Henri Bendel Candle Review

The next product I bought in Philadelphia worthy of reviewing was a Henri Bendel candle. I've seen the candles being sold at Bath & Body Works before but with everything else to choose from and with them being so expensive in comparison, I never bought one. But in King of Prussia, they had a Henri Bendel boutique and I wanted to try another candle brand so I decided to purchase one. The store was actually quite unique and interesting and I had no idea he sold so many different products like clothes, handbags, even chocolates. I think the best way to review this candle is to list pros and cons. The scent I bought was Green Tea. They had full size candles, mini travel candles, and diffusers. My other favorite scents were Fig, Lemon Verbena, and Lavender Leaves.



Pros:

-the scent throw is very good and strong, enough to fill a large room
-the scents are natural and authentic, not overly sweet or synthetic

Cons:

-it doesn't come with a lid so it can gather dust when being stored
-the wax did not pool all the way across so I don't know how evenly this will burn
-it is VERY expensive - $30 for 10 oz - way too much




In conclusion, although I am enjoying this Green Tea candle a lot, it's not gonna be my new favorite candle brand as the Henri Bendel associate tried to predict. They are no longer sold at Bath and Body Works so they're difficult to find and with no coupons or sales that I'm aware that this boutique does, these are too expensive.

Kiehl's Liquid Hand Soap Review

I'm back! Happy New Year! Ok now hopefully no one will say that anymore cause that gets old quick. I recently went on a shopping trip to Philadelphia where I went to the Premium Outlets in Pottstown and King of Prussia Mall. So the next couple reviews will be what I found there. First, was something I was introduced to in NYC but finally had to purchase in Philly:

Kiehl's Liquid Hand Soap "Coriander"



I don't know much about this company. It looks like they specialize in skincare and I think I've seen them sell products on QVC now and then. Since I don't experiment much with skincare and it doesn't have the fragrance that I love, I moved to the body care section. They had a sink in NYC to sample the soap, so that's where I fell in love with this product.



Number 1: This is ridiculously expensive. It's $16 for 6.8 fl oz of soap. So I want to get that out there first. But I still ended up buying it in the store. I'm gonna try to explain it without getting crazy. The texture is different than most soaps. It's very thin and liquidy and you only need a tiny amount (no more than 1 pump). Then that little amount works into a very nice lather easily. The smell is herbal and fresh and not overpowering and almost reminds me a little bit like boxed hair dye but in a good way (I know that sounds crazy but try it and see). You can just laugh and disreguard that statement if you've never tried this scent. Then it rinses clean away without drying your hands. This is the first soap in a long time I can think of that doesn't make me run to moisturizer afterwards.

Here's some specifics on the bottle from the brand. "Our special formulation for hands uses gentle coconut derived cleansers, vitamin E and botanical extracts - including chamomile and aloe - to gently cleanse, soothe and recondition skin." You can purchase this in stores or on their website www.kiehls.com.

I know it's expensive but if scents intrigue you and can invoke a response like relaxation, then it's a small price to pay for indulgence.

Yankee's January Scent

Yankee Candle came out with a scented calendar again for 2011 with a different featured scent every month so I will continue to list and review each month's scent again this year. 2011 starts off with...

Vanilla Cupcake



This scent is alright. It's not nearly as good as their Christmas Cookie or Buttercream. Yankeecandle.com describes it as "The rich, creamy aroma of vanilla cupcakes with hints of lemon and lots of buttery icing."

Yummy picture.

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.