ProductWhores

Fall Flavors

 

Uhm, how amazingly delicious do all the new Slatkin & Co.'s fall candle scents sound? 

• Pumpkin Caramel Latte - A frothy blend of creamy pumpkin, sweet vanilla cream and rich pralines is topped with a spiced caramel swirl
• S'mores - Layers of gooey marshmallow, melted dark chocolate and sweet graham crackers
• Apple Crumble - Baked Granny Smith and McIntosh Apples topped with vanilla crumble, cinnamon and nutmeg
• Oatmeal Raisin Cookie - Fresh baked oatmeal blended with sweet raisins, caramelized brown sugar and vanilla extract

Forget candles, I want to drink a pumpkin caramel latte!  How have I never consumed one of those before?  I am so adding caramel to my pumpkin lattes when they come back to Starbucks in the fall!  (Although oddly enough, it's the only one not showing up on the Bath & Body Works site, so I'm not sure what's going on there).

But yeah, I love the sound of each and every one of these candles.  I pretty much either burn clean-scented candles or food-scented ones, so these will fit in at my place very well.  Especially because I'm trying to be healthier these days and eat a lot of fruit, but I've been oddly craving s'mores lately, so maybe if I burn the candle, that'll quench my cravings?  Yeah, let's go with that...

Odin New York

I'm very candle obsessed lately (probably because I have a ton and if I have to cart them all when I move, I'm going to be hating my life).  I get bored with the same old scents though - I mean, I love Clean Cotton more than anything, but I burn it so often, even my neighbors are probably like, girl, switch it up a little!  So when I got the chance to try the new candles from Odin New York, I jumped at the chance.  

The four unisex scents are all really unique and interesting.  Here's what you'll find in the line:

• 01 Sunda - Creamy oriental notes of juniper berries and cedar leaves with spicy black pepper
• 02 Owari - Rare mandarins and freshly crushed grapefruit leaves mixed with vibrant cube pepper and Tonkin musk
• 03 Century - Silver birch, Cypress, and forest mint combined with liquid myrrh, vetiver, patchouli and moss
• 04 Petrana - Blooming Black Iris built on a foundation of wild orris root and green violet leaf absolute, with herbaceous coriander, spicy pink pepper, and deep purple cassis

Aren't those descriptions intriguing?  (And don't feel bad if you don't recognize some of the notes - I'd never even heard of about three of them!)  Out of the four scents, my favorite is definitely 02 Owari.  It's really fresh and awakening, a candle I'd burn to get myself energized when I'm trying to get some work done.  03 Century is really interesting too - it's sort of smoky and musky, without being too heavy.  It's kind of a nighttime candle perfect for a candlelit dinner (or, uhm, after dinner...)  01 Sunda and 04 Petrana are harder for me to describe (as you can probably tell from their notes), but I'd definitely burn both of them again as well.  They're all just really different from the candles I'm used to burning, which is a good thing for all of you who are in a candle rut like I was.  They would make great gifts too because the packaging is so sleek and modern - black glass with slate colored wax.  At $65, they're kind of pricy, but you do get 60 hours of burn time, which is a lot, so it sort of evens out.  Clean Cotton, you've been replaced (at least for the moment!)

You can find the candles at Odin New York and Pas de Deux in New York, as well as select stores in the US and abroad.

Note:  Samples of this product were sent to me by a PR representative working with Odin New York

Nesting on Valentine's Day

 

Whether or not you have someone special in your life on Valentine's Day (totally a worthless holiday I think, except for the fact I always use it as an excuse to buy myself See's Candy or instruct my husband to do so), you should treat yourself to something that makes you happy.  Really, you don't need a particular day to justify your spending, but it does help - and I have a fabulous idea.  I just was introduced to NEST diffusers and every single woman needs one immediately.  I have never used a diffuser that actually works like this (the smell goes through multiple rooms in my home and doesn't fade over time).  They come in 6 yummy scents but I have fallen for Wasabi Pear.  I know, it sounds totally weird but it's so refreshing - pear mixed with some watery scents and a very slight hint of wasabi (if you don't like wasabi, don't worry because it's really not a strong smell in this one).  Anyway, the diffuser is gorgeous (glass bottle with thin, white stripes), the reeds are black which I love and the container should last three months.  They are pricey (so don't say I didn't warn you) at $34.00, however, they are really fabulous and look stunning on any table.  I actually went out and bought another one to give as a housewarming present (see, I'm spreading the love even on Valentine's Day which I don't believe in).  Best diffuser I've ever tried - anyone have another one they love as much as I love this one?  Ooh, or has anyone tried the "cheaper" NEST ones at Bed, Bath and Beyond?  I want to know if they are as fantastic.

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with NEST.