I have to admit that I am a late convert to the idea of scented candles. Of for that matter of candles at all. I have a bit of phobia about open flames, since so many house fires are started by people who decide to leave the room for the day with a lit candle going. But last year at the LA Scent event I went to I won a candle in one of the giveaways.
Complete. Utter. Revelation.
My main fear was tipping- I had a blackout at my street once and had only tapers, so I put them in this vase I had that was about 3 feet tall and used them to read by and hoped my neighbors were very careful with our bone-dry wooden building (I admit I was scared from tales of a good friend who had her house burn down from a careless employee, but hey.) I almost gave mine away to a candle loving and less fearful friend, but I didn’t. The one I had (Hotel Costes) smelled so delicious I had to try it. Of course once I tried it I couldn’t give it away, because A) it would be like gift wrapping a slice of cheesecake you’d taken a bit out of and B) I didn’t want to.
I also found that these candles, while seemingly awfully expensive have , if you use them judiciously the life of nuclear waste. You light them, let them warm some of the wax, and blow them out. They’ll perfume your room for hours from the hot wax and be able to do the same the next day.
I do still instead of tapers keep some battery-operated “candles” that I keep around for lighting that my BFF who had the house fire gave me. But I think I’ll always keep a couple scented pot candles on hand for some extra “oomph” around the house. Any suggestions as to what I should be going for next (hopefully inexpensive?)
Image: LuckyScent
I'm a fan of the tried and true Yankee Candle in the malls. They have lots of different scents that change with the seasons, the candles and wax tarts are strongly scented and they are relatively inexpensive. If you're worried about an open flame, you can always try one of the wax tart warmers. They melt little wax tarts and scent the house without fire. I have one that has a light bulb in the base so that I don't forget its on. Sage and Citrus from Yankee is one of my all time favorites and Autumn Leaves is nice for fall.