$$$ £££ Scented Candles

As someone who spends a fair bit of disposable income on things that could be deemed *a complete waste* of money which I do not deem to be a waste (skincare, personal fragrance, fashion, music, whatever...) I'm always shocked that people could consider spending £60 upwards on a scented candle.

And as someone who is very often irritated when someone rolls their eyes at me (personally) spending £30 or so on a facial serum, or whatever, I don't want to be shocked that someone would spend upwards of £60 on a candle, ffs. And I saw an outdoor diptyque one at £400 odd! (outdoor candle is a whole other wtf, I think)

Of course then I realise it's all bs and we can spend as we like.

but it still niggles at me. £60?! £400?! come on...

this was intended to be on ILStyle btw.

nice candles are nice imo

personally can't afford diptyque but if you can i say treat yourself

I like P.F. Candles. Much less expensive but still smell nice and not like a Glade plug-in.

i'm willing to spend a little more on a candle if it comes in a nice thick ceramic or glass container i can hang on to and reuse

If you have sufficient disposable income that you can spend large sums on luxuries without jeopardizing your future financial security, then it's better to recirculate that money than to let it just pile up to no purpose. However, you might consider dropping some more of it on charitable organizations than on moisturizing products and fashionable clothes, but that is just a suggestion to consider. There are plenty of people out there hurting for want of reliable food, water and shelter. It's your choice.

nah

i'm not going to consider that suggestion

diptyque is the best, really, hands down, with the most beautiful, complex accords. imo even cire trudon doesn't compare. I could go on about which are my favorite scents

as much as I like body care products I think I get more pleasure out of high quality scented candles

I could go on about which are my favorite scents

please do!

I actually use a diptyque parfum (oh please..) but it lasts me about a year.

There are so many. I think you have to identify what kinds of olfactory ambiance speak the most to you – the main categories being floral, fruit, wood, herbs, spice

I've always been attracted to woody and herbal scents, but I'm more recently appreciating the other categories.

I think my first obsessions were with “Chêne”, oak tree, a very sexy wood scent, “Feu de Bois”, a deep campfire, and “Maquis”, an Italian scrub landscape scent with “woods, fennel, cistus, and everlasting flowers”.

For anyone on the west coast of US, “Eucalyptus” is particularly evocative, it has a very powerful camphor component. Other favorites: “Cyprès” with honey and resin, “Bois Ciré” the scent of waxed wood, “Myrrhe” a resinous holiday accord, “Oud” a woody animalic scent, as well as “Cuir” (leather), “Santal” (sandalwood), “Vétyver”, “Opopanax” and “Ambre”.

John Galliano also designed a special candle for them composed of Russian leather, bark, musk and dried herbs that is so lovely that they have kept it in their lineup ever since.

That's just in the category of the woody scents (and there are more– juniper, hazelnut, benjoin)

I was in an upscale perfume shop in London a few years ago and the guy in front of me in the queue was spending £2200 on candles.

I’m happy to spend relatively large amounts of fragrances but typically look for candles at TK Maxx rather than paying close to retail. About £40 for a candle with a 40 hour burn time and £60 for 60 hours doesn’t strike me as so unreasonable in principle though.

Miller Harris has some nice ones and I bought my niece a Takahashi Hiroko candle in a beautiful bone-china holder for Christmas.

I was never ever a scented candles person until someone bought me a small diptyque. it's worth spending a bit for a bigger 'throw' of the scent and longer burn time. I have once or twice bought the £40 ones when I have a decent discount to use and then I only need to burn them for a small amount at a time. Feu de Bois is really nice this time of year.

I used to have bigger high-ceilinged draughty rooms though - I might be fine with cheaper candles now although I find a lot smell soapy.

it's a small pleasure and i don't get the chance to drink much or go out much at the moment so I don't feel bad for buying the odd candle.

you can get byredo candles at tk maxx

For anyone on the west coast of US, “Eucalyptus” is particularly evocative

👀

this stuff can be pretty toxic, research is not conclusive but worth a look:

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/do-scented-candles-cause-cancer/

I love the diptyque feu de bois but imo they don’t put out much of a scent. Neither do jo malone candles. Right now I’m looking for a candle that smells exactly like a real Xmas tree and puts out a good amount of scent.

I’m thinking about getting an oil diffuser to replace scented candles but I’ve read some stuff that says you can’t use them around dogs.

I was ready to feel guilty about all the candles I just bought. About 2 years ago I smelled the greatest candle in the bathroom of a restaurant in brooklyn in the middle of winter and have been daydreaming about it. So I finally bought it along with a bunch of others during a sale. It's from Good Candle in brooklyn and the fragrance is Campfire. I bought several (I just love the smell of burning leaves and wood and spice) and gifted one and then also got Whiskey, Tomato Vine, Americano and Tobacco. I like to keep candles lit in the bathroom when we have people over (so they don't feel awkward about pooping).

https://www.spacenk.com/uk/en_GB/fragrance/home-fragrance/spray-diffuser/post-poo-drops-UK200018336.html

There is also poo-pouri.

I like Sidney Hale candles—they have a lot of earthy scents. Right now I have spearmint and spruce. Not a huge fan of Dyptique—they smell a little perfumey to me. My sister gave me a tiny pomander one last year and I am still trying to use it up.

I’m trying to transition to just using more non-smelly candles for ligh and ambience—is there a good place to buy relatively cheap normal candles, like pillar and such? Also tea lights.

Flying Tiger is excellent for basic candles.

VP are you willing to get some LED ones? They have some you can program or that are solar powered. Otherwise Flying Tiger (otm) or Ikea. Are you strictly against smelly candles now?

No I am all for smelly candles, I would just like to supplement that with beautiful pillars of burning non smelling candles and twinkling tea lights. Thanks for the recs. I will try Flying Tiger. Not sure how I feel about LEDS right now. Looking forward to staying in and burning candles all winter!

x-post - yes!! Just bought a bunch at one yesterday. Was just going to say I’d never seen one in the US but apparently they have them in NY.

I love candles so much and have 3 real and a bunch of LED ones going right now. I don’t think I’ve ever spent more than $25 on one though. I just can’t stand the thought of paying for something I’m literally going to burn. I like woodsy scents and ones that smell like men - or cologne I guess. I’ve had some by paddywax and Illume that I’ve really liked.

ENBB - you might like my friend’s candles.

Ranger Station

Yeah I def lean towards woodsy/tobacco/campfire/forest smells, plus lavender. It’s ubiquitous and totally basic but lavender really is one of my favorite scents.

never heard of Ranger Station, but the selection looks interesting

the diptyque lavender is really nice, it has a striking earthy quality

Ooh will check out EZ. :)

Justine this one is pretty amazing as far as Christmas tree smells go:

http://www.thymes.com/Fragrances/Frasier-Fir/

you can get byredo candles at tk maxx

Tip!

it was weird and unexpected and interesting that the first half of this thread was mostly men. good on you guys with your scented candle opinions :)

Lol E, I posted to a women’s fb group I’m in and that candle was HIGHLY recommended!

My old roommate was gifted this very heavy candle from Henri Bendel and she gave it to me because the scent (jasmine, gardenia, other white flowers) was too much. I kept it around for a couple of years and it seemed pricey enough that i didn't want to waste a scent I didn't like on myself. So I gave it to a friend who was visiting from out of the country. I learned a couple of months ago, she gave it to someone else. This candle is never, ever going to be used.

I do like Diptyque candles a lot and can sometimes get the full size ones for $35-$40 but usually these days I kind of want to try newer brands. Homesick candles keeps showing up in things I am reading, probably because they have a Books scent, but the reviews on the candles are mixed.

I have a favorite candle but in a small space like my bathroom it has left noticeable smoke stains on the walls. I'm not into that. I would love to burn them all the time but I don't need soot in my apt.

This Honey Nectar is my all-time fave: https://www.dwhome.com/products/wild-honey-nectar

if i could get diptyque candles for $35 i totally would

Yerac, I just checked the brand of the candle I’ve got in my bedroom that I really like - it’s the Good Candle Campfire one, too. I like it a lot bc it gives off a good amount of scent, like I can still detect the scent the next day. Diptyque and Jo Malone don’t have that quality.

woo hoo! It's so nice, right (especially when it's cold out).

Around tgiving they had a buy 3 one pound jars and get 3 free (plus they throw in a travel size one in every order). This is why I have too many candles now.

I personally like candles but am still kind of annoyed that I’m allergic to something in one of the favorite ones I’ve bought!
I also ended up buying some nice incense a while back