Wax Notes | February 2015 (1)

Have you heard? Enchanted Candle Co. is celebrating their 1-Year Anniversary on 1 March, and they will be accepting all custom orders placed that day! That's pretty amazing because they only offer 5-10 custom spots per month so you had to be really fast whenever the lists opens. Go check out her Facebook group for more information!

Debra may have a smaller fan base than most other established vendors but, boy, are they (we) dedicated and fanatical, the custom spots go QUICK. I haven't managed to get on one yet so I am definitely breaking my wax ban for this one. Despite three previous orders, there are still quite a few single scents and house blends I have yet to try and I have a few custom blends up my sleeve. I am buckling down to start planning it right now!

Earth Angel (Rosegirls)
This is mostly bakery blend, I can hardly detect any sweet lavender which really disappoints me. That said, the vanilla and cake pops scent is very nice and I can see why bakery fans go wild over this one. Medium-high throw, medium scent impact.

Queen B (Crabby Candle Co.)
I have been hoarding this one for awhile now but it's time to melt it. If Crabby does come back, I would love to get more of this scent. It's a sweet-spicy floral scent, as if I am inhaling a bouquet of flowers. Medium scent throw, medium-high scent impact.

Springtime Breaktime (Enchanted Candle Co.)
This one took it's own sweet time to develop but it is so good once it got going! The honey anchors this scent blend, with the cookies rounding the sharp, overwhelming edges I feel honey can get. The lemon keeps things interesting. I really like this and I would definitely get more! Medium high throw, high scent impact.

Bamboo & Sugar Cane (Ten Digit Creations)
The epitome of a fresh, green scent. The Sugar Cane really helps to take the sting out of the green note but I do wish it sweetened the blend more. High throw, medium scent impact.

Lemon Tea Party (The Bathing Garden)
I really like Lemon Tea scents and I am making it my mission this year to find me a regular wax supplier for it! Although this TBG version is pretty yummy, I hate not knowing if it will be offered again in their restocks. Life is too stressful in other areas for me to stress more about wax! Medium throw, medium scent impact.

Chamomile Apple (Ten Digit Creations)
I noticed Chamomile Apple is now on TDC's clearance list and I needed to try it out quickly because if this is a scent that I really like, I am charging in and buying up all the leftover stock! During the first melt, I kept thinking "this smells like lipstick" which kind of turned me off a litte. But on second melt, the scent mellowed out, I like this scent but I don't think I like it THAT much. Although I must say that TDC has a fantastic Apple scent! Medium high throw, medium scent impact.

Fruit Loops (Tiffany Candles)
My favourite feel-good scent! Tiffany's version is amazing! Medium high throw, high scent impact. Tiffany's is fast becoming a favourite vendor, I can definitely see myself going there for regular orders especially since she's open ALL THE TIME!

Cactus & Sea Salt (Lasting Scent Candles)
I have been meaning to melt this tart for the longest time because I received it in a destash almost a year ago and I was a little worried about how old it might be. I needn't have been worried, it's throwing like crazy - High throw, medium high scent impact. Cactus & Sea Salt have always been a favourite scent in this house but this blend is a little sweeter than I remembered it to be and it makes me wonder how it might be if I custom blend it with an even sweeter note!

Repeat Melts
Orange Marmalade (The Bathing Garden)
Mad Hatters' Tea Party (The Bathing Garden)
Lavender & Chamomile (Enchanted Candle Co.)

Wax Notes | June 2014 (2)

Wow, I can't quite believe half the year has passed us by, it's been a really hectic six months and I am sooo ready for a break! My summer vacation officially starts next week, sooo close!

Did everyone get their Rosegirls order in? I did! And I can't quite believe that I managed to put in my order between the 2nd and 3rd minute. I have absolutely no idea what number I am on the list of orders but I am more than willing to wait. I intend to use this waiting period as my wax ban period and to use up my stash. It's getting a little out of control for my liking. I barely managed to pack my May orders into my existing storage boxes!

It was a good fortnight of melting!

Love Potion No.9 (Rosegirls)
I am melting my first-ever Rosegirls chunk! This is a mystery blend and scent notes aren't listed beyond that it's a blend between Love Spell and Pomegrate Blizzard. I am getting a warm and creamy note from this scent but for the most, it reminds me of a herbal drink. Medium throw. Unfortunately I had to stop this scent going, my nose did not like it. :(

Clover & Aloe (Front Porch Candle Co.)
A fresh, green and sweet spa scent. I find this really relaxing and it's pretty great for a warm day! This tart has a high throw, it's going right out of my bedroom door! Would definitely re-order.

Winds in the East (Enchanted Candle Co.)
I am loving the fresh aquatic and green scent. I am melting two cubes and it's throwing really well, medium high! But it also doesn't seem to last very long. On the second tealight, the throw is noticeably weaker.

Rattlesnake Grass (Two Timing Tart)
An old tart that I am using up. The scent throw is still pretty good at medium throw but the scent itself seems to have weakened. I smell a hint of sweet leafy greens and it's so pretty and springy! I wouldn't mind re-ordering this to get the full power of this scent.

Repeat Melts
Lavender, Green Tea, Grapefruit (Bit of Bliss)
Tie Dye (Lasting Scent Candles)
Bite Me Serendipity Bubble Gum (Lasting Scent Candles)
Rain Water + Rattlesnake Grass (Ten Digit Creations) - A little attempt at combining two scent blends together. My room is smelling fresh and clean!
Tease (Two Timing Tart) - Yay, another finished clamshell!

Wax Notes | May 2014 (2)

My wax melting slowed down a little this month because I was overseas for a week in Taipei for a bit of work and a bit of play. Pictures will be up on my other blog soon. I did bring a wallflower plug-in with me but I think the electrical current wasn't enough and there was barely any throw. That was disappointing. I don't have much photos of my wax melts either because I just switched to the iPhone 5s and I am trying to figure out a new process for quick uploading of these pictures.

Lavender, Green Tea, Grapefruit (Bit of Bliss)
I am surprised how well these three scents blend together, there's a tinge of realistic bitterness from the Grapefruit and the Green Tea but the brightness of the Grapefruit and the soothing notes of Lavender balances it out really well. This is my first time trying BOB and I am impressed. The throw is high and lingers for a long time. After coming back to my room after a full day at work, I was surprised to find the scent lingering in the air. This is the first scent that I have noticed do that.

Tie Dye (Lasting Scent Candles)
Yummy, fizzy and fruity! Medium-high throw.

Vanilla Layered Root Beer Float (The Bathing Garden)
I am melting one cube and it started to throw very quickly. Very authentic and has a medium throw.

Princess B (Crabby Candle Co)
This is a really pretty scent, very sweet and floral. It makes me think of sweet honey! Medium throw.

Repeat Melts
Dried Apple Wreath (Ten Digit Creations)
Drunk Tweeting (Two Timing Tart)
Sleepy (The Bathing Garden)
Serendipity Peppermint (I Heart Wax)

Destash / Act of Kindness from Sunnee

If you are reading my blog, chances are you are also reading Fragrance Obsessed, a wax blog written by a lovely lady Sunnee. When I stepped back into the wax world, Fragrance Obsessed was my bible. I learnt about so many new vendors and ordering methods. Besides the comprehensive posts, Sunnee also takes really beautiful photos of her wax hauls and keeps an interesting mix of anecdotes about her life and inspirations. I am so glad I took the first step in commenting on her blog, after back-and-forth comments on blogs, adding each other on Facebook and chatting occasionally, I really feel like Sunnee and I are now friends!

Sunnee had a destash recently on her blog where everyone could choose what they wanted on a first-come-first-serve basis. I managed to snag a few items during the free for all, I HEART WAX's Serendipty Peppermint 4-pack, Streetman Candle Co's Happy bundt  and Orchid Lake's Peanut Butter Cup. The rest of the items were picked out by Sunnee and they are awesome. I really like everything that she sent!

Beezy Tarts - Madam President Fresh, zesty citrus notes balanced out by feminine florals of jasmine, white rose, and freesia. Nuances of musks and ozonic notes are backed by a hint of sweet vanilla, ending with a warm amber base.
The musks and ozone are the strongest notes for me here, followed by the florals. Pretty!

Beezy Tarts - Icy Peppermint Sweet icy peppermint
Strong and sweet peppermint. I am going to cut this up and melt it by itself and maybe blend it with other stuff.

Beezy Tarts - Starburst Smells like a juicy Starburst!
Wow, this smells really like the sweet, amazing!

Beezy Tarts - Strip and Go Naked Oranges, lemons, limes and sweet berries.
SO GOOD! I can see why Sunnee loves this so much. This is a perfect summer scent, with all that fizzy citrus going around. Can't wait to melt this one.

I HEART WAX - Serendipity Peppermint 
I am not a fan of Hello Kitty but they are rather adorable in wax form. This blend is yummy, the peppermint is strong but I can detect cherries, vanilla and a little coconut. I can see this becoming a night-time fave.

Lasting Scent Candles - Cactus & Sea Salt
I have had this scent from LSC before. Cactus & Sea Salt is my family's favourite scent!

Lasting Scent Candles - Tie Dye Red raspberry, meyer lemon, key lime, navel orange, vanilla bean ice cream and rock candy sprinkles
When I first saw this loaf on Sunnee's blog, I was amazed at how gorgeous it was. I wonder how LSC created this loaf, the colours are gorgeous. I am so happy to be able to try this out because it is one, amazing, fruity blend. Now I have a problem, how am I going to get more  LSC, why are you so difficult to order from!

Orchid Lake Candles & Soaps (now known as Wilma) - Peanut Butter Cup
I feel like I just opened up the peanut butter jar but there's also a slight artificiality to the peanut butter. I think PB and chocolate scents tend to be like that.

Rosegirls - Greased Lightning Strawberry Jam chunks, Strawberry Shortcake chunks and Cuppa Cake overpour
I am so excited to see that Sunnee picked out a Rosegirls chunk for me! Rosegirls chunks are really gorgeous, I intend to put in an order when they next open (must accumulate wax karma)! I am picking up on the strawberry jam and a cake note. Yums!

Streetman Candle Company - Happy Strawberries, pears, sugars and lilac blossom
This is the biggest piece of wax I have ever gotten! It didn't look so very huge on Sunnee's blog. Thank goodness I am loving this scent! The lilac blossoms blends so well with the fruits!

Up The Creek - Fruity Pebbles
I always thought Fruity Pebbles was another way of saying Fruit Loops but I googled for scent descriptions and I found out this is another cereal brand. It's very similar to Fruit Loops though, maybe less on the lemon and lime.

Wax Notes | February 2014

Wild Honey (Ten Digit Creations)
This is such a beautiful scent. The cold throw doesn't prepare you for how amazing the warm throw will be. The honey is a major note and so true. My mum smells roses. After she mentioned that, I began to pick up more floral. This tart is crazy strong! I popped the whole tart into my ceramic bowl/11w hot plate warm and it has been burning for more than 16 hours. The throw is also amazing. It floated out of my room all the way down the stairs to our living room! Definitely on the re-order list!

Mandarin Cranberry (Yankee Candle Co.)
A very old tart that I got on sale at the Yankee counter at Takashimaya Department Store a year or so ago. It's just a pleasant sweet fruity scent. If I have to quibble, I think the Mandarin is a little stronger. The initial throw was strong enough to waft out of my room which in my books is medium-strong.

Wild Raspberry & Rhubarb (Dusk)
Gifted by a friend who visited Australia, I did a little research online and Dusk seems to be the Australian equivalent of Bath & Bodyworks or Yankee Candles. It has a nice raspberry scent but has a very weak throw. I had to get right up to my warmer to sniff it. Switched it out after about three hours.

White Candy Apple (Luna Bleu)
I think this was a freebie from my 2009 order. I hunted around the internet but I couldn't find a scent description. On cold sniff, I get mostly Winter Candy Apple (a scent I love!). Upon warming it up, I also get a chocolate scent. Unfortunately, these two scents doesn't blend that well together. I am glad to finally use it up!

Rejuvenate (Dusk)
So far my favourite and the strongest of the Dusk melts. This one has notes of rose and tangerine. The rose is strongest on cold throw but when its starts melting, the tangerine becomes more apparent. It's actually quite a nice blend together.

Island Spa (Yankee Candle Co.)
My first whiff on warm, I caught a laundry scent. The throw and scent is very very weak, it's also a very old tart. Only when I sniff very hard do I catch a faint citrus scent. It's probably a very scent when fresh.

Blueberries & Cherries (Front Porch Candle Co.)
This is my last tart from a free 4-pack that Front Porch used to give for orders above $25. I remember being so thrilled with the scent that I got, I popped it first into my warmer. It's a sweet, candy fruity scent. The cherry scent is stronger but here and there, I will get a whiff of the more sour blueberry note.

Nature's Bounty (Front Porch Candle Co.)
I can't seem to find the scent description for this tart. It smells spicy on cold sniff. And on warm, just as spicy. Do not like. Also, very weak scent throw. Oops, I forgot to take a picture of the tart itself so we will have to settle for the packet instead.

Caramel Corn (Lasting Scent Candles)
I don't remember liking this so much the last time I melted it. This is such a true to life scent, I can actually smell the popcorn kernels. Isn't that ridiculous! I might have to search out a few more caramel corn scents to figure out how much of this do I like. I am getting a medium throw with half a tart.

Lemon Curd & Rose Milk (The Bathing Garden)
I was so excited with my The Bathing Garden order that I immediately popped this into my warmer to try out this new-to-me vendor. I melted one cube in my tealight warmer and the throw is very direct and very strong within a medium range. The rose is the primary scent, and the tartness of the lemon counters the rose in a very pretty way. The milk gives it a creamy dimension, no sourness at all! My Mum also gives this the stamp of approval.

Wax Notes | January 2014

What I Melted & Used Up

Inspired by Fragrance Obsessed's melt diary, I decided to adopt the same style of snapping a phone photo of my wax to document my wax burnings. I am really liking it!

Vanilla Bean Noel (Luna Bleu) 
I have had this tart since Dec 2009 (had to dig around my inbox to check the dates) but the scent has not diminished one bit! I melted the whole tart in my makeshift 11w warmer, and it threw consistently

Wine By Candlelight (Front Porch Candle Co.)
A slightly newer tart dating to Dec 2011. I like this scent. On cold sniff, it's a rather sugary grape, but on melting it throws out this really lovely, mellow, tart grape. The name is apt because this is a tart that you should melt only in the evening as you unwind. It started out with a strong throw and slowly evened out to a medium-light throw. I melted this in a smaller, metal bowl on my 11w warmer. I am experimenting with different bowls to see which one works best with such a low-wattage warmer. VBN was melted in the porcelain bowl that came with the 24w warmer and it melted quite nicely but I am wondering if a smaller, more heat conduct-able bowl would help melt the wax better.

Apple Orchard (Front Porch Candle Co.)
Part of my Dec 2011 order. I am loving loving this scent. Of course, I have always been a fan of apple scents but this is one that I am happy to re-order. It's a combination of Granny Smith and Red Mac Apple and it actually smells crunchy! I am thinking that I might get this in a 4-pack in my next order (yes, I am planning a new order!). After the disappointing Wine By Candlelight tart, I was a little anxious, wondering if Front Porch was really as awesome as I remembered so I switched to burning this in my tealight warmer, and thankfully it still is.

Cactus & Sea Salt (Lasting Scent Candle)
One of my favourite clean & green scents that my family loves as well. Sometimes it can be a little too sharp but you just have to be careful to keep it down to a gently floating scent. For this LSC tart, I am using only half because LSC packs their tarts full of fragrance oils (while awesome for scent, not so awesome for the hands). This tart also dates to Dec 2011. I had a hunch that oilier tarts might work in my make-shift metal bowl/11w warmer combination so I am trying the LSC in the electrical warmer. It's been on for over 24 hours and finally showing signs of quitting! Wow!