3 new Slatkin Candles

First I want to say that I realize this blog has become me just talking about Slatkin and Yankee candles so I promise that will change. Very soon. But I just bought these 3 new candles while the 2 for $20 sale is going on so I might as well let you know about them and briefly review them. Also an FYI - these are in stores only. I wonder why.

Cranberry Pear Bellini



I guess Slatkin is still on his cranberry kick - Cranberry Woods, Frosted Cranberry, Winter Garland, and now Cranberry Pear Bellini. I don't mind it though because I have like all the scents I just listed. This new one might be saved until spring but I guess it could be a winter scent as well. This is not a sweet cranberry as the bellini part of it does give a sparkling, effervescent feel. "A bright blend of sparkling cranberry and juicy nectarine with sweet pear nectar and luscious blackcurrant."

Hot Buttered Rum



When I first smelled this, it smelled like maple caramel to me which I did not like but I bought it to try it out. I burned it for several hours until it pooled all the way across and I could not smell a thing. I tried to read to see if anyone else had this problem but I found that people loved this new scent. I don't know. I thought about returning it but I'll probably give it another chance. What a letdown. "Rich and delicious, a comforting blend of spiced rum and warm caramel, with a touch of vanilla bourbon."

Vanilla Spice



This is very easy to describe. This is Slatkin's "Spice" but not as intense which is good to have because the last time I burned Spice I did think it was way too strong. As my fellow candle obsessed friend says, Spice is still a good layering candle though. I think he is slowly becoming Harry Slatkin. "Aromatic cinnamon is blended with whipped vanilla, spiced orange peel, balsam and a hint of cherry." There's no way I smell all those notes. Some of these descriptions you read are a little ridiculous.

Yankee's December Scent

Balsam & Cedar

"Balsam, aromatic cedar wood, and juniper berry blend together in a fresh forest scent." I smelled this and thought of Christmas but in my opinion Yankee has too many pine scents because a lot of them are very similar. Not the same, but similar. I like this one, however I also remember liking Sparkling Pine and Mistletoe as well. This one is fresh, crisp, and woodsy.

Christmas Picks 2010

If you're like me, your place is already decorated for Christmas and you're already thinking about Christmas scented candles. I usually don't start this early with Christmas decorating but I'm really excited for all things Christmas to come. I've already said that word 4 times in this introduction.

This year I'm gonna give my picks for Christmas first, then my picks for winter in a later post. Some of them could be either, but in Pennsylvania, the snow doesn't hit really hard usually until after Christmas and when I think winter, I think snow and really cold temperatures. So I usually burn my winter scents after Christmas. Christmas scents I burn November and December when everywhere you look, places are decorated for the holiday and the christmas carols start to play.

Slatkin & Co. Fresh Balsam



I need to have a pine scent - pure pine to mimic the fresh cut pine tree we used to have in our living room when I was growing up. After trying several different types, this one is the perfect and purest one in my opinion. Bathandbodyworks.com describes it as "Crisp, clean balsam fir blends delightfully with fresh eucalyptus and sweet pine layered with notes of bright apple, cedarwood and musk."

Slatkin & Co. Spice



This is another must-have classic. A lot of people think of cinnamon when they think of Christmas scents. This is also a pure scent to me - cinnamon and clove, warm and cozy. Very holiday. "Spice is the perfect blend of red cinnamon, spiced orange peel and sweet vanilla cream."

Slatkin & Co. Winter Garland



This one is new this year along with a lot of other new holiday scents at Bath & Body Works. I smelled it in the single wick earlier in the year and hated it and now here I am listing it as one of my favorites. It's pine with other notes of cranberry and orange so it's a nice combination of scents. "A sparkling combination of cranberry champagne, blood orange and red berry mixed with the essence of evergreen moss, white cedar and toasted clove." I just realized the description on the website is different than the one on the bottom of the candle but they're similar enough to smell the same.

Slatkin & Co. Holly Wreath



This one is very unique. It smells like pine but it actually has no pine notes in it at all. I'll give their description first: "Fresh juniper and eucalyptus leaves combined with notes of spicy cinnamon bark and sparkling citrus." This one is very fresh and almost smells a little of mint. I can smell the notes of eucalyptus but no one note stands out more than the others.

Slatkin & Co. Mint Chocolate



This one isn't necessarily a Christmas scent or a winter scent but here's my logic - the cool mint reminds me of winter and the chocolate reminds me of holiday. This is more mint chocolate chip ice cream than a peppermint patty or peppermint bark. It's not fake smelling though. It's yummy and fresh. "Semi-sweet chocolate, dark cocoa and peppermint."

Honorable Mentions (with no pictures)

Yankee Candle Holiday Bayberry

"Pine, fir, and laurel are softened with the clean scent of bayberry, frankincense, and myrrh." Here's the story on why you should burn a bayberry candle on Christmas Eve (courtesy of Yankeecandle.com):

First made by early colonists who boiled real bayberries to get the wax, bayberry candles are considered by many to be the original scented candles in America. Because they were difficult and expensive to make, they were highly prized and reserved for special occasions. Traditional holds that when one receives a bayberry candle as a gift from a friend, then burns the candle on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve (allowing candle to burn itself out), they will receive good luck, good health, and much wealth. That translates into the popular saying that "burning a bayberry candle from tip to socket puts luck in the home and gold in the pocket."

Purchase Yankee Candle's Natural Bayberry Tapers to get the real thing with the story on the box!

Yankee Candle Christmas Cookie

If you're not baking constantly during the holiday season, just burn this candle and it smells just as good. It's one of the yummiest candle scents ever. "Buttery rich, vanilla scented, holiday sugar cookies."


Is Santa here yet?

{Currently Burning - Slatkin & Co. Cranberry Woods}

Yankee's November Scent

Be Thankful

"It's easy to appreciate nature's goodness in the warm, inviting aromas of a Thanksgiving kitchen." That really doesn't describe the scent at all so I'll do that. All I really smell from this sample is nutmeg. You'd think it smelled like apple pie from this picture but... no. It kind of smells like the Creamy Nutmeg scent from B&BW. Nothing special about this one though.

Slatkin & Co. Cranberry Woods

This is a great transitional scent from fall to winter. It can also be burned in both seasons. It's a nice change from the other fall scents I've been burning (Leaves, Pumpkin Patch, and Harvest). There's no cinnamon, apple, or pumpkin in this one. It's cranberry, maybe a little orange, and the warm woods scent of trees or firewood. It's a little sweeter when it burns than I imagined - I might like a little more of the "woods" but it's still nice. Bathandbodyworks.com describes it as "A mysterious blend of cranberry, rich black currant, and raspberry layered with notes of cinnamon bark, cedarwood and warm amber."

B&BW Vanilla Bean Noel

The time is upon us where the Holiday Traditions line at B&BW is available once again. When it comes to body care, this is my favorite line at B&BW. Every other line or scent they have, especially the signature collection, is way too strong and overpowering. The holiday traditions line is creamy and lightly scented. I stock up when it's available because it is only in stores and online during the holidays. The scents and products available along with the packaging change every year slightly. This year they have the returning favorites vanilla bean noel, winter candy apple (my sister's favorite), and twisted peppermint, and the new snow kissed berry.

My favorite scent in this line is Vanilla Bean Noel. Twisted Peppermint comes in a close second and I only use that scent in winter since the cool vanilla peppermint seems appropriate at that time. But VBN you can use all year round. My favorite product in this line is the body cream. Thick and creamy yet absorbed by the skin quickly. I do not like the lotion - I find it thin, not very moisturizing, yet greasy and sticky. The scent is yum yum yum. Vanilla, caramel, cream. Sometimes it has a cotton candy scent but it is not strong or overly sweet. Trust me on that. Bathandbodyworks.com says "Our exclusive Vanilla Bean Noel is a warm blend of fresh vanilla bean, warm caramel and rich, comforting cream." This year, the body mist is better than last year. It smells like alcohol in the bottle but you can smell the scent when you spray it on. It just doesn't last very long. They also came out with it in a "HandiBac" this year which is my answer to wanting it in travel sizes. It's a travel size hand lotion that is also antibacterial.



They always have good deals on these products making it easy to stock up. I bought them when they were buy three get three free. That's a darn good deal. I'm not sure if that deal is still on or not. VBN comes in other products available now like lotion, shower gel, and pocket bac. I just reviewed my favorite products in the line. Check it out at their website or in stores.

{Currently Burning - Harvest by Yankee Candle}

Fresh Citron de Vigne

I had the pleasure of going into a Fresh store for the first time while I was visiting New York City a couple weeks ago. I. Loved. It. It's heaven for a scent lover like me. They have a ton of different scents and they come in different products (some more than others) - perfume, candles, soap, lotion, shower gel, etc. The associate there helped me since it was my first time there and she recommended 4 different products - 2 of which I bought. I bought their Sugar Rose Lip Treatment but it's the Citron de Vigne perfume I wanna talk about.

The website www.fresh.com has a blurb about this fragrance that you can go there to read since I can't copy and paste it. They describe it as "a crisp, sparkling scent inspired by France's champagne region." It looks like this is their most popular scent currently, or just the featured one and comes in a wide variety of products.

It's like a more sophisticated and upscale version of Bigelow's Lemon perfume. It's fresh and a little sweet with citrus/lemon notes and you can definitely smell the champagne as well. It's a young sophisticated scent. I say that because usually when a scent is described as "sophisticated" it smells like a strong old lady perfume but this is nowhere near that. I bought it in the medium 1 oz size to try it first and thought it was a good value. This bottle has more perfume than the rollerball but you can still carry it in your purse. This has a good staying power on me too and you only need 1 or 2 sprays.

If you haven't been to one of these stores, I recommend going if you can find one. I think they sell a limited number of products at beauty stores like Sephora but going into their store is a great experience. You can sample all their unique perfumes (there's something for everyone) and when I went, there were large jars (almost vats) of retired perfume scents they brought back and mixed themselves in the store. Exciting.

{Currently Burning - Leaves by Slatkin & Co.}

Yankee's October Scent

Autumn Leaves

"A vibrant medley of birch and maple leaves with pomegranate, juniper berry, and orange blossom." This scent swatch smells like pine to me. It must be the juniper berry. It's nice but it seems more of a winter scent than a fall one. Then I smelled it in the store and it smelled like Robitussin so I'm gonna pass on this one.

Bath & Body Works Holiday Preview

If you're a fragrance lover like me, then you might be itching for some holiday scents already. You need to go to http://www.bbwsneakpeek.com/. At this webpage, you can sign up to be notified of holiday items that aren't yet available and click links to view items available now. As for candles and home fragrance, Slatkin has returning favorites and also new holiday scents - a lot of new holiday scents. Dare I say, Slatkin and B&BW went overboard with new holiday scents this year? Of course not. You can NEVER have enough of these candles. Yankee had a email coupon come out today that was buy one get one free ALL large jars and I still went to B&BW and bought 2 Slatkin 3-wick candles at 2 for 20. Oh yeah, did I mention the 2 for $20 sale is on again??

This is getting me excited for Christmas.

{Currently Burning - Leaves by Slatkin & Co.}

Fall Picks 2010

It's my favorite time of year and the best time for fragrance, in my opinion. Here are my picks for fall candles this year:

Leaves by Slatkin & Co.



A must-have every autumn. They've had this scent for a couple years now and I think it's everyone's favorite at B&BW. My sister descibes this scent as a fall dessert. It's apple cider, cinnamon, and other spices like clove/nutmeg etc. Bathandbodyworks.com describes it as "Autumnal notes of golden nectar, juicy mandarin and red delicious apple are paired with toasted cinnamon stick, mulled cider spices and freshly harvested red berries."

Pumpkin Patch by Slatkin & Co.



This isn't a new scent; it's a returning favorite of mine. It used to be part of the collection called "The Perfect Autumn" like the collection during the holiday season called "The Perfect Christmas". This one was called The Perfect Autumn - Pumpkin then a couple years ago they changed the name to Pumpkin Patch. I think a pumpkin scent is a necessity during fall. You have to have an apple scent and a pumpkin scent. And my first two candles cover those bases. "Pumpkin Patch is an invitingly warm blend of fresh pumpkin, spicy cinnamon, creamy nutmeg, whipped butter, and rich brown sugar."

By the way, if you know Slatkin as well as I do you'll notice that the labels on these two candles are different and nicer - the pictures are larger and more artistic I guess you could say. This year it seems they made these new labels and the old ones. I've seen both in stores and they're the same price so you might not care about that but it's just an observation.

Caramel Apple by Slatkin & Co.




My fellow candle-obsessed friend doesn't like this one. I would say give it a chance. The first time I smelled it I didn't think I liked it either but now I love it because it stands out. You can smell both the caramel AND the apple. I think they blended the two perfectly. The more I smelled this one, the more I liked it. I might go back and get the oil for my Scentbug. This was a new scent for Slatkin this year, along with Creamy Pumpkin (too ordinary and P. Patch is the better pumpkin scent) and Autumn (which I'll review in the next post probably). It can smell a little like maple oatmeal at first but burn it and you might love it like me. "Golden apple, brown sugar and creamy caramel are blended with Anjou pear, nutmeg and vanilla cream to create this fall favorite."

Harvest by Yankee

A fall classic. I spent so much money on Slatkin this year, I haven't even bought this yet (hence no picture) but I probably still will. This combines all the great scents of fall into one candle - apple, cinnamon, pumpkin, etc. If you're only gonna get one fall candle, then it might as well be Harvest. This is probably my all time favorite Yankee scent. Yankeecandle.com says "A blend of cinnamon, cloves, and musk with a hint of sweet apples and pumpkin."

Honorable Mentions - Ginger Vanilla by Slatkin & Co. (They didn't make this scent this year but they were still selling some on QVC.com. I love and miss this scent.) and Cranberry Orange by Yankee (one of their new ones this year; "Fresh-baked muffins with tart cranberries, sweet orange zest and spicy cloves.")

{Currently Burning - Autumn by Slatkin & Co.}

Yankee's September Scent

Macintosh

"So vividly real you can almost taste the unmistakable crunch." I don't know about all that but this is a great apple scent - very true. It reminds me of Soergel's Orchards in the fall when they're making fresh apple cider and selling all sorts of fresh apples.

Great Labor Day Weekend Sale

All Slatkin 3 wick candles are 2 for $20 this weekend! Visit bathandbodyworks.com for more information. I already stocked up. This sale doesn't happen very often and it's the best deal they do on these candles (that are the best money can buy in my opinion.) So stock up or try new fall scents...and then some!

{Currently Burning- Slatkin & Co. Caramel Apple}

Foodie Scent 2

Yankee Candle Almond Cookie

I'm currently in love with this candle. I'm over summer scents and I'm not ready for fall yet so a bakery scent was a good transitional candle for me. I found this at a Yankee outlet store for $15 for the large jar. It's something you can burn year round and it's a real "feel good" scent, as most foodie scents are. But this one is different enough that I recommend going out and buying. It's not overly sweet, it's got a warm feeling without having those Christmasey notes like cinnamon or apple. Yankeecandle.com says, "Still warm from the oven ... rich almonds and buttery vanilla baked in an irresistibly luscious treat." Exactly right. Yum.

Casa di Francesca Diffusers

This collection is found on HSN - on tv or hsn.com. The brand is represented by Katie Borghese - the wife of Skip Borghese, one of the representatives of Perlier Italian Bath and Body.

I first purchased one of these diffusers for my mom for Mother's Day. There's a wide variety of scents and they have starter kits with oil, diffuser sticks, and a handblown Italian vase and they also have refill kits with just oil and sticks. I bought my mom the Honeysuckle & Night Blooming Jasmine. I thought it was a great scent even though I'm not a big fan of florals. It had a lot of scent for a diffuser and the smell was very authentic, unique, and high end - not cheap smelling at all (which is good because these are kind of expensive).

Then I purchased a set of mini diffusers on sale for myself during a recent event they had. I purchased the Eat, Pray, Love™ Casa di Francesca Mini Diffuser Set which is still available on hsn.com. (Both of the products that I purchased are also customer picks which means it has an average of 4-5 stars out of 5 based on customer reviews and ratings.)



I loved the idea of getting three small ones because I couldn't pick just one scent and I could put them in my bedroom without too much constant fragrance. HSN did a big "Eat, Pray, Love" event so this kit comes with a scent for each of the places that the character/author of the book/movie visited:



Italy - Lavender, Rosemary, and Thyme (herbal and fresh with a little bit of spice)



India - Cinnamon and Vanilla (not too potent of a cinnamon and is nice and sweet)



Bali - Frangipani, Ylang Ylang, and Jasmine (soft floral that reminded me of clouds)



Let me just say - GIFT GIFT GIFT!!! The packaging is impeccable for the whole line really but especially this set. It's twenty dollars which seems expensive but this is all made in Italy and will probably be the best diffusers you've ever smelled/used. The scents also come individually in their own set with more oil and really pretty vases - different for each one. The sticks they use absorb very well and the scent dissipates throughout a whole room if you keep flipping them over. These are by far the top of the line when it comes to diffusers and they have made me really enjoy this form of home fragrance. I will definitely come back to this line for gift giving again and for myself. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how lovely the packaging really is - even the inside of the box is printed with a map and there's gold foil accents on the outline of the box and a story of "Francesca" on the back. Give this set a try before it sells out!

Yankee Candle Fragrance Mixology

Yankee Candle is now advertising "Fragrance Mixology" by making it possible to burn multiple scents at one time with their new triple votive holder. They have a long list of "recipes" with scents to combine on their website. You can either burn two or three at a time, or even just one if you wanted. I like this new idea and it's fun and easy to come up with your own combinations as well. Votives don't last long but that allows you to keep trying new mixes and they are inexpensive to buy. Plus the scent throw ends up being stronger than with just one votive.

Here are Yankee's combinations that I have tried:


Toasted Marshmallows: Fireside™ and Vanilla Cupcake

Fireside overpowered this combination and I like that scent but if I were to burn this mix again, I would do two Vanilla Cupcakes and one Fireside and see if that made the scents more even.

Super Clean: Spiced Orange and Lemon Lavender



I love this. Spiced Orange is one of the new fall fragrances in the Yankee line and I think it's one of the best ones. It reminds me a little bit of Wick Hut's Mandarin Tiki. I was able to smell both scents and it created a wonderfully fresh scent that could be burned year round.

Warm Muffins: Cranberry Orange, Cinnamon & Sugar and French Vanilla



This is my favorite. This combination should be made into it's own candle. Cranberry Orange is also one of the new fall scents and it might be my favorite. This scent combination is just what you want your house to smell like all the time. It reminds me a little bit of fall but it's definitely a year round fragrance. It's a little spice and sweet and comforting. I know they already have a scent called "Home Sweet Home" but that's what comes to mind with this scent.

Bed & Breakfast: Cranberry Orange and Home Sweet Home®

I couldn't even really smell this one. Maybe since it's only two votives but you can smell the Super Clean combination a lot more. These would be 2 great scents to burn alone. If you're going for a "Bed & Breakfast" feel, I would go with the Warm Muffins combination.

I would recommend trying the mixology. The votive holder and votives are inexpensive and there's probably an endless combination of candles to mix. Once you burn them for awhile, the wax runs into the other candles so it creates a new color and it's own scent which is pretty cool (as pictured below with "Warm Muffins").



You can still find the list of scent combinations by searching for "mixology" on Yankee's website.

{Currently Burning - Island Nectar by Slatkin & Co}

Yankee's August Scent

Evening Air

"The crisp breeze of a fall night warmed with notes of clove, geranium, basil, cedarwood and musk." This one just smells like soap. :) It sounds fantastic from the desription they give so I might go out and buy a tart to burn just to give it enough of a chance but from the sample on the calendar - men's soap.

My recent disappointment in Perlier

I used to love this brand made in Italy and sold in the US in high end department stores (and T.J. Maxx and Marshalls) and on HSN. Their products come in a lot of different scents that are natural-smelling and not only smell good but had great moisturizing properties but I've been pretty disappointed lately. Their products are way too expensive now since other companies like Bath & Body Works and even Victoria's Secret are stepping up with their body products. I just can't justify the expense anymore. One of my favorite Perlier scents used to be Coconut Milk and they recently re-formulated that line to include natural organic shea butter - 25% in some products. So you'd think all the new products would be super moisturizing right? I wanna rant about the hand soap.



I know hand soaps are mainly for cleaning and not moisturizing but I had to stop using this expensive product and throw it away because it dried out my hands so bad. I've never had a soap strip my hands of all moisture like this one did. It makes me pretty mad actually. I don't like the rest of the line either. The coconut smell is more natural than other brands but sometimes it smells like play-doh. The hand cream is too greasy, the body cream is too thick, and the shower gel doesn't lather enough. I used to really love this company but I might be done after this huge disappointing purchase.



{Currently Burning - Slatkin & Co Island Nectar}

New Summer Scents from Slatkin

Bath & Body Works just came out with 4 new late summer scents from Slatkin. It seems a little late in the season to be coming out with more summer scents, but I'll always welcome a new scent to try.

Green Daisy



This one is my favorite. "Citrus, pear and green apple add to the delicate floral essence of lily of the valley and dewy jasmine." This scent most reminds me of their earlier fresh bamboo candle. There was something missing from their summer scents this year and I feel like this was it. There needed to be a nice fresh green scent. The top note here is fresh plants then the lightest notes of floral and fruit. This could also be a nice spring scent as well.

Eucalyptus Mint



This I purchased in a small size but was disappointed with. It sounded like a perfect relaxing spa scent - one that didn't have lavender in it for a change but it came out smelling like a combination of soap and toothpaste for me - mainly just the mint with no eucalyptus. But it still seemed like an appropriate scent to leave in the bathroom. Bathandbodyworks.com says it's a "A bright, refreshing blend of mint, citrus and ginger with clear notes of fresh eucalyptus and jasmine."

Peach Bellini

Not a fan. Way too strong but not sweet. I was overwhelmed with the smell of strong peaches and potent fruit. "A light, delicate blend of white peach, sweet orange peel and yellow mandarin, finished with jasmine and sweet black currant."

Lotus Flower

This was a light floral scent that reminded me of Sunflowers perfume. Eh. I don't have any use for this type of scent - especially in the summer. I'm a fan of sandalwood in fragrances, but I didn't get it from this candle. "Delicate and fresh, this mix of beautiful lotus blossom, rose and white jasmine is perfectly finished with rich sandalwood."

Stay tuned. I've already had a sneak peek at some new fall scents this year. The best time of the year for fragrance and my favorite time of the year in general will soon be upon us!!

{Currently Burning - Caribbean Escape by Slatkin & Co.}

Yankee's July Scent

Ocean Water

"The cool scent of blue waters, exotic hibiscus, and musk." This one is very unique. It's not bad but not a scent that I would go out and buy. I definitely smell musk in this one. It's a powdery scent that kind of reminds me of a man's cologne yet I can smell the floral hibiscus note. It's definitely a mixture of feminine and masculine. It wasn't what I thought it would be at all.

Wick Hut Candles

You'll never guess where I found this new candle brand to try - from a facebook ad! But I'm glad I've tried them as I wanted to try some different candles. Although, now I just have another company to throw my money at haha.

I read a little about the company before purchasing and the reviews that I found were raving about this brand. Also, it seems that from looking at their website (www.thewickhut.com), they claim to have the "most powerful scent throw" which was enough for me to place an order. Their most popular candles come in tins, 3 sizes (4 oz, 8 oz, and 16 oz double wick), and 3 options for scent throw (full strength, half scent, and quarter scent). I thought it would be a good idea to purchase several of the small size for my first try but I have to say, even purchased at full strength, they aren't as strong as the 16 oz double wick so there's a tip right there. My second purchase was 3 of the largest tins at full strength scent throw, of course.

The scents I have tried so far: China Rain, Butt Naked (reviewed on an earlier post), Oven Baked Bread, Blueberry Waffles, Mandarin Tiki, and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

My favorite so far is China Rain.



This is one of their best sellers. "A rejuvenating scent with a clean and refreshing fragrance of floral surroundings, with the added scent of musky rose and fresh midnight rain. A very smooth and relaxing scent to brighten your day." I felt I needed a nice relaxing fragrance that wasn't lavender so I bought this and it does relax you. I can't even describe this scent. It has a lot of different notes and doesn't come off as a floral candle. It's interesting and I've never smelled anything like it.

My favorite foodie scent so far - Oven Baked Bread



I would just as soon call this oven baked cookies. It doesn't exactly smell like that fresh baked bread that most of us love with that distinctive yeast smell and it's a little sweeter but it still smells divine. "Walk into the wonderful scent of freshly baked bread, straight out of the hot oven."

Mandarin Tiki



This is their newest scent and is currently featured on their website. It sounded so unique I had to try it. "A complex aroma of mandarin rind, red currants, strawberries, and bluberries; with middle notes of watercress and palm leaves. A fresh and energizing aroma that stirs the senses and brightens the spirit." I don't like just orange scents but this really is so much more. Their scents really do smell like all the notes they say.

Blueberry Waffles



I haven't burned this one yet because it's a small one and they don't burn as quickly or evenly and they're not as strong but it's nice right from the tin. "Hot, homemade waffles, straight from the griddle, topped with freshly picked blueberries and whip cream. An absolute delight of a scent to wake up to in the morning." I don't know that it's as great as that description, but still nice.

Chocolate Chip Cookies.



This didn't smell as good as I was hoping, but it's still nice and I think it will smell better once I burn it. You can definitely smell the chocolate. You can order this scent but I don't see that they provide a scent description of it.

Here's a picture to show the difference between the smallest and largest sizes.



Here's a picture to show the two-wick burning. My one main complaint is that the large ones are only 2 wicks instead of 3 and if you can tell, the wax burns the whole way across but there is some space on either side where the wax does not melt all the way so it might not burn all the way across. [UPDATE: As long as you burn the candle long enough and it's level, the wax will melt evenly all the way across. Yay!]



So overall I do really like these candles, but do they have the strongest scent throw? In my opinion, the scent throw in their large 2 wick is AS STRONG as a Slatkin 3 wick. And I would say they are a little stronger than a large Yankee. But I definitely recommend getting the largest size. It took awhile to burn the little 3-ouncer all the way across. They have a lot of different scents to choose from (bakery, seasonal, holiday, year-round), their prices are good (although the shipping kinda sucks and they ship from AZ which is all the way across the country from me), and there are no stores throughout the country so you have to guess on the scents but I definitely recommend you give this brand a try!

Summer Scents 2010

Here are my picks for summer candles this year.

Slatkin & Co. Seaside Escape



"Free yourself with a delightful blend of bright citrus, jasmine, and rum layered with hints of guava, rich vanilla, and musk." When I smell this, the only notes I can pick out are pineapple and a blue scent like ocean water, but this is more complex. It's a cool, tropical scent. A relaxation vacation. I think this one is my favorite.

Slatkin & Co. Island Nectar



"An intoxicating island dream of sparkling tropical fruits blended seductively with lush vanilla, warming rum, and sensual musk." This is orange, passionfruit, guava (or at least it seems like it would be as I have never smelled an actual passionfruit or guava), and vanilla. It's tropical and fruity.

Slatkin & Co. Caribbean Escape



"Indulge in a sweet, tropical blend of melon, raspberry nectar, and Italian lemon tempered with creamy coconut milk and raw sugarcane." Another escape. I smell pineapple again but I get other fruits too like the melon. This is a little sweeter than Seaside and it doesn't have any of the fresh notes. This is a sweet, fruity tropical.

Wick Hut Butt Naked



This is a brand new candle brand for me and I will dedicate another post talking just about them but I am including this scent in my summer picks because it's pretty unique. It's their best selling scent and can be purchased on their website www.thewickhut.com. "Wonderful base notes of granny smith apples and honeydew melon, middle notes of strawberries and pears with an added hint of spice." It has the fruits you would see in a summer candle (and some more) but you definitely can smell the different base note of the added spice. It's quite interesting. Stay tuned for more information and my thoughts on this brand.

Yankee Candle Sun and Sand

"A tropical beach breeze of sweet orange flower, lemony citrus, fresh lavender and powdery musk." I sampled a lot of summer scents from Yankee and this is the only one that I thought I would include. I've been pretty disappointed in that brand lately. But this scent is nice and beachy. I don't exactly get the notes they describe but I guess all those mixed together add up to sun and sand, which I think is an appropriate title because it actually does smell like that. I don't have a picture because I threw the wrapper on my tart away by accident but it's a nice light brown sand color.

Hope you enjoy! Burn some candles this summer to "take you away" to a vacation while staying right in your living room.

Slatkin & Co Sunflower Review

I already had my Slatkin summer scents tucked away and was still burning spring scents when they came out with the new ones: Summer Orchard, Pomegranate Lemonade, Summer Melon, and Sunflower. I wasn't crazy about any of these but decided I liked Sunflower enough to buy for a transitional scent between spring and summer because, for me, certain scents can only be burned during a particular season.

I reminds me a lot of green tea and white pear, but not as complex. Once I read the notes, I understood why. "Bright and sunny, this fresh blend of mandarin, grapefruit and green tea is completed with sheer musk and the natural essence of white woods." Fruit and green tea notes again. It's not a favorite candle of mine. It's like green tea and white pear but not as good, and with only a couple of the notes. I don't know but it seems these four extra scents they launched maybe were rushed or not even really necessary at all. My friend likes the pomegranate lemonade a lot but I already have a sweet one - pineapple orchid.

Stay tuned for my summer picks!

{Currently Burning - Slatkin & Co Seaside Escape.}

Yankee's June Scent

Sweet Strawberry

"The essence of perfectly ripe strawberries sprinkled with sugar." I'm not a fan of this one. It's too sweet, much like Slatkin & Co's Strawberry Patch except I like the Yankee version even less. To me, it doesn't even resemble the fruit. I'm hoping someone will eventually get strawberry right.

My favorite hand soaps.

This is another way for me to enjoy fragrance. You have to wash your hands, so why not buy soap in fun different scents? It's also a pretty cheap way to try new scents and decorate your home.

Generally, the soaps I am most often buying are from the anti-bac collection from B&BW. These are always on sale, there are a ton of different scents to choose from, and they are always getting new scents. They can be found in stores and on bathandbodyworks.com. They come in three different types - moisturizing, foaming, and deep cleansing. People definitely have their favorite. I have to say most people I find like the foaming (my close friend, sister, dad). Me and my mom like the deep cleansing (I like to make my own foaming lather instead of it coming out that way....I know I'm weird), and I have to say I don't really know anyone that prefers the moisturizing. When it comes to the anti-bac collection, the soaps smell great and do the job but don't really moisturize at all. I still need to put hand cream on after. Here are some of my favorite scents:

Pink Grapefruit. Yum. (Sorry for the half empty bottles.)



Kitchen Lemon. Clean.



Crisp Cucumber. Fresh. This is part of their new configuration - odor eliminating.



There's also the new Summer Vanillas. I haven't tried these yet but I like the scents in the candles. Berry, Coconut, and Lemon.



I also like Tropical Passionfruit and Nectarine Mint (not pictured).

Now we come to C.O. Bigelow. These hand soaps are probably my favorite when it comes to the formula - very smooth and doesn't leave your skin so incredibly dry. However they don't come in as many scents and most scents are only found in Bigelow stores. I think the only one B&BW sells is the lemon. But that one is excellent too!

Lavender. Relaxing.



I also have vanilla and coconut (not pictured).

Then comes Perlier (made in Italy). These are probably the highest quality, the most expensive, and hardest to get. You have to get these online unless you spot one at a TJ Max or a Marshalls, which is likely but they would only have the most classic scents there. You can find them online at HSN or Perlier's website. HSN has pretty good deals. These probably have the most natural ingredients and leave the skin the most moisturized.

The only one I currently have is the honey. Their first ever scent which has a high percentage of real honey in it so it's good for your skin. This is the jumbo size.



They have a ton of other scents to check out. My favorite one is probably the Coconut Milk - the most natural, authentic scent of coconut I've ever smelled. Theirs is not synthetic or too sweet smelling. LOVE. I've actually received compliments on that soap when people that visit have used it.

Then sometimes B&BW will come out with the caddies - mainly during seasonal or holiday. They're great for presentation but I find myself never using the lotion - I always prefer a cream to a lotion, even for my hands. (Vanilla Bean Noel pictured - my all time favorite B&BW scent)



And B&BW will also come out with figural soaps that help with decorating during holidays - like the Halloween one pictured.



What are your favorite soaps to use?