Wax Haul-Super Tarts

There’s been a lot of Super Tarts action around these blogging parts. I may have been mightily influenced by Jess from The Meltdown Blog, Julie at The Redolent Mermaid and an IG friend who places a weekly (!) order. But for the frivolity of 3 orders in the space of a month, I have no one to blame but myself. Actually, maybe some blame is portioned to ST for having a bajillion scents I want to try, but never all in stock at the same time.

Pictured below is my first order since last summer, 6 clamshells from what I could catch of the Wizard of Oz release plus a couple I snagged for a friend. I must have been feeling blue with my mid-month clamshell order pictured above.Brandy offers a mind-boggling array of scent choices, notice how few repeat notes occur in the massive ST line-up. The scent collection is listed after each description to help with scent searching on the website. All clams are $4.00. Now then, let’s get to these 3 (gulp) orders, grouped by fragrance type:Masculine: a restock of these motivated my 2nd order last month.

Hades- Blue sugar and fireside (OUAT) If you’ve been reading the blog, you’ll recognize two of my current scent obsessions here. Brandy masters the cool cologne scents. Blue Sugar is fresh, delivers both sweet and spicy notes with an added touch of smoky mystery…mmm.

Isildur’s Heir- Frankincense, Myrrh, Green tweed, camu camu (LOTM) Frankincense is a hard to find scent. Lemony verbena refreshes while oud and amber transform the room with resinous spice. From the tweed, a dapper gentlemen’s soapy inhale emerges, then fades to a downy powder. Melting this felt very zen.Merlin- Silver Birch, Cashmere & Vetiver (OUAT) I adore woody cologne combos and Silver Birch is one of my favorite Yankee Candle scents. Merlin is grounded by exotic vetiver grasses and crisp green twigs, softened with lush amber vanilla cashmere, creating a magical blend.Beachy:

Iron Islands- (Game of Tarts) Dune grass, sea salt and teakwood. Grassy notes can be too harsh, and this one is for me. I wish it had a hay-like or cooler, beachy vibe, but on cold it’s a callow turf-like meadow. Those who love a dry grass note might enjoy it, though.Medusa- Sea Salt, Driftwood & oak moss (Olympian) At first pungent, the aged driftwood started pulling me in like the flowing current. The oak moss is perfumed, clingy, but not sharp. The presence of sea salt appears and disappears as does the rise and fall of the tides. Melts medium strength.

Posiedon-Blue Sugar, Cotton Candy, Sea Salt & Beachwood (Olympian)  Fabulous on my first impression melt of an hour, but by second melt, I don’t know what happened. Swifter than an angry ocean swell, an unpleasant sharpness cut through the sweetness; has anyone else had this happen? It hasn’t occurred with blue sugar or sea salt in other ST scents, so I suspect Beachwood is the culprit. I’ll experiment with melting a cube and timing exactly when it sours, maybe it can be saved for short melting stints when I don’t have much time. 

Likely wouldn’t repurchase any of the three above.Fruity:

Briarcliff-Mac Apple, Shaving Cream & Sea Salt (AHS) I had high hopes for this due to my love of Super Tart’s shaving cream and sea salt blends. Unfortunately, I forgot how dominant the macintosh apple can be. Its sweetness overpowered previous scents I’ve had, like Amityville, and I fear it will overpower again. Reserving final judgement till after melting, but I believe I’ll stay away from the mac apple in the future.

Dorothy-Cactus & Sea Salt, Camu Camu & Guava (Golden melts-currently sold out) Camu camu lends a splash of fruity juice to this ultra fresh blend. It’s clean with a tropical island vibe. Guava provides pink tartness, as refreshing as Dorothy’s retorts in the Golden Girls. The only repurchase in the bunch (ever from ST for me, actually, too many good choices).The Mindy Project- Blueberries, Mango chunks and a crisp White Sangria (Prime Time) Surprised that I haven’t heard any mention of this gorgeous scent. Crisp and refreshing as a berry cocktail sipped poolside, it’s sparkling but not fizzy, intoxicating, not boozy. No single note overpowers. This will be perfect on those scorching summer days.

No Ordinary Girl-Coconut cream, vanilla oak, tangerine and daisies (Wonderland Wax, currently sold out) Loved this so much on cold, though a little light. I thought it would be perfect on a hot spring day, however trying one cube, then two, it’s barely noticeable. Not sure what to make of it because it’s an anomaly for the usually great throw I’ve come to expect from ST.

If any readers have tried this scent with better results, please let me know. *I think it’s possible the oils leached into the packaging, because a plastic note resides where the scent used to be.Spicy:

Sirius-Blackberry, sandalwood and a hint of black pepper (Wizard’s Wax) With the famous blackberry, this fits into the fruity category but one cannot ignore the black pepper which is quite spicy. Warming releases a delicious plummy blackberry. Perfect choice for our movie night featuring Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Hey, there’s a collection I’d like to see Brandy formulate, maybe for the next installment.Scarecrow-Patchouli, sugar dusted wildberry mousse and sweet rain (Oz) My least favorite of any Super Tarts order. You know I love patchouli, however, one of these notes turns my stomach, possibly the sweet rain? I won’t be melting to find out. Ironically, my husband really likes it and has claimed it-I hope he melts it when I’m out of town.

Wizard-Toasted Mallow, Fireside & Cinnamon Sticks (Oz) Another unsuccessful Oz melt to me. Excited about these notes, but overwhelmed by the cinnamon sticks on cold throw. It’s the burn-your-nose-hairs kind I find too powerful to enjoy. Maybe the mallow comes through on warm? I’m sending to a friend who enjoys spicy cinnamon instead.Sweet:

Countess-Pistachio & Chai Sugar Milk (AHS currently sold out) Ooh, sweetened, spicy sugar milk is a favorite and this version is yummy. Nutty pistachio compliments but the sugar melts as thick as frosting. It’s so warm and comforting, love.

Cujo-Warm vanilla sugar, brown sugar figs and blackberry jam (Fright Night) An incredibly accurate Warm Vanilla Sugar dupe. No blackberry that I noticed, but the vanilla sugar is so concentrated, it dominates. Soft musk enhances the carmelization from the brown sugar hitting all of the sweet spots. Down to my last cube of this, will repurchase.Rosemary’s Baby-Bedtime Bath, Rosemary Mint and Herbal Lavender (Fright Night) Regretting not ordering this baby earlier, because of a bad first vendor melt with Rosemary Mint. After a year of vendor wax, I’m mad for these soothing notes. A bright mint balanced by the clean, romantic bedtime bath and punched up by the woody lavender. Well-balanced, not overly sweet.

Unfortunately no longer updating except Facebook, I’d heard through others, bam bags were announced as returning.

A handful of scents in $11.00 Bam bags are released for preorders for one day only, if you want a large portion of a scent you have to be quick to get it in the bags. I’d never gotten a chance to grab Tate or Violet separately, and I thought, what’s one more order?Tate/Violet– A blend of 2 highly sought after scents; Tate: Sweater Weather, Cotton Candy & Blackberry
Violet: Peppermint, Cotton Candy & Blackberry (AHS perpetually sold out)

I sneezed every time I brought a wax chunk close enough to sniff. Process of elimination led me to the peppermint. This makes sense because I sneeze any time I pop in a piece of peppermint gum, it just hadn’t occurred with a scent before.The same juicy blackberry is present here, but so too is a medicinal note that is amplified when melting. Again, I believe it’s the peppermint, combined with the cotton candy and berry resulting in a muddled cough syrup. This blend may be popular, but I don’t get it. I might try Tate individually if offered.Sample cubes with each order: 

Flame Princess-a generic fizzy fragrance

Ginny– happy to try, but it turns out I’m not keen on the Poppy perfume dupe.

Radley-Pear slices, brown sugar and chamomile, a glowing sweetness I enjoyed.

I’d love to say I have enough Super Tarts to last a year. But with the solid performing throw (in nearly all cases), the creative blends and irresistible nods to fandom, Super Tarts is my kryptonite. My to-try list keeps growing.

As always let me know your faves and which vendors you can’t resist, gotta rest my typing fingers now.