Bearhug Creations! Everything from wax to bath & body!

It's time for another, long over-due review!  I actually received these goodies awhile ago and have been busy testing away :)  Bearhug Creations is an absolutely adorable site with tons and tons of different products offered.  Again, I'm impressed with another small retailer.  It still amazes me how many great products there are out there from small, home-based companies!  I think back to the amount of money I sank into big chain stores and I weep!!

Wax - Break Away Aroma Melts

• "Fresh Cut Tulips" - I am not particularly partial to floral scents, but this is actually quite nice. It's a dead ringer for real flowers, which surprised me.  There's also a hint of something soft in there as well that I can't identify for sure.
• "God's Love" - This is one of my favorite scents in this box.  It smells amazing but I had to look up the description of the scent to figure out what it smelled like!  According to the site, it's a mixture of soft baby powder and ripened mulberries.  I would have never guessed that one!  Great scent.
• "Cool Steel" - This is a very romantic, manly cologne smell without being overpowering.
• "Fruity O's" - Just like that classic cereal but with a little bit more tartness that makes it more sophisticated.  Love it.
• "Apple Slices" - Boy, talk about authentic!  It came in a green color so I was expecting the tart green apple smell...but it actually smells like a ripe, juicy red apple.  Yum!

Wax - Candles

• "Key Lime Pie" (6 oz) - This came in the traditional jelly jar that you see a lot of vendors carrying.  The scent, however, is very unique.  Most key-lime pie scents I've smelled don't come as close to the real lime scent as Bearhug's!  It has a delicious tartness that is so authentic!
• "Creamy Vanilla" (10 oz) - This came in a double-wicked apothecary jar with a glass lid.  Very cute!  The scent was great, as well!  I absolutely love vanilla scents and this is one of my top favorites.  It almost reminds me a little bit of the ice cream cake batter scent.  Delish!

Scented Oil

• "Blueberry Muffins" - YUM!  Need I say more?!?  Bakery/fruity/delicious!

Bath & Body

• Satin Body Lotion - This 8 oz bottle came scented in Cashmere & Pearls.  One of my favorite things about this, is that it is softly scented.  I don't particularly care for strong lotions, because I feel like my perfume has to compete.  This is perfect!
• Misting Perfume - This little travel spray came in the corresponding scent as my lotion.  I'm in LOVE with this bottle!  It's small enough to slip right into a purse, or even a pocket if you're not wanting to bring a bag along.  Great!
• Moisturizing Lip Balm - I was 50/50 on this.  I loved the quality of the balm and how soft it was on my lips, however I didn't get hardly any of the Frosted Cupcakes scent.
• Air Freshener - This came in a little mesh bag, scented in Thin Mints.  It is made of highly scented crushed corn...how cool!
• Sink Freshener - Last, but certainly not least, is this sink freshener in Unwinding Aromas.  What a neat product!  You fill up your sink with warm water and add this powder.  It makes your entire kitchen smell great, not to mention that stinky garbage disposal!

Overall, I loved my experience with Bearhug Creations!  They have such a wide variety of things to choose from, and each and everyone of them was just as good as the last!  Take a moment to check out their site as well as their new blog and Facebook page!

Haley's Heavenly Scents (Second Order!)

I've been a fan of Haley's Heavenly Scents since the beginning of this blog.  I've done a previous (extensive) scent review so I won't go back over details already on here.  Instead, let's just jump right into the few new scents I got to try during her latest sale!

Scents:

• Frosted Lime Cupcakes (12oz chunk jar candle) - Oh yum!  I love this one!  I don't really get much bakery scent, but mostly a mixture of butter and lime.  It smells great!  And travels like nobody's business!
• Tart Green Apples (2oz tart) - Boy, is this one crisp!  If you like apple scents, you'll love this one.  It reminds me of the Jolly Green Jolly Rancher candy.
• Green Apple Cotton Candy (2oz tart) - If you have read my last review on Haley's, you'll know that this was one of my favorites of the order.  It's a heavy (rather than candy) apple smell mixed with cotton candy.  So good!

Performance:
As always, Haley's Heavenly Scents preformed.....well, heavenly!  The small candle scented my entire living room with no difficulty and the tarts lasted a good, solid 18 hours.  This company puts out some good stuff! 

Links:
Order some Haley's Heavenly Scents - http://haleysheavenlyscents.com/
Check out the Facebook Page - Haley's Heavenly Scents Facebook!

MoneyPenny's SoySations

I am so absolutely happy to have found MoneyPenny's SoySations!  Until I was contacted by Angie, I hadn't been lucky enough to come upon her site!  MoneyPenny specializes in soy candles and tarts and is based out of Clinton, Illinois.  The owner is just an absolute sweet heart who's customer service is amazing.  So rather than talk your ear off further, let's get on to the review!


Apperance: 
For this review, I received 10 packs of clamshell melts in the standard container.  Each was clearly and beautifully labeled with the scent and website/contact information for MoneyPenny's.  I love the clamshell packs because they are easy to store and stack!
I also received 3 adorable 8oz jelly jar candles with beautiful rustic/bronze lids.  They also came clearly labeled, as well as having a sticker to indicate the cure date...a VERY nice touch.  


Scents:
Clamshell tart packs - 

• Lemon Meringue Pie - This is a perfect balance between the lemon and a delicious pie crust/bakery type scent.  The lemon does not overpower the bakery aspect, as a lot of other vendors' tend to do.
• Key Lime Pie - Again, this balances the lime and crust scent very well.  I also get a lot of butter smell from this which is just pure heaven!
• Hot Fudge Brownie - Perfect fudge scent!  No fake chocolate smell here, folks!
• Creamy Caramel - This has to be my all-time favorite caramel smell.  Wow.  It just oozes deliciousness! 
• Citrus Sunburst - Another great one from MoneyPenny's!  Citrus tends to be a hit-or-miss scent due to the tendency for one citrus scent to overpower the others.  Not the case here.  I get equal amounts of all the notes!
• Basil Sage Mint - I'm definitely not a huge basil fan.  It tends to irritate my nose, but this is actually really well done.  The basil and the mint work together to mellow each other out and it works perfectly.
• Black Currant Vanilla - This is a great one if you tend to like the cologne/perfume type scents.  To me, it smells like a sexy man cologne!  Very strong throw.
• Banana Cream Pie - This is one of my favorites from the order, mostly because it's an authentic banana smell, as opposed to the fake/candy scent I usually get from vendors.  I don't get a lot of bakery from this one on cold sniff, but I haven't melted it yet and it's sure to smell entirely different when I do.
• Vanilla Bean - All you vanilla lovers out there....TRY MONEYPENNY'S VANILLA BEAN!!  Man, this is good!  And the throw was really impressive for a vanilla scent :)
• Strawberry Cheesecake - This one smelled a little different than I expected.  Rather than the typical crust-heavy scent from most cheesecakes, it actually smelled more like a creamy strawberry.  I like this one a whole bunch!  Yummy!

8oz Jelly Jar Candles -

• Purely Pomegranate - I'm not sure if it was intentional, but this smells like an exact dupe of Scentsy's Pomegranate, which I absolutely adore!  It's a full, robust berry scent that throws like crazy!  So juicy and something I highly recommend.
• Cake Batter Ice Cream - Ooooh one of my favorite scents!  I've tried this from some vendors before and it's always a hit.  The one thing that made this stand out was it's throw.  Most Cake Batter Ice Cream's that I've tried have been rather light, which is understandable seeing as how the creamy scents just aren't that strong by nature.  This however, was a heavy hitter!  (And from a little 8oz jar!)
• Mango Sorbet - I'm a very, very picky critic of mango scents.  So when I tell you how much I liked this one, you'll know I'm not messin' around!!  This is such a great smell!  A delicious, creamy blend of mango that will make your mouth water, for sure!

Performance: 
This was one of the most impressive aspects of MoneyPenny's.  Of all the tarts I melted, I never got less than 12 hours of strong throw.  On top of that, the wax was super easy to pop out of my melters.  Her candles have a great throw, especially considering the size!  The burn time on the candles seems to be quite awhile and I'm more than happy with them.  I almost wish I could come up with something negative to say so this didn't seem like such a wishy-washy review but...alas, I can't think of a single thing! MoneyPenny's has some great stuff and you need to run - not walk - over to her site to check everything out!  There's also a Facebook Page you need to keep an eye one for current information and sales!

Rocky Corner Soap Works...Take Two!!

You might remember my review several weeks ago of a bar of soap I tried from Rocky Corner Soap Works in the scent grapefruit and peppermint.  I was somewhat disappointed in the lack of scent from this bar, but was more than impressed with the quality of the soap itself.  I vowed to try them one more time before discounting the company. 

Yesterday I got a wonderful surprise in my mailbox.  The owner of Rocky Corner Soap Works had sent me a letter of apology and a summer collection pack of their soap bars.  She apologized that the grapefruit and peppermint soap had not lived up to my expectations and informed me that they were pulling that particular scent from their site.  I was absolutely floored at the amazing customer service...especially since I had not even contacted RCSW regarding my purchase.  They simply happened upon my blog and wanted to make up for the bar of soap I had tried previously.  This is obviously a company that cares deeply about their customers and products.

The summer collection pack of soap consisted of seven different bars.  They are all such pretty colors and smell amazing.  Perfect for summertime!  Read on for the review:

Appearance: 
As I mentioned above, the bars are all vibrant and colorful.  The picture show here is taken from the Rocky Corner Soap Works page.

Scents:
Garden Mint - I love this scent!  It's a great combo of mint and greenery.  Very nice!
Moisturizing Skin Care - This has a very clean and fresh scent.  The best part, by far, is how NICE it feels against your skin.  It's like using a lotion more than using a soap!
After The Storm - I usually don't like products scented in the storm/rain scent because they tend to just smell like strong laundry detergent to me.  Not this one!  This is the closest thing to smelling like a storm that I've ever had.  It's amazing how authentic it smells!
Sea Island Grapefruit - Now, THIS is a great grapefruit scent!  If I'm not mistaken, this is the scent that replaced the old grapefruit and peppermint bar that I did not care for.  This is much improved.  I love the grapefruit scent because it is so uplifting and refreshing.
Fresh & Honeydew - I won't go over this one again because I've previously reviewed it.  Definitely one of my favorites!
Pomegranate and Peach - This is another great scent.  These two fruits go very well together!
Cucumber Melon - Anyone who has tried the cucumber melon scent from Bath & Body Works will have a good idea of how great this bar of soap smells.  Another great scent for summertime!

Overall Experience:
I am so grateful and happy that Rocky Corner Soap Works took it upon themselves to send me out this sampler pack.  I now chalk my previous experience up to circumstance.  Everything that I've been lucky enough to try out so far has not only smelled great, but been so much better on my hands than the cruddy soap from the store.  I also LOVE the fact that this soap is not tested on animals and I know that I could never go back to store-bought.  I'm a RCSW customer for life :)

Sugar & Spice Gourmet Soy Candles!!

My Sugar & Spice order came!!  I'm so excited about this one.  Up until recently, I've had more bad than good experiences with soy.  I've found one or two companies that did a great job....but the majority seemed to be quite a bit less quality than companies using paraffin, etc.  I had pretty much sworn off ordering more soy.  BUT...a Facebook page I frequent called "What's In Your Burner" listed a great free shipping sale from Sugar & Spice.  I can rarely say no to free shipping!!  So once again I dove into the world of soy, and I am very glad I did!

Scents:

 ~ 7.5oz candle in an adorable, traditional canning jar.

Melonade - This is a great scent!  It's a combination of watermelon and lemonade.  Perfect for the summertime!  The throw from this little canning jar is very impressive.  I wouldn't have thought such a small melt pool could scent such a large area of my home!  I'm also loving the pretty pink color.

~ 1oz Soy-blend melts

Caramel Apple Cashew - Delish!!  This smells amazing.  You can distinctly smell each ingredient, and they blend so well with each other.  It reminds me of some tasty treat you can get at the fair...but I just can't put my finger on it!

 Bamboo & White Grapefruit - I didn't particularly care for this scent.  It's more of an earthy/spicy smell (which I didn't expect from the name) and that's just not really my taste.  However I know for a fact that my mother will go bananas over this one so it will definitely be a nice surprise for her!

Verbena Berries - Wow!  This is another great scent.  It's a little hard to describe, but the one word that keeps coming into my head is juicy!  Loving this one, for sure.

Pumpkin Cinna Vanilla Crunch - I was a little nervous about this one because I definitely have trouble with the cinnamon smell.  I'm honestly not sure if it bugs be because it's too harsh or if it's because I'm allergic to the real thing and tend to associate the smell with not-so-pleasant experiences.  Either way, not my favorite.  HOWEVER...I popped this one into my melter and was pleasantly surprised.  The pumpkin and vanilla seem to really mellow out the cinnamon and make this a great scent.  Very creamy.  This would be an amazing Fall smell!

Mochaccino - I absolutely love this one and am so sad that it's on her closeout list!  I'll definitely be ordering this in a bigger candle soon.  It's a delish belnd of coffee and chocolate.....seriously what could be better?  GREAT smell and the throw from this little 1oz was incredible.  My entire home smelled heavenly. 

~ 2oz Soy-blend melts (NEW from Sugar & Spice)

Blue Hawaii - Oooh lala!  Ya'll know I love my tropical scents and this has to be in my top 5 tropicals!  This is such a perfect smell.  It is just like a sweet, fruity, creamy drink!  One sniff and you'll feel like you got dropped on a white beach somewhere!  My favorite scent of this order :-)

Blackberry Fizz - This isn't something new to me, as I've tried it from a few other vendors.  It's a great, uplifting scent and if you like it from another vendor, this will smell just as good!

Frosted Pumpkin Cookies - I'm just absolutely in love with this one!  It's a mixture of sugar cookies and pumpkin (if I'm remembering right).  It couldn't be a better scent for fall....or anytime, really!  The only tiny little thing I would change would be adding more cookie than pumpkin to give it a little bit more creaminess.  This was a tester that was included so it will be interesting to see how she tweaks it!

Twilight Woods (type) - This is one of my favorite scents from B&BW.  I was so excited to test this out for Shanna.  Her version is just slightly different than the B&BW version...but certainly not enough to be a bad thing at all.  I'm probably more able to tell the difference because I had a bottle of B&BW lotion on hand to compare it to!  Overall it smells amazing and it's a definite re-order for me!

~ 6oz Soy-blend crumbles (NEW from Sugar & Spice)

The 6oz bag of crumbles came in an adorable cello bag with her painfully cute label on the front!  They are white with REAL sprinkles!! The scent was cake batter ice cream, which I ordered as a suggestion from a review on candlefind.com.  Oh goodness...this is heaven.  It's such a creamy, delicious smell that you won't even believe your nose!  My only TEENY gripe is that it definitely isn't a huge thrower.  This is never really a problem for me, as my living room is pretty small.  But if you've got vaulted ceilings and multiple floors, you might be better off burning this one in a smaller room of the house.  Overall this is a great product that I am so happy she added to her site!

Performance:

I could NOT believe the scent throw of everything I got in my order!  That little candle threw like a great, big jar and even the little 1oz tarts scented my entire house for a good 9+ hours. The fact that I'm impressed says a lot because I'm VERY critical when it comes to soy  My past experiences have not all been great.  Sugar & Spice definitely passed the test!  

This is a great company that you need to check out!  The customer service is great and her TAT is pretty darn impressive, as well!  Please make sure you stop by her site as well as her Facebook Page to keep updated on new products and sales!

Out Of The Box Sampler!!

My new Out Of The Box Sampler came in today!!  It's just like Christmas morning.  If any of you haven't heard about OOTB, listen up!  This is a very fun company that everyone should try at least once!  Vendors from all over send in their samples to OOTB.  They are then packaged up and delivered to your house for $22.50...including shipping!  It's a great way to find vendors you never knew about, and an even better way to try out vendors you've been considering, but haven't made the leap yet.  I'm going to be going over everything I received in this month's Beach Themed Box.  Simply click on the company name to be directed to their site!

There are still a few boxes left so if you like what you read...head on over to OOTB and get your box now!  (This photo was borrowed from the OOTB facebook page.  Please stop by there as well!)

**FYI - My camera is having some issues so all these pictures are looking a little blue.  Sorry about that!**

Virga Botanicals
From this company, I received a generous 2oz sample of cooling face mist and toner in lavender green tea.  This is a GREAT product!  I've already tried it out and it feels amazing on your face.  I will definitely be ordering some things from Virga Botanicals in the near future!


TLC Inspirations

"What are YOU looking at" is the graphic included on this adorable novelty pin.  There's a cute little critter on the front with big ole eyes!  This is an adorable little pin and he's definitely going in my collection.

Angies Raggedy Patch
Choco-Tootsies Chocolate Foot Bath - Cause' feet love chocolate too...  How neat!  This is such a cool product.  It's a foot bath scented in chocolate.  What could be better?


The Pink 'Dillo
From this adorably named company I received a cute, prim little refrigerator magnet!  A girl can never have too many magnets and this little cutie is already on my fridge!

Naturally Lela
Now this is cool!  I got a sample of the Namaste Mini Buffins.  One side of this organic sugar and beeswax foot buffer will soften, and the other side will smooth.  Shaped like a delicious treat!

Lotion Bar Cafe

This soap sample is scented in Miami Slice and it is heavenly!  It leaves your skin soft and clean!

Capricorn Soap Company
From this company I got two samples!  One, a great little bar of soap made with olive oil and the other, a oatmeal & honey moisturizing body lotion.  Great products!

Petite Paperie
This is a beautiful, hand crafted card with envelope.  It has a life-like ink image of a crab...fitting with the beach theme from this month's box!

Ugly Duckling Designs
There's nothing ugly about this tart sample!  It's in the cutest little shape of a flip-flop, scented in Summer Splash.  The scent is just as amazing as the design! 

Jodis Craft Emporium
This sample is a little heart shaped, soy tart in French Vanilla.  Yum!  I can't wait to melt this one :-)

Rocky Corner Soap Works

Getting this soap was a little eerie!  I had ordered a full sized bar of soap from this company after getting my last OOTB and loving it.  They send along little samples with every order and I got a sample in Fresh & Honeydew.  I ended up loving it even more than the full sized bar I ordered and was getting sad because my samples was almost gone.  Then today I open up my OOTB and what is there on top?  A full sized bar of Fresh & Honeydew!  Crazy!  I'm so excited....this company makes some great soap and you should check it out!

Rhoda Rose

Man, that lady can make some tasty treats!  I got a sample of her chocolate covered graham crackers and, well...it's already gone!  Yum-tastic!

Country Keepsakes
Yay!  Tart samples!  I got a heart and a star scented in Strawberry Margaritas.  Perfect for summertime!

CleanQueenSoapCo!

These sugar cube scrubs in Watermelon Bubblegum are to die for!  Perfect scent and really neat product.

Shearwater Falls

Not only did I get a very neat sample of healthy Skin Scrub, but they also sent along a great brochure, detailing all of their products. This was a great idea!  I'll be checking their site out, for sure.

A Penny For Your Thoughts
This company sent along a beautiful greeting card and tag.  They are themed with the patriotic/4th of July colors and just absolutely beautiful.  There's even some included star confetti!

Three of a Kind Crafters
This is yet another generous sample provided by a great company!  Two soap products were sent including a basil lime organic body wash and soap bar.  These smell great and came in adorable packaging.

SBS Teas
I'm a huge tea fan, and pretty picky about what I drink.  SBS Teas hits the mark every time.  This sample was of Mango Green Tea and even came with a seeping bag to use.  Very good tea and very thoughtful packaging.

Sweet Candleations
Oh...my....gosh!!  This is the cutest candle I've seen!  It's a little mini key-lime pie!!  I don't even want to melt this because it's so darn cute!  But on the other hand it smells so good....how can I not melt it?

Not your Mama's Mix

Oh yum!  This creative little product is a double chocolate-chocolate chip mug cake mix.  You just throw this in a mug, add an egg, throw it in the microwave...and bam!  You have a super tasty cake to eat right out of the mug!  I can't wait to mix this up!


Well, that's it folks!  Those are all of the great products I got in my OOTB sampler.  Please make sure to stop by and check out these vendors as well as OOTB to get your box!  You should also check out the OOTB blog page for cool giveaways INCLUDING some from Rocky Corner Soap Works and Country Keepsakes!  If you have any questions, ya'll are welcome to email me or leave a comment!

Happy melting!

New wax from Front Porch Candle Co!

I was recently given the opportunity to test out the new wax blend from Front Porch Candle Co!  I received my candle in a 12oz Apothecary jar with an adorable black lid that rests on top.  The label on this candle is absolutely GORGEOUS!  It is a beautiful picture of a front porch, out in the country.  It couldn't be a better representation of down-home goodness!  (I apologize about the quality of this picture.  My camera is on the fritz!)

Scent:
My candle was scented in peppermints.  This is a very authentic smell.  A lot of people lean towards burning this scent only around the holidays, but I enjoy it year-round!  Rather than looking at it as just a Christmas scent, I view it more as a spa/relaxing type aroma.  Either way, this is a great scent choice that I recommend.

Throw:
I LOVED the quality and strength of this throw!  It's a small candle but it surely packed one heck of a punch!  It scented my entire living room as well as my hallway and parts of my bedroom.  I was very surprised at how much this little thing threw!

Burn quality:
This candle did very well.  It melted quickly to produce a large pool.  There was NO smoking or soot issues whatsoever.  The only little flaw I can find is related to the jar.  I've never been a huge fan of the Apothecary style, mostly because it seems like they have issues with evenly burning across the top.  This one was much better in that regard, and I attribute that to the quality of this new wax!

Overall, I think this new blend of wax is a hit for Front Porch Candle Co.  You should definitely give it a try!  If you're not ready to make a huge order commitment, you can order one of the Out Of The Box samplers this month because Front Porch is included!  It's a great way to try out several different vendors and get to know companies you might never have come across!

Please take some time to visit Front Porch today!  They also have a great message board that is worth checking out :-)

Happy melting!