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I love jewelry, candles and surprises. All three combined? I'm sold! In this post, I'll share my experiences with three companies: Diamond Candles, JewelScent, and Prize Candles. Note that this review is strictly my opinion. None of the companies paid me or provided product. Everything that I show and describe was purchased by me. One last comment, this post may get a little long. If you don't care about candles, feel free to skip to the end and enter the Rafflecopter! 1. Order Let's start with ordering. All three websites were easy to navigate and use. They each accepted credit card and PayPal payments. If you plan to order, make sure that you search the internet first for coupon codes. One of my favorite sites is RetailMeNot. I found coupons for each of these companies. One was 15% off and free shipping. The other two offered a percentage discount. The products have a retail price around $24, so I suggest you find a coupon! Verdict: This was a tie. All three companies have pleasant sites, a wide range of scents and products, and easy checkout service. 2. Packaging All of my candles arrived in excellent condition. I happen to live in Wisconsin, and it's winter, so there was obviously no worry about it melting on my porch. If you order in the summer in one of the hotter regions, you may want to watch for your package. The soy wax melts easy and could create a mess if left to heat on your porch. The Prize candle comes in a pretty little hot pink and white striped box. It would be perfect for gift giving, as it looks very festive. I ordered two of them, since they were offering select fragrances at 60% off that day. The box had a grid insert to keep them from moving, and the candles were perfect. The Diamond Candle was shipping in a cardboard box, but wrapped well inside. It's not in its own box for gift giving, but it was packaged soundly. The JewelScent candle came in a sturdy white cardboard box within the outer brown cardboard shipping box. These little white cardboard boxes are nice and can be reused. I gave my nephew a gift in one at Christmas, and even my sister commented, "Wow, that's a nice box." Verdict: Prize candle has the nicest packaging for gift giving, but JewelScent comes in a close second.   3. Product Okay, I'm guessing that now I'm getting to the part that you're really interested in. When candle enthusiasts talk about candles, they typically refer to the "throw", which is how well the candle scent fills the room when it's burning. I've had interesting experiences with these products and throw. All three brands smelled fantastic before burning. However, the Jewelscent candle did the best job filling the room with fragrance. Diamond Candle was a close second. Prize candle was a disappointment in this area. When it was burning, I barely smelled it. This happened with both of my Prize candles, so I don't believe it was a fluke. My only assumption is that they must use less fragrance oil than the other two brands. Now, my personal preference is undyed wax. All three of these companies use soy wax. The Prize candle and JewelScent candle seemed to liquify the fastest, leaving the least amount of wax residue as they burned. If you like colored wax, however, you will not find it with these two companies. Diamond Candle offers a wide variety of fragrances and colors, if that's your thing. Verdict: JewelScent wins for scent and wax quality. Diamond Candles is second, and Prize Candle last. 4. Prize All three of these companies offer rings as the jewelry prizes. However, JewelScent is the only one that lets you select your ring size when you order your candle. With the other two, you are guaranteed to get at least a $10 ring in a randomly selected size. If you win, then you have the option of ordering your size. With JewelScent, the ring you receive will have a value somewhere between $15-$99 for the Signature candle. If you find a coin instead, then you have won a ring worth $100 or more. (I have not found a coin. This is from their website.) The JewelScent and Diamond Candles package the ring in a plastic baggie, then wrap it in foil. The Prize candle comes in a plastic package. While this may seem better, I didn't like it. Once you remove the ring, you're left with a gaping hole in the candle. It seems like a waste of space. I show the packaging below, along with the green ring I won in my second Prize candle (size 6, $10 value.) Here is what I won (pictured below) - With Prize Candle, I got a blue ring, probably a size 9. However, I did win a $25 ring when I entered the code. They asked for my ring size and address. The ring came in the mail about a week later. It is the clear stone ring pictured with the candle. With Diamond Candle, I won a pretty goldtone ring. I would guess it's a size 10. When I entered the code on their website, I discovered it was a $10 value. Still, it's a pretty ring, and I like the fact that it is goldtone, since the other companies appear to only offer silvertone. My JewelScent candle had a pink and clear stone ring. The appraised value was $24. Verdict: Personally, I like to pick my ring size up front. Otherwise, you risk that you will get a ring that doesn't fit any of your fingers. Therefore, I consider JewelScent the winner on this one. If you're buying for a gift, and you don't know the recipient's ring size, then any of these companies would work well. JewelScent was the first brand I ever tried of jewelry candles, and so far, they are still my favorite. My only complaint is that they don't have as many fragrance choices, and they change their stock often. If you find a favorite scent, be forewarned. They had a fragrance called Cuban Nights. I loved it, but they have discontinued it, much to my dismay. If you order one of the new scents, Strawberry Fields (the one that I sampled) is very nice. I also tried the Pink Champagne, which I personally liked even a little more. 
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COVER REVEAL: AVENGING by Holly Kelly By Olympus! We are excited to share the official cover reveal for the highly anticipated third book in the Rising Series by Holly Kelly. The Rising Series is an exciting paranormal romance filled with Greek Mythology, Mermaids, Dagonians, and more! Let us know what you think of the cover for Avenging by Holly Kelly. Avenging will be available on April 21, 2015.   New Adult- Paranormal Romance Clean Teen Publishing Available: April 21, 2015 Book #3 in the Rising Series Two thousand years ago, King Triton witnessed the slaughter and total annihilation of his merchildren. He vowed then and there to never again father a child. Powerful and eternally youthful, Triton was no stranger to seduction. But his resolve was unwavering—until he met Nicole. Unable to resist the human woman, he found himself swept up in her arms. When he finally came to his senses, he abandoned her to return to his refuge in the sea. Twenty years later, he comes face to face with his daughter. Triton is both thrilled and frightened to learn he's a father. Meeting the child he never knew fills a void in his life. But at the same time, he once again finds his heart at risk. Even more terrifying, he's forced to admit he's still in love with Nicole. Gathering his courage, he leaves the sea to seek her out. But the pain he caused is not easily forgotten. And mending broken hearts should be the least of his worries. The elements are in commotion, threatening the utter destruction of mankind. And much to the sea god's surprise, the human woman he loves may be the key to saving them all. RISING (Book #1) Available Now FREE! In a war between the humans and the inhabitants of the sea—humans will lose. Xanthus Dimitriou—the most lethal Dagonian to rise from the ocean—is on a mission to save mankind from annihilation. But first there’s one small thing he needs to do… kill a beautiful young woman in a wheelchair. Killing her doesn’t start out as part of his plan. He entrenches himself deep in the human world. Aligning himself with his enemies, he prepares to send them to Triton to face their punishment. Then Sara Taylor rolls onto the scene. Xanthus knows at once she’s a criminal. And her crime? Being born. She’s a human/Dagonian half-breed, an abomination. Killing her should be an easy job. All he has to do is break into her apartment, slit her throat, and feed her body to the sharks. Simple, right? Wrong. If only she weren’t so beautiful, so innocent, so sweet... Saving the world may have to wait. It appears Xanthus has a woman to save. But protecting her may cost him his own life.  DESCENDING (Book #2) Available Now! When Xanthus cashes in a long-standing favor, Kyros is faced with doing two things he thought he'd never do—protect a mermaid and live on land. Dagonians loathe mermaids and Sara, Xanthus's wife, is no exception. Also, a Dagonian standing on human legs? As if being around the vile creatures responsible for polluting his home and killing his sister wasn't horrible enough, Kyros has to deal with Sara's troublesome human friend, Gretchen.  Kyros can't help but resent Gretchen. Not only is she human and unforgettably gorgeous, but she leaves him swimming in confusion and feeling things he shouldn't be feeling—least of all for a land-walker! When Gretchen is nearly killed by an assassin's bullet, Kyros's mission changes. He's forced to become her protector. Forced is a gross exaggeration, though. The more time Kyros spends with Gretchen, the more he finds himself falling for this spunky, witty human. When it becomes apparent that something dark and evil will stop at nothing to see Gretchen dead, Kyros expends his resources to find out who that being is. Unfortunately, the answer causes more problems than it solves. When a rogue mermaid wants you dead, you’re safe from no one… not even the ones you love. About Holly Kelly  Holly Kelly is a mom who writes books in her spare time: translation--She hides in the bathroom with her laptop and locks the door while the kids destroy the house and smear peanut butter on the walls. Holly was born in Utah but lived in Salina, Kansas until she was 13 and in Garland, Texas until she was 18. She's now back in Utah--"happy valley". Holly is married to her wonderful husband, James, and the two of them are currently raising 6 rambunctious children. Her interests are reading, writing (or course), martial arts, visual arts, and spending time with family. Holly Kelly's first published book is: Rising. Rising was published by Clean Teen Publishing on September 6, 2013. Want to READ MORE from Clean Teen Publishing?Check out our huge selection of amazing reads! There's sure to be something for every reader! |
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