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.
Showing posts with label candles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label candles. Show all posts
9.05.2015
7.07.2015
Yankee Candle Update
A while back, I bought some new Yankee candles. And while many of them smelled nice in the jar, several have been disappointments when burned in my home office.
For example, Starry Sky is a really nice scent. But even the large jar candle isn't strong enough to fill my relatively small office (even with the door closed). Quiet Sky has a similar issue but does put forth a slightly stronger scent. Hearth smells pretty nice, too, but after prolonged burning simply smells smokey. Which, yeah, is kind of the point, but in short this one isn't so nice when left to accumulate. Lesson: the grey candles have issues.
I was so excited when they had Hydrangea again. Sure, it's not called "Blue Hydrangea" any more, but what difference could that make? A lot, it turns out. Hydrangea smells candy-like rather than floral.
Scents I can recommend include Blue Island Sky and Exotic Bloom.
I've also begun burning tea lights and find I enjoy them quite a lot. While Dune Grass is a bit light on fragrance, most of these provide prolonged scent and burn and all look really pretty in the beveled glass lantern I bought for them. Sandalwood, Frankincense, Spring Days, Honeysuckle . . . I even found some Blue Hydrangea! (Still doesn't smell quite like I remember, though.) One of my favorites is Evening Air.
Black Coconut remains a regular choice for my kitchen, too, as it does a great job of covering cooking smells.
Of course, I can't guarantee you'll be able to find all these scents anyway; the Yankee store nearest me—the only one in miles—is an outlet store that gets all the discontinued scents. So check your local store, outlet, or the online site for availability.
For example, Starry Sky is a really nice scent. But even the large jar candle isn't strong enough to fill my relatively small office (even with the door closed). Quiet Sky has a similar issue but does put forth a slightly stronger scent. Hearth smells pretty nice, too, but after prolonged burning simply smells smokey. Which, yeah, is kind of the point, but in short this one isn't so nice when left to accumulate. Lesson: the grey candles have issues.
I was so excited when they had Hydrangea again. Sure, it's not called "Blue Hydrangea" any more, but what difference could that make? A lot, it turns out. Hydrangea smells candy-like rather than floral.
Scents I can recommend include Blue Island Sky and Exotic Bloom.
I've also begun burning tea lights and find I enjoy them quite a lot. While Dune Grass is a bit light on fragrance, most of these provide prolonged scent and burn and all look really pretty in the beveled glass lantern I bought for them. Sandalwood, Frankincense, Spring Days, Honeysuckle . . . I even found some Blue Hydrangea! (Still doesn't smell quite like I remember, though.) One of my favorites is Evening Air.
Black Coconut remains a regular choice for my kitchen, too, as it does a great job of covering cooking smells.
Of course, I can't guarantee you'll be able to find all these scents anyway; the Yankee store nearest me—the only one in miles—is an outlet store that gets all the discontinued scents. So check your local store, outlet, or the online site for availability.
2.02.2015
Candles: My Latest Yankee Crop
Ran low on a lot of my favorite candles, so I went to the Yankee Outlet. I'm sorry to say they no longer had my Willow Breeze, which had become one of my favorites. (And I'm still a bit miffed at the lack of Sheer Gardenia as well.)
But! Yankee is clearly trying to redeem themselves by reintroducing Hydrangea! This is my all-time favorite scent, so here's hoping it doesn't disappear again. Damn, I probably should have bought extra . . .
Aside from the Hydrangea, I opted for all new-to-me fragrances. Right now I'm burning Sandalwood, which is a smell I've always loved. So far the candle is not particularly strong, but it hasn't been burning very long. We'll see how it does.
The sales associate recommended Seaside as a replacement for my Willow Breeze. It does have a lovely, light scent similar to the Willow, but not as perfumy, and there's definitely more of a beach smell to it than the Willow. I think I will enjoy it, but not as much as the Willow Breeze, though I accept that I have a personal bias—I grew up with a beautiful willow tree in our yard, and the candle reminds me of a happy childhood.
Because I often feel I go for too many blue candles, I smelled but didn't by Blue Jean, though I was tempted. It sounds like a strange scent for a candle, but it really just smells like denim fresh from the dryer.
Instead of blue this trip, I veered monochromatic from Starry Sky to Hearth to Moonlight. Starry Sky is a pale grey and has a slightly sugary smell to it. Hearth is a darker grey and somewhat musky but still sweet. Moonlight is black (or nearly black) and much stronger with more of a traditional perfume scent. I'm looking forward to trying all of these.
A short list of my favorite Yankee Candles: [Blue] Hydrangea, Willow Breeze, Sheer Gardenia, Autumn Sky
We'll see if any of these can make my list.
But! Yankee is clearly trying to redeem themselves by reintroducing Hydrangea! This is my all-time favorite scent, so here's hoping it doesn't disappear again. Damn, I probably should have bought extra . . .
Aside from the Hydrangea, I opted for all new-to-me fragrances. Right now I'm burning Sandalwood, which is a smell I've always loved. So far the candle is not particularly strong, but it hasn't been burning very long. We'll see how it does.
The sales associate recommended Seaside as a replacement for my Willow Breeze. It does have a lovely, light scent similar to the Willow, but not as perfumy, and there's definitely more of a beach smell to it than the Willow. I think I will enjoy it, but not as much as the Willow Breeze, though I accept that I have a personal bias—I grew up with a beautiful willow tree in our yard, and the candle reminds me of a happy childhood.
Because I often feel I go for too many blue candles, I smelled but didn't by Blue Jean, though I was tempted. It sounds like a strange scent for a candle, but it really just smells like denim fresh from the dryer.
Instead of blue this trip, I veered monochromatic from Starry Sky to Hearth to Moonlight. Starry Sky is a pale grey and has a slightly sugary smell to it. Hearth is a darker grey and somewhat musky but still sweet. Moonlight is black (or nearly black) and much stronger with more of a traditional perfume scent. I'm looking forward to trying all of these.
A short list of my favorite Yankee Candles: [Blue] Hydrangea, Willow Breeze, Sheer Gardenia, Autumn Sky
We'll see if any of these can make my list.
2.03.2014
More Things that Smell Good
We've (I've) talked about candles at some length, but while in Las Vegas this weekend, I discovered new and wonderful things that smell divine. Candles, yes, but also bath salts and personalized fragrances. I'm talking about Nectar USA. (Their Web site isn't up and running yet, so I've directed you to their Facebook page.) And while a lot of their products do break my rule about smelling like food—in fact, at first glance the appeared to be a pastry shop—there are some wonderful non-foodie scents as well. I'm burning a Love candle in my office at the moment and it's fantastic. The two bath bombs I bought . . . Unfortunately, they don't have labels, so I don't know the names, but aaahh . . . And they left my skin so silky and soft, too! And the bath salts (also in Love scent) bubble up quite nice and thick. This is destined to be a new favorite of mine, I think.
1.11.2014
Candles: Turquoise Sky
I found this throwback Yankee candle at a card shop. I'd never seen or heard of it before, but it smells beautiful and is the most gorgeous color . . . When I tried to purchase it, the register couldn't ring it up; the associate had to manually enter it. I do love when I find little surprises like this one. Yankee's site does show it; see it for yourself here.
Still, nothing will ever replace my [Blue] Hydrangea. (Insert wistful sigh here.)
Still, nothing will ever replace my [Blue] Hydrangea. (Insert wistful sigh here.)
12.16.2013
Candles & Scentsy Update
Okay, so at this point I've had the opportunity to test out some of my new goodies. Results so far:
Much as I love the Poinsettia & Musk fragrance from PartyLite, for some reason the candle (this one an Escentual size) just cannot put out enough scent to make me entirely satisfied. The Cherry Blossom Escentual definitely does a better job, though it still isn't very strong.
I've tried the My Dear Watson Travel Tin from Scentsy in my office, opening it about halfway and leaving it on top of one of my bookcases. I feel the scent comes and goes; sometimes I walk in and can smell it, sometimes I feel like I can't any more. Shame because I really like this fragrance; it's kind of spicy and cologne-like.
In my car I've put up a Scentsy hanger in Zephyr, and it also seems to come and go in terms of smell; I think it has something to do with how warm the car has been. Since Sherlock (my car; he even has the nameplates) stays in the garage, he doesn't get warmed in the sun much. But when he's been parked somewhere for a bit, boy howdy the Zephyr makes itself known.
Winner by far is the Scentsy bar I've been burning in the warmer I bought. The fragrance is Transcendence and it smells great. Plus, even after turning it off yesterday afternoon, my office still smelled fantastic this morning.
Much as I love the Poinsettia & Musk fragrance from PartyLite, for some reason the candle (this one an Escentual size) just cannot put out enough scent to make me entirely satisfied. The Cherry Blossom Escentual definitely does a better job, though it still isn't very strong.
I've tried the My Dear Watson Travel Tin from Scentsy in my office, opening it about halfway and leaving it on top of one of my bookcases. I feel the scent comes and goes; sometimes I walk in and can smell it, sometimes I feel like I can't any more. Shame because I really like this fragrance; it's kind of spicy and cologne-like.
In my car I've put up a Scentsy hanger in Zephyr, and it also seems to come and go in terms of smell; I think it has something to do with how warm the car has been. Since Sherlock (my car; he even has the nameplates) stays in the garage, he doesn't get warmed in the sun much. But when he's been parked somewhere for a bit, boy howdy the Zephyr makes itself known.
Winner by far is the Scentsy bar I've been burning in the warmer I bought. The fragrance is Transcendence and it smells great. Plus, even after turning it off yesterday afternoon, my office still smelled fantastic this morning.
12.11.2013
Candles: Yankee, PartyLite, Scentsy & Others
Okay. My PartyLite and Scentsy are here, and while I haven't yet had the opportunity to try them all out, I figure I should start by enumerating my pre-existing candles. I've touched on some of these in previous posts, but this is a kind of follow-up.
What I have on tap:
I will let you know how all these do once I've rigorously tested them in my home office. Remember, I do all these in a closed space; results may vary if you're burning any of these in a larger area. For example, the candles I find too strong for my office often get transferred to kitchen duty to cover cooking smells and tend to do well there. (Also, I got some car tins from Scentsy, so we'll see how that goes.) Stay tuned for final results!
ETA: The opening salvo has been this: I opened a Scentsy travel tin in "My Dear Watson" (because I must start there, mustn't I?). At first I only opened it about a quarter of the way but I wasn't getting much scent from it, so I opened it halfway and left it so overnight, and now my office has a nice, spicy smell, something like cologne. But either I've grown used to it or it fades fast because it's less noticeable now than it was.
- Yankee's Australian Oasis—a little fruity in scent for my taste, and it gives me a bit of a headache to burn it for very long
- Yankee's Green Grass—they seemed to have revamped this to be a darker green and more like the old Riding Mower; I love it
- Yankee's Fresh Cut Roses—nicer than Pink Blush but can be overwhelming
- Yankee's Lakeside Birch—I really like this one but can't burn it for as long as some of the others because it is strong and will give me a headache after a while
- Yankee's Autumn Sky—a new favorite in that I love the scent and it is not too strong; mine's almost gone
- Yankee's Coastal Breeze—liked it in the jar but hardly puts out any scent at all when burned (and this is in my home office, a closed space)
- Yankee's Nightfall—very nice, a tad musky; I only have a small one so it's not strong, no idea how a bigger one might do
- Yankee's Midnight Cove—similar to Nightfall (I also only have a small one of these)
- La Bougie's Sun Kissed—enjoy the frosted glass and the look of this candle but it isn't very powerful in scent and is slightly more citrusy than I usually like
- Nature's Wick's Tranquil Waters—love this one from color to scent though it's burning a tad unevenly in the jar
What I have on tap:
- PartyLite Escentual in Poinsettia & Musk—love this scent and got it in votives last year but they weren't that strong when burning, so I'm curious to see if this larger candle puts forth more smell
- PartyLite Escentual in Cherry Blossom—kind of smells like candy . . .
- PartyLite Celestial Lights in Aries—love the smell of this, and my Aquarius candle did put out strong scent last year, so we'll see how this one does (PartyLite's site says they'll be retiring these soon . . .)
- & a ton of Scentsy stuff so we can see how they hold up to candles . . .
I will let you know how all these do once I've rigorously tested them in my home office. Remember, I do all these in a closed space; results may vary if you're burning any of these in a larger area. For example, the candles I find too strong for my office often get transferred to kitchen duty to cover cooking smells and tend to do well there. (Also, I got some car tins from Scentsy, so we'll see how that goes.) Stay tuned for final results!
ETA: The opening salvo has been this: I opened a Scentsy travel tin in "My Dear Watson" (because I must start there, mustn't I?). At first I only opened it about a quarter of the way but I wasn't getting much scent from it, so I opened it halfway and left it so overnight, and now my office has a nice, spicy smell, something like cologne. But either I've grown used to it or it fades fast because it's less noticeable now than it was.
11.22.2013
Candles vs. Scentsy?
We've established my love for candles, right? I burn them in my office while I work, and I'm very particular about the fragrances. I can also be a tad picky about the colors if/when I'm burning the candles for, er, let's say "special reasons."
Okay, but last night I was at a reception with a lot of different vendors, and I came to the Scentsy table. Now, I'd heard of Scentsy but wasn't really sure what it was. Well, it's those little wax melts that you put in a warmer and they make things smell nice. No flame required, just electricity.
But PartyLite was also at this reception. So! I splurged a bit and got three candles and a whole lot of wax melts.
The candles: Cherry Blossom, Aries (because my solar return is coming, and Aries will be my rising sign for the year—and if you understood that, kudos to you!), and of course the Poinsettia & Musk that I love so much and is only available this time of year. Best red candle on the market in my book. (I get so sick of things being rose or cinnamon or apple.)
The Scentsy melts: My Dear Watson (because with a name like that I had to, and it did also smell nice), Autumn Sunset, Clean Breeze, Eskimo Kiss, Simply Irresistible (reminded me of my childhood for some reason), Business Casual, Zephyr, Route 66 (not sure why, but the men's fragrances appealed to me), Transcendence.
When those come in, I will be able to report on how they hold up in comparison to the candles, both the PartyLites and my various other candles. Stay tuned for results!
Okay, but last night I was at a reception with a lot of different vendors, and I came to the Scentsy table. Now, I'd heard of Scentsy but wasn't really sure what it was. Well, it's those little wax melts that you put in a warmer and they make things smell nice. No flame required, just electricity.
But PartyLite was also at this reception. So! I splurged a bit and got three candles and a whole lot of wax melts.
The candles: Cherry Blossom, Aries (because my solar return is coming, and Aries will be my rising sign for the year—and if you understood that, kudos to you!), and of course the Poinsettia & Musk that I love so much and is only available this time of year. Best red candle on the market in my book. (I get so sick of things being rose or cinnamon or apple.)
The Scentsy melts: My Dear Watson (because with a name like that I had to, and it did also smell nice), Autumn Sunset, Clean Breeze, Eskimo Kiss, Simply Irresistible (reminded me of my childhood for some reason), Business Casual, Zephyr, Route 66 (not sure why, but the men's fragrances appealed to me), Transcendence.
When those come in, I will be able to report on how they hold up in comparison to the candles, both the PartyLites and my various other candles. Stay tuned for results!
9.24.2013
Candles: Random Options from Target
I was at Target today for things like paper plates and razor blades, and decided to treat myself to their [very limited] candle aisle. I don't often find anything worthy there, but with the change of seasons, it seems the stock has turned over, and I brought home a couple new choices.
Right now I'm burning one of those Nature's Wick candles, the kind with a wooden wick. It makes a sort of crackling noise as it burns. If you like the cozy sound of a fire, you might like this kind of candle. But if you want silence, don't bother. It took some getting used to for me, though now it's only so much white noise while I work.
The scent is Tranquil Waters, and I like it very much. It's strong enough to fill my office without giving me an immediate headache.
Another candle I picked up was yet another Yankee Candle, this one branded "Home Classics." I don't know what that means exactly, but I like the shape of the jar, which is a kind of straight-sided cylinder; there's something very clean about the look. The scent is Coastal Breeze. I really liked it in the store, but giving it a whiff now, there's something weirdly smoky about it. We'll see what happens when I light it, I suppose.
Both the above candles are blue, with Tranquil Waters being a deep color and Coastal Breeze being a icy pale blue-grey. I do seem to gravitate toward the blue candles for whatever reason. Still, being mindful that I should stretch myself, I picked up a third and final offering, a yellow-orange soy candle called Sun Kissed. The scent does, indeed, put me in mind of a sunny day, and the color is cheerful. The company is not prominently marked, but looking at the bottom of the box, it seems to be made by Illume. I haven't had much luck with soy candles in that I've found their scents don't often hold, but maybe this one will change my mind. In any case, the color is a nice complement to my range of blues, and the one green candle I currently have.
Right now I'm burning one of those Nature's Wick candles, the kind with a wooden wick. It makes a sort of crackling noise as it burns. If you like the cozy sound of a fire, you might like this kind of candle. But if you want silence, don't bother. It took some getting used to for me, though now it's only so much white noise while I work.
The scent is Tranquil Waters, and I like it very much. It's strong enough to fill my office without giving me an immediate headache.
Another candle I picked up was yet another Yankee Candle, this one branded "Home Classics." I don't know what that means exactly, but I like the shape of the jar, which is a kind of straight-sided cylinder; there's something very clean about the look. The scent is Coastal Breeze. I really liked it in the store, but giving it a whiff now, there's something weirdly smoky about it. We'll see what happens when I light it, I suppose.
Both the above candles are blue, with Tranquil Waters being a deep color and Coastal Breeze being a icy pale blue-grey. I do seem to gravitate toward the blue candles for whatever reason. Still, being mindful that I should stretch myself, I picked up a third and final offering, a yellow-orange soy candle called Sun Kissed. The scent does, indeed, put me in mind of a sunny day, and the color is cheerful. The company is not prominently marked, but looking at the bottom of the box, it seems to be made by Illume. I haven't had much luck with soy candles in that I've found their scents don't often hold, but maybe this one will change my mind. In any case, the color is a nice complement to my range of blues, and the one green candle I currently have.
7.17.2013
Candles: New Finds at Yankee Candle Outlet
So yesterday I found myself on a rare outing to the local outlets, that Parthenon of shopping that I do my best to avoid. (I'm a writer, so I spend a lot of my time avoiding pretty much everything that isn't directly related to my work, though I do like shopping—in very particular stores—and seeing/chatting with people . . . sometimes . . . depending on the people . . .)
Anyway, I was there on an errand, but once that was taken care of I wanted to maybe stay a bit longer so as not to feel like I'd spent more time in the car coming and going than actually being there, if that makes any sense. So I stopped in the Yankee Candle store.
We've established that I really like candles. Little London (what we call my home office) is filled with them. I buy them in large quantities, then go many months without buying any until my supplies have dwindled. As it turned out, as of yesterday I was down to three jar candles that were nearing their ends. Could do with a few more.
Now, as I've said before, I don't buy candles that smell like food. That eliminates approximately half the available candles, scents like vanilla and cookies and pumpkin spice or whatever. But there are still many other choices. I had been mourning the discontinuation of my beloved Blue Hydrangea, but darling Oscar, the Yankee Candle associate, showed me they did still have Hydrangea—and it is blue. (The color only matters a little in my book; it's the scent that counts most.) And this Hydrangea candle is lovely as far as smell goes.
Speaking of color, another candle in very similar color to the Hydrangea is Ocean Blossom, and I like that one very much as well. (And, if we are talking color, I find the Ocean Blossom more appealing than Hydrangea in terms of shades of blue.) But of course Hydrangea has personal meaning for me that transcends other considerations.
Feeling the need to move outside of blue, I found Honey Blossom, which is a lovely dusky lavender color and has a light floral fragrance with a musky touch that seems less likely than some to bring on a headache after extended exposure. I also found the bright green Meadow candle. Now, I had been pretty fond of Riding Mower (even though the name was dumb), and I still prefer the way it smelled to this, but I find Meadow to be stronger and more pleasing than the Green Grass candle.
Then I realized I needed a red candle. Alas, most red candles fall into that food-flavor group: cinnamon, apple, berry . . . I found a True Rose candle that smelled very much like my rose garden, but it was almost too overwhelming a scent. And I found a Tulip candle that was nice but was only being sold as a gift set. After some hunting, however, I happened across Australian Oasis, part of some line known as World Journeys. Whatever. It was red and I liked the smell, which I'll admit does have a slightly fruity overtone but doesn't immediately call to mind something you want to eat.
I thought I was done, but passed a grouping of smaller jar candles on the way to the register (yes, I know they do that on purpose). Despite my original intention to be done with blue, having chosen two blue candles already, I ended up bringing Nightfall and Midnight Cove home. But at least they're dark blue while the other two are light blue. (And truthfully, dark blue is closer to my favorite color than any light shade.)
Yankee does seem to hold a large corner of the candle market. Or is that merely my perception after having lived on the East Coast all those years? I have to say, I see less of them out here in California, nor was I aware of them when I lived down south. It's nice to have a quick stop for candle shopping in any case, and it's worth it to me to check in a couple times a year since they seem to turn over their fragrances pretty regularly. Though I was amazed to see a large portion of the outlet store was already displaying the autumn and Christmas candles . . . I'm still trying to enjoy, even extend, my summer! But when I have to hole up and work in Little London, at least I can make the place smell nice with all these candles. (One at a time, of course. God help us if they were all lit at once!) I can pretend I'm outdoors by faking the smell of grass and flowers . . . Or maybe I should just take the laptop outside for a while.
Anyway, I was there on an errand, but once that was taken care of I wanted to maybe stay a bit longer so as not to feel like I'd spent more time in the car coming and going than actually being there, if that makes any sense. So I stopped in the Yankee Candle store.
We've established that I really like candles. Little London (what we call my home office) is filled with them. I buy them in large quantities, then go many months without buying any until my supplies have dwindled. As it turned out, as of yesterday I was down to three jar candles that were nearing their ends. Could do with a few more.
Now, as I've said before, I don't buy candles that smell like food. That eliminates approximately half the available candles, scents like vanilla and cookies and pumpkin spice or whatever. But there are still many other choices. I had been mourning the discontinuation of my beloved Blue Hydrangea, but darling Oscar, the Yankee Candle associate, showed me they did still have Hydrangea—and it is blue. (The color only matters a little in my book; it's the scent that counts most.) And this Hydrangea candle is lovely as far as smell goes.
Speaking of color, another candle in very similar color to the Hydrangea is Ocean Blossom, and I like that one very much as well. (And, if we are talking color, I find the Ocean Blossom more appealing than Hydrangea in terms of shades of blue.) But of course Hydrangea has personal meaning for me that transcends other considerations.
Feeling the need to move outside of blue, I found Honey Blossom, which is a lovely dusky lavender color and has a light floral fragrance with a musky touch that seems less likely than some to bring on a headache after extended exposure. I also found the bright green Meadow candle. Now, I had been pretty fond of Riding Mower (even though the name was dumb), and I still prefer the way it smelled to this, but I find Meadow to be stronger and more pleasing than the Green Grass candle.
Then I realized I needed a red candle. Alas, most red candles fall into that food-flavor group: cinnamon, apple, berry . . . I found a True Rose candle that smelled very much like my rose garden, but it was almost too overwhelming a scent. And I found a Tulip candle that was nice but was only being sold as a gift set. After some hunting, however, I happened across Australian Oasis, part of some line known as World Journeys. Whatever. It was red and I liked the smell, which I'll admit does have a slightly fruity overtone but doesn't immediately call to mind something you want to eat.
I thought I was done, but passed a grouping of smaller jar candles on the way to the register (yes, I know they do that on purpose). Despite my original intention to be done with blue, having chosen two blue candles already, I ended up bringing Nightfall and Midnight Cove home. But at least they're dark blue while the other two are light blue. (And truthfully, dark blue is closer to my favorite color than any light shade.)
Yankee does seem to hold a large corner of the candle market. Or is that merely my perception after having lived on the East Coast all those years? I have to say, I see less of them out here in California, nor was I aware of them when I lived down south. It's nice to have a quick stop for candle shopping in any case, and it's worth it to me to check in a couple times a year since they seem to turn over their fragrances pretty regularly. Though I was amazed to see a large portion of the outlet store was already displaying the autumn and Christmas candles . . . I'm still trying to enjoy, even extend, my summer! But when I have to hole up and work in Little London, at least I can make the place smell nice with all these candles. (One at a time, of course. God help us if they were all lit at once!) I can pretend I'm outdoors by faking the smell of grass and flowers . . . Or maybe I should just take the laptop outside for a while.
5.15.2013
Candles: Companies & Scents
I've written before about how much I love candles, and how particular I am about the various scents (no foodie smells, please!). I've recently purchased and been given a number of candles, so I thought I'd do a little post about the various brands and scents.
We'll start with Yankee Candle, which is one of the best known companies, at least in the south and on the east coast; now that I live on the other side of the country, I've found (at least in my immediate area) Yankee is not so well known. Well, they're Yankees, after all . . .
But Yankee Candle did open a store near us a few months ago, and we've since been in a couple times. And before that, having lived in Boston, I always had a few Yankee candles around the house.
Blue Hydrangea is one of my favorite scents, but last I looked, I couldn't find it. Yankee seems to be turning over their stock and scents quite rapidly. For example, I also really like Riding Mower, which is a stupid name, but the scent was fantastic as it reminded me of a childhood spent playing outdoors on a freshly shorn lawn. That seems to be gone now, too, replaced with something called Green Grass, which smells nice in the jar, but when I lit it, there was hardly any aroma to fill my office. You wouldn't have known I had a scented candle burning in there. Very weak.
I didn't like Pink Blush, either. But the new Lake Sunset is nice, sort of smells like you might imagine a Victorian doll shop would smell. (Oddly specific, but I used to work in a Victorian doll shop.) Cottage Breeze is a nice, fresh scent, too, but I understand that's also being discontinued.
For getting rid of (or at least overpowering) kitchen smells, we've found Black Coconut to work quite well.
Yankee is a familiar standby, but not necessarily the greatest of candle options (especially now that I can't get Blue Hydrangea). Still, I was more or less stuck with what I knew until a few months ago I was invited to a PartyLite candle party. Now, this is tricky because you have to order the products and then they are shipped to you . . . If you were to simply do it online, it would be a guessing game (or maybe you'd order based on color). At the party, the consultant had a kit with tiny samples so we could smell the various fragrances. One that I instantly fell in love with was Poinsettia & Musk—this was near the holidays, and this lovely red candle is not currently available. I also very much enjoyed Twilight Sea. And the Celestial Lights line based on zodiac signs is rather fun.
However, they are not perfect. I have to burn two Poinsettia & Musk votives to really be able to smell them, and the burning time is relatively short (they're gone in less than a full day). The big, two-wick Twilight Sea lasted longer and gave a stronger aroma. The Celestial Light candle I ordered definitely holds its own in terms of scent as well.
Finally, I was given a candle by a company I'd never heard of: Greenleaf. Worth linking to because it was a marvelous little votive, and I believe the scent was Classic Linen. Though this also lasted less than a full day, I adored the smell of it. And with the candle I was given a couple of Greenleaf's sachets, and they are fantastic. The only difficulty there was deciding which of my drawers to put them in. (Need to buy more; I can highly recommend Radiant Waters as a scent.)
I suppose the burning time issue might be more about the fact that I burn candles pretty much daily while working in my office. So when I say one can't smell the candles, that the aroma is weak, this is very true considering the candles are being burned in a closed environment. If you can't smell them there, you wouldn't be able to smell them much of anywhere.
If you know of any other candles/companies I should look into, I'd be happy to hear of them. Or if you can recommend another scent I might like, feel free to suggest it.
We'll start with Yankee Candle, which is one of the best known companies, at least in the south and on the east coast; now that I live on the other side of the country, I've found (at least in my immediate area) Yankee is not so well known. Well, they're Yankees, after all . . .
But Yankee Candle did open a store near us a few months ago, and we've since been in a couple times. And before that, having lived in Boston, I always had a few Yankee candles around the house.
Blue Hydrangea is one of my favorite scents, but last I looked, I couldn't find it. Yankee seems to be turning over their stock and scents quite rapidly. For example, I also really like Riding Mower, which is a stupid name, but the scent was fantastic as it reminded me of a childhood spent playing outdoors on a freshly shorn lawn. That seems to be gone now, too, replaced with something called Green Grass, which smells nice in the jar, but when I lit it, there was hardly any aroma to fill my office. You wouldn't have known I had a scented candle burning in there. Very weak.
I didn't like Pink Blush, either. But the new Lake Sunset is nice, sort of smells like you might imagine a Victorian doll shop would smell. (Oddly specific, but I used to work in a Victorian doll shop.) Cottage Breeze is a nice, fresh scent, too, but I understand that's also being discontinued.
For getting rid of (or at least overpowering) kitchen smells, we've found Black Coconut to work quite well.
Yankee is a familiar standby, but not necessarily the greatest of candle options (especially now that I can't get Blue Hydrangea). Still, I was more or less stuck with what I knew until a few months ago I was invited to a PartyLite candle party. Now, this is tricky because you have to order the products and then they are shipped to you . . . If you were to simply do it online, it would be a guessing game (or maybe you'd order based on color). At the party, the consultant had a kit with tiny samples so we could smell the various fragrances. One that I instantly fell in love with was Poinsettia & Musk—this was near the holidays, and this lovely red candle is not currently available. I also very much enjoyed Twilight Sea. And the Celestial Lights line based on zodiac signs is rather fun.
However, they are not perfect. I have to burn two Poinsettia & Musk votives to really be able to smell them, and the burning time is relatively short (they're gone in less than a full day). The big, two-wick Twilight Sea lasted longer and gave a stronger aroma. The Celestial Light candle I ordered definitely holds its own in terms of scent as well.
Finally, I was given a candle by a company I'd never heard of: Greenleaf. Worth linking to because it was a marvelous little votive, and I believe the scent was Classic Linen. Though this also lasted less than a full day, I adored the smell of it. And with the candle I was given a couple of Greenleaf's sachets, and they are fantastic. The only difficulty there was deciding which of my drawers to put them in. (Need to buy more; I can highly recommend Radiant Waters as a scent.)
I suppose the burning time issue might be more about the fact that I burn candles pretty much daily while working in my office. So when I say one can't smell the candles, that the aroma is weak, this is very true considering the candles are being burned in a closed environment. If you can't smell them there, you wouldn't be able to smell them much of anywhere.
If you know of any other candles/companies I should look into, I'd be happy to hear of them. Or if you can recommend another scent I might like, feel free to suggest it.
10.31.2012
Candles
I really like candles. I like to have them burning while I'm writing. But I'm very particular about my candles. They cannot smell like food. None of this "spice cookie" or vanilla or whatever. I detest anything that smells like something I might want to eat without it being something I can, in fact, eat. (So this rule also goes for body lotions.)
The best candles I ever had were a gift from someone on a film set. (Long story short, it didn't occur to me until long after the fact that maybe the guy who gave them to me might, you know, like me or something? Marcel, wherever you are: thank you.) These candles were "fresh cut grass" scent made by a company called Chubbies. Do they exist any more? Could I possibly find more of these candles?
The old standbys are, of course, Yankee Candles. I do love their "blue hydrangea." But I'm trying to branch out a bit and discover a few other brands instead of going back to the same things again and again.
At Michael's today I found a brand called Ashland but I didn't like the way any of them smelled. The one I'm trying out now is Nature's Wick in "tranquil waters" scent. It smells great without being too cloying and it seems to burn pretty evenly, but it makes a funny noise. Yes, that's right. It crackles and buzzes, I suppose because of the wooden wick. I haven't decided yet how I feel about that.
I've discovered that most of the scents I enjoy come in white or light blue for whatever reason. Sometimes beige. I like deep, rich colors, but the scents for which those colors are typically featured aren't my cup of tea, so to speak. Cranberry? Uh, no. And I generally steer clear of anything that will make my office smell like a Christmas Tree store. But I am getting a little tired of all the blue and white, despite how serene it makes things. Hmm.
Someone once gave me a Yankee Candle that was some kind of thunderstorm scent? It was quite nice, actually, and a darker color than the ones I usually gravitate toward. Maybe I could find more like that.
Anyone out there have suggestions for candles?
The best candles I ever had were a gift from someone on a film set. (Long story short, it didn't occur to me until long after the fact that maybe the guy who gave them to me might, you know, like me or something? Marcel, wherever you are: thank you.) These candles were "fresh cut grass" scent made by a company called Chubbies. Do they exist any more? Could I possibly find more of these candles?
The old standbys are, of course, Yankee Candles. I do love their "blue hydrangea." But I'm trying to branch out a bit and discover a few other brands instead of going back to the same things again and again.
At Michael's today I found a brand called Ashland but I didn't like the way any of them smelled. The one I'm trying out now is Nature's Wick in "tranquil waters" scent. It smells great without being too cloying and it seems to burn pretty evenly, but it makes a funny noise. Yes, that's right. It crackles and buzzes, I suppose because of the wooden wick. I haven't decided yet how I feel about that.
I've discovered that most of the scents I enjoy come in white or light blue for whatever reason. Sometimes beige. I like deep, rich colors, but the scents for which those colors are typically featured aren't my cup of tea, so to speak. Cranberry? Uh, no. And I generally steer clear of anything that will make my office smell like a Christmas Tree store. But I am getting a little tired of all the blue and white, despite how serene it makes things. Hmm.
Someone once gave me a Yankee Candle that was some kind of thunderstorm scent? It was quite nice, actually, and a darker color than the ones I usually gravitate toward. Maybe I could find more like that.
Anyone out there have suggestions for candles?
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