The Queen Of Tarts...

My birthday month & CBV?! Best month ever!!

     What's up all my CBV lovers? It has been awhile, but as always I am back with my monthly Candles By Victoria scent review. Since we are in the beginning of fall most of the scents I melted were what I considered "almost fall scents, but not quite". Basically I melted a lot of apple and bakery scents, but there are other categories in there too. So without further ado...

Only some of this month's bakery type scents.

Harvey Wallbanger:
Color: Pearl White
Cold Throw: One of the Top Shelf Black Label Line, this one smells very sweet almost like candy but not quite. I pick up on very rich vanilla with maybe a touch of maple in there, but maple haters don't let that scare you off because I am not a fan of maple, but the maple in this blends with the vanilla to just make a sweet scent without coming off syrupy. The description lists a few spices in this one, but on cold throw I don't smell any of them. This smells like a creamy rich complex vanilla scent that is almost candy sweet.

Warm Throw: It was a bit sweeter on cold throw than warm throw. On cold throw it kind of had an almost candy sweetness however that changes once warmed. While it is still certainly a sweet scent is kind of reminds me almost more like syrup. Not maple syrup! More like a syrupy kind of sweetness. This is one complicated scent to try and describe in words. To me this is kind of like Caro syrup and vanilla. The scent throw on this one was pretty moderate. I liked this one a bit better on cold throw than warm throw. While I still like this scent I liked it much better cold.

Cinnamon Buns:
Color: Saddle Brown
Cold Throw: I got this one so I could compare it to Cinnabon and Cinnamon Donuts. This one is leaning more on the side of Cinnamon Donuts only this one is strong Red Hot cinnamon. I have let it cure for 2 months now and Red Hot cinnamon continues to be the main fragrance, however this has a hint of a fried bakery note in the undercurrents though it is hard to be sure because the Red Hot cinnamon is so strong. I debated whether or not to burn this one or put it away and let cure longer, but I'm hoping it transforms more once melted.

Warm Throw:The fried bakery note did come out more once melted, however the cinnamon Red Hots fragrance continued to stay right alongside it. Out of Cinnabon and Cinnamon Donuts this one has the strongest and spiciest cinnamon in it so it was the more dominant fragrance however like I said before the fried bakery note was right there in the undercurrents the whole time. Like with most cinnamon scents this one was a strong scent thrower. Certainly in the above average range. Because I let this one cure for 2 months I can smell the fried note is stronger than it would have been had I not let it cure so long. So if you smell just cinnamon Red Hots on cold throw, put it away until you get that little whiff of a fried note then melt it. I personally don't have any problems with strong sharp cinnamon so I liked this one a lot however if you are sensitive to the Red Hot kind of cinnamon then this one will probably not be for you.

Personally I really liked Cinnamon Buns!

Sugared Shortbread:
Color: Pearl White
Cold Throw: One of Vic's newer scents this year, this one smells like it's namesake for the most part. It has that shortbread scent which is kind of semi-sweet and slightly cookie-ish. Then there is this almost lightly burnt sugar scent on top (not the nasty burnt sugar smell, but more like a crisp sugar) This one to me smells like sugar cookies though I have not had Victoria's Sugar Cookie scent that is what this one comes off as. Like a lightly sweetened crisp sugar cookie.

Warm Throw: Pretty much stayed the same as it did on cold throw. This one smells like a crisp and slightly less sweet sugar cookie. I didn't mind this one however I think I would prefer actual Sugar Cookie to this one just because I would like it to be a touch sweeter than it is. Still if you don't like overly sweet scents, but still have a craving for some sweet baked goodie fragrance then look no further this one is for you. It is a pretty simple, but pleasant scent. The scent throw on this one was decently average.

Caramel Macciato:
Color: Rustic Orange/Brown
Cold Throw: One of the newer coffee scents to be added to the line. I will be honest and say I have never had an actual caramel macciato before so I have no idea what they are supposed to really smell like. That being said I would guess they smell like this only maybe with a bit more coffee. This one is mainly a mixture of warm thick caramel with vanilla and then a little bit of coffee in the background. It is really rich and heavy on the caramel. While I typically don't mind caramel fragrances that much this one is a bit too rich for me personally, however caramel lovers would go nuts for this one.

Warm Throw: While I liked this one a bit better once warmed it still wasn't for my nose. This one was very sweet rich caramel and cream with very little coffee. If you love super sweet scents or even just are a huge caramel lover then this one is for you. I personally am not big on caramel scents so this one was just okay for me. I probably wont re-purchase just because of personal preference. However the scent throw on this one was pretty nice.

Too much caramel not enough coffee.



Bakery apple scents...

Baked Apple Strudel:
Color: Dark Chestnut Brown
Cold Throw: I just want to start off by saying I LOVE apple scents, however some of Victoria's cinnamon apple scents in the bakery category (like Spiced Apple Pie & Apple Pie Ala Mode) just didn't do it for me. They smelt like medicine to me for some reason. So I'm kind of choicey on the bakery apple scents. Having said that I love this scent! To me this is a true baked apple fragrance. Truthfully on cold throw alone I don't smell any hints of the "strudel" part, but I do smell lots of yummy baked apples. The apples smell like freshly glazed and baked apples drizzled with baking cinnamon not that strong Red Hot kind. This is what I wanted her apple pie scents to smell like.

Warm Throw: There were still no "strudel" bits or even any bakery notes in this one, but I still loved it because it smells like true baked apples glazed in light sweet baking cinnamon. This is a great fall apple scent. I am so glad I didn't give up on the bakery apple scents! The scent throw on this one was pretty moderate. It is a pretty simple scent, but I adore it. If you were disappointed by Spiced Apple Pie or Apple Pie Ala Mode like I was then I recommend giving this little guy a try. I certainly was not disappointed.

Apple Cinnamon Butter:
Color: Dark Chestnut Brown
Cold Throw: I did not like this one when I first smelt it, but now it has had 2 months to cure and smells a lot better than it initially did. So let it cure if you decide to try this one. Now it smells like that spiced baked apple smell like in Baked Apple Strudel only there are a few extra scents added in that change the fragrance into something like apple cinnnamon butter, but not quite. This one isn't overly buttery which is good for me because I don't care for butter scents though you can still tell that butter has been added into the baked apple cinnamon smell. I think there must be some kind of cream or something along those lines that anchors down this scent and subdues the sweetness. It is a complex fragrance, but for the most part it does smell like apple cinnamon butter (not the same as real apple butter though).

Warm Throw: Smells the same as it did on cold throw. I was worried the butter would rear it's head and make me not like this one so much, but thankfully for me it did not. The cinnamon was very toned down and this mainly smelt like baked apples with cream and touch of butter. It was very nice and did live up to it's name in my opinion. The scent throw was decently average. After reading varrying reviews online of this one I was prepared not to like it, but I actually enjoy this one. I think if you were hoping for more butter in this fragrance you may be a little disappointed because it isn't that buttery. Also as I said before you need to let this one cure for awhile. At first I hated the scent because it smelt funky but put it away and it should smell much better.

Dutch Apple Crunch:
Color: Dark Chestnut Brown
Cold Throw: At first this is just a Red Hot cinnamon type of fragrance and I will say this one takes a long time to cure. I let this one cure for 2 months and now the Red Hot cinnamon has toned down a lot and kind of sits in the backgroud now. The only other thing I get is an apple pie scent, though just the baked and spiced apples and not the crust part of apple pie. So this one smells sort of like a heavier spiced apple pie with a hint of butter and Red Hot cinnamon.

Warm Throw: This one is much richer once it is melted. The apple is still a baked apple like the kind found in apple pies and the butter comes out more and makes the overall fragrance a bit more thicker, warmer, and more bakeryish. The Red Hot cinnamon I didn't find to be too sharp or overwhelming, then again I am a cinnamon fan. I thought all the scents blended well to create a very rich warm bakery apple fragrance. The scent throw was decently average on this one.

Who likes the apple scents?

I went crazy for raspberry scents this month...

Raspberry Coconut Muffin:
Color: Dark Raspberry
Cold Throw: Smells like how you would think it should. The first thing I smell is sharp coconut shavings and then I get the sweetness from the raspberries, but the fruity scents are anchored down by something. I don't exactly get a muffin or bakery background in this, but there is something that is secretly subduing the fruity scents and keeping them from being too fruity.

Warm Throw: The sweet coconut shavings are honestly the most dominant fragrance with this one. You can still smell the raspberries there in the undertones but really the coconut is the most noticeable scent. It isn't bad at all or overly strong just I was expecting a bit more raspberry and muffin. It should be named Coconut Raspberry Muffin rather than the other way around. Still this one is nice if you love coconut types of fragrances. However if you were expecting this one to be more raspberry bakery with just a dash of coconut I'm afraid you are sadly mistaken. The scent throw on this one was a tad bit over average. I liked it personally, but I don't mind coconut fragrances. So I'd only purchase this one if you are a fan of coconut.

Raspberry Peach Cobbler
Color: Dark Raspberry
Cold Throw: Smells exactly like it's name implies. I can smell all of the scents equally without one overpowering the other. The raspberry blends with the peach to keep the peach from being too strong and too sweet like a few peach scents tend to do. Then the bakery crusty note sits in the bottom notes to keep the raspberry and peach from being too fruity and straying out of the bakery category.

Warm Throw: I have tried Apple Cobbler and Blueberry Cobbler and so far this one has the most "cobbler" in it. The crust like note comes out more in this one then the other two cobbler scents I tried which were mainly the fruity part. This one however has equal parts raspberry and peach as well as that baked crust smell. This one is probably truest to a real cobbler scent though I personally prefer the other two but that is because I'm bigger on apples and blueberries than the raspberry peach combo. Still this one smells exactly like how you would expect it to and is a yummy fruity bakery fragrance. The scent throw on this one was pretty average.

Razzmatazz Hazelnut Coffee:
Color: Dark Raspberry 
Cold Throw: Another one of the newer scents to be released this year. The first thing I pick up on is the raspberries and blackberries though it is mainly raspberries, but there is an undercurrent of hazelnuts that directly follows the raspberry scent and keeps it from being too sweet. Then there is the faintest hint of Victoria's coffee fragrance in the very bottom to add a bit of depth.

Warm Throw: I was a little unsure at first on whether or not I'd like this scent. Honestly I'm not a big fan of nutty/salty type of fragrances. Fortunately for me this one is actually on the sweet side. The sweet berry blend is the main scent, but the coffee undercurrent gives it a little bit of depth while the slight hint of hazelnuts rounds the fragrance out and gives it a nice twist. The scent throw was a little bit more than moderate. It filled up the room nicely and noticeably. I actually ended up liking this one quite a bit. This one will probably be a repurchase as soon as I use up the rest of the shot I have. Two thumbs up from me on this one!

These raspberry scents were all winners!

Vanilla Cream Raspberry:
Color: Dark Raspberry
Cold Throw: This one is just a pretty simple blend of vanilla and raspberries though the vanilla is pretty rich so it takes away a lot of the fruitiness of the raspberries. This one is more heavy creamy vanilla than raspberries but you do get both of the scents.

Warm Throw: This one was a lot better once warmed up. The juicyness of the raspberries came more into play and they complimented the smooth creamy vanilla nicely. The two fragrances balanced out evenly after a little bit on the burner. This one is a pretty simple, but still pleasant blend. The scent throw on this one was pretty much just average. I liked this one better warm, but this was just okay to me. I didn't not like the scent, but there are so much more that I like better and so I more than likely will not be repurchasing this one.

Raspberry Tomato Leaf:
Color: Plum Purple
Cold Throw: Apparently this was an older scent that got discontinued for a long time and has just now come back. I was so intrigued by this because it is such an odd mixture of scents. I was expecting maybe something a bit more fruitier, but this is in the Earthy category for a reason. This one does have sweetness thanks to the raspberries, but there is this green leafy tomato plant fragrance that add this eathiness to the sweetness. It oddly enough kind of reminds me of basil. Sadly for me I do not like leafy/earthy/herby scents so this one is just not for me on cold throw, but I can see others marveling at the sweet and plant-like mixture.

Warm Throw: Based on the cold throw I felt like I was going to hate this one, but something magical happened once it was warmed up. That basil smell I got on cold throw went away and the raspberries came out WAY more. It coupled with the tomato leaf which at first smelt really green, but when warm smells nice and dare I say somewhat clean? I may be crazy but this kind of reminds me of a fabric softener I had a long long time ago. It doesn't so much smell like laundry or something like that but it isn't really earthy or fruity smelling either. This scent is so hard to describe because I feel when people read the words "tomato leaf" they instantly think earthy and this wasn't like that so much. This is just one you have to try to make your own judgements on. I can see why they brought this one back because it does smell pretty good and the scent throw on this one is great as well. So don't be afraid of the cold throw like I was melt it first before you make your judgements.

 

At first I was like no...then I was like yes!



Miscellaneous scents...

Soft Blanket:
Color: Pearl White
Cold Throw: This scent is special to me because it reminds me of my great grandmother. (It does not in any way smell like an old lady though!! My gran always smelt great lol) So this description could be a little bias, but to me this is a very comforting scent just like it's name implies. I definitely get the warm amber that blends in with soft vanilla. I don't get any citrus at all in this so citrus haters don't write this one off because of the description. The amber vanilla combination may come off as a tad perfume like, but it isn't a strong perfume fragrance. This just evokes memories of my loving gran and how comforting and strong she was so to me this is just an amazing scent. For everyone else I think the name is appropriate because this is a soft and relaxing fragrance.

Warm Throw: The citrus was completely non-existent in this scent which is great for me because I love it just the way it is on cold and how it smells on cold is how it smells warm. The amber and vanilla mix really well together to create a very soothing yet warm scent. It isn't too sweet or perfumey it is just perfect! (Well I did say earlier this review might be a little bias lol) The scent throw on this one is in medium range. If you are looking for something different that isn't bakery or fruity or too stringently clean then give this fragrance a shot.

Citrusmoon:
Color: Burnt Orange
Cold Throw: This is not your tyical citrus type of scent. The top notes of this one are mainly a light fresh citrus that leans more towards the orangey category, but underneath that there is this complex light sweet floral smell that I want to say is probably the Ylang Ylang, because it doesn't smell like jasmine or rose petals. Trust me I hate both of those last two florals and I can pick those two out anywhere. I think I also pick up some of the vetiver that sort of rides on the edges of the scent and gives it a little sharpness to take away from all the sweetness. This is a very interesting citrus scent that I haven't smelled anywhere else.

Warm Throw: It was the same on warm throw as it was on cold throw with just a slight bit more of the soft florals blending in with the light citrusy orange. This one is a lovely and unique blend of fragrances. Just enough floral and just enough fruity to keep it from leaning one way or the other and the scents are all light and airy enough to where it isn't cloying or overly sweet. The scent throw was pretty average though because it is a light bright scent some might prefer to use more of the scent then usual.

Autumn Apple:
Color: Burnt Orange 
Cold Throw: This is sure to be a fall time favorite for a lot of people. It has top notes of apples that are slightly spiced, but not too cinnamon-y sitting on top of a crisp dried leaves base with a touch of bergamot for a darker kick. This one is really nice and perfect for fall. Under The Harvest Moon is still my favorite fall scent, but this is a close second. It has the dried leaves from UTHM, but with apple touch to add more sweetness.

Warm Throw: I love this one for fall. It smells pretty much the  same warmed as it does cold only you get more of that wonderful slightly spiced apple cider fragrance mixed with that crisp dried leaves smell. It smells like how I want my fall scents to smell. It isn't overly sweet or earthy it is sits perfectly in that delicate balance in between. The scent throw on this one was decently average. Gotta say I am really excited to melt this when it gets a little more colder. October why are you not here yet?

These were all amazing scents.

Sweet Talk:
Color: Dark Maroon 
Cold Throw: You can tell instantly that this is a Victoria's Secret perfume dupe. It has that slightly fruity perfumey blend that is a signature for that company's scents. This one is more berry like than peachy in fact I don't get much peach at all. It smells like a berry perfume. It is a very feminine type of scent. I think I would like this one more in Bath & Body than I do as a household scent. It is a bit to perfumey for me personally to melt in my house. Not that it is a bad scent I just don't care for my home to smell like perfume.

Warm Throw: What you would expect from a Victoria's Secret perfume dupe. It is fruity and perfumey without being too stringent on the perfume part. This one is still more berry smelling then peachy. The peach was barely noticeable so it was more like a berry Vic's Secret perfume. The scent throw on this one was pretty average. This one was nice, however I'm just not into the perfumey category. I think they do better in bath & body than in wax. I don't necessarily want my house to smell like women's perfume unless it is my bedroom.

This is one for the girls...

        That's all for this little review folks. I hope some of you found it to be helpful. Hopefully September will be a good month for all of you. It is my second favorite month, no not just because it is my birth month, but because it is the month that feels the most like fall where I live. I can't wait for the leaves to start changing. I'm ready for sweater season already. What about you guys? Anyways I will see some of you guys on the boards. Please make sure to check back for next month's review! Bye!

Half Of My Tart...

OMG!! New CBV scents!!

     Hello again candle friends! I have finally gotten my hands on some of the latest Luxury Spa additions to the CBV master fragrance list. I just ordered Night At The Movies as well as a few more Luxury Spa scents to review for later. I've been a busy bee lately working on my reviews database for you all so it will make finding certain scents MUCH easier than having to dig through all my reviews. It is still a work in progress, but I'm going to try and get it up for you as soon as I can. Anyways enough babbling and onto this month's scent reviews... 

This month's bakery scents.

Rice Crispy Treats:
Color: Pearl White
Cold Throw: Ah, this is a tricky one to describe on cold throw. When I first got this it smelled just like Play Dough. Needless to say I hated it on first whiff so I put it away to cure for a month. Now the Play Dough scent has faded and I'm starting to smell a generic vanilla fragrance with maybe a little bit of marshmallow and the tiniest hint of the whole grain cereal in there. Mainly it is just that run of the mill weak vanilla fragrance, but I have been told this is a "transformer" and so I will have to judge it's real scent once I melt it.

Warm Throw: Smells like legit Rice Crispy Treats once warmed. The vanilla mixes with a slight marshmallow that goes hand in hand with the whole grain cereal scent that does come out a lot more. I didn't get any Play Dough smell once it was warmed. This one lives up to it's name. Unfortunately though the scent throw on this one is weak and the fragrance doesn't linger which is such a shame because it is a nice light sweet scent. I might try a mini jelly jar of this one to see if the throw is better in candle form than shot form. This one is good so let it cure for a while and don't let the Play Dough smell on cold throw scare you off. You also might want to try putting in half a shot if you are using scent shots.

Strawberry White Cake:
Color: Dark Maroon
Cold Throw: At first this smelt just like Pilsbury's strawberry icing, but now that it has had plenty of time to cure it does smell more like a strawberry white cake. However it also reminds me of a strawberry filling that goes in pastries like Toaster Strudels or something along those lines. This one is mainly a very sweet strawberry filling with a touch of bakery notes in the undercurrents. The bakery notes smell more like a faint flakey pastry than cake to me.

Warm Throw: This one continued to smell like sweet strawberry pastry filling to me, but the bakery note comes out just a teensy bit more. I'm guessing that was the cake, but it is hard to say because it didn't really make the scent smell all that different from before all it really did was a add a bit of scent depth. The scent throw was about average, nothing special, but it wasn't weak. This one would be really good for those of you who love really sweet artificial strawberry scents, like strawberry Toaster Strudel or the strawberry jelly that fills donuts. I don't mind those type of scents, but this one wasn't a  favorite. It was nice and I will burn it, but I won't go out of my way to get it again.

Strawberry Banana Custard:
Color: Dark Raspberry
Cold Throw: Okay, this smells EXACTLY like strawberry banana Jell-O. Not even kidding, this smells like the Jell-O packet after you have mixed in the water before you put it in the fridge. It is really sugary sweet and artificial strawberry banana smelling. It isn't a juicy fruity fragrance, more like a really sweet strawberry banana syrup smell. I don't know what real strawberry banana custard smells like, but this is dead on strawberry banana Jell-O.

Warm Throw: The scent continues to smell identical to strawberry banana Jell-O. I did notice though that the scent throw on this once it was warmed up was kind of weak and it didn't last very long sadly. This is just a really sweet artificial strawberry banana syrup smell. I didn't get any creamy custard like smell at all. I still liked this one, but because of the weak throw I don't think I will go out of my way to get it again.

All these were not bad, but not favorite worthy for me.

This month's fruity scents.

Georgia Peach:
Color: Pumpkin Orange
Cold Throw: This is a straight up sweet natural peach fragrance. It doesn't have that artificial peach candy scent that some peach scents tend to have. This is pure genuine sweet peach; like straight off the tree peaches. It is a very simple scent, but one that is great because of that. I really like this one a lot. It's very natural and sweet without being too sweet. Very real smelling.

Warm Throw: The scent throw on this one is medium average, maybe a little under that. It remains the same classic authentic peach scent that I got on cold throw. This is the genuine article when it comes to peach scents. This smells so fresh, juicy, and real. I absolutely love it! It isn't too heavy or sickeningly sweet. Perfect for true peach lovers!

Watermelon Lemon Lime Cranberry Fizz:
Color: Berry Pink
Cold Throw: The description on the website for this scent is actually pretty dead on. This is a really refreshing fruity scent. The sweetness of the watermelon keeps the lemon/lime/cranberry mixture from being too tart. This is one of those scents where it isn't too sweet or too tart, but a happy medium of the two. I'd say the watermelon is the main fragrance, but you can still pick out the lemon lime notes on the edges and there is even a faint whiff of the cranberry. The fizz isn't really evident on cold throw, but there is a lightness to the scent that gives the impression that it will come out once warmed. This one is very nice!

Warm Throw: Stays true to cold throw. This is a really great fruity scent without being too strong or too sweet. The watermelon and lemon lime cranberry really mix well together. It has a decently strong scent throw however the overall fragrance is a light and fun scent so it's not overwhelming. My only complaint is that I wanted a bit more of the fizz to come through and give me the carbonated bubbly smell that is in Fizzy Pop, but this one didn't have that. It has an effervescent lightness to it, but no distinct tingly bubble smell. Still I really really like this scent. It is a great addition to the fruity line and I will recommend it foreveryone to give it a try.

Raspberry Rainbow:
Color: Dark Raspberry
Cold Throw: This reminds me of like a raspberry bubblegum that you get when you are a kid. The raspberries and strawberries are the main fragrance and they have this kind of fruity candy like/gum quality. I don't smell any citrus or bananas in this at all. It is a very artificial fruity sweet fragrance.  If you don't like candy like fragrances then I would say pass on this one. I however don't mind candy scents so this one smells really good and familiar to me.

Warm Throw: Continues to smell just like it does on cold throw so if you don't like the cold throw after letting it cure then you probably wont like it warm. This one smells like raspberry bubblegum. It is such a sweet candy scent. It is along the artificial fruity fragrance side rather than straight fruits. I really liked this one it smelt like the different flavored raspberry Hubba Bubba gum I used to get when I was younger. The scent throw on this one was in the medium range.

Summer Peach Passion:
Color: Burnt Orange
Cold Throw: I have let this cure for quite a while now and it still smells like peaches mixed with a slight musky plastic smell. I'm not sure if it is the wax or the container that is making it smell like that. I'm going to go ahead and burn it to see if the scent changes once warmed up or if I need to put it away to cure some more. But so far on cold throw all I get is peaches and plastic.

Warm Throw:This one was MUCH better once I warmed it up. The plastic smell went away instantly which leads me to believe that it was probably just the container making it smell that way. This one smells like Georgia Peach, with maybe a slight undertone of amber and something else. It really is a unique Peach scent. It is juicy peaches with a deeper undertone. I like this one a lot more than I thought I would. The scent throw on this one is decently average. 

Should you get the above scents? Yes. Yes you should.

From the new luxury spa line. 

Satsuma:
Color: Sunshine Yellow
Cold Throw: For sure a citrusy fragrance, however it isn't like straight up oranges, lemons, or even grapefruit. This one is in a category all it's own. It is kind of like a light semi-sweet citrusy flower. I get a hint of the mandarin peels, but no bergamot or any hint of spice. So if you were going by the description on the website...don't. Like I said before this is just an airy, light citrusy flower type of scent only it isn't exactly florally smelling. It is really hard to capture this scent in words.

Warm Throw: For sure this one is a unique light citrusy flower type of scent. It isn't a strong floral in fact it is barely a floral at all. The only reason I describe it as such is because it is such a light subdued citrus that it reminds me of how like honeysuckles give off a light sweetness and this one is kind of like that only with citrus. I still get the mandarin peels and there is still no bergamot or spice. The scent throw on this one is about average. This one is a really light, airy citrus scent that is great for those of you who can't handle heavy citrus scents. I thought this one was really nice for sunny days in the summer.

Bora Bora:
Color: Pacific Blue
Cold Throw: Passion fruit is the first scent that I can pick out individually. The passion fruit is surrounded by other juicy tropical fruits. I think I get hints of pineapple, a little bit of mango, and a bit more of the acai berry. This one is a super fruity tropical type of scent. It just screams summer on an exotic island. The fruits all blend together nicely without clashing. Passion fruit is the main fragrance, but the other fruits accompany it making it a great tropical fragrance.

Warm Throw: This one was the same warm as cold only the passion fruit blended in a bit more with the other tropical fruits. This one was just a pretty well blended tropical scent that was unique because it doesn't smell like any other tropical fragrance I've had before. The scent throw on this one I found to be a little under medium, however I did have a lot of company that day so the door was open a lot so that could have contributed to the lighter scent I smelled.

I liked both Satsuma & Bora Bora

Japanese Pear & Ginseng:
Color: Forest Green
Cold Throw: This is a very clean/spa like kind of scent. It's pretty relaxing and calming smelling. I get hints of pear notes, but they are blended in with like a sparkling almost effervescent clean ginseng fragrance. This is a really complex scent that reminds me of something I have smelt before, but can't quite put my finger on. All i can really say is that it does indeed belong in the luxury spa line because it fits the very essence of what walking into a spa smells like.

Warm Throw: I finally figured out what this reminded me of and it was Lysol. It smelt like a cleaner to me at first, but once warmed up the pear came out more and it didn't smell so much like Lysol anymore. It is still a clean scent and the pear in it is a sharp crisp air freshner kind of pear and not a fruity pear smell. I found this one to be a strong scent thrower. It made my house smell like I just did some heavy duty cleaning (which I didn't lol). If you were looking for something fruity this isn't the one for you, but if you wanted something strong and clean then this is what you need. I however tend to light light or fruity clean scents instead of the strong clean scents so this one was just a tad too much for me though I find nothing wrong with the scent

Japanese Pear & Ginseng was WAY too strong on the cleaner for me.

Random miscellaneous scents.

Mojito:
Color: Pearl White
Cold Throw: This one is from the Top Shelf Black Label Line so it can only be bought in the Top Shelf candles or in scent shot form. It smells pretty much like it's name suggests only more like a virgin mojito since there is no pungent alcohol smell. There is definitely this light cirtusy top notes. It smells like a mixture of grapefruit, limes, and maybe even a touch of lemon. It is a very crisp and fresh semi-sweet citrus smell. I also get a hint of maybe some subdued green notes in the bottom as well, but the green notes don't smell leafy or earthy. They just kind of blend in with the citrus for an all around light and refreshing citrus fragrance.

Warm Throw: A total crowd pleaser in my house. Even people who came over stopped to say how good it smelt and they are used to me constantly melting fragrances and don't comment on it much anymore. This one is a very refreshing super fruity citrus blend with a light watery green note. I really like this one a lot and it has now made it into my favorites list. The throw on this is really great and strong. So it is up there with the super throwers. This one is great for summer time or just warmer weather in general. If you don't like citrus then pass this one up but if you don't mind it then give this one a try. It is great! 

Mojito made my house smell soooo good!!

Pink Sands:
Color: Dark Maroon
Cold Throw: An almost exact dupe of the original Yankme scent, however as is typical with Victoria's dupes this one is much stronger smelling. I get a sweet tropical floral that smells like Awapuhi (Hawaiiain White Ginger), then I get an undertone of creamy coconut, as well as a hint of a watery note. The end result smells like a sweet fruity and floral tropical fragrance.

Warm Throw: The scent throw on this one was medium average although I do have to say the cold throw was stronger than warm throw. This one is pretty much just a tropical floral with some coconut and a nice watery note to balance it all out. This one is a unique scent for the summer. It isn't too strong smelling, but it does make the room smell nice and pretty.

Amber Romance:
Color: Burnt Orange
Cold Throw: I've never smelt the perfume version of this, but it is nice. It's pretty heavy on the warm amber, but I still can sniff out the vanilla and feminine musky tones underneath. This one is like a sensual women's perfume that leans more on the musky side of things. It is definitely perfumey. It is nice for those who like warmer feminine scents that lean a little on the masculine side, while still being girlish. If that makes any sense at all. The amber just gives it this depth while the vanilla gives a slightly sweet touch, and the musk rounds it all out.

Warm Throw: I stand by my initial description. This one smells exactly the same warmed up as it does on cold only the amber smells a bit warmer. This is just a feminine musky sensual type of perfume that is both a little rich and sweet. The throw on this one was about medium average. I would consider this more of a bedroom scent than  a household scent. Still it is nice and great if you like the original fragrance or are just a fan of amber scents in general.

AR is a bedroom scent so you might want to be careful who you burn it around.

Houseblends and customer creations...

Mango Smoothie:
Color: Pumpkin Orange
Cold Throw: This was my free scent shot and I was happy to see it because this has been on my wishlist for awhile now, but never ends up making the final cut. This smells like an authentic mango smoothie. Sometimes "smoothie" scents end up smelling too sweet to be considered a genuine smoothie fragrance, however this is not one of them. It has the tartness of the real fruits blended together, yet at the same time is still juicy and sweet. I get more of the mango and papaya then the peach and lemon, but all the fruits mesh really well together and it does indeed smell like a wax replica of a mango smoothie.

Warm Throw: Continues to smell just like a real life smoothie. It's semi-sweet juicy and slightly tart just like the real deal. Mango and papaya still make up the majority of the scent but I think the other fruits help round out the fragrance. The scent throw on this one is pretty average. If you like fruity scents, but want a natural smelling scent then give this little guy a try.

I'll Have What She's Having:
Color: Saddle Brown
Cold Throw: This one was created by Jason and it is a mixture of two bakery fan favorites Bear Claws and Chocolate Chip Cookie. I can definitely pick out the Bear Claws over the Chocolate Chip Cookie. I get the rich caramel and fried dough scent. Bear Claws so far is the dominant fragrance. There is a sort of faint background note that is similar to that of Chocolate Chip Cookie on cold throw. I'd say on cold throw alone it smells like a richer more enhanced Bear Claws. It's really yummy and is a heavy bakery scent.

Warm Throw: This has a stronger scent throw more on the above average side. It continues to be a heavy warm bakery scent, however this one kind of reminded me of like a really yummy baked bread. Not exactly like a real cinnamon bread or zucchinni bread (the real scents not the Victoria fragrances lol) but something close to it. I think the mixture of the fried dough from Bear Claws and the crisp cookie notes from Chocolate Chip Cookie combined to make this like rich delicious baked bread with maybe some caramel on top fragrance. This is just pure bakery goodness. I really liked this one I think it will be great to burn in the colder month's when I'm craving something comforting and warm smelling from the bakery line. I will say though if you can't handle heavy bready bakery notes like Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Zucchinni Bread, or things of that nature then you might not care so much for this one.

Peachy Pink Coral:
Color: Dark Raspberry
Cold Throw: I smell both the White Nectarine & Pink Coral and the Blushing Peaches in this. The WN&PC is the main fragrance. I can smell the pink Herbal Essence shampoo fragrance, but at the same time the Blushing Peaches adds a bit more sweetness and depth to the fragrance so the peaches smell less like gummie rings and more on the fruity peachy side. This one is really sweet and girly smelling. Smells like a peach shampoo.

Warm Throw: The Blushing Peaches half comes out a bit more once warmed so that the peaches are stronger and become the main fragrance with the Herbal Essence shampoo notes moving into the background. You still get both of these great scents however the combine to make one new peachy shampoo like fragrance. The scent throw for this one was pretty average.

Breaking Dawn:
Color: Burnt Orange
Cold Throw: Based on the description there is a lot going on in this one scent. However on cold throw I mainly only get a citrusy cleaner note that is very reminiscent of the one found in Butt Naked. It is a very light citrus that's not really orangey or lemony, but a mixture of both and smells somewhat like a light floor cleaner. That is pretty much all I can pick up on cold throw alone.

Warm Throw: I was a little worried that this would end up being a too complex scent for my nose to handle because of all the fragrances listed on the website's description however that was not the case. This one actually ended up with mainly only three fragrances. The first thing I got was still citrus, but it was made lighter by a bottom note of a slightly earthy scent that smelled like a light tonka bean. The tonka bean and citrus is then rounded out by a breezy ocean air type of fragrance. All the fragrances mix and blend together really well to make a nice light fragrance. This one isn't too citrusy, or too earthy, or too oceany, but a nice balance of all three. I liked this one a lot better than I thought I would. The scent throw is pretty moderate. I think I will like this one more when I am cleaning and want something unique to melt. 

These were all great scents! All worth trying!

   That's all for this month. Unfortunately my blogger has been acting up for some unknown reason. I think it may be mad at me because it refuses to cooperate with me at all. I'm lucky I even got this up. I will try hard to work out our problems though lol so please look back next month for my next review. BTW I'm still working on categorizing all the scents I have tried so it will be easier to find certain descriptions. I just need to sit down and have a serious talk with blogger and why it is being so mean to me lately. Anyways enough rambling for now. I hope some of you guys found this to be helpful. Until next time guys!

Fortune Cookie Soap Scent Review: Summer 2013

FCS has finally launched their summer line!

      I finally received my Fortune Cookie Soap order. I placed an order the night they launched their summer line and I'm really lucky that I ordered then because a few of the products have already sold out. Don't fear though they will restock them as soon as they can so the rest of you can also enjoy them. In my typical fashion I ordered 2 of the body butter sample packs so that I could test out each scent before committing to the full products. FCS released 8 new scents for the summer so I have them all here to describe for you guys. So let's get started...

The first pack along with my free sample of bar soap.

One In A Melon:
Color: Bright Vivid Pink
Scent: This smells IDENTICAL to a watermelon Jolly Rancher! It is unbelievable how authentic it is. If any of you have tried Zombie Treats from last year's Halloween Soap Box, you will have probably heard how that was often described as smelling like a watermelon Jolly Rancher. Well FCS has upped their game because this is the genuine article of watermelon Jolly Rancher dupes. It smells like I could actual bite into it. Super sweet watermelon hard candy fragrance right here. I think this might be my favorite scent out of the bunch this season.

Aquaholic:
Color: Teal Blue Green
Scent: This is an interesting mixture of pina colada and sun tan lotion with a faint background of what the beach smells like to me. The strength of the sun tan lotion smell is balanced out with the tropical and creamy pina colada mix. I get also get this very faint like sea salt air that keeps the scent from being to strong or too sweet. This is the perfect beach scent. It has everything that makes me want to sit in the sand on the beach and sip a cold fruity drink. I have to say this scent surprised me on how much I like it. I usually am not huge on pina colada or sun tan lotion type fragrances, but there is something about this that just works for me. If this were an actual SPF lotion I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. This is perfect for you beach lovers!

What? It's Five O' Clock Somewhere!:
Color: Cotton Candy Blue
Scent: This is supposed to smell like a fruity cocktail and it does. I can pick out a slight pineapple and maybe a small splash of some creamy coconut. However they aren't the main notes of the fragrance. This mainly just smells like a really well blended blue summer time cocktail. It is nice and sweet and a little fruity. I will say though that since my free sample was in this fragrance only in the bar soap that the body butter has a tad weaker scent than the bar soap has. The bar soap just has much more of a clearer and stronger scent.

Body Shot:
Color: Pinkish Purple
Scent: This is supposed to smell like raspberry lemonade and that's pretty much what it smells like. I think it is a bit heavier on the lemonade than the raspberry. This smells like a tall glass of the actual drink. I get the crisp fresh squeezed lemons with water and I also get the sweet hint of raspberries mixed all in there. I like this one, it isn't my personal favorite just because there are others in this line that I like best, but I will certainly be using this baby up. If you are a sweet lemon fan or really just looking for a unique summer scent than give this one a shot. (pun intended)

The second pack...

Where The Sun Don't Shine:
Color: Pale Pastel Yellow
Scent: A yummy blend of tropical coconut and bananas. This one is really nice for the summer. The two scents are equally balanced so you get both the creamy coconut and the sweet banana. I like the banana in this because it doesn't smell like that Runts candy banana. Instead it smells like a real mashed up banana mixed with some creamy delicious coconut. This smells like something I would either like to eat, or slather all over my body like a sunscreen. I'm really loving this one right now! 

Do You Salsa Or Mango?:
Color: Pastel Neon Orange
Scent: You know it is funny when my mother and I first smelt this we both came to an agreement that it reminded us of those orange marshmallows you get on Halloween that are shaped like peanuts. I still stand by that description even though individually I can pick out the island mango with a hint of the lime, but honestly if I didnt know what was in this I would just think it smelt like a sweet orange peanut marshmallow. I know that sounds incredibly weird, believe me, but the mango in this isn't a sharp juicy mango it leans on the candy sweet side and I don't know what cilantro and chile smell like together on their own, but this scent is all light sweetness. I totally was not expecting this to smell like it does. Having said that however I actually like the scent even though I despise the peanut marshmallows to eat. Very nice and unique scent from FCS however I think people would like it more if it were re-named and added to the Halloween Soap Box.  

Ice Cream, You Scream:
Color: Off White
Scent: Waffle cones...that is the first thing that comes to mind. This smells EXACTLY like a waffle cone that you put ice cream in. In fact I think the name and description on the site fits this to a T. I get a very authentic ice cream cone scent with neapolitan ice cream fragrance. Like I can smell the smooth vanilla/light strawberry/creamy chocolate ganache mixture in this. I will warn you this is a super sugary sweet fragrance so if you can't handle really food like sugary scents then I would say you might want to pass on this one. For everyone else though this is truly a fun and different twist on summer time scents.

Mother Pucker:
Color: Lime Green
Scent: This has been described as a lemon PEZ candy type of fragrance and I can agree to that only I would say it is more lemon smelling than it is candy like. There is this fresh zest lemon, with a slight almost clean smell that I'm guessing comes from the garden mint, and then there is this tiny hint of sweetness that keeps the scent from being too sharp like a sour lemon. This is a cool light lemon scent that is creative and interesting for summer. This is for you lemon lovers or for those of you who don't like too sweet fragrances and instead prefer more natural crisp and fresh fragrances. I can appreciate this one for what it is however I'm not big on lemon scents personally and I'm more into sweeter things so this one was probably my least favorite of the entire line, but I still liked this one.

I love all the scents from this release!

      I have to say I liked this summer line a lot better than last summer's line, which is saying something because I really loved Pool Party, Summer Sweet Tea, and Pinky Swear. This launch however just seemed to have scents that were for everyone. There was sugary sweet Ice Cream, You Scream for food lovers, Mother Pucker for more fresh and natural scent lovers, of course there were the tropical fruity smells that are a must for this time of the year, and then there was even beachy and candy like scents. I have to say I just think the scents this time around were so creative and different while still staying in the seasonal bracket. Usually there is at least one scent that I don't like in all of the seasonal launches, however there wasn't a one scent in this line that I wouldn't use. They are all pretty great fragrances. I have to give FCS a round of applause for releasing a truly great batch of scents for the summer. I definitely recommend that you guys give a few of these a try because honestly these are just a great collection of fragrances. Anyways that's all for this season's scent reviews. If you liked this review then check back in fall when I will do another review of the fall launch. Until then take care everybody and don't forget the SPF!!

Nail Polish Challenge Week 31: The Final Challenge!

It's the very last challenge!

    I feel so accomplished! I actually completed 31 weeks of this! On one hand I am proud of myself for actually sticking to this and doing it every single week. I'm also happy that it is finally over so that from now on I can do whatever I want without having to stick to a theme, but on the other hand I'm a little sad to see it all end. I've devoted half a year to this little project so it has kind of become a routine for me and it has also challenged me and improved my nail art skills by a marginal bit. Oh, my conflicted feelings... But all things must come to an end. So for this final nail challenge the theme is to re-create your favorite challenge! Honestly, I don't have a favorite theme although I do have a favorite nail design. (*cough* My cityscape nails for artwork week *cough*) Instead I chose to do a mixture of re-doing both gradient week (that was a fail of epic proportions) and tutorial week (since I rushed through that one). Without further ado here is the final nail challenge...

Ombre Sunset Forest Nails

    I followed SimpleNailArtDesigns's tutorial on Youtube to create this. For the base coat for the gradient to stick to I just used one coat of Zoya's Bela. Then on a make-up sponge I used Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear Hard As Nails in Blue It, Avon's Orange Creamsicle, and Avon's Sunshine. I just dabbed my nail to create the ombre. Then with a toothpick dipped in China Glaze's Liquid Leather I patiently added the ground and trees. Finally I just sealed it all in with my trust NYC Long Wearing Extra Shiny Top Coat. Viola! Tutorial completed! That finishes the final nail polish challenge. I might put together a collective post of every single week just like a re-cap. It will depend on how much free time I have. Anyways it has been an interesting and fun ride and I thank you all for sticking with me. I suggest you guys try this out. Obviously I have no nail art skills at all, but doing this challenge has really shown me new and creative designs that even I can do. You would be surprised at how easy some things are. Thanks again for everything guys!

CBV Slap Yo Momma Smoothie Candle: Banana Smoothie

So good they will make you want to slap yo momma!

    Hello again darlings, I am back again this week for a mini-review of my Candles By Victoria Slap Yo Momma Smoothie Candle. They recently came out with this whole new line of specialty candles in March. They are all of Victoria's regular scents mixed with her Vanilla Bean fragrance. You can get them in typical smoothie scents such as strawberry, raspberry, grape, etc.. but they also come in more interesting fragrances such as peppermint, caramel chocolate, and even Victoria's popular scent captain crunch berries. They can currently be found on page 14 on the website. I decided to get one for myself in the scent Banana Smoothie. Here is what it looks like...

Topped with a wax banana slice.

   These tumblers are 13 ounces and single wicked. The top isn't too wide so I think it should burn pretty evenly without having to foil the edges. The color and decoration on top will depend on what fragance you choose. All of the candles will come dusted with glitter on the tops as well. When I first got this the Vanilla Bean scent was all I could smell, but the cold throw was decently strong. It has had about a month's cure time since then and the banana has come out much more. It is a candied banana fragrance similar to banana flavored Runts however the vanilla bean really tones down the candy quality to it. The vanilla and banana fragrances are equally balanced out now. So if you do decided to purchase these remember to let it cure for a little while before burning if you want to smell it's full scent potential. 

A better look at the glitter.

    These are really nice candles. I think they are really well priced for the amount of wax that you get considering a normal 2 ounce scent shot is $2.00 and this is 13 ounces for only $12.00. You actually end up saving a dollar and you get a nice glass jar and a decorated candle to boot. That is pretty good in my book considering most companies would charge you extra for both of those things. I'm happy with my candle. It is exactly what I wanted and I like that even though it is cute, I don't think I will be too torn up about burning it. I don't think I will ever be able to bring myself to melt my Smore Galore candle because it is so pretty. Sometimes simplicity is better. That concludes this little review. I hope some of you found it informative and helped you get a better idea of this line of candles.  

They are a really great addition to the CBV website.

Nail Polish Challenge Week 20: Water Marbled!

Yay! Work is finally over!!

      Happy Monday everyone! I know it's kind of an oxymoron isn't it? But today didn't drag on for me like most Monday's do. I think it's because I only got about two and a half hours of sleep last night and I'm running on pure adrenaline and green tea right now. The theme for this week's nail polish challenge is water marble and I have to say I was not looking forward to this one too much because it seemed a little daunting and I knew it was going to be time consuming. Still its always good to try something out of our comfort zones right? So this is how it all turned out. 

Yet another addition to the #failnails collection...

      As you can see my instincts turned out to be dead on. This was a total disaster!! The Youtube videos make it looks so easy, but if you are like me and have no hand eye cordination, and are prone to spilling things, this is a total nail nightmare. Let me tell you how this all went wrong. First thing that failed was that the white base coat I put on turned super streaky and thus making my white nail polish completely useless. So I had to substitute a lighter base color. So I decided to go with my China Glaze For Audrey. The next thing to go wrong was the fact that the water you use has to be EXACTLY room temperature otherwise the polish will not spread; so I had to wait for it to round out. Then it turns out my Zoya nail polishes that I originally wanted to use, do not work for water marbling. So that took out half my nail polish color choices. In the end I ended up just using my cheapo Avon polishes in Sunshine and Viva Pink. So here is where my lack of grace turned out to be water marble kyrptonite.You have to work quickly with the polishes otherwise they will dry on the surface. And the polish dries within about 30 seconds. So in my haste to try and put the drops of polish in then make a design with a toothpick then dip my nail in the water I ended up spilling globs of polish all over my dresser. Ugh... I ended up getting so frustrated with the process that I called it quits with just one hand and left my other one blank. After posting this I'm going to remove these fail nails pronto! Still while this was a complete mess to do I'm glad I tried something new although I think it's safe to say I wont be doing much water marbling in the future lol!

Nail Polish Challenge Week 19: Galaxies!

It's Galaxy Nail Week!

           Hey everyone! I'm back for this weeks nails challenge and the theme as you could already tell is Galaxies! Galaxy nails are really pretty, but I have to say a little tedious. This was my first attempt at trying galaxy nails and I'm pretty happy with the results. I just wish my glitter would show up in the pictures. I need a new camera... Anyways here is how it all turned out.

        For the base coat instead of using a matte black like most people I decided to use my China Glaze Smoke And Ashes polish from the Hunger Games Collection. I like that it looks mostly black but when you see it up close and in person you see these tiny micro-flecks of green and teal glitter. With a small torn off piece of a make-up sponge I first used Avon's French Tip White and then layered on Avon's Sunshine followed by Avon's Viva Pink to create the galaxy gradient. After it had fully dried I added on Pure Ice's Don't You Wish which is just a clear coat that has lots of really fine raibow colored micro-glitter in it. I wish you could see the glitter in the pictures because it really adds that pop effect when the light hits it and makes it look like stars. 

\And another view...

       In the end I am really satsified with how it all turned out. I was honestly expecting a huge mess, but it wasn't that bad or that hard to create. I have a feeling when this nail polish challenge is over I will be wearing a lot of galaxy nails, playing with different colors and glitters. Anywho that's it for this week's nail polish challenge. I hope you enjoyed it and look forward next Monday for the next one. Bye guys!