I have a bit of a candle obsession.
It started a few years ago when I used to work at the Christian Dior head office. I was the Front of House gal and a PA, and one of my jobs was to keep the entrance of the office looking pristine and perfect. One of the regulations was that there always had to be a Diptyque candle burning and it had to be Opoponax. I had to bulk order these candles (about 20 at a time) to ensure we always had one burning. When the candle got down to about a quarter empty (or full if you like) that candle was discarded, as it looked messy apparently, and a new one was lit.
Now, this seemed like a HUGE waste to me, and considering my 21 year old brain couldn't fathom the idea of binning an almost £40 candle, when it still had about 15 hours of burn time left, I asked if I could take the discarded Diptique candles home with me. And they said yes!
So that was the start of the obsession. Not just for scented candles, but expensive (tsk tsk) scented candles. They just smell better, burn better, last longer and look nicer. Yes I am a bit of a candle snob. I tried the cheap versions, but they just didn't do it for me. However, I also realise that spending £40 on a candle is a bit cray cray, so my eyes were opened up to the world of Anthropologie candles and, of course, the amazing Yankee Candles. Here you have candles, which do everything the crazily expensive candles do, but for a quarter of the price (depending on sizes).
I received a marketing newsletter from an online gift company recently, about a flash sale for Yankee Candles. Normally these emails make no impression, but I was quick to click on the links and be taken to the Yankee Candle section of the website. All candles at 30% off! Cue one happy girl!
Now, I am trying to save and not splurge at the moment, due to doing major house renovation works, but I have been very good recently so I thought, these candles would be a good compromise purchase - 30% off AND you could argue that they are a home essential, thus needed for the house. That was all the convincing I needed.
I decided to limit myself to just 2 of the large jars. These have around 100 - 135 hours of burn time, plus the chunky glass jars look great and can be used as storage jars when they have finished (thrifty girl me!)
After scrolling up and down the choices for ages, I finally narrowed it down to 4 candles. It is hard choosing scents without smelling them, but I knew I wanted to go for sweet, edible smells. Their floral fragrances are gorgeous, but I aim to put one in the kitchen and one in the lounge, and the yummy smells always seem to suit my house the most.
After a bit more umming and ahhing, I finally chose Vanilla Chai (my favourite hot drink) and Snowflake Cookie (who could resist such an adorable name?) The Vanilla Chai is a deep red and smells just like its namesake. Vanilla, cinnamon and slightly spicy. Mmmm! As for Snowflake Cookie, it's a pretty fairy pink and smells all warm, sugary and just like freshly baked cookies. It makes me hungry just smelling it.
Have you tried either of these scents? What's your favourite candle? Enjoy x
