Relive The Magic Of The Cracker Jack Box With Jackpot Candles Gifts- Giveaway 4/24

***I received the following product in hopes I would share my honest opinion with my readers. Regardless, all thoughts are my own, and all images are copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2015.

Momma Told Me: Don't judge the cereal by it's prize.

How do you make a product people already love and use stand out as a brand in a sea of equally colorful and engaging products? Why, you put something equally exciting, a bonus we'll call it, inside the product to delight consumers long after the point of purchase. Kellogg's was the first to do this, in 1945, when the inserted a pin back button, promotional item, into the boxes of their Pep cereal. Of course the creator of Cracker Jack, a German immigrant named Fritz, was truly the first to incentivize product consumption with this method in 1912. Regardless, today's consumers are just as thrilled to enjoy products which promise the immediate satisfaction of a trusted brand and product with the delayed reward of a hidden incentive. And so the industry, of candles with jewelry inside, has become quite popular in recent years.

It's not a little known secret that there are many brands using wax to he trinkets and jewelry as motivation to buy their products. One of my first product features here on Momma Told Me was for the first major company to do this, and still remains one of my largest search engine traffic sources to this day! But not all that is original or 'first' is the best at what it does. I especially love it when a new craze or trend is saturated in the marketplace, represented by multiple sellers and brands. Not only does this breed competition, which is good for prices, but creativity, which means forward movement on concepts. For yeas now I have bought candles with jewelry inside as gifts for family members.

In the beginning I heard about how exciting the experience was, how high quality the candles were, and how gorgeous the jewelry was- however, the 'jewelry' pieces were rings, and most often did not fit the actual recipient. Jackpot Candles has fixed that problem by offering a range of different jewelry surprises in their wax based products, from rings and necklaces to even earrings. This way you can feel most confident your recipient will be able to wear the piece found inside their gift. Even more exciting is the opportunity to order select fragrances and products in certain jewelry sizes- these products will come with a simple numeric 'size' sticker on the bottom, so you can gift the ones you love something that is guaranteed to fit. Of course the item inside will still be a surprise!

Jackpot Candles have  not only taken some of the improbabilities out of ordering mystery candle gifts, they have dedicated their brand to 100% soy, hand poured, quality products made exclusively in the USA. Many similar operations have moved overseas, so I am happy to continue to support a USA based business.

Every August, for my cousin's birthday (which happens to be the same day as mine) I head online and order 2-3 pieces of mystery candle gifts in my cousin's size. I first gave her a jewelry candle gift 3 years ago for Christmas and she still has not stopped raving about how she loves them the most. Her only complaint? She is impatient and seldom wants to wait for a candle to burn half-way down to discover her gift inside. Jackpot Candles' wax tarts are the perfect solution, and a great gift for a flame free home.

I recently had the chance to explore the range of vivid fragrances in the Jackpot Candles collection and fell in love with the playful juicy Watermelon tart fragrance and the rich, fresh baked, Blueberry Muffin aroma. I'll admit, I tend to be impatient too, so having the wax melts on hand for an immediate treat was wonderful, while the anticipation of the 16oz candle burning made me feel a little like a kid again! Jackpot candle jewelry is assured to value between $15-$5000. While I did not find a $5000 trinket in any of my pieces, I did enjoy the tracking code on each piece, where I could easily look up the appraised value, and composition of, my piece online.

In all, Jackpot Candles has been one of the more affordable brands offering this jewelry in wax gift trend, and I found the quality of the products, and variety of fragrances, at the top of my list. I would love to see them expand into a candle-of-the-month plan, or even soap and fragrance beads, but the brand is fairly new and still growing. Lastly, something that seems to be sorely missing in this genre of gifts is an unscented line of wax candles with jewelry inside- I know several people with fragrance allergies who would love the ambiance and experience of a Jackpot Candle but cannot enjoy them quite yet. If you are not scent challenged, however, I highly suggest picking up a few of these gorgeous candle gifts while they have your desired sizing in stock!

What Daughter Says: With unique, sized, jewelry in a quality soy wax candle product, there's not disappointment from start to finish.

One Momma Told Me reader will win a Jackpot Candles prize pack including a Candle and Tart Pack in the fragrances of their choice.

A Diamond Candles Giveaway to Celebrate Spring~ 4/30

Momma Told Me: To create a hit, combine 2 awesome things into 1 new one- If this fails, at least you can sell them separately!

Have you ever stayed up late watching QVC or cheesy infomercials, with some stuffy lady in a Chanel suit telling you how you should feel about objects such as porcelain ponies and pasta boats? Now and then, as a child, I'd wake up in the wee hours of the morning to find my mother unable to sleep (thanks to pop's snoring) and mocking 3am advertising. I learned from her to be cynical of marketing ploys and that while something may sound great in theory, the key was actually executing it successfully. Momma's formula for success was to 'bundle' as she called it already successful innovations and objects under the guise of calling it something new. An example would be throwing a designer clutch into a designer handbag and calling it a 'Convertible Handbag System', or bridging a Pumice Stone and Lotion Stick for a 'Hydrating Buffer'. Worst case scenario, if the marketing doesn't pan out the individual items will still sell just as good on their own!

So every great product has some sort of feature, once you discover it, there's no turning back. I though I'd seen virtually every type of candle made. There are different colors, different waxes, tarts, votives, pillars, lanterns, electric, scented, color changing, wood wick, slow burning, floating, and more candles. So why on Earth did it take so many commercial years for someone to come up with the concept to put 2 of Woman's favorite gifts together? That's right ladies, DIAMONDS and CANDLES, and soy candles in Glass Pillars at that! If you have never heard of this newly begun company it's much to late to close the browser. Consider this the beginning of a very passionate addiction with some of the most sought after candles in the nation. Run by 3 co-owners (2 of which is a married couple) this ingenious business plan centers on the concept of providing uniformly high quality 21 oz Glass Pillar Soy Based Candles with a hidden ring worth $10, $100, $1000, or more- in every jar! It is a concept that has subsequently been duplicated with less quality by countless brands since.

Before you raise a skeptical eyebrow and call me crazy (I assure you I had a similar reaction at first), just ask 1 of the 263,000+ Facebook fans the brand has amassed since it's birth in January of 2011! And if you think 'real' diamonds are a long shot, you might want to browse the hundreds of customer submitted images with stunning REAL rings ranging from precious metals and CZ to REAL Diamonds. Of course some of the rings are worth just $10, but a quality Natural Soy Candle of this size will easily run you the asking price of $24.95+, so you truly have nothing to lose. And no matter, real or not, it's sure to be a wonderful treat unwrapping your very own ring. It's like Cracker Jacks for adults! I only wish they would put the ring just a little further down; it's hard to keep burning these candles when there's another already in line, with a fresh ring!

Momma Told Me was one of, if not, the first blogs to break the news about the Diamond Candles craze. I'd spotted them on an 'unusual new products roundup,' and they were happy to send along a 21oz White Chocolate Diamond Candle for review here on Momma Told Me. That was the candle that started it all. Subsequently since I have converted countless family members and friends into regular customers, and addicts. Right off the bat I was impressed with the sheer size and presentation of these beautiful Glass Pillar Soy Candles. Each pillar had it's own cap for re-sealing and extended use, with the designated 'diamond' spot peering from a gemstone like clearing in the wax 3 inches down. I was originally glad to see the ring wasn't all the way at the bottom because candles this size can have over 50 hours of burn time and I am NOT patient. Luckily, the soy wax is smooth burning, and the sweet aroma reminded me of freshly baked blondies (or cupcakes). ----It's important to trim the wick as instructed, for an even burn, never burning for more than 4 hours at a time. I'm always awful about this part of candle maintenance, and it can come in hand when trying to burn down to the ring.

Once the wax has cooled, and the foil wrapper is revealed you may pry the ring away from the jar's wall and unwrap it. I happen to have a dedicated pair of extra long tweezers just for Diamond Candle ring retrieving, but a fork or spoon will work just as well. The physical foil cocoon is affixed to the wall of the pillar with a dollop of sticky glue. This cleans out of the glass, once the candle is fully burned, so the owner may reuse the pillar. Inside the very slippery (wax covered) foil is a small baggie with a lovely ring inside. Sizes vary, and my only suggestion is to possibly offer a choice of ring sizing for a few dollars more (if desired). Once again, it's the novelty of enjoying a high quality candle and the bonus of having a possibly genuine ring inside that you pay for- not a jewelers experience. If you desire to sell or swap your rings there is a (non affiliated) group on Facebook where Diamond Candles fans interact. In either case I must say my first ring was absolutely stunning (though a tad too small for me, perfect to pass on or collect).

It glistened beautifully in the sunlight, and was marked inside with a location and identified as gold plated. I've seen many gorgeous rings on the Facebook wall, of all shapes, colors, and sizes, and have already ordered over 15 candles since. (That's pretty high praise from me). My most recent purchase from their Summer inspired collection being; Tropical Retreat, Midnight Kiss, Pomegranate Lemonade, Strawberry and Hawaiian Coconut. Tropical Retreat is a lovely shade of teal with a blend of banana, orange, coconut, and grapefruit. I let the other half pick this scent out (my compromise, as I got the candle AND the ring out of the deal). I have to say, this is one of the most natural fragrances yet! It burned beautifully, and I was thrilled to uncover my SZ9, marked, ring with Pink hued gemstone. While this particular ring is not a $5000 find, I've had many rings over $100 in value, and am happy to report this beauty isn't tarnishing through wear.

If you're a fan of candles, and crave the Diamond Candles experience, but are sensitive to fragrances the company thoughtfully offers an Unscented, white, variety. Soy candles are incredibly smooth burning, and easy on allergies, though the fragrances can be very strong and long lingering. Diamond Candles has experienced immense success since their launch in 2011, and promise new fragrance blends, and seasonal collections every quarter. You may be lucky enough to score a daily deal on various (Groupon like) sites, here and there, but these are well worth their asking price at $25. Be sure to order your favorite fragrances when you see them, because they sell out fast!

What Daughter Says: Diamond Candles receives two enthusiastic thumbs up from me- I've become addicted!

One lucky Momma Told Me follower will win a Diamond Candle!