I knew Carol would be opening Saturday the 12th between 10 and 11am according to her Facebook posts so I was waiting with baited breath and thumb ready for pouncing and scrolling on my phone. And look at what that crazy thumb found at
Candles From The Keeping Room. Everything. Beware.... this will be a long one. I focused more on getting Christmas scents and year 'round favorites. She will be opening one more time before the year ends and then will close for a couple months to rest, enjoy the holidays then begin planning for her big opening after the New Year.
Blue Cedar Lavender- A melange of notes comprises this herbal woodsy siren. A downy lavender skims the surface of a magical cedar forest, twinkling with amber and iris. A dream maker.
Spearmint- A sweet Wrigley's spearmint with soft mint chill.
Moroccan Mint- This will be a new staple. My husband's favorite soap is Moroccan Mint by Handmade in Florida and this reminds me of just that. Iced velvet mint leaves, spearmint and a breath of that dark tea leaf. A stunner.
Fresh Picked Strawberry- I can write odes and sonnets and love notes to number the grains of sands but I will just say this. It is my hands down favorite realistic strawberry scent from anyone. Ever. And this is coming from a gal who has grown up smelling ripe berries straight from the field to the market all her life and attended more Strawberry Festivals than I care to count. Repurchase times a thousand.
Strawberry Musk- Fresh Picked Strawberry infused with a lovely vanilla musk airiness. It has been far too long since I have had this on hand. An old favorite.
Pink Sugared Strawberry- I do not recall having a bag of this in the past but I must have tried for it several times. I scored this time. It smells a little on the light side on cold but that could very well change due to paraffin hiding its throw on cold. A perfect blend of pink sugar and FPS.
Strawberry Birthday Cake Fluff- The vanilla cake frosted with marshmallow fluff comes to the fore front the most with the juicy bits of strawberries acting as juicy sweet accents. Looking forward to melting this hunk of yum.
Woodland Foliage- My second time buying this one. Bark and pine and needles and wood with touches of light citrus zest and earthiness. Love.
Tokyo Nights- About the half dozenth time I brought this one home. Amber musk and plums. Unique and interesting. I love it to pieces.
Merlin's Forest- Going on my third bag of this enchanting incense delight.
White Cedar Forest- The notes on this one threw me for a loop: black coconut, cardamom, musk, cinnamon, praline and rose. Whoa. Yum. I wanted to melt this and not just do a cold sniff impression. When melted this comes across as a warm and creamy vanilla coconut with sophistication and depth from the cardamom and praline, all this without it being foody but more gourmand. As it melts it takes on this powdery amber woods tone that is just as beautiful. The throw was medium strong in my bedroom. I want this again.
Fig & Cassis- A brilliantly bright blend of sunny citrus, green creamy figs and subtle cinnamon. It reminds me of a high end candle with a Tuscan or Mediterranean vibrance. Bellissima!
Pumpkin Cream Soda- Yasmine and I were eyeing this this last few openings... I think she got hers but I forgot about mine! So when I saw this on Saturday I wagged my tail and plunked it in the cart. Subdued spice and pumpkin with mellow butterscotchy cream soda. I love, love, love Carol's cream soda.
Spiced Coquito- I fondly remember attending a December wedding where my friend Ivelisse had spiced coquito as wedding favors served in little glass bottles and stoppered with a cork. It was the most heavenly rum infused coconut milk spiced eggnog drink I have ever laid lips upon. When I spied some gals posting about a Spiced Coquito scent that Carol had, my nose begged to try it. The rum leans a little bourbon whiskey with a 100 proof potency. Once melted though, some of that melts away and the creamy coconut eggnog emerges with a rich brown sugar and soft spice swirled within. Once the creaminess burns away the rum comes out to play. The throw is about a medium. I can appreciate it but I probably would not buy it again unless it ends up growing on me.
Vanilla Pumpkin Marshmallow- Delish. 100% creamy pumpkin with a Vanilla Bean Noel depth and richness without any spice.
Vanilla Custard Filled Gingerbread- A bready and buttery gingerbread with an almost burnt sugar creme brulee crust. One bread slice melted with a medium light throw in the kitchen. Definitely will use two little breads next time.
Celtic Moonspice- I just love the name of this scent. I remember several years ago when I got into vendor wax, thinking that the name meant it had to be good. And it is if you are a spice lover. And this one overflows abundantly with sweet sweet spice.
Alpine Cheer- Cranberry balsam with a chillier, mountain breeze aroma behind it. I don't necessarily smell mint but when I pull my nose out of the bag from a deep inhale it feels tingly. I quite like this. It makes me think of Alpine Helen, GA when I sniff it.
Cinnamon & Spruce- Old and dusty curls of rough cinnamon bark with aged, primitive spruce boughs and rosemary twigs. Homespun, rustic Christmas. More herbal than sweet.
Twigs & Berries- My sister, Darby, introduced me to this fragrance when she placed a Can-Do Candles order a couple years back. I vaguely recalled liking it so I decided to try Carol's version. Tart juicy currants that almost have a red grapefruit tang pair with peach and woods. I nice variation on a Christmas theme.
Christmas Cabin- I picked up a second bag of this because I enjoyed the first one so much. A fairly straight forward blend of cranberry and spice but the bayberry makes it feel a little more earthy and rustic. Cabin nostalgia in full force.
Country Christmas- Never had this one before. Very similar to Christmas Cabin but less bayberry and more apples and oranges and lemon with the spiced cranberries. The bayberry smells more like evergreen as well. A classic Christmas scent.
Christmas Wassail- Just like the cut crystal bowl of Christmas punch. Cranberry juice, orange juice, mulled then chilled and topped with fat bobbing cranberries and wheels of orange slices. Tart, sweet, festive and a medium to medium strong thrower.
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy- I finally was quick enough to grab the lil plum booties! Huzzah! This one on my first Christmas favorites from Carol. Christmas trees figure prominently with just a touch of sweet tang from fruits. A wonderful thrower and a forever favorite.
Winter Cabin- This was one I had a few years in the past but missed having on hand. A cedar planked cabin sown into the forested mountainside, birch wood crackling in the hearth and resins smoldering in heartwood. The fire flames twinkle from the wood framed windows and beckon happy hearts to dwell inside.
Balsam & Citrus- Ahhhh.... my dear, sweet, beloved Balsam & Citrus. I love the evergreen scent in this one. The balsam is sweeter and more buoyant than the peppery pine in DotSPF. The cranberry and oranges are brighter and juicier as well. An all around lighthearted Christmas scent that smells amazing. I would even go as far as to say... are you ready for it.... if I could only have one scent for Christmas it would be this.
How cute is this Old World Santa?! He is scented in Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and is a gift for someone. Look how cute! He reminds me of a jolly gnome. He came wrapped in plastic then boxed and tied with homespun ribbon., perfect for gift giving.
Next up, free samples!
Orange Chiffon Birthday Cake cuttable, smells like how a full bodied orange cake would taste.
Miami Vici Cocktail blends strawberry daiquiri with pina colada, but pineapple always throws me off my tart game. We just don't get along.
Tropical Fruits houses both banana and pineapple. Two no notes for me.
Pear Berry Birthday Cake is a winner for my nose. Bright berries and crisp pear folded into vanilla cream.
Mediterranean Fig is lovely. Lots of blonde woods, vetiver and velvety plushness.
Champagne Toast (type) is a bubbly and fruity cocktail infused with blackberries and currants. Sweet and pretty.
Apricot Melon Fluff is delicious. Honeydew and peachy tart apricots.
Balance and Glow pulls like a honeyed citrus fruity floral fragrance to me. I like it.
Secret Potion is quite different. The lemony cucumber pulls through the strongest with soft fennel and sweet yuzu backing it up.
Moscato Pink swirls all sorts of notes out there. Mostly tropical fruits, soft zinfandel and raw coconut rise up to greet me.
Mulled Wine has my heart. A fiery brew to warm the gullet. It almost has that patchouli darkness that Lush's Hot Toddy has. Maybe not as earthy but definitely a darker aroma along those lines. LOVE. Thank you Mrs. Carol!! This is amazingness. I will be hunting it down come next year.
So I have no right to whine about not getting my Peppermint Meringue. I mean look at this beautiful bounty!! But I did miss it, though I nicely asked Carol for a sample of it as I checked out and she very sweetly gave it. It is a calming and toothsome blend of arctic peppermint, coconut, vanilla, creme de menthe and more! Divinity itself.
I also got a sample of Twisted Peppermint which sent me into raptures. A strong minty delight doubled up with vanilla and musk. Blissful!
Thar she be in all her glory. Probably one of my best Candles From The Keeping Room orders to date. I went all in and now I have brilliant scents to melt all through Christmas and winter and more. Carol's tarts have the longevity of a kale eating runner and will last me a few years at least. If I don't melt through them, which I will. Oh! Prices! All tarts bags are 6 ounces or more and cost $5.25, the Santa was $4.50 and the cake cuttable was $3.50. Shipping for this >gulp< 14 pound order was $16.56.
Did you order from this last opening? Will you order from her next and last one of the year? Is it bonkers for me to be excited about her first opening of 2017?! Probably, but curly candle smelling hair don't care.
