Weekly Wax Meltdown #3 - 2/3/13 to 2/9/13

Good morning everyone! I'm back today to share my weekly melt reviews. I had a fairly productive melting week, making sure to have my warmers going on all levels of my house and always having them on when I was home.

It was an interesting wax week in general. I participated in my first Round Robin which was amazing, got a few orders I was less than thrilled about, I reorganized my stash so it's much easier to access, and my husband has started helping me pick out things to melt. That majorly disorganized sentence means but one thing - wax is taking over my life! Anyways, let's get into it.

First up are the two candles that I burned this week.

Yankee Candle

Sweetest Valentine (Swirl candle)

• Notes: Sparkling Cinnamon and Vanilla Cupcake
• My take: This is was a birthday gift from my wonderful husband. Sparkling Cinnamon is one of my favorite Yankee fragrances and mixed with the cupcake scent, I knew it would be a hit. Since my birthday is in February, I have always loved Valentine's Day themed things so this is right up my alley. The cinnamon is definitely the stronger note here but the cupcake adds a nice creaminess to it. This burned amazingly. If you look at the wick, you can see how crazy the mushroom is on it. It burned straight to the edges and the melt pool was deep and even. Light-to-medium scent throw, as expected from any single-wick Yankee. Loved it! 
• Repurchase: Absolutely! 
• Overall rating: 7.5/10

Island Spa (European edition)

• Notes: Mandarin orange, lemon verbena.
• My take: This is another favorite Yankee scent of mine. It's so fresh and clean. I had thought that this scent was discontinued so I frantically drove to my outlet and picked up a few of them. It turns out, it's a seasonal scent so it comes back every spring. Oh well, I got a few jars of it for cheap! Anyways, this was great. I had a bit of trouble getting an even pool of wax, so I foiled it and it took care of the problem. Medium scent throw, which was pretty impressive for a single wick Yankee.
• Repurchase: For sure. Now that I know it's back in the stores, I'll probably pick up a few tarts in this scent! 
• Overall rating: 7/10

Now onto the tarts! First I have a few blends that I threw together.

Blend #1 - Scentsationals Cupcake with The Bathing Garden Pistachio Almond Pudding

• Notes: (SS Cupcake) -  cupcake, frosting; (TBG Pistachio Almond Pudding) - almond, sweet pistachios, cake
• Warmer: 18-watt hot plate
• Amount used: 2 cubes of Cupcake, 1 cube of Pistachio Almond Pudding
• My take: This was absolutely amazing! I fell in love with pistachio scents a few years ago when I first tried my beloved Laura Mercier Creme de Pistache body souffle and ever since, I have been snatching up any pistachio scented item that I see. The pistachio scent was dominant although I wish it was a bit stronger. The cupcake scent almost toned it down too much. Next time I'll use two cubes of the pistachio pudding with two cubes of the cupcake scent. Medium-to-strong throw. Lasted 8 hours. Husband said it smelled like amaretto!
• Repurchase: I would repurchase both of these! In fact, I finished up the cupcake clamshell with this blend and was thrilled to see one in the RR box yesterday!
• Overall rating: 8/10

Blend #2 - Ten Digit Creations Coconut Blast and Better Homes and Gardens Frosty Peppermint Snow

• Notes: (TDC Coconut Blast) -  fresh coconut; (BHG Frosty Peppermint Snow) - peppermint
• Warmer: 18-watt hot plate
• Amount used: 1 scallop tart of TDC Coconut Blast, 1 cube of BHG Frosty Peppermint Snow
• My take: This blend, on the other hand, was a complete fail. I got hardly any throw from either of these scents. My inspiration for this blend was a tart that I received from a new vendor last week that was an amazing blend of coconut and mint. Mine was nowhere close to as good as that one was. It needed a sweetness of some sort. I might try it again with a sweeter and stronger coconut scent and then a peppermint marshmallow scent. 
• Repurchase: Probably not the TDC coconut scent, but BHG Frosty Peppermint Snow is a good peppermint scent even if it does need 2 cubes for a scent throw. 
• Overall rating: 3/10

Now on to the rest!

Candles from the Keeping Room

Pink Sugared Lemon

• Notes: Pink Sugar, lemon
• Warmer: 24-watt hot plate
• Amount used: 1 grubby tart
• My take: This was a nice blend of lemon and Pink Sugar. The Pink Sugar takes center stage in this blend but the lemon is definitely there. I did this in my master bathroom and it filled our bedroom as well. Medium-to-strong scent throw. Lasted about 6 hours. 
• Repurchase: Maybe. I'm not too keen on Pink Sugar these days so it will probably take me awhile to use up the bad that I have.
• Overall rating: 7/10

Wildberry Mousse

• Notes: Wildberries, brandied cherry, figs, carnation, spice, cotton candy, vanilla.
• Warmer: 24-watt hot plate
• Amount used: 1 grubby tart
• My take: I never knew all those notes were in Wildberry Mousse. To me, it just smells like a creamy berry scent. Okay, I shouldn't say just a creamy berry scent. More like the best berry scent ever! I am seriously addicted to Wildberry Mousse scents these days. Pretty much every vendor has this scent and I love it from every one of them. It's great in blends but I like it straight up as well. Anyways, CFTKR's version of Wildberry Mousse is amazing. Strong scent throw. Lasted about 6 hours. 
• Repurchase: Just picked up a 4 oz. bag of it in my last order!
• Overall rating: 8.5/10

Bite Me

• Notes: lime, orange, "effervescent highlights," berry, cherry, vanilla
• Warmer: 24-watt hot plate
• Amount used: 1 grubby tart
• My take: AMAZING. This was one that my husband picked out all by himself! This is a strong, effervescent citrus scent with berry. You can definitely smell the bubbles in this one. I am obsessed with fizzy citrus scents and this one is made even more awesome with the addition of berries. STRONG scent throw. Lasted 12+ hours. Even just the empty bag is scenting my office!
• Repurchase: Definitely!
• Overall rating: 9/10

New York Style Cheesecake

• Notes: Vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, maple and creamy butter.
• Warmer: 18-watt hot plate
• Amount used: 1 grubby tart
• My take: This was okay. It was just kind of a run-of-the-mill slightly spicy bakery scent. Not particularly strong or special. It did smell nice, but I have other cheesecake scents that I like better. I didn't really get much of a cream cheese note from this as I would expect from a cheesecake scent. Meh. Light-to-medium scent throw. Lasted about 6 hours.
• Repurchase: No.
• Overall rating: 5/10

Front Porch Candle Co.

Sugar Cookie Noel

• Notes: Sugar cookie, Vanilla Bean Noel
• Warmer: 18-watt hot plate
• Amount used: 1 grubby tart
• My take: This one was nice. I purchased this with the intent to use in blends but I figured I would try one on its own to see how it performed. Front Porch's sugar cookie scents are very sweet and unique from any other sugar cookie oil I've smelled. They seem to have a strong smell of vanilla extract. I dig it. I mostly smelled the sugar cookie in this blend but the VBN was hanging out a bit in the background. Medium scent throw. Was hoping it would be stronger than it was. Lasted about 6 hours.
• Repurchase: Maybe. I'll see how I like blending with this.
• Overall rating: 6.5/10

Pumpkin Cheesecake

• Notes: Pumpkin, cheesecake
• Warmer: 18-watt hot plate
• Amount used: 2 grubby tart
• My take: I love this one so much. It is a nice creamy pumpkin scent with a hint of spice. You do get a bit of a crust aspect in this, but not too much. Like I've said before, I'm not really a "seasonal melter" and can do pumpkin scents all year round. This is by far one of my favorite pumpkin scents ever. I tend to be a bit picky with pumpkin scents but this is a true winner in my book. It wasn't as strong as I would have liked, but with two tarts in the warmer it had a medium-to-strong scent throw. Lasted about 6 hours.
• Repurchase: Definitely!
• Overall rating: 7/10

Zucchini Bread Cupcake

• Notes: Amish Friendship Bread (a.k.a Zucchini bread) and Angie's Famous Cupcake
• Warmer: 18-watt hot plate
• Amount used: 1 grubby tart
• My take: I hate zucchini bread scents so I'm not sure why I decided to melt this one. Probably because I ended up with four of these and only two have gone to new homes so far. It was okay. There's just something I do not like about zucchini bread scents. The cupcake note did help cut down on the zucchini bread note, but not enough for me. Maybe if it was blended with some sort of fruit it would have been okay. I know a lot of people like this scent but it just wasn't for me. Of course, it had a strong throw. Probably would have lasted quite awhile but I poured it out after a few hours.
• Repurchase: No.
• Overall rating: 4/10

The Bathing Garden

Vanilla Fig

• Notes: Vanilla, fig
• Warmer: 18-watt hot plate
• Amount used: 2 cubes
• My take: This was a freebie, and not something I would have ordered on my own but I ended up really liking this one. The fig note in here reminds me of the one in Brown Sugar and Fig but with less brown sugar. Crazy, right? Fig is a unique scent - it's a touch floral, a touch earthy and has a sweet aspect to it as well. The vanilla isn't very noticeable but it does tone down the whole  scent a bit. Medium scent throw. Lasted about 6 hours.
• Repurchase: Perhaps. Not my favorite scent ever but it's nice for something different. 
• Overall rating: 6.5/10

Victoria's Designer Creations

Butter Rum Raisin

• Notes: Butter, rum, raisin
• Warmer: 24-watt hot plate
• Amount used: 1/2 of a large cookie
• My take: This was pure heaven. It was a strong buttery caramel scent with a hint of spice and a bakery note. It's a very warm and comforting smell, like warm butterscotch topping at an ice cream bar perhaps. Strong scent throw. Lasted 12+ hours. 
• Repurchase: I recently got an order in from VDC and was less than thrilled with the whole experience. So for now, I will be savoring the last half of this cookie and will probably not order from her again, unless she switches over to completely RTS.
• Overall rating: 9/10

Tiffany Candles

Sugar Corn Pudding (old wax)

• Notes: Fresh corn, butter, creamy milk & sugar
• Warmer: 24-watt hot plate
• Amount used: 2 scalloped tarts
• My take: This was the first sugar corn pudding scent I ever smelled, and I fell in love instantly! If you've never smelled sugar corn pudding before, it may sound weird, but in reality it is an amazing creamy bakery scent. The corn note in it isn't like a popcorn note but instead more of like a cornbread kind of note, if that makes sense. But a sweet cornbread. With butter. And lots of sugar. I had two tarts left in the pack so I figured I would just use them up. Probably could have done with just 1. Strong scent throw. Lasted 8 hours.
• Repurchase: I have a lot of sugar corn pudding scents in my stash now, and although I have other SCP scents that are now my favorites over Tiffany's (namely Lasting Scent Candles), I may repurchase this in the future.
• Overall rating: 7.5/10

Sweet Fixations

Freak Show

• Notes: Funnel cake, fried donuts, cotton candy and apples
• Warmer: 18-watt hot plate
• Amount used: 1 scalloped tart
• My take: Loved this one! I didn't get much else out of this except for a strong green apple scent and a hint of a fried dough note. Usually these kind of scents have a caramel apple scent in them, but I like how this one was just a plain apple scent, no caramel. Strong scent throw. Lasted about 8 hours.
• Repurchase: Definitely!
• Overall rating: 7.5/10

Country Home Scent (out of business)

Warm and Cozy

• Notes: Warm, spicy scent (spicy, not bakery) 
• Warmer: 18-watt hot plate
• Amount used: 1 tart
• My take: This was a nice spicy scent. Definitely cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and maybe even a touch of cardamom? I also detect the slightest hint of maple syrup. I can definitely see why this one is called "Warm and Cozy."  The scent throw was medium and it faded quickly, like most of my CHS tarts have been doing lately. I need to use up the rest of these before they have no scent left.
• Repurchase: Since they're out of business, I obviously cannot purchase from them. I did just get a Warm and Cozy tart in a CFTKR sampler so hopefully that one will perform better because I really do like the scent! 
• Overall rating: 6.5/10

Granny's Kountry Candles

Santa's Workshop

• Notes: Hot cider, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, strawberries, pomegranate 
• Warmer: Tea light warmer
• Amount used: 1 tart
• My take: This was a gift from Shelby and she had advised me to use a 24-watt hotplate with this. I didn't have one open when I wanted to melt this so I popped it into my tealight warmer, which gets as hot or even hotter than a 24-watt does. It was amazing! I mostly smell the pomegranate in this with a bit of spice and cider in there as well. Pomegranate is one of my favorite scents so I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Scent throw was medium-to-strong, and it lasted through 2 tealights which is about 10 hours (I use Yankee tealights, they last a bit longer than the normal ones do).
• Repurchase: Absolutely! I loved this.
• Overall rating: 8/10

Ten Digit Creations

Ginger Ale

• Notes: Sparkling ginger ale soda
• Warmer: 18-watt hotplate
• Amount used: 1 scalloped tart
• My take: This was by far my favorite off cold sniff from my Ten Digit Creations order. By now, you all know my love for fizzy citrus scents and this one has that note, but with a spicy ginger note as well. This was SO GOOD when it was melting, it smelled exactly the same as it did cold. The scent throw was medium-to-strong, I wish it was a bit stronger but it was still nice. Lasted about 6 hours. I think I'm going to buy a 4-pack of this and melt 2 of these together next time so it will kick me in the face with awesomeness.
• Repurchase: For sure!
• Overall rating: 9/10

Tiffany Candles

Cheesecake

• Notes: Graham crackers, sweet cream batter, vanilla, sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, hint of almond
• Warmer: 18-watt hotplate
• Amount used: 1 scent shot
• My take: This is my favorite plain cheesecake scent ever! You definitely get a heavy crust note with this one with a hint of spice. The cream cheese note is there, but the crust is definitely the star in this blend. I know this will sound weird, but the scent of this tart reminds me of breakfast in the dining hall at summer camp when I was a kid. I'm not sure why because there's not a maple note to it but that's what it brings to mind. Anyways, it had a medium scent throw and lasted about 6 hours.
• Repurchase: Definitely.
• Overall rating: 7.5/10

Lasting Scent Candles

Lemon Butter Crunch Cake

• Notes: Pudding filled lemon cake, buttercream frosting, lemon sugar
• Warmer: 25-watt lightbulb
• Amount used: 1 scent shot
• My take: This is phenomenal. It's a lemon cake scent with a strong buttery caramel note. I love my lemon cake scents but sometimes I need something with a bit of a kick to it. This is SO GOOD.  I need to see if she has any other "butter crunch" scents because this one is amazing. Honestly, pretty much everything I've tried from LSC is amazing so I shouldn't be surprised. Strong scent throw, lasted 8+ hours.
• Repurchase: Yes! I was smart when I first ordered this and got two, but now that I'm down to just one I need to get more for sure =)
• Overall rating: 9.5/10

Sugar and Spice Gourmet Soy

Strawberry Shake

• Notes: Strawberry, orange, peach, green florals, vanilla
• Warmer: 18-watt hotplate
• Amount used: 1 scent shot
• My take: I always love a good strawberry scent! This scent can be found at lots of different vendors, but Sugar and Spice's was the strongest one I've smelled thus far. It's an amazing creamy strawberry scent with a slight hint of a green note. Definitely one of the best strawberry scents in existence. Strong scent throw, lasted 12+ hours.
• Repurchase: Absolutely!
• Overall rating: 9/10

Nene's Kitchen Melts

Strawberry Mango Smoothie

• Notes: Strawberry, mango
• Warmer: Tea light warmer
• Amount used: 1 scent shot
• My take: This was quite nice! I've never smelled a strawberry mango scent from a vendor before. It has a very authentic, juicy mango note that I've yet to find in any other mango scent. The strawberry is really authentic too, and blends really well with the mango. More vendors need to jump on the strawberry/mango bandwagon! It has a medium scent throw, and lasted about 5 hours. Next time, I think I will buy this in a 2 oz. scent shot so it has a stronger throw. 
• Repurchase: Yes.
• Overall rating: 7/10

Beezy Tarts

7-UP Pound Cake

• Notes: Cake, almond, lemon, lime, vanilla, sugar.
• Warmer: 24-watt hotplate.
• Amount used: 1 scent shot
• My take: Yet another fizzy citrus scent! Only this time, it's blended with a sweet cake note. Love this! This is a popular scent, most vendors seem to have this one. For good reason too, because it's awesome! The fizzy citrus note is pretty even with the cake note, not one dominates the other. If you've never tried this before, I highly suggest it! Strong scent throw. Lasted about 8 hours.
• Repurchase: Yes.
• Overall rating: 8/10

Butt Naked

• Notes: Granny smith apples, honeydew melon, strawberry, pear, hints of spice.
• Warmer: 24-watt hotplate
• Amount used: 1 scent shot
• My take: Incredible! This was another one my husband picked out of the tart closet to melt. This is a fantastic fruity scent. I get mainly melons and pear in this, which is awesome because those are two of my favorite notes and I don't think I've ever smelled them together before. My husband said it smelled like Fruit Stripe Gum! Strong scent throw. Lasted 12+ hours.
• Repurchase: He doesn't have this in stock right now but when he does, I'll be picking a few of these up for sure!
• Overall rating: 10/10

Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake

• Notes: Candied lime, lemon syrup, bergamot extract, brown sugar, clove bud, poppyseed muffin, marshmallow fluff, vanilla cake batter, white musk.
• Warmer: 24-watt hotplate
• Amount used: 1 scent shot
• My take: Yet another amazing tart from Beezy. This was probably the best lemon pound cake scent I have ever melted. It was so strong that I was melting it in the basement and it traveled through the vents and I could smell it two floors up in my bedroom. Obviously, strong scent throw. Lasted 12+ hours. 
• Repurchase: Yes.
• Overall rating: 10/10

Orchid Lake Candles

Raspberry Lemonade

• Notes: Raspberry, lemon
• Warmer: 24-watt hotplate
• Amount used: 1 scent shot
• My take: This was a great raspberry lemonade scent. I could almost smell a powdery note in this, which reminded me of powdered lemonade mix. It was definitely more lemon than raspberry, and I was hoping for a bit more raspberry in it. Also, I would have preferred a bit fo sweetness to it. Overall though, it was a nice scent. Strong throw. Lasted 8 hours.
• Repurchase: Probably not. I prefer other raspberry lemonade scents to this one.
• Overall rating: 6.5/10

Blueberry Zinger

• Notes: Blueberry, coconut, white cake.
• Warmer: 24-watt hotplate
• Amount used: 1 scent shot
• My take: This is amazing! I mentioned in my haul post for this order that this was probably my favorite blueberry scent ever and I stand by that statement. The coconut blends so well with the blueberry note, and then the cake note adds more sweetness. Awesome. Medium-to-strong scent throw. Wish it was a bit stronger. Lasted about 6 hours.
• Repurchase: Absolutely.
• Overall rating: 8/10

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That's all for this week! Thanks for stopping by and holla at me if you have any questions or comments!