Does it make scents?

Hey There!

I love candles. Everyone knows that. That's why I got soooo many smell goods for Christmas. Unfortunately, you have to finish what you have before you start burning new ones. Luckily, you get many opportunities to burn candles during the holidays. I finished 4 candles during the month of December. It wasn't hard. Candles really relax me, if they have a good scent. 

My favorite candle of the month was my Apple Pie scented candle by Celebrating Home. One of my coworkers was selling it for her kid. This one was very nice. It smelled just like warm spiced apple pie. It had a great room throw without being over powering.  I really enjoyed burning this one. 

My next fave was the Banana Nutmeg Bread Pudding from Bath and Body Works. Man! I thought someone was cooking the custard and cutting the bananas for a real pudding. The room throw was amaze-balls and it burned all the way to the bottom. Three wick candles are tricky you know. Sometimes they only burn two thirds of the way down and then you are pissed. Not this one though. 

I burned Peppermint Creme by Living Colors. It's a Big Lot's brand that I thought would be nice. I've had other Big Lot's candles that I didn't like but this one smelled so good in the store, that I was convinced it would be perfect in my house. If you stand really close to it, you smell a faint scent of vanilla peppermint. If you walk 2 feet from the candle, you smell wax. I only paid $2.50 but I want $2.75 back for my trouble.

I also purchased Pumpkin Waffles from 719 Walnut Avenue from Wal-mart. The first time I lit it, it smelled great and then the next time I lit it, I couldn't smell it that well until it had been burning for 2 hours. That's not normally a huge problem for me because I typically burn candles when I'm going to be home for a while. But, I'd like to know that my candles are going to smell good whenever I burn them. I forgot what I paid for this one but I want an extra quarter back on this one as well.

Like I said, I have a lot of candles that I'm ready to burn and wax chunks that I'm ready to melt. I know that January is going to be a scent-a-licious month in my house. What are you burning this month?

It's A Haul Y'all! - Bath and Body Works

Hey there!!

Darn it Bath and Body Works! You keep having sales and I keep buying things! I didn't go cray-cray. I only bought a few things each time so just like yesterday, we are talking a teeny tiny haul.

My mom and I went to the mall today (she was getting some car work done so we waited at the mall until they were finished) and while we were there, we visited Bath and Body Works for probably the 3rd or 4th time since Thanksgiving. Like I said, I didn't get a bunch of stuff but I thought I'd show you nice people what I bought.

I have fallen in love with the B&BW foaming soaps. My recent soap purchases were the Black Cherry Merlot (what??! it's so good), Crisp Morning Air (if crisp morning air smells like Macintosh apples!!) and Sapphire Plum (just plain ahhhhh). I prefer the foaming soaps to the others because the others have little seed things in them. The little seed things get under your nails and they are hard to clean out of the sink. The foaming soaps just plan work better, in my opinion.

During the $8 candle sale, I was prepared to go all ham on the credit card but it turns out that there were only 2 scents that I wanted to add to my collection. I smelled a lot of candles but I had already decided I only wanted to get fragrances that were different than what I already had at home. I was surprised that after all that sniffing, I only found 2 things that rocked my world. I got the Peach Bellini because it smells so good and the container is so gorgeous. I almost bought 2 so that I could have matching containers after the candles were gone! I also picked up the Holiday scented candle. It smells like red hots (food, again, big surprise) and I can only imagine that my house smelling like red hots is a good thing.

And, believe it or not, I only purchased 1 shower gel. I bought Honeycrisp Apple & Buttered Rum Orchard (again with the food scents). It really does smell all apple orchard-like (not sure where the buttered rum comes in). I have several B&BW shower gels (plus other brands that I've been trying out) and I really want to use some of them up before bringing more scents into the house. Apparently February, March and April of this past year saw so many shower gel hauls that I need to wash up a little more before I add to that collection.

I told you that you'd be proud of me! All my B&BW on sale and not too much. I really am trying to be smarter in my purchases this year. And, there is only so much money to go around and I'd like to make sure I can spend it where I'd like.

Did you check out the semi-annual clearance or are you going to wait for the next sale (in, like, a few weeks)? Do you already have a ridiculous amount of Bath and Body Works products in your house or do you need to get just a little bit more?

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things - Candles

Hey There!

I don't have to tell you about my love of candles, do I? It's not like you are new to my blog, are you? Well, in case you are new, I love to have a great smelling home. There is nothing better than a fresh and fruity smelling house (except maybe a sweet, baked good smelling house). And, I'm not going to bake every day so I have to rely on plug ins, melted wax  and candles to achieve this.

In case you haven't guessed, my favorite type of candle is normally a food scent. Sweet candy scents, baked goods scents, heck a fully loaded baked potato scent would be ok (Wait....take a minute and think about that. Someone needs to go and work on that now. That would be awesome). I just enjoy a house that smells like I've been in the kitchen all day (instead of sitting on the sofa watching television or out shopping).

I try to always have scents that match the season. Right now I am burning 2 different brands of apple pie scent and finishing a Pecan Waffle candle from Wal-mart.  A few weeks ago it was Heritage Pumpkin and Banana Nutmeg Bread Pudding from Bath and Body Works. All summer it was Sweet Spun Sugar from Target. You get the point. Candles change my mood. They make me happy and they make the day brighter (literally if you are using a three wick!).

A co-worker asked me where I get my candles from. So glad you asked!! I know that everyone loves Bath and Body Works and Yankee Candles but there are sooo many other places to get candles. T.J. Maxx, Ross, Marshalls, Home Goods, etc are great places to get nice candles. Wal-Mart and Target also have fantastic candles. Specialty stores are nice to pick up fancy candles for spoiling yourself or buying for gifts. And, you know when your co-worker's kids are selling items? Well, I've discovered that the candles in those catalogs are usually pretty good.

And yes, I love to give candles as gifts. There are people that don't buy candles for themselves (Can you believe it? Me neither!). With the holiday's coming up, it's fun to add a mini candle to another gift or give a large candle and a smaller gift. My family is so use to getting candles with their Christmas presents, when I don't give them candles I hear about it. And when they come to visit, if I'm not burning a candle, they wonder where I'm going.

If I'm at home, I'm burning a candle. If I'm home and awake for longer than an hour, I need to get the smell good going in my house. The flicker of light on my dresser top or the smell of goodies as I walk to the kitchen makes for a pleasant home. And who can resist a bubble bath with a sweet smelling candle (or two or three) reflecting off of the mirror?

So give me a great smelling candle with a nice room throw and I am one happy girl!

Empties!

Hey there!

We have come to the end of another month and I have brought to you my trash. I know, it just sounds so crazy to talk about what's in your trash BUT I love reading Empties blogs and Watching Empties videos so I figure 2 other people must like them too. So, here you go.

Let's start in the bath tub, shall we? The bubble bath shouldn't be any surprise to you. I have two Avon Bubble Baths (2/ $10) - Cucumber Melon and Warm Vanilla & Fig. The Cucumber Melon is blah, whatever but the Warm Vanilla & Fig is really nice. I have repurchased this one many times and yes, I have a spare.

I only have 1 Bath and Body Works Shower Gel ($11 ea at the time of this purchase) which is weird. But, I've had a lot of shower gels to try this month so I haven't finished much, I've just tried a lot. This one is a warm, spicy smell and is really nice. Not sure that I'd repurchase because B&BW come up with so many new shower gels you don't have to buy just any ole' one. You can only purchase the ones you love. I like this one but I don't love it.

On one of my many Ulta trips in April, I picked up a Be Happy Coconut Grove Cleansing Shower Gel. It was one of the 3 / $10 items that they had. Ummm, this one was crap. It did smell coconuty but it didn't lather and I had to use 1/3 of the bottle in order to get enough in the towel to go wash my body. I will never try this brand again. I promise!

Staying in the tub, I picked up a Pedi-Scrub Foot Buffer with Lavender Tea Tree Oil. My mom and I saw them in Marshalls for $3.99 and we thought it couldn't hurt to try it. It's nice. Once side "cleanses and moisturizes" and the other side scrubs your heels. Again, it was nice. I had no real complains but I had no real positive feedback either. It's basically a loofa made exclusively for my feet. If I see it for $2, I might think about it again but otherwise nah. No real plus behind it.

The bathroom is ground zero for candles. This month I have loved Target Sweet Spun Sugar ($5) and Bath and Body Works Pink Bubble Gum (3/ $10). I mentioned them both in my May favorites. I also used up a B&BW Providence Garden candle. Meh. It smelled ok but I probably won't buy it again. (BTW, I forgot to take a snapshot of the empty containers).

And the last tub item is the Bic Soleil Razor (3 for $4.99 - I'm sure I had a coupon of some sort or got them at a discount on a Target end cap). Nothing special. It was on sale. I like it.

For hair care I have an Organix Brand Luxurious Moroccan Argan Creme Conditioner ($7.99 but I always buy during BOGO free at Rite Aid). I love this. I really do. It smells wonderful and glides through your hair and after leaving it in my hair (under a conditioning cap) I have soft, bouncy hair. This brand is a staple in my house. I have stopped buying anything else. If you see something else in my empties it's because I'm trying to use it up. I'm in love and the honeymoon is far from over!!

You see 2 Philosophy Hope in A Jar ($10, Sephora) containers. One is regular and one has SPF in it. I don't like either of them. I purchased and tried them before the holidays and I am finally getting around to trashing the containers. I gave the regular one a 2 week try and the one with SPF a 3 day try. No thanks.

There are 2 facial wipes in this month's empties. I have a pack of CVS Brand Age Defying Towelettes ($4.99 but I'm sure I purchased during BOGO 1/2 or BOGO free). They were fine. I used them to remove swatches on my hand or makeup mistakes in the morning. I also had Simple Radiance Cleansing Wipes. I actually got these free when I purchased the Simple eye makeup remover. I didn't notice radiance but again, I used them for swatches and makeup mistakes. I probably won't purchase either of them again.

CVS Premium Cotton Rounds ($3.59 for 100 in this case - I always stock up when these BOGO free. They do that every quarter or so). Holy grail cotton round. I love that these are quilted on one side and smooth on the other. They don't tear up when wet. I go through a pack each month. I do have plans on trying something new (and more expensive) in the upcoming months but not for my eyes. I will still have these unless my new item is just beyond amazing (which I can't believe it is). More on that next month, maybe.

The final 2 GWP items from Lancôme have been tossed in the trash. I tried the Bienfait Multi-Vital Night Cream. It was super greasy and smelled weird. I tried to use it on my elbows and heels (always try to use your products up for something!) but it left grease marks on my clothes and sheets. In the end it wasn't worth it. I just had to toss it. I also tried the Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate. It did absolutely nothing. It was a waste of time really. I'm sad to say that almost nothing was good in this past GWP. Oh well.

I tried the Enregin Time Released Action Eye Cream from the Dollar Tree. I tried this several months ago. It didn't do anything good or bad. It was only a dollar though so no real loss.

And last but not least -- people I tried to like this! So many people do. It's the Studio 35 Beauty Brand (from Walgreens) Alpha Hydroxy Face Cream ($8.99). I used it for 2 months and the only thing that it did for my face was irritate it. It made my face red and itchy for about 15 minutes. I didn't like it for my face. You want to know where I did like it? My heels! It works beautifully on my heels. Would I buy it again -- for my heels? No. I have products for a third of the price that I use on my heels.

And there you have it folks -- my trash! LOL. These are the products that I used up in May. Spoiler alerts for June? Well, candles (of course), bubble bath and shower gel, cotton rounds and well...just wait and see!

Splish Splash

Hey there!

Because it's Sunday evening and we're getting ready to go back to the hustle and bustle of work tomorrow, let's try to relax shall we? Let's put on some really good music, pour a beverage of choice and slip into a nice, soothing bubble bath.

I'm such the bubble bath girl. If I've had a hard day, I need a good soak. If I've had a good day, I need a victory swim. If it's a random Tuesday, I need a good scrub. See how this works?

And, you can't love bubble bath's the way I do without....bubbles! I showed you a tiny picture of the madness but trust me, there's a lot more. If I weren't so in love with my bubbles, I'd be embarrassed. But I am, so I'm not!!

This month has been a bit stressful so far so I've pulled out some of my faves and I've picked up some new goodies.

I posted an Instagram pic of my latest darling. My local Marshalls had this tiny 4 oz bottle of Philosophy Old Fashioned Eggnog scented Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath (BTW, does anyone really use these as shampoo? Really?) for $4.00. Now, I'll pay 3 for $10 of the 3 oz Bath and Body Works shower gels but I feel a certain way if the price tag is more than that. But, I took a good sniffy of this one and decided I'd try it out. WOWSERS!! I smelled so good, all day. I called my mom and told her I smelled just like nutmeg! You know how a cup of eggnog sprinkled with spices smells? That's how I smelled yesterday. Heavenly! That was $4 WELL spent!

My other Philosophy luxury priced find (sorry!) was the Philosophy Strawberry Italian Soda scented Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath. It was $10 for 16 oz. I really had to psych myself up to make that purchase. But oh baby, once I did, I was so glad I spent the $10. You know how strawberry soda smells? This smells just like that...bubbles and all! I'm not kidding! It smells like soda bubbles! How on earth do you do that? It's magic I say!!

Bath and Body Works Signature Vanillas Shower Gel in Lemon. The day that Bath and Body Works stops selling this, I will throw a huge hissy fit and die.  They do a classic sale about twice a year and I stock up. I'm down to one opened and this one that's sealed. I show reverence to this scent. It's a sparkling lemon fragrance (if that makes sense). It smells clean and natural and so fresh. It brings me up if I'm down -- I mean really, it does.

Date night (like I remember what that is!) gets Bath and Body Works Moonlight Path Shower Gel (and yes, I did bust out the spray!). It's soft and silky and smells sexy. Ladies, you know what that means! You know that you have that fragrance that you slather on and you instantly feel sexy and ready to tame any wild beast! Moonlight Path does it for me. 

And finally, I am in love with this Dial Frozen Yogurt Cooling Body Wash! It is so nice. It has a soft, fruity scent and a very creamy texture. The bottle says that they've added yogurt protein. I haven't gone and tasted it so I'll have to take their word (and, what does yogurt protein do for your body anyway? Don't you have to eat it for the probiotics?). It's one of those body washes that lathers up for days! Bubbles, bubbles everywhere. I like it and yes, I do detect a minor cooling sensation but sometimes my bath water is hot so it could be that, who knows.

So when I'm feeling happy or sad I jump in the tub. These have been my favorites lately. What do you take in the bath or shower stall with you? What changes your mood in an instant? And how do you make shower gels SMELL like fizz?