Dark Candles: Light for Those Who Prefer the Dark

I received a sample tea light candle from Dark Candles in one of my Black Boxes and fell in love with the scent (Chocolate Bat) and the concept behind the business. Their catch phrase is "Light for those who prefer the dark". This really couldn't be any more true.  This company specializes in candles that have an occult theme to them, which honestly just makes them all the more fun!

I decided to buy their flat rate choose your own votive candle set.  You get 6 votive candles for $18 including shipping! As you can see my package also came with a free wax melt, stickers, business cards, and a point card for $10 when you spent $100! I also had an issue with shipping when I was trying to place my order and they literally responded to my question in under 20 minutes.  Their customer service is amazing and my issue was fixed in no time.

The quality of this company is top notch.  The candles have strong scents to them and they burn very nicely.  Therefore for this review I will be focusing on only the scents as the quality is already a 10/10 for me.

Half of these were for my boyfriend for Valentine's Day so unfortunately not all of them are scents I'm particularly fond of, so don't take my person review too seriously for those candles.  

Midnight

A dark and musky masculine scent (Drakkar Type and Midsummer's Night Dream Type). Dark Black.

This was supposed to go to my boyfriend as I figured you can't go wrong with dark and musky for a guy, however I was quite surprised when I opened it up to find it smells exactly like his deodorant. I suppose that is not necessarily a bad smell but there is no way I was going to give my boyfriend a candle that smelled like his armpits, haha! Instead I shall keep this one for myself.  While I'm not crazy about a scent like this as a candle, I think it will be nice to light whenever I am missing him and want to be reminded of a good time we've had together.

Mage

A dark and masculine vetivert blend with desert florals and sage, reminiscent of ages past. Dark Purple.

I had bought this one for myself but because I'm keeping the Midnight candle, this one is going to go to my love instead.  I won't lie I'm a bit sad to give this up, it smells so lovely. The description is spot on.  It is very dark and masculine with a slight hint of floral.  I would definitely buy this in a full size, it is a very calming scent for me.

Dark Grove

A century year old grove of redwood trees with a cinnamon undertone. Dark Green.

This one I got with my boyfriend in mind as he loves cinnamon while I really can't stand it as a smell, I don't mind the taste however. Therefore I am probably not the best person to judge this candle. The cinnamon is definitely there but it is also mixed with something else which is I suppose the trees. I was imaging more of a cedar or pine type scent with this, but that's not what it is like at all.  Perhaps it is more of a leafy scent? I'm not sure I really can't pinpoint it but it does smell familiar.

Penny Royal

Pennyroyal is a highly aromatic member of the mint family with lovely notes of menthol and bitter spices. Pennyroyal has been used as a medicinal herb for centuries, and is also effective as an insect repellant. Dark Purple.

This one has the strongest scent out of all the candles for sure.  Its the only one that you can easily smell while it is still in its wrapper.  This one is for my boyfriend as well. He loves mint and I really don't, neither the taste nor smell.  I'm kind of on the fence about whether I want to give this to him or not.  I stopped reading at mint and totally missed the insect repellent part.  That is definitely the vibe I get when I smell this.  To me this smell is just really gross and I'm a bit worried he will hate it too....

Amber Velvet

A deep amber softened with a layer of tender velvet and a touch of citrus-y bergamont and vanilla. Dark Purple.

This one definitely does not smell as I expected it to. I love amber and vanilla so I was really excited about this one but I think the citrus and bergamont comes out so strongly that I barely even smell any amber. It is still a nice scented candle, but I bought this because of the amber and I am a little bummed that it ended up not being the strongest note.

Dracula

Like a fine wine he only gets better with age. Add a touch of aged merlot with some turkish spices sweetened with masculine musk. It’s a sexy scent with a bite to it! Dark Red.

This is another one I bought for myself.  I had a huge thing for vampires when I was younger so it was definitely the name that initially brought me to this candle, but the scent description sold me on it.  Wine. Yes.  It is definitely sweet, like a cherry sweet, but it is balanced with the dark musk as described. I don't think wine when I smell this but it is nice nonetheless. This is the one I chose to burn first and I think it smells much better while burning than it does smelling it straight from the wax.  I would definitely get this one again!

Dark Carnival

This scent will evoke images of dark laughter, midway games, freaky side shows, and seedy characters! A blend of Warm caramel popcorn, nutty candy apples, and fluffy cotton candy. This scent is not for eating - although you just might be tempted! Dark Black

To me what really comes out strongly is the caramel and nutty notes.  It literally smells like candied nuts. This was my free sample and while the smell is nice, It isn't really my thing.  I'm not a huge fan of foody scents in my candles, I generally prefer florals , fruits, and musk, but I will enjoy this little bunny shaped melt while it lasts!


I will definitely be making another purchase from dark candles in the future. I need Mage and Dracula and also want to try out some of their other scents.  It is a really nice small business with a cool theme and high quality products, don't hesitate to check them out!

www.darkcandles.com

Black Box Subscriptions November 2015

Happy New Years Eve everyone!!

My 3rd Black Box arrived before Christmas but I've been so busy that I only had a chance to open it afterwards.  This box was pretty fun and once again I'm excited for the next one so I'll keep subscribing for now!

Here is a picture of the overall contents. Not pictured is the black nail polish....right after filming the unboxing video I dropped it and the bottle broke so I had to throw it out.  But that's ok because I'll get another one next month, haha.

Kleancolor Eye Bow-Tux Matte Shadow Palette

So first up is the makeup item for this month.  I am very very happy about this as it is absolutely perfect for me.  I love colorful shadows and I love matte. It is also a super tiny size which is PERFECT for travel.  My only travel palette right now is all neutrals so it will be really nice to have a colorful travel palette as well. It seems that I got this in the shade Gala Diva.

I quickly swatched the colors and they are not incredibly pigmented but this is also over bare skin with no primer and not built up.  I think these will be just fine as a quick to go solution over some primer and built up to a good opacity.  I probably won't use the green side very often but the pinks and purples will be used very frequently.

Here is an eye look I put together using four of the colors from this palette.  Going from left to right on my arm swatches on my lid is #1, in my crease is #11, in my inner corner is #9, and on my lower lashline is #10. I used a matte black NYX shadow to add depth to my outer corner. On my lips is Kat Von D's Ayesha.  I am definitely digging the quality of this palette. It's not the Electric palette for sure...but it also doesn't cost $50.

I am very happy about this palette!

Where to buy: kleancolor.com

Price: $6

Bat Sticker

One of the random goodies this month is this super adorable sparkly bat sticker.  I definitely prefer this over the Halloween stickers from my last few boxes as this one is thicker, and just overall better in every way. I will definitely be sticking this somewhere fun.

Ghost Charm

This adorable little ghost was wrapped around the black nail polish that I stupidly dropped and broke this month.  He is super adorable and will be attached to something soon.

Spooky Potion Halloween Ornament Craft Kit

This month included a very different kind of item.  It is a crafty sort of item, specifically a build it yourself ornament.  I got the ornament in the Spooky Potion variety and built it soon after filming the unboxing video.

Not going to lie...the instructions were pretty unclear and weird to follow so I honestly just did what seems to be right, which when looking at the item page...was not exactly correct.  It said to adhere the clear part to the hollow circle but my circle piece had no adhesive on it.  Also the larger top part, when you take off the back to make it sticky the top portion is not stuck to anything so instead it stuck to my table.  I had to cut the paper backing and stick it back on to prevent it from sticking to everything.

So even though it isn't exactly correct it still does what it is meant to and was fun to put together.  I really liked the addition of this to the box this month!

Where to buy: orientaltrading.com

Price:$2.28

Owl Pin

Oh my goodness.  Look at this owl pin. OH MY. It is just too awesome.  I don't really use pins but I will find a bag to put this one because it is just so amazing.  The owls are so cute but intense and just aaah!! I love this piece and its one of my favorite things from the box.

I could not find this exact pin so based on others of its kind I would say it is $3-5

Lock and Key Earrings

These are definitely not my favorite kind of jewelry as I feel they aren't really my style.  They kind of look like they should be but I don't know...maybe its the asymmetry, I'm just not in love with them. I will definitely wear them however, maybe they just need to grow on me.

I couldn't find these exact ones online but I'd guess they are between $2-4.

Moon Bead Necklace

This piece definitely looks handmade. It is a black cord featuring a crescent moon bead framed by two decorative silver beads.  It is very cute and dainty and at first look I didn't think I'd like it but I ended up really liking how it looked with my outfit after trying it on.

I will definitely be wearing this when I want a more subdued piece of jewelry!

Element 18 Bath Fizz A Forest

This month's guest business was Element 18.  I have browsed their site before and found it to be mostly jewelry so I am excited to try out something different from them. This is a bath fizz in the scent A Forest and it definitely smells as such. It has many earthy notes to it and is quite pleasant.  The instructions say to use this entire bag for one bath.

This brand does not seem to have any bath products on their store page so I have no way to say what this costs but I'd guess maybe $2-3

So overall, trying to estimate based on actual and estimated prices, I'd say this box comes out to $19-24 which makes this potentially one of the most expensive boxes so far!

As I said early I am once again satisfied and will definitely be continuing my subscription!

www.blackboxsubscriptions.com

Watch me unbox it!

Wish App Haul Review Video

Hello everyone! This is my first Haul from the app called Wish, which can also be found online at Wish.com. Watch me review all the things I bought!

I hope you enjoyed my review of the myriad of random things I purchased and hopefully it helps you decide what you do or do not want from this app/website.

The links to all the items I bought are in the Youtube description so you can check out the exact item I purchased.

Kamelot Inspired Makeup Attempt

So as I mentioned in an earlier post I'm starting to rediscover my love for symphonic and prog metal.  In high school I was absolutely obsessed with Nightwish and Sonata Arctica.  I recently met a guy who is still very much into this style of music and he has rekindled my lost love.  He told me about Kamelot's newest album Silverthorn so of course I hopped on Youtube to check out some songs from it. Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife) was the first one I watched and I was instantly in love with the guest vocalist Elize Ryd's eye makeup.  I knew I would not be satisfied until I tried to recreate it, and so I did!

Here is the video, starting at 3:50 is where I took most of my reference pictures from. Silverthorn is amazing, if you like this kind of music I would definitely recommend it.

So here we go! I had so much fun doing this and just as much fun taking pictures! This look makes my eyes look HUGE.

Here is a side by side open and closed eye shot. This makeup is everything my high school self wished I had the skills to do.  On my lips is Buxom's Lip Polish in Sandy.

To do this look I first put down some UD primer potion and then NYX Milk as a base.  The eye shadow is entirely from Pop Beauty's eye shadow trio in Smokin Hot.  I lined my eyes with NYX gel liner and smudger.  I also put some NYX Milk on my waterline.  

And then because I'm ridiculous I tried imitating the faces from my reference pictures.  This was the result.  I am the definition of sexy, no? Hahahaha. This is embarrassing I can't believe I'm showing you guys this :P

I hope you liked my recreation attempt. I really wish I'd have had some false lashes I think it really would have added to the look.  Next up, I've been really loving Simone Simon's makeup from Kamelot's The Haunting music video...so maybe that will be next :)

<3__)~