summer Archives - Melting With Michelle http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/tag/summer/ Sat, 29 Sep 2018 02:03:59 +0000 en-US hourly 1 134604156 Fragrance Empties | August 2018 http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/fragrance-empties-august-2018/ http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/fragrance-empties-august-2018/#respond Thu, 30 Aug 2018 08:00:32 +0000 http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/?p=890 August was a month of packing for us as we plan to move into our new house VERY soon! I was a little worried that I wouldn’t have too much time to focus on burning. However, I was pleasantly surprised with what I melted through! This month I burned 5 Candles & 2 Wax Melts! Even though I didn’t... Read more »

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August was a month of packing for us as we plan to move into our new house VERY soon! I was a little worried that I wouldn’t have too much time to focus on burning. However, I was pleasantly surprised with what I melted through!

August 2018 Candle Empties

Pumpkin Banana Muffin

Bath & Body Works, 3-wick
Scent
9
Performance
7
Throw
5
Repurchase?
No
A delectable fragrance that smelled identical to freshly baked muffins. It’s too bad this candle hardly threw at all, even when put on the melter 🙁

Berry Waffle Cone

Bath & Body Works, 3-wick
Scent
10
Performance
8
Throw
10
Repurchase?
Yes
One of the best bakery fragrances I’ve ever smelled – thank goodness BBW brought this back for 2018. If it weren’t for wicks randomly extinguishing themselves, this would have been a 10 star candle all-around!

Paradise Spice

Yankee Candle, 1-wick
Scent
7
Performance
2
Throw
3
Repurchase?
No
In true Yankee fashion, this hardly threw and took too long to fully pool – so it lived the majority of its life in the melter. It was a beautiful cinnamon & banana blend though!

White Chocolate Apple

Yankee Candle, 1-wick
Scent
8
Performance
5
Throw
3
Repurchase?
No
I’ve been burning through this candle for YEARS. Since its such a slow burner, I decided to just go ahead and put it in the melter where it lasted for weeks! It’s really comparable to BBW Summer Boardwalk which is why I wouldn’t bother repurchasing.

Summer Boardwalk

Bath & Body Works, 3-wick
Scent
10
Performance
7
Throw
8
Repurchase?
Yes
Summer Boardwalk is a classic transitional scent for me, but this version wasn’t the best performer.

August 2018 Wax Empties

Pumpkin Berry Tart

Better Homes & Gardens, wax melt
Scent
8
Throw
4
Repurchase?
No
On cold, this smelled identical to a fresh berry pie! When melting though, you really only detected the berry note when you could smell it at all.

Corpsman

Super Tarts, wax melt
Scent
10
Throw
8
Repurchase?
Yes
This still remains one of my favorite fragrances of all time! It’s truly a graham cracker scent that is the perfect blend of salty & sweet and really throws!

August 2018 Fragrance Empties

Pumpkin Cranberry Cider

Bath & Body Works, hand soap
Scent
6
Performance
4
Repurchase?
No
Honestly, I’ve been working on this soap since LAST SEPTEMBER! The fragrance is straight up cranberry with an undertone of cider which really isn’t my preferred notes.

Fresh Rain & Spearmint

Bath & Body Works, hand soap
Scent
7
Performance
8
Repurchase?
Yes
This was gifted to me on my wedding weekend last October and we’ve been slowly using it ever since. It’s a really nice fresh fragrance that lingered long after using it!

Pumpkin Berry Tart

Bath & Body Works, hand sanitizer
Scent
10
Performance
10
Repurchase?
Yes
Wow, this was incredible. A beautiful berry & bakery blend that I couldn’t get enough of. Really wishing I had more!


This month I burned 5 Candles & 2 Wax Melts!


Even though I didn’t necessarily discover any new fragrances in August, this was still a great transitional month for me! What was your favorite candle of the month? Share in the comments below!

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Fragrance Empties | July 2018 http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/fragrance-empties-july-2018/ http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/fragrance-empties-july-2018/#respond Wed, 01 Aug 2018 08:00:28 +0000 http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/?p=882 Can this year just slow down please? July came and went in the blink of an eye and I hardly got to melt a majority of my favorite fragrances. Don’t get me wrong, I’m ecstatic that Fall is right around the corner, but I just haven’t been melting as much as I’d like to lately because... Read more »

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Can this year just slow down please? July came and went in the blink of an eye and I hardly got to melt a majority of my favorite fragrances. Don’t get me wrong, I’m ecstatic that Fall is right around the corner, but I just haven’t been melting as much as I’d like to lately because of my busy schedule. Hopefully I’ll have a bit more burning time during my favorite upcoming melting season! Let’s take a look at July’s empties before we get any farther ahead of ourselves.

Candle Empties | July 2018

Funnel Cake

Bath & Body Works, 1-wick
Scent
9
Throw
7
Repurchase?
No
I didn’t even bother trying to burn this candle and put it straight in the melter where it fragranced the surrounding area beautifully.

Salted Oak Bonfire

Bath & Body Works, 3-wick
Scent
8
Performance
6
Throw
5
Repurchase?
No
This scent truly reminds me of being on the beach. It didn’t throw that great when burning so lived the majority of it’s life in the melter. There it performed amazing!

Banana Split Milkshake

Bath & Body Works, 3-wick
Scent
8
Performance
5
Throw
3
Repurchase?
No
On cold, this smelled EXACTLY like a chocolate dipped banana. It turned into a truly disappointing burn though and smelled like melted wax. Putting it in the melter really saved the fragrance though and scented my entire home.

Wax Empties | July 2018

Salted Pistachio Sorbet

Better Homes & Gardens, wax melt
Scent
8
Throw
7
Repurchase?
No
A beautiful pistachio blend that didn’t last for too long melting.

Bonfire Beach

Scentsy, wax melt
Scent
9
Throw
6
Repurchase?
Yes
This is an exact dupe of the former BBW hit Summer Bonfire. Think of Marshmallow Fireside with a different wood-note and hint of citrus. I don’t necessarily think this threw poorly because of the wax itself, but because of the circulation in my home.

Fragrance Empties | July 2018

Boardwalk Vanilla Cone

Bath & Body Works, hand soap
Scent
10
Performance
5
Repurchase?
Yes
One of the best fragrances that BBW has ever released and I will always repurchase no matter the performance. Think of vanilla ice cream inside a freshly baked waffle cone.

Boardwalk Vanilla Cone

Bath & Body Works, hand sanitizer
Scent
10
Performance
10
Repurchase?
Yes
Again, this scent is incredible and I will purchase it in every form.

Summertime Soda Pop

Bath & Body Works, wallflower
Scent
6
Throw
7
Repurchase?
No
A citrus fizzy fragrance that faintly lasted all month long but just wasn’t all that successful in wallflower form – it lost all it’s sweetness.

Funnel Cake

Bath & Body Works, wallflower
Scent
9
Throw
8
Repurchase?
No
This wallflower was consistently strong ALL month long – probably one of the best BBW has ever released.

This month I burned 3 Candles & 2 Wax Melts!


You may have noticed that the majority of my candles over the past few months have been put in the melter; I think this is a big discouragement to my burning frequency as of late. Maybe it’s just our current living space? I think I’ll start trying to experiment with different burn locations in August to help motivate me to get through more of my stash!

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

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Fragrance Empties | June 2018 http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/fragrance-empties-june-2018/ http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/fragrance-empties-june-2018/#respond Sun, 01 Jul 2018 08:00:01 +0000 http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/?p=871 Can 2018 slow down a bit, please?! June went by much too fast but I am happy to have gone through a nice variety of fragrance products! This month I burned 4 Candles & 2 Wax Melts! As much as I’d like for things to slow down so I can start to enjoy this portion of my life a... Read more »

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Can 2018 slow down a bit, please?! June went by much too fast but I am happy to have gone through a nice variety of fragrance products!

Candle Empties | June 2018

Sweet Cherry Pie

Bath & Body Works, 1-wick
Scent
6
Performance
4
Throw
2
Repurchase?
No
Yet another tester candle that did not perform well at all. After about 3 horrible burns I put it in the melter and was finally able to smell it. Turns out, I’m not much of a cherry fan though.

Midnight Blue Citrus

Bath & Body Works, 3-wick
Scent
10
Performance
8
Throw
8
Repurchase?
Yes
This scent still remains the best way to start the Summer season!

Storm Watch

Yankee Candle, 1-wick
Scent
7
Performance
1
Throw
1
Repurchase?
No
This was essentially unscented when burning and for the amount of time it takes for Yankee’s to pool out, they’re just not worth it. This ended up living almost it’s entire life in the melter (for 2 weeks!) and was a nice clear fragrance for the bathroom.

Pink Apple Punch

Bath & Body Works, 3-wick
Scent
8
Performance
5
Throw
1
Repurchase?
No
A sweet candy-scent that unfortunately smelled like kerosene when burning. Another candle that lived almost it’s entire life in the melter!

Wax Empties | June 2018

Rainbow Cookie

Yankee Candle, wax melt
Scent
7
Throw
3
Repurchase?
No
In the store, this smelled like a raspberry cookie but once I got home it had a pungent perfume note. When melting the fragrance was hardly noticeable.

Iced Lemon Poudcake

Better Homes & Gardens, wax melt
Scent
10
Throw
8
Repurchase?
Yes
Like last month, this favorite scent of mine still lived up to it’s previous standards! Happy to continuously be enjoying this.

Fragrance Empties | June 2018

Sea Island Cotton

Bath & Body Works, hand soap
Scent
10
Performance
6
Repurchase?
Yes
My absolute favorite hand soap fragrance did not disappoint again! It didn’t linger as long as it has in the past but I still enjoyed it while it lasted.

Bonjour Paris

Bath & Body Works, body wash
Scent
10
Performance
6
Repurchase?
No
A sweet patisserie fragrance that I thoroughly enjoyed over the past several months! I wouldn’t repurchase if it returned only because I don’t particularly want to use BBW body washes going forward.

Lemon Buttercream

Bath & Body Works, hand sanitizer
Scent
8
Performance
7
Repurchase?
No
A super sweet lemon bakery fragrance that was definitely enjoyable throughout the Spring! Again, trying to tone back on my BBW products which is the only reason I wouldn’t repurchase.

Summertime Soda Pop

Bath & Body Works, wallflower
Scent
6
Throw
7
Repurchase?
No
A citrus fizzy fragrance that lasted all month long but just wasn’t all that successful in wallflower form – it lost all it’s sweetness.

Midnight Blue Citrus

Bath & Body Works, wallflower
Scent
10
Throw
8
Repurchase?
Yes
This scent remains just as beautifully in this form and stayed strong ALL month long!


This month I burned 4 Candles & 2 Wax Melts!


As much as I’d like for things to slow down so I can start to enjoy this portion of my life a bit more again, I know July will be just as busy. I can’t wait to share with you some of the crazy changes that have been going on so you can all understand why burning as been put on the back burner lately!

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August 2017 Candle Empties http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/august-2017-candle-empties/ http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/august-2017-candle-empties/#respond Thu, 31 Aug 2017 08:00:27 +0000 http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/?p=485 August has come and gone in the blink of an eye! I didn’t get to burn all the candles I had hoped to this month (mainly because Yankee’s take forever to get through) but am happy with what I did melt. This August I burned a total of 5 candles and 8 wax melts. Berry... Read more »

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August has come and gone in the blink of an eye! I didn’t get to burn all the candles I had hoped to this month (mainly because Yankee’s take forever to get through) but am happy with what I did melt. This August I burned a total of 5 candles and 8 wax melts.

Berry Waffle Cone (3-wick) The best way to describe this delicious scent is by comparing it to a berry scone. It’s absolutely divine and I really hope you were able to get your hands on it! It threw around a 7 in my high-ceiling kitchen and lasted for almost a week on the candle melter.
Funnel Cake (1-wick) This scent smelled exactly like a greasy, buttery pastry with a hint of powdered sugar. Burning it was unscented but threw around a 6 on the candle melter. I’m assuming that’s why BBW only made this into a wallflower last year?
Pumpkin Banana Muffin (3-wick) Don’t let the title fool you, there is no pumpkin in this candle. This is actually a dupe for Banana Nutmeg Bread Pudding from 2013. In this updated version there is definitely equal parts banana and walnut which for some reason made the fragrance smell like burnt bread at times. Unfortunately the candle only threw around a 5 and didn’t improve on the wax melter.
Summer Boardwalk (3-wick) – This was the weakest version of SB I’ve ever had. Most people get migraines from it’s strength and I could hardly smell it until putting it on the candle melter. Still a favorite fragrance of mine but the 2016 summer edition was a dud.
Sparkling Pear Riesling (1-wick) If you are a fan of Champagne Toast, this is essentially the fall version of it! Take out the citrus and replace it with pear and this is what you get. It’s a beautiful scent that BBW should’ve brought back. Also, this small jar was SO strong!

August 2017 Wax Empties

Sweet Plum Pastry – There are people who go crazy over this Scentsy fragrance and I’m not one of them. I don’t really get any bakery or sweet notes, just a dark berry and cinnamon. Maybe I got a dud? Either way I didn’t particularly enjoy this and am not too upset that it’s no longer available.
Corpsman (x2) If you follow me on Instagram, you know that this is now my all-time favorite fragrance! After the first 5 minutes of melting it for the first time, I immediately went and ordered several backups. This truly smells like graham crackers, buttery pie crust, and slightly savory zucchini bread mixed together. I never want to be without this!
Sweet Banana Bread – Now this was an amazing banana fragrance! There seemed to be more of a caramel note than banana but I didn’t mind at all. I might pick up another melt in this if I place another Goose Creek order again.
Banner – On cold I thought this was just a dupe for Summer Boardwalk, but it transformed when melting. The caramel note overpowers everything else and I really wasn’t a fan.
At the Fair – This is 100% a dupe for Summer Boardwalk, but better. The apple fritter note comes out so much more than the caramel corn in this version and I am obsessed with it. Why didn’t Wal-Mart release this again?! Thank goodness I still have a few stashed away.
Whipped Vanilla Pear – A pretty light pear fragrance from Scentsy with perfumey vanilla mixed in. Wasn’t the biggest fan and wouldn’t recommend.
Casting Spells – Another scent that smells completely different when melting. On cold it’s an interesting pear blend but smells like sweet potatoes warm. It’s very odd and I wasn’t impressed.

August 2017 Fragrance Empties

Pineapple Colada (hand soap) If you’re looking for a straight up pineapple soap scent, look no further. It was a nice summer fragrance that was very potent but unfortunately I’m just not that into pineapple scents.
Crisp Morning Air (hand soap) This may be one of my favorite fall soap scents ever! Think of walking around on a crisp fall day in an apple orchard and this is what you get; it’s fresh and slightly fruity. Hands down would repurchase if I didn’t already have back-ups!
Sea Island Cotton (body wash) This form of my favorite soap scent was just as amazing and lingered. I need to forever have back-ups of this fresh fragrance!
Summer Marshmallow (body cream) Even though this body cream from last summer has lost some of it’s peanut butter sugar vibes over time, it’s still one of my favorite body care scents ever! It’s a beautiful salty & sweet blend that I went through in 3 short weeks! Would forever repurchase and luckily have a decent stash still.
Crisp Morning Air (hand cream) I’m so sad to have finished this as it’s an incredibly unique fresh apple scent that BBW didn’t bring back in this form for this year.
Eucalyptus Spearmint (wallflower, x2) These wallflowers were really strong for the first few days and then pretty much non-existent as the oil quickly discolored. While I could smell them I wasn’t really a fan and wouldn’t recommend.
Summer Boardwalk (wallflower) A strong wallflower for a couple weeks but not too overpowering. After a while though the oil darkened, stopped evaporating, and started to smell like Pumpkin Caramel Latte.

My home definitely smelled wonderful this month and there were even several times I was complimented when people immediately came through my door. My absolute favorites of the month were Berry Waffle Cone and Corpsman! I seriously could’ve melted just those 2 fragrances throughout the month but didn’t want to totally deplete my stash. While I’m sad the month went by so quick, I’m so happy for fall scents to finally fill my space again in September!

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

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July 2017 Candle Empties http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/july-2017-candle-empties/ http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/july-2017-candle-empties/#respond Mon, 31 Jul 2017 08:00:24 +0000 http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/?p=464 Wow, July went by in a blur! Between finalizing wedding details and starting a new freelance gig, I don’t know where the rest of my time went. Even though it was another busy month for me, I managed to get through a good portion of my stash! I burned through 6 candles and 10 wax... Read more »

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Wow, July went by in a blur! Between finalizing wedding details and starting a new freelance gig, I don’t know where the rest of my time went. Even though it was another busy month for me, I managed to get through a good portion of my stash! I burned through 6 candles and 10 wax melts in July!

July 2017 Candle Empties

Salted Oak Bonfire (3-wick) On cold, I was a little weary of this scent because it had a slight perfume note reminding me of body care. When burning it totally transformed though and was very reminiscent of the beloved Summer Bonfire from 2015. It performed beautifully until there was only 1/4 left and then went to the melter. Throw was almost a 9 and it traveled throughout the majority of the house!
Watermelon Lemonade (1-wick) This little “Try Me” candle was horrible when burning. Between the tunneling and throw that reminded me of a Yankee, I ended up putting it on the melter. However, once transferred to the melter it threw really well for a couple days!
Sunlit Garden (3-wick) A lighter floral note that reminded me of early summer mornings from my childhood! While this candle brought on the nostalgia, it only threw around a 5 and didn’t travel. When put on the melter it sadly didn’t perform any better.
Tomato Vine (3-wick) This was another nostalgia candle for me and I surprisingly love fresh garden scents like this. It smelled of garden greens and fresh tomatoes still on the vine! It threw around a 6 but was only detectable within the same room it was burning in. Unfortunately this was another candle that barely gave off any fragrance when put on the melter.
Sea Grass (3-wick) I am SO happy BBW brought back their Snap Peas scent and renamed it! It’s such a beautiful blend of fresh but sweet greens with a clean base note. This threw around an 8 but didn’t travel very far. I have a few more back-ups that I will definitely cherish.
Autumn Sunshine (1-wick) To be honest, I don’t even bother burning these little guys anymore and just put them straight on the melter. This smelled like a slightly citrus woodsy fragrance – it really was more of a cologne scent for me. I definitely enjoyed it though within my small bathroom!
Olive Oil & Thyme (1-wick, DNF)  This was a really unique scent that I was excited to try out. Unfortunately, like most Yankee’s this barely threw, if at all. It also burned very odd making the wax looked like brains which kind of grossed me out. I ended up donating it to my BFF who I hope will enjoy it more than me!

July 2017 Wax Empties

Bonfire Beach – For anyone who tried BBW’s Summer Bonfire candle a couple years back and misses it, this wax melt from Scentsy is almost an exact dupe! It essentially smells like marshmallow fireside with sea salt air and citrus mixed in. It’s beyond lovely and I always want to have more bars stocked up at all times!
Watermelon Buttercream (DNF) On cold, this smelled like watermelon chapstick which didn’t impress me. However, when melting it transformed into a delicious watermelon frosting that fragranced the entire house. Unforutnatley there was a black residue within this formula ruining my melting dishes so I didn’t even use the last 2 cubes.
Suntan – This scent smells like a blend of citrus and coconut that is a dupe for legitimate sunscreen that you’d use at the beach. It was pretty strong but I’m not crazy about my entire house smelling like this (even though it brings back memories).
Cane Sugar Root Beer (DNF) I had high hopes for this melt but the issue was it smelled like root beer. I never thought I’d have an issue with this scent until my bedroom smelled like a mix of medicine and soda. I tried remedying it with a combination of that and Vanilla Cookie Crunch, but then it just smelled burnt. Definitely would not recommend or every repurchase anything from this company again.
Blue Raspberry Ice – A true to life popsicle scent that is perfect for the middle of summer! As great of a scent as it is, this Scentsy bar lasted less than 1 day each time which was disappointing.
Salted Pistachio Sorbet – This was a beautiful creamy pistachio fragrance! Originally I thought the saltiness would make this a great summer fragrance but I think this might be better suited for the Winter months.
Pistachio Ice Cream – Another creamy pistachio fragrance that smelled exactly like Better Homes & Gardens version when melting. I really did enjoy this too but it just didn’t seem to be the right season for it.
Basil (x2) – A true to life basil scent that smells just like it’s title. This was nice melting it alongside the garden themed candles but had to be mixed with Fresh Baked Bread to lessen the sharp herbal note. Unfortunately, Kringle seemed to have retired this fragrance.
Fresh Baked Bread – This is an amazing buttery bread scent but is odd to smell all by itself in your home. Like I previously mentioned, I mixed this with Basil and got a really nice herbal bread fragrance but I’m not sure I’ll pick it up again.

July 2017 Fragrance Empties

Boardwalk Vanilla Cone (hand soap) My absolute favorite soap for the summer! It truly smells like vanilla ice cream packed inside a waffle cone (trust me, I worked in an ice cream shop for 4 years). This year’s version unfortunately was not as strong as years past and didn’t linger at all.
Watermelon Lemonade (hand soap) We all know what this basic scent that BBW brings back in every form smells like. While this fragrance doesn’t really impress me anymore the soaps scent did linger for a little while which I appreciated.
Pumpkin Berry Crumble (hand soap) This may have been my favorite soap of the month! If you smelled BBW’s recent Berry Waffle Cone candle, this smells almost just like it. There’s no pumpkin in here (naturally) but it is a wonderful berry bakery scent that lingered for a long time after using.
Watermelon Lemonade (body cream) I’m shocked that BBW named this Watermelon Lemonade because it does not smell like their traditional WL scent. It’s definitely more of a candied lemon with little to no watermelon. It was a decent body cream but I wouldn’t stock up or repurchase.
Pomegranate Lemonade (wallflower) A sweet yet tart fragrance that was surprisingly stronger than last month’s wallflower, but not by much. I’m happy to have gone through what I have of this fragrance in my collection and wouldn’t repurchase.
Champagne Toast (wallflower) This sweet citrus scent was strong when first plugged in but quickly faded out within a couple days. For such an amazing scent this was such a letdown and I just hope my other backups perform better.
Funnel Cake (wallflower) One of the strongest wallflowers I’ve had in a while! In some areas of my home it smelled funky which was odd and I had to play around with positions. Once I found the “right spot” it threw like a champ until the very last drop of oil.

While I focused on fresher garden fragrances this past July, I did also manage to fit in some sweet scents as well! My favorite candle of the month was definitely Salted Oak Bonfire and my favorite wax melt was Bonfire Beach. If I could only burn those 2 fragrances each summer I absolutely would! It truly was a great month of melting but I’m beyond excited for what I’m planning to melt in August!

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

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Burn List – July 2017 http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/burn-list-july-2017/ http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/burn-list-july-2017/#respond Sun, 02 Jul 2017 08:00:41 +0000 http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/?p=451 Happy July everyone! I’m so happy to finally be settled enough to start creating monthly burn lists again. This month I’m going to be focusing on both fresh garden fragrances and salty beach scents. Both of these scent profiles are the epitome of summer to me and I just can’t get enough of them during... Read more »

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Happy July everyone! I’m so happy to finally be settled enough to start creating monthly burn lists again. This month I’m going to be focusing on both fresh garden fragrances and salty beach scents. Both of these scent profiles are the epitome of summer to me and I just can’t get enough of them during this time of year.

CANDLES

• Salted Oak Bonfire – “Wave-Washed Oak, Glowing Embers, Sea Spray”
• Watermelon Lemonade – “Watermelon Ice, Sparkling Water, Meyer Lemon”
• Sea Grass – “Sweet Island Sugarcane, Rustling Sea Grass, Sparkling Clear Water”
• Tomato Vine – “Sun-Kissed Tomato Leaves, Fresh Spring Greens, Hint of Lemon”
• Autumn Sunshine – “Chilled Orange, California Mandarin, Golden Amber, Green Fir Needle”

WAX MELTS

• Bonfire Beach – “Toasted marshmallow smoldering over white flint and sandalwood harmonize with salty sea air and ocean spray”
Cane Sugar Root Beer – “Aromatic root beer cascades over lavish scoops of French vanilla ice cream as its gossamery foam overflows your glass”
• Blue Raspberry Ice – “Sweet cherry, icy white lemon, and blue raspberry”
• Watermelon Buttercream – A sweet blend of juicy watermelon and rich buttercream frosting
• Suntan – “Orange Blossoms, Bright Citrus, Soft Coconut Husk”
• Fresh Baked Bread – “The perfect blend of homey, delicate sweetness and yeasty earthiness that only oven-hot, crusty loaves can offer.”
• Basil – Fresh cut basil straight from the garden

At our new place we don’t have a lawn yet let alone a garden, so it’ll be really nice to get some of those fresh fragrances into our lives that we’re currently lacking. Depending on how quickly I burn through my other candles, I may bust out Sunlit Garden and Olive Oil & Thyme as well. I’ll probably take out Tailgating for the Fourth of July and possibly finish off the month with some sweet pistachio ice cream fragrances too. Seeing how small my past several empties have been I didn’t want to overwhelm myself this month and only dedicate myself to the above list.

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

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June 2017 Candle Empties http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/june-2017-candle-empties/ http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/june-2017-candle-empties/#respond Fri, 30 Jun 2017 08:00:31 +0000 http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/?p=422 It’s official, June was the month I got out of my melting slump! The month flew by for me and considering how busy I was, I’m happy with what I burned through. I’m a seasonal burner and I don’t really have too many fragrances in my collection for this time of year. Nevertheless, I burned... Read more »

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It’s official, June was the month I got out of my melting slump! The month flew by for me and considering how busy I was, I’m happy with what I burned through. I’m a seasonal burner and I don’t really have too many fragrances in my collection for this time of year. Nevertheless, I burned through 2 candles and 8 wax melts in June!

June 2017 Candle Empties

Midnight Blue Citrus (3-wick) I discovered this fragrance last year and still think the beautiful blend of  fresh citrus and maritime waters is the perfect way to kick of the summer months! This candle burned flawlessly and threw around an 8. I hope BBW keeps this in there lineup!
Key Lime Pie (3-wick) On cold, this failed test scent smells like a key lime cheesecake with undertones of a graham cracker crust. However, when burning the crust note dissipates and the creaminess of they key lime becomes powdery. I still enjoyed the candle but can understand why it failed. I didn’t have any burn issues and it threw around a 7.

June 2017 Wax Empties

Midnight Blue Citrus (x2) These wax melts smelled just as great as the candle but weren’t that strong and didn’t last too long. It was great to melt alongside the candle but I’d honestly never pick these melts up full price.
Simply Lime – This was a straight up lime fragrance from Scentsy that is now retired. It reminded me bit of a cleaning product so I had to blend it with Vanilla Cookie Crunch. Even those two scents mixed together wasn’t all that impressive. I wouldn’t recommend this at all.
Vanilla Cookie Crunch – A classic fragrance that I always have on hand to blend with other fragrances. It always performs wonderfully and I highly recommend it.
Sevn’ Up Pound Cake (x2) This fragrance from Wax Crumbles was not how I remembered it. It’s sweet with a hint of lime and a strong powder note. It definitely amped up the KLP candle but it’s odd that these fragrances are smelling like powder – is it my nose?!
Southern Sweet Tea (x2) This straight up smells like a peach tea that would quench your thirst in the summer. It was a great sweet fruity fragrance to kick off the season but it’s just not really my type of scent. I’d recommend it but wouldn’t repurchase.

June 2017 Fragrance Empties

Cucumber Melon (wallflower) A sweet cucumber fragrance that I purchased mainly for my fiancé. It was fairly light and for some reason in my kitchen gave off a weird scent. (I’ve since tried other wallflowers and find that it’s my kitchen and not the wallflower – so weird!)
Pomegranate Lemonade (wallflower) Another sweet and slightly tart fragrance that was extremely light. I was never impressed with this fragrance in candle form either and don’t entirely care they didn’t bring it back.
Midnight Blue Citrus (wallflower) An absolutely amazing performer! It was the strongest out of all the form factors and I could smell it throughout the entire second floor of my home. Will continue to repurchase as long as BBW carries it.
Lemon Buttercream (hand sanitizer) Do you remember the last few months when I said this scent in the soap form was astringent? Oddly enough, the hand sanitizer was SO sweet; I loved it!
Bonjour Paris (body cream) This body care fragrance quickly became one of my favorites. The sweet scent has notes of marshmallow, candied orange, and almond making you smell like a macaron! I’ve got plenty of this stocked up but highly recommend you pick some up at SAS before they run out.

All together, I enjoyed the fragrances that filled my home in June. Midnight Blue Citrus was definitely my favorite of the month but I think I’m a bit sick of it at this point. I’m excited to move onto some fresh garden fragrances in July and will be sharing a burn list with you soon!

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

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Label Redesign – BBW 2017 Summer Stories Collection http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/label-redesign-bbw-2017-summer-stories-collection/ http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/label-redesign-bbw-2017-summer-stories-collection/#respond Wed, 21 Jun 2017 08:00:47 +0000 http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/?p=436 For those of you who don’t know me outside of the wax community, I am a full-time Graphic Designer. I get as excited as the rest of you when a new collection is testing and am most likely even more critical than everyone else when it comes to the packaging. I think everyone is super... Read more »

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For those of you who don’t know me outside of the wax community, I am a full-time Graphic Designer. I get as excited as the rest of you when a new collection is testing and am most likely even more critical than everyone else when it comes to the packaging. I think everyone is super judgmental when new candles are released because behind our Instagram pages we can’t smell them. The only thing we can do is judge their names and appearance.

Bath & Body Works - 2017 Summer Stories Test Candles - Duchess of Wax

The 2017 Summer Stories candle collection popped up in test stores months ago but the candles are only appearing nationwide very recently. Like everyone else, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the “Times New Roman” labels but they didn’t repulse me by any means. While I’m extremely critical of design aspects, I also try to keep in mind that behind every label is careful art direction that we as consumers may not fully understand. However, with the information I am aware of regarding this collection, I decided to redesign the labels to show Bath & Body Works improvements that could’ve been made.

We can see that the original collection had a large graphic as the focal point that didn’t always directly correlate with the actual scent. On top of that is a random right-aligned opaque box containing the copy. The copy includes one name for the candle with incorrect punctuation, a secondary name for the candle, and a short storyline that offers no description of the fragrance. All left-aligned in a basic serif font.

Label Redesign - BBW 2017 Summer Stories Collection

I decided the first step in my redesign would be to improve upon Bath & Body Works original design but keep some elements consistent. The main issue I noticed in the label was the two alignments competing with each other. Rather than keep left-aligned text within a right-aligned box, I moved the box entirely to the left and slightly adjusted the dimensions. To keep the “story” theme I continued to use a serif font but chose one with more curvatures. Finally, I eliminated one of the candle names because newspapers and magazines typically only have one.

Label Redesign - BBW 2017 Summer Stories Collection

Next I wondered what I would’ve concepted if an art director gave me the constraints of a story theme for this candle collection. My mind immediately went to a magazine aesthetic rather than newspaper because the target audience is more likely to read that. Modern magazines typically have sans serif fonts with big bold typography which is what I tried to emulate. Here I’ve also eliminated any unnecessary copy to let the image tell the story itself. I would think the consumers would want to come up with their own story or memory when they smell the candle rather than read something forced on the packaging.

Label Redesign - BBW 2017 Summer Stories Collection

As you can see above, both of these designs can be easily adapted throughout the entire collection by a simple text update and switch of a picture. Maybe Bath & Body Works had a miscommunication regarding the art direction and had to quickly meet a deadline. Maybe it was truly poor direction or just a stressed designer. Whatever the reason, I’m willing to give the company the benefit of the doubt and hope they improve for Fall test candles. Also, if you’re looking for a new freelance designer Bath & Body Works, I’m most certainly interested in the job! 😉

What are your most and least favorite candle labels of all time? Share in the comments!

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Pistachio Scent Guide http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/pistachio-scent-guide/ http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/pistachio-scent-guide/#comments Mon, 27 Mar 2017 08:00:56 +0000 http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/?p=386 One of the latest trends in the world of wax is pistachio scents. It seems like every company is releasing their own version that smells almost identical to the other. I thought it would be nice to compare each one of them to figure out what the differences are, if any, and help you decide... Read more »

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One of the latest trends in the world of wax is pistachio scents. It seems like every company is releasing their own version that smells almost identical to the other. I thought it would be nice to compare each one of them to figure out what the differences are, if any, and help you decide which to purchase. Without further ado, here are the 3 most popular pistachio scents in order of release.

Yankee Candle – Crunchy Pistachio Vanilla – This pistachio fragrance is definitely unlike the other two because it has more of a bakery note. It smells like an almond shortbread cookie with an undertone of pistachio. It’s a great scent but better suited for the winter holidays.

Wal-Mart – Salted Pistachio Sorbet – Now this is a pistachio fragrance! You immediately get a nutty pistachio note and then a base of sweet cream. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it smells like sorbet and actually think I’ll melt this in August as a transition into fall based on the slight saltiness.

Scentsy – Pistachio Ice Cream – Out of the 3 pistachio scents, this is the truest to it’s name. It has a perfect balance of a realistic ice cream and pistachio nut. It’s definitely close to the Wal-Mart version but has less of a salty note and more authentic creaminess. As someone who worked in an ice cream shop for years, I can attest that this will be a beautiful option for the middle of summer.

While all three pistachio fragrances seem almost identical when you smell them separately, they are very different when side-by-side. I think it’s great that each can identify with a different season if you’re a hardcore pistachio fan. If you’re not a seasonal burner, I’ll tell you that my favorite was Salted Pistachio Sorbet from Wal-Mart. I personally prefer a more prominent pistachio note rather than the sweet. I hope this guide will help you decide which version is best for you based on your preferences!

Have you melted any of these pistachio fragrances? Which is your favorite? Share in the comments!

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Spring 2017 Candle Collections http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/spring-2017-candle-collections/ http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/spring-2017-candle-collections/#respond Fri, 27 Jan 2017 08:00:20 +0000 http://www.meltingwithmichelle.com/?p=333 By mid-January we glimpsed all of the Spring 2017 candle collections from most companies. In my opinion it’s pretty underwhelming. It doesn’t bother me how early in the year we see these scents, it’s the specific fragrances that I have a problem with. Below are the 3 major collections I’ve noticed and my thoughts on them. Yankee... Read more »

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By mid-January we glimpsed all of the Spring 2017 candle collections from most companies. In my opinion it’s pretty underwhelming. It doesn’t bother me how early in the year we see these scents, it’s the specific fragrances that I have a problem with. Below are the 3 major collections I’ve noticed and my thoughts on them.



Yankee Candle
released a whopping 4 new fragrances for Spring; 2 fresh scents & 2 gourmand. For what it’s worth, this might be one of the better collections they’ve released during this time of year. However, do we really need another floral or fresh scent? Another berry? Another coffee? These fragrances are just good but I was hoping for something great, like the 2016 Cookie Swap Collection.

Bath & Body Works seriously needs to take a step back. Why are they releasing tropical and Summer scents this early? Why did they all together skip Spring? This is by far my favorite candle company but they just don’t release fragrances on a logical timeline. Even their 2-3 bakery scents involve fruits that are ripe in the Summer months.

I normally don’t ever consider Kohl’s a company to look out for in regards to home fragrance. However, they created the best lineup for Spring 2017 so far. They of course have a tropical collection so they can stay competitive with everyone else BUT they actually did a second Spring bakery collection. Finally, someone caught on. A lot of the scents are too light for me, but they released a Key Lime Pie candle and it’s the best I’ve every smelled across all the brands.


What bothers me the most is that I need to buy my Summer candles NOW because by the time I actually want to burn them, they won’t be available to purchase. If these companies paid any attention to their consumers, they’d know that the majority of the wax community is dying for a sweet shoppe collection. Give us bakery & gourmand. It’s okay to be creative and mix floral and bakery OR fruity and bakery. Some of the best Spring candles were Raspberry Peach Macaron and Pink Petal Teacake. Why can’t they reformulate and give us something interesting rather than coconut and berries?

What are your thoughts on the Spring 2017 candle collections? Share in the comments!

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