This month I burned 3 Candles & 5 Wax Melts!

I’m still shocked that November has already come to an end but am happy with the overall group of fragrances I melted this month. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep this up in December too! What was your favorite fragrance of the month? Share in the comments below!

The post Fragrance Empties | November 2018 appeared first on Melting With Michelle.

(Also, I apologize for the awful quality of this month’s photos – I’m still trying to determine where the best place is to take pictures in our new space!)

This month I burned 4 Candles & 2 Wax Melts!

As far as October goes, this has been the least exciting fragrance-wise in years. I won’t let that discourage me next month though and hope to revive my melting game before the year is over! What was your favorite fragrance of the month? Share in the comments below!

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This month I burned 2 Candles & 0 Wax Melts!

I’m pretty bummed that I didn’t get to melt a single wax melt in September, especially since the majority of my collection are scents I would’ve enjoyed this past month. (Sometimes being a seasonal burner is tough, lol.) The exciting thing I discovered while burning the two candles was that fragrances really travel and linger in our new home! We were living in a rather large space for the past year and a half which I think negatively effected my burning habits. Hopefully we can get settled in soon and start enjoying my stash again!

What was your favorite candle of the month? Share in the comments below!

The post Fragrance Empties | September 2018 appeared first on Melting With Michelle.

But first, make sure to check out the other girls in the series if you haven’t already!

Amanda at Thrifty Polished
Angela at Angela Kay
Jay at The Candle Enthusiast
Julie at The Redolent Mermaid
Sandra at Finger Candy

First and foremost, let’s discuss one of the larger retailers featured on my blog – Bath & Body Works. This company is usually the queen of fall yet this year they really let us down. Aside from the core White Barn candles, BBW only offered two small collections that both featured the same scents. There were only 3-4 new fragrances and they weren’t anything to go crazy over. Rather than giving us 4+ collections like they usually do, they decided to release an essential oil line and move straight into Winter at the beginning of October. This was a major mis-step, leading to hardly any purchases from me; I really hope they revert back to their traditional fall lineups going forward.

In terms of wax, I don’t tend to buy much from vendors and can’t speak for any of their small businesses. What I do tend to purchase quite often though is Scentsy, yet I haven’t done a single haul this fall. The company discontinued some of their best scents, didn’t release anything intriguing for the season, and honestly offers their festive fragrances a month too late in the year. Again, another letdown, especially for their prices and ship time.

Finally, we can’t forget to discuss Wal-Mart’s collection! This was probably the most vast on the mainstream market and had the most variety. At $2 a pop for clamshells, this is honestly the most affordable option, especially if you want to try multiple fragrances. The company really hit it out of the park this season and I found 3 brand new fragrances that quickly made it into my favorites! Harvest Moon, Moonlit Magic Pumpkin, and Pumpkin Patch Maze were absolutely incredible and I highly suggest checking them out while they’re still on the market!

Autumn 2017 may not have been the best year for buying candles or wax, but otherwise is was pretty great. I will always cherish this experience and hold other special memories close to my heart. If you’re new here, make sure to go check out the other posts from this series, here!

What did you think of the candles & wax offered this Fall? Share in the comments!

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Each and every year growing up, I watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with my parents while the aroma of dinner wafted throughout the house. Then, without fail, my Dad and I would sneak a flaky roll before dinner had even been served. It’s a simple tradition, but one that I hope to carry on as we start our own family in the years to come.

Thanksgiving weekend also marks the anniversary of when my husband and I started “officially” dating. It also marks the anniversary of when we got engaged! We’ve always celebrated those events by putting up the Christmas tree and beginning to decorate the rest of our home. If time allows, we also try to go out to a fancy dinner that Saturday night as well. While we now have a new anniversary to celebrate, we’re still planning on keeping this tradition alive too.

When it comes to Thanksgiving, it’s always been more about these little traditions that make the day special rather than decorations or special recipes. Down the line, I would like to amp up the decor for the holiday but now it’s not the top priority as we don’t host our own dinner yet. Nevertheless, I always look forward to this time of year and the symbolism is brings along with it.

Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions? Share in the comments!

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Cranberry Cookie Crumble from Better Homes and Gardens was released during the 2016 holiday season and Cranberry Oatmeal Cookie is still on-shelves as it was released in the latest fall collection. The two definitely have have the same base with the slightest differences upon examination. The oatmeal version has a much sweeter cranberry note while the crumble has a tarter cranberry and prominent sugar cookie note.

Aside from cranberry scents, I always look forward to eating cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving and could always go for a glass of cranberry juice. I usually mix in a magnesium supplement to my cranberry drinks to sweeten it up a bit. Otherwise, I’m still looking for those cranberry items that’ll make it into my holy grail items for years to come!

What are your favorite cranberry fragrances and recipes? Share in the comments!

The post Fall Fun Series | Craving Cranberry appeared first on Melting With Michelle.

I’ve always correlated Harry Potter with this time of year, so it was absolutely incredible to walk around Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. We were fortunate enough to spend 3 days in the parks and it only got better as the time went on.

Our first day was filled with overwhelming excitement. Witnessing Diagon Alley for the first time, just as Harry did, brought tears to my eyes. Everywhere you looked there was something to discover and we couldn’t take enough pictures. Actually, that’s pretty much all we did that day, aside from drinking butterbeer of course.

The second day, we were just as excited, but more so to be back in a place that felt like home. Rather than everything being new to us, we were able to appreciate the finely crafted details and really enjoy the ambiance. You truly feel like you’re in another world inside the park; I can never give enough praise to those who designed that space. By the end of the day, we had completed all of our spells and just relaxed by the The Hopping Pot as if we were another pair of wizards on the street.

Finally, our third and last day within the park was a bittersweet one. Knowing this would be the last time we’d be here for years, we again just found a place to sit with our drinks for the majority of the day to soak it all in. We adored watching people practice their spells and witness others see Hogwarts for the very first time. We even saw a marriage ceremony in front of the castle! But our favorite place in the busy village of Hogsmeade was the sitting area behind The Hogs Head. It didn’t seem like many people noticed the area and you get a gorgeous view of the castle; it was perfection.

While this isn’t your typical fall outdoor adventure, it was an incredible one that I’ll never forget. This season is so much more special to me now and we are so happy to have chosen Harry Potter’s world as our honeymoon destination. While most people relax in a tropical setting, we relaxed in one of the most magical settings there is, surrounded by happiness and excitement. The rest of our stay at Portofino Bay was also beautiful, but I’ll save that for another day.

Have you had any great outdoor adventures yet this fall? If so, share in the comments!

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CANDLES

• Sweater Weather – “Fresh Sage, Juniper Berry, Aromatic Eucalyptus, Fresh Woods”
• Pumpkin Pecan Waffles – “Maple Syrup, Golden Waffles, Pumpkin Spice, Brown Sugar”
• Chestnut & Clove – “Warm Roasted Chestnuts, Fresh Ground Clove, Forest Pine Needles, Cedarwood”
• Rustic Harvest – “Creamy toffee, maple and raisins with subtle hints of rum”
• Creamy Nutmeg – “Grated Nutmeg, Cinnamon Stick, Sugared Almonds, Creamy Vanilla”

WAX MELTS

• Autumn Leaves – “A vibrant medley of birch and maple leaves with pomegranate, juniper berry and orange blossom.”
• Hedwig – “Chai Tea, Creamy Cheesecake, and Clove”
• Praline Spice – “Cinnamon Bark & Vanilla Cream”
• Cranberry Oatmeal Cookie – “Sweet cranberry, cinnamon sugar, caramel swirl and buttered pecan into the heart of a sugar cookie.”
• Cranberry Cookie Crumble – “Ceamy oatmeal, fresh juicy red currant berries, butterscotch, farm-fresh milk notes, nutty almond and rich vanilla.”

Aside from the prominent juniper and cloves scents this month, I always associate cranberry with November because of Thanksgiving. I can’t believe the holidays are almost here – the wedding craziness certainly made this year fly by. I’m excited to get started though and am lighting Sweater Weather up right now!

What are you planning on burning this month? Share in the comments!

The post Burn List – November 2017 appeared first on Melting With Michelle.

Pumpkin Cupcake (1-wick, x2) – A delectable fall “favorite” that we all know smells like a spiced vanilla cupcake. These have been the strongest tester candles I’ve had so far throwing around a 5 and burning very evenly!
Pumpkin Spiced Cheesecake (3-wick) – This 2016 version of PSC was on the lighter side and had major burn issues. The candle corrected itself but performed much better on the melter.

Spiced Cupcakes – A dupe for BBW’s Pumpkin Cupcake but much heavier on the spice note. It was nice to melt alongside the candles, but nothing I’d purchase again.
Pumpkin Butter Cookies – On cold this pretty much smelled like a spiced cookie with hints of ginger. However, when melting a strong bakery cinnamon note was prominent that I didn’t really care for.
Spiced Pumpkin Swirl – There was very little sweetness to this scent essentially making it a straight up pumpkin bread fragrance, and I adored it. When melting, a salty note seemed to come out and it was really enjoyable. The only problem with AmbiEscents is that the wax doesn’t last very long on the melter.
Moonlit Magic Pumpkin (x2) – At first sniff, you may think this is just another cologne scent. However, when melting, a gorgeous & true pumpkin bread note comes out. It is absolutely incredible and this is coming from someone who doesn’t enjoy cologne fragrances. I highly recommend picking this up and myself have already stocked up!
Perfect Pumpkin Ale – I did not enjoy this as much as I did back in 2016. It definitely smells straight up like a pumpkin beer, but the ale note is much more prominent. Beer drinkers would probably love this but I am no longer a fan.
Pumpkin Patch Maze – This is such an authentic pumpkin fragrance with a hint of earthiness yet still some creaminess. I found that melting it by itself was a bit overwhelming, but mixed with Vanilla Cookie Crunch it was divine. I have already stocked up for next year!

Boardwalk Vanilla Cone (hand sanitizer) – This smells identical to the hand soap; delicious, buttery, and sweet! It really is the perfect scent to use all year round. I really hope BBW brings this back next Summer so I can stock up on more!
Pumpkin Cupcake (wallflower) – I was able to get whiffs of this during the first couple weeks, but it really wasn’t that strong. I probably won’t be picking anything else in the fragrance up again going forward unless it’s on a crazy good deal.
Pumpkin Spiced Cheesecake (wallflower) – There is a reason I got a ton of these wallflowers for 75% off during a past SAS – it’s very odd when plugged in. It’s not a bad fragrance, I just don’t expect to get a white chocolate note from it. This faded out over the first couple of weeks too.
Pumpkin Pie (wallflower) – This was a wonderful pumpkin background fragrance that I got whiffs of all month. I wish it was a bit stronger but would hands down repurchase if BBW brought it back again.
Golden Autumn Day (hand soap) – A fragrance that’s very reminiscent of crisp fall air; there is definitely more of a citrus note in this but overall pleasant.
Pumpkin Apple Cider (body lotion) – An incredible apple fragrance that smells like an authentic cider when applied and a pie when dried. It lingers and is worth the eBay purchase as it’s a retired scent.
Salted Caramel Pumpkin (body lotion) – Before applying, this is identical to the beloved Summer Marshmallow from 2016. Yet, when applying there is a spice note that becomes more prominent as it dries.

While it wasn’t the best burning month, it was definitely a great October otherwise. I may not have gotten through my entire burn list but I still enjoyed a plethora of pumpkin fragrances. I’m looking forward to relaxing a bit more as it gets cooler in November and digging in to some of my transitional scents soon!

What did you burn in October? Share in the comments!

The post October 2017 Candle Empties appeared first on Melting With Michelle.

My husband and I are currently enjoying the last couple days of our honeymoon and we should be getting home just in time to celebrate Halloween. To get in the spirit, I figured I’d share some of my decorations (that I’m currently missing here in Florida) and our traditions that we’ll hopefully be able to still enjoy in the midst of our crazy schedules!

Being the first year in our new home, we haven’t fully furnished the space and just decorated where we could. Using little knick-knacks and pumpkins that I’ve collected over the years, I tend to put together little vignettes as feature pieces. I’m also a huge fan of decorating with candles (obviously) and am obsessed with the dreadful drips from Yankee Candle; such a creepy addition to your decor! Finally, I enjoy sprinkling little statement pieces around the house like the towels seen above.

We’ve unfortunately never lived in a community that has any trick-or-treaters, so we’ve had to make some of our own traditions. Usually the weekend leading up to the holiday, we put on our favorite Halloween movies, have a marathon, and carve pumpkins in front of the TV. It’s so simple yet we look forward to it during the entire month of October.

I’m excited to expand our Halloween traditions in years to come so we have something in place to share with our future kids when the time arrives. I know when I was a child, I always looked forward to my mom getting out her decorations and feeling the spooky vibes in the weeks leading up to the big day!

What are some of your Halloween traditions? Share in the comments!

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