It is Well with my Nose

I am one of those people totally fixated by my sense of smell. If it smells good, I either want it on me or near me. I may throw a perfume post in later but right now, we're focusing on smells for the home and a few for the car, and how to do it cheap. I don't have a big, fancy house or anything but you'd be surprised how any place can be made to feel like home with the right scents. And I do spend a ton of time in the car for work, school, and just in general so it has to be pleasant there, too.

Electric Warmers
Scentsy warmers are good to have because they're no-flame and when used with tarts are great for scenting a room (or a few) with personalized scents. Scentsational warmers or Better Homes and Gardens warmers are great, too, because they have so many different styles to choose from - they've got seasonal ones, too.

These warmers generally run on an approx. 20 watt bulb that's replaceable and inexpensive and plug right into the wall with a on/off dial. Safe for just about everyone but be warned that the wax does pool and get extremely hot when in use and these shouldn't be left on when you're not at home.

*I prefer these electric warmers fully and recommend these against candles or tea-light warmers that because of personal reasons (see the post written about my house-fire experience early this year). I just don't condone fire in any shape or form now unless I'm lighting an incense. 



Incense Bottle Burners
Incense burners/holder or bottle burners are also very useful and stylish. I bought my first bottle burner at none other than a very famous smoke-shop (affectionately called a "head shop" where I'm from) and it's hand-blown and totally gorgeous. I can't be bothered to get a picture of it right now but here it a unique post on how to make your own with any type of bottles.

It's basically a tall bottle with holes in the top and three or four on the sides at the bottom. They're much cleaner (considered "ash-less") and safer than the standard wooden or soap-stone holders but they're slightly expensive if you're going for hand-blown. Mine was around $20 and they hover around that price just about anywhere. I use a bobby pin to affix the incense burning-side-down into the bottle. The smoke diffuses out of the hole in the top and on the sides for a pretty cool effect. Just dump when finished. The heavily tattooed gentlemen that sold me my first one said they're good for cone-style incense "...yeah, man, just like it and drop it in," but alas, they fall on their sides each time and burn out before giving off scent. Either way, it's a cool thing to have.

Ventilation, Oils, and Room Sprays
Room sprays are quick, cheap options there for those who want a quick burst sometimes - like before guests come over - and they can be found pretty easily just about anywhere. I, personally, like Febreze in many cases. I also like to cram dryer-sheets where ever they'll fit. My air-conditioning unit is useful here, as I can (safely) stuff the vents with dryer sheets to absorb moisture, odor, and have my place smelling nice. One cool trick also deals with dryer sheets is blotting on essential or simply scented oils and sticking these behind vents. If you're interested in boosting your laundry, dot a few blots of oil onto a hand-towel or dryer sheet and throw it in with your clothes while washing. I've never had a problem with these oils transferring in my dryer. The Body Shop carries these but so does Walmart in a less concentrated form.

For the Car

I love for my car to smell as good as my home. There's only a few things I've found to work well over longer periods of time. They have those silly little vent-clips that last for a day. Those cardboard hangers never do it for me. What I do love and will buy in bulk over the course of a year is those Febreze Vent Clips.

In any scent, they're amazing. Rather expensive for a car air-freshener but damnit, these things do work and those commercials are definitely on-point (you know, where they put those people in a dirty cab that's been freshened up with a thirty-day old vent clip?). Look for mailer or Sunday Paper coupons for these, they run at about $4-6 retail, ouch, but on Amazon, they can be bought in larger packages. Also check Costco or Sam's Club for big packages on the cheap. Otherwise, I buy these individually at retail because they work so well.

Also, can't forget Scentportables! I love these - they're adorable! They can go anywhere but you'll find them mostly on my visors in my car. All the cute designs and scents are totally customizable. They sell these at Bath and Body Works and they frequently are on sale (like so many for so much or buy two, get one, etc.). Bigger lots of these can be found, too, online. Ebay, in particular, generally has a small but good selection. For retail, they sell the scent-inserts and holder separately and it can get pricey but these tend to last and last. Also - how cute, right?



Where to Buy
Scentsationals Warmers and Wax
http://www.scentsationals.com/ These warmers work with any wax. Site also sells replacement bulbs but these can be bought in the hardware aisle, too.

Scentsationals Warmers and Wax + Better Homes and Gardens Warmers and Wax
http://www.walmart.com/ These are in-store, too, with a generally good selection. Quality varies, some scents are better than others but it's a great start and here, I've found many favorites.

Other Smell-Goods
https://www.etsy.com/ Scents galore, and I have gotten amazing scents from Etsy sellers. You can find all types of perfumes, home and car air-fresheners, incense burners (and bottles), wax, wax, and more wax! Oh, you're also supporting non-mainstream, indie producers and I've never found anything too expensive. Give it a go!

My Favorite Vendor
http://www.tendigitcreations.com/ I'll just leave my own testament here as to how much I adore Ten Digit Creations. From all things bath and body to incense and wax, there stuff is so amazing and so reasonably priced. I can't get over it. They frequently have sales monthly on their Facebook page. Shipping is so reasonable and their customer service is some of the absolute best I've ever experienced. They don't get enough love! Also, their fellow Southerners, so "love ya'll!" is appropriate here! Also, shop their Etsy store if you want to try just a few things. The shipping is cheaper and they have a nice clearance section. I actually just placed an order for a roll-on oil perfume and a set of 20 sticks of incense all shipped for $11. Ka-razy.

DIY Incense Burner Bottle
http://www.instructables.com/id/Bottle-Incense-Burner/ This is a neat little instructional post (not mine) on how to create your own little bottle burner for incense. This would be great with really neat wine bottles. A cool gift or a cool way to up-cycle, too! Hello!

*I am not affiliated with any companies or vendors mentioned. All opinions are my very own.