Sexy Scents for Valentine's Day

Once a year, Valentine's Day provides the opportunity for couples to celebrate their romance.  Girls live out their fantasy of being swept of their feet and treated to a night of lavish affection.  Guys.... well.... guys get lucky, if they're lucky - their favorite thing.  So it's a win-win for everyone.

Nothing sets the stage for romance like candles.  Ok, bubbly, chocolate and flowers help, but let's face it, you can't beat the ambiance from elegantly lit candles.  Find the right fragrance and you've got a home run.  Try these sexy scents for a night like no other:

WHAT: Voluspa Champagne Rose. Brut rose champagne chilled and poured over cassis berries and edible white rose petals.  

WHY: The effervescent champagne is lively and festive to perfectly compliment the sensual rose notes.  The effect from the Corta and Petite Maison candles adds shimmer as the light shines through the gaps in the vermeil on the inside of the candle.  As beautiful to look at as it is to smell.

WHO: For the more conservative couple that finds comfort in tradition.  For the guy that likes to play it safe and know he's got a home run on his hands.  For the girl that grew up in a pink room.

WHAT: Voluspa Moso Bamboo.  I know, another Voluspa scent.  It's no wonder Traci has 3 babies!  Moso bamboo, black musc and Japanese cypress.

WHY: This one is uber sexy and perfect for the guy that is scent shy.  One sniff of this and he's want to shower in this fragrance.  It's crisp with notes of cypress yet clean and silky at the same time.  I love the scalloped vessel - perfectly romantic for your night of romance.

WHO: For the guy that wears cologne and sleek shoes.  Also for the guy that likes nice things but isn't comfortable admitting it.  (You can smell good and not be Metro Man.  Don't be afraid.)  For the girl that likes the smell of a guy.  

WHAT: Nest Three O'Clock.  The precious essence of sandalwood is entwined with subtle nuances of smoldering embers, black amber and frankincense.  

WHY: Jump right into the heart of the night with this fragrance.  Dark and mysterious, this fragrance is as smoldering and sexy as it gets.  The smoky aspect is a perfect match for the sleek black wax and glossy vessel.

WHO: 50 Shades of Grey.  Nuff said.
  

WHAT: Aura Bloom. A time of greatest beauty and freshness. A traditional floral meets lush greens with notes of tuberose, vetiver, and Oriental incense. 

WHY: If florals strike your fancy, try Aura Bloom.  While rose seems like an obvious choice for romance, our research (customers frothing at the mouth) shows that most women request tuberose for intimate spaces.  This not-too-sweet floral will satiate your guy with its more masculine undertones of vetiver and incense.      

WHO: She wears heals at all costs. You can probably find something silky and/or lacy in her delicates drawer.  He likes all dat with some extra hot and sweaty on top.

 

WHAT: Aquiesse Sandalwood Vanille. Bergamot, lavender, white vanilla fleur, sandalwood and musk.

WHY: If cozy and cuddly is more your style, this one will comfort you like a warm, fluffy blanket.  Break out the Snuggies and hot chocolate.  There's no shame in that game!

WHO: You know what a Snuggie is and full-on jambs are your style. 

Whatever your style, the key to any succesful evening it to work it.  You don't get this kind of spotlight often, so work it girlfriend!  And let us know what fragrance works for you.

Why You Shouldn't Blow Out Candles

Before opening our candle store, I used to blow out our candles or use a snuffer and then quickly vacate the room to avoid the billowing smoke.  I didn't know there was any other option.

Now I cringe when others blow out candles.  Here's why:

1. If you blow out taper candles, the wax can spray all over the table (and for over zealous people, all over the room) causing a messy clean up.
2. Blowing out candles created substantial smoke. (Some people like that smell.  I'm not one of them.)
3. For candles in a container, blowing out candles can push the wick down into the wax.  When the wax solidifies, the wick is buried (see photo above) and can get damaged when dug out.
4. Blowing a candle out in a container can create substantial soot on the container.  

None of these consequences are pretty.  That's why now I always use a wick snuffer/tweezer to extinguish our candles.  I dip the snuffer/tweezer down into the wax just beneath the surface and gently draw it up pinching the wick until the flame is extinguished.  (Be careful to not pull the wick out of the candle.)  This helps in several ways:

1. It coats the wick with melted wax to help it stay upright so it doesn't flop down and get buried in the wax.
2. Coating the wick with wax helps the candle relight easier.
3. It cleans any fragrance bloom (mushroom) off the top of the wick for a cleaner look when the candle is not in use.
4. Candle tweezers can be used on container candles as well as tapers and pillar candles.
5. It extinguishes the candle without any soot or smoke at all!!  This is my favorite benefit.

What's your favorite way to extinguish candles?

Cozy Cabin in the Woods

I am so literal when it comes to tree fragrances. I expect deep woods and crisp needles. It took me years to finally try the Jonathan Adler Big Sur (Forest) candle as the cold throw smells nothing like a forest so I dismissed it. Huge mistake on my part. Now I know why this fragrance is so popular.

Photo from HikingInBigSur.com

The candle is part of the Destination Collection by Jonathan Adler where each fragrance is named after one of his favorite travel destinations.  (Lucky him!)  If you're not familiar with Big Sur, it's a breathtakingly beautiful stretch of forest along the Pacific coast, just south of Monterey.  

It's rare for a forest to be right a long the ocean, so one of the things that threw me off is that there is no fresh air, salty air, water or fog in the scent. There is also no crisp, snappy green needles you find in a forest.  Nor is there dewy, musty moss.  So I'm left with none of the notes that typically come to mind in a forest fragrance.   

What I am left with is amazing!  It's warm, inviting and relaxing. I love the way the bergamot and nutmeg compliment the warm wood notes. So rich and almost delicious. This is the complete opposite of a fresh, green forest and I love it just as much!  It's more of the inside of a cozy cabin in the woods that you never want to leave.

I highly recommend this fragrance. Great guy scent but not overly masculine.

Burn quality 4.5/5. Fragrance intensity 4/5.