Although I have been in the wax world for several years and definitely have my tried and true favorites, I still like to give newer vendors a try, especially when I have heard many good things about their products.  I was super thrilled to get the chance to try a vendor that has been a hit since early this year: ScenSei, Master of Scents.

I’ll be honest, one of the most important things that drew me to want to try ScenSei is the turn around time.  In the last couple of years, the wax tart world has absolutely blown up, and there are more customers and vendors than ever.  This often means that ordering from popular vendors will leave you with a very long wait time to get your products, often two or more months.  However, with ScenSei, TAT is fast and you can have your tarts in your hands in less than two weeks.

The company is owned by Elizabeth Jewel, a very sweet lady from Virginia.  In every dealing I’ve had with here, she’s been an absolute doll and I’ve never heard a bad word about her customer service from anyone else, either.  This is also a very important quality I look for when ordering tarts.

ScenSei’s bread and butter is the clamshell tart, and I love that for it’s simplicity.  I’m not one who orders a lot of fancy shapes, and these fit the bill just fine for me.

When I first received my clamshells, I had to marvel first at just how beautiful the labels were!  They are printed in bright, vibrant colors that have designs that reflect the scent of the tart.  Here are a couple of my favorite labels.

Among a jumble of other tarts from my wax stash, these stand out and there is no mistaking that they are from ScenSei.

My only issue with ScenSei tarts at all is that they are the softest tarts I have ever used.  I know pure soy is naturally a softer wax, but some of these gave me some difficulty with popping the cubes out of the clamshell at all, even after putting them in the freezer.  Elizabeth does recommend storing the tarts in the fridge, which is probably OK with some, but to me it’s a little inconvenient–I like to have all my wax in one place, and if some if in my fridge or freezer I will not have it in front of me to remember to use.  This was not the case with every scent though, and I think only one or two out of ten gave me this trouble.

So, getting down to the meat of the review, here are my thoughts about the scents I tested.  All tarts were melted in a bulb warmer with a 40 watt bulb. I’ll put the ScenSei description in italics first, then my notes.

Winter Mint: Vivid and spicy blend of peppermint, spearmint with a touch of eucalyptus.  This was very strong and long lasting.  It’s not a straight up peppermint, but a blend of winter mints and you get menthol notes.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake: Pineapple, vanilla, and caramelized goodness are the keynotes of this amazing baked scent. Your friends and family will think you are baking them up something special!  One of the softer waxes.  I can pick out both the cake and pineapple scents, which hardly ever happens in this scent from other vendors.  Moderate throw.

Cotton Candy Spin: Just like fairy floss: This scent is an airy and sweet cotton candy fragrance with fruity notes of strawberry and raspberry,with hints of roasted almond and sweet vanilla.  A medium to strong, true cotton candy scent.  You get the sweetness of the vanilla and strawberry but a bit of tartness too.

Sugar Cube: Unusually complex, yet subtle, mix of aromas to include a rich, warm vanilla base, combined with top notes of strawberry and bergamot. Perfect for when you have spring on the brain!!  A strong throw, I found this a soft, feminine scent.  I think this would be perfect for bedrooms, and relaxing.  A bit perfumey, but no floral notes.

Pony Kisses: Vibrant green floral notes of fresh clover with crisp clean apple. Earthy and fresh.  Very strong, fresh scent that really brings in the spring and summer.  Equal notes of clover and apple.  Very unique!

Lemon Meringue: Smooth and creamy with the perfect amount of lemon, crumbly crust and warm vanilla peaks of meringue.  The softest of all the tarts I received, I had to put this in the freezer to be able to get the cubes out.  However, this did not affect the scent, which had a medium to strong throw.  Very, very sweet lemon, with bakery notes that round this scent out nicely.

Fruitsy Loopsy: This child hood memory of a fragrance begins with top notes of lemon rinds, lime, and grapefruit; middle notes of lemongrass, lily, and verbena; and base notes of vanilla sugar. We swear…if it doesn’t take you back to being a kid, no other scent in our line will!  Super strong.  This was one of my favorites.  A lot of vendors have this scent, which is a copycat of Fruit Loops cereal.  This is a great version which is good for blending.

Gooey Caramelized Pears: Juicy, ripe crimson pears baked and sprinkled in caramelized brown sugar with maple butter and then drizzled with gooey honey and vanilla caramel to create this decadent bakery blend.   My absolute fave out of all the ones I tried.  I love to melt this scent in the fall and winter, because it makes the house feel so warm!  The pear scent and maple scents are the main notes, with a honey sweetness in the background.  Knockout strong, and lasted for a long time.

With over 100 scents, you’re sure to find something you like from ScenSei.  Elizabeth is now also offering jewelry tarts, which I’ve not tried but have heard good things about!  I would definitely order again from ScenSei, and recommend you give them a try as well.

ScenSei Website

ScenSei Facebook

UPDATE: Elizabeth shared this info with me last night.  

“I also wanted to throw in the ring here that a short time ago I decided to change the ratios of the 3 100% paraffin waxes I blend to make my SUPER DUPER SECRET wax base (LOL!!). I did this after customer feedback pointed to the inconvenience of keeping tarts in a cold place like the freeezer and also just the difficulty people had with getting an ENTIRE cube out without getting all messy. I wanted to make the wax a TAD bit more rigid, so we don’t have to recommend keeping SMOS wax in the fridge or freezer anymore.”