Friday, September 30, 2016

Ebb & Flow: September


Perfume:
Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau 

Soap:
FuturePrimitive Opium Den

Makeup:
Too Faced Sun Bunny Bronzer

Nail Polish:
Rescue Beauty Lounge Killa Red

Candle:
Bath & Body Works Leaves

Wax:
Dessa's Homespun Scents Apples & Cinnamon

Reading:
Prodigal Summer  by Barbara Kingsolver

Watching:
"Stranger Things" and Andrew Zimmern eating anything.

Awaiting:
The Five Sisters Crafternoon, I hope it works out for all of us to attend.

Dreading:
Renewing my drivers license. I have the same photo from when I was 19. I just know they will make me change it.  LOL!

Hit:
Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo

Miss:
Hourglass Illusion Skin Tint... too putty like. 

Low:
Feeling like I am scrambling a lot lately. Not as organized as I would like. Dinners not planned. Not taking care of myself. Get it together Johnson. Get it together.

High:
Surprising the girls with the trip to Islands of Adventure and Hogwarts/Hogsmeade was pretty great. I may have enjoyed it as much or more than they did.

How was your September? Highs or lows? Any hits or misses?

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Candles From The Keeping Room: September Order


I am officially set for fall. A successful Candles From The Keeping Room order was placed and received. Honestly, I could probably scent my house for a few falls after this big mama arrived. And given the longevity of Carol's creations that really isn't too far off the mark. 


Sticky Cinnamon Bun cuttable- Warmly spiced rolls dripping with royal icing. And look how stinking cute! $4.25

Crisp and Candied cuttable- Delicious Christmas. Jovial apples, merrily shining like rubies and emeralds in honor of glad tidings, nestled in a copper bowl. Woods, spice and pomanders, trimmings just for this armful of Christmas apples. $7.50


Pumpkin shaped tarts in:

Butternut Pumpkin- Pumpkin desserts baked with cinnamon, clove and almond extract. Topped with vanilla marshmallow cream and caramelized. A new favorite.

Frost on the Pumpkin- Golden honeyed pumpkin and spice. Mellow and sweet. Brilliant.

Pumpkin Wreath- Pumpkins and apples and spice grounded with woods, earth, leaves and a drop of maple syrup. Rich and gratifying.


Ultimate Sugar Cookie- One of the richest cookies I have smelled in wax. Vanilla heavy and wonderful.

Amish Quilt is a repurchase. One of the sweetest and best spice-centric Amish Quilt blends out there.

The Keeping Room- I cannot believe I have not smelled this one before. It is a vanilla clove dream. Just a splash of almond to smooth it out. Comforting bliss. 


Apple Cobbler Delight- Jacqui gifted me a tart in this many moons ago and I loved it. It was the one big request I had for Carol and she made it! I love Carol's attention to her customers and how she strives to fulfill everyone's scent wishes. This is a special apple cinnamon scent that is sweetened with glugs  apple juice and cider, a teaspoon of homemade vanilla extract.

Apple Dumpling- Hot and warm cinnamon apples baked with red and green and yellow pear slices. But with that extra hit of burning cinnamon. Love it. 


Aspen Caramel Woods- Don't let the name fool you, this is a fruity floral gourmand perfume scent featuring jasmine and plums drenched in caramel. The dulcet scent can suggest soft woods with vanilla. 

Woodland Foliage- Evergreen trees from the rooty ground up to the resinous needles, sugared with crushed wild strawberries and earthy with patchouli leaves.

Merlin's Forest, another repurchase, ahhhh that old hippy Merlin. Making magic among the trees. His sorcery smells like nag champa and feathery amber.


Blood Orange Patchouli- Yes mama. Patchouli, dusty and brown, crumbling and dry like leaf litter on a woodland floor. Dried dimpled crescents of grapefruit, orange and lemon peels add luminance to the forest bed. IN LOVE.

Juniper Berry & Cedar is a repurchase. On cold there is a little harshness of green from the juniper and dry cedar but it warms and softens upon melting and the citrus pulls out some sweet roundness. A favorite for serenely scenting the atmosphere.


Aspen Winter, a repurchase and dupe for Bath & Body Works Winter scent. A favorite.

Christmas Cabin- Bayberry, cranberry and cinnamon create a woody Christmas cabin vibe indeed. 


Balsam and Citrus, a repurchase times about ten. Between this one, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Plumberry Spice, Carol has all my Christmas favorites. This one is candied orange peel, crusted with crystal sweetness infused with tender Christmas tree incense.

Spun Peppermint, repurchase, light peppermint oil swirled with cotton candy, vanilla, frosting and candy. I almost swear I detect that ever famous Fresh Picked Strawberry hidden in a peppermint nook. 


The generous bag of free sampled adorned with the most winsome pumpkin in the patch. 


I got an ear of corn! <3
Brown Sugar Pound Cake- Vanilla sour cream pound cake shaped in a bundt pan with a slightly caramelized sugar crust. Slightly plastic on cold but that will melt off nicely I bet.


Pumpkin Rice Crispy Treats- Excellent! A true pumpkin treat scent. The marshmallow and puffed rice of Krispies shines through with the candied pumpkin and placid spice. 

Jelly Filled Pumpkin Donut- Red medley of berry jelly filling a pumpkin batter donut and snowed with powder sugar. 

Sweet Pomegranate and Orange- Tart, sugared and juicy with a bit of soft floral. Strong on the citrus. 


Twisted Peppermint- Icy, sweet and perfect. This will be high on my list for the next time I can order.

Marc Jacobs Honey- A pretty floral perfume that reminds me of a more subtle and powdery version of Elizabeth Arden's Sunflowers. 

Mont Blanc Legend- Mmmmmmm... sexy man without smelling too strongly of harsh cologne. Rounder and furred with vetiver grass. 


Gin and Tonic- Lime and genteel juniper with a splash of gingered soda. I quite like it.  

Angelica- Bombastic floral. A dupe of some perfume I am sure. 

Turquoise Sky- The beach. A little citrus and aquatic tones of salty sea air. Driftwood. Vetiver? Is this the Calypso scent from The Bathing Garden? Hmmm. 

There goes one of my favorite Candles From The Keeping Room orders ever, documented for posterity. I am head over heels and will have some festive and strong smelling scents to herald in the holidays. Carol will be opening again for orders October 8th if you want to catch it. Make sure you are a member of her Facebook group and watch for her to announce the website as open. 

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Fall Fun Series: Random Acts of Kindness



Today's post in the Fall Fun Series line up revolves around a Random Act of Kindness. Good deeds are generally done, in my neck of the woods, under the radar. The right hand shouldn't know what the left hand is doing and all that. But sometimes the world needs good news and joyful noise. In honor of RAOK Day I sent out a box of treats to someone new to the wax world yesterday.


As a member of Pottermore, I got an email yesterday morning announcing the sale of these shirts to benefit Lumos, J.K. Rowling's charity for vulnerable children and families. I bought one for about $34 shipped (this raglan style). They are offered for about one more week with 60% of the proceeds donated to the cause if anyone feels the urge to check it out. 

A third act of kindness will be to send one of you guys a box of treats. If you are interested in being entered, just leave a comment below telling me about an act of kindness that touched you recently.

Some melts I have enjoyed this weekend include: 
CFTKR Apple Jack and Peel
Bath and Body Works Leaves candle
Butterfly Lane Mountain Cider and Country Splendor blend

Happy autumn! May kindness fall on you, soft and sweet. <3

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Society6: Harry Potter Heavy Duty Phone Case


Back in April I slipped and fell on some rocks and braced myself with my phone, screen side down. After several screen repairs (they would never take well due to the bent phone frame) and mucho wasted dinero, my mom, who works at AT&T, kindly reminded me that I have the teacher's insurance plan. Doh. Since I had never used my insurance in the decade or so of having it, I got half off the deductible. I handed over $112 and got a new replacement phone. And a new phone needs a case that isn't cracked and damaged from previously mentioned tumble. 


I patiently waited for a Society6 sale and sure enough, $5 off phone cases and free shipping popped up in my inbox. I splurged on the new heavy duty style phone case which looks very much like the Otter Box. It was $40 shipped with the deal. It has a screen protector, plugs for all openings to keep dust out and a rubberized durable case. 


But the truly awesome part is the artwork on the back: Harry and Hagrid and even Dobby, is that McGonagall as a cat? Of course it is. And it is magical. 

If you use the link to Society6 above and make a purchase of $30 or more you will get $10 off your next order and I will too. And a chance to win a $250 Society6 shopping spree. I would totally buy all the cool coffee mugs with that.


Friday, September 23, 2016

Fall Fun Series: Fall Favorite

Happy Fall!


Mums and cinnamon brooms are the two things I look forward to gracing my home with each fall. My fall favorites. The cinnamon brooms were not quite out at the market yet, but mums there were a plenty. 


I picked up three at Walmart. I hope I can keep them alive at least until Thanksgiving... or Halloween.


Something else arrived that I look forward to getting each fall as well...


A big honking box of goodies from Carol at Candles From the Keeping Room.


Let me tell ya. It was a good one. I will post it this week coming up. 

Some melts I have enjoyed:
Blending Mainstays Mulled Cider with Woodwick Cinnamon Cheer (very good!) and Candles From the Keeping Room Amish Quilt and Apple Dumpling.

I kinda miss shooting the breeze with my melting basket posts, which are on hiatus during the Fall Fun Series so I am stealing this moment. Beware... I do get a little personal on this one so if natural talk bothers you, consider closing out here. <3

I am reading White Oleander right now and I think it is making me a little exhausted with my extra hormones and all. But I will definitely be finishing it. We are headed up to visit one of my best friends who is having a house warming/wedding celebration. I am quite excited to see her, as we don't get to very often. I had a nice week at work. A student gifted me a sweet stuffed animal that she made into a pandacorn (half panda, half unicorn) and after a particularly rough day of cramping and Blood Moon misery I came home to flowers and a note from my husband that he had put a pint of Ben & Jerry's in the freezer "to sooth your weary uterus." I "awwwww'd" out loud and said "he really does love me!" and Scarlette's voice came from behind reminding me "Mama, he has always loved you." 

Is your fall off to a good start? Do you have any items you look forward to getting each autumn? Are you a cinnamon broom or mums kinda person? Let me know how you are doing. Please check out the blogs on my sidebar to see what fall item must-haves they love to get.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Pink Mermaid Wax Melts

These tarts were sent free from Pink Mermaid Wax Melts.


The cutest little box of tarts arrived. Pink Mermaid Wax Melts popped up on Instagram a little while ago and the owner, Michelle, reached out and sent me a few things. 


Some very cute things! And from not too far away in Port St. Lucie on the east coast of Florida near where I have some family. 


Mermaid Lemonade, from what I can see on her website, is a signature house blend. Sadly, I do not get along with lemonade in wax at all. This one has a powdery tang and some added floral sweetness. I could see how this would be really popular with a lot of people but I just cannot do lemonade, my nose is not nice to its translation. But check out that flower! So lovely. And this is the first time I have had big glitter on wax. I see that it is becoming quite the trend though. Reminds me of my indie nail polish hoarding days. Not sure how much this would cost as I do not see anything comparable to it on her site currently. 


Icy Groves blends oranges and peppermint for a unique spin. Again, sadly, I cannot really do mints and fruits together. Separately, I love mint. And I like a good orange. I feel really bad about this but I cannot change my nose. I will save this one for someone else to enjoy with the first one. This 2.9 ounce shape can be ordered in any scent for $3.25 at the moment. 


"Big" Waves is the Lush dupe for Big, which I have been wanting to try forever since my friend Sunnee loves how this stuff smells. I am not sure how it smells in real life, but this wax dupe leans a little laundry. The neroli, orange blossom and musk are freshened up and scrubbed clean. It threw medium in Scarlette's bedroom and medium-strong in the bathroom. This custom 3 ounce shape is $3.25 and can be ordered in any scent during a pre-sale that is going on now. The pigment is really strong in the one and may not be suitable for white warmers.


So pretty!



Driftwood gave me quite the huzzah moment. It is the same exact scent that The Bathing Garden calls Calypso and it was marvelous. This is the same shape she uses too. They are $2.25 each in any scent. Driftwood was cut in half and threw strong in my living area and kitchen warmers. 

I enjoyed the Driftwood tart and would love to try her tarts in other scents I would like as well. She has a Hocus Pocus sampler that looks amazing! She offers a lot of shapes and is growing a nice scent list at reasonable prices. 

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Etat Libre d'Orange: Remarkable People


Etat Libre d'Orange Remarkable People- Notes: Grapefruit, champagne, cardamom, jasmine, curry, black pepper, labdanum, sandalwood, lorenox.

Tawny micro-globes of sunlight rise from a grapefruit mimosa, is this early morning shower fresh indulgence or early morning after a cosmopolitan night painting the town red and enjoying the sunrise with a tuft of the hair of the dog that bit you? The dawning sunlight citrus fuzzes with warmth and muffled spice that ushers in the sly jasmine, clement under the persuasion of pepper and cardamom and curry. These notes sound piquant and brass and thunderous on their own but all are finely milled like talc and blend into the flesh like memory. The sable tones of labdanum and leathery amber lorenox smudge just a little darkness under bedroom eyes. Still never sure if the gaze is pre or post assignation. 


I bought this 0.16 ounce travel spray for $12.00 at Sephora. It is a seductive, eloquent and beautiful scent. A people pleaser that won't stretch anyone out of a comfort zone but just a little something extra to remind you it is not your average fragrance. I will be seeking out a larger bottle. Adam approves. And Adam rarely approves.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

The Bathing Garden: Poisoned Graveyard and Scare Collections


This was one for the ages. When Shannon released her new Bathing Garden collections for fall about a month and a half ago, I stuck my arm out and raced down the aisles pell mell, shoveling what I wanted in my cart that doth protested and checked out ala SuperMarket Sweep. Even with this veritable bounty I still spy out a few odds and ends I would not mind trying. Particularly the Belladonna Tincture salt scrub (look at the hunks of salt on that thing!!!). The photo above contains my actual purchases.


Scrub-a-dub. Magic Green Soup and Ever Night are perennial favorites of mine and I buy them every time they pop up. I have reviewed them 2 or 3 times in the past so we'll be by passing them this time. 


Faded Opulence- Clove, ginger, blood orange, and bubbling soda.
Faded Opulence was like sushi or boba tea for me. The first time I tried it I hated it, then the second time I sorta liked it then I found myself randomly craving it. Very bubbly and bright with the saturated blood orange and the dynamism of cola and spice. Like a grown up soda. All regular scrubs come in an 8 ounce container and run $9.00.


I got a sample of this Colossal Pumpkin Lantern parfait a couple years ago and the girls and I drooled over it every time it got used in the shower. And guys. It is kinda a big deal. Because it smells like pumpkin marbled brownies. And I am not into chocolate usually. But this is wonderful. The creamy softness of the whipped soap feels marvelous with the scrubby sugar of the other half. $12.50 and totally worth it.



This one is a specialty scrub that Shannon has released quite a few years now in a row. Toxic Earth brews a cauldron of coffee butter, organic mocha beer, rhassoul clay, scented with whiskey, caramel, cake, coffee and beer. Oh lawd. Coffee, sweet with cream and sugar and a pump of caramel, starts it out with that whiskey and beer combo sneaking around the edges. This is my virgin tub of it and I cannot wait to dig in with a four finger scoop on a brisk fall day to perk up my senses. $12.50 for an 8 ounce container due to higher cost ingredients.



Ever Night scrub and lotion in my favorite Lush scent: Twilight.


Wax tarts are $3.75 a clamshell. 


Skeleton & Moss- Fennel, star anise, licorice and green herbal notes.
Spooky! Damp chilled mausoleums walled with haunted love and stone hearts, mortared with moss and lichen and whispers. It softly moans with that green licorice fennel seed then I get a crack of spice on the tail end. Cinnamon? Clove? Genius scent. This is the bewitching trait of Shannon. She ensnares with amazing scents.

Death Becomes Her- Spun sugar, vanilla white buttercream, pink sugar peppermint cookies, and rock candy chips. 
I get icy cotton candy with suggestions of berries. No cookies or buttercream on cold but that may change. Unfortunately, I don't do mint and fruits well when they are combined. And that is what I get. 

Tombstone Dust- Green apple cinnamon cupcakes, with marshmallow brown sugar and caramel glaze. 
Excellent. That green apple. Much better than the mac apple overload I get sometimes. Tart, crisp, juicy and folded into cupcake batter, subtle caramel and spice. 


Haunted Hayride- Tart Granny Smith apples, caramel, cinnamon, pumpkin and hay. 
Love. That touch of hay completely transforms what would normally be a bakery scent into an evocative gourmand that features what else? But a chilly fall hayride with a cider steaming warm in one hand and a pumpkin pasty nestled in the other, baked dough folded over like a pocket of pumpkin pie. Add in a hand knitting scarf in maroon and I am there with windy curls in my eyes and cheeks plumped and pink.

Pumpkin Masquerade- Spiced pumpkin, pralines, butter and cream.
Yep. Dem pralines and cream, specifically pralines and cream ice cream with a little swirl of spiced caramel. I am not sure if I smell pumpkin or not yet. I will need to melt to further that thought.

Poisoned Apothecary- Hot mulled apples cider and woody undertones.
A love. Mulled cider with dusty cinnamon bark curls perfumed with cedar. If you love woods then you might like this.


Do you see that weeny skull?!? I want to quote some old Billy Shakes with him perched on my pinky. 


The bony arm and hand of the dearly departed. Look at that mica sheen. Art.



Hades & Persephone- Citrus, cognac, musk, patchouli and ozone.
Like I mentioned last Bathing Garden post, I still get that nod to Lush's Karma with a veil of patchouli and dried orange peels and aged in a Grand Marnier bottle. Love it. If you like patchouli and orange, or Karma, get this bad boy. Plus the name? Yes? Loved Greek mythology in college. 

Pumpkin Butterscotch Chip Waffles- Pumpkin waffled swirled with butterscotch chips.
Pretty explanatory. Pumpkin Pecan Waffles dupe enriched with legit butterscotch morsels. Like Nestle Tollhouse sells in the baking aisle to grace cookies with or make those incredibly addictive 7 layer magic bars that mash chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, sweetened condensed milk and plop it on a butter and graham cracker crust and causes you to lose all reason and sense and caloric calculating. Or that could be just me. Probably is. 

Wolfsbane Bites- Rich holiday cookies, butter, Moroccan mint. 
Mostly the Moroccan mint I know and love and lather with in many a soap bar, particularly Handmade in Florida, but with a little added creamy sweetness from the holiday cookies. Not an overly bakery scent. 



Faded Opulence- Same as the scrub.
Beads of fizzing blood orange artisan soda rise to the nose on an infusion of ginger root with wooden stars on clove resting on the bottom of the bottle. 

Faerie Bonfire- Leaves, vanilla, sandalwood and brown sugar.
A true fireside scent that uses caramelized brown sugar crust to rub against the slightly acrid tang of embers. I enjoy this one on occasion and like blending with it too. Particularly, blending vanilla, marshmallow or spiced fall scents.




These three I have blogged about so much I am just going to leave them here as a reminder of how often I repurchase them: Magic Green Soup (a Lush Jungle dupe), Belladonna Tincture (a Lush Lord of Misrule dupe), and Ever Night (the best Lush Twilight dupe for wax out there). All solid throwers for me and all staples.


Cemetery Keys- Tonka bean, lime citrus and a sugary white floral.
You know I had to get this. And it does not disappoint. Vanilla doused wooden tonka beans serve as the main dish, garnished with a tang of lime and a very light touch of musk. I would not say this smells like a white floral at all, but it does have the element of perfume to it. 

Deadly Gardens- Tonka bean, sparkling rose and jasmine, citrus and vetiver.
Another gorgeous scent. A scent to make your beautiful home feel even more beautiful. Or a sophisticated bedroom scent. The rose is sweet without being candied, and the vetiver adds some woods and sweetgrass. I bet this is a dupe for something, just not sure what. 


Pumpkin Pie Spice
Rich and spicy but also a touch of white pepper from the cardamom. Not your average Pumpkin Spice. This was 1.3 ounces for $1.50.


Netherworld Zombie- Dirt, espresso, lime, whiskey and chocolate. 
You will get about 3.5 ounces of tiny pumpkins (five in mine) for $4.50 that are bagged with love. A tiny pumpkin button adorns orange organza ribbon. The scent. My goodness. Soil and dark chocolate like fresh turned earth around a witch's cottage. A bite of acidic lime from the cold tombstone gargoyle looming near the front door. Coffee splashed with a wicked brew from the XXX clay jug on the shelf inside, steams at the table. The witch enjoys her fortifying nightcap that will fuel her for the starry flight ahead. I am melting this on Halloween night. Such a crazy, crafty brew. 


The freebies.


Free scrubs in:
A Snow Globe World- Creamed vanilla buttermint delight.
Charm & Ruin- Sweet oranges and tangy fruit, festive.
Illusions of the Labyrinth- Citrus and musk, lovely. 


Colossal Pumpkin Lantern, happy to have this to try in wax form since I love it in the parfait.

Cardamom Potion brain!!!! I LOVE cardamom!! This one is a head scratcher. I get more a sugar and cardamom than anything else. Not a sharp, piquant or peppery cardamom, just really mellow and a little coconut and vanilla to it. I would love more of this. 


A witch tart in Belladonna Tincture. How beautiful is this? I wanted it, but was going to content myself with just the clamshell. I am so happy to have this. Sorry the last few photos are blurred. I took these pics in a rush and it shows. I am sorry guys. Normally I try to do my best but I was feeling the backlog of orders and wanted to get this up in time for people to still order from these collections if they want. 


Pink Candy Queen, Lush Snow Fairy dupe. 

Mr. Cratchit's Cider, love this one. More spice than cider and a little something refined. 

Guys. That was intense. Thank you for slogging through that with me. I told y'all I went buck wild. Now my wax storage is full again and ready for me to start melting. I do still have a little batch of orders I have not posted that I will sprinkle in here and there between the Fall Fun Series and such. 

Did you order from The Bathing Garden? Are any of these favorites?