CBV July 2012 Review, of course!

Well, I couldn't resist placing another order. I literally just got it about an hour ago - first CBV order at the new house, woo hoo. At our old place the UPS guy usually didn't come until around 3, the UPS guy at the new house came at 10:30! :)

Onto the review -

Scoop Some Scent - Lavender & Basil - I've had this scent before in a scent shot and had to get it in SSS for my low wattage plug-in warmers for my bathrooms. I'm not usually a lavender fan, but the basil really tones it down and makes it a nice, fresh, clean, soapy-type scent. If you like clean scents and haven't tried this one yet, you have to!

Bundt Cake Melts - Nutty Candied Apple - If you know me you know I can't live without my Nutty Candied Apple. I figured I'd get some NCA in these tarts to warm in the summer months while my AC and fans are blasting.

Cookie Melts - Vanilla Maple Pecan - I tried Vanilla Maple Pecan in scent shot form when Jandre stated it smelled like waffle cones, and I agree. I love Granny's Pie Crust, and this scent is very similar to GPC with a kick. It's sweet, creamy, a teeny hint of spicey yummy goodness.

Scent Shots (top to bottom; left to right) :) -

Spellbound - Again, had to stock up to hold me over for the summer. Sweet, apple, candy deliciousness!

Cottage Garden - On cold throw it's a very strong floral (which is fine because CBV got me into liking florals). Strong on the jasmine and rose scent. The scent description says it has fruit such as pineapple, peach, and melon. It'll be interesting to see if the fruit notes come out when it's melted.

St. Lucia - Have had before and really like. Very, very sweet melon scent.

A Hunk, A Hunk Of Burning Nuts (CAS by Aerika) - All I get when I smell this is Elvis (may not help that Elvis is currently burning on my stove top a few feet away from me). I cannot wait to melt this and the Caramelized Pralines to come out. Two of my favorite scents mixed together can't be wrong. Yum!!

Fresh Picked Strawberry - On cold throw it smells like a candied strawberry. I can't wait to let this one cure a little and melt it, I know it'll be true to the name.

Cantaloupe - YUMMY!! If you like fruity scents, you must must must try cantaloupe. It smells like a super sweet fresh juicy cantaloupe. This might be the first one I melt for when my husband comes home and sees I got more CBV. When I melt things he likes he is more understanding, and I know he'll love this one. I don't know how anyone couldn't!

Champagne Pomegranate (free scent shot) - I have never tried Champagne Poemgranate, and I don't know why. I love Fizzy Pop. This is a great blend of Fizzy Pop and Pomegranate.

Sugar Kisses (CAS by Keyonna) - I love this one too. Alone, I did not like Victoria's Cotton Candy and wasn't a super big fan of Raspberry Guava, but mixed together it makes a perfect yummy sweet concoction! If you like scents like Pink Sugar, Tiffany-D, etc, you will really like this one!

Candles By Victoria - May 2012 Haul/Review

I wasn't going to place a CBV order in May, but I started running low on some of my favorites. I also just recently got 2 wall plug in warmers (similar to scentsy warmers, but I got them A LOT cheaper on ebay) and wanted to get some Scoop Some Scent for them for the new house in the main bathroom and the laundry room/other bathroom. Finally, Victoria used to sell Kettle candles on her site in various different colors/designs. They were recently taken off of the site, and I was devestated. I really wanted a green kettle candle in Caramelized Pralines for my new kitchen. After asking on the message board, Victoria so GRACIOUSLY had Candleman search in their warehouse to see if they had any extra kettle candles lying around. Lo and behold, they did! So, of course, I had to order one. :)

This is mostly going to be a haul/review of pictures as opposed to review of scents since I've reviewed most of these scents a million times before since they're a lot of my favorites.

Scent Shots

From left to right:

• Vanilla Maple Pecan - Jandre stated this one smells like waffle cones, and I agree. It's strong on the maple and pecan, which mixed together creates this yummy sweet, yet a little spicy bakery goodness.
• Bamboo & White Grapefruit - This one's STRONG! It was my free scent shot, and not something I would typically go for, but it's nice. It's very strong on the grapefruit and I get some orange, too. The citrus fruits mixed with the bamboo tone them down a little, but add a bit of an earthy type note.
• Blueberry Monkey Bread - Cinnamon, raisin, blueberry, bready goodness. It reminds me a lot of bear claws + blueberry. Yum!
• Fizzy Pop - Ginger Ale/Sprite, nothing more to say. One of my husband's favorites!
• Lavendar & Basil - Wow is this one nice! I did not like Victoria's straight lavender scent, but something about mixing this with the basil makes it sooooo good. It smells like a sweet, clean, crisp lavendar beautiful soap. I will definitely be getting this in a candle for my bathroom.

8 oz Candles

• Peanut Butter Cookies - Name says it all!
• Spellbound -  Such a beautiful sweet, yummy scent! Caramel apple, cotton candy, very sweet yumminess!

Votive Candles (set of three)

• Citronella - Got these to put in my outdoor votive holders to keep away the bugs. I still have some of an 8oz Citronella candle from last summer, and they really do work!

Scoop Some Scent

From left to right, top row to bottom row

• Shamrock Kiss - Smells like the old school herbal essences shampoo

• Love Shack - Love Spell and Pink Sugar. This one is my go to bedroom scent - it's such a sweet, fruity, slightly musky, sensual scent. I got it for my beautiful purple tart warmer in the bedroom.
• White Nectarine & Pink Coral - Smells like the orange bottle of herbal essences shampoo (no more frizz kind). Delicious!!
• Nutty Candied Apple - My number one favorite CBV scent! It's such a fresh, crisp apple with that yummy nutty note to it. I LOVE THIS SCENT MORE THAN WORDS CAN DESCRIBE!!

Kettle Candle (green)

Caramelized Pralines - The camera flash made this look like a lighter green than it really is. But it's beautiful and I cannot wait to put this is my new kitchen. As far as Caramelized Pralines goes, it's sooo good! Sweet, caramel goodness with the nutty note of pralines.

Here's a picture comparing the opening of a 22oz tureen and this kettle candle.

Candles By Victoria - April 2012 Order

Well, I told myself I wasn't going to order until May... but I couldn't resist! I at least held off through the entire month of March, which might be a record for me since starting to shop with CBV. :)
I think I convinced myself that this order was okay because I got a couple of things for a basket for a bridal shower, and got mostly scent shots for me (I'm trying to narrow down my candle collection). So, tarts were okay to order.

And... hubby decided to give his two "scents" Take it for what it's worth. ;)

Purple Tart Warmer - I have faithfully used my jet black tart warmer in my living room for the past year. I decided it was finally time to be able to melt scent shots in my bedroom, as well. And, I think, trying to convince myself it would help me get through my tarts more quickly. Purple is one of my and my husbands favorite color - our bedroom and bathroom are both dark purple themed, so it matched perfectly.

4oz Mini Jelly Jar Fresh Laundry - I've had this before. Such a nice, clean, fresh out of the dryer laundry-type scent.

24oz Crumb Melts Lemon Pound Cake - Yep, love this one! Perfect sweet lemon bakery scent.

Watermelon Cupcake - I love Tiffany-D and I love Pink Cupcake. What a wonderful mix of both. The pink cupcake is definitely the prodominent scent in this, but the melon in Tiffany-D is there.

Chrystom says - YUCKY

Rock That Vanilla - I have never smelled what this is duping, but it's good. It's a very nice vanilla scent, mixed with a perfumey/woodsy type scent. Kind of reminds me of a toned-down twilight woods, but sweeter

Chrystom says - "SMOOTH"

Spring Moments - This one is very complex. On first sniff, it's like WHOA perfumey notes. But, if you dig a little deeper, I do smell some fruits. I'm guessing the perfume note I'm getting is all of the florals mixed together. This ones nice if you like florals.

Chrystom says - "FLOWERY"

Banana Caramel Cupcake - I love all of Victoria's banana scents that I've tried so far, and this one is no exception. It's a perfect blend of banana with a hint of caramel, along with the vanilla cake-type note. Reminds me a lot of a vanilla pudding/vanilla wafer dessert. YUM-O!

Chrystm says - "HORRID"

Caramel Apple - I've had this one before in a mini jelly jar candle, and just needed to replenish. I really enjoy this scent. It's a 50/50 mix of caramel and sweet/crisp apple. Soooo yummy!

Chrystom says - "VERY STRONG GRANNY SMITH WITH JUST A HINT OF CARAMEL"

Raspberry White Mocha Latte - When I first got this it was very strong on the coffee scent. Now that it has cured for a few days, the raspberry is really coming out. I'm usually not a big fan of coffee scents, but I had to try this one. And, to be honest, the last few mornings of work I've been extra sleepy, and I catch myself sniffing this scent shot to try to wake myself up.

Chrystom says - "NOT VERY NICE, WITH THE SLIGHEST HINT OF RASPBERRY"

Sunshine - I reviewed this in my last round robin review. Lovely blend of floral and sweet apricot. Reminds me of BBW Apricot Vanilla - the apricot in it.

Chrystom says - "NICE MIXTURE OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS"

Fizzy Pop - I have had this many times before and ran out. Carbonated Sprite/Ginger Ale.

Chrystom says - "MMMMMM.... LIKE A MIXTURE OF MOUNTAIN DEW AND SPRITE"

Pink Sugar - What a sweet, fruity girly scent. I can't pinpoint what I'm smelling, but it's good. Like young, feminine, sweet girl.

Chrystom says - "MEH, ALRIGHT"

Hello Dolly (free scent shot) - Reminds me A LOT of Graham Cracker Crust. It's a sweet, caramely, bakery scent. If you like bakery and caramel, you will probably like this one

Chrystom says - "ANOTHER HORRID"

Apple Martini - Very similar to fizzy pop, but a little less fizz and tart apple mixed in.

Chrystom says - "A BIT OF AN APPLE WITH A LITTLE FIZZY IN IT"

Lilac - Have had before and loved. Smells like a beautiful lilac flower!

Chrystom says - "LIKE SMELLING THE FLOWER"

Get Me S'more - After sniffing this, I get a lot of notes. There's the chocolate, the marshmallow, and the graham cracker. Reminds me a lot of her Cheesecake scent. So, if you like this, you would probably like Cheesecake.

Chrystom says - "IF YOU DON'T KNOW BY NOW, I HATE BAKERY"

Trix Are For Kids - Yummy, yummy, yummy! Reminds me a little of Victoria's Fruit Loops scent, but with more orange and toned down a little. Still has the sweet notes, along with the cereal notes. So, if you like Fruit Loops, try it. If you don't like Fruit Loops, try it! It's very fruity, that's for sure.

Chrystom says - "Like Fruit Loops with a heavy orange"

Kokamo Cove - Something in this makes my brain only be able to smell Fresh Laundry. It's still good, and I'm hoping once it's melted, all of the fruity notes will come out. But, maybe the fruit/floral combination of whatever is in this, smells like Victoria's Fresh Laundry scent. It's not bad at all because I love that scent, just not what my nose was expecting.

Chrystom says - "REMINDS ME OF A HOTEL"

Night Blooming Jasmine - Have had this one before, too. What a wonderful sweet floral scent.

Chrystom says - "PLEASURABLE"

White Ginger - I know Ashtyn and others have compared this one to a Calgon perfume, and I agree. It's a very nice, sweet, perfumey, floral.

Chrystom says - "STRONG ON THE PEAR"

Warm Apple Fritters - I love Victoria's apple scents, I love her Cinnamon Donut scent. Therefore, I LOVE THIS SCENT. It's soooo good! A great mix of macintosh apple, with a hint of sweet cinnamon/bready note. Yum!!

Chystom says - "THE APPLE STANDS OUT"

Wildberry Scone - If you've smelled Victoria's Jelly Donut scent and liked it, you will love this. The only difference I can pick out is the berry. Instead of sweet, creamy strawberry, Wildberry Scone is a more tart berry.

Chrystom says - "NOT PLEASURABLE"

Life's a Beach - Fizzy Pop + Fruit = AMAZING!!! That's all I have to say about this one.

Chrystom says - "ALMOST LIKE A FRUITY FIZZY POP"

Raspberry Guava - Very nice strong, fruity scent. I get mostly sweet raspberry.

Chrystom says - "HIGH RASPBERRY SCENT"

Raspberry Violet - The raspberry and violet mix perfectly. On cold throw, they blend equally together. Neither over powers the other. I can't wait to melt this one to see if it's just a good warm.

Chrystom says - "GRAPE INSTEAD OF RASPBERRY, BUT I DO SMELL THE VIOLET"

Love Shack - I thought I loved Love Spell, but no I LOVE Love Shack. On cold throw, it's a great mix of sweet, pink sugar and sweet, musky love spell. When melting, it blends sooooo nice together and almost smells like a sweet perfumey fruit punch. Soooo good!!

Chrystom says - "FRUITY AND NICE"


So, now that you've read about all the wonderful scents I ordered in April, go check out http://www.candlesbyvictoria.com/ ---- You won't be sorry!!!

CBV Round Robin 7 Review

Every few months the wonderful ladies (and gentlemen) of the CBV Pouring Pot message board participate in round robins, swapping scent shots and random other goodies with each other. One person will generously volunteer to start the box (filling it with as many scent shots as they can), and the box goes around to different people. Each person gets a chance to smell all the scent shots in the box, take what they want, and then exchange them with an equal number in return. This is a great way to try scents that you maybe have never tried before, and also share scent shots with other people that you may not be too fond of, but it could become someone else's favorite.

So, this is what I swapped some of my scent shots for.

P.S. I Love You - Exact dupe of BBW P.S. I Love You, but BETTER! When I worked for BBW for about a year, I HATED this scent. Something about it in perfume and lotion form did not sit well with me. But, Victoria's version is great! It's a wonderful mix of the florals, but in a sweet, not overpowering way. I get a lot of rose, amber, and citrus. I think the amber scent in it tones down some of the floral notes. If you're not a floral person, don't be afraid to try this scent, it's good!

Cherry Vanilla - The name says it all. This ones strong on the cherry and light on the vanilla (at least on cold throw). It might change when it is melted.

Buttermint Candies - Yep, smells like the buttermint candies you eat around the holidays. 50/50 blend of butter and mint.

Oatmeal Milk and Honey - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one. It is a perfect scent for a baby's room or a bathroom! Smells exactly like a clean, fresh, lotion.

Million Dollar Baby - Smells like pineapple cake to me. I can't wait to melt this one.

Sunshine - Another favorite that I got! The scent description says it's a blend of apricot and sunflower. One of my favorite body splash fragrance from BBW is Apricot Vanilla. They of course, do not make this anymore, but this reminds me of it. It's the same kind of sweet apricot scent, with a hint of floral. What a great spring/summer scent. I already ordered another scent shot in this!

Catching up.... Crockpot Sundays

Ah, I've really been slacking when it comes to blogging my "Crockpot Sunday" recipes, and blogging in general - I'M SORRY! So, with the few minutes I have tonight, I'll update everyone.

We have had a few repeat recipes because we love them so much including; buffalo chicken sandwiches and cream cheese chicken chilli.

New recipes we've tried are:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 Ingredients-

1 pound frozen chicken (shred with two forks when finished cooking)

1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed

1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups water

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn, or fresh if in season

Crumbled tortilla chips

Cooking Instructions -

1. Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, green chiles, onion, and garlic into the crockpot

2. Pour in water and chicken broth, season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf

3. Stir in corn

4. Cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours

5. Shred chicken with two forks

6. Sprinkle with crumbled tortilla chips and serve

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients -

• Potatoes (washed by not peeled), cut into small cubes
• 1 large onion, diced
• 10 cloved of garlic, minced (I usually just use a hand cheese grater to mince it)
• 64 ounces of chicken broth/stock
• 16 ounces softened cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
• Optional toppings - bacon, green onions, shredded cheese

Cooking Instructions -

1. Add potatoes, onion, garlic, seasoning, and chicken broth to crockpot

2. Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours

3. Remove half the soup and put into a blender with half cream cheese - blend until mixed well

4. Place other half of cream cheese into crockpot, let melt

5. Add soup/cream cheese mixture back into crockpot

6. Mix everything together well

7. Serve with variety of toppings; Enjoy!

Crockpot Sunday - Chicken Tacos

Here's another super easy, but super yummy (and versitle) crockpot recipe for chicken tacos.

Ingredients:
3-5 frozen chicken breasts
1 16oz jar of salsa
1 packet of taco seasoning

Put everything in the crockpot and mix ingredients together. Cook on low for approximately 6-7 hours. When finished cooking, shred chicken with two forks.

Put in your favorite taco shell with your favorite ingredients.

I used soft taco shells, lettuce, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

Enjoy! :)

Candles By Victoria - February 2012 Order Review

Well, I told myself I wasn't going to be ordering anymore candles for a while until I get my stash down a little... it's overflowing! But, when I found out I was one of the February winners for the Blogging for Candles By Victoria contest (yes, Victoria has a contest each month where you can blog about CBV and she picks three winners each month to win a $50 giftcard.), I was ecstatic and of course had to order. That $50 giftcard was "burning a hole in my pocket".

So, here's what I got and hopefully it cure my itch to buy more until at least May when I can place a birthday order. :)

(Sorry this picture is sideways, I don't know what's up)

Scent Shots:

Butterfly Kisses - On cold throw, I get strong lilac and honeysuckle and if I sniff deep enough, the cantelope comes out a little bit. This reminds me a lot of Bella Swan with the lilac (which sort of mingles with the fruit to create a grape-y type scent, even though there is no grape). Might be a little too floraly for me, but my husband picked it out and really likes it, so we'll see.

Cinnabon- This one has been on my wish list for a while, and I was so excited to see that it was my free scent shot. It's a wonderful mix of a stronger bakery cinnamon with a sweet dough/icing note to it. I have a feeling this ones gonna be a strong bugger, but good!

St Lucia- A lot of people say this one reminds them of Tiffany-D and I get that, especially since they has a lot of the same notes in them - honeydew and melon. I feel like St Lucia is a lot softer than Tiffany-D. St Lucia has marshmallow and vanilla to mellow it out a bit. Tiffany-D has cotton candy, which makes it a bit sweeter.

Baby's Breath- This one is such a nice scent! A perfect mix of jasmine and vanilla. It's a very sweet, floraly, yet relaxing and clean type scent.

Divine Paradise- I got this one because Mackenzie (mheath1293) from the Pouring Pot did a review of this one and said it reminded her sooo much of YC Almond Cookies. When I first smelled this I felt it was a bit strong of the cherry almond scent, but as I've let it sit for a few days, it's blending into something beautiful. Right now I get a strong cake note, with a lot of cherries and a little pineapple. So, I was trying to compare this with Almond Cookie and decided to smell my scent shot of Divine Paradise and then my candle of Almond Cookie, and of course CBV blew it out of the water! After smelling my scent shot, I literally could not even smell the Almond Cookie candle AT ALL. I had my husband do the same thing, and he said, "I don't smell anything". So, of course, just goes to show you Victoria's triple scented candles are AH-MAZING!

Pink Bubblegum Crush- This is one of my favorites, and since I had a tight budget (of course I went over the $50 limit of the giftcard), I decided to just get this is a scent shot to hold me over until I can get a bigger candle in a few months. But, anyhow, this is suppposed to be a dupe of a particular soap, but I've never even been into this soap company's store, so I have no clue what it's supposed to smell like. But, in my eyes (or nose), Pink Bubblegum Crush = Swedish Fish.

Bermuda Triangle- My husband requested we try this one. It's supposed to have a lot of fruits in it - cantaoupe, honeydew, watermelon, along with citrus notes, and apple. I only get citrus notes from it - grapefuit, tangerine, and lime. But, it's a really nice blend. If you like citusy notes, I highly suggest this one!

22oz Tureen Halo Purple in Spellbound - This is one of my all-time favorite scents by CBV. I've reviewed it before, but it's a wonderful blend of apple and sweet cotton candy!

22oz Tureen Gem Blue in Tiffany-D- Beautiful scent in an absolutely stunning jar! Another one of my favorite scents by CBV. Wonderful scent of watermelon, honeydew, cotton candy, and vanilla!

24oz Mustard Jar in Elvis (sorry no picture)- I still have about half of a mustard jar in Elvis still left, but I figured I better stock up while I can. Elvis is a lovely mix of peanut butter and banana. And, when burning, it blends into such a sweet, comforting, cozy scent to me. Another favorite, for sure!