New Vendor Spotlight - Vintage Chic Scents

The wax world has positively exploded. There are new members joining us every day, and it seems like new vendors are popping up almost as quickly. It's astonishing how great the demand for wax has gotten, and it's a good thing that these new vendors have been appearing because I don't know how the masses would have been satisfied otherwise! I'd like to do a series on my blog this year of the new vendors that have emerged in the wax community. I don't plan on ordering from all of them, of course, but I'd like to highlight someof the ones here that seem to stand out from the rest. I hope you enjoy coming along with me on this journey as I explore scented wax's latest and greatest.

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First up is the highly anticipated Vintage Chic Scents, or VCS for short. VCS was pioneered by Kirby Welsh, otherwise known as VintageChic1927 on YouTube. Kirby is one of the most well-known members of the wax community with her highly successful YT channel and her presence in the Facebook groups. For me personally, Kirby was actually one of the first waxies that I watched on YT that got me addicted to wax and is one of the reasons why I am here today. Also, Kirby was one of the first members of the wax community to support my blog and I am forever grateful for that. She is just an all-around great girl. So naturally, when Kirby introduced us to her company late last year, the wax world was aflutter with excitement over this new brand.

VCS offers the following types of wax: 1.5 ounce scent shots, flower tart 3-packs and clamshells. While we've seen 1.5 ounce scent shots with LSC, 3-pack tarts from Tiffany's and decorated clamshells from TBG, Kirby puts her own spin on these tried-and-true wax standbys through her vintage theme. Every scent that Kirby carries is inspired by an old school movie, person, song, or concept. I'm a theme kinda girl myself so I was sucked in immediately. Though vintage movies and actors aren't necessarily my thing, I can always appreciate a well thought out motif and brand. And of course, the wax itself is beautiful. Kirby does a lot of two-toned wax, often with decorations and little embellishments. While wax doesn't have to be pretty for me to buy it, it certainly never hurts!

Kirby's business plan for the foreseeable future seems to be an RTS (ready to ship) model. She will be doing mainly silent openings with limited amounts of stock. The grand opening featured all three types of wax and all the scents, and each subsequent opening has included limited shapes and scents. I haven't had any problems procuring the scents that I have wanted, but that is thanks in part to my team of fellow VCS stalkers. VCS has the advantages and disadvantages of most RTS companies out there: fast TAT but limited selection and availability. Pretty standard, no surprises there. I love having a variety of custom and RTS vendors in my lineup and I'm happy to have another RTS vendor join the bunch.

Kirby's scent list is fairly limited at this point in time, I believe she has around 40 or so blends that she is currently carrying with plans to have more in the future. Sometimes being faced with endless scent options can be overwhelming, so I am enjoying the simplicity of picking from a limited number of blends from VCS. Kirby and I seem to have a lot of the same scent tastes so I have found myself drawn towards the majority of blends that she has. While there are several scents that seem to dominate her lineup (pink sugar, watermelon, and strawberry are a few that seem to have found their way into a lot of VCS blends), her scent list is pretty well rounded and there is certainly something for everyone. There are definitely some notable holes in her scent list that hopefully will be filled with time.

Usually with new vendors, I try to order small and go from there. But knowing Kirby and knowing how meticulous and detail-oriented she is, I jumped right in with VCS and went a bit crazy. The blends all sounded so good and I just couldn't help myself. Did my leap of faith pay off? Keep reading to find out =)

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Over the course of the month, I made three separate orders from VCS and also got some scents that I missed out on from a good friend. The following products are from all of my current stock of VCS products.

THESE DESCRIPTIONS ARE COLD THROW FIRST IMPRESSIONS ONLY

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Scent shots: Let's start out with scent shots. VCS has 1.5 ounce scent shots, which are a bit smaller than the standard 2 ounce version. However, I knew this going in so no problems there. I love the idea of having a smaller version of wax to try out first instead of having to commit to a bigger size. Here is what I got in scent shot form:

• Sweetheart Smoothie - sweet candy and marshmallow. This one is fantastic! The moment I opened up this scent shot, I was instantly reminded of Sweet Tarts candy. I'm generally a huge proponent of candy scented fragrances (like cotton candy, lollipop and jelly beans) and I think this is the first time I've smelled such a true sweet tarts kind of scent. I don't get much marshmallow from this but that's okay because it's fantastic either way.
• Afternoon Petit Fours - blackberry jam butter cookies and lemon. I always really enjoy lemon/berry blends so I knew this one was right up my alley. I smell mostly a sweet, creamy lemon in this scent with a slight hint of the BJBC. I would have preferred it to be a little bit heavier on the berry but she really has a great lemon scent so I am definitely pleased with this blend.
• We'll Always Have Paris - exclusive fruity blend. This mystery blend smells mainly of watermelon to me, with a hint of some other sweet fruit...strawberry? Cotton candy? I'm not quite sure what this scent is exactly but I do know that I like it. I'm curious to melt it to see if other notes make an appearance while warmed. I'm not the hugest fan of mystery blends myself, it drives me crazy not knowing what I'm smelling! But yeah...watermelon. Definitely watermelon! Let me know what you guys smell in this blend.
• The Plaza Hotel - lemon mint leaf (BBW type). Lemon mint leaf is a favorite of mine from BBW so I was excited to have it in tart form. It's just a nice fresh, clean scent without having that cloying laundry or cotton-y factor to it. You smell the tart lemon and the crisp mint equally. This is a dead-on dupe of the BBW candle for sure. Very strong on cold sniff.
• Beverly Hills Hotel - strawberry, raspberry and guava. Love this one! I've smelled other Strawberry Raspberry and Guava scents before that were a tad too sweet for my nose but this one is perfect. It almost has a milky sweetness to it that helps cut down on the sugary sweetness for me, if that makes sense. I'm not sure I necessarily smell each note in there but what I do smell is a nice, sweet (but not too sweet) berry blend.
• Rosemary's Baby - lavender and mint. There was a lot of raves about this scent so naturally, I was super excited to smell this one. Unfortunately, I just don't know if it's working for me. The lavender has a bit of a cleaner note to it, kind of like TC's Fabuloso but softer. If I had to classify it, I'd say it's an herbal lavender. And mixed with that mint note makes it feel a bit astringent to my nose. However, I am going to melt it and give it a try because I know that a lot of people have loved this scent. 
• Gumshoe Detective - bubble gum and marshmallow. I'm currently in the throes of a full-on bubble gum obsession so I knew I had to have this scent. On cold throw, it's pretty simple, mostly bubble gum with a hint of marshmallow sweetness. But bubble gum doesn't need much more to smell fantastic on its own so I'm majorly loving this blend and I can't wait until it's cured so I can melt it!
• Over the Rainbow - rainbow sherbet and cotton candy. I'm generally not a huge rainbow sherbet fan, but I really like it in this blend. It is softened quite a bit by that cotton candy note, but the predominant note here is definitely the creamy citrus from that rainbow sherbet. Good, but not a favorite. I'll have to melt it to see if that CC tones down the rainbow sherbet enough when warmed.
• My Favorite Things (accidentally left out of the picture)- strawberries, fresh baked bread, and vanilla butter fudge. I was so hoping this would be one of my favorites of the bunch but one of the notes in this blend isn't hitting my nose quite right. Maybe it's the bread scent in there - I'm generally not a fan of the fresh baked bread kind of scents (I much prefer zucchini) so maybe that's it. And if the bread in this blend really is zucchini bread, then I'm stumped. This is another one I'll have to melt to see how it turns out.

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Clamshells: Because I made it to the initial grand opening a little late, most of what was left were the clamshells, so my first order consisted mostly of clams. Unfortunately, I did detect a strong skunky, plastic-y note in several of the clamshells. This is a common occurrence in clamshells and though most of the time it only affects the cold throw, sometimes it can affect the warm throw as well. Often times, the longer the wax sits in the clamshell, the stronger the plastic smell gets. I wanted to let Kirby know and she was great about it. She sent me a few flower packs to make up for it, and let me know that she would be changing her clamshells. Excellent customer service! However, I'm not the hugest clamshell fan in general so I'll probably stick to scent shots or roses for my next purchases anyways.

Top, L-R: Elvis in Hawaii, I Feel Pretty
Botton, L-R: The Drive In, Imagene's Serendipity Cream Pie

• Elvis in Hawaii - Coconut Leaves and Palm Beach Cooler (BBW types). Well, I love Hawaii (we are going back in May!) and because my cat's name is Elvis (and of course because Elvis Presley is intricately connected to Hawaii as well), I knew that without a doubt I had to have this scent. In fact, it was the first one I added to my cart. I mostly smell a fresh, coconut scent in this blend. I love Coconut Leaves, but I've never smelled Palm Beach Cooler so I don't really have anything to compare it though. It's a nice fresh, tropical scent without having that syrup-y sweetness that a lot of coconut scents have. This one is definitely coming to Hawaii with me in May!
• I Feel Pretty - Pink Sugar, watermelon and strawberry. I smell mostly strawberry in this blend with a slight hint of the Pink Sugar. I'm not getting too much watermelon on this one off of cold throw. I'm a huge fan of all three of the scents in this blend though so I am going to melt this soon and hope the watermelon comes out more when warmed. It definitely has potential
• The Drive-In - blue raspberry and watermelon. I am not normally a fan of blue raspberry scents so I'm not quite sure why I got this one. Regardless, this one was one of the ones with quite a strong plastic scent to it, and that seems to overwhelm my nose while sniffing this one. It's definitely heavier on the blue raspberry scent, but I smell the watermelon in there too. I imagine blue raspberry fans will really enjoy this one!
• Imagene's Serendipity Cream Pie - serendipity and coconut cream pie. Serendipity and coconut cream pie is one of my favorite scent blends so naturally I had to pick up this one in my order. It's definitely heaviest on the serendipity, but I can smell a faint sweetness from that coconut cream pie. Being the serendipity nut that I am, serendipity smells great to me mixed with basically anything. A definite win for sure.

Top row, L-R: GG, Bates Motel
Bottom row, L-R: Spoonful of Sugar, Norma Jean

• GG - cantaloupe, watermelon and honeydew. On cold throw, I'm just not loving this one, you guys. I am really loving melon scents lately so I was hoping this one would be a hit for me. There is an odd note to what I believe is the watermelon scent in this blend. I am going to have to melt this one to see if I like it better when warmed. This scent gets a lot of love in the VCS group so I'm going to give it a shot!
• Bates Motel - crumb cake, cinnamon and spices. I was hoping for a bit of a different kind of scent with this one, I think (maybe more of like a cinnamon struedel) but I still really like it. I smell a sweet, cinnamon bakery scent. It almost smells like the way graham cracker crust smells. I love cinnamon scents so this one will certainly be well-loved in my stash.
• Spoonful of Sugar - tres leche cake and sugar cookie dough. I'm not so sure about this one. I kind of pick up on a bit of a buttered popcorn type of note in this, which I think is the sugar cookie scent because I pick up on it in another one of VCS' sugar cookie blends. And on top of that, I'm not sure I'm really a tres leche cake fan either. I've heard good things about this blend though so I'll have to melt it to see if that buttery note subsides a bit. As of now though, this is not a favorite.
• Norma Jean - Serendipity and Vanilla Bean Noel (BBW type). This one is definitely rocking the clamshell scent vibe, but I can still distinctly smell both the serendipity and the VBN in this blend. Serendipity Noel is always a favorite blend of mine and I know this one will be great too. Nice and strong!

Top row, L-R: Ziegfeld Follies, Jackson and 15 Minutes of Fame
Bottom row, L-R: Happy Birthday, Mr. President and June Cleaver

• Ziegfeld Follies - mulberry and pomegranate. This was definitely one of the ones I was most excited for due to my affinity for mulberry scents. Off of cold throw, all I can smell is sweet mulberry with the slightest hint of that tart pomegranate. I have noticed that in a lot of VCS blends with pomegranate, the pom tends to get lost. That's a-ok with me though because I just can't seem to get enough mulberry these days.
• Jackson - pie crust and blueberry cobbler. I mostly smell the blueberry in this one, with a slight underlying crusty note. The blueberry in this blend is just the kind I like, a nice, sweet creamy blueberry without that strange artificial note that some blueberry scents can have. Pie crust is generally a lighter scent do I didn't expect to smell too much of that note anyways. Jackson is a great blend but somehow not one of my absolute faves. Still good though, just didn't really wow me. 
• 15 Minutes of Fame - pomegranate and fruit loops. I've also been loving Fruit Loops scents lately so this was another must have for me. Again, the pomegranate seems to get lost in this scent and pretty much all I can smell is the fruit loops. I may blend this scent with something else, as I generally don't really like to melt plain fruit loops scents. It's much better blended. Not a strike out but not a home run either.
• Happy Birthday Mr. President - strawberry, birthday cake, and Pink Sugar. This one probably had the strongest plastic scent out of any of the clamshells I ordered so of course, it just smells off to me in general on cold sniff. I can definitely smell the strawberry and the sweetness from the birthday cake, but not so much the Pink Sugar in here. Maybe it'll come out once warmed. I transferred this clamshell to a cell bag after these photos were taken to see if it would help the plastic smell. Not yet but I still have hope!
• June Cleaver - caramel butter cookie.  This was another one of the worst offenders for the plastic clamshell scent. However, the scent itself was not my favorite either. In fact, out of every VCS scent I've smelled, this one was by far my least favorite. I love caramel scents and I love butter cookie scents but this smelled like neither. It has a weird, almost powder-y note to it, and no caramel. It did have a slight bakery-ish tone to it but I'm not sure if it smells like a cookie. It's just really not good, I'm sorry to say. However, out of all the scent I've tried and having this be the only true dud is pretty darn good, I'd say.

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Roses: This is by far my favorite option that Kirby offers. I don't know of any other vendor that offers this shape so I was of course eager to get my hands on them! I wasn't able to snag many during the grand opening because they sold out so quickly, so most of these were given to me by a friend. Thanks Michelle <3 Some of the roses are two-toned, others are solid, and some of the 3 packs come with a combo of solid and two-toned roses. They are absolutely stunning and have come to be VCS' signature product. For curious minds, the roses are 1 ounce each. Here are the roses that I got:

Top row, L-R: Princess of Monaco, Oh What a Beautiful Mornin', White Christmas, Jackie O, Tara Will Never Go Hungry Again
Bottom row, L-R: Atlantic City, Film Noir, Lucy & Ethel, Art Deco and The Saturday Evening Post

• Princess of Monaco - lemon and marshmallow. Though this is a very simple blend, this is definitely one of my favorites of the bunch. It is very strong on cold throw, and I can smell the lemon and the marshmallow equally. Yes, it does smell very similar to the famous FP Lemon Marshmallow, which is one of my all-time favorites. The lemon in here is a sweet, bakery lemon with a slight tart note, and the marshmallow adds a nice creaminess to the blend. Yum!
• Oh What a Beautiful Mornin' - buttermilk pancakes, maple syrup and sugar cookie dough. I have been really enjoying sugar cookie & pancake blends lately, and I'm so glad that Kirby decided to add one to her VCS' lineup. This is different from all the other similar blends that I've smelled. I pick up on that buttered popcorn note here that I got from the other sugar cookie blend, but it seems to work better here blended with the maple and pancake notes. I did melt this one, and while the buttered popcorn note was present, it didn't bother me as much as I would have thought. Nice blend, though not a favorite.
• White Christmas - buttermint and Vanilla Bean Noel. I really, really love this one. I love peppermint scents, and this one has a nice creaminess to it from that VBN. Not much else to say about this one other than it is strong in the bag and I'm hoping that it will be as strong when I melt it because I can see it becoming a favorite for sure.
• Jackie O - marshmallow, birthday cake and Vanilla Bean Noel. Being that Jackie O is my namesake, I of course had to get my hands on this one! The blend in this one is fantastic, I can smell the marshmallow and birthday cake mostly but I can get hints of that VBN as well. It smells like an almost exact dupe of my beloved Sugar and Spice Marshmallow Birthday Cake Noel. Unfortunately, it was not nearly as long lasting as the S&S tart  when I melted it but I still have a certain affinity for this blend because of the name =)
• Tara Will Never Go Hungry Again - wildberry mousse, marshmallow and zucchini bread. Yummmmm! I am really loving zucchini bread scents lately, especially when they are mixed with berry scents. I can smell all three notes in this blend, the strongest being that zucchini bread but the other two notes are definitely present as well. VCS' zucchini bread isn't as creamy as some others I've smelled, I'd say it's on par with TBG zucchini bread or CFTKR zucchini bread if you've ever smelled those, though not as creamy as say RG or UTC's ZB scents. Still delish though!
• Atlantic City - strawberry, peach and snow taffy. Last year I WAY overdid it on peach scents and sort of wrote them off, but now that spring is (maybe?) rolling around here soon, I'm willing to give peach another try. It is definitely the dominant note in this blend, with the strawberry and the snow taffy adding a nice sweet base to the peach. I go back in forth with this one. Some days I sniff this and really like it, other days I'm not so sure. Today, not so sure. The true test though will be melting!
• Film Noir - glazed cinnamon donuts, snickerdoodle, and marshmallow. For those of you who have ever smelled Tiffany Candles Ultimate Donut Shop, this is a very similar blend. I'm always a bit nervous about cinnamon donut scents because I have smelled some pretty terrible ones, but this one is yummy. It's definitely a sweet, creamy donut scent with that undeniable scent of fried dough. I can smell the marshmallow in this with a slight hint of the snickerdoodle too. Very good!
• Lucy & Ethel - pistachio, coconut and marshmallow. This is definitely one of my favorites of all the VCS that I have sniffed so far. A lot of vendors carry a Pistachio Coconut Fluff oil and while I do enjoy that scent, it does have a bit of a perfume-y note to it that I wish wasn't there. This is Kirby's custom blended version of that scent and it is so good. The pistachio is no doubt the most prominent scent here, but the coconut and marshmallow add a fantastic sweetness that tones down the pistachio and makes it creamier. I would say this is probably a great scent for people who are weary about pistachio scents. Give it a try, you might just like it!
• Art Deco - pomegranate and watermelon. Yum! I have really been loving this scent combo lately ever since I got a sample of it from RG several months back so I'm glad VCS has it now as well! I don't really smell a whole lot of pomegranate in this, mostly just a sweet watermelon scent with the slightest tartness from that pom. Really, really good scent, even if the pom is light! This will be a great one for summer for sure.
• The Saturday Evening Post - zucchini bread and Vanilla Bean Noel. Out of all the standard zucchini blends, I'm pretty sure that Zucchini Noel is my least favorite (sorry Sarah!). I don't know what it is but VBN sometimes seems to enhance that corn chippy note that I get sometimes in zucchini scents. I think I'll definitely be mixing this one with Jackie O to tone down that ZB. I know that for people who do like ZB Noel scents though, this one was a hit!

Top row, L-R: The Golden Age, Imagene's Serendipity Cream Pie, June Cleaver
Bottom row, L-R: 1927, My Funny Valentine, Aunt Bee and War of the Worlds

• The Golden Age - butterscotch and snow taffy. This was one of the 3 packs that Kirby sent to make up for the clamshell plastic scent issue. I would have never ordered this one on my own but I'm so glad Kirby sent it to me! It's just a really nice, sweet, creamy butterscotch scent that would be great on its own or blended with something else. Oooh maybe I can blend this one with Saturday Evening Post too! Very nice scent.
• Imagene's Serendipity Cream Pie - serendipity and coconut cream pie. Another 3-pack Kirby sent for the clamshell issue. Smells just as good in the roses, if not even better! One of my favorite VCS blends for sure.
• June Cleaver - caramel butter cookies. Nope. This is not a good scent in the roses either =( It's such a mystery because I love both caramel and butter cookie scents so I'm not quite sure what went wrong here. This was another 3-pack Kirby sent as replacements. Very sweet of her to do!

(the rest are samples from my orders. Some were duplicates and some were passed on to friends so this is all I have remaining)

• 1927 - fresh strawberries, Pink Sugar and sugar milk. YUM! I believe this one is considered VCS' "signature blend," and for good reason. I definitely smell all three notes in this blend. I've had Pink Sugar Milk scents before and Strawberry Milk scents before but never altogether! This is a really fantastic blend you guys. I'm so glad to have gotten a few more of these from Michelle too so now I have a whole set of roses in this scent! Definitely a favorite.
• My Funny Valentine - rose jelly, lemon curd and marshmallow. Another winner! Kirby sent this to me along with the above mentioned 3-packs so I was ecstatic to get to try this scent before it went live on the site. Lemon Curd and Rose Milk is one of my all-time favorite Bathing Garden scents so I was thrilled that Kirby would be carrying a similar blend now as well. Dare I say I almost like this one better than TBG? I think that marshmallow adds an extra kick of sweetness that really rounds out the blend. Love love love!
• Aunt Bee - apple pie and zucchini bread. This is another scent that I'm not sure I would have ordered on my own but I'm so glad I got it as a sample because I really like it! It's definitely heavier on the apple pie but I can smell a decent amount of that ZB as well. Really nicely blended, and I'll have to revisit this scent again this coming fall!
• War of the Worlds - serendipity, fruit loops and marshmallow. HOW DID I MISS THIS SCENT?! I don't understand why I didn't purchase this scent for myself because it has three of my favorite things in it! Anyways, I'm so glad I got a sample of it because it is incredible. I can smell all three notes in here equally. Why do more vendors not carry a fruit loops/serendipity blend? The two are fantastic together. It smells like a fruity frozen yogurt concoction that you would eat on the beach during vacation. Need. More.

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I really enjoyed the majority of these scents cold, and although some of the blends were a bit heavy on one note, I think Kirby has a solid mix of great oils in her repertoire. Now, here is my overall thoughts on VCS as a whole.

PLEASE keep in mind that these are my opinions and my opinions alone. I am in no way glorifying or bashing this vendor, but simply stating my experiences. Your experiences may vary vastly from my own.

• Customer service - As I touched on above, several of the clamshells had a very strong, skunky, plastic-y smell. I contacted Kirby and right away she offered to send some flowers to make up for the clams. Not only did she send a few 3-packs of roses, she sent some samples of a new scent she was working on too which was just awesome. I loved how quickly she responded to my message and how great she was about it. It is a common occurrence in the wax community that some vendors do not take kindly to feedback, but Kirby is the complete opposite. She not only sent me replacements, but said she is going to find new clamshells for the next restock. Kirby is consistently in touch with her customer base, answers messages quickly and is always trying to improve her company. A win in my book for sure!
• Scents - Like I mentioned before, Kirby has FANTASTIC scent blends in her lineup. The majority of the products I got smell really delicious on cold throw. While most of the blends are ones that we have seen before, there are a few unique blends and the rest are solid and hold up with the rest of the blends in my wax collection. Like I mentioned before, there are still some holes in the lineup and I'd love to see more bakery make it's way in to the collection, with some caramel, coffee and chocolate scents especially. I know her scent list will expand over time and overall, a great start for a new company.
• Brand experience - I just love the concept of Vintage Chic Scents. Her labels are simple and to the point, but with a bit of a vintage flair. I love how she puts the pour dates on everything, I truly wish all vendors would do that. Her wax is GORGEOUS, with her roses being at the top of my list. I love the little hand-written notes she send with orders that are written on doilies. Those two-toned roses just make me smile. I love the inspirations behind the names, and I love that in her FB group, there are always vintage-themed contests going on. VCS is a very well thought out brand, no doubt about it. As a fellow wax addict herself, Kirby has really gone the extra mile to add touches to her company that she knows consumers will appreciate.
• Website - While the website is very beautiful, I have a bit of a hard time with it. I love that it has a wishlist feature to make it easier to load up your cart during the restocks, but I'm not sure how I feel about it beyond that. First of all, there is no master scent list. There is a search bar at the top to find scents, but because the scents names often don't give any indication of what is actually in the scent, I'd love to have a quick reference guide to the scent descriptions. I'd love to be able to search scent notes as well, not just scent titles. Secondly, when trying to figure out what is in stock and what is not, it is a very time consuming process. Because her products are separated into scent categories and then further into wax types, it is frustrating to have to go through each and every scent and category to see what is in stock. Thirdly, it has been mentioned in wax groups that there are a few features to the website that are not available on mobile and some people have had issues ordering on their phones. I never did personally but it is certainly something to consider. It's definitely not the worst website I've seen and it's workable.
• Prices - Dollar per ounce, VCS is one of the most expensive wax brands out there. Kirby's initial prices were $3.80 for clamshells, $3.25 for 3-packs of roses and $1.60 for the scent shots. However, for the next restock the prices were suddenly listed as $4 for clamshells, $3.50 for the roses and $1.75 for the scent shots. I understand having to raise prices, but I think what irked a lot of people was the fact that these prices were increased without any announcement to the fact. In the end, it is Kirby's business and she is free to make any necessary decisions for her company. It is in no way imperative to let us know first, although it would have been nice. Was this little discrepancy enough to make me stop ordering? No. Was it for some people? Yes, it was. Either way you look at it, VCS is definitely one of the more expensive brands and that is a factor that many people take into account when purchasing wax. 
• Shipping - As of right now, VCS only ships to the US. Also, they are not combining shipping on any orders. Sometimes RTS can be a bit of a rush, so often times people make several orders to ensure they get everything they want. While it would certainly be nice if they were able to combine shipping, I can understand why not doing so helps keep things easier for them. I do hope in the future they would consider combined shipping, however, as the current flat rate of $7.95 shipping can add up quickly when placing two to three orders per opening. But in the meanwhile, I am just going to be sure to get everything in one order. 
• Performance of the tarts -  I have melted several things since getting my orders in, and I have to say that my experience is mixed. I've melted 9 things from her so far, so this is by no means a comprehensive review, just a quick take of my experiences so far. Some scents have a strong, long-lasting throw, however a lot of what I melted threw strongly at first and petered out only after a few hours. Also, I melted a few scents that had a very light scent throw from start to finish. From feedback I've seen in several wax groups, lots of people seem to have come to the same conclusion that I have about VCS wax. Of course, the nature of fragrance oils is that some are going to be stronger and more long lasting than others. Not all fragrance oils will kick you in the face with scent for 12 hours straight. And anyways, I have enough wax in my stash that changing out a scent only after a few hours isn't that big of an issue for me. I'm willing to power through the mixed performance because I genuinely love her scent blends. Generally, I have gotten at least some sort of throw from what I've melted from her, with Princess of Monaco (1.5 roses in a 20-watt), Art Deco (1.5 roses in a 20-watt) and Oh What a Beautiful Mornin' (1 rose in a 20-watt) having the strongest and longest throws of what I've melted so far. Though I was slightly disappointed with the performance overall, her formula is not bad for a new vendor. I am sure that as VCS grows, their performance will as well.

Overall, my feelings are a bit mixed. I wanted so much for VCS to be a home run for me, but it's not quite there yet. I think this company has a lot of potential and I know that Kirby is dedicated to making VCS the best it can be. I think a lot of my initial disappointment had a lot to do with the pre-game hype surrounding VCS. To be fair, I think I was expecting a bit too much from a brand new vendor. Not once has a new vendor ever had this much buzz surrounding it and I think I got swept up in it all. I need to remember that VCS is a homegrown company that is new and is still working out the kinks. Will I be a repeat VCS customer? Absolutely! I know this brand has great potential to become one of my favorites. I wish nothing but the best for Kirby with her VCS endeavor and I know that VCS will continue to grow and shape into a powerhouse brand in the wax world.

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LONGEST BLOG POST EVER! Thanks for stopping by everyone and I will see you all soon =)