Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Dessa's Homespun Scents: Huge Fall Order


Ladies and gentlemen, I present my yearly epic fall wax haul from Dessa's Homespun Scents. Each scent featured was bought in a five ounce bag of shapes for $5.50. I had entirely too much fun picking shapes and selecting scents. There are still a few I forgot (Autumn Campfire?! How?!) but Dessa will be having a fall/Halloween sampler on sale September 1st so I may pick them up then. Regardless, I now have within my possession a ridiculously wonderful amount of autumnal aromas. 

Autumn Garland- A medley of zesty mandarin orange, autumn pear, tart cranberry and a background of autumn leaves. *New*
Plump cranberries simmer with orange zest in a pot on the stove while a touch of woods and honeyed nectar dance on the breeze and through the open windows. It almost reminds me of the BBW Leaves scent with extra helpings of vivid cranberries and oranges thrown in. I love it. Brilliant blend. 

Apples & Evergreen- Macintosh apples, freshly picked, on a back drop of pine forest.
Repurchase. Pine and balsam and evergreen, softly sweet and resinous, blended with shiny apples. 

Beach Night Bonfire- Salty sea spray mingles with campfire smoke wafting through the cool night air. *New*
Ocean and campfire, indeed, burst forth in a froth of sea foam and curling smoke. Right up my alley. Why have I lived in Florida all my life, spent copious amounts of time at the shore and yet have never actually been to a beach bonfire?


Apples & Cinnamon- Fresh apple slices generously topped with ground cinnamon.
Repurchase. Classic spicy apples with cinnamon scent. Robust and strong. Fragrant and comforting. Quite possibly my number one comfy cozy scent.

Smoky Mountain Berries- Fraser fir needles, fresh cranberries, bayberry leaves and a touch of vanilla.
Repurchase. Tartly sweet cranberries pair up with the bayberry and evergreen to create a traditional holiday fragrance. The added measure of vanilla really does lend a uniqueness to this scent that smooths the sometimes overly green edges of the fir needles. I would actually melt this all year but I always end up blowing through it over the holidays. 

Smoky Mountain Christmas- Smoky Mountain Berries blended with Christmas Tree. *New*
This one is more evergreen heavy but now it is reminding me of that Cranberry Citrus Balsam scent I adore, but with vanilla added. A new fast favorite. Different enough from Smoky Mountain Berries that I need both. Yep, I said need


This Old Cabin- Spicy hot ginger, warm apple sauce, a dash of cinnamon and the subtle earthiness of fresh outdoor pine.
Repurchase. The pine is more woody than camphorous and it may sound weird but I almost get a tobacco vibe from this one. Mellow and light tobacco but present and combining with the lightly spiced fruits wonderfully. Cozy and rustic for sure. 

Warm Vanilla Nutmeg- Creamy French vanilla, vanilla beans and warm spicy nutmeg. 
I personally never find this to be a hot spicy scent but rather an uber creamy bakery vanilla with a touch of toasted nutmeg. It smells so stinkin' good. Thrilled to try out Dessa's version as sometimes I find this particular scent to be a light thrower from other vendors.


Cold Barn Mornings- The aroma of fresh bales of hay, rich cedarwood and the damp morning air after the rain. *New*
The hay lies damp and dewy in mouldering mounds of straw for the livestock to bed down in come dusk. Cedarwood planks, aged and greying, prop up the roof and provide shelter. There is a watery and moist atmosphere to this scent for sure. I think of all the scents I purchased from this order, this one is my least favorite. I like the idea of a cold barn morning, but it is almost too realistic. Maybe it reminds me too much of mucking my steer's stall in the pre-dawn hours before I headed to high school. It is totally uncool to arrive at school with cow crap on your shoes and tracking it into English Lit.

Cinnamon Pine Cones- Pine cones dipped in layers of spicy cinnamon.
Fiery cinnamon oil perfection. This comes off like my favorite cinnamon broom type of scents. All cinnamon, deep, rich and hot with a base of woodsy delight. <3 Guys! It is almost time for my yearly cinnamon broom purchase!

Campfire Marshmallow- Sweet marshmallow toasted over an evening campfire.
Sticky vanilla marshmallow characterizes this fragrance more than anything else. There lurks the slightest whiff of burnt woods but it forms as the memory of a campfire rather than the actual event. Looking forward to melting this one and seeing how it blooms.

Cinnamon Garland- Crisp fresh bayberry infused with spicy ground cinnamon.
Repurchase. A sweetly spiced evergreen type of fragrance with that almost anise and eucalyptus leaning bayberry. I always enjoy this one.


Country Store- Cinnamon, ginger, apples, spices and scented candles.
Repurchase. Don't let this one fool you on cold sniff. I *almost* gave away my first sample of this a year or so ago and I am so glad I didn't. Once melted, this one blooms into the most delicious classic spiced fruits scent. 

Crackling Campfire- Crackling fire and woodsmoke.
Warm embers and heavy smoke. There is a touch of a liquid smoke vibe to this, the kind used in cooking. I am hoping that melts off and just reveals a smooth fireside type of scent. If not, I bet it will be a great blender scent.

Peppermint
I wanted to try this from Dessa as I have yet to. It's a pretty great one! Icy and brisk as well as sweet. Very much like an old fashioned candy cane. The melty kind that dissolve on the tongue. 

Fireside Hearth- Smoldering embers sweetened with leather, sandalwood and amber. 
This is the BBW Fireside dupe. Smoky, woodsy and complex. I love this scent. I miss the candle. Maybe I can grab one this year. If not, I will have these babies.

Fall in the Country- Crisp apple cider, oak, oranges, cinnamon bark and a dash of cloves.
Another snuggly spiced fruit scent but the oak and oranges do lend a nice dimension. Happy to have this to melt in a few short weeks. 

Haunted Hollow- Cedarwood and spicy cinnamon.
Repurchase. Hey! When one requests a blend and it gets made, one must always make sure to enjoy it now and again. I asked for a spiced cedarwood blend and Dessa delivered. I enjoy this for a nice change of pace from all the pumpkins and apples about mid-fall. The cedarwood is earthy and dank and the spice warms it up. The name is very fitting as it does remind me of Sleepy Hollow. A little mysterious, primitive and spooky.

Harvest Festival- Juicy red apples, tart cranberries and warm cinnamon leaf.
Repurchase? Maybe? I seriously have purchased a metric ton of Dessa's fall scents so I perhaps have sampled this one previously. I love the cranberries in this one. Heavily sweet and juicy. 


October- Fresh apple cider infused with a gentle background of sweet caramel, pumpkin pie, crushed cinnamon and a dash of spicy cloves. 
Repurchase. A brilliant blend of pumpkin pie, spiced and decadent, with that caramel drizzle. It truly embodies October for me. The addition of caramel really sets this apart.

Harvest Moon- Nutmeg and cinnamon sticks over a base of applewood and cedar. 
Repurchase. Good grief, boy do I love this one. I don't recall ever smelling the BBW Autumn Night that this is a dupe of but I enjoy it. The cedar and woods have a rustic ambiance that is highlighted by the subtle spice and sweetness. This would be the scent of a fall festival at night, magically spiced with potions, rustling leaves that reveal scampering wood goblins and the moon indulgently watching over all. 


Scarecrow- A blend of crisp, earthy, rustling fall leaves, cinnamon bark and the warmth of season spices. *New*
The spices save this scent for me. If they were not present I probably would not enjoy this as it smells similar to the BBW Autumn Day fragrance oil that never quite agrees with me (which is strange because I have the actual candle and love it? Some disconnect somehow). Back to Scarecrow, it has that same almost bitter tang of leaves that turns sour for me, but the spice takes some of that edge off. Actually looking forward to melting this one and seeing if it works for me.

Pumpkin Farm- Pumpkin, pumpkin and more pumpkin. A fusion of some of my favorite pumpkin scents. *New*
A sweet and spicy pumpkin aroma that that smells satiny and warm. A well done classic spiced pumpkin fragrance.

Pumpkin Wreath Woods- Fall pumpkins, earthy oak wood and hints of cinnamon.
Repurchase. Ripe pumpkins with their wooden stems tied with bundles of cinnamon sticks decorate the cabin doorway, inviting friends and family to feast and fellowship. The oak sets this apart from typical pumpkin spice scents. Always a love.


Free samples!

On the Boardwalk- Lemony fruity candy. Interesting! I was expecting the typical boardwalk scent of apples, cakes and popcorn. I like this.

Mulled Hot Cider- Spice apple cider with a bit of woods and allspice.

Haunted Hayride- Outdoorsy and earthy with a touch of sweet.

Old Time Candy Shop- A true candy bowl filled with hard candies, strawberry filled candies, chocolates and raspberry licorice. It does manage to smell old fashioned. Almost like a candy story on Main Street USA at Disney or something. Or a trick-or-treat bag before Snickers took over the world.

Friends. If you made it this far, thank you. It took me a few nights to smell and mull over this cornucopia of fall wax. I am over the Harvest Moon with this order from Dessa's. She really does have some of the best fall scents out there and her quality and customer service are exceptional. A reminder that she is only open form the 1st to the 20th of each month and has about a 2-3 week TAT. 

What are your Dessa favorites? Where are you getting your fall wax from? Are you decorating soon?

14 comments:

  1. I'm feeling kinda sad and anxious now that I've chosen to skip my fall Dessa's order this year. I made the decision to get my fall and winter wax from the retail offerings this year, and while I'm still looking forward to that, it feels like I might still need to sneak a Dessa's order in to make the fall routine feel complete.

    I don't even remember offhand what my absolute fall/winter favorites from her are. Luckily I still have my notes! I'm considering ordering that fall sampler, but have to see what scents are included first.

    I saw a fall themed card that used pretty much the same color scheme as what you have in your pics...the white, blue, soft orange. I never would have thought of that combo as fall-ish, but here it is again. Why wasn't The Fall Slut informed that this is a thing?! :P

    ~Deb

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    1. At least you have your Sweet Fixations order, so there will be a tiny dash of vendor wax mixed in with the retail wax. And hey, it isn't too late to place a tiny Dessa order if you wish. I am going to go back for Autumn Campfire and Spiced Cranberry if I can.

      Honestly, I love so many of her scents and have tried so many that I had to go back and re-read my past orders and thoughts and made my list from that. The fall sampler does look really cute. I want to try and get one but then I did realize I bought pretty much all the scents. But really, when has that ever stopped me before? LOL

      How cool! I was actually kinda bummed I didn't have a more fall looking cake stand to use for the wax but in the end I think you are right... the aqua doesn't look so bad with the whites and oranges. Thanks for mentioning that! My house is aqua and I always decorate it with the oranges at fall and I forgot I liked that! Silly goose I am.

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  2. Great haul and I'll be sure to pick up many of the ones you described. Thanks Julie

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    1. Thanks Yasmine! I just love Dessa's wax and she is so sweet. It is definitely no hardship to order from her. Plus she really does knock those spicy fall treats out of the park. How have you been?

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  3. Gorgeous haul! I actually talked to Dessa for the first time yesterday. One of the nicest, most approachable vendors I've ever encountered. Happy to see you supporting a human I approve of ;) I need another Julie box! (cough cough) lol

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    1. Hey Amber! How cool! I hope it was a fun conversation. She is really a very sweet and genuine person and I love being able to buy wax from her. <3

      I actually have some goodies I picked up for you in the Smoky Mountains and planned on mailing them to you soon so I will be sure to share some of my Dessa wax. Goodness knows I have enough of it to last me several falls LOL! Ah, who am I kidding? I will blow through it in no time flat. I love fall melting.

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  4. Wow-za, that should keep you going for a while! What a bounty of delicious, spicy-smelling things (and the shapes are just so darn cute.) Smoky Mountain Berries sounds pretty darn delicious - I was really taken with that citrus and balsam blend you gave me last year from CFTKR, and it sounds a bit similar - fruit and trees and a bit of vanilla. Yuh-ummy. Enjoy your loot!

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    1. It should! LOL! But I will probably only have a few leftover to carry into next year believe it or not. Between melting a lot and gifting and swapping wax I rarely end up with stockpiles on hand. Smoky Mountain Berries is in my top ten favorite scents of all time. It blows me away every time I melt it. I think you would like it for sure. Are things cooling down up there yet? The fog is starting to roll in down here, which is one of our few signs of an impending fall.

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    2. It's still fairly sweaty and warm here, but starting to cool off in the evenings and the mornings - I love this time of year for sleeping, it's so nice and refreshing. I think foggy Florida would be so lovely - very F. Scott. :)

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    3. You make sleeping taste good. Cool evenings and mornings are my jam. Foggy Florida is pretty cool. One of these days I will wake up early and take some photos. I do wake up early, but just don't step outside the house at that time. Gonna have to change that.

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  5. Apparently, I'm a fall wax waffler. Just can't decide where I'm getting the goods, TBG, TDC, Dessa's...I must narrow it down to one, if it isn't Dessa's, I might see if there's any new wintry scents and add some of these gems on since all are available a\year-round. You just pass that Cold Barn Mornings along if it doesnt suit you...can't get enough hay and cedarwood currently. Might check out Haunted Hayride too, or the sampler, like I said, crippling indecision rn.

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    1. Yes! I do like that Dessa sells her scent year 'round. So it makes it easy to stock up whenever the urge strikes. I am still a little nervous how this TBG thing is going to go down. I managed to snag a pumpkin sampler but I saw many frustrated folks who couldn't. I will pass on the Cold Barn Mornings for sure. It is a well executed scent, no doubt, but just not for me. I will give you my Haunted Hayride too. I like TBG's version a touch better. I feel like Shannon's is more apple-y sweet. Looking forward to seeing what vendor you land on. <3 Hope you are feeling better this morning.

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  6. Ah, you are the best<3<3
    P.S. I got the pumpkin preview too, splitting with my sis. My indecisiveness has only grown, could be none of the above...

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    1. <3 Anytime.

      I am hoping the pumpkin sampler is good. I don't see why it won't be. I saw Shannon was sick (or someone was) and it is running a bit behind. Hope they are getting better.

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