Harlem Candles Savoy Candle Review

 And post number two....we have a candle from Harlem Candles. I bought a few in the Black Friday sale. It's become a Black Friday tradition for me. Harlem Candles is still one of my favorite brands...and I love that it's black owned. I love supporting black owned brands. 

Harlem Candles:

The Savoy Ballroom was the soul of Harlem, and kept Lenox Avenue jumping for decades. It was a block long, dripping with glittering crystal chandeliers and an elegant marble staircase, and is known for having birthed the Lindy Hop.

Top Notes: Ozone, Cassis, Mandarin

Middle Notes: Lily of the Valley, Pear, Apple, Jasmine

Base Notes: Musk, Sandalwood

The glamour and excitement of nights on that iconic dance floor are beautifully reflected with a luscious overture of blackcurrant, tart mandarin, crisp green apple and juicy pear evolving into a flirtatious floral heart of lily of the valley and jasmine petals. Sensual sandalwood and sheer musk bring warmth to perfectly balance this intoxicating blend.

I wasn't sure about this candle. I am not a fan of most fruity scents. I like a mix of scent families- fruity floral, woody/resinous etc. I am glad I got in on sale because it's not my kind of candle scent. But also, I feel like I have had this candle before. From what I can remember it smells exactly like the Luminary Candle.  Even the notes are similar. I'm really convinced it's the exact same candle. 

I can't say I get any of the top notes- and definitely no cinnamon. It's not a spicy scent at all. Just like a sour fruit type scent. If you are expecting something woody or complex...I don't think this is the one. I think it's better than what you might get from a cheapie candle- but if I were looking for something to try from the brand and you have the same candle taste as me- this isn't it. It does smell more like tropical fruit- without smelling like tropical fruit.

Other than that the quality is nice. I think Harlem changed their wicks- I haven't noticed it smoking much. Or not as much as my candles from a few years ago. 

It comes with two wicks...which I prefer the ones that have one because I feel like they burn slower so you get your money's worth. 

This is strong enough to fill a room but not overly strong. It doesn't linger around. I am kinda surprised it's not stronger though....

Overall, this one was disappointing. The Josephine and Speakeasy Candle are still my top favorites from the brand...

Shirley Murdock

 

My goal for today is to knock out three posts. So here we are starting with a quick music post. 

  Posting the original As We Lay. I heard the remake by Kelly Price way before I heard the original and I was not a fan of it. I remember having it on one my my mixed albums and I always, always skipped it. 

I still don't love the song...but I do like it. So it has a place in my playlist. She definitely sang this song and did her thing. I was hoping to find a live clip- but no such luck. Or at least none that had great quality.

Surprising to me the Kelly Price version has so many more views (more popular?). 

Still worth a listen though for the original.

Essie Tart Deco Nail Polish Review

Next post, a quick nail color post. Finally posting the review for this color. I have put this color on at least three times but every time I needed to take pictures of it, I didn't. I've been wearing this since Tuesday night and although there are dents and chips, I am not going to redo and rewear it for at least a few months so here we are! 

Essie claims:

sassy, stylish and darling, just so south beach. chic and modern, this dreamy coral nail lacquer is an artistic burst of color that creates a manicure masterpiece.

I bought this color as a "vacation" color a couple years back. I just love a bright, pink/ orange, or coral for vacation and I was drawn to this color.

It's a pretty  and I think it used to be very unique at one point. I think there are dupes of it now. And likely Essie has duped itself. It's a coral pink. Super bright. I love the color but I don't think it's the most flattering on me-not even as a pedicure shade. I think it's easier to pull off in the summer heat though. It feels very out of place on me right now. But that never stops me from wearing any color in whatever season.

The thing I dislike the most is the application. It has a tendency to go on streaky. You definitely want to do thicker coats and also want to make sure you grab enough polish on the brush to actually coat the nail. Too little and it creates more streaks and becomes even more frustrating to work with. So I like to grab a lot. Luckily even though I do thicker coats I don't find it takes any longer to dry.

Wear time is going to depend on your base/top coats. I think it wears a bit better than I was expecting. It looks decent for a few days before I need to take it off.

It's a pretty color...formula is harder to work with. But then again I do have the one with the older brush. It might be easier with the new brush. I like the color but once I use up this bottle I wouldn't repurchase it. Which is probably a good thing because I just looked and it's discontinued...

Mistral Floral Rose Poivree Bar Soap Review

Time to get back to my regularly schedule blogging. I had a wonderful vacation though---got to spend a ton of time with my family and visit New York. I wasn't in New York long but I got into a lot of great things- saw my first Broadway musical, treated to Omakase by sister as an early birthday gift, got to see the Rockefeller Tree and visit Times Square. I really had a great time. 

Mistral claims:

• Gently cleanses and replenishes skin

Starting off the new year trying out a new brand. I don't know much about the Mistral brand except that it's made in France. I think I ended up buying this in order to make shipping minimums. And I think I had a coupon code I needed to use from Anthropologie. I have another coupon code I really need to use soon...will probably end up buying a birthday gift with that one. 

They had three scents to choose from and I ended up going with the Rose one because I have been convinced I really want Rose scented things. But every time I get Rose soaps/candles, it's never what I actually wanted. I have been living a lie I guess. 

The rose scent on this is pleasant. Medium strength. But not very memorable. It's different from the Jo Malone Red Roses scent. I think this is more of a general rose scent. It isn't overly powdery. You just sniff it and know it's a rose scent but beyond that...meh.

The bar itself is pretty large though should last quite awhile. I would say almost a month. It does seem to be triple-milled so it doesn't just melt away under the water. The lather is decent too- nice and bubbly. However it can be a bit drying. Or maybe that was just the water I was using while traveling. And maybe the extra cold weather. My skin wasn't very happy with me but has since gone back to normal for the most part.

Ingredients:

• Rose Poivree: Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Aqua (Water), Parfum (Fragrance), Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Glycerin, Palm Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Palm Kernel Acid, Sodium Chloride, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Aluminum Hydroxide, CI 73360

Overall, this was OK to use. But not something I would seek out or recommend unless you were looking for a more affordable rose scent. For the price, it's not bad! 

L'occitane Cherry Blossom Perfumed Soap Review

 I hope everyone had a very Happy and Merry Christmas...I can't believe Christmas came and went so quickly this year. Really the whole year flew by. I have a few reviews I want to get up before the end of the year- but I don't think I'll get to them all. We shall see and I will try.

I definitely want to review this soap because I only have a sliver of it left. It was a tiny bar so at most you may get a week. Perfect to sample the scent. But it does not come in a larger size. 

L'occitane claims:

The Cherry Blossom Perfumed Soap gently cleanses skin as it delights your senses.

Enriched with a cherry extract from the Luberon region of Provence, this plant-based soap leaves skin delicately perfumed with a floral fruity scent.

I have no idea what Cherry Blossom really smells like. Probably the most well known Cherry Blossom scent is the one from Bath and Body Works.  I really dislike that scent though. The best one was a long discontinued scent from The Body Shop. I also had a bath gel from Kneipp.  None of those smell anything like the other so I am completely lost on what Cherry Blossom smells like. 

This is completely different. It's very perfume like. In the way you would use as a spray perfume. I was expecting something a little softer or gentler. It doesn't smell like a shower scent to me. It smells like an out of the shower spray.

It doesn't smell bad...I think it might be nicer as a hand soap or something. 

As for the soap itself- I am a fan of L'occitane soaps. They are nice on the skin, lather nicely. They rinse clean and  don't dry the skin. And they really get you clean. 

Bar soaps always have better ingredients than their gel counterparts. They are palm oil free so if you avoid palm oil for whatever reason but still prefer a bar soap- this could be a good option. It does have cherry fruit extract which is one of the more unique ingredients that is supposed to moisturize and soften the skin. 

Ingredients:

HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL - COCOS NUCIFERA (COCONUT) OIL - PALMITIC ACID - STEARIC ACID - SODIUM HYDROXIDE - AQUA/WATER - PARFUM/FRAGRANCE - PRUNUS CERASUS (BITTER CHERRY) FRUIT EXTRACT - SODIUM CHLORIDE - CITRIC ACID - TETRASODIUM GLUTAMATE DIACETATE - PROPYLENE GLYCOL - SILICA - KAOLIN - LIMONENE - LINALOOL - CI 77491/IRON OXIDES - CI 77007/ULTRAMARINES - CI 77499/IRON OXIDES

Overall, nice to try but I wouldn't buy it again in the bar soap form. 

Capri Blue Apple Cider Social Candle Review

 I definitely said in the last Capri Blue review that one would be the last for awhile. But I completely forgot I had this one. I think I wanted a candle to burn for Thanksgiving. And the mini size really appealed to me. So into the shopping cart it went.

Capri Blue claims: 

Cozy up to fall with this cutie pie! Our Apple Cider Social Glimmer Mini Tin is filled with spicy notes of crisp apple, cinnamon, juicy pear with grated clove and fresh nutmeg. This is just what you need to enjoy the autumn weather!

Poured in USA

Up to 15 hour burn time

Apple Cider scented candles can be found by basically any company....I didn't realize until I did a search but I've had quite a few of them. Including Cider Lane by Bath and Body and Apple Cider by Yankee. I can't remember how either smelled but from the reviews I'm thinking the Yankee scent was probably my favorite. 

I think this version is nice- it smells like Apple Cider. The apple notes aren't very crisp though and the cinnamon is slightly craft store like. It's a nice scent but nothing that will stick out or stand out and be memorable. A suitable scent for the holidays, would be a good one to burn for Thanksgiving. 

For such a tiny candle- it does have an impressive throw. It filled the room quite nicely.

The tin candle is pretty, festive, easy to travel with. 

Their wax is a mix of soy and paraffin. As long as you stay on top of trimming the wick you shouldn't have trouble with sooting or smoking. 

The only thing I have come to dislike is that the candle usually does not burn to the end. There is so much leftover wax...luckily I repurpose it and make a DIY candle to burn. 

Overall, it's nice. Nothing amazing. I probably wouldn't purchase again.