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?

L'Occitane Candied Fruit Candle

I have to say, L'Occitane products are very expensive - even for me, a person that doesn't mind spending a little more on something I like. But they do have nice products and fragrances. I was surprised to see incense, since most similar stores don't carry that. I guess they're famous for their hand creams but they have a variety of beauty, body care, skin care, and home fragrance items.



I didn't know where to start when I went in to the new L'Occitane store in one of our malls, so my friend suggested this candle. I got it in the small size that comes in a box. Then I had to get the little plate that goes with it (but you have to buy separately), which is also an incense holder which I talked about in an earlier post.



Loccitane.com describes this scent as "A sweet fragrance combining flowers and dried fruits coated in honey, with a patchouli, vanilla and caramel base." The first thing I smell is the patchouli, which I usually don't like, but it's not too strong like it sometimes can be. I think because it's mixed with sweet which makes for a unique, interesting combination. I would say it's still a masculine fragrance and a nice scent for this cold spring night. The candle itself does not give off a lot of fragrance and I have it sitting right in front of me so I don't know if I'll go back to their candles but I would say give this one a try.

Yankee's May Scent

Lilac Blossoms

"An alluring grove of lavender, white, and deep purple lilacs." This is a true lilac scent. That's really all I can say about it. I'm only going by the scent sample from the calendar so I don't know how strong the candle would be - but probably pretty strong judging from their other floral scents. This scent will always remind me of my mother since it's her favorite flower. Slatkin also has a nice lilac candle called Lilac Blossom - singular instead of plural. :)