Friday, June 15, 2018

Candles From The Keeping Room: Part 5 Samples


When you get an order from Candles From The Keeping Room, you not only get highly scented adorable wax, you also get Carol's generosity. She takes her time to double bag, tie and wrap in paper, each of her creations. She also graciously includes tons of sample. I love the way Carol makes samples in new scents that will be debuting the next opening or two. It allows you test out her news scents and decide if a bag will be joining your collection on the next ordering day. Given the sheer quantity of the samples I got with my ginormous order I am going to simply give brief impressions if that is ok. 

Sweet & Sassy reminds me of Bite Me. It is an effervescent cherry lime pop and smells sunny and vibrant. 

Mint Mojito smells exactly like the drink tastes. Fresh pulverized mint leaves with sparkling soda and white dry woods. I miss having a mojito from time to time and this is a great substitute. 

You Crack The Whip Type smells of creamy vanilla berries and a touch of floral perfume on the edges. Quite yummy.

Solar Power comes in the sunny flip flops and reminds me of mild melons and sweet fruits. A tropical melon based scent.

Scandal has that fruity floral aroma that reminds me of something I would spray in Bath & Body Works or Victoria's Secret. 

Hedonic Tonic, boy this sounds naughty. It is a citrusy concoction that has some bergamot in it. Brings to mind Lush type scents. 


Cucumber Lavender is a surprise favorite. Again, I normally don't care for the watery cloying aspects of cucumber but here they smooth out the lavender and are barely detectable. It smells refreshing and airy. 

Raw Sugar and Mint is instant true love. I said it. Bracing mint with just a hint of sweetness. The pinnacle of mint scents. 

Bourbon Rice Pudding pulls boozy with whiskey with a hint of powdery tapioca pudding to add milkiness. It works. I like it in a strange way.

Homespun Sugar Cookie is another cookie classic from Carol. Sugar cookies with vanilla mixed with extra sugar. It smells lovely. 

Suede and Lace just might be the most well blended leather I have sniffed to date. It is very soft and supple and barely there. The musk and vanilla amber tones are allowed to play star over the suede and it is perfection.

Grilled Peaches and Pecans are easily the cutest wee tarts ever. This is a nutty peach with nary a spoonful of sugar. Quite interesting indeed. I swear I can smell the grill marks without it being smoky or like a bonfire, but that hesitant charcoal presence is there. 


Gorgeous Grey Votive Type has a grapefruit presence with woods, amber and rose to support it. The tartness is just a hair too powdery candy tarts to my nose to let me enjoy it. 

Sorrel and Lemon Jo Malone Type formed into yellow flip flops is quite fun! This is a strongly herbal aroma with thyme, rosemary, green geranium and mosses tempered by zesty unsweet lemons and petitgrain. Very refreshing change of pace from all the sweet scents I tend towards.

Tiffany's Sweet Pumpkin Cupcakes comes in two vibrant mini bundt cakes and smells straight up delicious. Concentrated pumpkin flavors with thickly whipped vanilla frosted cupcakes. Doubly good.

Apple Martini, though I love Strawberry Martini, is not my jam. The apple is nice and plump with a watery green aroma but a touch too much. 

Black Code Armani Type is pure sexy man. A classic cologne scent with bergamot and a touch of dark guaiacwood. I will enjoy melting this one.


Hot Orange Bear Claw brings to mind the Hot Orange Danish that used to be so popular ages ago and mixes it with a stronger bakery note. 

Rose Cognac Sugar is a beautiful sugared rose aroma. Light on the cognac and smooth in execution. 

Deviant is another fruity floral perfume that features peony as the strongest player. 

Silk American Cream is a dupe for Lush's American Cream, a light powdery cream and strawberry musk that I used to adore. It is nice to have it on hand once again. 

Mandarin Tiki features the juiciest technicolor mandarin I have ever smelled. This one is an electrical summer scent.

Grapefruit and Mint is a pleasant combination to my nose. Quite unexpected. I like the uplifting aroma of this marriage of pink grapefruit and crystal clear peppermint.


Hugs and Kisses pulls pineapple and citrus along with flowers into another pretty fruity floral aroma. 

Teakwood and Coconut smells bloody brilliant. I love this scent. Chill coconut sunscreen merges with musky teakwood to make a divine beach house aroma. I need to melt this today. 

Queen B, sadly, possesses that cucumber version I do not care for. It does have a spicy sweet kick, reminding me of my beloved tamarind candy, but that aloe-ish cucumber is killing it for me. 

Twenty-Nine High Street Type has finally come across my nose!!! This is a Lush dupe, and I have not even sniffed the actual Twenty-Nine High Street, but Carol gets some of the best dupes so this is close enough for me. I have heard this is close to the scent of walking into a Lush Store and I agree with that. A hint of citrus, a hint of cotton candy and soft pillow florals and candies. 

Snowkissed Sugar Type is my favorite of the fruity floral perfume fragrances this round. It is very sweet and plush and pink smelling. 

Bamboo and Coconut punches my nose with heavy greenery. I swear when I first open the bag I smell freshly sliced green bell peppers but then it fades a bit and I get that bamboo and herbs. This one needs to be melted soon so I can get a better handle on it. 


Waikiki Beach Coconut Type sends images of summery tropical islands to my mind. A wonderful blend of coconut and tropical fruits and blossoms. 

Warm Vanilla Sugar and Cookies is quite yummy. I forgot how much I missed the musky beauty of Warm Vanilla Sugar and to mix it with cookies is quite genius. 

Wild Fig is simply lovely. A refined fig along the lines of a high end perfume house. Blended masterfully with amber and musk and plums and coconut. A gorgeous fig. 

Blackberry Ombre Popsicle is a pretty creamy fruity dark berry scent with a hint of coconut. 

My fingers hurt. But my nose is happy. So out of this bounty the ones I plan on seeking out in a full bag include: Mandarin Tiki, Teakwood and Coconut, Tiffany's Sweet Pumpkin Cupcakes, Sorrel and Lemon Jo Malone Type, Warm Vanilla Sugar and Cookies, Grapefruit and Mint, Wild Fig, Suede and Lace, Homespun Sugar Cookies, Cucumber Lavender and last but not least, Raw Sugar and Mint. See? See how many new scents Carol enabled me on! 

Which ones ring your chimes?

6 comments:

  1. Raw Sugar and Mint...would you say it's a Christmas mint type? I know you like mints all year, but do you find it Christmas-y or more of an all year non-peppermint type?

    Tiffany's Sweet Pumpkin Cupcakes sounds yummy!

    Blackberry Ombre Popsicle sounds interesting.

    The generous samples are what I always love about ordering from CFTKR. It's like giddily opening a gift to see what you got!

    ~Deb

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    1. Yes I could see it as a Christmas type of mint... maybe not as creamy with vanilla as you tend you like but it is very good. I would melt it all year but you might relegate it to Christmas.

      It is! I will share it with you. I have two shapes in there, besides I am way late on a Friendship Box. <3

      Carol is beyond generous with her samples. To me, it is like getting free shipping because the sample value is usually at least the cost of shipping or way more.

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  2. I've read alot of your reviews on wax vendors in USA and Canada and I love seeing your honest opinions.
    I'm wondering if you have ever tried Mandala Melts, wax vendor located in Alberta. Pretty popular in the Canadian online groups.
    Have you tried angel essence aroma, located in Ontario?
    Looking forward to seeing more 🇨🇦 vendors.

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    1. Hi Laura!! Thank you!! I have not tried Mandala Melts, but I will look into them! I do love supporting international companies! I have not tried Angel Essence either. Thank you kindly for the recommendations. I do like Queen B and she is out of Canada. I also used to adore Make Scents out of Canada but they closed.

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  3. Carol's gone nuts with these cute shapes and there's too much to even remember to comment on. To be safe, I'll say it all looks yummy:)

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    1. Carol has been having more fun lately, including more cute shapes in the bags. I love the one or two ultra fun molds on top of her signature shapes.

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