Facebook. The poll was so much fun I will be doing a lot more of them.

Orange Creamsicle is a cute orange (of course!) tart with yellow and orange sprinkles.  I LOVE the sprinkles! Don't sprinkles make everything more fun!?!?!
When you smell it cold, its the perfect blend of orange and cream.
The throw is beautiful once it's melted, and is one of the few scents that does not change as it warms. It still maintains that perfect balance of tang and sweet.
This is one of those simple scents. You know what its supposed to be, and there isn't a ton of notes to try to sort through. Which is nice. Sometimes scents try to be so complex, they don't make any sense. Like when you mix a bunch of different pretty colors of paint and end up with a muddy brown. Not this one! Is beautiful in it's simplicity.

Sprinkles!

This is a scent I probably wouldn't have purchased on my own, but now I'm glad that I have tried it. Orange Creamsicle is the second reason why asking for a random assortment of tarts was a resounding success.
It reminds me of treats I used to get from the ice cream truck at my Grandma's house. 
Looking for a little childhood nostalgia?  I certainly found mine :)

Pros; Smells EXACTLY like an Orange Creamsicle.
Cons; Tastes NOTHING like and Orange Creamsicle.
Overall;  9/10 Scent is exactly what I thought it would be. Awesome throw.

Wax is even prettier with Sprinkles!

Tonight in my warmer; Pink Noel!

Yay! So many fun scents to try!

Hooray!!! My Wahm's Scented Wax order came in today! My package originally came in on Saturday while my husband and I were out running errands. I was so sad when I realized I couldn't get my scented treasures until after the holiday weekend. I had kind of hoped the mailman would have left them in my mailbox, but since i live in ridiculously hot Los Angeles I should be thankful he took them back to the post office. They wouldn't have looked nearly as pretty as hot melted blobs.

Look at those Sprinkles!

For those who might not have read an earlier blog post, this order was the one that I asked to have  completely random. I truly felt like a little kid on Christmas morning when I opened the box to find 16 tarts. Julie (the owner of Wahm's Scented Wax) was kind enough to give me a wide array of scents to play with. I got florals, sweets, freshes and tropicals. Each tart is in it's own little mini plastic baggy. There is also a little label with the Wahm's logo and Scent name. Very cute, but even more cute... She add sprinkles to every tart! This is something that I have not personally seen before. It's a personalized touch that I think makes Wahms stand out.
After much agonizing (I had so many choices!) I ended up deciding on Pink Noel. Partly because I hear so much about Pink____ this and Pink____ that. I figured, Pink scented wax must be popular for a reason. And well Noel....Nicole. Kinda reminds me of....me! (Just kidding!)

Pink Noel is a beautiful piece of wax. It is of course, pink, but it also has pink sugared sprinkles! It was almost a shame to melt it.The tart cold is very pleasant. Soft and sweet and something slightly fruity. After trying to guess on my own I got the actual description of " A blend of vanilla, cream and caramel undertones, mixed with a fruity blend of cotton candy, lemon drops, and raspberry jam on a dry down of musk."
Whoa, there's a lot of notes in there! Some of them I didn't recognize in this tart, such as the caramel and lemon drops. Although, I was able to detect soft sweetness of the vanilla and cream, and the fruitiness must have been the raspberry.

If the "Pink" in Pink Noel is the same as the "Pink" in Pink Sugar, no wonder everyone raves about it! I love this scent. The throw is good and the color is beautiful.
Pink Noel was the best of the best in a box full of amazing treats. I would buy more if I could, but I just received this package today. Maybe I can talk Julie into setting some of these aside for me, because I am addicted.

Pros; Amazing Scent Great Throw.          Cute Sprinkles on Top

Cons; I'll probably get in trouble if I order more today.

Overall; 10/10 No doubt.

I haven't loved a scent this much since I did a review on Buttercream.

Recipe of the Day 07/04/11!

Allrecipe.com photo

Happy 4th of July! I wish we lived closer to family for holidays (Nothing like a big family BBQ). On days like these I try to recreate a family feel with a big home cooked meal. One of my favorites is a roasted chicken. It's like a miniature Thanksgiving.
I went to trust Allrecipe and found http://allrecipes.com/recipe/juicy-roasted-chicken/detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, giblets removed
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon onion powder, or to taste
• 1/2 cup margarine, divided
• 1 stalk celery, leaves removed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place chicken in a roasting pan, and season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Sprinkle inside and out with onion powder. Place 3 tablespoons margarine in the chicken cavity. Arrange dollops of the remaining margarine around the chicken's exterior. Cut the celery into 3 or 4 pieces, and place in the chicken cavity.

Bake uncovered 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove from heat, and baste with melted margarine and drippings. Cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest about 30 minutes before serving. 

Look at all that butter!

A little dark, but juicy inside

This recipe caught my eye because it was so highly rated, yet very simple. I followed it to the letter and it turned out delicious and and very moist inside. 

Next time I make this recipe there will be some changes. 1TBSP of onion powder is a LOT. It got to the point where I was just coating it. I will decrease the onion powder to 1 TSP instead and add 1 TSP garlic powder. 

This recipe has a ton of butter. I don't use real butter I use Smart Balance, but even so I think next time I will use about half that much.

I'm not quite sure what purpose the celery serves. I will use it if I have it on hand, otherwise I will probably omit it. 

All in all, a great recipe, just needs a tweak. 

Tonight in my warmer; Hyacinth!

I'm feeling in a bit of a floral kind of mood, and Hycinth is one of my favorites. I love the look and smell of the flowers. Perhaps I'm biased because Hyacinth is the exact color and smell of my wedding bouquet.
This is one of the heavier florals, I would say is one step up from Magnolia. When it comes to the sweetness, I would put them like this...

Sweet---->Heavy
Sweet Pea--->Plumeria--->Magnolia--->Hyacinth --->Jasmine--->Lilac
                                                                                         ^
Personally, I'm about here. Jasmine is about as heavy as I can go. Lilac was a little out of my league.

Lovely Color!

When the tart is cold it has a very slight sweet or powdery scent, but once it's melted the stronger florals come out. It's incredibly close to the real thing, almost as if I'm surrounded by flowers.
The throw is amazing on this one, I would recommend it for a larger room. It's a very simple scent without out all the extra mid notes and base notes. I'ts a nice thing to go back to simplicity from time to time.

In my burner.

If you enjoyed Magnolia, you're ready for Hycainth.

Pros; A great, simple floral.
Cons; Recommended for floral lovers only
Overall; If you like strong florals 10/10
Good quality tart and scent.

Tonight in my warmer; Warm Vanilla Sugar, Face Off!

That's right ladies and gentlemen! Warm Vanilla Sugar Versus Warm Vanilla Sugar! Right here at Life, Love and Fragrance! In the left corner, I have Warm Vanilla Sugar from Ecoscents. In the right corner is the Warm Vanilla Sugar from Kim's Tarts. Which one will reign supreme?

The Left Corner, EcoScents

The Right Corner, Kim's Tarts

Before melting; Ecoscents has a nice creamy scent, while the Kim's tart has a softer slightly powdery one. While Kim's is smooth and dry Eco's is softer and oily (I need to go wash my hands).

1 Point for Eco for Cold Scent
1 Point for Kim for Texture

In the White Burner EcoScents!

In the Red Burner, Kim's Tarts!

To make sure the two contenders are in the same weight bracket, I will be warming 2 cubes to 1 scalloped tart.




And the light!;  Eco still gets credit for it's sweetness, but when its warm there is a bit of an "off" smell. Almost like a faint vegatable oil (seriously! I went to my pantry to be sure) that's been laced with sugar. Lots of it.
Kim's is also very sweet, but still has that powdery hint, albeit much less than when it was cold.

Eco's at my desk

Kim's in my kitchen

Kim gets 1 point for Warmed Scent
Kim gets 1 point for Better Throw.

Cleanup; Eco left a big ring of wax in my warmer. I wonder if it is because the soy is so soft?
                Kim's came out clean.

No wax left in my warme

Kim gets 1 point for Easy Cleanup.

Ring of wax left in the warmer.

 Eco leaves the ring with 1 points
 Kim wins with 4 points!

Upcoming Blogs, Reviews, and Give Away!

Life, Love and Fragrance has been live for 8 days and already has over 1,000 views! As a true amateur this is amazing, I'm so thankful for everyone who has supported me. I am also thankful that I can write about things people like to read! :)

Upcoming Blogs; I went and bought 2 candle making kits. Figured I love burning and melting them so much, it might be fun to make one. One is a paraffin wax votive set, and the other is soy in frosted tumblers. I've never done this before, so I have no idea how this will turn out. I'll just read the instructions and give it a go!

Upcoming Reviews; I have orders coming in soon!
My Wahm's order is at the post office, which is closed for the holiday weekend.  I will be picking that up on Tuesday.
Shayz was doing a Buy One Get One sale, so I had to take advantage of that! Everyone raves about her Pink Sugar scent so I'm excited to try it.  I also have Diamond Candles and Grumpy Girl orders placed.

My personal Box-O-Tarts

Give Away!; I've been thinking for a while, and I've decided once I get more "likes" on the Facebook Page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/LifeLove-and-Fragrance/196798310373101  I will be hosting a fun give away. It will be winner's choice. The winner will have the option to get a bag-o-tart samplers or a bag-o-travel size body care items. The tart bag will be a sampling from my personal box-o-tart collection. It will be single tarts in a bunch of different scents. Some that I've done reviews on and some I haven't.

The bag-o-travel size will have lotions and gels (probably mostly lotions) from B&BW that I've acquired over the last couple of months. All of these will be UNUSED!
More details will come as the time for the contest gets closer.
Happy melting, and thank you for reading!
Nicole

Recipe of the Day 07/03/11!

Photo from All Recipes

It's the day after I cook a fairly large meal. What does that mean? Leftovers!
Leftovers don't have to be boring. An easy way to make them more interesting is to change up a side dish. Since we're keeping the broccoli from yesterday, I decided to switch up the corn on the cob for beans. But they can't be just any beans! I went to www.allrecipes.com and searched for the best bean recipe they had to offer.
I found http://allrecipes.com/recipe/old-settlers-baked-beans/detail.aspx Old Settlers' Baked Beans written by Kathy Schulz.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 (16 ounce) can pork and beans, undrained
• 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (16 ounce) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

In a large skillet, cook beef, bacon and onion until meat is done and onion is tender. Drain any fat. Combine all remaining ingredients except beans. Add to meat mixture; mix well. Stir in beans. Place in a greased 2-1/2-qt. casserole. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until heated through.                                                                                                     

 

My Revisions;  Omitted the 1/3 cup regular sugar. (Too sweet with both! I kept brown sugar ), fried the bacon in a separate pan, (NOT with the onions and ground beef, its easier to keep bacon fat out of the meal, plus the bacon gets crispy) I didn't bake it, instead I let it simmer in a large skillet on my stove top while stirring occasionally.

My Additions; Cayenne Pepper (because I like a bit of heat), Liquid Smoke (give it a nice full bodied smoky flavor)

Next time I make this, I may omit the bacon (gasp!) it adds a strange texture to the dish. I think the liquid smoke would be an adequate replacement for the flavor and saltiness of the bacon.

With all the meat in this dish, you could actually serve this as the main course. All you need is a vegetable and it is a complete meal. 

Absolutely 10/10! I will make this many more times!

My photo