Monday, January 19, 2015

Alamo Candelaria: Outlander Release


Ready for the photo deluge? It just happens when Alamo hits the house. 


Kyme announced an Outlander themed release around October last year (I believe, may have been earlier) and I was on CLOUD 9! She did a partial release the other night and I missed all the soaps but one and I missed the Fraser's Ridge wax. Let me tell you, Fraser's Ridge must be the one to get. Those strawberries and strawberry blossoms are so stinkin' beautiful. Can we all take a proper moment to admire that Scottish thistle wax seal? Lovely. 


Standing Stones Wax Crack- Nice sized motely wax brittle with a description of this: A sparkling, woody herbal with a citrusy bergamot, lavender, basil, amber, sage and oak moss. This scent takes me back to elegant perfumes of Guerlain's and Chanel's heyday. Truly a beautiful and unique vintage green scent.


MamaCita- Ai Popi! This scent is muy delicioso! Me gusta! Ok, enough torturing you with bad Spanish. Alamo's scent description includes: Juicy sweet black grapes, strawberries, red wine, raspberries, and juicy tart lemon. All these notes meld to bring forth a sangria lemonade. Sangria lemonade?! Man does that sound refreshing! Somebody jump on making that a recipe. In the meantime, I will enjoy my sangria lemonade in the only form I can. Wax. Yum. 


Indigo- Look at those colors. I swoon. Kyme's description of Indigo: Fresh rain, sweet grass, ozone, earthy patchouli, oak moss, and sweet amber musk. Kyme does fresh like no one's business. She manages to paint illustrations of coastal shores, mountain vistas, dessert air, all fresh and clear, without hinting at laundry day or chemical laden colognes. Indigo is a study of those rare clear Scottish mornings, washed clean by night rain, heather and thistle blooming on the moors under a robin's egg blue sky. Invigorating. Chilly. Fresh.


The one soap left, Bloody Man, was coming home to me. The soap included a perfume oil of the same scent. I was hoping these would be packaged in the papier-mache'  books she creates as boxes (SO COOL) but alas, they were not. The only book box was for the perfume sampler, and as a not huge fan of perfume oils, I was not going to buy it just for the box. So far. I cross my fingers she decides to make boxes for the next release.





Bloody Man- Rich smokey wood, reminiscent of whisky, with oaky vanilla undertones. The woods stand out the most, rough bark, crunching leaf litter, the scent of some unknown stranger bivouacking off in the distance. I adore this soap. The plaid, the rustic texture, the aroma, all create a physical Outlander experience. I have finally begun using my Alamo Candelaria soap and it is incredible. I highly, highly recommend her Leatherosa. 



The perfume oil runs along the same lines as the soap. Slightly sweet and smoked woods. I will give this a whirl, and worse case scenario, I have a gorgeous mini vial. I may also mix it with unscented lotion or put a few drops in my bath. Can you make bath salts from perfume oil?



Free Sample in Dragonfly in Amber- Why oh why did I not scoop this up?! Lesson learned. Not passing it up again. To be honest, I thought it was going to be a dupe for Victoria Secret's Amber Romance (which, despite my love of amber, I am discovering I am not a huge fan of) but it is not. Here is the description: A warm, sweet woody amber vanilla, bergamot, bay leaf pathcouli, frankincense, myrrh, nutmeg, clove, with rich notes of ambergris, balsam fir, cedar, and sandalwood. Those notes! I shy away from too syrupy sweet ambers, but the cedar, incense, and spices really tone the vanilla down and create a more woody amber. Sap oozing orange and gold from the tree bark, rather than cloying sugared syrup. The patch and ambergris in here really transforms the scent too, drying it out and salting it. J'adore!


So. Outlander. Yeah. Still fangirling. Ob-viously. 

I am reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, satisfying #9 on the book challenge (a book with a color in the title). It is heart wrenching and I cannot put it down. It also makes me daydream about NYC again. So far I have completed numbers 2, 6, and 22 on the list. Working on 9 and 17. What numbers are you working on? Have you tried Alamo Candelaria yet? 

18 comments:

  1. I see Adam's post has had some editing done to it. :P

    ~Deb

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    1. LOL!! Yes. Heavily edited. Couldn't have body parts and barnyards and comparisons to maligned hobos published. Poor Adam. Maybe he should start his own blog. :-o

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    2. I JUST THOUGHT THE SAME THING! LOLOL!!

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  2. Julie J., you have provided me with great happiness and an empty wallet! Your Alamo Candelaria recommendation has resulted in A LOT of beautiful wax/soaps. Thanks so much for your great blog!

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words Anon! My pockets lose weight after releases like this too! Kyme just announced restocking if the wax so Fraser's Ridge and Dragonfly in Amber are coming home. Her soaps are so fab. Do you have a favorite? I just saw Blackberry & Bay and had to have it. :-)

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    2. I purchased Dragonfly In Amber, Standing Stones and Indigo and they are all exceptional. Alamo is a wonderful business through and through: packaging, design, labeling, everything is well thought out and beautiful.

      Since I know you love beautiful things, you should check out Bathhouse Soapery in Hot Springs Arkansas. They have a unique fragrance line that spans a nice collection of soaps, lotions, home fragrance and the like. I read about them on Candlescoop.com and I'm a confirmed addict!

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    3. Hi Kevin! I couldn't agree more. Kyme has a customer for life in me.

      Thank you for the Bathhouse rec. I stopped by and they do have some lovely items. The rose soap, mineral bath salts and lip balms all look amazing. What do you think about their signature scent, Bathhouse Couture? Or what are your favorite scents from them? Thanks for stopping by!

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    4. Ha! Funny you should ask. I'm a guy and typically seek out woodsy/spicy/fresh scents but I decided to try Bathhouse Couture. It's a very fresh, appealing, feminine mix of berries and white flowers. It smells like Spring, happiness, sunshine and Lana Del Rey in a sundress. Really pretty without being cloying. I also enjoy their Milk linen spray lightly applied to a warm bathrobe prior to watching a good movie in front of a roaring fire. Mmmm, cosy!

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    5. I tend to gravitate towards woodsy/spicy as well but there is one thing I learned from diving into the perfume world and that is everything can be unisex :-)

      I am glad I asked you! Bathhouse Couture sounds beautiful! I wish I could say the robe/movie/roaring fire was within my grasp but alas, my lack of a robe and fireplace prohibit such indulgent moments. BUT! Milk linen spray sounds perfect for spraying on my quilts to snuggle in (while drinking tea and devouring a novel). Thank you Kevin! A Bathhouse order is being plotted. :-D

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  3. ahhhhh!!! I LOVE IT!!! i am stalking my mailbox.. cant wait for my order to arrive! I, too, am hoping she does the soaps as a set... i would snatch those right up!

    Book challenge: I am working on #1 (Game of Thrones), #6 (Sabriel by Garth Nix), &#11 (The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling). Lots of reading in my future! i'm so excited! ^_^

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    1. Excited for you too!!! Soap book boxes like her other series was exactly what I was looking forward to. But I will take what I can get ;-)

      GAME OF THRONES!! Yes!!!! I have had Casual Vacancy on my to-read list FOREVER. Great picks! I finished Goldfinch last night and am going to take a wee book break. Maybe a day or so. I really need to dive into my Nook books.

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  4. Outlander scents -- how cool!!! So excited for you!! Ooh I've heard good things about The Goldfinch but I've never read it!

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    1. Cool indeed :-) brings the book to life.

      I gave The Goldfinch 4 stars but Theo's thoughts were about unrealistic to me for a 13 year old. Seemed way too cosmopolitan and mature at times. But it was an interesting story. I would have been better served to skip the last chapter. Not in much agreement on the author's (Theo's) outlook on life.

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  5. She is so amazing! I can't get over the artistry. And yes, you can make bath salts with the perfume oil. I have done it successfully. Just get epsom or another type of nice bath salt, and put it in a mason jar. Add a few drops at a time, and shake. Eventually you'll find a nice level of scent. :)

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    1. Thank you!! I will do that then. I might try to track down some Dead Sea salt at a local health store.

      June's stuff is truly artistic! I loved seeing your photos on IG the other day.

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    2. Kyme's stuff! Not June. Who is this June?! :-)

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  6. AN OUTLANDER LINE! You must be in heaven! :) You got a tonnnnn of excellent stuff!

    Julie...I haven't read one book. NOT ONE. HELP ME! What am I doing wrong? I need to stop reaching for my dang phone!

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    1. I AM in heaven!! And she released a few more that were sold out so I got those too.

      LAUREN. Books are fun! Books love you. Books are begging to take you on fabulous adventures!! What if you read from your phone? Would that help? Or designated the hour before bed as reading? Or read during lunch?

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