It’s been a while since I’ve written about scented candles, or home scents should I say. As more of us need to stay at home over the coming weeks, creating a cosy living environment is more important than ever. Having a nicely refurbished house helps, but you’d be surprised how much home scents can lift your spirits too. If you can’t make it to a holiday at the moment, pick a candle that can transport you to your favourite destination and bring back those wonderful holiday memories. Essential oils can also have a de-stressing effect on many and are very convenient and affordable to use. I’ve been coveting few (new) candle brands lately and decided to finally test them. I’ve never been a big fan of black wax candles, so I wanted to see what the fuss is all about. I do love the minimalist look of the glossy black wax but I have found some of them a little too masculine in the past. I do feel that my taste has evolved quite a bit lately. I don’t like very sweet scents or anything super floral. At the moment I’m very fond of fresh scents (eucalyptus, mint etc) as well as some unisex scented candles. I used to buy the same candles over and over again (Diptyque Vanille is still a firm favourite!) but I’ve also found myself getting bored of home scents more quickly. Anyway, here are few new scents/brands that are worth the splurge (some more than others).
B Y R E D O
Let’s start with Byredo because it definitely is one the more luxurious and expensive scented candle brands out there. Byredo is a Swedish luxury house famous for its minimalist Scandi aesthetic and amazing parfumes. Their current line includes perfumes, home fragrances, bodycare products and accessories. I love their exotic and creative scents. My everyday parfume is their ‘Gypsy Water’ parfume oil. It’s not cheap but it lasts for ages and smells super luxurious. I also love their Bal d’Afrique shower gel which I discovered at a boutique hotel in Helsinki last summer. So obviously it was only natural for me to test one of their candles to see if they can live up to the hype.
I ordered my candle online from Liberty London and they sent the wrong candle by mistake, but then quickly rectified it by sending the correct one (and they kindly let me keep both!) I ordered the Fleur Fantôme candle thinking it would be the ideal scent for spring/summer as it’s light and floral. With heart notes of tulip extract and violet leaves it sounded ideal. Funnily enough the candle they sent by mistake (Poety Poem) turned out to be my favourite. I adore the base notes; black amber, patchouli and vanilla. It’s masculine scent but in a very cool unisex way. I’ve never been to Mexico but this is what I’d expect Mexico to smell like. Mysterious, subtly sweet and psychedelic. I may be wrong but hey I love imagining places based on scents. It’s like taking a little trip in your home (without actually having to travel). I found the Poety Peom quite a bit stronger too which suits our open-plan lounge better. It’s not that the Fleur Fantôme candle isn’t nice. I just expected a bit more considering the £59 price tag. I would absolutely buy Peoty Poem again, although I think next up on my wish list is their best-seller Bohemia.
R A T H B O R N E S 1 4 8 8
Now this new candle brand was a really pleasant surprise. Except they are not exactly new. Rathbornes 1488 is the world’s oldest candle company, founded in Dublin in 1488. I first discovered their scented candles at Heal’s press event years ago. I wasn’t blown away by their scents at the time but when I spotted the ‘Beyond the Pale’ collection at Dublin airport last Christmas I was sold. They had 3 scents that blew me away. I had to make a decision between Dublin Tea Rose, Smoked Oud and Wild Mint. In the end I loved the Wild Mint, Watercrest & Thyme scented candle most. I knew that it would be the perfect spring/summer candle to disguise any cooking smells in our kitchen and lounge. It’s definitely too strong for our bathroom so if you’ve got a small room go for the travel size. The classic candle range is more than enough in my opinion. The candles have two wicks which means the wax always melts quite quickly and evenly. Once all the wax has melted you should blow out the candle and the scent will still linger in the room for hours. I was so impressed by the candle that I also ordered their diffuser on Amazon. Annoyingly I think I got the scent wrong. The Dublin Tea Rose diffuser smelled quite a bit stronger than the candle (which is not necessarily a bad thing). The diffuser is great quality, but I just think the scent is a bit too ‘parfume-like’ for me. I would prefer something more fresh next time but the quality and the style are spot on. Also, the quality/price ratio (£34 for the classic candle) is the best I’ve seen in a long time, so if you want to try something new this year I recommend this candle brand.
O I L D I F F U S E R S & S E V I N L O N D O N
I haven’t been a huge fan of oil diffusers in the past. I think the main issue was that I couldn’t find an essential oil that I really liked. Luckily I discovered Sevin – London essential oils at the Top Drawer event earlier this year. I walked past their stand and turned back to find out what scent/candle they were burning. Turns out it was their Porcelain White essential oil which has now become our house signature scent. The ingredients White Jasmine, Sweet Amber and Nutmeg create a stunning fragrance together. The smell reminds me of a posh shop or hotel. It’s a really fresh scent and not too overpowering. A lot of luxury hotels have unique scents blended for them and it can be quite hard to emulate them at home. But this is definitely the closest I have ever gotten creating that luxury hotel/spa smell that you just can’t get enough of. I think at £8 per bottle this oil is pretty good value too. I only use max. 3 drops each time and the bottle lasts for ages. Essential oils are definitely a lot more economical than scented candles. My VicTsing oil diffuser is few years old but it’s still available on Amazon. It’s inexpensive and I like that it has a convenient timer with 3 different settings. I always clean it before each use and use clean water with 3 drops of essential oil. You really can smell the scent immediately and I use it almost daily at the moment (even if it’s just for an hour or two). I’m thinking about getting a smaller oil diffuser for the hall, so I can scent the entire house. Can you tell I’m hooked?
J O M A L O N E
Last but not least, I have finally found a black wax candle from Jo Malone that is not too masculine for my liking. I bought the Myrrh & Tonka candle for my husband for Christmas and unexpectantly fell in love with it myself. I would describe this as a unisex scent. I’d say both men and women would love this fragrance in the form of a candle or home spray. It’s a very seductive scent which somehow reminds me of our trip to the Middle East last year. The combination of Namibian Myrrh tree, vanilla and warm almond with the notes of Tonka bean create a really luxurious scent that you won’t be able to resist. It goes particularly well with the Mimosa & Gardamom candle which is a much fresher scent (but they really do complement each other).
What is your favourite ‘staycation’ home scent?
