I don't know about anyone else but I love having a vast fragrance wardrobe for myself and for my home. Enter Willow WaxCraft which has become my go-to for one-of-a-kind candle melts that transform my humble abode into scenes of fantasy, cinematic treasures (from the silver screen and small screen), creepy barns or dusty tombs and rich creatives tableaus from novels and classic poems. This is one shop that isn't afraid to go out of the box with themes and complex scent compositions. For throw, I haven't found none better as I click my wax melter on in the morning and I get wafts of magical aromas all day throughout my house (especially with the fans going) and can even smell the melts when they are "cold" and back in solid wax form in the melting bowl. Funny enough this turned out to be my fifth revisit to this charming shop after I had every intention to wait until November to purchase another wax sampler, but with the exciting teaser and introduction of Bangarang (inspired by HOOK) plus my odd lack of spring-time scents for my bedroom. I had to indulge just a little, hehe. These were my impressions and observations to share (I am not affiliated, these are just the facts). -The sampler pack is the best way to introduce yourself to this brand as you get 4 covered candle melts that can be cut up and they last quite a while (mine from 2 years ago are still going strong). -Sign up for the newsletter and join the little club they offer and you get 10% off your orders and any additional ones with a special code. -Their packaging is ready for any type of gift-giving or shower/wedding decorating ideas. It's very elegant and yet whimsical (oh and complete with delicious exotic candies and a darling thank you card). -I have found the fragrances deepen and morph on every following melting versus on the first (although the first is amazing, just you wait for all the notes to bloom and shift). They get better and better with every time. On to the scents: Bangarang (Description/Notes: The smell of a hundred fun summers, sleeping in trees and riding the back of the wind. You’ll find your happy thought with this cheerful blend of candied dates, key lime and vanilla whipped cream, zesty lemon curd, tangerine sorbet, crisp water mint and tangy sea breezes. Fly. Fight. Crow.) This is a dream. It smells like the most delicious lemon cookie and whipped cream dessert you could imagine and it's even sprinkled with pixie dust! The throw is impressive as I sit at the kitchen table typing, I can clearly smell it wafting from my bedroom upstairs. Bangarang will be my next full-sized purchase ("clamshell") as I feel I'm melting happy thoughts and a bit of magic! Lady of the Lake (Description/Notes: Inspired by the protector of Avalon, the mythical Insula Pomona (island of apples). A blend of earl grey and green teas, apple, hyacinth, ozone, datura, and delicate white musk.) Another lovely morpher from this charming little storefront as the cold scent is a clean fruit and floral combination that leans into an expensive hair conditioner type of aroma but, oh my, when it is melted then the true majestic elements come out and my kitchen is transformed into the lush shores of Avalon with apple wafting on the breezes and the final hyacinths of the season uncurling with the mystic mists. My mother even complimented Lady of the Lake and that is HUGE! Midsummer Night's Dream (Description/Notes: A moonlit excursion to the woodland faerie realm-lavender, musk, vanilla, sparkling green moss, and a canopy of wild honeysuckle overhead. Sweet slumbers!) This is soft and powdery with the lavender leaning more towards pillowy versus herbal or garden-fresh. The green notes blend in with the powdery impression when I walk upstairs while the anticipated honeysuckle is slightly noticeable when I get within a foot of the melter. Overall an elegant welcoming fragrance and it suits my home's aesthetic, it's a keeper. Stay Golden (Notes: Sea spray and shady pines, mimosas on the lanai, and a complementary blend of sultry magnolia, gentle tea rose, and bright orange blossom.) What, were you expecting cheesecake?) I have waited a long time for some creative soul to take on the fun spirit of The Golden Girls and here is a beautiful representation of some of my favourite episodes and quotes. This is bright and fruity and as promised it has some unexpected playful magnetic sparkle. For a full representation of the characters, I'm sadly missing Dorothy and Sophia (other than the reference to the shady pines) as Stay Golden belongs to fragrant mentions of Blanche and Rose. I still love this melt and I also love that colour of this wax is an 80's and early 90's style pink-peach just like the shoulder-padded power suits we all remember (or wish to forget, haha) and of course the couch in the girls' living room; very clever and a nice extra touch! I also received some lovely extras (Thank you so much, Willow WaxCraft!) Primaveral (Description/Notes: Those precious and rare late winter days that *almost* feel like spring. Wild honey, morning glory, and sweet cherry blossom with cool garden greens and zesty dill weed.) Where has this delight been hiding?! I can't stop swinging open my bedroom door to sniff this wax tart. It smells green, creamy and the delicate floral pairing is simply beautiful. The second melting revealed the floral honey and the zip of the dill weed. This is a spring morning captured and into my basket this treasure goes. Can this be made into a perfume? - Speaking of perfumes the talented scent artist at Willow WaxCraft also dabbles in some perfumery and she was so incredibly sweet to send me a pot of her first creation in one of my favourite blends she makes called The Long Night (Balsam fir, sacred frankincense and myrrh, beeswax candles, sweet oud, blood orange, clove, cinnamon leaf, and vanilla). The cinnamon is absent in the solid perfume form (to make it skin safe and agreeable with those with allergies or sensitivities) but honestly, it's still amazing (still somehow smells spicy in a good way) and this lasted through an intense workout and me dashing about the house (about 5 hours). The orange and resins are the most dominant on me and I have been using this to get motivated as I loved how this smelled on me when I was hot and needed to go another 10 minutes. I seriously hope this means other melt forms will have a perfume solid double soon because I'm impressed (I can think of 6 perfumes I would buy in a heartbeat, uh oh, haha). Balm of Gilead (Notes: Lipstick (powdery violet, orris, and rose), fresh baked bread, glossy magazine pages, and sweet buttercream. Don't let the bastards grind you down.) Anyone that knows me wouldn't be surprised I have an affinity for the distinct fragrance of vintage lipstick and anything baked and they won't be shocked in the slightest that when they enter my home this summer, Balm of Gilead is one of the scents that will be greeting them. This is superb and I get every note on the first melt, nothing overbalances the other and I hope this is one of the finalists to consider making into a solid perfume. In the meantime, into the basket this melt goes. I meant to hold onto these reviews until after I was able to get my tresses trimmed and coloured plus could take (or attempt to; sorry I'm not photographer) a more flattering picture, but who knows when that'll be and with so many opportunities occurring at the moment for everyone to get outside (on the porch, deck or breezeway; let's not go crazy now), shut off the lights to embrace the darkness and stare into the vast heavens for once in a lifetime astronomic type shows, this just seemed like the perfect time to share my mini earring haul from Serene Garlands Vampire Bat Earrings - Count Dracula - Gothic Victorian Demon - Crimson Red Blood Swarovski - Silver Gargoyle In the description on the shop page it says these were fashioned after a famous guitar player (I wonder who?) but for me when I first saw them, the iconic quote "I have crossed oceans of time to find you" immediately came to mind and I got chills even before reading the name of the creation or accompanying writeup. I had to have them. Now that I am fortunate to wear such stunning trinkets, I can see the workmanship and detail in the metal and the almost supernatural glow of the red crystals (honestly is there anything better than Swarovski? I don't think so). What a dazzling find and I can't wait to don these beauties and turn some heads. I've never seen anything like them and they really are heirloom quality. Art Nouveau Earrings, Half Moon Earrings, Moon Goddess Earrings, Moon Earrings, Art Nouveau Lady Goddess Earrings, Celestial, Stevie Nicks Another unique design I have never seen before and I fully admit once I learned they were based on one of my favourite musicians, into the basket they went, haha. I also adore the Art Nouveau movement in art and furnishing motifs so these pieces of mini art called to me from many angles. Wearing them, they are light, silhouette my neck nicely and the flash and twinkle of the moonlight crystal is a lovely finishing touch. They came in the option of silver or brass and the silver matches everything in my wardrobe and yes I have been singing Rhiannon in the vanity mirror since they have arrived. I'd say my first 2 purchases were first-rate successes and I have dozens of additional pieces waiting in my basket from Serene Garlands and The Mourning Era (both owned by the same jewellery artist) one shop showcases lovely cherubs, roses and iconic birds and the other storefront makes my black little heart flutter with all the elegant Victorian-esque gothic jewellery options. It's like two sides of a personality, I love it! Serene Garlands |
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28th of January 2023) NOTES/COMBINATIONS and Stones CURRENTLY ON THE HUNT FOR: Naughty Licorice/Star Anise Cardamom Cardamom Cake with Roses Smoky Honey & Leather Leather and Florals Pomegranate Colder Tuberose scents Smoked Florals with Cinnamon and Honey Graham Cracker and Incense Double strand of Rose Quartz or Moonstones or Black Tourmaline Chainmaille Jewellery Houses of Fragrance and Interest on the Horizon (shops that contain such temptations): LurkerAndStrange Good Spirit Wolf Rapt In Maille ToadStoolSoaps DSH Perfume Baphomet&Co Harvest Moon Haven Granny Hootenanny's Shop
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