Do you like to smell good but hate buying dud scents that fade over a short wear time. I get this quite often and it is aggravating. I spend money on product I expect it to have a long lasting effect I am searching for. Well since everywhere I have bought from seems to do nothing but disappoint. I headed on over to Etsy once again. In search of a long lasting scent that would not irritate my skin or dry it out.
I happened across HatScents. I managed to get my hands on some of their fragrance oils to review for you all. All I can say before we get into this review is I was really impressed! Not with just the product but that the owner/creator was so knowledgeable and eager to share that knowledge with me.
My Review:
Egyptian Musk
First sniff while still in bottle gave away a soft and clean. On a second sniff I can pull out the scents of Aloeswood & Amber. The Amber sticking out the most in that. Once I put it on though I could also detect a bit of sandalwood in it as well. This scent is amazing. I love it and found my new favorite scent which I will be purchasing more of in the future.
I could wear this everyday and never ever grow tired of it. The scent also lasted a long while. (Almost forty eight hours even after a shower!!) This is one of the ones that if you are okay with those soft earthy type scents. This is one you will want to check out!
Blue Nile
First sniff, it reminds me of something aquatic. Mixed with a flower scent. I would say that floral scent is either Lilac or Gardenias. Now I am typically not a floral type person but this is actually a soft scent in the matter of floral. Its pleasant. More of a spring scent though. It almost has that fresh clean kind of smell. Something I would imagine coming from someone who just stepped out of the shower actually. The longer I had this on the more I actually liked it. Though like I said before, its a spring scent.
China Rain
I like this scent, A lot. It reminds me of a rainy spring day. It has that soft tone not over done with floral. Almost as if walking through a garden. I guess in a way you could also say it has the aquatic scent to it. It was all over pleasant a good spring evening scent.
Warm Vanilla Sugar
This lives up to its name. Its a nice warm and welcoming smell. It has that soft tone of vanilla and yet that sweet sugar mixed in there. This is a scent I could really enjoy on the body during the holiday months. It kind of reminds me of warm sugar cookies!
Vanilla Twist
Sadly I did not personally like this scent it was very much a very sugary almost over loaded on Vanilla but not a creamy vanilla more of vanilla in its raw state. Which I am never a very big fan of personally. I can picture a few people I know that may be interested by this scent. Sadly like I said just not something for me. So on that note if I do find someone who likes it I will bring about a better review on this. I just couldn't get past the sweetness to it to get a good review of it.
River of Honey
On any sniff of this I took I could pull out only two scents. Vanilla and Honey. It has a very creamy like undertone which compliments the vanilla very well. It also seems to have a back drop scent of amber. Which helps pull it from being to sweet of a scent. Making this actually really nice blend. This really smells like a summer day scent.
Superior Musk
There is certainly a musk in this. I can find that scent as a back drop. I almost feel the main scent I am smelling in this is a citrus of some sort. Perhaps a grapefruit scent. Its nice but really strong. This I can be seen being worn by both male or female. It almost what I picture lust to smell like if the word had a smell.
Oriental Kush
This one was a very intense scent that was in your face almost. Though in that spicy & bitter kind of way. It certainly had a bite to it. Though after a couple smells of this I started to sense something almost semi sweet under it. I would almost go to say it could have been like a warm chocolate. It was not something I personally would wear but it is not a bad scent either. It was kind of pleasant and on the right person I think it would be very enjoyable!
24kt Gold Egyptian Musk
This had about the same scent as the plain Egyptian musk the only difference I could pull out of it was the fact that it was sharper maybe a bit more of a spice undertone to it. Going back to this a couple times I finally pulled out what brought it that small sharpness. I started to detect a slight vanilla undertone in it. Pleasant but not my favorite.
Natural Patchouli
If you have ever smelled patchouli you can guess what this smells like. It has that natural earthy, woodsy, musk. Its a very distinct scent not to mention tends to take a acquired liking for this scent. What I did like about this scent (being this is a scent I typically wear anyway) this one was a little more rich then what I am normally use to. Though still nice.
Meditation Champa
Now when I saw this one, I figured it would smell heavily of Nag Champa. Which tends to give me really bad headaches though I still love the scent. (Go Figure.) So on first sniff I was surprised to find that it actually did not smell of it. Not even after having it on for a while.Instead it smells of a floral type soap. I would say perhaps a rose or a exotic flower. Something along the lines of a lotus. I also pulled out hint of what I am assuming to be sandalwood. I actually really liked this. Though it has that floral scent it also has a tad bit of spice scent under it all. Something I can see as a summer eve scent.
Small Note: The Scents above are only eleven of HatScents scents. She does have many more so make sure to check them all out!
Tid-Bits about HatScents:
HatScents was founded by Rebecca Julian of Columbus Ohio. She prides herself highly on her product, knowledge about her product and her customer relations. Her overall goal is to make sure you the consumer have the best experience with her product as possible. She makes sure to keep you up to date from the time you place the order to the time she gets it in the mail. Just to make sure everything is running smoothly and getting to you.
All HatScents fragrance oils are alcohol free. This to me is a big selling point since alcohol is what causes most skin to dry out and become irritated. So what you buy from her you can guarantee is nothing but high quality and at a affordable price! What more could one seriously want?! Hatscents oils are not just used as perfume and cologne but also for aromatherapy purposes and to improve personal health and well-being. I have noticed while wearing some of these I have stayed calm a lot more then usual as well as I have been in a bit of a better up lifted mood.
Rebecca also crochets all the hat's and scarves she sells in her shop by hand. Each one being made to the best quality possible and with the most comfortable, non scratchy yarn possible. The colors of them are beautiful and the designs are really nice. They can be used on any style hair from short straight to long and dread hair.
Hat Review:
I have to admit at first I was not sure about the hat. I am not a huge hat person and its hard for me to find ones I like or that stay on my head. That don't look weird or awkward on me. None the less I tried this one. Let me tell you how much I have fallen in love with this hat. You can ask anyone I live with. From the time I wake up till the time I go to bed. I have this hat on. Does not matter whether I am leaving the house or not. It is very comfy and fits amazingly. Looks cute and doesn't fall off or move around much on its own! Its a all around win and I am ready to tackle both spring and fall with this adorable piece of hat wear!
Overall Review:
I liked if not loved most these scents. They did not make me break out nor did they dry my skin out. The scent lasted all day, if not all day then close to it. I was all around happy with the products. I think out of all of them I only found one not for me. That I would probably never buy myself. At least not to put on myself. Perhaps if it was mixed with something else it would peek my interest more. Thinking about it though only one miss on eleven scents?! That's batting pretty high if you ask me. I have very high faith that you could find your next favorite scent in this store. So what are you waiting for go find your new favorite scent?! While your at it get a head jump on spring and fall hat and scarf wear!
HatScents Etsy Link: 
Moonlight Gypsy
Information:
What do you wear to a party in a forest? Create some mystery with the enchanting notes of cardamom, orange blossom, and patchouli.
Notes
Inspired by the captivating Gypsy Rose Lee.
SMILE — Cardamom, Mandarin, Cherry
HEART — Orange Blossom, Gaiac Wood, Praline
SOUL — Indonesian Patchouli, Vetiver, Sandalwood
Sounds Like I see My Mother by Polica
Review:
First and foremost, It states on the site (As you can see above )That Patchouli is one of the main scents in this. I love Patchouli, but on the sample I received no where was patchouli to be found! The scent is not even there when you smell it. So I find that their advertising of patchouli in this scent to be VERY misleading. Specially when you know that patchouli has a very distinctive scent.
Moving on. So I opened this and upon smelling it I could pick up the sandalwood. Just barely though. The Cardamom is VERY overpowering making this smell very floral like. I am not a fan of Floral myself. It is something that several others whom I let smell it as well agreed this is not something a younger lady would wear. Perhaps if you like floral you may but this is almost gagging in a way. Which is a real shame. In the end it was not for me. Specially with how misleading it is on the site compared to once I got it.
Perhaps it may be for you though. So don't roll it out just realize you will not find the patchouli scent in this if that is what caught your attention.
So my over all view of this companies product.
They only recently opened their site. I was one of the first people to order from them. They were giving away "free" samples. I state it that way because Free means free. Typically Free does not include you having to dish out money. None the less I paid three dollars for shipping and handling. For three small leaflet samples of their product. I wasn't overly impressed by their product out of the three their little quiz stated would be for me. Only ONE of them was actually something I liked.
I also can not justify personally spending Fifty Dollars on a one ounce bottle of perfume. Specially if I wear it often so I go through it faster. None the less for the unique campfire rebel one I may put the money out.Though they are making high quality product I only found one thus far I like. So their quiz failed on me. 1:3 is not a great hitting rate. Perhaps at a later date I will revisit their shop and give it another go.
Incense has been used for numerous amounts of years for multiple reason. Whether you use it for spiritual reasons, rituals, or just to make your house stink pretty it does not matter. The big thing is finding a good quality incense that doesn't have problems with lighting. Has a scent that throws well not just smells as if it is a burning stick. Not to mention the couple incenses that smudge out on their own and wont hold the burn. I have run into this issue with manufactured incenses to often lately. Once more dealing with big companies who are looking for ways to cut corners and save money. Yet at the same time still bring in the same amount of money if not more from their consumers.
Once more I take to Etsy in search of some of the best quality and small business who do care about us their consumers. Whom pride themselves on their product! Today I bring to you Silky's Scents. I recently acquired some of their product. I got my hands on five different incense's and three one inch wooden cones and one two inch charcoal cone.
My Review:
A small note to be had before I get into this. I did not look at any of the descriptions of this until after I did personal notes on my first impressions.
Incense Sticks
Overall construction of the sticks were done really well. They were packed tightly and soaked through with scent. I had no problems lighting any of them and they all burned well. They gave off a great throw in the scent and none of them had a cheap smell. They were a very high quality.
All sticks also burned for a hour exactly. Which is better then what I can say for the garbage I have been buying from the big box stores as of late. A sixty minute burn compared to a twenty to thirty minute burn does make a difference. The scents also lingered for at least another thirty minutes most the time longer after they were done being burned.
Honey Vanilla Love Dust:
On a first impression sniff of this without lighting it, it smelt heavily of honey. At first sniff I could not smell the vanilla but upon another sniff I caught the undertone of it though just barely. When my husband and I first lit it. The first thing that popped into both our minds was pipe tobacco scent.
This is not a bad thing since it brought back some awesome memories of childhood and my fathers pipe. After it had been burning for a little the Vanilla became a stronger scent and the honey a meeker undertone. All together the scent blended well and was a very mild and nice scent. I could see this scent being a good scent to be burnt in the kitchen or even in a sun room.
Black Cherry Bomb:
The description for this on Etsy states that it is suppose to be like the scent Black Cherry from the 60's and early 70's. Seeing as to how I would have no way of knowing this. I am taking their word on it.
The first impression on this scent at first had me doing second guessing myself. It does not exactly smell of black cherries. Which is what I thought it would smell of. Instead it had that bitter scent that a black cherry would have though. It was certainly unexpected though not bad.
Once lit the smell became much sweeter. All most what I can remember as a child eating black cherries off the tree would do. Start off with bitterness and then after a couple seconds of chewing brought out the natural sweetness of the berry. It still had that underlining bitter bite in the scent though. All over a pleasant scent.
Nag Champa:
Okay so I have had my fair share of this incense. Typically the scents are all the same. It was strong of what I would expect Nag to smell of. It has that musky wood like smell you tend to get from it. I do like this scent but I have noticed this scent can easily be over powering and give many people headaches. It is hit and miss with me when it comes to the headache part.
All in all though this one did not so much give me a headache but it was strong and I had to move it to another room. Still smelt it two rooms away though it was much meeker by the time it got to us.
Witches Brew:
The description for this one states its a mix of peach,apricot and blackberries. With middle notes of mandarin, cinnamon and rose. Topped with just a touch of a woodsy musk scent.
This scent actually stumped me at first. It is one of those scents I knew I smelt before I just could not place it right away. Then it hit me. It smelt of a soap. Not any specific soap just a fruity soap. Though this fruity scent was not sweet it actually had a hint of a bitter earthy scent to it.
When lit the fruit scent seem to come out more. Also became slightly sweet though mainly stayed that bitter notes smelt early. It actually reminds me of a Shisha I smoke occasionally. Very pleasant all the way around. I could certainly see burning this in the foyer on halloween or in fall in general. Possibly even in a sitting area.
Once I had looked at the description for this and went back to smelling it I started to be able to pick out at least two of the scents. The cinnamon which is where that spicy bitter scent was coming from and the peach which though mild was hiding in there.
Absinthe:
The description on etsy states this contains a mix of star anise, fennel, spicy cinnamon cassia, nutmeg, and melissa. As well as fresh green herbal notes and underlining tones of amber and woods.
I need to state before I get into this one that I was actually kind of dreading lighting this one. I am not a fan of anise. If you have ever tasted absinthe (Which I have) it has that very strong taste and smell of it. For those who don't know what anise is, it is what they put in black licorice to give it the taste it has. So not a fan. The actual idea of it and thinking about the scent even makes my stomach lurch with sourness. None the less I lit it. Driven ever so by wanting to see what absinthe would smell like as a incense.
Moving on, on the first impression cold sniff I was actually really surprised. As I was waiting for that sour turning in my stomach it did not come since this did not smell strongly of anise! It was mixed well with (at the time I did not know what) the other ingredients that it made it all very pleasant. The way I described it to my husband is it smelt the way I thought it would smell and taste before I had ever tried it myself.
When lit I was still skeptical and waiting for that punch to the gut overwhelming anise scent I thought I would get. It never came. In fact I was really happy with this scent it had that sharp but sweet scent. I think the nutmeg and amber actually toned it down enough to make it easily a lovable scent for me.
This is a scent I would light anywhere in my house. I do plan on getting some in the future!
Cone Incense
Silky's Scents sales two different types of cones. They sale one inch cones that are made out of wood. They also do two inch ones made of charcoal. They were all packed well, very potent scents. Soaked through so they throw really well on top of it!
Two Inch Charcoal
Frankincense. Now anyone who has smelt frankincense before will know this tends to be a potent scent to began with. There was no doubt in my mind this was going to throw well. Specially since before I even opened the packet I could smell it.
Now I will be honest. I have not lit this one yet. For two reasons. One because my husband can't stand it being in the same room as him. (He must be evil. I kid) As well as I wanted to make sure to keep a hold of this one until I did the video for these products. So I can not tell you a honest upon of how it throws, how it lingers or how long it burns for at this moment in time. I will do this in the future though and I will make sure to note it somewhere once I have burned it.
One Inch Wooden Cones
Nag Champa (See above review on this. It is the same)
Simply Sexy
I can't pin point any specific scent on this. I am assuming there is a cinnamon in there somewhere because this had a very musky yet spicy and bold scent. It was certainly on a cold sniff almost a in your face scent. Very strong. What I did like about this incense is when it was lit it mellowed but still packed a nice punch to it. It is a scent I would easily feel could belong in the bedroom. It does have that sexy appeal to it. Perhaps some of the scents in the ingredients used are from those of herbs/fruits that are considered aphrodisiac.
Black Amethyst
Description found on Etsy combines aquatic top notes of Italian Bergamont, rare camellias & lime followed by exotic sandalwood & Vetiver.
So upon first sniff this really did have a velvety scent to it. Musky I suppose would be a better scent then velvety but it gave off the appeal of velvet when I smelt this. Upon a second sniff I was able to pull out the under tones of sandalwood though it also had that very strong floral scent. This is another one I have not burned yet for I am currently letting the apartment sit for a little so not to mix scents. So a burned review or note will be taken and updated on later. I still have no doubt I will like this one as well. Though I am thinking it may be a bathroom sort of scent.
Additional Information
Silky's Scents is run by Linda Brown. Her customer service skills were outstanding! She was very pleasant and I was super happy working with her! She takes a lot of pride in her incense and puts nothing but her utmost best product forth that she can. All ingredients used are top notch and high quality to ensure you get nothing less then great quality.
Each one of her stick incense and one inch wooden cone incense, are hand soaked in an enclosed system for at the very least four days or more. This way her product absorbs the scent completely. She then air dries them and packs them into a resealable bag so you get your product fresh and as potent as possible.
Sticks come as twenty to a pack for six dollars and ninety nine cents (USD).
One inch wooden cone incense is fifteen to a pack for three dollars and seventy five cents (USD).
Their two inch charcoal cone incenses are made of high grade resins, oils and fragrance.. They soak these cones for two weeks to allow them to soak up all the scent they can manage to hold. These are large enough and potent enough not to only fill a big room with the amazing scents but they can be used outside as well. The cones because of being Charcoal also give off a clean burn, which for some people can be very important.
Two inch Charcoal Cones come fifteen to a pack for four dollars and ninety five cents (USD).
Overall
I loved each and every one of the scents. I did not have any issues with any of their product. The smell lingered for a while after, they burned just fine! She really holds up to what she prides herself on. I do recommend checking out what they have to offer! You will be nothing but impressed. I will certainly myself be buying from them in the future.
You can find her link to her Etsy store below:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/SilkysScents
Nuts.Com
This website was built for you to be able to buy any nuts you could want any time of the year. I recently used this site to get Flax Seed for the herbal packs I create. They are extremely reasonably priced. As well as I order the night before and the next day they were in my mail box! The turn over time for orders is AMAZING! I can't express in words how happy I was with this company.
The packaging of the Flax seed came in a nice air tight resealable bag. It is a bag I actually kept because I could re-purpose it for holding herbs later. Though this review is short and to the point. My whole experience with this company was OUTSTANDING! I certainly recommend them for anyone looking to buy nuts or seeds in the future. (Keep in mind they sale more then this but it is what they mainly focus on.) So go check them out!
Campfire Rebel
Info: Perfect for sipping whiskey in the woods after the rest of the tent has gone to bed. Spice up any adventure with burning oud wood and vanilla bourbon.
Notes
SMILE — Whiskey, Raspberry HEART — Burning Oud WoodSOUL — Vetiver, Vanilla Bourbon
Sounds like Psychotic Girl - The Black Keys
Review:
This was one of the second samples I got from Pinrose. I used this the other night when I went to my Flogging Molly Concert. At first when I opened the packet, I wasn't sure I wanted to put it on my body at all. It gave off a scent of mustard. An seriously who want's to go to a event smelling of a condiment? So I let the packet sit open for a couple seconds before taking the petal out and giving it a second go round sniff.
After having let the air mix with it, it changed the scent for the better. It smelt strongly of a campfire. Once I put it on and let it mingle with me a little it really brought out the smell. I could even smell the undertones of a vanilla bourbon. Just enough to make this perfume amazing! The scent lasted all night and by all night I mean from four pm in the evening until two am in the morning.
Even among-st the sweaty people and alcoholic smell in the concert venue, I was getting compliments on this scent. It even reminded me I was wearing it every once in a while when I would get the passing wift of it going past my nose. I love it!
It is something worth investing in in the future.
So now it is one win one loss. Pinrose is evenly tied my opinion on them thus far.
Holland Candle Review
I personally am tired of putting money into big box stores who don't care about their product. Specially when it comes to things like candles and wax melts. I want a product that will satisfy. Do what it was intended to do. Make my place smell nice! So instead of putting any more money into those big box stores I went searching Etsy. What I found was several business. Today we are covering Hollands Candles.
I recently got some to review to see if they hold up to her confidence in her product. The products in which I tried were a packet of break apart wickless wax melts in Egyptian Amber. A Bag of wickless wax tarts in Spiced Cranberry and a eight ounce jar candle with a Downy scent.
My Review:
Egyptian Amber: This break apart wax melt came as a section of six. Before I looked into what made up the scent I did a cold sniff. I could not really smell much through the packaging. Which meant it had a nice mild scent that wouldn't assault the nose. The notes I could pull out of the scent and distinguish or at least what I would take a stab at figuring out were, jasmin and sandalwood. It is a scent that I am typically drawn to because it was almost a musk scent so it was a scent in which I looked forward to burning.
Upon melting it though, the scent may be mild in the packet, but it throws AMAZINGLY when it is heated. I could smell it two rooms away! I burned it for two hours. It lingered for about two hours after I had turned it off! My husband even loved it. We were highly impressed with this one. The quality of the wax was also a very high, it did not crumble or break apart in a mess like I have experienced in the past with other companies melts. For the price of two dollars and fifty cents. This is well worth it! Even after running for two hours this wax still has life left in it for a second heating.
Spiced Cranberry: This came in wax tarts five to a bag. You could certainly smell it through the bag. Which was a heavy cinnamon type scent. Giving that spice aspect. Now when you open the bag and pull one out. It still has that spice scent but it also has the under tones of a sweet tangy smell. Which I can presume to be the cranberry. This one I could not find in her listing's anywhere. So I assume it is probably seasonal or out of stock at this point.
I melted this one for a hour and half. The smell didn't throw as far. Though it did fill my kitchen. It gave off that almost fresh scent of what I can only describe as something you would smell walking into a kitchen during the winter holidays. It was very pleasant and brings about feelings of a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Certainly something I could see being heated during the holidays even if you haven't been cooking to give it that home sweet home type of surrounding. These run at three twenty five for a five pack. Certainly worth the investment! I still even have a second heating left in this one as well.
Downy Scented Candle: The eight ounce Downy scented candle, when opened smelt strongly of what I would describe as fresh laundry. Maybe even as far as going to say that scent you get after hanging your cloths out to dry on a line in the middle of spring. It has a nice long wick which you do want to make sure to clip down slightly before lighting.
At first when I lit this, I decided the best place in the house for this particular candle would have been either my bedroom or bathroom. We went with the latter. It pooled quickly and seem to melt evenly. The only issue I had with it at first is the throw of the scent wasn't there. I shrugged it off since it had only been a minute since I lit it. At the twenty minute check in on it I was glad to have shrugged off my intentional concern of the throw of the scent. My bathroom already started to smell of that fresh clean scent I was looking forward to! It also could be smelt two rooms away! The longer I let it burn the more the scent developed and the more I fell in love with this candle. For four dollars and fifty cents this is more then worth the price and I still have plenty of hours of burning left in this candle!
Wrap up: I love these products! I can easily and with confidence say that they do hold up to what she prides herself on. I highly suggest investing in a some of her candles and melts! The scents are amazing and they melt and burn with no problem at all! Not to mention her customer service was above and beyond what one could wish for or even expect! What more could one person ask for!
Info about Holland Candles; established in 2009 by owner Karen McMurry from Holland Michigan. She started making candles because she loved candles but found them to be too expensive in your big box stores. So instead she decided to make them! Not only did she start making them but she figured why should she only be the one to enjoy them. She makes and sales reasonably priced, high quality paraffin soy candles and wax melts.
You can find her product both on Etsy as well as you can buy them in person at her husbands and hers small restaurant, The Windmill in downtown Holland Michigan.
Find her at the following links:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/hollandcandle
https://www.facebook.com/HollandCandle
As one last note: Later this week I will update this post with a link to the Vlog: Before the Burn:Holland Candles.
Catch Up Weekend
I just wanted to let people know that no I have not forgotten to post today. What is happening today though is the fact that I had a couple of curve balls come up this week. From burning my throat with chemicals while cleaning to taking my Cat for a emergency vet visit. Amongst other things. Last night was my first night out in over a month for a Flogging Molly concert compliments of my inlaws.
So today is my catch up on sleep get my voice back (So I can record a few things for youtube.) As well as finish playing catch up on blogs I had started to write but had to stop due to issues this week. I promise come Sunday you will start seeing things pop up again. Rather then just this simple announcement.
Have a nice weekend everyone!
Zlollie
