Darbla

I'm not much of a foodie person (I do like some, it just seems not ever as much as most of you do), so for what it's worth these would be my picks: Balsam Fir Autumn Flannel Basil - Sage - Mint Lemon Verbena Daffodil and Fresh cut Grass (this is a beautiful blend I make) Lux Linen

OOB impressions of some I got from WSP, ranked in order of how much I'm liking them: Black Rose & Spice - see notes above Sandalwood Rose - one of the best sandalwood scents I've ever tried. Both notes are prominent. 'Sensuous' is a word I would apply to this. Evelyn Rose - soft rose and greenery English Tea Rose - that "tea" note is there, but there's something just the teeniest bit sharper about this than Evelyn Rose. It's still great, but I think some noses are going to prefer Evelyn Rose. Victorian Rose - has a sweet, soft, baby powderish note Fresh Cut Roses - roses and greenery; more like what the roses from a florist smell like instead of yard-grown hybrid teas Rose Garden - definitely lighter on the rose and other florals come through. Not lighter in scent strength, but just that note. Rose Cognac Sugar - brown sugary! I'm not sure what cognac smells like, but I think it's why I'm getting brown sugar from this instead of just straight syrupy sugar. I didn't know what to expect but I do like it. There will be a time when I'm tired of straight rose and want to veer off on something like this. Wild Rose - has a mint quality to it; not unattractive but veers farther from straight rose than the others do. This may end up being my favorite for house scent. I'll use these mostly in lotions, perfumes, and oil warmers, not candles. To me wax and flame alter FOs more than using in those other items, so I don't expect these to change much from my OOB thoughts except that they will be more mellowed since they'll be diluted a lot. Not a dud in the bunch; no strange or "off" notes or anything jarring. A little sharpness here and there (probably greenery and a strong hybrid tea note) but that's to be expected when you're getting a big snootful right out of the bottle. I can't wait to get to using these! The only problem is I'm still so enamored of that first one (Black Rose & Spice) I can't let go of it yet to try another! Oh, the problems of being a FOHO......

Thank you for taking one for the team! ❤️

If you use this, have you found any FO that is close to it? I'm trying to keep myself from spending $$$$ on that if I can sufficiently distract myself with an FO for much less, and have it to use in many different applications than just perfume. Notes as listed on Ulta: Versace Bright Crystal features top notes of yuzu, iced accord, and pomegranate. Mid notes of rose, peony, magnolia, acajou, and lotus flower rest atop sensual base notes of vegetal amber and musk. I actually might have a bit of a contender, and it is super cheap, but I wanted to pick your brains too because we have some real scent geniuses here. I have got to get a sample of Bright Crystal to take home and do a close compare to this, instead of trying to go off memory. But from what I remember, Nature's Garden Fountain of Youth might be really similar to it. Here are notes for that one: Top Notes: Japanese grapefruit, apple, fresh airMid Notes: lily of the valley, jasmine, cantaloupe, rose, lotus blossomsBase Notes: patchouli, musk, ebony woods, bamboo https://www.naturesgardencandles.com/fountain-of-youth-fragrance-oil You can see they're not the same, but you know how different note blends can create something really similar. Maybe I really just need to get a nice perfumer's alcohol, and that might nudge some of my FOs closer to these designer scents? I keep using body spray bases but maybe they don't buoy these FOs like perfumer's alcohol would? Any thoughts on that? Here is Bright Crystal's page on Fragrantica, if you wanted to read some reviews there to get some ideas about it: https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Versace/Bright-Crystal-632.html

I do see the word "Addict" under your name! 😀

I put some wax in, and after it's melted a bit I add a few drops of scent. @lovelyscents I tried the salt thing in the past and it just doesn't work that great. From my experiments, that's one of those fad things people tried for a while to be different and attention-getting, but it just didn't work as well for me as wax or oil does.

Some oils that I've tried to do that with, or mix with water in a warmer, for some reason don't smell as good. It's like blending with a bit of wax or oils or DPG or whatever is in liquid potpourri modifies the chemical balance and makes it better. I have no idea what voodoo is going on there. Some might be fine but I often don't like a straight out-of-the-bottle FO as much as if it's modified with some of those things. I also know straight FO can take the lacquer or finish off furniture and floors and counter tops, so I don't want to put it undiluted in an oil warmer because I'm afraid it could eat the glazed finish off the oil warmers I have. That may not even really be a problem but Ill err on the side of caution.

My work here is done.

I just throw it in a warmer with a bit of wax or give it away. Anyone is glad to have a free house scent.

By the way, that B&BW one I mentioned in my first post above caused some kind of allergic reaction on me. I got bumps all over my arms from it. They were basically clear and invisible, not obvious to anyone else and not itchy, but it definitely felt like alligator skin when I'd run a hand over it. I stopped when I was sure that was causing it but now I can't return it so I'm stuck with expensive crap that I had such high hopes for. I'm throwing that out there as a warning for the rest of you.

Heads up: WSP has a bunch of rose scents on sale for Valentine's Day. http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/fragrance-oils/search/floral-scents.aspx?sale=1 And I am absolutely in love with their Black Rose & Spice FO (black rose, patchouli, orange zest, vanilla orchid and cinnamon leaf). I got it several weeks ago and have been using it lately in an oil warmer and loved it so much I dabbed a drop on my wrists and I'm in scent heaven right now. It reads very gothic to me, probably because it reminds me of something I got at a renaissance faire eons ago that was never to be seen again so I am thrilled I found something similar. The cinnamon is strong at first and stays, but the rose does come forward later. You can pick out all the other notes if you try, but all that is just a beautiful blend in the background. I really did not think I would like this when I first ordered a small amount a while back and almost didn't, but I'm over the moon about it. I could see me wearing this a lot for Fall / Halloween / Winter. That was the only rose I bought then, but I'm stoked to try some of the others now! Haven't tried it in soap or candles yet so I can't speak to that, and I think my favorite application is going to be for personal scent (roll-on perfume, solid perfume, body spray, or soap) and secondarily for the house. ❤️❤️❤️

You can get rollerballs with a plastic ball or a metal one, with the metal of course being more expensive. So have you noticed problems with the plastic that would make it better to invest in the metal ones? Bottles on both are glass. I'm looking at ones from WSP but I may look at others.

This is a huge reason I've tried to go paperless at my house. The cartridges are criminally priced. The last printer I bought, they had the printer and cartridges programmed to expire a year after manufacture, no matter how much ink was left in them. The printer had sat on the shelf for months before I bought it, and then stopped working soon after I set it up and started using it because that year had been reached. I've refused to buy another HP product since then, but they're all horrible rip-offs anyway. Back to the decoupage idea...

...so I can give these to people at my office. Seriously, if anyone can tell me a site or something I can go read up on for label making, I'd appreciate it. I don't sell but I'd decorate the heck out of my own candles just for the look of it. I may just go the low-tech way and decoupage some pictures onto glass. Good/bad idea?

My post about Italy the other day + St. Patrick's holiday coming soon made me think about Ireland. So do you all have any really green scents you pull out in March or any that are labeled with an Irish theme from the FO supplier?