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

~~~~

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

Round Robin Picks - Hosted by Shelby Swatches

Hi everyone! I hope you are all having a fantastic weekend! I'm SO EXCITED about today's post. It is the picks from my very first Round Robin!! It was hosted by my friend Shelby of Shelby Swatches (check out her youtube channel here) and I'm very thankful that she asked me to be a part of it. Thanks Shelby <3 She did a great job organizing everything, and even put extra bags in the box and notes for everyone. So thoughtful!

For those of you who don't know what a Round Robin is (henceforth known as RR), it is a group swap. One person fills a box with lots of wax goodies that they don't want, gathers a group of people to participate, and sends it to the first person on the list. That person takes out what they want, replaces the box with an equal amount of wax (or more, if you're like me) and sends it to the next person. At the end, the box goes back to the person who hosted and they are left with a box full of awesome wax! 

I was the second person to receive this box, and it was chock full o' goodies! I wanted to just keep pretty much the whole box for myself but somehow I found my self control and ended up with 19 things. I replaced the box with probably almost twice that amount! Being that it was my first RR, I was a bit overzealous haha. I hope the people after me enjoy what I put back in =) 

Anyways, thanks again to Shelby for asking me to be a part of this, I had so much fun! I hope to be able to participate in more RRs soon. Hey, maybe I'll even start my own! I think it's safe to say that I'm addicted.

I'm a bit scatterbrained today and I forgot to take a cover picture for this post. So, I will just jump right into what I picked! I'll give some quick cold throw impressions as well.

~~~~

• The Bathing Garden Cozy Christmas - This one smells so good! I'm not sure what the scent description is but the main note I smell is eggnog. There's also some spices (I'm getting a lot of cinnamon) and some slight hints of bakery. I'm not much of a seasonal melter, meaning I'll melt whatever I feel like no matter the season, so I ended up picking quite a few holiday scents out of the box.
• Better Homes and Gardens Wild Island Fruit - Love this one! BHG doesn't give official scent descriptions for their wax so anyone's guess on the notes in this is as good as mine. I smell a lot of tart and juicy fruits in here. The picture has pineapples, melon and kiwi on there so we'll go with that. I remember hearing somewhere that this is a dupe for a B&BW candle, so let me know if you know which one it is.
• ScentSationals Cupcake - I was so excited to see this in there because I just finished up a clamshell in this scent and haven't been able to find it at any of my local Wal-Marts. It's just a nice, creamy cupcake scent with a frosting note. Great for blending and great on its own.
• ScentSationals Vanilla Bean - This seems to be a much creamier than the last Vanilla Bean clamshell I had. Stronger, too! Another one that will be great for blending. 

• Granny's Kountry Candles Cinni Minis - This is in the shape of a little cinnamon bun - so cute! It's a really nice cinnamon bun scent. Strong, and with the slightest hint of frosting. Shelby mentioned to me that she enjoyed melting this one so I'm glad she stuck a little one in there. I snatched it right up as soon as I saw it!
• Front Porch Sweet Potato Pie - I am very picky about my sweet potato scents but this one is awesome! Not as true a sweet potato as Beezy's Sweet Potato and Brown Sugar, but it still really good. I don't get much of a crust note with this one, just a sweet and savory potato scent. Sounds weird, but I swear it's fantastic!
• Rosegirls Pumpkin Creme Brulee - Amazing! This is a little mini chunk from Rosegirls. It smells like all the other Pumpkin Creme Brulee scents I've smelled, which is okay with me because it is a favorite scent of mine! This will probably be one of the first things I melt from my picks =)
• Front Porch Sweet Pine Noel - I was SO EXCITED to see this in there. This is one of my favorite scents from Front Porch and by far my favorite pine scent ever. The pine in here is a sweet pine and then the VBN just takes it to the next level. Awesome.

• Shayz Scents Pumpkin Apples - I have never tried anything from this vendor before so I was thrilled to see it in the RR box. I pretty much smell straight cinnamon in this with a hint of apple. No pumpkin. But that's okay because I love cinnamon and I'm happy with this one =)
• Blues City Candles Pink Vanilla Buttercream - Another vendor I've never tried! This is a great blend of Pink Sugar and buttercream, I can smell both notes in this. The wax is 100% soy so anyone with a paraffin allergy should look into this vendor. 
• Beezy Tarts Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake - This is another favorite of mine and I was so excited to see it in the box! I melted my last one of this scent this past week and he's sold out of it at the moment so I was pretty bummed. Lo and behold, the RR box arrives and like magic, there's one of these waiting for me in there! 
• Granny's Kountry Candles Gingerbread Cinnabon - I'm a huge fan of gingerbread so I couldn't pass this one up. It's a great blend of the two scents and it's very strong off of cold sniff. Delish!

• Victoria's Designer Creations Pumpkin Muffins - I could not pass up this cute little cupcake!  I should have taken it out of the package to show you all. Trust me - it's adorable! The scent is a great too, a nice pumpkin bakery scent with a hint of spice. A great addition to my ever expanding pumpkin tart collection.
• Tiffany Candles Coconut & Pineapple (new wax) - I love pineapple scents and I love coconut scents but I often find that I don't like the way the two are blended together. I have not yet met a "pina colada" scent that I like. However, this one is different. I can smell both notes equally and there's no weird booze note to it. Really excited for this one!
• Ollie's Soaps Elf Sweat - I have heard so many things about the Elf Sweat scent but never tried it for myself. The wax world seems to be divided on their feelings for this scent, some people love it and some people hate it. I for one, LOVE it! It is a strong citrus effervescent note blended with mint. Right up my alley! Can't wait to melt this one.
• Ten Digit Creations Magnolia Blossom - Another favorite of mine that I was tickled to see in the box. Magnolia Blossom is a dupe for my beloved, now-discontinued Magnolia Blossom fragrance from Bath and Body Works. It is a sweet, creamy floral scent without being too heavy on the floral note. I always recommend this to everyone, even people who hate floral scents.

• Pics, Petals & Scents Gingerbread Sugar Cookies - This is an awesome blend of sugar cookies and gingerbread. I smell mostly sugar cookie but the gingerbread adds a hint of spice to the blend. It kind of reminds me of those spicy frosted animal crackers for some reason. They're cute too, in the shape of little gingerbread men!
• Pics, Petals & Scents Pastry Shop - I recently placed my first PPS order and this was one of the scents I got at the suggestion of Shelby, but I couldn't resist grabbing this little scent shot because it smelled so good. The listed notes are apples, blueberries, oranges, and frosting but I mostly smell the apple. Hopefully the other notes come out more when warmed.
• Pics, Petals & Scents Berry Berry Zinger - This is such a unique scent! It has a note in it that does remind me of a berry zinger tea but with a hint of bakery sweetness. LOVE this!!

~~~~

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my picks from my very first Round Robin! Hope you all have a great night and rest of the weekend <3

The Bathing Garden January Haul - Cold Sniff Reviews

I'm back with my last haul of the day from The Bathing Garden! 

The Bathing Garden is run by a lovely woman named Shannon and she is one of my favorite vendors for several reasons. First of all, these clamshells are GORGEOUS! She decorates each and every one so beautifully. I don't mind undecorated wax, but there is something about Shannon's clamshells that shows that she puts a lot of time and effort into her products and takes pride in her work. Her clamshells are always full to the brim! Also, she has really unique blends that I can't get from any other vendor. Lemon Curd and Rose Milk, Sandalwood Layered Coconut, and Summer Melon and Mint are just a few examples of the countless unique blends that she has. Also, TBG tarts always perform very well for me. The throw is strong, the scent lasts a long time and best of all, they smell fantastic! 

Right now, Shannon is operating through etsy but is working on her own website which will be ready soon! She has been posting tarts as she makes them lately, so all of her stuff has been RTS as of late. However, with the opening of her website, I am under the impression that she will begin to have more stock available. It's fun though to pop onto etsy every few days and see what she has available. 

The Bathing Garden is another vendor I would recommend for people who are new to wax. She doesn't have a whole lot available on her etsy website right now because she is making the transition to the new site. Once that is open, I think it will be a great way for the wax newbies to try some unique and excellent blends that are not available elsewhere.  Sure, I love my Fruit Loops and Pink Sugar blends just like everyone else, but sometimes it's necessary to branch out and try some new things. Also, her TAT is excellent. This post is a combination of 2 different orders and both got to my house within a week of ordering. 

Here are the beautiful tarts that I ordered from The Bathing Garden in the month of January. Enjoy!

~~~~

• Lemon Cheesecake (x2) - The Bathing Garden is famous for their lemon cheesecake scent. This was actually sold out when I wanted to purchase it, so Shannon was kind enough to make a customer order of them for me. These tarts are dual-layered, with the top a lovely, sweet lemon scent and the bottom is a rich, creamy cheesecake scent. I can see why everyone loves this one. It's SO GOOD.
• Strawberry Nonsense (freebie) - Another reason why I love TBG is because Shannon is very generous with free samples. She states on her site that she will not be giving away free clamshells anymore, but for the majority of my orders, and the orders that I see from others, she has still been giving away free clamshells. So generous! This scent, however, is not a favorite of mine. It is a blend of strawberry and zucchini bread. Obviously, I'm not a fan of zucchini bread but I can say this this is a nice blend of the two scents. I may even keep this one around and give it a try one day when I'm feeling adventurous.

• Raspberry Lemonade - Look how pretty this one is with the pink glitter and the little raspberry embed. So cute! This smells different than most Raspberry Lemonade scents I've smelled. It's definitely heavier one the lemonade, which is fine with me! I'll have to give it a try in the warmer to see how I like this one.
• Cheshire Cat - This is a blend of lemon meringue, vanilla frosting and raspberry. This clamshell is so full that the embed is poking out the clamshell a bit! This one is amazing! I can smell mostly the bakery lemon and vanilla frosting with a hint of raspberry. So good!
• Ruby Dressed in Red - This is a ruby red grapefruit scent, and by far my favorite grapefruit scent I've ever smelled. It's so tart and juicy! This is what I wish all grapefruit scents smelled like. Divine.

• Mad Hatter's Tea Party - This is another one of Shannon's most popular blends. It is a lovely mint tea scent.  I know it's hard to see from the picture, but the embed is a cute little tea bag! This one is really nice. I can see why it's a popular one.
• Guava Berry Gelato (freebie) - This one smells amazing! I almost ordered this one but haven't had much luck with guava scents so I ended up passing. I'm so glad that she sent it to me to try! It's a great sweet berry scent. I am super excited to melt this one.
• Vintage Circus - This is an awesome two-toned tart. The top is bright blue for the Blue Cotton Candy scent and the bottom is red for the Winter Candy Apple scent. The blue cotton candy is a lighter scent but it blends nicely with the Winter Candy Apple. With layered tarts, it's hard to get the full effect of the scent off of cold throw so I'm curious to see how this will smell when it's melting.

~~~~

Thanks for stopping by today everyone! Hope you've enjoyed these little hauls today. As always, let me know if you have any questions or comments! Have a great day =)

The Scented Princess Haul #1 - First Impressions and Cold Sniff Reviews

Back again! This time I'm here with a small haul from The Scented Princess. The Scented Princess is another hugely popular vendor right now in the wax world and gets lots of raves from people. So naturally, I was very excited when my order arrived the other day.

The Scented Princess is run by a lady named Dawn, who is very helpful to her customers and very active in the wax community. TSP has a wide variety of wax tarts, from clamshells and scallop tarts to cupcake and ice cream sandwich tarts! She also has candles and bath and body products. One of the awesome things about The Scented Princess, and probably one of the  main reasons why she is so popular, is that for every product, you can blend up to three scents of your choice! I love that! It's so much fun to come up with your own blends. I did mostly blends in this order, and probably will do the same with my next order.

TAT for this order was 3 weeks which was well within her stated TAT time. She is very busy at the moment, and with the fact that she does all kinds of custom blends, 3 weeks is not bad at all. One thing I noticed about this order was that there was a lot of wax residue on the bags from my scalloped tarts. It doesn't necessarily bother me because I know that they will smell just as good when melting, but it does make for some less-than-pretty pictures. But again, I know that it won't affect the product performance, it's just something that I noticed. Also, the bags are kind of flimsy and won't stay sealed. I am going to have to repackage the scalloped tarts. Not a big deal because I always have extra cello bags on hand. 

Overall, I am fairly happy with this order. Their prices are great, TAT was reasonably fast for a custom order, and it's so great to be able to create your own blends! I have to admit that I am a bit disappointed in how a few of the blends turned out. Some seem to be very heavy on one scent and not well balanced. They are nice though. She does have a good variety of scents on her list, and I'm hoping that she will add more fruity scents as it gets closer to spring.

So here's what I purchased! Enjoy =)

~~~~

• Strawberry Satsuma (my blend) - First off, I want to make note of how HUGE these scallops are. They are about twice the size of normal scallop tarts. They are the size of the palm of my hand! Love that. Anyways, this is a blend of strawberry and satsuma. This smells SO GOOD! Satsuma is definitely the main note here but I can smell a nice undertone of sweet strawberry. I'm hoping the strawberry comes out a bit more after curing. Still really good though!
• Raspberry Vanilla Bean Noel (my blend) - This one I wasn't the biggest fan of. The raspberry note here is a very powdery, candy-like raspberry. I was hoping for more of a sweet, juicy raspberry. It does smell nice blended with the Vanilla Bean Noel though. It almost reminds me of Lush's Rockstar soap. 
• Fruity Rings Serendipity (my blend) - OMG this is AMAZING! Serendipity and Fruit Loops are two of my favorite scents, so I figured why not blend them together? The Fruit Loops note is a bit stronger but I definitely get a nice amount of Serendipity as well. Everyone must try this! It's so good!

• Coconut Lime Verbena, Cotton Candy, and Fruity Rings (my blend) - I definitely smell mostly Coconut Lime Verbena with a hint of Fruit Loops. No cotton candy, although cotton candy scents tend to be very light. Definitely not my favorite of the order. 
• Blue Sugar and Toasted Marshmallow (my blend) - Of course I had to try a Blue Sugar blend! I can't really smell the toasted marshmallow, but the Blue Sugar definitely smells a bit toned down so I know the marshmallow is doing that. Anything with Blue Sugar is a winner in my book. 

Now onto the clamshells:

• Day at the Spa - This one is so strange! I think I like it, but there is a note in there that is really throwing me off. It's kind of a plastic-y note but maybe that's coming from the clamshell itself? I have never smelled anything like this scent before. It's a blend of lemongrass, black currant, patchouli and sugar cane. I definitely smell the lemongrass, with hints of all the other notes. It is a very unique spa scent. I think I am going to have to melt this one to get the full experience.
• Honey Bunny - This is a dupe for Lush's Honey I Washed The Kids. Amazing, love this one! This is a soft powdery floral scent with a hint of sweetness. That may not sound all that appealing, but I assure you, it's amazing! Even if you don't like floral scents, I would recommend this to everyone!
• Frostbite - I got this after hearing that it was a dupe for Vick's Vap-o-Rub. ALERT ALERT THIS IS NOT VICK'S VAP-O-RUB. It is a wintergreen scent that smells exactly like Pepto Bismol. YUCK! This is my fault, because the description did say wintergreen but I ignored it and trusted what I had heard. Huge mistake! Oh well, I know a lot of people like this scent so I'm sure I'll be able to find a home for it. 

Dawn also sent a cute bag with Valentine's candy, a valentine, and this lovely frosted tart!

• Black Raspberry Vanilla (freebie) - This is a dupe for Bath and Body Works' Black Raspberry Vanilla scent. It is a nice blend of a slightly floral raspberry scent and vanilla. An old standby. This is just so cute! 

~~~~

So that's my first Scented Princess order! Like I said, I am pretty happy with this order but I was a bit disappointed that the blends weren't as well balanced as I had hoped. I will order again and try out some different scents that I might like better. Have you ordered from this vendor before? What did you think of them?

Be back soon with my last haul of the day!