Nail Polish Challenge Week 12: Stripes!

It's Christmas Eve!!

            Welcome back everybody! Tomorrow is Christmas and I'm so excited. I've spent most of my weekend cleaning and baking my traditional Christmas cookies and Rice Krispy Treats that I give to all of my family members as an extra present. So in honor of this week being Christmas and the fact that the theme for this week is stripes I decided to try my hand at candy cane nails.

Such a shame you can't see the glitter!

        I used 2 coats of Avon's Ruby Slipper as a base which is a really pretty and glittery red and then I just took my cheap dollar store white nail polish striper and made thick side-ways stripes for that twisty candy cane effect. Then as always I sealed it all in with my trusty NYC Long Wearing Extra Shiny Top Coat. I just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! I hope you all stay safe and enjoy your holidays. See you guys on New Year's Eve!

Can't Melt Me I'm The Gingerbread Man!

Only a week till X-mas!

        Yes! Only one week to the day that Christmas will be here. I'm super excited if you couldn't tell. Being in the Christmas spirit I decided to melt one of my wax gingerbread men that the wonderful Shannon C. got me in my secret santa present. These little guys are so cute so I hesitated about cutting them up and burning them but I was in a bakery mood earlier so...off with his head! Funny story actually I had placed the gingerbread man on my desk and was going to just cut off it's head because it is the perfect size for my tart warmer, but when I cut off his head the thing went flying right of my desk. I searched for like ten minutes and still could not find it! Now I have the head of a gingerbread man hanging around somewhere in my bedroom. Lol so I had to cut off a leg instead and pop that in my warmer. So here is a little review on my gingerbread man wax tart.

How adorable are these?!

Hello Dolly:
Color: Gingerbread Brown
Cold Throw:  So this particular bakery scent is a mixture of baked goody fragrances. It is supposed to be a concotion of Bubbling Butterscotch Sundae, Coconut Cream Pie, and Fudge Brownie. No one scent really stands out as all of them blend together wonderfully and make it's own unique fragrance. You can of course pick out some certain scents if you try hard enough like you can pick out the chocolateyness of Fudge Brownie, and the rich butteryness of Bubbling Butterscotch Sundae, but Coconut Cream Pie isn't discernable at all to me in this except for maybe adding in the creaminess. This scent to me smells like a really rich, decadent, baked dessert.

Warm Throw: The scent is a bit more subdued once burned, but it is in no way a weak scent. It still smells like a declicious baked dessert. It smells like something I seriously want to eat! For those of you put off by butter type scents or artificial chocolate scents, but still are looking for something bakery I would reccomend you give this one a try. The butter and chocolate scents meld together with the rest of the fragrances so that they aren't too noticeable unless you try hard to single them out. In the end it just smells yummy, bakery, and like a heavy dessert. I love it!

Scent Expectations: Exceeded

      I just want to thank Shannon C. from the Pouring Pot again for sending me these adorable little gingerbread men in a scent that I had never tried and would probably have overlooked otherwise. I'm falling in love with this scent and it is so me. Thank you so much sweetheart! I will enjoy these little guys for as long as their gingerbread lifespan maintains. Though judging by how much I like the scent that probably wont be for too long lol! Love you girl! For the rest of you I hope this little review helped you some and that you all have a safe and happy Christmas! I will be back on Christmas Eve for the next installment of the 31 Week Nail Polish Challenge. See you then!

I love you Shannon!

Nail Polish Challenge Week 11: Polkadots!

Pretty much what my day will be consisting of.

        Welcome back internet! Today I have been busy getting chores done before the holidays roll around. I've been doing laundry and running errands all day and I still have to dust and sweep everything. Good news though is that I've got all of my Christmas shopping done and wrapped. The only thing I have left to do is to bake some Christmas cookies as is my tradition every year. Despite being busy this morning I still had time to do my nails for this week's nail polish challenge. The theme for this week was polkadots!

Polkadot nails!

        So polkadots are a little boring for this time of year (I really wanted to make snowflakes lol) so instead I found a compromise and just paited my nails a light blue and added white polkadots in hopes of a falling snow effect. Didn't really come out as well as I had pictured in my head, but whatever I'm still happy with it. The pale blue base coat I used was Zoya's Jo which is a super pretty micro-shimmery pale sky blue. It is kind of sheer though two coats would be enough I added three. And then I just used a dollar store cheap white nail striper to create the dots. Well that's all for this week, I've got to get ready to take my mother to her doctor's appointment. Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Nail Polish Challenge Week 10: Gradient!

You there! Come on!

           Welcome back internet. We are on week 10 already and we've started to get into the more challenging nail art. I have never done a nail gradient before so this was my first attempt. I'm not all that happy with the results but what the heck I did my best and you have to have a starting point somewhere right? So doing these nails was a complete mess because first off my make-up sponge kept absorbing all the nail polish before I could pat it onto my nails so in the end I gave up and just used a Q-tip to make the gradient effect instead.

My sad attempt at a pink gradient...

Closer look at my #FailNails.

     So I know it is kind of hard to see the gradient effect but there is actually three different polishes that I used. The first one (which is closest to the nail bed) is a pale cream pink called Bella from Zoya. The middle color is a glittery darker light pink from Sally Hansen Diamond Nails in Pink Promise. And the tip color is Avon's Viva Pink. I was really hoping I could do better than this but after trying and re-painting my nails twice I finally conceeded that this wasn't too bad for a first shot. Anyways that's all for this week's challenge. Next week's doesn't look to hard so the results should be better then. Tune in for next Monday's challenge. Until then guys!

CBV Secret Santa Box!!

Was that the UPS truck?!!

        So I decided to participate in Candles By Victoria secret santa that was organized by the wonderful and sweet Liz on The Pouring Pot.This was my first time participating in something like this especially with people I have never actually met before and I have to say that this was a wonderful experience and I'd love to do it again next year. It was so fun picking out presents for my match and hoping they liked my gift along with the thrill and mystery of not knowing who was my secret santa or when and what I'd get. So today I was actually waiting for some stuff to arrive that I had purchased for my match when I opened the door however my secret santa package was there instead. I was so excited to see that the lovely Shannon C. was my secret santa. So here is what she got me. 

All my Christmas goodies via Shannon.

A little candy stuffed elf and a santa ornament!

       So the first thing that I pulled out of the box was this adorable stuffed elf whose stomach is actually a container of candy! It has some Reese's and some mini Hershey bars in assorted flavors and it is just so cute and so clever because his head twists off to get the candy inside. The second thing I pulled out was this antique looking santa ornament and it matches my tree so well because most of the ornaments on my tree are ones we've had for years. (My mom still has ornaments from when she was a kid) It just fits in so perfectly I love it! Oh and there was a little soft fluffy stocking that instantly caught my eye.

The first thing I said when I felt the little stocking.



Cute little snowmen!

          Inside of the stocking I unearthed this mini-snowman snowglobe. I don't think a lot of people know this but I collect snow globes like an old lady lol. I've been shaking this little guy so much the snowman inside probably has whiplash. I love watching the tiny snow flakes swirl around. I'm so easily amused... The next item I pulled out was this big ceramic snowman coffee mug. I squealed when I got it because I drink a lot of coffee and tea and I always run out of clean mugs by the end of the day. I also like the size of it because it is pretty decently big and will hold a lot of coffee. The mug was actually filled with more candy (YUM!) like Hershey's kisses and some more Reese's. (The Reese's sadly did not make it to this post. lol) Somewhere in there too was a package of these little white crystals that if you put them in a bowl with water they turn into real looking snow. What a cute idea!

The card along with CBV Gingerbread Men Tarts!

     In the box was this adorable santa card that has a sweet note from Shannon inside. Now I knew there was some CBV in this package because I could smell it as soon as I opened it. They turned out to be a set of three big gingerbread men wax tarts in the scent Hello Dolly, which is one I have never tried before. It is an amazing bakery scent that smells like Fudge Brownie with some yummy rich buttery notes to it. It smells like a baked dessert that I really want to eat. I can't wait to burn these little guys, they smell so delicious! The only problem is the gingerbread men are so cute I'm going to feel like a sadist when I chop their heads and limbs off to put in my tart warmer. (Rest in pieces my poor little gingerbread men.) 

 Pretty much my face when I smelt the box.

      I loved everything in this gift it was so thoughtful and it just touches my heart. I can tell that Shannon put a lot of thought into it and I'm so thankful to her for sending me this. Shannon you are such a sweetheart and I'm so glad I met you. You are a truly wonderful and lovely lady. Thank you so much for everything and I wish I could give you a real hug, but since I can't I will just have to make do with posting these GIFS which is what I would have done if I could. 

 

 

Nail Polish Challenge Week 9: Rainbow!

It's rainbow week!!

           Hello again internet! This week's theme is rainbow! I was actually looking for a little something different than the usual rainbow nails so I decided to go with a bold primary colored focused rainbow nails. The colors kind of reminded me more of school paints for some reason. Maybe I'm just weird lol. Anyways here is how they turned out.

You can't really see the glitter on the red polish.

Some polishes look brighter in different light.

           On my thumbs is Zoya's Holly in two coats, on my index finges is Avon's Blue Shock in three coats (the formula is REALLY sheer), on my middle fingers is Avon's Ruby Slipper (it is actually a really pretty red glitter but you can't tell from the lighting in the pictures.), on my ring fingers is Avon's Orange Creamsicle, and last but not least on my pinkys is Avon's Sunshine. All of them are topped of with my NYC Long Wearing Extra Shiny Top Coat. Sorry the pictures aren't that great, but I made the mistake of painting my nails before going Christmas shopping so I took the pictures in haste before I went out which is why the lighting is so terrible. Just got my secret santa gift so I will have that post up for you soon. Hope you all have a happy Monday. Until next time guys!

It's Beginning To Smell A Lot Like Christmas...

OMG Santa's coming!

      Season's greetings my fellow wax addicts! It's Christmas time again and the holiday cheer has already been spreading around. I decided to join in on the Christmas spirit and participate in the Pouring Pot's secret santa. I hope that the person I got will like their presents. I can't wait to find out who my secret santa is as well. I love everyone over on the message board and I'm so glad we can all pull together and send some holiday cheer to each other. I will probably take some pictures to show you guys what I got when I get it. Anyways on to the reviews. I have 14 scents for you guys today. Some of them are Christmasy, but some aren't. I have of course reviewed more Christmas scents in the past like Holiday Wassail, Mistletoe, my favorite Sweet Snow, Blueberry Candy Cane and Strawberry Candy Cane. You can find them in my previous CBV posts if you are interested. All of them are from the regular line except for one which is from the Top Shelf Black Label line. So without further ado onto the review.

All the shots.

Faerie Ring:
Color: Crayola's Purple Mountain's Majesty
Cold Throw: So this is a customer created scent. It was created by Jandre from the Pouring Pot (check out her blog on my blogs I follow!) and it is a mixture of Apples N Oaks and Raspberry Violet. I've never had Raspberry Violet, but I do have Apples N Oaks and based on that I get a lovely mixture of the both of them. I get the barrel aged apples, but it is accompanied with a sweeter slightly floral scent. I've got a review for Apples N Oaks further down below in this review if you want to see more on what that smells like on its own.  

Warm Throw: Smelt just like it did on cold sniff. The two scents blend wonderfully to create an entirely new scent. Not one part of the mixture is stronger than the other. You get the Apples N Oaks and the Raspberry Violet. It's a fresh sweet airy scent that's so hard to put into a catagory because it isn't fruity, floraly, or earthy yet at the same time it is all of those. A truly unique scent that just has to be tried. Plus the throw is pretty good as well.

Banana Coconut Cream Pie:
Color: Crayola's Lazer Lemon
Cold Throw: Smells just like banana coconut cream pie filling. On cold sniff alone I don't smell any pie crust at all, just the fantastic smell of the filling. It reminds me of those Jell-o instant pie filling packets after you've made it. I love this so far, but I will say the throw is a little weak in the container.

Warm Throw: Once again Victoria has managed to make a perfect replica from food to wax. This smells just like the real deal. I still only get the banana coconut pie filling without any hints of a crust smell. Smells Delicious!

Cinnamon Donuts:
Color: Maple Brown
Cold Throw: This smells like sweet baking cinnamon and sugar crystals with a tiny hint of fried dough underneath it all. It does smell like a fried donut topped with cinnamon and sugar. It has a medium scent throw in the container, but it smells delicious just like the real thing.

Warm Throw: So I bought this because I had Warm Apple Fritters last month and Cinnamon Donuts made up half the mixture and I really liked it so I had to try it by itself without the Macintosh Apple. I was not dissapointed either! Smells just like the real deal.   

Singapore Sling:
Cold Throw: This one is from the Top Shelf Black Label line which means it can only be bought in scent shot or Black Label candle form. This one smells like a lemon poppyseed muffin. On just the cold throw I don't get much of the bakery kick from the muffin and vanilla cake batter. It just kind of smells like sweet lemon baking crystals that come on certain lemon poppyseed muffins that you can buy at the store.

Warm Throw: This one is one of the more popular Black Label scents. It was reccomended to me by Jason and Emily on the Pouring Pot way back. Once again they both have excellent taste...or smell that is. It smells just like a lemon poppyseed muffin no joke. I smell the sugar crystal toppings, the bakery lemon cake and the poppyseed muffin. This is a heavy bakery scent so if you love the smell of lemon cakes or muffins then this is a must try for you. Smells mouth-wateringly delicious!

 I adore FR, BCCP,CD, & SS!

Sugar Plums:
Color: Crayola's Purple Mountain's Majesty
Cold Throw: This one is very dificult to describe because I can't categorize it in any certain fragrance category just like Faerie Ring it is a blend of scents. The other problem is the throw on this is very weak. I actually smell the plastic container a bit more than the real scent. But taking it out I smell a very soft and light floral mixed with maybe a sweet fruity undercurrent. It doesn't smell like sugar or plums really, but the scent itself is very nice and lightly sweet. 

Warm Throw: The throw was better once it was melted. It smells just like it did on cold throw only a little stronger. It's a blend of sweet light florals and an unknown fruit. It's a very nice and lovely scent all it's own that doesn't remind me of any other scent before it.

Blueberry Cheesecake:
Color: Blueberry Blue
Cold Throw: This is a big time favorite to a lot of other addicts I have talked to and I just got around to trying it. This smells delicious on cold throw. You get that candied blueberry smell blended with a sweet cream cheese filling that rounds the overall scent out. It's sweet, but not sickeningly so and it makes me want to eat the wax. Smells like cheesecake and candied blueberries.

Warm Throw: The cheesecake smell really comes out more into play when its melted. I smell more cream cheese frosting than the blueberries although they are still there. It really does live up to its name.  Personally I liked this one better on cold throw, but its still pretty good either way. It has a medium throw to it as well.

Apples N Oaks:
Color: Saddle Brown
Cold Throw: This one smells more like the aged oak barrels than the apples on cold throw. I've never smelt an apple scent quite like this one before. It has a sort of subtle woodsy air about it with undertones of green apples. It isn't as sweet as a lot of other apple scents I've tried. The throw in the shot is kind of weak, but it could be because the scent itself smells like the air in the fall in a apple orchard.

Warm Throw: I got this one because Amanda on The Pouring Pot had burnt it for like a week straight and loved it and as an avid apple fan I couldn't pass up trying a new apple scent. This one was true to the cold throw, but the scent came out a bit more so the throw is a moderate one instead of the weak one in the container. This one is great for fall and for those of you who like apple scents, but aren't a fan of the really sweet or heavy apple fragrances. 

Sugared Corn Pudding:
Color: Crayola Lazer Lemon
Cold Throw: This is a very popular scent on the board so I had to try it. Trying to describe it is a bit tricky though. It smells like creamy warm porridge with an undertone of sweet corn. It's a very comfort food type of smell. It's very rich, creamy, and yummy smelling. It almost smells like something I would love to eat for breakfast. 

Warm Throw: The throw on this is one of the more stonger ones though not chokingly so. It smells like a warm creamy breakfast type food to me. Like a mixture of oatmeal and porridge or grits. It has an undercurrent of butter in it that I didn't smell on the cold throw. The scent is very heavy, rich, and comforting. I can see why it is a popular scent.

Caramelized Pralines:
Color: Saddle Brown
Cold Throw: First off to those of you who have no idea what a praline is it is basically a confection made out of nuts and sugar. Whether it's boiled or baked or ground. So onto the review. I really get the nuts in this wrapped with Victoria's caramel scent. It smells like the nuts that you get on ice cream toppings with burnt caramel.

Warm Throw: This has a moderate throw and stays true to the scent in the shot. Smells just like it's namesake. It is a sweet and salty fragrance. I'm not big on nuts in general be it food or wax, but I decided to try this after beauty youtuber Sayanythingbrooke said that this is her favorite CBV scent and after I saw that it was on a lot of The Pouring Pot members favorites. While I'm not a big fan of this scent because it is too nutty for me, I would recommend it to those of you are nut fans or who love sweet and salty scents. Overall it's not bad at all it's just not for me. 

Cold December Night:
Color: Blueberry Blue
Cold Throw: This is a customer creation made by the other Kayla on the Pouring Pot. It is a mixture of Sugared Spruce and Sweet Snow. I have not had sugared spruce yet, but I can definetly pick out the cool mint of the Sweet Snow. It has a sweeter and sharper undertone in it than just plain Sweet Snow.

Warm Throw: Smells like it did in the shot, only once it's warmed up it has more depth to the scent than before. This scent really lives up to it's name because it is a very cool minty fragrance. The throw on this one is one of the better ones as it travelled from my room to the hallway all the way to the living room. If you are a mint fan then you will probably love this one.

Frenchville Coffee:
Color: Pearl White
Cold Throw: This smells like Victoria's coffee scent mixed with heavy vanilla creamer, which in a way is pretty much what it is supposed to smell like. I don't think that Victoria's coffee fragrances smell like straight up coffee though it does smell really similair. But then again I'm a coffee snob and I like my coffee rich and decadant.  Still this one smells like it's namesake. This one has a pretty moderate throw to it when it's cold as well.

Warm Throw: Stays pretty much the same once it's melted. It smells like generic coffee with a heavy dose of vanilla creamer. It has a pretty decent scent throw to it as well. The scent remains steady and will be a good thing to burn in the morning when I don't really feel all that awake.

Chai Tea:
Color: Chocolate Brown
Cold Throw: While I am a big tea fan I have never actually had a Chai Tea before so I was curious as to what one would at least smell like so I decided to get this. On cold throw I can pick apart and smell almost all of the scents said to be in this. I get the brewed tea, the tiniest pinch of baking cinnamon, I can really pick out the clove and ginger and just the hint of vanilla to steady it all out. This scent isn't really all that sweet or all that spicy. It is a very nice relaxing scent.

Warm Throw: While I have never had a Chai Tea before, but my older brother assures me that this smells just like it's liquid counterpart. The scent was really relaxing and different from a lot of the other scents I've tried. The throw was pretty good as well and it smelt like hot brewed tea with some soft baking spices that aren't really too noticeable that round out the scent really well. I actually enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would. A nice steady relaxing scent is what I would describe it as.


Bonfire Bliss:
Color: Burnt Sienna
Cold Throw: First off the cold throw is pretty strong. This one is supposed to smell like an actual bonfire and it does a pretty good job. I can instantly pick out the cedar notes mixed with some charred or burned woodsy notes. I get a deeper musky background that I'm not really a fan of only because it kind of reminds me of sweat a little bit. I think my nose is just strange so don't let that scare you away. The description says that this has some marshmallows, brown sugar, coconut, and some vanilla in it, but I don't get that on cold sniff at all. I just get the heady earthy wood notes and the heavy musk at the bottom.

Warm Throw: This one smells more like an actual campfire than Campfire Marshmallows does. It smells just like it does on cold throw only there is a background of brown sugar in there that adds some sweetness to an overall earthy scent. The throw on this one is really powerful and it will linger around for awhile as well. Overall it smells just like a real bonfire.


Jaqen H'ghar approves all the above. (Game of Thrones reference.)

Genevieve's Tea Ring:
Color: Saddle Brown
Cold Throw: This is a houseblend made for Charlene Howard and it is a mixture of Granny's Pie Crust, The Porridge Pot, Brown Sugar, Cherry Creme Brulee, Vanilla and a touch of Cherry. That is a lot to mix in one tiny scent shot. On cold throw alone I smell the cherries and the creme brulee. Plus I get a deeper bakery note that is probably The Porridge Pot though I can't tell for sure since I've never tried any of the scents in this mixture. The throw is pretty strong as well.

Warm Throw: This fragrance is powerful! I mainly smelled just strong Maraschino cherries with an almost maple syrupy like background. There is a definite bakery kick in the middle of it all as well but it didn't smell like porridge or pie crust.. Despite being a bakery fan I did not really care for this and neither did anybody else in my family. It was just too powerful and too complicated for us. But if you love cherries, maple syrup, and perhaps Victoria's Zucchini Bread scent then you might want to give this one a try.

Phew Genevieve's Tea Ring is STRONG!

     Well that's all for this review. I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holidays. And I know the rush to buy presents for everyone is stressful but always try and remember what the holidays are really about. (It's not shopping!) Anyways I will see you all next time. peace and love to everyone!

Winter Fortune Cookie Soap Haul & Review!

Yep, it's that time of year again.

      Hello internet! The holiday season is now officially upon us and so is the rush to get all our loved one's presents. So just in time for the Christmas season Fortune Cookie Soap has released it's winter line-up of scents and products. I have samples of body butters in almost all of the new seasonal scents except for Stuff My Stocking so if you are looking for a unique gift for a loved one or friend or maybe just a special treat for yourself then keep reading to find out which scent is right for you.

So here are the tops...

And here are what they each look like.

Tangle In The Tinsel:
Color: Pastel Pink
           First up and my personal favorite is Tangle in the Tinsel. It is an odd mixture of Cola and Pink Sugar. You can definitely smell the Cola even the carbonation in it, but it's tampered down by the sweetness of the pink sugar. Honestly at first I was a little confused by this one, not just the off the wall mixture, but because it had nothing to do with the holiday season in general other than the name. Now that I've tried it I really like the fragrance even though I was unsure at first at smelling like sweet Cola. Somehow this little baby has just grown on me even though it still has nothing to do with the holidays. Oh well maybe it fits New Year's more.

Mistletoe Mistress:
Color: Mint Green
           The site says this is inspired by crisp winter air, and is a blend of nutmeg, clove, warm vanilla, sandalwood, cranberry, and zesty orange. Personally I get none of that and all of that at the same time. This one is such a complex fragrance. I get the almost fruity basenotes, but they are deeply blended in with the vanilla and sandalwood. There is nothing spicy about this scent though since I've had a lot of clove scented things, (Thank you CBV!) I can tell that there is some clove hinding underneath all the other scents. This scent is majorly seasonal and lovely. It's not too fruity, not too earthy, and not too spicy. It's just the right combinations of scents to make a completely original one. Very nice.

Baby, It's Cold Outside:
Color: Pastel Peach
           First off I was sold into buying this by the name alone and then I read the description. This one is supposed to smell like mouthwatering chocolate mixed with mandarin, tangerine, lemon satsuma, red grapefruit, with middlenotes of bergamot, and oakmoss. I smell artificial chocolate and oranges with a background of bergamot. It really is heavier on the chocolate than the citrus notes. In fact all the fruits kind of get swallowed by the artificial chocolate. It's not a bad scent in anyway though I just find that for as many citrus notes said to be in their it isn't a majorly fruity smelling product. It's nice for all you chocolate lovers out there though be warned it is an artificial chocolate.

Snow Day:
Color: Creamy White
           The description for this is a warm cozy blend of cinnamon bark, luscious berries spiked with fresh pear. I get the cinnamon bark which isn't the same as cinnamon because you can smell the earthy bark of it and the cinnamon is majorly toned down. There is a hint of dark fruity sweetness which I'm guessing is the berries. They smell almost like cranberries if I had to guess. And then I smell the middle notes of pears. This is a well rounded holday scent that reminds me of the fruit baskets you get around thi time of year.

Snow Bunny:
Color: Pastel Grey Blue
           This one is very spa like to me. Its supposed to be a blend of sandalwood, peppermint leaf, strawberries, raspberries, and vanilla. I get the peppermint but it isn't in your face like most mint scents. It is really suppressed by the warm sandalwood. I really don't get any majorly fruity notes in this one, but it does have like an herbal sweetness to it. Like I said this reminds me of what certain upper crust spas smell like. It's a mixture of refreshing mint, with a hint of earthiness, and calming sweetness.

The above scents...Me Gusta.

Candy Cane Fluff:
Color: Creamy White
           As a mint lover I was most excited about this fragrance. The description is Indulge in the sweet scent of crisp peppermint and fluffy marshmallows. How could I not get this one? Sadly though I am not as in love with this scent as I expected to be. Don't get me wrong it's not bad, I just don't like it as much as I would have wanted to. I get mainly the thick marshmallow scent with just a pinch of peppermint in the mix. I'm not big on marshmallows myself so I would have preffered it to be the other way around with me smelling more of the peppermint instead. Still I have to say Fortune Cookie Soap makes a hell of a marshmallow scent because it does smell like the real deal. It smells sugary and fluffy like legit marshmallows. So while I do not enjoy smelling like marshmallows those of you out there who do need to get this scent. You will probably adore it. 

I wish this smelt more like peppermint than marshmallows!

We Three Kings:
Color: Pastel Yellow
           This one is a mixture of patchouli, plumeria, and sweet orange. Now I should have known I wasn't going to care for this fragrance when I read patchouli. I hate patchouli! Still I've had other fragrances with patchouli in it that I liked because all the other scents masked it. This one however does not. I was hoping the sweet orange and plumeria would be enough to drown out the earthiness of the patchouli however I was mistaken. The main scent is earthy smoky patchouli with just the tiniest undertones of plumeria. Such a let down for a patchouli hater like me. But if you like patchouli or earthy scents in general and don't need a lot of sweetness in a scent to like it then this one is right up your ally. It's woodsy, sharp, and not at all sweet or soft.   

White Elephant:
Color: Pastel Purple
           Now this is a little different from the rest because it is a mystery scent. It is said to be a curious blend filled with mystery and intrigue. If you can correctly guess the fragrance and email it in you will be entered in a $100 giveaway. The winner will be chosen on December 20th. Now I'm going to tell you all what I think it smells like, but I wouldn't go entering it in the giveaway because honestly I have NO idea what it really is. My scent description is really grasping at straws on this one. But to me I think this one is a mixture of Cola and either lavender or violets. Truthfully though I have no idea, but I'm willing to bet it has Cola in it because it has the same carbonation in it that Tangel In The Tinsel has. There is almost a sour note in this one to me like Coke and dying flowers. Lol I told you not to go entering this into the contest. Hoenstly though I have no idea only that I don't like it at all. 

Did I like We 3 Kings or White Elephant? NO!

       My free sample actually turned out to be a White Elephant bath bomb which I will probably NEVER use. Maybe somebody else I know will like it and I can give it to them either that or I might stick it in the next Candles By Victoria Round Robin if I decide to participate in it. Overall I liked most of the scents with only two of them disagreeing with my nose. I hoped this little review helped some of you narrow down your decisions. Please look forward to my next installment of the Nail Polish Challenge and for more Candles By Victoria reviews. Bye guys!

Nail Polish Challenge Week 8: Metallic

The holiday weekend was a crazy one for me.

            Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday, but I am a day late because after work yesterday I spent all night going through Cyber Monday deals and then ordering a bunch of Christmas gifts for my loved ones in an attempt to get a jump on the holiday shopping season. Every year I always say I'm going to have all my shopping done before the last week of Christmas so I'm not rushing to try and find something and so far something always comes up so that, that never happens. Last year I was sick for two whole weeks before Christmas and had to go out and shop not feeling well. But I'm determined to not let that happen again this year. Now to get onto what this post is supposed to be about. It's week 8 in our 31 weeks of nail polish challenge and the theme for this week is Metallic.

Essie's Over The Edge #712

        This week I have on Essie's Over The Edge. As you can see it is just a very pretty metallic steel grey. I have on three coats here topped off with my trusty NYC Long Wearing Extra Shiny Topcoat. This happens to be the very first Essie polish that I bought and I love the color, but the formula is very sheer, which is why I have to use three coats. The manicure is simple with nothing special really, but I think the color really matches the drab weather as it slowly starts to shift from fall to winter. All the colorful leaves have pretty much fallen of the trees leaving them barren, the wind is colder, and the skies are greyer without any beautiful white snow to make it pretty. I have my Winter Fortune Cookie Soap Haul & Review coming up as soon as I get off work. So please stick around today to see that! Until next time guys! Bye! 

The Hunger Games Nail Polish: Harvest Moon



It's time to add some more pretty to this blog.

       Hello again my lovelies! So Ulta had this sale going awhile back where if you buy 2 China Glaze nail polishes. you get 1 free. So seeing their sale and also seeing that they had the Hunger Games collection for half price I decided to make a purchase. So I bought 5 nail polishes total. Three from their regular line and then 2 from The Hunger Games series. Today in honor of Thanksgiving I have on Harvest Moon. This color is inspired by The Hunger Games movie/books and is supposed to represent District 9 which is I believe is the grain district. (It's been awhile since I've read the books) Now I know I'm a little late in the swatch game for this one, but the color is perfect for fall so I wanted to mention it on here. 

     As you can see this one is a really pretty metalic bronze/copper/rust color with matching shimmer. The color in the bottle is the color that you get on your nails. The color becomes opaque with only two coats and the shimmer in it isn't gritty which I like. What I like most about these polishes though is that they dry a lot quicker than most nail polishes I've tried. The brush is decently long two which is nice because I feel it gives me better control than say my Essie nail polishes. I really love this for fall, I feel not only is the name perfect for it, but the color as well. 

Just now realized I had the bottle backwards lol!

    I am still doing the 31 week nail polish challenge and this has nothing to do with it, I just kind of wanted a break to paint my nails a more fall appropriate color. Also I felt like re-doing my nails for Thanksgiving and this little baby was just calling my name. So that's all for this little random post. I have a winter Fortune Cookie Soap haul and review coming up for you very soon as well as next Monday's nail polish challenge. So please look forward to those. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Nail Polish Challenge Week 7: Black & White

This week is Jack Skellington inspired!

        Welcome back internet pals did you enjoy your weekend? I spent mine cleaning and getting ready for Thanksgiving since I wont have time to do it later this week because I work everyday until Thursday. I still have to go to the store and stock up for the Thanksgiving feast, although feast isn't really the right term since it will probably be just my parents and me. My oldest brother has to work and his wife and my niece are going to her mom's house for dinner and my other brother is going to his girlfriend's for Thanksgiving so it's just going to be us three more than likely. Still that means more food for me in the end. Anyways it's Monday again so that means another installment of the Nail Polish Challenge. Can you believe we are already on week seven? It doesn't feel like I've been doing this for seven weeks.

       The theme for this week is Black & White so I decided to try a Jack Skellington pinstripe motiffe. The Nightmare Before Christmas has always been one of my all time favorite movies and since the holiday season is right around the corner I thought this would be a neat idea. Here I painted my nails two coats of China Glaze's Liquid Leather and I just took a cheap white nail art polish that I bought at the Dollar Store and added verticle stripes. It isn't as clean as I would have liked, but it still came out alright I think. As always I just sealed it with NYC's Long Wearing Extra Shiny Top Coat. So that's it for this post. Check back next Monday for the Metallic Challenge also I have a winter Fortune Cookie Soaps haul and review coming up so look forward to that too. Until then guys!

Nail Polish Challenge Week Six: Violet

Hi There!

    Hello again internet. It's Monday again which means time to continue on with the nail polish challenge. This week is Violet and it marks the end of the colors of the rainbow. Next week will be black and white. So weird that it was sixty degrees out yesterday then this morning it was snowing and now its super sunny and all of the snow has already melted. Is this happening to anybody else or is it just typical midwest weather? On one hand I'm excited for the snow because it means Christmas isn't that far behind and I'm pumped for some holiday cheer, but on the other hand I hate the cold and having to get out in this nasty weather. But enough weather chit chat, here is this week's nails.

I really wish you could see the glitter better!

      So the color used here is just two coats of Zoya's Valerie. It is a gorgeous dark purple with flecks of bright fushia micro-glitter. The pictures do not do it justice though, it is much prettier in person. This is my favorite purple nail polish because when the light hits those fushia flecks it makes the polish look like a purple pink duochrome. So pretty! Anyways that's all for this week look forwar to next week which is black and white. Until then guys!

Burn Baby Burn!

Welcome back candle friends!

     My goodness it is November already?! Seriously where did the time all go? This year has gone by way too quickly. Anyways I hope you guys all had a wonderful Halloween! I'm sad to see my favorite holiday go, but alas all good things must come to an end. Now that it is finally over and done with I must turn my attentions elsewhere so here is yet another CBV haul. I'm not obsessed or anything...I can quit whenever I want..honest!  Since Christmas is just a month away I decided to get an early jump on the presents this year and ordered some 8oz candles for some of my family members and I bought 2 for myself. I also have scent shots from the regular line and 2 Top Shelf Black Label scent shots to review for you all.  

From left to right: Vanilla Bean, Apple Vanilla, & Sweet Snow

The No Frills Sampler Pack:
        I decided to order the six 8oz sampler pack so that I could use three of the candles as Christmas gifts to some of my family members who love candles. And one candle as a birthday gift, the other two I decided to keep for myself. The jars are really simple, but also really cute. I like how it just has a sticker that I can peel off if I think it clashes with the room I put it in. Though honestly I think I will just keep the stickers on. Plus once the candle runs out you can scoop out the wax and use the jar for homemade jam or other things. A single 9oz candle from CBV costs $8.75, but this sampler pack of six 8oz candles only costs $43.50 so it roughly comes out even when you think about it. The candles may look a little oily in the pictures, but that's because they were curing at the time.

From left to right: Cinnamon Stick, Harvest, & Apple Jack N Orange Peel

Vanilla Bean:
Color: Pure White
Cold Throw: I bought this without ever having smelt the fragrance before. I got it to give to my brother and sister in-law for Christmas. My brother hates the candles that my sister picks to burn around the house which are mainly vanilla, but they have sugary qualities to them that he hates. So as a compromise between the two I decided to get the just straight up vanilla bean. That way she can have her vanilla, but it wont be too sweet smelling for my brother. This one smells just like pure steady vanilla. It isn't really overly sweet like a lot of vanilla's though and it doesn't smell like vanilla extract that you cook with. It's more simple and straight up. So I think they will both love it.
Apple Vanilla:
Color: Jade Green
Cold Throw: This is a re-order for me. I love this scent. It smells just like sweet granny smith apples with creamy vanilla basenotes that round it out and give the fragrance more depth. This one also smells the same once it's melted. 
Sweet Snow:
Color: Pure White
Cold Throw: Another re-order. This one is just straight cool peppermint with a vanilla background to keep it sweet instead of sharp. I wanted a larger candle of this just in case I got sick and wanted something comforting that wouldn't agravate my senses. The peppermint tends to clear up my sinuses a bit and if I have an upset stomach I know the steady mint won't make me feel nauseous. This will also be nice to burn on the cold winter nights.
Cinnamon Stick: 
Color: Dark Fushia/Maroon
Cold Throw: This was another one that I purchased without having smelt the fragrance before. This is a Christmas gift for my aunt and uncle. They like simpler uncomplicated smells and they have four dogs and a baby so they burn candles like crazy. So since it will be for Christmas I thought what better scent to get than just pure cinnamon? The smell of this one is just strong Red-Hot cinnamon. Not much more to it than that, which is exactly what I wanted. 
Harvest:
Color: Dark Orange
Cold Throw: Yet another re-order, but this is a birthday gift for my mother whose birthday is actually on Halloween. This is her all time favorite CBV scent so I had to get it for her. This one smells like sweet pumpkin with country spices, and a hint of dried leaves. This is excellent for fall.
Apple Jack N Orange Peel:
Color: Blue Based Red
Cold Throw: Again the final re-order, but this one is for my older brother Dustin. He walked into my room one day and while I was melting this in my tart warmer and he immediatly said, "It smells fantastic in here!" Seeing as my brother is going to be moving two hours away here soon I wanted to get him a sort of Christmas/house warming gift. So what better than a candle right? This one smells like apples & cinnamon with orange citrusy basenotes. I have had two shots of these and now smelling this candle they all kind of smell different yet the same. The first scent shot that I had smelt more on the apple cinnamon side with the faintest touch of orange, but this candle and the last shot that I have smells more on the orange side with touches of apple cinnamon. Overall though I know my brother is gonna like this.

Now on to the shots!

     I ordered 15 shots this time around so sit tight this is gonna be a long one. I have 13 from the regular line and then 2 from the Top Shelf Black Label Line that were recommended to me by Jason and Emily on the Pouring Pot message board. So let's start with the regular line shall we?

Bella Swan:
Color: Deep Purple/Grape
Cold Throw: This is one of their houseblends based off of Twilight. This one is a pretty floral with I wanna say a hint of grape in there. The description on the site doesn't say it has any grape in it, but that is what I am picking up underneath the sweet florals. The flowery smell is really a kind of airy flower like if I had to narrow it down I'd say it was either Magnolias or Lily of the Valley maybe, but I'm not sure since I'm not very up on individual floral smells. There is an undercurrent of creamy sweetness as well which I am guessing is the vanilla.

Warm Throw: Despite not being a floral fan I decided to get this because people were raving about it on the boards, even the ones who didn't even like Twilight. So I knew I had to try this one out for myself and I'm so glad I did! The floral notes in this are sweet and airy so it didn't give me a headache. I still get a hint of like a wine grape in this which I actually find balances out the florals. I don't smell vanilla at all, but there is a definite sweetness in this one. If this is indeed what Bella Swan smells like then maybe I can understand why so many things "want" her. LOL. This is the first floral scent I have loved and will be purchasing again. Such a lovely scent!  

Shamrock Kiss:
Color: Hunter Green
Cold Throw: The site says that this is a blend of candied apples, pomegranate, ivy, and oakmoss. What I get is mainly like a cool light perfumey candy apple. Since the candy apple stands out so much I don't really smell the pomegranate, but I do get those plant like base notes. I know when you see the word plant you are probably thinking of the more earthy fragrances, but this one is more like a wintery candy apple. Now I know Victoria has a fragrance actually called Wintery Candy Apple, which I have not had so I'm not sure if these two scents are really similar or if I'm just picking up a light perfumey candy apple scent that just brings that to mind or not. However I really like it.

Warm Throw: Smells the same as the cold throw. The throw of this one is pretty good. It didn't fill up my house, but it did scent the room nicely without me choking on the aroma. I can see myself enjoying this year round. The candy apple is perfect for fall and winter while the plant like base notes round it out for spring and summer as well.


I <3 Bella Swan & Shamrock Kiss!

 Warm Apple Fritters:
Color: Saddle Brown
Cold Throw: This is a customer create a scent created by Ellie. It is a mixture of Macintosh Apple and Cinnamon Donuts. Now I have never had the Cinnamon Donuts before, but I know it is a favorite among the boards. What I get on cold sniff is definitely the Macintosh Apples, but it is mixed with a sugary cinnamon scent. It is very bakery, but the apples are really fresh cut smelling and are a bit more powerful than the baking sugar crystal smell of the cinnamon.

Warm Throw: I get more of the baking cinnamon than the apple once it's melted, but other than that it smells just like in the container. The throw on this one is kind of weak and I wish it was strong like it was in the container. After burning this one I am now convinced to try Cinnamon Donuts. I bet it is worth the hype if the sugary cinnamon in this one is indeed the same. 

Trick Or Treat:
Color: Golden Yellow
Cold Throw: This is one of their houseblends. It is a mixture of Caramel Corn and Buttercream Crunch. This one smelt more like buttery caramel corn when I first received it, but now that it's had time to cure I only get butter and caramel, but no more popcorn smell. There is a salty sweetness to it though. Now I have yet to try Buttercream Crunch or Caramel Corn on their own, but I do smell caramel corn, and the butter part of Buttercream Crunch, but I don't get any "icing" smell in there.

Warm Throw: Smells like buttery caramel. I didn't really get much of a popcorn or icing smell in this one once it melted, just Victoria's butter smell with some caramel in there. Still it was a pleasant scent with a pretty decent throw. I felt like the aroma of this one faded a bit quicker than some of the other fragrances I had though. If you like Butterbrickle than you will probably like this one as well.

Macintosh Apple: 
Color: Cranberry Red
Cold Throw: Smells just like a fresh cut Macintosh Apple. This one is really crisp smelling without any hints of artificial apple in there at all. Not really much more to it than that.

Warm Throw: Same as in the container. Once again accurate name is accurate. It's just straight up Macintosh Apples. As an apple lover I am not dissapointed. This will be nice to melt on days when I want just one steady simple fragrance.

Blueberry Patch:
Color: Teal Blue
Cold Throw: Smells just like simple candied blueberries. It doesn't have that ripe tartness that real blueberries have. It is more like an artificial candy blueberry.  Not much more to it than that.

Warm Throw: Yep still just straight up candided blueberries. The throw is pretty good on this one so if you like that artificial candy blueberry smell then you will love this one.

Blueberry Candy Cane:
Color: Crayola Blue Green
Cold Throw: This is a mixture of Blueberry Patch and Sweet Snow. This is definetly a great mixture between the two because I smell both the blueberries and the vanilla mint equally. One scent does not overpower the other and they blend to make a minty candied blueberry. This actually does smell like a blueberry candy cane.

Warm Throw: I get more of the Sweet Snow when it's warmed up, but you can still get the blueberries as well. The blueberries are actually more noticeable in this one then the strawberries were in Strawberry Candy Cane. This one had a pretty decent throw to it and smelt pretty much like it did on cold throw. I will certainly be burning this in December.

Fresh Picked Strawberries:
Color: Dark Maroon
Cold Throw: I get strawberries, but they don't smell like fresh picked strawberries. It lacks that sharp tart edge that real strawberries have. This one smells more like an artificial strawberry syrup.

Warm Throw: Smelt like it did on the cold throw. The throw of this one is pretty good and it made my entire room and hallway smell like sweet artificial strawberries.

Strawberry Candy Cane:
Color: Dark Raspberry
Cold Throw: This is a mixture of Fresh Picked Strawberries and Sweet Snow and that is exactly what I get. I smell the toned down peppermint with the vanilla from Sweet Snow, but in the same whiff I get the artificial strawberry from the Fresh Picked Strawberries. The Sweet Snow element is a bit heavier than the strawberries though.

Warm Throw:  The Sweet Snow continues to be the main fragrance of this one, but you still get the strawberries with it. As a Sweet Snow fan I really like this one. I just wish the strawberries were a bit more noticeable to contend with the power of the peppermint, but it's still nice and it has a great throw. This would be great around Christmas time.

Gain Island Fresh:
Color:  Dark Mandarin Orange
Cold Throw: This one was actually recomended to me by Micah on the message boards a while back and I've just now gotten around to trying it. It smells like laundry detergent. I've never tried the actual Gain version of the stuff, but I'm willing to bet that this is pretty darn close if not exactly like it's liquid cleaner counterpart. It has a fresh clean ozony-ness to it. If you can get past the laundry smell you can kind of pick up on an ocean air like undercurrent.

Warm Throw: Stayed true to the cold throw and just smelt like nice clean laundry detergent. I'd recomend this to those who like crisp fresh clean scents. Made my house smell like I had just gotten done deep cleaning. So if you want your home to smell nice and clean, but don't feel like actually cleaning it yet then you'll want to burn this one.

Fudge Brownie:
Color: Dark Saddle B rown
Cold Throw: I decided to get this one because a lot of people said that it didn't have that fake chocolate scent to it and that it smelled just like the real deal. On cold throw alone I have to disagree because the chocolate -while better than most fake chocolate scents- still smells artificial to me. Now I am incredibly picky when it comes to chocolate scents. I have yet to find one that smells like real chocolate to me. I guess I am just looking for a chocolate that smells like a straight up Hershey Bar. But alas I have yet to be able to find it. Still on cold throw alone this is definetely one of the better chocolate smells I have come across. It almost smells like hot chocolate to me.

Warm Throw: After it is warmed up it no longer smells like fake artificial chocolate it smells just like brownies baking in the oven. It's like you are making the real thing. It is so amazing the transformation from when it's cold to when it's hot. The throw on this one is also pretty good too. It made both my lving room and kitchen smell delicious. I really like this one and was pleasantly suprised by how much it did change when I melted it.

Apple Pie Ala Mode:
Color: Maroonish Red
Cold Throw: I get baked red delicious apples covered in a baking cinnamon glaze. This one kind of smells like apple pie filling, but it doesn't have any of the pie crust or vanilla ice cream fragrances that I was expecting. Still it is definetely an apple pie scent. So if you like apple pies you will probably like this one. On another note I had to let this one cure a bit longer than the others because at first all I smelt was cherry cough syrup. It was very strange, but it did cure and settle into an apple pie fragrance.

Warm Throw: The throw on this one was very weak. Next time I will have to melt a half a scent shot instead of just a quarter. It still smelt like the cold throw and I still couldn't get any pie crust or ice cream fragrances at all. It just smelt like apple pie filling. It's still a nice scent I just wish the throw was stronger.

Maui Luau:
Color: Grape
Cold Throw: This was my free scent shot. It is one of the houseblends I believe and it smells like to me hawaiin flowers and tropical fruits. The flowers feel oddly reminiscent of the Awapuhi flowers in Victoria's other fragrance Island Kiss which is weird because the site says it is Plumeria. I knew it smelt similar to a flower I've smelled before but I still think it smells like Island Kiss only with some papaya. There is supposed to be Pina Colada in here as well, but I'm just not picking it up.

Warm Throw: This is certainly a tropical floral scent if you couldn't tell from the name. It smells like sweet Plumerias with an undercurrent of papayas. Still didn't pick up to much on the mangos or the pina colado, but that's okay because it was still a strong tropical flowery aroma. The throw is really great to it traveled to several room in the house. While tropical flowers aren't really my favorite I didn't mind this one at all. 

Me gusta all the above. 



Top Shelf: Black Label Scent Shots

 Salty Dog: Color: Mellow Yellow
Cold Throw: So this was a reccomendation from Jason and Emily to try on the message board. This one is said to smell like Juicy Fruit gum and I gotta be honest I was a little skeptical reading the description for this one. Since it is part of the black label line it has a lot of ingrediants in it and looking at it I was like "How do they get Juicy Fruit from all that?" But now that I have my hands on it I can say that they were 100% right. I have no idea how this happened, but it does smell just like the gum! It doesn't really have one identifiable scent other than that. I can't pick out any of the ingrediants individually. They just all blended together to make Juicy Fruit.

Warm Throw: Despite the name there is nothing salty about this scent, it is all light candy sweetness. Bottome line it smells just like Juicy Fruit gum. The throw on this was a little weaker than most so next time I will be sure to use 1/2 the shot instead of just 1/4. Still I absolutely adore this one more than I thought I would and will be purchasing this again.

Godfather:
Color: Dusky Pearl
Cold Throw: I wanted to get this one because I am a fan of some of the spices said to be in this one. I love clove, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Plus I'm a fan of pumpkin and vanilla which is said to make the base notes of this fragrace so I was excited to get this. But on cold throw I think this might be TOO much spice for my nose. I don't know if it's all of the spices combined or just the cardamom, mace, and anise that makes me not care for it. This one has more of a sharp spice edge to it instead of a baking sweet spice scent that I prefer. I don't pick up any of the pumpkin or vanilla.

Warm Throw: This was majorly too much spice for my nose. I was hoping that once I burned it the pumpkin and vanilla would add more sweetness and tone done the sharp spices, but sadly that was not the case. It still remained heavy on the anise, macem and cardamom. The throw on this is really really strong which would normally great, but since I personally didn't care for the smell I had to turn off my warmer and immediately scoop it. But my mother who is a major spice fan loved this one. So I'd say if you are a fan of the sweeter baking spices like cinnamon, but aren't a fan of the sharper scents like anise then stay away from this one. However if you like the stronger sharper spices then you will probably love this one. 

No me gusta Gofather.

    Well that's it for this November CBV review. I'm already off and burning some scents for my December haul and review as we speak. I actually recently just filled up my entire plastic container holding all my scent shots so now I have to go out and buy another one and decorate it too. But it is well worth it since I don't plan on quitting my wax addiction any time soon. Well I will see you guys soon for my next nail polish challenge. Have a great day guys!