Candles: My Current Collection

Every now and then I'm forced to catalogue my extensive collection of candles. Just to see what I have and what I like and don't like. Unfortunately, because I get so many of these at outlets stores, I may never find the ones I like again anyway. But it's worth keeping tabs on these things.

I'm into tea lights right now because I have a really pretty cut-glass holder, and I like that I can just let the tea lights burn until they're done. (I sometimes forget to snuff my big jar candles and will come into my office the next morning to find they're still going . . . They're in a safe location, of course, but still.)

My tea lights are all from the Yankee Candle outlet, and because I'm OCD or something, I have them arranged in their boxes by color. Colors of candles are as important to me as the scent. Certain days have certain colors you see (I have synesthesia, btw), so . . . Yeah.

My first stack of tea lights are: Loves Me, Loves Me Not; Christmas Rose; Lake Sunset. I once had Lake Sunset in a jar candle and loved it, so I was happy to find it in tea light form. In fact, I love all these (which are white). Christmas Rose especially because it reminds me more of the Blue Hydrangea candles I used to have, more so than the current Hydrangea ones.

The second stack: Sweet Honeysuckle; Spring Days; Sandalwood. The first two are yellow, and Sandalwood is sort of a pale beige. Honeysuckle reminds me of my childhood, which was filled with honeysuckle and jasmine. Spring Days is a nice one, but very strong. And I've always loved the scent of sandalwood, which comes out nicely in this candle.

Next: Napa Valley Harvest; Frankincense; Autumn Leaves. All in the orange family. The Frankincense in particular is quite strong. Napa Valley Harvest is a tad weak, and Autumn Leaves is just lovely.

Only two in the next stack: Pink Blush and Christmas Eve. Pink and red respectively. The Pink Blush is another rose scent, and it's nice but I like the Christmas Rose one more. Christmas Eve has a nice mix of fruity and spicy, rather like Christmas. I don't usually go for scents that have any "food" to them, but this one isn't like, say, cookies or whatever. So many winter candles rely on baking smells, and I hate that. I'm glad for this one.

Next: Dune Grass; Bay Leaf Wreath; Sparkling Pine. All shades of green. The Dune Grass you almost can't smell when you burn it, though, so I wouldn't get that one again. I haven't tried the other two yet, though they smell nice in the box.

I have a couple watery blue-green ones next: Water Garden and Ocean Water. Again, the Water Garden is almost too weak. Ocean Water is lovely and light, though, while still making its presence known.

My final stack of tea lights: Blue Hydrangea; Evening Air; Midnight Oasis. The Blue Hydrangea does not smell like I remember from the jar candles—it's almost too candy-like rather than floral. Evening Air (which is a deep blue color) is one of my favorites, though. And Midnight Oasis is lovely, too, and is a deep shade of purple.

You would think 19 different tea lights would be enough! But I do still have some jar candles. Many are just lingering, languishing. Quiet Sky is gray and smells nice in the jar but not strong when I burn it. Blue Island Sky is a great shade of deep turquoise and smells lovely. I've got a couple Hydrangeas jar candles still hanging around. Hearth is dark gray and smells like, well, burned wood, I guess. Or just smoke. I don't end up using it much. Starry Sky is like Quiet Sky in that it just isn't strong enough. But Exotic Bloom, which is deep red, is a lovely scent. And I've got some Riding Mower left over, which is dark green and smells like fresh-cut grass. Have always loved that candle, though its name is kinda dumb.

I'm always happy to take suggestion on candles to try. Or if you're a candlemaker and want me to test and review some of your products, feel free to contact me! I have a Scentsy warmer, though I don't use it quite as often.