Thursday, March 28, 2019

Candles From the Keeping Room: 20th Anniversary Order


What's this?! A wax ban break? A wax tart post! Yes, yes it is. Candles From the Keeping Room ranks as my number one wax tart love and Carol recently celebrated her 20th anniversary milestone of making wax. How incredible is that? I absolutely wanted to celebrate with her so I happily compiled a small order. The website was tricky on her celebratory opening so I stuck to pretty much one tart category, the Designer/Clean/Spa/Earthy/Floral section. Otherwise I am positive my order would have been much larger and contained many yummy cookies. I am thrilled to have bagged some delicious scents and look forward to melting these. Each bag contains about 5-6 ounces of wax and costs $6.25, 

Mint Leaf and Lavender is new to me but with those two notes you knew it was going to draw me like a magnet. And with good reason. It smells gorgeous. Crisp airy mint and cool herbal lavender with nary a hint of candy. It's gelid and soothing aroma will be welcome for nighttime melting and creating peaceful atmospheres. A new favorite along the lines of Peppermint and Cypress. 


Frosted Sugar Cookie is a long-time favorite and one I always try to have on hand. It imparts that nostalgic sensation of vanilla sugar cookies baking in the oven during the holidays or vanilla cakes rising for a birthday occasion. Happy moments accented with homemade baked goods. This one always throws strong and lasts all day.


Charcoal Tonka- Notes: Sweet tonka beans and smoked woods. 
This is one I fell hard for when Carol gifted it as a sample. I am so happy it made the cut into her rotation. It is smoky and dark like an oud and softly sweet with the light vanilla-like tonka that is snuggly and fluffy. It reminds me of a purring cat in the lap in front of a winter hearth. It is an upscale rendition of Marshmallow Fireside. 


Winter Flannel- Notes: Sweet and spicy notes over a smoky woody base. 
If Charcoal and Tonka is the high end version of Marshmallow Fireside, Winter Flannel is the more rustic and cozy rendition. It is a creamy vanilla base with floaty fireside smoke and a hint of kitchen spices. Of course that means I adore it. All the comforts I love in one scent. This one was another sample that I enjoyed tremendously and hoped to get a full bag of... and huzzah! I did!


Sugar and Spice Noel is a cozy kitchen blend of sugar, butter, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and Vanilla Bean Noel. This was another sample I had previously that I very much enjoyed melting. It is more creamy and vanilla heavy than spicy but it maintains that warmth and hygge. 

Musk and Mint- Notes: Watery apple, crystal springs, muddled spearmint, white mint, sheer jasmine, lotus pearl and musk. 
I picked this one up without reading the scent notes so I was surprised when the tarts smelled like aloe and garden mint leaves and watery herbs and delicate aquatics. It does very much smell like a Japanese water garden. Lovely. Not very musky and not overly minty. Just clean dewy freshness.


Cedar Leaf and Lavender is another new scent that sounded pretty much perfect based on the name alone. I read on Carol's scent list that it is a Nest dupe. It smells incredible, like a luxury men's cologne. The lavender and cedar are ultra polished and musky and will foster a sophisticated environment. Cannot wait to melt this one.

Amber and Oud was one I knew I needed in a full bag once I melted a sample of it. Smoky sepia woods meld with lightly sweet vanilla amber. It is sultry and sleek, full of beauty and plushness.


I did manage to pop a couple bakery tarts in my cart before the website became too congested and both are new to me.

Grandpa's Favorite Sugar Cookie- Notes: A true sugar cookie.
I was wondering if this had any secret ingredients in it when I threw it in my cart but it is pretty much a classic sugar cookie. Not vanilla heavy or sugar heavy but definitely crisp and crumbly. A wonderful home spun fragrance.

Tiffany's Noel is my shot at trying Tiffany's cupcakes again but this time with more vanilla cream to round it out more. This is one where it blooms much more wonderfully when melted than in the bag. In the bag it can be a little jarring and chocolately. Once melted the vanilla unfolds and fills the room with an indulgent vanilla bakery scent. It throws medium-strong and smells delightful.


Lumberjack- Notes: This woodsy, masculine scent opens with apples, pineapple, cinnamon and mint and finishes with a rich dry down of vanilla, fir and cedarwood shavings.
This might just be my new favorite scent. Don't let the name Lumberjack and the word masculine turn you away. It is actually an incredible cabin scent with an almost holiday vibe. The apples are sweet and with the subtle spice it leans towards a gourmand tobacco aroma more than anything else. I LOVE it. If the next opening wasn't for only people who weren't able to order this past time, I would be setting my alarm just to buy two more bags of Lumberjack. So if I can't, I hope you can! Do yourself a solid and try it. And hey. If you want me in your debt pick me a bag up too. <3


These are the generous samples Carol gifted. She made extra large cuttable shapes to give as gifts in honor of her 20th anniversary at Candles From the Keeping Room. Names of the tarts and brief descriptions to follow:

Sparkling Raspberry bubbles with effervescent lemonade and bobbing raspberry fruits. Not syrupy at all and a great summertime scent.


A cuttable muffin in Tropical Umbrella brings to mind Hawaiian Punch but with some fizz, more citrus and maybe a hint of vanilla.


Pink Champagne Marshmallow smells beautiful. It has a floral musk quality to it but sweetness and flirtatiousness.

Bamboo Musk is a green soapy aroma that brings to mind Irish Spring.

Love U Berry Much is so yummy I want to eat it. A bountiful berry melange with sugar on top.

Lady Katrina is a Lush dupe I believe, but I haven't experienced it before. It has that signature Lush base though. Strawberries tempered by musk with a hint at American Cream but with more citrus perhaps? Either way it is lovely and this pink bunny fits it perfectly. I will melt this happily.


Magic in the Air is a Bath and Body Works dupe and it fits spring to a T. Floral forward with some sugared berries beneath.

Cashmere Cream is my favorite of the bunch. A fluffy amber blend with blonde woods and silken musks. This is the type of "clean" scent I can get on board with. Must have a bag soon.

Capri Olivo definitely has a Mediterranean feel to it. There is a sharp tang of lemony citrus fruits, grapefruits, lemongrass and greenery. Vibrant and tangy.

Pure Paradise is lip smacking good. Coconut daiquiris, plumeria flowers and mellow papaya fruits all pour over into my mind when I sniff this. I am ready for the beach. This is the rare time I am game for a fruity fragrance. 


Cucumber Wasabi Cilantro is certainly a lush green scent but a touch liquid and sappy with that soapy cilantro scent. It is nice.

Blue Raspberry Cotton Candy embodies childhood in a tart. Sugary blue cotton candy flavored lipgloss and Blow Pops all meld into a classic 90's treat that makes your lips and tongue turn electric blue. Love.

Fiji Pineapple Palm is another surprise favorite. The pineapple is subtle and a touch powdery with florals and banana in the background. It works. 

Tonka and Vetiver is my second favorite right after Cashmere Cream. This reminds me of my Pop-Pop's cologne. Starchy, clean and freshly laundered button up shirts with vintage Avon cologne lingering on the cuffs an collar.


Merry Mint speaks more of a cheerful kitchen garden then a candy cane stick. No sugar. Just mint leaf freshness and very little cooling after bite. A spring scent for sure.

I am over the moon happy with my order from Carol. She is always a kind and generous lady and her tarts at some of the very best out there. I hope she has loved making our homes smell cozy and sweet for the past 20 years. Thank you, Carol!!

Were you able to squeeze an order in during her last opening? Are you planning on making a purchase during her next one tomorrow the 29th?

8 comments:

  1. Oh, Charcoal Tonka has become a favorite of mine. I ADORE Carol, and her tarts. ;)

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    1. Isn't it lovely?? A really great scent to make your home smell incredible. I adore Carol too. She is so very kind and funny. And of course, a talented tart maker. <3

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  2. Yesss! Love your descriptions and pics. I was able to place an order during her last opening as well. If you haven't tried Cashmere Cedar and Santal Almond Cream I HIGHLY recommend them. Those are knockouts for me.

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    1. Thanks, Renee!!! I hope you are doing well. I have not tried either of those scents... thank you for the recommendation. I am writing them down. <3 I know normally Carol closes up shop around April and May to travel and see her family. I selfishly hope she will open one more time before she leaves. I have actually melted through a ton of my stash.

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  3. Whenever you post about CFTKR, I always want to order because it's been forever since I have, but that finicky ordering process always keeps me away. It's been so long now that I'm not even familiar with any of her scents anymore. Maybe someday! lol

    ~Deb

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    1. It's usually not too bad. She posts way in advance of when she will open. Just once in a while the website gets bogged down and if I am on my phone I have a hard time. If she opens again before summer I will try ordering on my laptop. She still has the same great scents she has always had. Only once or twice has a favorite of mine been discontinued due to the oils being no longer available. Carol's bakery scents are incredible. So rich and strong. If you get curious I could send you a "sampler" of ones you might like. <3

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    2. I'll have to browse the site one of these days, jot down some I'm interested in. I have barely been melting anything but sometimes I get an urge to just go have some ordering fun like in the old days.

      ~Deb

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    3. Yes! If you do I am try and match up the ones you want with the ones I have. I do have a ton but not nearly as much as Carol has. That lady makes SO MANY SCENTS! It's pretty fabulous. I get a lot of joy getting my wax packages still. Especially since they are so few and far between now.

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