Wild For Wax Tag

I've seen this tag going around YouTube and, since I don't do videos, I thought I'd do a blog version.

1. How did you get into loving wax?
We never really had candles or home fragrance in our house when I was a kid.  We had some pillar candles that we'd light if the power went out from bad weather, and maybe we had cans of cheap air freshener spray later on, but overall I don't remember anything nicely scented in my childhood home.  So it was when I finally moved out, got together with my now hubby, that I started to become interested.  He had a few candles, and he liked to burn incense.  Over the years, candles were frustrating for me because I didn't realize there was more to it than just lighting the wick, and because they were always so weakly scented.  And then one day about five years ago or so, I came across a Hazelnut Cream wax tart at either Kmart or Walmart.  I was amazed at how strong the scent was, and how easy they were to use.  I was hooked, and have been ever since.

2. Favorite wax brand?
I don't really have a favorite but I tend to use Walmart's Better Homes & Garden tarts most out of convenience.  They are very strong and very affordable.  My sentimental favorite is Country Home Scents, because they were the first tarts I really got into on Etsy.

3. Do you prefer tarts or candles, overall?
Definitely tarts.  They are so affordable, and usually have stronger scents than candles.  They are easy to use, no worrying about tunneling or bad wicks or any of the candle woes.  They are smaller and easier to store, and you use them up faster which means it's ok to always be buying more.  LOL

4. Favorite Yankee fragrance?
I'm not familiar enough with Yankee to have a favorite.  I do *not* like their tarts though.

5. Favorite Slatkin fragrance?
I'm not overly familiar with Slatkin either but I tend to remember more of these than Yankee.  I really liked the Salty Caramel one, and would like to eventually get the new Summer Boardwalk. 

6. Are you a fresh, food, fruit, floral or festive person?
I would say food/bakery for sure, and then I love the fall and Christmas seasonal scents.  I love love love caramel or maple or butterscotch scents.  Love coffee scents.  Love warm, cozy, spicy scents.

7. If you could burn only one candle for the next year, which one would it be?
Oh wow, just one???  Possibly the butterscotch maple one from Walmart, or Country Bumpkin from Kim's Tarts (or any other vendor that has that scent).

8. Which candle/tart is on your list to buy next?
I will actually be looking for coffee scented tarts to order tonight because Walmart is out of the one I just used up.  And I would like to get the Summer Boardwalk candle from Bath & Body Works.

9. How long does it take you to finish a large jar/tumbler?
Ha, I have no idea because I don't think I've ever had any.  Oh wait, we've burned one of the free candles from Old Williamsburgh many times and haven't put much of a dent in it.  That is a fairly large jar.  The 3-wicks from B&BW take us a while too because we don't burn them every night.  I would say a large candle probably lasts us over a month, unless it's a holiday one that I love to burn all the time.

10. Which scent do you have the most of?
I don't have any doubles of anything at the moment, but in general I have a lot of fruity, summery things right now.

11. Biggest candle purchase regret?
Hmm, probably the two tall pillar candles we bought from Walmart last year.  It's only been in the last year or two that I've learned more about burning candles and decided to give them another try.  I've never liked pillars because it seems so much wax is wasted, but hubby wanted to try these two and I was all 'Ok, cuz I know how to do it now!'  Ha, no, they're still a wasteful pain in the butt.

12. How many candles/tarts (approx) do you have in your collection?
My collection is probably pathetic compared to so many others I've seen, but I just feel so much better about it when I don't have a lot.  I have had times where I've just had way more than I'd ever be able to use, and I stressed about it because I knew I wanted to buy more but couldn't justify it.  I ended up giving away A LOT of tarts over the holidays.  So anyway, to answer the question, I have under 20 packs (most partials) of tarts, 11 large (3-wick type) candles, and maybe10-12 smaller candles like votives or mini jelly jar size.  And really, I think this collection is still too big.

13. Do bakery scents make you hungry or do they satisfy your cravings?
I don't think they do either for me.  I just savor the scents and don't find myself thinking about the actual foods.

14. How many hours a week do you have something burning/melting, on average?
I only have tarts going on my days off, so maybe 20-25 hours a week for those.  I only occasionally light candles in the evenings of my days off, and hubby lights them in the evenings once in a while so we'll say probably 10 hours or less a week for candles.

15. How many are usually melting at once?
One.  I melt the tarts here at my desk, and we only burn candles in the living room, which is the room next to where my desk is, so we only do one or the other to avoid overlapping scents.

16. What do your friends/family think of your wax obsession?
My hubby and boys kinda laugh about it.  Hubby likes his candles but he chuckles over how gaga I get about my tarts.  My sister probably thinks I spend way too much money on them.  One coworker considers me a tart guru.  As for anybody else, I don't know what they think.

17. Which waxy YouTuber do you enjoy watching the most?
I mainly watch ScentMyWay, and Ellie/pepper19882007.  I've just recently started watching ErinMakinScents.  Some people can watch tons and tons of reviews of the same things over and over, but I can't.  My internet is not fast enough to be able to watch endless videos, and I just get bored hearing people talk about the same scents from the same companies.  I like channels that mix it up a bit.  And I do NOT like YouTubers who are bossy and know-it-all-y about what products you *should* be liking.

18. Which waxy YouTuber do you trust the most for recommendations? 
I don't really 'trust' anyone for recommendations because my opinion might be very different from theirs.  If I come across someone with similar tastes and views on things, I will probably pay closer attention.  But if someone seems to obviously favor one company, I'll probably only be watching for entertainment.

And there you go . . . my completed Wild For Wax tag.  If you'd like to do this on your own blog, or take it back to YouTube, I'd love to see it.  Or if you'd just like to answer a question or two here, feel free to do so in the comments below.  I tag YOU!