Jewelry Candles

As I awoke this morning, I found myself doing something I don't normally do first thing.  I'm a habitual waker-upper, yes that's what I'm calling it, and outside of my routine of coffee-bathroom-couch, I began lighting candles.  I can't say that I was fully aware of what I was doing at the time considering I had only been awake for maybe a total of two minutes.  However, as I have moved on to the third part of my morning routine, sitting on the couch, I feel a sense of peace as the sweet scent of Fall fills my home.  I'm not really sure when Autumn officially starts, but with the help of a new company out of Louisville, I have been able to get a jump-start into my favorite time of the year!  If you haven't already heard about Jewelry Candles keep reading.  These candles may surprise you, in the best of ways!

You may be wondering about the name, Jewelry Candles.  What's up with that name?  Well, let me tell you about my favorite part of these candles, which happens to be the first part of the name.  Jewelry!  Each candle comes with a piece of jewelry hidden inside.  It's like Cracker Jacks for grown ups!  Light the candle, and wait for the wax to burn down enough to reveal your prize!  In the melted wax, you will see pink foil, which covers each piece of jewelry.  Inside the pink foil will be a plastic bag which protects the jewelry from being covered in wax. 

 Inside you will find a piece of jewelry ranging anywhere from a ring, earrings, bracelet, etc.  Jewelry Candles claims on their website that the jewelry inside can be worth anywhere from $10-$7500!  That got me excited!  I personally bought two of these candles, both of which had rings inside.

 The first ring surprised me a little.  Upon examination, I found the numbers and letters 18KTGE inside.  I knew this meant something, but I wasn't sure exactly what the meaning was.  I took this ring to an appraiser, who told me that the inside meant 18 karat gold electroplate.  I was excited at first to hear the word "gold", but the appraiser wasn't finished.  He then continued to tell me that electroplate means that the ring is actually made of another metal, probably bronze, and then covered in a thin layer of gold.  He told me that because the ring wasn't solid gold, it wasn't worth much at all.  However, I was still impressed by the ring I had just pulled out of a candle earlier in the morning.  This gave me hope for future pieces of jewelry.  I had proof that not all pieces of jewelry were just costume!

The second ring was a piece of costume jewelry, probably worth about $10.  It was a beautiful silver colored butterfly surrounded by clear stones.  The body of the butterfly was a very pretty purple stone.  I actually liked this ring more than the one that had potential of being worth some money.  It is such a pretty ring that could be worn with almost anything!

Aside from the jewelry surprise in each candle, I really want to tell you about the candles themselves.  Each candle is 21ounces of highly scented soy wax.  I love that these are soy candles!  Soy versus paraffin wax wins every time in my book!  Soy is a naturally derived wax which burns clean and longer than paraffin, which is petroleum based.  Have you ever noticed a puff of black coming from your candles?  If you have, then you are probably burning a paraffin candle.  Paraffin candles are mixed with many different chemicals to create the smell they emit.  Soy candles are made from natural ingredients which burn clean, no black soot, so you don't have to worry what kind of chemicals are being put into your air.  Their soy wax is 100% natural and non-toxic.  Soy candles last a really long time too!  I have been burning mine for about a week now and still have a little over half of the candle left!  Not only do they last, but the scent stays just as strong as the first time I lit my candles!

 I have ordered candles online from different companies in the past that were delivered to my home, some of which arrived in broken glass containers.  This was my main concern when ordering my candles.  When my package arrived I cautiously opened the box, hoping that my candles had arrived in perfect condition.  Upon opening the box, I was immediately surprised, and also impressed, by how my candles had been packaged for shipping.  This was truly the best packaging job I have seen so far for such a delicate item.  Both candles were completely protected with a durable bubble wrap, enough to limit movement of the glass in the box.  Not a single scratch or crack in the glass!  Oh, did I mention that I received my candles in just 2 days?!?  I am definitely happy with the how and when my candles arrived!

I was somewhat skeptical of these candles before buying them.  I thought to myself, "This sounds too good to be true!"  I had many doubts including the quality of the candles themselves and also the jewelry inside.  After trying them for myself, those doubts are long gone!  I know now that these are great products as a whole!  I love the scent that fills my home as I burn these candles, and the jewelry is just as beautiful as I had hoped for!  After a week with my Jewelry Candles I have found myself neglecting all of my other candles.  My Jewelry Candles are the only ones that I want to burn now!

The Basics

A Clean Canvas

Before you can even begin to think about applying makeup of any kind, you must remember to start with a clean, moisturized face.  If your skin is oily, your makeup will only appear shiny and slide all over the place!  If your skin is dry, your makeup will settle into dry areas and appear patchy and flaky.   I myself have combination/acne prone skin. I have been testing several products for my skin type over the past year, from high end to drugstore products, and have found myself madly in love with the Clean & Clear Advantage line for acne prone skin.  I use both a gel cleanser, which you can see on the left, and an exfoliating cream, which you can see on the right.  I have also been through several moisturizers as well, some of which I liked.  But none compared to the St. Ives Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin Facial Moisturizer.  It's light weight and full of moisture!  I haven't had a patch of dry skin in months now!  Find a face wash that is compatible with your skin type and be sure to wash, pat face dry with a clean towel, and apply moisturizer onto your entire face and neck.  Allow your skin to absorb the moisturizer (this usually takes about 5 minutes), and then you are ready to apply your makeup.