Sarah S

I use the Palm 1 crystal palm from Candlewic, very similar. wax: palm 1 load: 6% cure time: 2 weeks container: 16 oz straight jar, glass, 22 oz apothecary wicking: normal wicking CT: super strong HT: super strong* *This is absolutely amazing in palm wax! The throw is strong and immediate, and it really does eliminate tough odors. I smell more spice than fruit, but it is an unusual fragrance and difficult to pinpoint. *** I only have the old version, I have not tried the new phalate-free one.

I have to agree with the recommendations for ICS, she has the best coffee and the best bakery scents! Everything I've tried from there is super strong and smells spot on.

It probably was the FO, not anything you did wrong. I haven't tried that particular FO in incense, but there are some that just smell like smoke when lit. And some other that give off a chemical smell nothing like the FO. I test incense same as candles, cause you just never know. Are you using regular punks? Or charcoal? If you like to let them soak, that's fine, but for regular punks 15 minutes is more than enough. For charcoal I dip and dry. The sticks are super thin and it doesn't take long at all for them to get saturated with the mixture. I'm not saying you're doing anything wrong by soaking them, that's just a tip that has saved me oodles of time. 😉

That is a surfactant and would not be useable in a lye soap recipe. If you are making a melt-and-pour soap you could probably add it. I think it comes as a liquid. You'd have to check the suppliers or manufacturers recommendations for use and %.

I use paraffin for my melts, and I still make some palm ones too. But I don't do online sales, just in-person, so I can make sure they understand the palm tarts require a much hotter warmer. Generally, I sell more candles than tarts and clamshells. I get the impression that people aren't looking for handmade with the melts and are not willing to pay the higher price for them. I have a hard time competing with Walmart and their $2 clamshells around here.

Bath & Body Works does not use "natural" wax, they use paraffin. As does Yankee, BH&G (the Walmart brand), and many other retailers. You are comparing apples to oranges. Added to that, comapring a small single-wick candle's performance to a large multi-wick candle's is like comparing a Honda Civic to a Dodge Charger. Sure, it's possible to trick out a Civic and drive it like you stole it, but you really have to know cars to make that happen. Just like you really have to know candles to get the most out of veggie waxes (and wood wicks). If you have your heart set on a veggie wax, I'd suggest trying an easier wick for now, until you have more experience. You can always go back to the wood wick later.

I've tried Premiers in my palm wax, and I just don't like them. In and of themselves, they are a very pretty wick, and they look beautiful in an unlit candle. But they struggle so bad in my palm, unless I wick up to tiki torch size, and I'm convinced they don't throw as well as the CSNs. That being said, I have used them in large containers as a multi-wick configuration, and they do ok for that application. And I know @pcbrook has had much better luck with them than I have. I expect a tall, strong flame in a successful palm wax candle. That's an indication the wick is getting the proper amount of fuel. Not a bonfire, mind, but a good 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch flame. And they do dance a bit more than paraffin, but if you're seeing puffs of soot with it or a MP deeper than 1/4 inch, or the jar is getting really hot, then yes, you might be over wicked.

I am going to give you my very opinion-laden point of view, so please understand that others on the board may disagree with me as their tastes and experiences differ from mine. If you are used to and enjoy the big multi-wicked candles from major retailers, your hot throw expectations may not be realistic for your candles. The big retailers, specifically B&BW and Yankee, use paraffin wax. Most container paraffin waxes give excellent hot throw with little effort and little cure time. They do not require a large fragrance load, and are generally easy to wick. Paraffin waxes are generally less expensive as well, so the occasional "bad" candle is not a tragic event. A natural wax blend is going to be much trickier to work with, require extensive testing, possibly wildly varied results depending on the lot, and generally not throw as well as a comparable paraffin candle. I know there are exceptions, and we have many people on the board that do make awesome veggie wax candles, but I would argue that their years of experience are the secret to their success. This isn't to discourage you from making a veggie wax candle if that is what you really want to do. Go for it! There is certainly a lot of satisfaction to be had from creating a luxury type candle! But do be prepared for tons of research, testing, more research, and more testing. I would suggest going to the soy & veggie wax sub section of the forum and doing a search for "coconut wax". There has been a lot of discussion on that wax recently, and you are sure to find a ton of great info! Good luck!

I always test every fragrance, and each vessel gets its own test too. So for example, if I've been using PFO's Sugar Cookie in a 16oz straight jar, and I suddenly feel like I want to use it in an apothecary jar, I will do a test burn in the apothecary to judge wick size and burn qualities. Even if I already know it performs well in the straight jar. Personally, I love doing testing. It's the only way I get to enjoy my candle creations. ☺️

If I'm only pouring one candle at a time, I use yogurt tubs as my pour pots. The big 2lb tubs (I eat a lot of yogurt, lol). I wash them up and save them with my candle supplies, then I have a bunch of disposable pour pots when I'm pouring testers or single candles for my own use. The tubs can handle fairly high temps, certainly well within the range for container paraffins and soy. When I'm pouring small amounts of palm wax, I have a little 1lb pour pot. I just wipe it well with a paper towel between pours. If I'm pouring similar fragrances, it's a quick swipe. If I'm going from, say, a cinnamon bun to an ocean scent, I will wipe it out very well while it's still warm. It's fast and easy. I have not had any problems with frangrance transfer with the wipe and pour method. Persoanlly I wouldn't feel okay about mixing in the glass container, but I tend to be accident prone. 😅

Agree with all the statements above. Definitely not a huge amount of residue. That looks like a perfect burn to me, if you wick up to try to clean that up, you'll end up with hot glass and a sooty ugly burn.

I am so in love with their Bergamot Tobacco. ❤️❤️❤️ I made some melts for my office with that, and everyone always exclaims over how good my office smells! I also adore their Sugar Cookie, so good! My new favorite is Celestial Seas. So so so strong, and such a beautiful clean ocean smell! Normally I use 6-7% load in my candles, but I can back down to 4-5% with the PFO oils, so even the more expensive ones are a great value!

I rarely trim my wicks shorter than 1/4". I've gone as long as 1/2" with bigger candles. I use HTP and CSN, and they always self-trim to the right length. Now, I might need to pinch off a shroom or tame a big flame toward the end of the jar, but generally speaking I don't trim my wicks much.

😂😂😂😂 I was worried by the title of the thread!

Awwww so cute! ❤️ And I think Beachwood Vetiver is a nice neutral scent. I'm sure they'll be a hit!

@jaybee I finally got to pour the 133! Yay! @lovelyscents, it is very similar to the 125. I think if they weren't labeled, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The 133 is just a bit softer, and a bit more greasy. To me it was like the difference between butter at 60 degrees (the 125) and butter at 65 degrees (the 133). The 133 seems to also be just slightly whiter. One thing I noticed was that the 133 has a distinct plastic smell when it is melting. Strong enough that I could still smell it after I added the FO and poured the candles. I was very concerned that smell would linger, but it disappeared when they cooled, and I have not noticed it while they are burning. However, I'm only on the first burn for one candle and the second burn for the other. Here are a few pictures: So I don't know if they are very visible, but one candle has wet spots and the other doesn't. Fascinating! Same container, poured at the same time, cooled under the same conditions (sitting on my countertop, lol), the only difference is the FO. This jar is a 16oz straight sided jar. I am using HTP 73 for both candles, as neither fragrance caused issues in CBL 125, and that is the wick I use with this jar and that wax. So far both are burning beautifully, although the flame is a little small. It's still so early in the burn, I'm not concerned yet. The melt pool is shallow, and the wicks appear to be consuming the wax steadily, no guttering or dancing. I do have the characteristic HTP lean. I know it's tough to see, the room was pretty dark. Trust me, it's a lovely burn. 😁 BTW, the not-so-lovely one beside it is CBL 125, with an HTP 83 wick, and RE's Cuban Tobacco. The throw is so worth it, I don't even care how ugly it is. 🤣🤣 Speaking of throw, so far I am underwhelmed. I used Aztec's Sultana dupe at 7% in one, and Aztec's Bayside Marina (thank you @GailC for that rec!) at 7% in the other. I chose the Sultana because it didn't throw well in CBL 125, and the Bayside because it does... and both throw well in the 133 but nothing spectacular. In fact, I think the Bayside Marina is a smidge weaker. That FO, for palm wax users, is a powerhouse in the Palm 1 wax from CW. Just putting that out there, lol. Anyway, so far this wax isn't knocking my socks off, but it is still very early. I do like the way it is throwing the Sultana, so that's a plus. I have about 12oz left, so I can pour another tester, I just need to pick out the right FO. I think I'll go with something super strong in CBL 125 to do a comparison. My early impression is, I won't jump ship for this wax, and I don't know that I would recommend it to beginners because of the plastic smell. If I wasn't experienced, I would have thought something was wrong. It could be great to blend with soy... I do have a little bit of Soy 125 from CW, maybe I'll mix them and see what I get. 😁

I like the reduced price one from Aztec. It's pretty strong, and I think it's fairly close to the real thing. IMO, sandalwood isn't a powerful fragrance to begin with.

I haven't done anything with it yet. 😭😭 I've been so busy the past couple weeks, no time to pour! But as soon as I get a tester made, I'll report back!

They have a lot of good ones! I use their waxes, though, not soy. If you like foodie: pumpkin pancake butterscotch pumpkin chai If you like patch/incense/hippy: voodoo love mahogany spice If you like fresh/clean: coastal kale salt cavern VS sexy (him) If you like herbal/floral: zuchinni blossom I have a lot of samples from them that I haven't put in wax yet, but most smell good OOB. I have only come across a few from them that I disliked, namely Smoked Ginger, Fig Henri Bendel, Fluer de Soleil, and Blueberry. But there are many of their oils that I haven't sniffed yet.

Very pretty! And the swirls are amazing considering it was your first time! I hate it when the colors morph, but it seems to have worked in your favor. 😁

I love the hot pink and black!!

Beautiful!!

@bfroberts, I have the Cool Mountain Air, and it is pretty true to its name. It smells a bit like pine and cold air, just a tiny hint of floral, and it is super strong. Definitely worth $5! Do they still have the surplus Cinnamon Raisin Bread? If they do, do yourself a favor and it order that, it is the best bakery scent I have ever smelled!

Have you ordered yet? Definitely try the Voodoo Love, it is amazing!!!

Go for the CW pumpkin chai! It's awesome! Their pumpkin pancake is amazing as well. For a pumpkin spice, I really like CS's toasted pumpkin spice. To me it's more complex and smells better than a pumpkin pie type.