Melted - Febreze / Almond Sugar

The commercial brand Febreze has had their new line of wax tarts and candles out for a while now.  From the moment I first saw them, I knew Almond Sugar was the one I wanted.  It's taken me a while but last week I finally caved and bought a pack.

This scent is amazingly delicious!!

What you get on cold sniff if pretty true to what you get when it's warmed.  It is a sweet bakery scent.  I swear there is a cookie note in there.  I don't get any kind of cherry-like note, which is common with almond scents.  There is just this bright yet warm, sort of creamy, sweet cookie scent.  It would almost seem like a candy-sweet scent but there is a warmth to it.  But it is not a heavy or sickening scent.  It's just yummy!

I melted two 'bars' (approximately 1 oz.) in my tea light warmer and got medium scent and throw.  As mentioned, it is not a heavy scent.  While at times it seemed I wasn't smelling anything, when I'd go into the next room I would easily pick up light traces of it.  This is definitely a background scent, something to softly perk up the air throughout the house instead of something that loudly announces you have something melting.  I could still smell hints of it all over the house when I got up this morning.

I'm undecided if I would buy this again.  The price is probably the major downfall for me.  At $2.97 a pack, I know there are plenty of cheaper alternatives out there, and with stronger scents.  But this was still nice.  I absolutely loved this particular scent, and because it was one of those lighter types I know I can still melt it while scent-sensitive people (my mom!) are around.  And the fact that it lingers for so lone in all corners, on that very light scale, was nice too.  If I ever find the Chai Latte scent, I'm going to try it!  I'm also curious to see if they come out with any fall/holiday scents later this year.

Have YOU tried the Febreze tarts yet?  What did you think?

Small Book Haul

I'm scrambling for things to post about so this poor ol' blog doesn't become buried under a layer of dust, so I thought I'd do a quickie book haul.  I've bent the rules a bit on our Cut Spending goal when it comes to books but I've still been keeping it low.  I really should start going to the library, but I just hate having that due date and feeling pressured to get the book done fast.

Invincible, by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Nick Gautier’s day just keeps getting better and better. Yeah, he survived the zombie attacks, only to wake up and find himself enslaved to a world of shapeshifters and demons out to claim his soul.

His new principal thinks he’s even more of a hoodlum than the last one, his coach is trying to recruit him to things he can’t even mention and the girl he’s not seeing, but is, has secrets that terrify him.
But more than that, he’s being groomed by the darkest of powers and if he doesn’t learn how to raise the dead by the end of the week, he will become one of them...

Found this one in the bargain bin.  Only $3.48 for a hardcover book?  Not bad at all.  Just one problem ... this is the second book in the series and I don't even have the first one yet.  Doh!

Mystic, by Alyson Noel

Since arriving in Enchantment, New Mexico, everything in Daire Santos life has changed. And not all for the better. While she's come to accept and embrace her new powers as a Soul Seeker, Daire struggles with the responsibility she holds navigating between the worlds of the living and the dead. And with the fate of her boyfriend Dace in the balance, Daire must put aside her personal feelings and focus on defeating Cade, whose evil plans threaten everyone she loves and the world as she knows it.

MYSTIC is the third book in The Soul Seekers, a magnificent new series about a girl who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead, by #1 New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noël.

 

Again, had not really planned on getting this one.  Originally I had bought it thinking it was going to be a gift to a friend but then ended up revising the gift plan.  It didn't break my heart being stuck with the book though because it's a series I'm planning on reading anyway.  But once again, this is the third book and I don't yet have the first or second.  LOL

 

Loki's Wolves, by K.L. Armstrong & M.A. Marr
"The runes have spoken. We have our champion...Matthew Thorsen."

Matt hears the words, but he can't believe them. He's Thor's representative? Destined to fight trolls, monstrous wolves and giant serpents...or the world ends? He's only thirteen.

While Matt knew he was a modern-day descendent of Thor, he's always lived a normal kid's life. In fact, most people in the small town of Blackwell, South Dakota, are direct descendants of either Thor or Loki, including Matt's classmates Fen and Laurie Brekke. No big deal.

But now Ragnarok is coming, and it's up to the champions to fight in the place of the long-dead gods. Matt, Laurie, and Fen's lives will never be the same as they race to put together an unstoppable team, find Thor's hammer and shield, and prevent the end of the world.

In their middle grade debut, K.L. Armstrong and M.A. Marr begin the epic Blackwell Pages series with this action-packed adventure, filled with larger-than-life legends, gripping battles, and an engaging cast of characters who bring the myths to life.

 

 

This one IS the first in the series, and a new series at that.  One thing I've discovered in the online book community is that A LOT of people still love to read 'middle grade' books.  This is kind of comforting because there are often 'kid' books that look quite fun, and sometimes you just need a quick and easy read to clear your head and get you out of a reading slump.  And this brand new one caught my eye because of the whole Vikings thing, and you know we're all about Vikings stuff in this house.  Skol!!

Those are the three books I've bought over the last several weeks.  There are TONS more that I want but I'm *trying* to hold off until I read through what I have already.  But there is one more that I might just go ahead order today . . . 

Ya see, another thing I've discovered from the book community is that A LOT of people also enjoy graphic novels.  I don't mean like 50 Shades graphic, I mean like comic book style.  I saw a couple people talk about this book, Anya's Ghost, in their videos and thought 'Hmmm, I might like to try a graphic novel too!'  And since hubby and Ty both need something ordered from Amazon, I might just sneak this book into my cart too.  The people at work will probably think I'm nuts for reading kids books and comics but hey, they'll still worship me for being a Reader.  LOL

So what do you think?  Have you read any graphic novels or middle grade books lately?  Have you stumbled across any fabulous new books I need to know about?  Let me know!

Small Tart Haul

I bought some tarts today!  My stash is about as close to gone as you can get, just four Sinus Relief tarts, a pack of lavender-vanilla (but I'm not a lavender fan), and some leftover holiday scents that I'm hanging onto until fall rolls around again.  Oh, and the two packs I got for Mother's Day, but those are scents I'm not fond of so I won't be melting them.  So yeah, stash is pretty much gone now!  I'm itching to start ordering from private vendors again but I also still want to keep spending down for a while longer, so I caved and bought some affordable Walmart tarts for now.

Finally finally finally gave in a bought a pack of the Febreze tarts!  I knew all along the first one I'd get would be Almond Sugar.  If the chai one would have been there I might have grabbed that, but it wasn't so Almond Sugar it was!  This smells sooooo darn yummy.  There is no scent description on the package.  To me there is almost a cake or cookie note.  The almond is not at all cherry-ish.  This is just a really nice, sweet, slightly warm, slightly creamy, bakery type scent.

These Febreze tarts cost $2.97 for a 3 oz. package.  (It says 2.75 oz. on the label but each bar weighs .5 oz, so you do the math.  Heh.)  The scent is pretty strong on cold sniff, so I'm not sure if I'll melt one or two bars at a time.  Looking forward to finally trying these!

I'm pretty sure I've had this Vanilla Caramel Spice before, and it's one I always seem to see in stock at my store.  On cold sniff it's quite strong on the cinnamon, sort of a Red Hots candy type cinnamon, but the sweetness and warmth of the vanilla and caramel are definitely lurking behind that.  Even though it's cinnamon, it's not like a holiday type scent.  It doesn't make me think of fall or holidays at all.  I'll do a better review after I've had a chance to melt this.

Vanilla Cookie Crunch is one I think I first saw around the holidays.  I'd always passed it up because it seemed like another generic cookie scent, but lately whenever I'd give it a sniff in the store it really called to me.  Maybe it's because my stash is gone and I haven't had this type of scent for a while.  While it is a fairly simple cookie scent, there is just something extra yummy about it, like a sweet, creamy, warm note.  Maybe it's like butterscotch?  Toffee?  Just soooo yummy.  Again, a full review once I've had a chance to melt this.

Not a huge or exciting haul, but a haul nonetheless.  And it's a tart haul.  And it's something to blog about.  Everyone is happy now, right??

Song of the Moment - If You Could Read My Mind

Yep, another oldie that I'm obsessed with at the moment.  And another that I never really thought much of until now.  I don't know what changed my mind but I'm glad I've finally given this one a chance.  

One question though.  What do you understand this song as?  Has the relationship failed on both ends?  Has someone come between them?  Someone for her, or him?  I'm undecided how we're supposed to take this.

The lyrics . . .

If you could read my mind love
What a tale my thoughts could tell
Just like an old time movie
'Bout a ghost from a wishin' well
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
With chains upon my feet
You know that ghost is me
And I will never be set free
As long as I'm a ghost that you can't see
If I could read your mind love
What a tale your thoughts could tell
Just like a paperback novel
The kind that drugstores sell
When you reach the part where the heartaches come
The hero would be me
But heroes often fail
And you won't read that book again
Because the ending's just too hard to take

I'd walk away like a movie star
Who gets burned in a three way script
Enter number two
A movie queen to play the scene
Of bringing all the good things out in me
But for now love, let's be real
I never thought I could act this way
And I've got to say that I just don't get it
I don't know where we went wrong
But the feelin's gone
And I just can't get it back

If you could read my mind love
What a tale my thoughts could tell
Just like an old time movie
'Bout a ghost from a wishin' well
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
With chains upon my feet
But stories always end
And if you read between the lines
You'll know that I'm just tryin' to understand
The feelin's that you lack
I never thought I could feel this way
And I've got to say that I just don't get it
I don't know where we went wrong
But the feelin's gone
And I just can't get it back

Read - Clockwork Prince

Clockwork Prince
by Cassandra Clare
2011
498 pages

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when it becomes clear that the mysterious Magister will stop at nothing to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, tortured Will and the devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal and fueled by revenge. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa is drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa answers about who she really is? As their search leads to deadly peril, Tessa learns that secrets and lies can corrupt even the purest heart.

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***

This second book in the Infernal Devices trilogy picks up pretty much where the first one left off.  After the events of the first book, Charlotte's ability to head the London Institute is challenged by a rival.  The Consul gives her two weeks to produce some results and prove herself, or she will lose all she has worked for.  And so we are thrust right back into the hunt for the evil Magister, and for Tessa's brother Nate.  Along the way, Tessa wonders more and more just what she is.  A warlock?  A Shadowhunter?  Some sort of Downworlder mix?  She also finds herself drawn more to kind and gentle Jem after Will's nastiness at the end of the first book, and his constant pushing away.

I had mixed feelings about this book.  While it should have been right up my alley with several emotional storylines, it also seemed to add a lot more extra stuff into it.  The plot has become complicated.  Most of time I couldn't even keep track of who had done what to who and how it was all connected.  I hate when authors do that!  I also never really felt anything for Tessa and Jem as a couple when she was constantly thinking about Will.  Then again, I didn't feel anything for Tessa and Will as a couple either.  So much time was spent swooning over how beautiful he was, and that got old fast.  I was also disappointed (but not surprised) that things followed the usual Cassandra Clare format, right down to the party that needed to be infiltrated.

I'm just not thrilled with the automatons aspect of this story.  Thankfully there wasn't too much with them in this book.

There was a sort of Harry Potter feel to this book.  There were bits of magic and . . . hello . . . does anyone else see Arthur Weasley in the Henry character??  Only made more bumbling and goofy too a ridiculous degree?

Still, I did enjoy this book and am anxious to read the third/final book.  I'm just as curious as anyone to see 'what' Tessa is, and how the love triangle will be resolved.  (I do know who she will end up with, I just don't know how the events play out to get to that point.)  Everyone says the next book as amazing.  I hope so!

Influenster - Ivory 2-in-1 Hair & Body Wash

I was invited, through the Influenster program, to try a new body product: Ivory 2-in-1 Hair & Body Wash.  I was surprised to receive a full sized bottle (24 oz.) instead of a smaller trial or sample size.  That was kinda fun to find in my mailbox!

Now, I am a very low maintenance girl.  I use low end 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioners.  I use low end body wash when I'm feeling lazy and not using handcrafted bar soaps.  But even I have not had any interest in the body/hair wash combos I see popping up more and more.  I don't know, it just seems like it would be lacking to me for some reason.  Still, when Influenster asked me to try this Ivory product, I figured I'd give it a shot.  Heck, I'm not paying anything for it this way, right?  Once I actually received the bottle though, I was quite curious and excited to try it.

So what did I think?

I've been using this as a body wash every day for about two weeks now.  As a body wash it is nice.  At first I thought it was going to be fabulous because the lather is rich and creamy, more so than my usual low end brand.  Using this in the shower, on a shower pouf, there is a ton of immediate and long lasting lather.  The scent is nice, sort of a generic 'clean' soap/shampoo scent, noticeable while using the product but not lingering on the skin afterwards.  This is good for those who don't want the scent to clash with whatever scented lotions or sprays they use after.  The lather seems to rinse easily but then it almost seems like there is some extra moisturizer left on the skin.  Not like an oily film or anything obvious like that.  Just sort of 'something' that makes you think it's moisture-rich.  It didn't seem to work out that way though because I noticed about the same amount of dry itchies with this as with my cheap body wash.

I used this as a shampoo only twice.  I have shoulder length, natural (uncolored, unpermed, etc.) hair that I wash every other day.  My hair tends to be dry at first and then turns oily.  Using this Ivory product as a shampoo, it seemed ok while actually in the shower.  It lathered nicely, rinsed cleanly.  Out of the shower though, I immediately noticed my first problem: tangles.  I almost never have any trouble running a comb through my towel dried hair, so when I hit a snag right off the bat with this, I was not thrilled.  But whatever, the real test would be how my hair was once it dried.  Throughout the day I would touch my hair, run my hands through it just to see how it felt, and found it was 'ok' but seemed just a bit drier and rougher than normal.  Nothing hugely noticeable, and I did take into consideration that switching shampoos can sometimes do weird things.  The second day, which is a no wash day, my hair already looked slightly more blah than usual.  Not really oilier but sort of dull and limp.  After using the product a second time and getting the same results, I already knew this wasn't for me and switched back to my regular shampoo/conditioner.

What are my overall thoughts?  Well, as a body wash this was no better or worse than my regular brand, and since my regular brand is cheaper and comes in a variety of lovely scents, I won't be switching.  As a shampoo, I did not like this.  I didn't hate it ... it wasn't horrible ... but it wasn't as good as what I'm already using, which again is cheaper.  In the end, I would not buy this product for myself.  My sons tried it too and while Casey seems to share my opinion, Ty actually likes it.  Might be interesting to note that Ty has really short hair, so maybe there is not much difference to notice as far as shampoo.

So yeah, while it was fun to try this new Ivory 2-in-1 Hair & Body Wash, I was not impressed enough to consider switching from my usual brands/products.

Disclaimer: While I was sent this product for free to try, I am not being paid and it has not affected my opinion.

Target Tarts - Gift Haul

A tart post?!  Can you believe it?!  I was starting to wonder myself, if I'd ever have anything wax related to post about.  But aha . . . Mother's Day to the rescue!  Ty got me these two packs of tarts from Target.  While I have tried Target's tarts before (see a post from last fall HERE), these look like a new style.  Or maybe they are just the smaller packs that I never paid much attention too.

While there is sort of an attempt to come across as the traditional six cube clamshell style we're all familiar with, these are actually very different.  The tray is very shallow, and the cubes are very wide and flat,  The packaging leaves much to be desired.  First, the outer plastic package has a frustrating double tab flap thingie that keeps the package closed.  Once you pry that open, you have to pull the hangie tab thinger back through the slot and then sort of awkwardly hold the flap and tab apart with one hand while you try to dig your fingers into the opening to get the inner tart package out.  And then once you have that out you flip it over to find there is just a piece of sticky-sealed plastic over the back (flat) side of the tart tray.  It will stick again when you lay it back over the tarts but it will probably be wrinkled and crooked.  Well, I guess once you shove the whole thing back into the frustrating outer package it will be better protected, but geez.

Moving on . . .

Since these were a gift, I don't know how much they cost, but total weight of the wax bar is 2.4 oz, which is about what you get in Better Homes & Gardens/Scentsationals.  This means I will probably melt two cubes at a time when I use these.  Oh, and these are Chesapeake Bay Candle brand tarts.

There are no scent descriptions on the package and I couldn't even find tarts on the Chesapeake Bay website, so I'll have to wing it on these.  Paradise Flower is sort of a sweet, greenery-floral scent.  There is almost something watery about it, like an ocean type scent or something.  Sometimes I think there is just a hint of something like fruit in there too.  If I had to come up with something familiar to compare it to, I would say it's almost like a very light lilac on a rainy day.

Bamboo Sugar Cane might be familiar to more adventurous wax lovers.  I know there are plenty of vendors who have this type of scent.  My very first thought when I first sniffed this was of those tubes of model glue, like my brothers always had while putting together model car or airplane kits.  When I go back and sniff the tarts to get a more reasonable idea, it's once again a sort of wet greenery-floral type scent.  I really don't care for this one much.  There is that sort of perfumey floral note that is the key to what I don't like about floral scents in general.  BUT, just because *I* do not like this type of scent doesn't mean there aren't plenty of people out there who do  It's just not for me.

While I was thrilled that Ty got me tarts for Mother's Day, I'm sad that he chose some duds as far as my tastes go.  I'm not sure what I'll do with these.  I'm considering doing a giveaway because I know someone out there will love these scents.  I might have to get Ty's permission to do that though . . . lol

So what do you think?  Are you familiar with either of these scents?  Have you tried Target's tarts?  Would you be interested in a giveaway??  Let me know!