July 2017 Candle Empties

July 2017 Candle Empties

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!

Burn List – July 2017

Burn List July 2017

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!

June 2017 Candle Empties

June 2017 Candle Empties

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!

Label Redesign – BBW 2017 Summer Stories Collection

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!

Spring 2017 SAS Haul

Spring 2017 SAS Candle Haul

Like most candle addicts, I was counting down the days for SAS to begin at Bath & Body Works. I’m not exactly sure why since I never find anything exciting in my region. I called around all the stores within 50 miles and not one had any 75% off candles. The closest store that had anything worth buying was a White Barn 1.5 hours away. So we made the trek and luckily found my beloved Chocolate Pistachio along with other fall favorites. I ended up grabbing 7 candles for $30 but was pretty bummed I had to go so far out of my way to get that deal.

Spring 2017 SAS Candle Haul

Prior to making the journey to White Barn, I stopped at my two local BBW stores and grabbed a few small items. They FINALLY had the french candles so I picked up Paris Cafe which is supposedly a dupe for Espresso Bar from back in the day. I personally don’t think this is an exact dupe and am picking up a slight bitter almond note. I’ll still give it a try and burn it since others seem to enjoy this much more than the original EB.

Spring 2017 SAS Candle Haul

All three stores I visited that first day of SAS had $3 tester candles available. I picked up these few scents that I enjoy, but not enough to get the 3-wicks of. I was pretty shocked at the amount of fragrances they had available and would’ve grabbed more if I didn’t just stock up in January. Along with these baby candles, I picked up a couple summer wax melts to use in the next couple months.

While I did find the one candle that I wanted and some other fun items, I just wasn’t all that impressed by the selection and sale prices BBW had to offer. There were some body care items I wanted but at 50% off it’s not the best deal. Unlike years past, I’m not planning on returning again to haul anything else. What do you think about this SAS and did you find any exciting items? Share in the comments!

May 2017 Candle Empties

May 2017 Candle Empties - Melting with Michelle

May always tends to be a slow burning month in my home due to spring allergies. Combine that with still trying to get settled in the new house plus being busy every weekend and you get the slowest month of melting in well over a year. This past May I burned through only ONE candle and 4 wax melts.

May 2017 Candle Empties - Melting with Michelle

Berry Vanilla Bean (3-wick) – This candle smelled like a mixed berry buttercream frosting. It was a really nice spring fragrance but I hoped a bakery note would come through while burning. It threw really well in our new space and had a strength around a 7. It burned flawlessly and I recommend seeking it out during SAS if this is a type of scent you’re interested in.

May 2017 Wax Empties - Melting with Michelle

Blueberry Muffin – This truly smelled like a fresh baked muffin with a slight blueberry undertone and I really enjoyed it in melt form. I would absolutely repurchase if the price was right; Kringle’s melt prices are a bit steep for such a small amount of wax.
Blueberry Cake Donut – On cold this was an amazing blueberry icing fragrance with a donut bakery base. However, I think this melt was a bit too old because it smelled like a sweet crayon when melting. Probably wouldn’t bother repurchasing.
Strawberry Swirl – A really sweet strawberry milkshake fragrance from Scentsy that I wish I could still get my hands on! By itself it was too light but was totally amped up when mixed with Vanilla Cookie Crunch. A blend I wish I could melt for much longer!
Wild Berry Cheesecake – In the past I’ve described this as the best berry scent every created and I still stand by that. I honestly don’t need any other mixed berry scents for the future aside from this one, that’s how good it is. Go to your local Wal-mart and sniff it out for yourself!

May 2017 Fragrance Empties - Melting with Michelle

Berry Vanilla Bean (wallflower) – The wallflower version of the scent was even heavier than the candle and I didn’t care for it much. After a few weeks it became really discolored so I just took it out before all the oil evaporated.
Lemon Mint Leaf (wallflower) – This fragrance was so light that I hardly smelled it at all. Once the oils became discolored it started emitting an awful rotten scent. I wouldn’t repurchase this again in any form factor and will probably use anything left in my stash as decor.
Golden Autumn Day (hand cream) – Being the second hand cream in this scent that I’ve finished up within the past six months, I think it’s safe to say I adore the scent and formula. It’s very refreshing with apple undertones and is long-lasting. Hoping they’ll bring this back again in the fall!
Sweet Lemon Buttercream (body cream) – A really soft & creamy lemon fragrance perfect for the spring! I’m already stocked up and highly suggest picking some up during SAS!
Lemon Buttercream (hand soap) – Like the last soap in this fragrance that I used in March, it had hardly any lemon notes and was very astringent. Happy not to have anymore left in my stash and will be very weary of lemon soaps in the future!
Cotton Blossom (hand soap) – This was a repackage of Sea Island Cotton which is my favorite hand soap. It’s fresh, clean, and the scent lingers. Hands down will always repurchase this fragrance no matter what it is called!

May was definitely a slow burning month and I have a feeling June will be very similar. I’m still trying to find the optimum place to burn candles for maximum throw and honestly don’t have a burn list planned. What scents do you think I should melt next month to get out of this slump? Share in the comments!

April 2017 Candle Empties

April 2017 Candle Empties

April was a crazy busy month because we FINALLY moved! Between packing everything up, moving it all, and trying to start unpacking I didn’t have too much time to focus on my melting life. With that in mind, I was able to get through 3 candles and 11 wax melts.

April 2017 Candle Empties

Sugared Lemon Zest (3-wick) – This is a dupe for the BBW staple Limoncello which is a basic sugared lemon fragrance. Surprisingly this is the first time I’ve tried it out and honestly wasn’t too impressed. It’s a nice scent that had a decent throw but even with the sweetness it smelled a bit too much like cleaner for me. I’ll pass on variations in the future.
Key Lime pie (3-wick) – Wow, this candle was incredible and absolutely lived up to the hype! I was crazy about the sweet bakery lime fragrance on cold and it didn’t disappoint when burning either. Flawless burn and threw around an 8. I got a few more stashed away for coming years and highly recommend getting your hands on this at Kohl’s before they’re gone for good!
Lemon Pound Cake (1-wick, DNF) – On cold, this was the perfect bakery lemon fragrance! Unfortunately the burn was so bad and there was 0 throw so I decided to just DNF the candle. I have one more candle in my collection from Our Own Candle Company that I’ll be giving a try this summer and I’m crossing my fingers for better results!

April 2017 Wax Empties

Pink Velvet – I clearly couldn’t get enough of this sugary citrus scent last month and melted through another clamshell. I’ll always want to repurchase this and have a few more stocked up in case they discontinue it!
Gryffindor – On cold this just smelled like another basic lemon fragrance, but upon melting more of the raspberry that is promised comes out. I enjoyed it while it lasted but just wasn’t crazy about it.
Limoncello (x4) – This smelled exactly like the Sugared Lemon Zest candle and helped amp it up while burning. Again, it smelled too much like cleaner for me and I just wanted to get through my stash.
Iced Lemon Poundcake (x2) – My absolute favorite lemon fragrance on the market! I love mixing this with Vanilla Cookie Crunch and filling my home with the most delicious lemon bakery scent. Now that I’ve tried a few other lemon scents, I can tell you this is all I want to focus on in years to come. Will be stocking up since it’s a limited edition!
Vanilla Cookie Crunch – A beautiful bakery fragrance amazing on it’s own or mixed with just about anything. I only buy the bulk packs and this is the second clamshell I’ve gone through this year. I always have more stocked up too!
Key Lime Pie – This is a perfect example of Kohl’s quality – the candle in this fragrance was outstanding but the melt just smelled like lime crayons. It wasn’t appealing in the least bit and had to be mixed with VCC. Would not recommend trying this form, just stick to the candle!
Happy Home – If you’re a fan of lemon-lime scents, this is a great option for you. It turns out I’m not crazy about the combination and just quickly melted through this clamshell. It also had a strong waxy note that sometimes overpowered the actual fragrance. Definitely won’t be picking this up ever again.

April 2017 Fragrance Empties

Tea & Lemon (wallflower) – Slightly sweetened tea with a hint of lemon juice make this great fragrance. It unfortunately didn’t perform as well as past years but I still enjoyed it when I got whiffs. If BBW brings this back I’ll stock-up!
Cotton Candy (hand soap) – A basic sweet fragrance perfect for spring, but didn’t linger at all after washing your hands which was a disappointment. Not sure I’ll go out of my way to pick up this Easter soap again in the future if the quality doesn’t improve.

I think it’s safe to say that when things get busy I tend to melt more than burn. The lemon-lime theme was quite enjoyable and my hands-down favorite of the month was Key Lime Pie from Kohl’s. I probably won’t have time to post a burn list for May, but I’m going to try focusing on berry fragrances and can’t wait to share everything with you when time permits!

What did you burn through in April? Share in the comments!

Burn List – April 2017

April 2017 Burn List

Remember last month when I told you we were moving? Well that didn’t happen and SHOULD be happening this month. Rather than making an extensive list, I’m going to try and simplify. I probably won’t be able to burn candles nearly as much as I’ll be able to melt wax, so the list will definitely be heavier in that category.

CANDLES

• Sugared Lemon Zest – Bright Lemon Zest, Sorrento Lemons, Cane Sugar”
• Lemon Mint Leaf – “Sparkling Lemon Zest, Spearmint Leaves, Verbena Sprigs”
• Lemon Pound Cake – “A warm lemon poundcake that just popped out of the oven.”

WAX MELTS

• Pink Velvet – “This sweet and fun fragrance mingles sugared lemon, apple and pineapple into a sweet heart of tropical punch and red currant. Sugar cane and vanilla bean in the base deliver a captivating finish.”
• Gryffindor – “Frosted Lemon Meringue Cheesecake with raspberry glaze.”
• Iced Lemon Poundcake (x2) “A medley of homemade vanilla infused pound cake drizzled in lemon essence icing and a twist of candied lemon zest.”
• Limoncello (x4) “Sorrento Lemons, Cane Sugar, Lemon Zest”
• Vanilla Cookie Crunch – A warm blend of bakery vanilla & sugar cookies

Clearly, I’m focusing on sweet lemon scents this month. While the list might not be extensive, I’m trying to be realistic. (Technically, I have 9 melts to get through which will take a while.) If I find that I have more time to burn, I might break out a Key Lime Pie candle too!

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

March 2017 Candle Empties

March 2017 Candle Empties

March flew by! We didn’t end up moving yet again and did quite a bit of traveling instead. Because of this, I was able to melt through my entire burn list with a few extras too. During this floral transition month, I burned 6 candles and 9 wax melts.

March 2017 Candle Empties

Sugar Flower (1-wick) – Imagine a light vanilla cake with fondant frosting, this candle smells exactly like that with slight undertones of lavender. It was very light and threw around a 2 in my small kitchen. Even when I finished it off on the candle warmer did it only throw around a 4. At this point, I’m done purchasing Pure Radiance candles and only have 1 left in my collection to finish up.
Lavender Macaron (3-wick) – This was a beautiful blend of lavender, bakery, and black currant. When burning, it only threw around a 6 and ended up having PWS. On the candle warmer it threw around an 8. This remains one of my favorite blends BBW ever released and I’m happy to have a few more back-ups!
Champagne Toast (3-wick) – A candle we all know and love, this smells like sweet effervescent tangerines. One of the best burning candles I’ve had from BBW in a while with high flames, a gorgeous wax pool, and a 9 throw. Hoping my other back-ups from this past year will perform just as well!
Mocha Latte Swirl (3-wick) – If you’re looking for a creamy, sweet, coffee scent – this is the one for you! There is a top note of coffee, mid-notes of vanilla and caramel, and a bottom note of cocoa. It threw around an 8 and I wish they’d bring this back!
Tea & Lemon (3-wick) – This fragrance was a wonderful combination of slightly sweetened tea and squeezed lemon. It was a great transition candle that performed extremely well and threw around an 8. I would hands down buy this again if they ever brought it back.
Jelly Beans (1-wick) – A wonderful grape scent with undertones of berry and lemon that unfortunately only threw around a 4. I got this back in 2014 on a super sale and while I enjoyed the actual fragrance, I wouldn’t pick it up again based on the performance.

March 2017 Wax Empties

Rose Soda (x2) – If you are a floral person, you’d probably love this fragrance. It was a generic rose scent that lacked any fizzy soda note like the name suggests. I mixed it with Vanilla Cookie Crunch and it was pretty much undetectable at that point. Ultimately this was a disappointment.
Pink Tulips – Oh my gosh, I really wish Scentsy still sold this fragrance! This past month I tried out florals for the first time and this was hands down my favorite. This was floral and fruity combined which was absolutely lovely throughout my home! If they ever bring this back I will hoard it.
Umbridge – On cold this smells like a rose tea but when warming you get the slightest hint of a salty bakery treat, it was amazing! If I ever want a rose fragrance again in the future, this will be my go-to choice. (Plus it’s Harry Potter themed, what more could you want?)
Pink Velvet (x2) – A wonderful sugary scent with notes of bakery and citrus. A favorite melt of mine that I never want to be without!
Sipping Tea – This is very similar to BBW Tea & Lemon, but a little lighter on the lemon note and has a different type of tea base. Still lovely and very much enjoyable.
Jelly Beans (x2) – I really wanted to amp up the candle with the melt form of the fragrance, but this was too old and unscented. I actually threw out my second Jelly beans and don’t plan on buying anymore Yankee Candle wax melts.

March 2017 Fragrance Empties

Winter Rose (wallflower) – Just like the candle, this smells like a straight up rose scent. The fragrance didn’t travel far but did last until the oil evaporated half-way through the month.
Lavender Macaron (wallflower) – I didn’t have high hopes for this wallflower based on bad reviews. However I was able to smell it throughout the entire month in the close vicinity of the actual plugin.
Cotton Blossom (hand soap)
 – This was a repackage of Sea Island Cotton which is my favorite hand soap. It’s fresh, clean, and the scent lingers for hours. Hands down will always repurchase this fragrance no matter what it is called!
Lemon Buttercream (hand soap) – Last year, everyone was hyping this fragrance up so I purchased a few without actually using it. That was a mistake because this smells like a sweetened alcohol. There’s hardly any lemon fragrance and the astringent alcohol note lingers on your hands.
Merry Cookie (hand sanitizer) – I’ve been working on this little guy since December and the worst part, I wasn’t impressed by the scent. Sure, it’s a typical sweet and sugary fragrance. But mixed with the alcohol it just didn’t smell “right” and I wanted to wash my hands after using it.

While I enjoyed almost everything I melted this month, the outstanding favorite was Umbridge by Super Tarts. I’m happy to be moving on from florals this upcoming month and focusing on fresh citrus scents!

What did you burn through in March? Share in the comments!

Pistachio Scent Guide

Pistachio Scent Guide

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!