Tuesday, November 27, 2012

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! 

Thursday, November 22, 2012

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!!

Monday, November 19, 2012

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!

Monday, November 12, 2012

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!

Monday, November 5, 2012

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!

Nail Polish Challenge Week 5: Blue

Is it Monday already?
           Sadly the weekend is officially over. Today is just one of those days where I don't want to do anything. I've spent most of the morning listening to Bruno Mars's "The Lazy Song" and wishing I were as upbeat as the melody itself. Anyways on to this week's nail polish challenge. We are currently already at week five which is blue. With it still only being November I decided to go with a dark deep blue instead of a wintery light blue.
     This is actually one of my favorite nail polishes of all time and it is Zoya's Ibiza. I've already used up half the bottle of this baby. Might have to buy a new one after the holidays pass. This is only two coats though it's pretty opaque on just the first coat, but I went with two just in case. As always I just topped it off with NYC Long Wearing Extra Shiny Top Coat. As you can see there are a few chips, but that's because I painted them Sunday morning and I took down and boxed up all my Halloween decorations and also did some heavy duty grocery shopping. No special additives to this one just a simple dark blue manicure. I like Zoya's nail polishes because they usually have great formulas plus they have some of the most unique colors I've seen. I've yet to find glitters that beat theirs. The only downside is that they are usually $8 each so I don't buy from there unless they are having one of their buy one get one free promotions. Still they are a great band that you should check out if you haven't heard of them already. Also just to let you guys know as of today only Candles By Victoria is donating 10% of all their earnings towards Hurrican Sandy Relief and for every dollar they raise they will match that and donate double the amount. So if you are in the market for some really amazing and affordable candles then try them out. Plus some of your money will go to a good cause. Well that's all until next Monday. See you then guys.