Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Ebb and Flow: October 2018

The highs and lows of the month.


Perfume:
Solstice Scents Foxcroft

Perfume Oil:
Nocturne Alchemy Halloween 2017

Shampoo:
Future Primitive Cordwainer Whipped Soap

Conditioner:
Future Primitive Cordwainer Hair Rinse

Soap:
Paintbox Soap Works Sisterhood of the Moon

Scrub:
Witch Baby Frog's Breath

Candle:
Wick & Fable Gryffindor

Wax:
Lasting Scent Candles The Great Pumpkin

Eating:
Bee pollen and honey on my yogurt

Drinking:
Echinacea and Sore Throat teas

Watching:
Charmed, Sabrina and Merlin

Reading:
Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

Listening:
Beetlejuice soundtrack

Awaiting:
More of this cool weather, more evening walks, bonfires, Christmas carols, Wizarding World treks and hot cocoa with good books. Cardigans and baking. Planning for the holidays.

Dreading:
Thanksgiving break speeding by too fast. 

Hit:
Solstice Scents Loggia Whipped Soap

Miss:
My will power. Oops. I had some goals that I wanted to get started on but they fled along with the last dregs of summer. But I am not going to beat myself up about it. I will simply start fresh with the new month. I have some health goals I want to set in motion and I want to limit my purchases to some new flats for work, three small perfumes, no wax and no coffee mugs for the next month. I want to focus on holiday gifts and saving some funds for the next 30 days. I also want to make more time to quilt so my sister may actually get her wedding quilt by Christmas. 

Low:
Being sick. Currently working on mending an upper respiratory and ear infection. 

High:
Spending time with NaLonda and Ashley, Stephanie and Giffe. Catching up with some friends has been good for my heart. I was feeling lonely for a little bit there. I also enjoyed being outside more with the weather cooling. Things are nice and calm right now.

How has your October been? How do you prep yourself for the coming months? What do you do to make sure you find peace and calm in the impending whirlwind?

Any highs? Lows? Yummy smells or great reads? Please share how your month has gone.

Happy Halloween!

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Melting Basket 130: Halloween


Wax tarts from the last basket that I enjoyed greatly: CFTKR Woodland Festival, Mulled Wine, Pumpkin Peppercorn, Vanilla Marshmallow Pumpkin and Blue Cedar Lavender, Dessa's Homespun Scents Haunted Hollow and Harvest Moon, The Bathing Garden Belladonna Tincture and Vintage Chic Scents Cookie Baking at Mom's.

Ten Digit Creations- Haunted Soul/Pipe Tobacco/Vintage Vanilla
Vintage Chic Scents- Spiced Pumpkin Addam's Family
Handmade in Florida- Harvest Moon
Candles From The Keeping Room- Witch's Brew and Pumpkin Stew
Lasting Scent Candles- Cast A Spell
Lasting Scent Candles- Black Pumpkin
Lasting Scent Candles- Candy Corn Cookies
Lasting Scent Candles- The Great Pumpkin
Lasting Scent Candles- Dracula's Dungeon
Lasting Scent Candles- Jack O'Lantern Cookies
Lasting Scent Candles- Blood Moon
Lasting Scent Candles- Pumpkin Juice

If you would like any of these Halloween scents reviewed, just comment below with which ones. 


Pumpkin pickin' round two commenced Sunday. The girls and I had a nice family day with Adam. We ran errands, got coffee, carefully chose a pumpkin each to carve, picked up some hand soaps at Bath & Body Works, then went to lunch and grocery shopping. 


The weather has been nothing short of superb this weekend. Even as I type this Sunday night I am sitting with all the windows in the house wide open with a cool breeze wafting in and out. 

This week at work the kiddos will be performing their Historical Timeline on Halloween. The students chose a person form anywhere in the world born between 1700-1899. They did research, wrote a five paragraph essay and now will be dressing up and giving a speech about their accomplishments as if they were that figure. It is one of my favorite things to watch. 

It is shocking me that October is pretty much over. The winter birbs are here. The weather is nice (for now). And at Bath & Body Works is was a Christmas extravaganza. I need to start working on that Christmas shopping list. Yikes.


The Great Pumpkin

I enjoy watching the old Charlie Brown cartoons. The Great Pumpkin viewing is a nice tradition to have during the season. We have not watched it yet but I will put it on when we carve pumpkin. And I will melt my Lasting Scent Candles The Great Pumpkin scent. Doesn't get much better than that. 

Are you ready? How is your weather? Do you carve pumpkins?

Monday, October 29, 2018

Mermaid Treasure: Dida Metals Jack O'Lantern Earrings


Rachel, the maker at Dida Metals (Dee-Duh- Savanna enjoys and follows Dida Metals on IG and owns a pair of her Pokemon earrings and we were chatting one day about her awesome jewelry and Savanna called it Dee-Duh and I said Die-Duh and then I needed to ask Rachel). The past few years Rachel has used some really cool handmade ceramic cabochons to make Halloween jewelry with. 


I added these adorable Jack O'Lantern studs to my earring collection to wear during fall festivities. 

Rachel has some candy corn rings and batty cool pieces left in her store. She is also a wax vendor lover and fellow fragrance and bookworm. Go check out her store for the holidays. Her handcrafted silver jewelry would make wonderful gifts.

Have you done any holiday shopping yet? I have been so bad. I normally have started by now but I have bought nothing so far.

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Nocturne Alchemy: Halloween


I have been a negligent blogger but I hope you shall bestow forgiveness upon me. I place a nice fat Halloween order from Nocturne Alchemy and have been sniffing and wearing them and not sharing that goodness. 

Here I am at the eleventh hour to share with you my brief thoughts on these wonderfully spooky scents. The disappear from the Nocturne Alchemy website at midnight PST tonight. 


Ghostly- Notes: Vanilla-amber-woods, cemetery musk, a hint of Kashmir blood musk and a drop of vanilla Crystalline absolute. $26
A withering rose skeleton lies like a memento mori beside a derelict sepulcher. Ozonic fog uncurls and drapes over the tomb like the long locks of a ghost. Corporeal musks join the fog and waft of rose to haunt the heart. Ghostly dries down into a smooth vanillic amber musk that has some undertones of oakmoss and honeysuckle. Something bright and floral leaning. It does remind me of some vintage perfume I have sniffed in an old timey Baptist church when I was younger. Very happy with this one.

Speaking with Spirits- Noes: Oudh, black sandalwood, Claifornia sage, Diamond musk accord, smoke accord, smoky galbanum and ember wood accord. $26
The spirit that rises up with this scent is freshly rubbed out of the bottle is a green herbal galbanum ghost. There is a potent astringency to it initially that is invigorating and bracing. Sage contributes to the verdant aura around this spirit. It takes patience for the green ghost to settle into his new realm and take on the darker more smooth and rich tones of the smoky oudh and sandalwood but once he does he becomes a snuggly wee beast who wears like a shadow.


Eternal Ankh Claret- Notes: Kashmir red musk, incense accord, skin musk, black Santalum, white amber absolute, powdered and reconstructed oil of Egyptian vanilla husk and vanilla fleck. $25
I am obsessed with these iterations of the Eternal Ankh that NA has been rolling out. I will review the other colors soon but for now here is Claret (sadly now sold out- but may return next year). Claret opens with reminders that it is indeed a variation of Eternal Ankh. Golden vanilla and sandy amber glow under a veil of soft billowing incense. The creamy sandalwood and vanilla husks almost give a coconut-cardamom nuance to the aroma in its richness. This is a stunning fragrance that captures romance and warmth and elegance. 

V by Thoth- Notes: Incense, sweetened spices of cardamom, cinnamon, allspice and cloves swirled with vanilla pods, ghost musk and copal resin. $25
Satiny cardamom and brown sugared vanilla pour along the skin. The spices are subtle and aged, not fiery or intense. The gourmand beginning is soon enriched by buttery copal and light incense. This is an incredible perfume. One that is backup worthy. 


Bastet's Ice Cream: Halloween Spice Cake Santalum Creme- Notes: Buttery coffee cake, cinnamon and nutmeg, vanilla bean powder, Santalum sandalwood absolute, a shot of espresso, vanilla Crystalline cream, butter accord, caramel accord, French vanilla bean absolute, vanilla milk accord, vanilla orchid, Crystalline absolute and vanilla sugar. $25
Decadent golden spiced cake with a sprinkling of sandalwood. Not buttery but flavorful and fluffy. The vanilla laden spice waters the taste buds and warms the cockles of the heart. The drydown reminds me of a vintage Samsara I picked up in an antique store, this shimmering and sexy sandalwood that curls my toes. If spiced vanilla sandalwood is your flavor, you need this version of Bastet's Ice Cream. The longevity on this one is amazing.


Skelekin- Notes: Vanilla, vanilla butter cream, vanilla ice cream accord, Kobalt, Crystal, Crystalline and a nice drop of cardamom with a touch of aged patchouli. $25
On my skin this perfume is all about the cardamom at first. Velvety like tonka beans and white pepper. Silken vanilla sheaths the cardamom and makes for a dreamy fragrance. It is subtly sweet and not foodie but plush and a touch dusky with that drop of velveteen patchouli.


Halloween Evening- Notes: Vanilla bean, fall spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice and ginger), pumpkin rice milk, coffee cake and Bastet's Amber absolute with a touch of Crystalline absolute. $27
Delicately spiced vanilla drizzles onto the flesh. Pumpkin rice milk gives this one a cashmere sweater feel with a soft spun texture. Creamy, powdery and otherworldly. This is one of the more unique takes on the sweet pumpkin spice genre and I adore it. Halloween Evening melts into a cinnamon dusted crumb cake with Royal vanilla icing. Amber lies like quiet warm embers at the heart of this perfume and as it lingers it emerges bit by bit. This is one of my favorites from this release.


Pumpkin Library: Number 24- Notes: Copal resin, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, frankincense and amber resin. $25
Pumpkin 24 does strange things on my skin. I don't see ginger as a note but it is what my nose picked up when I put this one on. I think it may be a combination of a sharp frankincense and perhaps the variety of copal used. I had a friend travel to Belize and send me some fresh copal from a tree and it has these vegetal and edgier green tones. The spices and pumpkin and sugar are quiet and the gingery piquant beginning takes several minutes to fade into a woodsy ginger root skin. It very well can be my chemistry but this wore very similar to Black Cat on me.


Scarlet Bat- Notes: Red sugar, cinnamon musk, black tea leaves, neroli-sugar and NA black patchouli absolute. $25
Fresh on the skin the black patchouli lifts up and takes flight amid a red setting sun. Quickly the carnival like sugars swoop in to briefly highlight the nocturnal patchouli while musks and an anise laced tea flap gentle wings around the dusky furred body. This is certainly a patchouli scent but it does settle into more of a sweet skin musk with the faint reminder of patch that lets you know the bat once flew at night. I love everything I have tried from the Bat line.

I love all of these but Scarlet Bat, Skelekin, BIC: Halloween Spice Cake Santalum Creme, Halloween Evening, V and Claret stole my soul. All of these perfumes except Halloween Evening and Claret are still available until midnight tonight.

Costumes

This Halloween Savanna is building herself a spooky pumpkin faced scarecrow costume. She will be wearing mostly black with one of my flannel shirts, gloves, boots and this creepy pumpkin face mask she found at Spirit Halloween store. Scarlette bought her own costume this year online and it is a grim reaper girl getup with grey flowing tattered tunic, chains for a belt, skeleton leggings and gloves. I think she forewent the scythe but not sure. I may dress up as some robe wearing wizard or other from the Tolkien universe. They are looking forward to Trick-or-Treating. 

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Callahan Ceramics, EarthErra and Elan Pottery: Mugs Galore


Some potters that I have been eyeing up all decided to release some extremely tasty goods at about the same time. I didn't even fight it. A couple glasses broke over the weeks and I just took it as a sign. Fill the cupboard with artful drinkware. No problem. 

Jay at The Scented Library featured her birch tree Callahan mug and I was draw to it like Moth to Lamp, broother. Callahan Ceramics is run by Mr. Callahan Foose out of Colorado. The artwork and scenes are vibrant and detailed. A combination of layers, engraving and 3-D effects as well as painted art makes for a cohesive and eye catching piece. During the Halloween Collection release I knew there would be some Potter goods but I didn't count on bats. The bats in a crystal cave made its way to me. It is a nice hefty mug with a larger capacity. I can fit about 3-4 cups of coffee in this bad boy. 


The Hogwarts tumbler was the first thing I was angling for. Callahan opened up for customs a little while back and I requested a Hagrid hut mug. The owner couldn't fill it but said I would be on a waiting list which was really nice. This tumbler will hold me over until then. <3


Elan Pottery is well known to me. I have not blogged about my Elan Pottery Mug Club experience but I did do the Six Month Club last year. I gifted a couple of them as house warming gifts and whatnot. And I did feel like I had a decent collection of Leigh Anne's work although I was still kinda eyeing up her skull crystal mugs and apothecary mugs. I ended up choosing this fella over the apothecary ones and I am happy with him. I like how you can see the skull transfer under the glazing. Gives it a spooky vibe. 


The saturated blue and warm mocha brown with the skulls makes me think of Pirates of the Caribbean and I never mind thinking of that. The crystal is an aura crystal in a honeyed citrine shade. This is a smaller mug and gives me about a cup and a half or so of coffee. This one does have to be hand washed with that crystal in it.


Lastly in my Mug Shot post is my first ever purchased-myself EarthErra mug. Shiyana is the maker behind this brand. When I first learned about her she worked as Ox & Otter and then relocated and made some branding changes a couple times. I do have two used Ox & Otter mugs I purchased from a group I am in and I love them to pieces. I knew I wanted to pick up a couple more styles that I know Shiyana creates and this one popped up as one of them, a Halloweenie version of Luna. 

Thank you for attending coffee mug chat. Which of the four do you like best?


Pumpkin Carving

The girls and I did a mini pumpkin carving the first weekend of October since my sister and her husband were over visiting. They lasted all of three days before they rotted. We have plans to buy our traditional bigger pumpkins here very soon. This mushroom pumpkin was my test run to see if I could do the scraping thing. It was fun but definitely time consuming. 

Do you carve pumpkins? 

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Sihaya & Company: Sisterhood of the Moon Box

 This box was provided gratis from Sihaya & Co in exchange for photographs. All opinions my own.


The Sisterhood of the Moon box from Sihaya & Co is my favorite box of the season. I picked this box up last year and reviewed it here. This year's box is just as wonderfully wicked. The box was $65 and sold out pretty fast. 


Dryad Tea in Black Cats and Pointy Hats ($6.50 for 1 ounce) along with the Sugar Cube Skulls from Dem Bones  ($3) are repeats from last year's box. The tea is a festive and smooth spiced apple black tea with fruity notes and the sugar skulls dissolve easily and one skull is perfect for sweetening up one cup.


Moonalisa 4IN1 Fine Bubble Wash in Forager's Grove ($6.95) was a very pleasant surprise. This 4 ounce bubbling wash can be used as a shampoo, shower gel, bubble bath or fabric cleaner. Forager's Grove includes dank woods, balsamic aromas of resinous twigs and leaves, toasted sugared wild blackberries and roasted coffee. Plump blackberries with crystal droplets of juice shining under their bellies sit next to a steaming mug of coffee. The coffee and blackberry mixture is tempered by the resins and moves it from foodie to gourmand. The amber backdrop along with the dark berries and subtle coffee truly do make for an autumnal aroma. I used this Bubble Wash in the bath tub for a few nights in a row and it gave birth to the fattest mountain of white bubbles and smelled amazing. It made for some very nice full moon bubble baths, indeed.


Sihaya & Co and Paintbox Soap Works have collaborated with products and fragrances lately and the combo has been exciting. One of the results is this fabulous Paintbox Soap Works glycerin soap scented in Sihaya's fragrance Sisterhood of the Moon ($6) which blends amber, crackling fires, woody oakmoss and warm vanilla. I unwrapped this soap and used it immediately. It is my new fall time favorite. The glycerin soap is bouncy and smooth and lathers up with a nourishing richness. There is a fine silver teal mica within the dark soap, making for beautiful gazing. The scent is just as good as I remember it from the candle. It is a surprisingly sweet resinous scent. I almost feel like there is the barest hint of leaves and stewed autumn fruits within the ember and amber and sugar. It is incredible. Happy to bathe with it.


Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab contributed a 5 ml perfume ($26) to the box.

Song of the Morrigan- Notes: Dusky patchouli, bone-white Hojari frankincense, rose thorns, rue and mugwort.

From the bottle, Song of the Morrigan whispers with a breath of herbs, dried and fresh, earthen and pungent. Tarragon and wormwood twine with sanguine rose petals and patchouli. A heady and primal aroma. Anointed on the skin, the herbage surfaces in the same manner as from the bottle, green with sap and life. It expands into a golden green haze of woody absinthe and powdery frankincense all while holding onto the spirit of the loam. As it dries down it mellows with faint tonka sweetness. It is a haunting scent.


Sihaya & Co always tucks a candle inside their seasonal boxes and I always look forward to using it. This year's Sisterhood of the Moon box candle is The Thinning of the Veil ($12) and it comes in an 8 ounce tin.

The Thinning of the Veil- Notes: Carved pumpkins, smoky oudh, black amber and smoldering dragon's blood resin.

This candle is amazing. It just might be my favorite Sihaya candle to date. It is smoky and dark and full of ominous shadows. The oudh and resins make up the corporeal portion of the scent while the pumpkin offers just a wisp of a spirit to sweeten and lighten the darkness just a smidgen. The throw is excellent and it scents my whole bedroom. It burns will with no tunneling and a strong flame.


There was also a purple shimmer lipgloss from Apocalyptic Beauty in the shade Hex ($12), which is a liquid lipstick with a violet hue and red shimmer. The lipstick has a pleasant violet/grape/anise aroma to it. It feels plush on the lips when applied then dried into a matte finish. The shade is more flattering on my lips than I assumed it would be. I would probably apply a gloss on top because my old lady lips don't take to matte finishes well at all and it feels a touch drying. I will be happy to use this lipstick on fun occasions.

An enamel black cat pin from Cat Coven ($10) was curled up on the bottom of the box waiting to be adopted. 


Sihaya & Co curates wonderful seasonal boxes. This box is valued at around $82.50 so it is a nice deal. The winter box is going to be incredible. The theme is hygge and will include Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Haus of Gloi, Immortal Mountain, Latherati, Lumina Noctis, Sydney Grace and Sihaya & Co. It will go on sale November 1st at 9am EST (first 25 boxes) and then a 7pm EST (the remaining 25 boxes) for $67 each. These will ship at the end of November. 

Are you ready for some winter hygge? Some comfort and joy?

Haunted House

Back in high school and college, going to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights was the thing to do to induce peeing of the pants. My girlfriends and I or Adam and I would wait an hour to two in line in order to enter frightfully orchestrated haunted houses that usually had a theme from a movie or show or myth. The jump scares are what always sent me a hollering. I am still easy to scare with a sudden touch on the shoulder or unexpected noise. 

I love the aesthetic of a run down gothic haunted house. And real abandoned places lure me in. 

Do you have any haunted house experiences?

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Silver Run Ceramics: Raven Mug


Silver Run Ceramics is a pottery studio ran by Michelle and Frederick on their Kentucky farm in the Appalachian mountains. I have a wolf incense burner from Silver Run that I adore and it gets much use. I picked up some mugs months ago and gifted two of them but this particular one had to join my collection. 


This low profile mug has a nice two finger handle and a matte texture that I love. The background color is a deep dark mushroomy taupe while the raven and his hackled beard is black. He is featured in the center of a scarlet setting sun or perhaps a blood moon, with yellow and orange glazed rays that shoot off into the darkness.


The inside of the mug is glazed white. 


I love the heft and size of this mug and the handle that feels just right. I did pick up Scarlette a mug with a black snake among pink peonies that she enjoys. Recently I got Scarlette the same motif in a small trinket tray to gift her for Christmas. She wants her room to be decorated in snakes. 

You will be seeing some more mugs come through here pretty soon. I landed a Callahan mug, thanks for Jay's enabling, an Earth Erra mug and one more Elan Pottery mug. 

In my defense, two glasses broke so I had to replace them right? Mugs are more fun anyway.

Black Cats

I always had a pet cat growing up but never a black one that I can remember. Funny enough most of my cats were gray. My husband did not grow up with cats and is not a cat fan in any way, shape or form. He is not mean or rude to Toddles, and will even clean out her litter box, but he will not pet her. In fact, I have only seen him do it once in the 12 or so years we have had her. And I think it was just to confuse her. He collects the whiskers she drops but that is about the only thing about her that interests him. Oddly enough there is a pitch black neighborhood cat at his parents' house in Bonita Beach. We call the cat Captain Midnight but its real name is String Bean. Adam will pet that cat all day long. He will even call it over when we stop by and visit so that he gets a chance to hang out with the cat. He claims it is the only cat he likes or will ever like. I just asked him why that is and he said "because I don't have to feed it and stare at it in my house. I can pet it and then it can go away." Here I thought it was some deep and meaningful connection. A kindred spirit, perhaps. Nope. Not even close.

Life with my husband. <3

Do you have a black cat?

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Riddles Tea Shoppe: Auror's Tea Society Autumn Box


Jay, my friend from The Scented Library, hooked me in and wrapped me up in this tea subscription box like a vine of Devil's Snare. And I couldn't be happier. Jay and I featured The Riddle's Tea Shoppe Auror and Death Eater summer boxes not too long ago. Unfortunately Riddle's Tea Shoppe is closing down the tea boxes. They sold fall boxes (one for Auror and one for Death Eaters) and recently did a pre-order for the Auror winter box and probably soon for the Death Eater winter box. I have and will pick them all up. The boxes are $42 shipped.


These boxes open like magical treasure boxes, small details like autumn colored crinkle paper, leaves and acorns along with themed cards and teas.


This box contained three teas, a jar of spice, a tin travel candle, enamel pin, a sticker and art card.


I love these cards with artwork on them. I pin them up on my bulletin board at work to gaze at. The "Bottled Autumn" one is perfection, Hagrid's Hut in fall? I couldn't ask for anything better. If I could get this on a phone case I would.


The Three Broomsticks Autumn Spice blend is comprised of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. It is labeled as organic. I am looking forward to sprinkling this in my morning coffee.


The enamel pin is colorful and well made. There is a purple glitter sparkle in the background. But the pin leaves me feeling torn. Kinda sad. Kinda spooky. And I don't know how I would feel going on a ghost tour to see Potter's parents but I do like the pin.


Deathday Party Punch is the caffeine-free tea offered in this box blended with decaf black tea, blueberry, strawberry and cranberry. There are apple slivers and rose hips along with raspberry leaf in this tea. It tastes divine when steeped. Clear and juicy and mildly tart on the tongue. 


The tin travel candle is a Riddle's Tea Shoppe exclusive. 

Madam Hooch's Broomstick Wax made with apple, cinnamon and tea leaf essential oils. It also contains 2% felix felicis. "A better grip so you don't slip!'

It smells amazing. The apple cinnamon with mild fruity tea leaves is gorgeous. It burned well and threw well too. If this candle ever comes in a larger size I would jump on it.


The two other teas are caffinated and arrived in these cool tins with a viewing window. These are bagged teas, which I appreciate for use at work. 

The Puddifoot Pumpkin is brewed up with black tea, honeybush tea, cinnamon bark, ginger root, pumpkin spice, cardamom, cloves, cocoa nibs, marigold flowers, safflower and caramel flavor.

I have not made this one but it smells lovely, like a pumpkin spice tea with extra sweetness.


The Mad-Eye Mulled Apple is one I did steep a cup of and it was delicious. Mad-Eye is made of black tea, rooibos tea, cinnamon bark, ginger root, cardamom, cloves, orange peels, apple pieces and caramel flavor. The gingery apple and black tea made for a smooth and warming tea experience. It was perfect without any additional sugar or cream. These last two bags (there were three per tin) will go fast. 


Scary Movies

I don't normally watch scary movies any more. They don't sit well with me and tend to make me anxious in a bad way. I have, however, watched Babadook and The Woman in Black recently. It is always fun to watch Daniel Radcliffe in movies or TV shows. He is pretty much just Harry Potter playing other roles to me and I know he would hate that but that is who he is for me. I ended up enjoying both those scary films though. What scary but not too scary movies do you recommend for me?

Monday, October 22, 2018

Sniff My Tarts: August Custom Order



Amy and Donna opened up Sniff My Tarts for custom order around mid-August. My order came pretty fast this time, after about two months. I was near the end of the previous opening last time so this was nice. I didn't go as crazy blending and ordering as I normally do but I am still excited about what I got. 

Dragon's Blood/Butterbrickle/Celtic Moonspice/Clove in chunks. I am thrilled with this blend. The Dragon's Blood is earthen and deep and with the added warm cinnamon and rich tasty caramelized butterbrickle it makes for a divine scent. 


Peppermint/Blue Sugar/Campfire Marshmallows/Fireside is my favorite blend of the bunch. Extra icy mint paired with sweet and musky marshmallows and Blue Sugar. This smells cool and calming and will be perfect for nocturnal melting. I love the marshmallow shapes in this bunch. 


Marshmallow Fireside/Fireside/Camp Fire Marshmallows/Vanilla Sandalwood is one that Amy and Donna whipped up and sent to me a while back. I fell hard for it and had to order it again since I melted all that I had. This is like Marshmallow Fireside kicked up a notch. A little more smoky, a little more sweet, a little more rich with woods. It throws nicely. 


Banana Nutmeg Bread Pudding/Love/Pumpkin Sugared Donuts/Apple Toffee Crunch was a wild card for me. Banana blends can be iffy for me and on cold I wasn't sure about it. The banana leans a little Laffy Taffy but once melted some of that candy melts off and it becomes a warm and inviting banana bread with mild spice and caramel apple strudel. The throw is medium-strong and makes for a comforting kitchen scent, especially in fall.


I picked up a few frosted cookies.

Enchanted Forest/Frasier Fir/Vanilla Snowflakes is my second favorite blend that I made this go 'round. I wasn't sure about the Vanilla Snowflakes but it is brilliantly minty and plays well with the evergreens and spruce and pine. 

Blue Sugar/Frostbite/Fireside was one I wanted to play with Frostbite and Blue Sugar with. It is nice but the Fireside is too muted. It is mostly Blue Sugar with a hint of minty pine. Still very nice but some more smoke would have been clutch. I will definitely be happy melting this as a bedtime treat.


Pink Noel/Marshmallow Noel & Candy/Marshmallow Fireside takes me back to why I fell in love with Sniff My Tarts in the first place... their yummy Pink Sugar blends. Here Pink Sugar and soft fluffy mints meld with the musk of warm wood and embers that lightly float about. 

Cider Lane/Apple Cinnamon/Warm and Cozy is deeeeeelish. The caramel and nectar from Cider Lane round out the spice but the apples from all three of the blends combine to make this a stellar juicy apple scent.


I picked up three single scent macarons:

Marshmallow and Caramel is a little light and has a strange bitter edge to it on cold. I melted it in my kitchen and living room warmers and it smoothed out more and became a rich vanilla. The throw was medium.

Vanilla Custard is a papery but rich vanilla scent. It will probably morph once melted too. I am saving it for a nice cold day.

Elderberry piqued my interest as I do love to drink elderberry drinks. It is sweet and tart and straddles the line between grape and huckleberry and blueberry. It is juicy and vibrant and will be one I blend with in the future for sure. 


Free samples!!

I gifted the spruce scent to a reader but the stone one I kept. 

Vanilla Sandalwood/Blue Sugar/Leather/Vanilla Oak is a great Blue Sugar blend. It smells like Blue Sugar on steroids. Extra vanillic and a touch more rugged with the leather. Normally leather overtakes all the other scents but it plays wonderfully nice in this blend. 

Overall I am very happy with my Sniff My Tarts order. There are currently mystery boxes for sale on the website, here. I look forward to melting these. Did you place a Sniff My Tarts custom order? What blend are most anticipating?

Candy Corn and Football

Yes, I like candy corn. Especially chopped up and mixed with Rice Crispy Treats. I also eat my "Devil's Toenails" by pouring a small handful, eating the fat yellow part first from each one, then the orange middle section then leaving the tiny white tips last of all. 

Football is not something I keep up with any longer. I used to root for the Gators and attend games growing up and in college but that kinda faded away. Adam attended the Bucs vs. Browns game Sunday and he said he had fun, but they did lose. Poor fella has not attended a game yet where they won. 

Candy corn? Football? Yay? Nay?