best candles?

[Gussie]

I am very tired of buying candles that have overwhelming smell in the store and hardly any at home. I know it's that there are so many in the store but still. Recommendations for certain brands?

 

[Queenie60]

Have you tried an oil candle? It's a clear vessel with a wick and you put oil in it. My husband has had the same one for about 20 years.

 

[Gussie]

Lampe berger type? I have several but they always smell like alcohol to me.

 

[kenny]

I miss candles.
We can't have them since some candles give off gasses that may harm birds.
I guess I could research which are less toxic, but even then I won't gamble with Bibi's health.

 

[PintoBean]

I don't like scented things bc I'm wary of exposing my cats to chemicals unnecessarily.

How about a diffuser and essential oils? I'm a fan of Rocky Mountajn Oils which merged with Native American Nutritoonals (I think that's the name)

Just a disclaimer my house tends to smell like whatever I toasted last in the toaster oven . Lololol

 

[marcy]

I like vanilla candles and prefer the ones Hallmark sells.

 

[erislynn]

If you're looking for value and a strong throw, Bath and Bodyworks/Whitebarn candles are excellent. For luxury candles, I like Voluspa.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

For candles try Scentsational, I find them at Marshalls and TJ Maxx and they are the only candles I will buy.

I have also used the home fragrance oils from The Body Shop, they are lovely as well and you can sometimes get a whole lot of them on EBay for a great price.

 

[Gussie]

If you're looking for value and a strong throw, Bath and Bodyworks/Whitebarn candles are excellent. For luxury candles, I like Voluspa.

Voluspa was the candle I was complaining about. It was a $60 candle and I could only smell it when I got close enough to burn my nose. Maybe it was old?

 

[telephone89]

I love the bath & body works candles. I have one on my coffee table right now!

 

[monarch64]

I'm still a Yankee candle fan. I only like one scent--Sage and Citrus--and I don't even have to burn it to smell the fragrance when I walk into a room. I leave it lidded until I want to freshen the air and then open it--and I can smell it from adjacent rooms.

I hear great things about Diptyque and Jo Malone candles, but man...I can't bring myself to spend that much on some wax and a wick.

 

[Gussie]

Lol, I wanted a jo malone candle until I saw the price. I bought the jo malone cologne instead! I don't recommend it either. It wears off by mid day.

 

[AGBF]

Keepers Of The Light. I have bought more candles in my lifetime than any one person could have used. Also bars of scented soap. This topic probably could be tacked onto the "Scent of The Day" thread. I have never smelled a Jo Malone candle, but I spent a fortune on an already opened bottle of her discontinued lilac and rhubarb cologne on eBay and also have a matching rose soap and cologne (not discontinued) by her! And I have other rhubarb perfumes and rhubarb soap. And many, many candle scents. My favorites by far are Keepers Of The Light. I like Yankee Candle, too, because they are strong. I have also tried many homemade candle makers on eBay and Etsy.

AGBF

 

[erislynn]

Voluspa was the candle I was complaining about. It was a $60 candle and I could only smell it when I got close enough to burn my nose. Maybe it was old?

Maybe it depends on the particular scent. I have a favorite from Voluspa that's a few years old now. I always keep it capped when not in use. I can smell it plenty strong when sitting nearby.

 

[Gussie]

Or maybe I am getting so old my sniffer has stopped working!

 

[Arcadian]

I'm a huge fan of Diptyque candles. they're not cheap but man they are highly scented! Amouage candles are as well.

Bath and body works / white barn used to be extremely scented but last one I purchased was a dud Kitchen Lemon. Thankfully it was on sale. I have one I bought last year (Orange ginger from the Aromatherapy line) for my office. that thing has mega throw. You might try that specific line. I do also have black currant vanilla, which isn't available anymore and that one I never light, just open the lid. (its for the bedroom)

 

[madelise]

It doesn't matter what oil, candle, etc. I use... it smells initially for me and within minutes, I can't smell it anymore I think my olfactory senses just gets used to things quickly.

Could it be that? That you are just used to your candles? Vs. it no longer smelling? Can you ask a friend to come over and smell your candles? Lol that sounds so weird..

 

[valeria101]

It doesn't matter what oil, candle, etc. I use... it smells initially for me and within minutes, I can't smell it anymore ...

The sense of smell works like that ...

Inasmuch, perfumes are in fact sets of slightly different scents with different evaporation rates: so that we keep noticing them despite habituation ... Perfumers seem to take this as a Holy Axiom; easily tested by resetting the detector [get out of scent range for half an hour; a deep sniff of ground coffee works faster - if you can stand it.]

However, it is possible that inexpertly scented candles truly do get spent that way for a hundred reasons ...

I rarely scent house, when that happens, it is done by adding volatile oils to a candle; the Axiom does apply. [Eastern Europe's obscure habits; I seem to be the odd one out doing this just about anywhere else ! Sometimes, good things get burned this way - say, my Amouage Attars ... now sadly discontinued ... much to my Discontent]

 

[valeria101]

I am very tired of buying candles ... Recommendations for certain brands?

Amouage

 

[valeria101]

How about a diffuser and essential oils?

ctd.

- this is what a candle to which a little scented volatile oil has been added (mentioned above) is - archaic-school 'diffuser'. Happened to grow up with them.

 

[OreoRosies86]

I pretty much stick to Diptyque and Aveda when I feel like splurging. The soot that burns off of your average paraffin candle is so bad to breathe in!

 

[PierreBear]

Yes after trying out so many candles, the one to buy is the Woodwick brand. First off, it has a fun crackling sound. Not that important to me. It burns complete! Some candles burn and leave a rim of wax and seems to waste the product. With the Woodwick brand, I've finished candles where you burn up the whole thing and you are left with a wick. The smell does fill the room but depending on the scent, some are more overwhelming than other. You can get it at Amazon or I use the coupons at BBB and pick it up. Tell me if you pick it up and how you like it! I love these candles so much that I also give them out as gifts.

 

[Arcadian]

It doesn't matter what oil, candle, etc. I use... it smells initially for me and within minutes, I can't smell it anymore I think my olfactory senses just gets used to things quickly.

Could it be that? That you are just used to your candles? Vs. it no longer smelling? Can you ask a friend to come over and smell your candles? Lol that sounds so weird..

Olfactory fatigue is real. It sucks too. I find that it also happens with perfumes, which means not spraying too close to the nose and not spraying so much you're killing people (I've seen people on other forums say they use 20 sprays...really???)

Diptyque candles are meant to be burned in tandem. When I lived in Massachusetts, I would have 2-3 going at a time in our great room which had had 20 foot ceilings and was a VERY large room, so took a lot to fill it up. So I would strategically place them so that they would blend. (you can get them in actual sets) My candles lasted well beyond 2 years because frankly they were strong as heck and I have to admit, I didn't want to leave them burning beyond the 15 minute mark...lol. I did finally get rid of them in the yard sale because I figured Id get new ones (I haven't yet)

Amouage candles are ridiculously strong but also quite expensive. I got one for my mom. She loves it but it can be smelled all over their house once lit for 10 minutes. That should tell you something right there.

 

[partgypsy]

I LOVE Pacifica candles. They are a treat. I only buy them once or twice a year, so I can hit the $50 free shipping. Sandlewood is my favorite. My mother loves the rose scented one. I would give them a try. I usually get the 6 pack of votives, as even the small candles have a good throw so it seems the biggest bang for the buck. I also buy bath and bodyworks candles as they have a few scents I like.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

I love Cire Trudon, Ormonde Jayne and Frédéric Malle for candles.
I have had two duds from Amouage - very annoying at that price point! So won't ever buy those again.
For a fast scent "boost" in larger rooms I am a big fan of the Lampe Berger system.
They claim to purify the air, which I don't know anything about, but the selection of scents is vast.

 

[athenaworth]

I came here to suggest Voluspa. They're pricey but they last forever and never really seem to lose their scent.

 

[ac117]

I really like the 3 wick candles from bath and body works (especially eucalyptus spearmint) and pier 1! But I only buy them when they're on sale...bc I don't understand such a high price tag for wax?!?!? The ones from pier 1 don't always burn evenly and that drives me insane, too.