Six Of The Best Scented Candles For This Autumn
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It’s no secret that I am obsessed with scented candles. They’re my little luxury, and they make me happy, so I make no apologies for my habit, although I admit it might be *slightly* out of control. Could be worse though, right?
A few new scents have popped onto my radar recently so I thought I share an edit of the ones that are particularly great for the cooler months approaching. I’m not a winter fan, so I like to treat myself to a new scented candle (or three) and the odd new home accessory at this time of year, just to help make that transition a little less gloomy. I’m sure I’m not alone!
Just launched is the first home fragrance collection by Paul Smith, comprising of four scents, available as diffusers and two sizes of scented candles. Inspired by treasured memories and his bold use of colour, they’re really unusual - I’ve smelt them all and there truly isn’t one I don’t love. They come in beautiful modern two-tone glass vessels with lids that were specifically designed to be repurposed once you’ve used the candle. The lids also double as coasters to protect surfaces from heat while burning. Clever right? My favourite from the collection is Early Bird which is blended with notes of Indonesian Patchouli oil, iris and rain accord, and is designed to recreate the scent of rain falling on wet pavements on a cloudy morning. Better him than me - I’ll just stay inside and light the candle okay? They’ve been created with top notch perfumers alongside one of the worlds most renowned purveyors of raw materials with a long history of supplying the very best perfumers in the world. So yes, they’re as great as you’d expect them to be.
Artist Luke Edward Hall has collaborated with Ginori 1735 for the second time, this time to produce a home fragrance collection with a difference. Based on the idea of a marvellous adventure around the world, inspired by his favourite places - The Cotswolds, Marrakech, Rajasthan, Big Sur and Venice, the collection doesn’t stop with candles in beautiful ceramic vessels, but includes other ceramic pieces from imagined dwellings for each scent too. There’s a trinket tray and plate for each scent, then each fragrance also has its own unique object, ranging from an incense holder to an urn. It’s hard to choose a favourite from this collection, all are beautiful, but my top two favourites are ‘Rajathra Palace’ the imaginary dwelling in Rajasthan, (with notes of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seed, patchouli, rose oil, sandalwood and storax), and ‘La Gazelle d’Or’ of Marrakech (with notes of peppermint, geranium oil and rose).
Amber Lagoon - Ginori 1735 LCDC Collection
Another new launch from Ginori 1735 to add to their (and my favourite) LCDC collection, two new delicious scents - Amber Lagoon and Musk Road, which are available across all designs as with the other three scents from this collection. It was love a first sniff for me with Musk Road, so it was no great surprise when I read that this one has notes of bergamot, violet, mint, absinthe, aquatic scents, iris, geranium, white musk, cedar wood and patchouli which in fact, reads like a ‘best of’ list for me. It’s simply divine and quite possibly the perfect winter scent.
Not new, but new to me, I discovered this one last year on a ‘sniffing trip’ to Liberty - aka my favourite self indulgent thing to do once or twice a year - to just lose myself in the candle and perfume departments for a few hours. Absolute bliss. This one really stuck with me and I might even start burning it tonight. It has notes of black pepper, saffron, labdanum, leather accord, violet, dark amber, patchouli and vanilla. It’s unusual and right up my street.
Saint Joseph Charpentier - Buy 1803
I discovered this scent a few months ago (though it’s not new) and remain firmly obsessed. I have the Alabaster (a kind of diffuser) in my bathroom, but think I need more of it in my life, including but not limited to the scented candle. Part of Buly’s collection with the Louvre, which is surely THE coolest collaboration ever, it also comes in perfume form, a dry body oil (these are AMAZING), a body lotion and soap, and I want it all. With a deep note of cedarwood infused with verbena, pink berries and vetiver, it’s completely unique and delicious. It oozes warmth and is especially fitting for the winter months.
The Carriage Snug - Henry’s Townhouse
This collection of scented candles, the first by Henry’s Townhouse is very special indeed. Really heady scents that totally fill a space. Again it’s hard to single out a favourite from this initial collection of six, but The Carriage Snug really fits the Autumn / Winter bill, with notes of lavender, bergamot, rum, rose, iris, vetiver, musk and leather.
Are we sensing a theme here for my favourite winter scents? There are definitely several ingredients that pop up over and over again in the candles I love, yet every single one of these is completely and utterly different.
I love that about fragrance - the possibilities are quite literally endless.
Well that’s probably enough scented candle chat for one blog post. Standby for a home accessory edit next week.