denetteb

Have you used their VBN in wax...for candles? I only ask because I have used their VBN in lotion and perfume sprays and it is AWESOME, but it is such a thick and heavy FO that I have wondered how well it mixed with wax. I am fairly new to working with wax (making melts for now, but hoping to start candles soon) but have heard that heavy FOs can be hard to fully incorporate into the wax.

I want to make a car sachet for a friend of mine and her favorite perfume is Victoria's Secret Sweet & Flirty (from their PINK line). Does anyone know if a supplies make a dupe of this fragrance? I have checked fragrance oil finder with no success, but I know that they are not always completely up-to-date. If there is no dupe of this fragrance...are any of you familiar with this scent enough to recommend a a good blend to get me close. The scent description states that it is a composition of sweet sugared berries and pink grapefruit. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Oh...my...goodness!! I mixed this with some corn cob for a car sachet and I find myself sneaking sniffs of the mixture inside my mason jar. It smells sooooooo heavenly!! I can not wait to get this in my car! In this FO I smell all the components...the donuts and the sweet cinnamon, and a hint of vanilla glaze. I forgot how much I like sweet cinnamon type cinnamon (as apposed to spicy cinnamon or the red hot types of cinnamon that you smell in the holiday fragrances). This is a very sweet cinnamon and sugar type scent with the baked donut note. Oh so very yummy!

Thanks for the replies! I think I will need to give CS's Peanut Butter Cookie a try! I have yet to order from CS, so this would be the perfect time for me to give them a try. Thanks!

I hope it is ok that I hop in here and ask a question about this particular oil...would this oil be considered a "heavy" oil? I ask because I made some sample tarts with this only a few days ago and not only did it take forever to get it to mix in with the wax, but once I poured the wax and FO mixture into my portion cups, it appears that the oil sunk to the bottom of the cups (this is very easy to see as I left the wax uncolored and the oil is super dark). I did mix it quite well - two minutes or more- and I know the wax was pretty cool when poured because I work with such a small amount of wax at a time that it cools rather quickly. Anywho...has anyone else had any trouble with this oil sinking? For tarts I guess that would be be too big of a deal because they are just melted, but I would think this would be an issue for candles...right?

I was making some wax melt samples today with some of my new FOs and I realized that I have a ton of baker scents, but nothing with peanut butter (which is my husbands favorite). So...I think I need to find a good one and make some melts for him! Anyone here come across a good peanut butter cookie FO? I have done some reading and get the feeling that peanut butter is a hard scent to capture...so are there any that come close? I am looking specifically for a peanut butter cookie fo, but if anyone has any additions recs for ANY good peanut butter fo, I would enjoy those too! My hubby LOVES peanut butter!

Lol! It is so funny that you posted this, because I was just thinking about this very thing about an hour ago! I just received a massive sample order from AHRE (I ordered their B&B fall/holiday sampler along with 9 other oils and the two free oils - 40 oils in total I think) and...sadly...was less than impressed with most of them OOB. The one that comes to mind that most exemplifies your thoughts is their Bonfire Bliss. It receives so much love here, and because of that I was so excited to get it in my hot little hands, but cringed when I sniffed it OOB. To me, it smells like stinky feet...yuck! I know I need to get it in some wax to get a true sense of what it it, but I have such a hard time wanting to do that now. *sigh* Another one that comes to mind is their Pumpkin Pie (KY). I read on here that it is a super close dupe to Yankee's Spiced Pumpkin, but OOB it smells nothing like the Yankee classic I have come to know and love. I do plan to push through my hesitance with this one though. I need to learn to not judge UNTIL it is in wax. On the flip side...a few weeks ago I made a huge batch of wax melts with a sample order I placed from Just Scent (2 wax melts per FO). Most of them I was not too excited about, but pushed though anyway. I have not had time to melt them all yet, but the two that I was most unsure about (Chestnuts & Brown Sugar and Caramel Apple Cheesecake) have been my most favorite so far! Even on cold sniff I was not too fond of either of them, but once I got them in the warmer...oh my they were fantastic!

I am putting together my wishlists for a couple of suppliers and I noticed that I have caramelized pralines for both AHRE and ICS. Have any of you tried either of this oil for either of these suppliers? Do you have a favorite?

Ooooh this has me interested in trying it! I am on the lookout for an amazing sugar cookie to use on its own and to blend with. I am a huge fan of Yankee's Christmas Cookie and have yet to find an oil that I like as good as that one. I am trying to cut down on the number of supplies that I order from, but if it is that good, I will gladly make an exception! Too bad this oil is out of stock at the moment...humph. I will have to check back in soon. Thanks so much for the review!

Mmm...if you happen to mix it soon, please let us know what you think! I just realized that I am off work on Monday which is the day my packaged is scheduled to arrive! Wahoo!

I have wondered what this would smell like mixed with KY's Toasted Marshmallow. I have not smelled Bonfire Bliss, but have it coming to me in an order that should arrive on Monday! Yay!

Unfortuntely I have not found a dupe yet. You would think that someone would have had one out by now since it was BBW's best seller last year. I will keep my fingers crossed that we will see one here pretty soon. I may or may not still have 8 HFO bottles that I bought last year from BBW...just in case I couldn't find a dupe by this fall...

Thanks bells...you are so sweet! I am glad to hear that I am not always the only person on this boat! I too an the type to research as much as I can before I start something new, and this forum has been an invaluable source in helping me find the information that I need to take that plunge! Everyone here has been so wonderful to answer my questions, and the search feature and archives are fantastic! I could read all day until my eyes get bloodshot and still have information unread...it it awesome! I agree in that I can only get better! I hope that at some point I can contribute as much as I have learned from this forum. Thanks again for your kind words!

Ok, so let me start out by saying that I am only a hobbyist, and I started making my own tarts about 6 months ago. I initially wanted to start making candles, but thought that tarts were a great way to get my feet wet, and I use tarts all the time anyway, so it just made sense that that is where I should start. Also, I make soap and thought that small test batches would be a great way to use up some of my FO remnants from soap making. Well…this whole time I have been making my own tarts I have not been pleased with my results. At first, I was very excited to make my tarts, and I would even daydream about how wonderful they would smell and how happy I would be when my home smelled amazing, but my joy stopped there. Every time I would warm up one of my tarts I found myself thinking, “yes this smells good, but not nearly as good as Yankee’s ______ or Slatkin’s _____.” I had heard from so many people that their homemade tarts/candles were infinitely better than the mass produced retailers, but I didn’t feel like that was the case with me. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know that it takes time to find your right wax, and to make the tarts correctly (proper measuring, etc.), but I didn’t think that is were I was going wrong. I have no doubt in my mind that I could produce (if not now, that at some point in the future with more practice) a product that performs better than the mass produced ones, I just didn’t think it was possible to make a product that smelled better than those mass produced products that I loved. I have to admit that these thoughts left me feeling quite defeated…until…I popped my German Chocolate Cake (Peak’s) tart into my warmer last night. Oh…my…GOODNESS…it smelled soooo good! I could not stop sniffing the air and telling my husband how wonderful it smelled! In those moments all my doubts about finding amazing smelling FOs were swept away! I feel that I can now say with confidence that it is possible to make a dang good smelling tart!! Yay!! :whoohoo: All this excitement aside, I know in reality that it can take many many tries to find that right FO for your needs, but with all my perceived failings I failed to keep in mind this timeless truth which left me discouraged. I have never been a very patient person, so this hobby has been great for me…as long as I keep my head about me! Here’s to hoping I can push through the testing phases with more patience and excitement, and here’s to many more successes in the future! So...has anyone else out there had a similar experience to mine? Do you ever get tired of testing? What renews your excitement of the craft? I would love to hear you experiences and any suggestions that you have to keep me motivated during the "hard times." TIA!!

Now, CS is Candle Science right?...I have heard many great things about their pumpkin pie and may need to plot an order to try it out. I am trying to stick to a handful of suppliers, but when so many have glowing reviews it is hard to resist! I am glad to hear you like ICS baked apples! This was the first oil on my ICS wishlist! I am trying to dupe my all-time favorite candle (Salt City's Baked Apple) and I do hope this oil comes close! I have had bad luck with apple scents lately...they all seem to smell like a craft store to me, and not like the delicious baked goods they are advertised as. *sigh* Maybe my sniffer is broken...:undecided I may have to come to grips with the fact that I may need to do a custom blend to get what I want. I am not sure why I resist that so much, but I do. I guess I want a easy way out. Who knows...I may be pleasantly surprised by the results. Speaking of Spiced apples and peaches...have you tried the one from AHRE? I just placed an order and added that one in at the last minute. I LOVE peach scents (when done well) and I am all for a way to make peaches more of a fall scent...sort of like YC's Farmer's Market...yum! I also ordered KY's Homemade Apple Pie. I really hope this will finally be THE apple pie for me. From what I mentioned above, I am about to give up on my quest to find a baked apple scent that does not smell like a craft store. Oooh this sounds nice! I may have to break my "limited suppliers rule" again to check it out if the Apple Pumpkin Strudel from AHRE doesn't work out. My hankering for an apple/pumpkin blend came from the YC catalog I just received. I did the little scratch and sniff of their pumpkin apple scent and it was very nice. I plan to stop by a local store that caries their candle to see if they have that scent in stock to get a better sniff, but from what I remember it did not have very much if any spice. Thanks!!

These are awesome recs...thank you! I have been on the lookout for a good mac apple, so I will have to check that one out! I think I messed up my original post and title in the way I typed my question...as I am looking for some FO recs that have both apple and pumpkin in the same oil! If anyone knows how I can edit my post title, please let me know so I can make it right. Sorry everyone for the confussion and mistake...I am still a noob!

I am thinking about trying AHRE's Apple Pumpkin Strudel, but thought I would ask around to see if there were any other apple and pumpkin FOs that are worth trying out. Any recommendations?

Oh yes...this sounds great! I will just add this to the already mile long wishlist that I have started for ICS! To the top of the list it goes! Ooh that does sound yummy! Do you mind if I ask which campfire FO you are using in your delicious blend?

I already have KY's Toasted Marshmallow, and yes it is amazing, but I don't get any toasted notes. I love using KY's TM as a straight marshmallow, but I have a HUGE craving for something with that great toasted note that campfire mallows have! Any recs? TIA!!

Wonderful! Thank you! Your timing could not be any better because I was just plotting my next order to peaks!

Oh...what a great idea! I think I may even have a glass dropper around here somewhere! Now where did I last see that...?!?! This sounds like a great thing...where do you buy yours? I don't think I know what they look like. Do you happen to have a link?

I have run out of the pipettes (plastic droppers) I use to measure out my fo's for soap bar and small wax melt tests. Do any of you use a different method to measure out small precise amounts of FO for tests that does not require a pipette (by small I mean 7.6 grams)? If so, I would love to know! I feel that I may explode if I don't get some of my new oils into some wax!

Ok...I finally had a chance to bust out the new samples that I ordered and sniff them, and all I can say WOW! Based on OOB sniffs, I have no disappointments, which is a HUGE relief since that last time I ordered form JS I had very few "winners." They all smell fantastic... especially the Oatmeal Cookie w/Icing! Here is my brief OOB review of each of the scents: Aspen Winter - as a previous posted mentioned, it smells exactly like Slatkin Winter! Caramel Apple Cheesecake - smells just like all the componants, apples, caramel, cheesecake. I also get a hint of a graham cracker crust. I can't wait to get this one into wax! Chestnuts and Brown Sugar - I get a sweet nutty scent with hints of caramel. Since this is a best seller for them, I am curious to see how it blooms in wax. Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies - definitely more chocolate than cookie, but I do still get a cookie note. Yum! Hot Chocolate Peppermint - lots of hot cocoa with a hint of peppermint. This one seems the weakest OOB, but it is advertised as being super strong. Hopefully it blooms in wax. Oatmeal Cookie with Icing Yum, yum and more yum! Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks megandgarr for your recommendation! Toasted oats with cinnamon and spices and hits of frosted goodness! Peppermint Bark - my absolute favorite from the whole bunch! Perfect blend of dark chocolate and icy peppermint! It smells better than the Salt City Candle I was trying to dupe! It is not so much a peppermint patty as I picture that would be more peppermint with a hint of chocolate, whereas this one is and even blend of the two! I will be burning this all season long! I hope it does as good in wax as it smells in the bottle! Pumpkin Cookie Crunch - smells just like a sweet, soft, fluffy pumpkin cookie! I get both a pumpkin spice note and a sweet cookie note! My third favorite from the whole bunch! Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll - Smells more like pumpkin cheesecake smells like to me. I don't get a log of cake notes with it, but that may change once in wax! I LOVE pumpkin cheesecake, so this one did not disappoint! Pumpkin Marshmallow - just as the name says, pumpkin spice mixed with marshmallows. Very delicious! Overall, I am so very pleased that I gave JS another chance! I love all of these oils and if they pass my wax melt test, I will head back and purchase the biggest size! Speaking of making wax melts, I have run out of the pipettes (plastic droppers) I use to measure out my fo's for soap bar and small wax melt tests. Does anyone use a different method to measure out small amounts of FO for tests that does not require a pipette? If so, I would love to know! I feel that I may explode if I don't get these oils into some wax!

Thanks for the heads up about the temperature. I was just wondering what temp I should add my FO since both of the waxes have different working temps (according to Peak's website)...but not by much! Ah...vaulted ceilings...makes the room look so large and open, but such a pain to scent! I am glad to hear that the 40 watt helps with that. I purchase a pack of bulbs a long time ago, but have not used them yet. They've got to be around here somewhere...!

Oh you are so sweet! I really think I will like it as well! Even if my sniffer doesn't think it is the same, I am just happy to find an Oatmeal Cookie FO that does not have a raisin note to it! Yipee! I am glad to hear you have enjoyed some of the FOs that I purchased! Speaking of which, I think I may have added the pumpkin cookie crunch based on one of your posts on the fragrance board. I am actually quite excited about that one and the peppermint bark. Salt City Candles has a peppermint bark that I just love, so I hope it close. I will be sure to share my thoughts when they get here. Thanks again for your help!