Nevermind that it's October - Christmas is here! (otherwise known as: Yankee Candle: Three New Holiday Fragrances)

Unbelievable.  I just decided on what air freshener to fragrance my home with this Fall and then I receive the news that Yankee Candle has their Holiday Fragrances out.  No rest for the weary, I tell you!

Don't worry, this holiday season Yankee Candle has stocked their regular favorites:

But they have also launched three new variants, and I've got my hands on them for your smelling pleasure.

Let's begin with Cherries on Snow.  Firstly, the variant name.  Truthfully, and I don't know about you, but I don't associate cherries with winter and I have definitely never seen them on snow.  Maybe 'Clementines & Snow', or 'Winter Pomegranate' would have been more appropriate - what do you think?  Please, comment below!  Anyway, let's put Yankee Candle's attempt to creatively expand their range to the side, and look at the fragrance.

Remember me?

When I picked this up in the store it smelled so wonderfully of sweet cherry candy, but when I unwrapped the candle at home to properly assess the cold throw I was disappointed.  It smelled exactly like a Strawberry Shortcake Doll - a light sweet berry scent mixed with plastic.  Disappointingly, yet unsurprisingly at the same time, the hot throw was not very impressive either.  The Strawberry Shortcake Doll smell pervaded my testing area with no traces of the sweet cherry candy scent that I experienced in the store.  Thumbs down on this one.

Mountain Berry is next up and thankfully this one wasn't a let down.  The cold throw is a menthol-y evergreen invoking scent that pleasantly tingles the nose with its freshness.  It didn't change much in hot throw either.  The scent was still strong and evergreen, but had lost the hints of menthol that were in the cold throw.  Very pleasant.  One last thought, and I am not sure if many of you will know this association, but this fragrance immediately reminded me of the Original Spring Green variant of Vitabath from the 1980s (a favorite around my grandparents' house).

The last new launch from Yankee Candle for this holiday season is Christmas Rose.  Out of the three scents this had the strongest and most overbearing cold throw.  Like the Mountain Berries, nothing much changed at all with the hot throw.  It was still strong, overbearing and a linear rose scent.  If you like roses, you shouldn't miss out on this one!

So, there you go.  Yankee Candle's three new launches for this holiday season.  And just in time, too - I mean, it's nearly November for goodness sake!

The Ultimate Fall Scent Debate: Glade, Air Wick or Febreze?

October has arrived and with it colorful leaves, pumpkins, cool weather and the horribly difficult decision of which brand's apple & cinnamon scent to fragrance your home with this Fall.

Today I have decided to stick to the basics and, to help you make an informed decision on your Fall fragrance, I visited my local Target and purchased the standard variant in candle format from each of the main brands.

Today's scent contenders:

Glade Apple Cinnamon, 4oz, $2.54

Glade's Apple Cinnamon's cold throw is moderate with a delicately sweet scent of red apple flesh (not skin).  There are little, if no, traces of spice in the scent.

In use, the fragrance was, unfortunately, a disappointment.  There was a tiny whiff of apples, but it was completely overtaken by the scent of wax.

Air Wick Apple & Shimmering Spice, 3oz, $2.50

The cold throw of Air Wick's Apple & Shimmering Spice is intense!  Immediately Wrigley's Big Red chewing gum springs to mind, which means that the scent is all cinnamon and no apple.


In use, the hot throw lacked the intensity of the cold throw.  The room was left lightly fragranced with very soft notes of apple that intertwined with, and softened, the previously overwhelming cinnamon scent.

Febreze Apple Spice & Delight, 5.5oz, $4.99

Febreze's Apple Spice & Delight's cold throw is pleasantly strong with tones of red apple skins and a slight wisp of cinnamon.  Out of the three, Febreze wins the cold throw competition hands down.


Sadly, I was let down by the mediocre hot throw of this candle.  The room was filled with the subtle scent of red apple skins mixed with wax and a dash of cinnamon.

***

With the three candles assessed, it is time for conclusions...


Glade's Apple Cinnamon is the least expensive of the three, but this is evident in cold throw and hot throw where first the fragrance was minimal, and then the fragrance was non-existent.


Air Wick Apple & Shimmering Spice is moderately priced, but its cold throw was almost offensive in the strength of the cinnamon, although it did mellow out in use.


Febreze Apple Spice & Delight is the most expensive of the three with the best and most pleasant cold throw, but also the most disappointing hot throw.


Thus, the ultimate debate on affordable Fall scents is now over with Air Wick and Febreze tying for first place, leaving Glade trailing behind and left lonely on the store shelf!

How very exciting - pressies from Passion Savon!

Last week I had the treat of receiving an airmail package from France.  When I opened the mailbox a gorgeous scent wacked me in the face – it was a pleasurable mixture of earthy, resinous aromas mixed with a strong hit of black pepper.  I couldn’t wait to get inside and open my package of natural handmade soaps from Passion Savon.

OK.  So, what is this place, this Passion Savon?  With their shop located in the southwest of France and an online presence as well, Passion Savon is an artisan business that creates handmade soaps and cosmetics using natural, high quality raw materials.  It is the baby of a certified aromatherapist who has used her 25 years of experience to create wonderfully fascinating soaps.  

How about Cranberry & Rhubarb?
Or maybe Orange Cocoa & Cinnamon? 
Possibly you're more of a Olive and Lemon Scrub kind of person?  They all sound very intriguing, and luckily I got to experience 7 different variants from their multitude of ranges.

They were:

Dead Sea Mud

an enjoyable herbaceous scent mixed with undertones of rich clay aromas

Zingiber & Apple 

a pleasant earthy-amber scent mixed with top notes of tingling eucalyptus

 Oatmeal & Banana Creme

 A very subtle, earthy scent that is made dynamic with hints of green fields of grass

     

      

 Butternut 

      A lovely nutty scent wrapped in slight creamy hints

 

      Bergamot            

      A vibrant citrus scent of bergamot that intermingles with light notes of fresh clean soap

 Arabica Beans & Pistachio

 A tasty scent characterized by notes of rich coffee beans - you can almost smell the coffee brewing!

 And last, but not least...

Watermelon & Blackpepper

An exquisite scent of black pepper entwined with subtle sweet, clean tones

All of these soaps have unique appearances, fabulous scents, a wonderful lather and they left my skin feeling soft.

What more could a girl ask for?

You can check these soaps (and more!) out at www.passion-savon.fr

A ripe, sweet & juicy idea

This summer there's been a fruit invading store shelves and enticing shoppers.  It is the Pluot and it’s your product’s latest concept -

Personal Care?

Photo credit: Idea Go
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=809

Indulge your skin with the luscious fragrance of Passionflower & Pluot.  This light floral and sweet, sophisticated scent will leave you feeling pampered all day long.

Laundry Care?

Spoil your senses with the luxurious scent of honeyed pluot and sweet white floral in the new Raspberry Jewel & Jasmine liquid detergent.

Air Care?

Breathe life into your home with the refreshing summer scent of Sun-kissed Pluot & Sweet Summer Berries.

Hold on!  I can hear you asking, “but what is it?!”

Pronounced “ploo-ot”, this fruit is a hybrid of the plum and the apricot.  It has a smooth and often dark skin, and its flavor is sweet and intense, but delicious.  It could almost be mistaken for a perfectly juicy plum.

In the past two months pluots have been sighted and tasted at a San Franciscan farmer’s market, a fine foods grocery store and a Sam’s Club.  Excitingly this means consumers with many (and varied) backgrounds have been introduced to this fruit and thus would recognized it if used as a scent cue on a high end and/or mass market consumer product.

So, what are you waiting for?!  Get out there while the pluots are ripe and entice your customers with this exciting scent concept!