Sarah S

Hi Nancy, I answered your question in the other post, guess I should have read this one first! Lol

When I used that wax, I did heat to 180, add FO around 170, and poured around 150. I really feel that in order to fully incorporate the fragrance, a higher temperature is required. At 150, the wax is cooling rapidly and starting to form larger wax droplets, which don't allow the fragrance to disperse uniformly in the wax.

I'm sure TT or one of the more experienced members will explain it more thoroughly, but bottom line is I think the higher temp works better. I will admit, however, that I don't have a lot of experience with that particular wax - I got a 20lb bag and used it up, then moved on, so maybe you'll get different answers from others.

Hope that helped somewhat!

14 hours ago, nancythornton said:

Hi

 

I just purchased some KY parasoy for tarts and was wondering at what temperature do you warm the wax before you add fragrance? Could you please help?

 

Thank you

Nancy

Sorry, I just realized I replied assuming you got it from RE. They also have some nice basic tutorials in their Library that you could check out, that might be helpful as well.

If you didn't get it from Rustic Escentuals, I'd check them out anyway!

Great supplier!

Hi Nancy!

Usually they include the warming directions on the label, or at least my most recent order of KY133 from RE did. And generally they have it online with the product description as well.

It's been a while since I used that particular wax, but I seem to recall heating it to 180, adding FO around 170 and pouring around 150. I always feel super rushed and I'm impatient, so others may give you different temps. I think I pour a little hotter than most on these boards. 😄

Thank you for all the great replies!

Spice is definitely off the list, lol.

The pumpkin Chai sounds awesome, I will give that a try, and I've had my eye on Voodoo Love for a while. Maybe I'll get Harvest or Autumn Leaves... It's so tough to choose! Maybe if I bribe them, my kids will let me get few sniffs in while I'm there! 😆

I have never bought anything from before, and I certainly don't plan to now. This sounds like the most unprofessional company. I'm sure their oils were great, but a lot of great vendors have great oils. And with Keystone offering the former Peak oils, it seems pointless to throw in with this company now.

Just IMO!

I just got NG's version of Witches Brew for the fall... I like it, BUT, it smells really sweet. Just like their Sweet Patchouli. Like, exactly like their Sweet Patchouli. Maybe a hint of citrus with it, but I'm not getting well rounded blend like I was expecting. Now, I've never smelled the Yankee original, so I'm not sure if my expectations are too high? 

Would it be worth it to order from another company? I know WSP and Flaming have versions that are mentioned highly on these boards, are they significantly better?

I do it like Moonshine does, measure, mix, melt. It can be kind of a PITA, but I love being able to tinker with my blends to get the exact results I want.

Of course, I'm sure with the volume of candles you make, you probably won't want to be making changes batch to batch, but I think you will be really pleased with your new Soy Blend candles!

oh yeah, and I don't bother with the garbage bag, I go straight to the chisel. 😆

2 hours ago, LRed said:

When you go pick up your order, there are some shelves with samples of FOs that you can smell. I bought a bunch of 1 oz samples after checking them out. I liked Mulberry Spice and Snowflake for the Fall/Winter. Tried Pumpkin Pancake too and people seem to like it.  Good luck! BTW-it was a little hard to find the front door (no big sign).  The door is to the left of the loading dock.

Thanks you! I've been there once before to pick up an order, it was pouring rain, my aunt was with me, and we were pressed for time so it was a bit of an adventure!

I'll have my kids with me this time, they do NOT like it when I start sniffing samples, lol. They hate it even more when I start asking them to snif!

I looked at the Snowflake, does it smell like cold air? I feel like a lot of the snow fragrances are just dressed up mint. I think Mad Oil's Snow Witch is the best snow fragrance ever, and I haven't been able to find anything else like it.

3 hours ago, GailC said:

Pumpkin Chai - I took 5 candles to my wholesale buyer Sunday afternoon; she texted me yesterday, said they all sold already.  I am getting an order together because I need more.

Some others I like:

Apple Cider Donut

Pomegranate Cider

Cranapple Spice

Cranberry Chutney

Cinnamon - not the best cinnamon I've had but a good price and good for blends.

Sugared Vanilla Shortbread - gets a lot of good reviews here so I got some and it is good

 

Not so much:

Cinnabon - didn't think it smelled like a cinnabon.  I added a little cake; the scent is so sharp or something. But it is nice and strong

Spice - very strange; don't think I'll ever use this one

Strawberries & Cream - good but not strong enough for me. Will add more FO next time

Hot Buttered Rum - not one of my favorites. Just OK to me

Sage & Citrus - Not a scent I care for personally

 

Some I love for spring/summer

Berry Tangerine - favorite!!

Summer Fresh

Lemongrass Sage

 

Some I like OOB; haven't put in wax yet.  I use GW 444

White Mulberry Cedar - My grandson wants this one for Christmas.  Very nice

Black Tea Orange and Almond - I really like this one

Bombshell

Be Delicious

Pineapple Mango

Bay Laurel - I like the sample so am ordering a bottle

Mulberry Spice - Also  liked the sample so I may order this one.

 

I like the free samples with each 16 oz bottle ordered.  Makes me order more next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, I'm glad you mentioned NOT liking the Spice, because that was one I was looking at specifically. Maybe I'll go with the cinnamon instead.

The pumpkin Chai sounds good! I'm not usually into food-type fragrances, but I do love beverage fragrances. And Chai is one of my favorites!

Summer Fresh sounds intriguing.

I think of the samples as a win-win situation. We get a little free fragrance, they get repeat orders when we cave. 😆

Thanks Gail, that's given me some to think about!

I'm driving up to PA at the end of the month, and I will be stopping by Candlewic to pick up case of wax and some coconut oil. I see that they are doing a free lb of FO right now, so...... 😁

I've only tried one of their FOs so far, the Frozen Pine. I like it, it's pretty straightforward, just a pine.

What's good? I know @GailC said she uses a lot of Candlewic's fragrances, and maybe @Moonstar?

Thanks to you ladies and fellas, I have the amazing Lemon Biscottit from Filmore, which is one I wouldn't normally buy, so I'm open to suggestions!

Also, I was wondering about Candlewic's standard FOs, I was thinking about get 8oz of spice and/or peppermint to try as blenders. They are very inexpensive, and I see the recommended usage rate is 4%, are they any good?

TIA!!

Ok, now I feel like I need to try Tinsel. They do have some great unique fragrances!

@Belinda can you smell the booze in the Wassail? As in, I hope it's good and boozy! I just got FC's Golden Rum, and I swear I caught a buzz sniffing it!  I love it when it smells like top-shelf stuff, and not like a frat house carpet. 

I love it when TT breaks it down!

If you like Cracklin Birch, you'll probably like Snowman Balls. It's a little more clove, less cinnamon, a base of balsam pine, an undercurrent of musk or sandalwood or something to make it more complex than just a spicy pine. Not quite a cologne, but definitely sexy in a manly outdoorsy way. Throw is insane in paraffin. I usually use 8%, but I think I could easily back down to 6% - I mix about 10% soy, so I'm not sure how a parasoy like 6006 would affect the throw.

If you're lookin for something different, the Hippy Christmas is very nice. Minty with just enough vanilla to make it sweet, anchored by a light patchouli. You can barely smell the patchouli (or at least I can't, but I love a strong patch!), but it makes the fragrance peaceful and meditative, not a food type at all. Good throw in my paraffin blend, definitely an 8-10% one though.

Their Christmas Splendour is very strong, and fruity, similar to the Candle Source's and better than Candles & Supplies, IMO ....

I just got their Bitche's Brew. Mostly because of the name. 😄  Very strong on the Patchouli. It's really similar to their Sweet Patchouli, which is a bummer, I was hoping for something a little dirtier. But I haven't put that one in wax yet. And I don't know what the original Witches Brew from Yankee smells like, so I couldn't even tell you if it's close.

I don't generally go for the foody fragrances, so I can't help there. And I have tried a few duds from them, Alpine Snowdrift comes to mind... Very bland vanilla mint. And the Winter Garden was weird. I couldn't decide if I liked it or not, very lime and herbaceous, but in an industrial air freshener kind of way. But I guess some people want that, lol!

Anyway, HTH!

Thank you Gail, scent descriptions are tough when fragrance preferences can be so subjective!

You made me laugh, I guess I am young from certain points of view, but my kids think I'm ancient, I'm sure! 😆

This Cornucopia doesn't have any fruity notes, and the spice is very faint. It's more leafy to my nose, with hints of fresh gourds, like the way a green pumpkin smells. We shall see if it's a good seller!

I put in an order with RE for a few things, including one of my favorite FOs, Havana Nights. If you're a fan of masculine or cologne type scents, this is so amazing, rich with spices and tobacco, a hint of patch and I swear I smell rum... So good!

Anyway, I got the new Gilded Amber as a sample FO and it is wonderful! I love ambers, I must have at least a half dozen varieties, and this one is particularly nice, strong but not real heavy, a beautiful floralish top note that makes it seem airy and bright. I haven't put it in anything, hopefully it doesn't change. I can't decide if I want to soap it or wax it!!  Decisions, decisions, lol.

Also, because I can't resist a deal, I ordered a couple of the clearance FO's, the Cornucopias and Gourds and the Corriander Citrus. Curnucopia is very subtle, but really a lovely fall scent, and I've mixed it very successfully with some other more expensive scents to punch it up a bit. Very earthy and leafy but dry, if that makes sense. Reminds me of the corn fields this time of year in my area. The Corriander is very clean with a strong citrus top note, with a green heart and a very subtle musky dry down. Really nice. I think I'm going to make a kitchen soap & candle combo with that one.  All in all, I was very pleased that I took a chance and ordered the big bottles of those.

now I have to resist going back for a big bottle of that amber!  

Hey, thanks for doing that recon for us Gail!

So annoying that they don't have the scent descriptions on their site.

I was wondering about their Grade B oils as well. The whole Grade A/Grade B things seems a little shady to me. Why sell it of its not a good product? Won't you just end up with unhappy coustomers? 

Sounds like it was a great trip for you though! Isn't it great being able to pick up your wax? What a money saver!!

I need to make a trip up to Candlewic soon for mine!

9 hours ago, Dorothy Mantooth said:

I saw bramble has an espresso but it’s not in its new category. Have you tried this one? I’ve never ordered from bramble but it looks like the smallest is 2oz for $6.95. That’s a lot to waste if it smells horrible. 

It is so strong! True coffee smell, although my kids swear they can smell dark chocolate too. I made a paraffin melt with 8% of this FO and 1oz melt stinks up my whole house!

No milk, sugar, vanilla, or anything else to my nose. I like it! I have a candle (paraffin) that I mixed it with Pink Sugar and that smells awesome too.

I just got 20lbs of this wax to compare to TCS's tart wax. I have tried KY's para soy blend for tarts and wasn't too impressed, but I generally prefer all paraffin for my tarts anyway. I'll be happy to report back after I get some testing done.

FWIW, I love RE's excellent customer service, and cannot live without several of their fragrance oils. 

If I am testing fragrance throw ONLY, I will pour a small 3oz container and not concern myself overly with wick perfection. Or I will do as you suggested and make a couple melts to test. If it doesn't throw well for either of those, I skip it and move on. There are so many great FOs out there that throw well, why struggle? 

If it throws well during a test burn, I will move on to test the container/wick combo I plan to use, pouring only 1/2 the container and using an untabbed wick so I can switch mid burn if needed. Once I find the right wick, then I pour a full candle and test it for performance. More steps, but saves resources, and can be done inside a week. And it cuts down on the candle graveyard, lol.

NG is really hit or miss for me in wax, but only because I like the cologne type FO that tend to be more subtle anyway. Throw was ok, just not super strong.

Almost everything I've tried from them has been eye-watering strong in soap at 5% o/w or less. Love their oils for B&B!

I love their Cuban Tobacco. I've blended it with other FO that I hated, and it improved them every time.

Definitely a masculine type scent, IMO. Smelled great by itself in CP soap, but it did discolor a bit. I've only used it in blends in wax, but the throw was crazy strong in paraffin.

On September 29, 2017 at 11:44 AM, Candybee said:

I bought my last jug from C&S. I think it was a half gallon size.

I like them too! Very similar to WSP but with more candle stuff (obviously, lol!). 

I get mine from either WSP or Soapers Choice, depending on what else I need to order. WSP has so many B&B supplies, if you're trying o re-stock, I think it would be smart to hit the $40 minimum for free shipping and go with them. Plus they carry smaller sizes if you're not interested in buying gallons or buckets of supplies.

2 hours ago, katmeltswax said:

Yes you should try their ultimate & bold scents. The Voodoo love is nice & strong  Storm Watch ,Lavender Lemons ,Gingerbread spice cake ,Cranberry Chutney & so much more. How much soy do you add to the 129 ? If you do not mind sharing

 I recently ordered the 220 & 230 soy & want to blend 50-50 to see if the combo makes a nice tart .I normally use all paraffin . I highly recommend CW ultimate & bold scents . I have tried most all of these & only had a few I did not care for ,overall fantastic strong scents. I cannot leave out Wild Maine blueberry & Maple Butter. Both of these are must haves for me ,amazing strong scents .The WM Blueberry is great for blending too. You will not be disappointed .CW is one of my main suppliers UB scents:)

Kathy

 

I add 10% soy, just enough to give it a little more opacity. But I tell you what, I have gotten some brilliant colors with the 129, and with melts you don't have to worry about wicking issues if you use a lot of dye. Sometimes if I want a softer melt I'll go up to 20% soy. Lavender Lemons sounds great! I have daughter who is a lemon lover and a daughter who is a lavender lover, so that sounds like a win for my house, lol. 

I love CW's wax! I use CBL-125 with a bit of Soy 125 for my container candles, so far it's been easy to wick and get great throw from most FOs. I also use the CBL-129 and soy for some of my tarts, it's the blend I use in clamshells. Nice and hard, great throw.

I've only used one of their FO's, the frosted pine. It's nice, great throw, just not super exciting.

You're really making me want to try some more though! I've had my eye on Voodoo Love and the Cider donut one.