Aunt Smellman Review (Review Completed 7/28/14)

Vendor: Aunt Smellman

Review Author: Lindsay Sara

Order Date: June 1, 2014

Order Received: June 16, 2014

Pre-Review/Post Order:

The vendor was introduced to candles and wax melts by her mother-in-law. She wanted more of a variety than there was available where she lived in NC. About two years ago, Aunt Smellman began their very own research and development to determine how to make their own products. The name is not what it appears to be. The name actually originated from a grand-dog, named Melvin Smellman. Originally the grand-dog was going to be the face of the company. As luck has it, Melvin Smellman’s face was not what some would call marketable. When asked what inspires the genius behind company her response was “Life inspires me. Life is so great, fun, stressful, and diverse. Our moods and feelings can be a roller coaster every day. Scented rooms are a great way to equalize things and let us control our environments with smells that make us happy.” The vendor is honest. She said I can’t honestly say her company is any more different than another. All she can do is strive to be as good as the better companies out there, and put out a good product.

• Products:
• Clams
• Loaves
• Spoon Wax
• Shots
• Tarts
• Pot Pies
• Candles
• Samplers
  
  
• Where to Order: http://www.auntsmellman.com/
  
  
• Availability: Never seen the website close for orders.

• Turn Around Time (TAT): 10-20 days depending on order load.
  
  
• Price: $

• Cure Time: Recommends 4 to 5 days after you receive your order. I recommend curing no less than 2 weeks if any cure time at all is recommended. I will personally be waiting a month!
  
  
• Warmer Recommended: 24 watt warmer
  
  
• My Order:
• Blueberry Candy Crusher Scent Shot

-         Blueberry pixie stix!

• Cottontails Scent Shot

-         A blend of marshmallow fluff and marshmallow candy.

• Lime Cooler Scent Shot

-         Limes, lemons, and a hint of vanilla is just in time for the hot summer months ahead.

• Mexican Fried Ice Cream Scent Shot

-         Buttery whipped cream, vanilla bean, hints of toasted nut and grated cinnamon in a base of melted marshmallow.

• Peach Cotton Candy Scent Shot

-         Ripe peach and cotton candy. This one will make you hungry!

• Rainbow Cotton Candy Scent Shot

-         Tangy rainbow sherbet blended with sweet cotton candy.

• Redneck Mama Scent Shot

-         Sweet Mt Dew and Lime Margarita.

• Smitten Scent Shot

-         Cherry Popsicle with a soda pop fizz.

• Sweet Tea Scent Shot

-         Clean crisp tea and lemon.

• Tooth Fairy Scent Shot

-         Sugared berries, orange bubble gum, black cherry, and vanilla taffy.

• Tattoo Parlor Scent Shot

-         This smells like the green soap used at tattoo shops - super fresh and clean with floral notes. 

• Extra Love Received
• Candy (Literally received edible pieces of candy).
• Snow Taffy
• Toasted Marshmallow
  

• Picture of Order/Products

• Wax Look:
  It has a very clean look to it. The samples didn’t hold up as well with the hot weather, but that doesn’t bother me that much.  The scent shots were in great condition, not even a sparkle on top out of place.
  

• Cold Smell:
• Blueberry Candy Crusher (Scent Shot)

-         A sugary blueberry scent with a hint of sour in the mixture.

• Cottontails (Scent Shot)

-         A creamy sweet scent.

• Lime Cooler (Scent Shot)

-         A very strong lime scent.

• Mexican Fried Ice Cream (Scent Shot)

-         Ice cream scent with distinguishable notes of chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon.

• Peach Cotton Candy (Scent Shot)

-         A very strong peach scent!

• Rainbow Cotton Candy (Scent Shot)

-         A very pleasant mix of fruity scents!

• Redneck Mama (Scent Shot)

-         A very sweet lime scent. I really enjoy the cold smell of the scent shot.

• Smitten (Scent Shot)

-         Smells like a weak version of the popular scent Bite Me. Bite me is a black cherry scent with other fruity notes mixed in. It is actually one of my favorite scents.

• Sweet Tea (Scent Shot)

-         A strong lemon tea scent.

• Tooth Fairy (Scent Shot)

-         A very fruity mixture with a bubblegum scent as the most dominate note.

• Tattoo Parlor (Scent Shot)

-         A very floral like scent with maybe a hint of green soap.

Wax Melting Review: 

• Detailed Description of Each Smell
• Blueberry Candy Crusher (Scent Shot)

-         First let me comment on this shot in general…it was messy. I literally could not just pop it out. After a month of curing in a cold room, it was mushy like a scoopable wax. This was not what I was expecting.

-         A very sweet perfume note.

• Cottontails (Scent Shot)

-         Mushy…

-         A creamy sweet scent.

-         A perfect mixer scent.

• Lime Cooler (Scent Shot)

-         Lime mixed with a floral/perfume notes.

• Mexican Fried Ice Cream (Scent Shot)

-         Mushy…again.

-         Chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon notes. A clear creaminess that makes it a distinguishable ice cream scent. Some bakery notes as well.

• Peach Cotton Candy (Scent Shot)

-         Mushy again…

-         A very pleasant peach smell..can’t really detect any cotton candy.

• Rainbow Cotton Candy (Scent Shot)

-         Mushy..again. Very pleasant fruity aroma. Very reminiscent of rainbow sherbet scents.

• Redneck Mama (Scent Shot)

-         Mushy..surprised yet?

-         A very sweet lime smell. This is what we wish margaritas smelled like…but if they did..they probably wouldn’t taste very good :P . Overall, a very pleasant scent.

• Smitten (Scent Shot)

-         Upon very close assessment, smelled identical to the scent Bite Me.

-         The first scent shot I burned, and not mushy.

• Sweet Tea (Scent Shot)

-         Mushy..again…

-         Upon close sniff, I could smell lemon and a hint of floral.

• Tooth Fairy (Scent Shot)

-         Mushy..yet again.

-         Honestly..it just smells like bubblegum.

• Tattoo Parlor (Scent Shot)

-         Mushy..again.

-         Very strong floral scent.

• Comparison to Cold Smell
• Blueberry Candy Crusher (Scent Shot)

-         Different..unless extremely close than you can smell some of the blueberry that can be detected on the cold smell.

• Cottontails (Scent Shot)

-         Similar

• Lime Cooler (Scent Shot)

-         Similar, but slightly more floral/perfume.

• Mexican Fried Ice Cream (Scent Shot)

-         Similar, slightly more bakery tones noticeable.

• Peach Cotton Candy (Scent Shot)

-         Similar

• Rainbow Cotton Candy (Scent Shot)

-         Similar

• Redneck Mama (Scent Shot)

-         Similar

• Smitten (Scent Shot)

-         Similar

• Sweet Tea (Scent Shot)

-         Similar

• Tooth Fairy (Scent Shot)

-         Similar

• Tattoo Parlor (Scent Shot)

-         Similar

• Scent Throw:
• Blueberry Candy Crusher (Scent Shot)

-         1

• Cottontails (Scent Shot)

-         1

• Lime Cooler (Scent Shot)

-         Very strong 1

• Mexican Fried Ice Cream (Scent Shot)

-         1

• Peach Cotton Candy (Scent Shot)

-         2

• Rainbow Cotton Candy (Scent Shot)

-         A very strong 1

• Redneck Mama (Scent Shot)

-        

• Smitten (Scent Shot)

-         A very weak 1.

• Sweet Tea (Scent Shot)

-         A very weak 1.

• Tooth Fairy (Scent Shot)

-         A subtle 2

• Tattoo Parlor (Scent Shot)

-         3 

Sum Up:

This wax is average so far. It is extremely messy, and I highly recommend lots of paper towels or plastic spoons when using this wax. The scents vary in strength as do most companies. The owner is just delightful to talk to.

• Pros
• Wonderful customer service.
  
  
• Cons
• Messy wax.
  
  
• Overall Liked Scents
• Peach Cotton Candy
• Redneck Mama
• Cotton Tails
• Mexican Fried Ice Cream
  
  
• Overall Disliked Scents
• Smitten
• Lime Cooler
• Sweet Tea
• Blueberry Candy Crusher
• Tattoo Parlor

-         Just don’t like floral scents that much.

• Tooth Fairy

-         Never really got into bubblegum scents.

• How the wax could be improved?/Was it missing something?
• More consistency with ..well wax consistency.
• The mushiness did seem to improve the scent throw overall, but maybe include a plastic spoon or it gets kind of messy.
• If the maximum scent oil is not already being used, use more.
  
  
• Was it worth the money?
• Yes. This vendor is very inexpensive. The scents can be hit or miss, but it is definitely worth the try if some of the scents appeal to you.
  
  
• Would I purchase from this vendor again?
• I would be willing to give this vendor another try. Although this vendor will not earn a drawer in my most used vendors stash (yes I have a system of drawers labeled by vendor), I would probably purchase the liked scents again; they were definitely worth it. Although, I do recommend investing in some plastic spoons to scoop the softer wax. I also cannot speak to the other products. I do believe I would enjoy a candle in Redneck Mama, as it doesn’t require transferring of actual wax from one container to another.