Winter Candle Collection

I am a huge fan of candles and my stash has expanded in the past year. I love how relaxed I feel when I have my favourite candle (s) burning. I have picked out four candles from my collection which I've been burning during this period and they are perfect for Winter. They are also amazing for  pamper session because they are just so lush.  I also enjoy knowing I can make good use of the candle packaging when I have burned it all. Right, let's just get right into it...

Fake Bake Beauty Cashmere Me Hug Me Candle*// Link  // £20
Last year, I was sent this lovely Fake Bake Beauty Candle along with their amazing Christmas Gift Guide offerings. I am super impressed with their Cashmere Me range because it is designed for pamper and relaxation sessions. The Hug Me Candle smells sweet (but not too sweet) and I love how it gradually releases its fragrance. It is infused with creamy vanilla, bergamot, warm musk, amber, Moroccan jasmine and soft coconut so you can imagine how beautiful it smells. I love the glass packaging and I know it would be amazing for storing some beauty tools when it is finished. I honestly wish this had a body fragrance as I would be all over it in a second. It burns evenly and does not tunnel although it is always best to ensure you give it at least two hours to burn before putting it off. It also takes a little while to solidify back to the solid wax so you need to wait for it to cool down before moving it or storing it. I love the size and I think it has such a reasonable price because it has lasted me a good while.






Rathbornes Candles- Cedar, Cloves and Ambergris*// Link //£30
I was also sent this lovely candle last year and it was featured in my Christmas Gift Guide and it's seriously a perfect Christmas Gift (or house warming gift). Rathbornes Candles are the oldest candle brand in the world which is absolutely insane and I feel so delighted that I own a candle from this brand. Everything about it is so elegant from the packaging down to the way the candle burns. I received the fragrance- Cedar, Cloves and Ambergris and this was the candle I burnt the most during Christmas. It just has a beautiful Christmas vibe to it and now when I burn it, it brings back good memories. I think this is a true winter candle because it just suits the season to a T. The fragrance fills my entire room and lingers even when I put off the candle and I love that. It also burns very evenly. All I have to do is trim the wax edge and it's ready to burn. I believe they have various sizes and fragrances which you can check out here. Mine is the Classic size with two wicks and it's gorgeous!








Jo Malone Red Roses Candle (Mini)// Link // £22
I have always wanted to try Jo Malone Candles especially as I have tried a good number of Jo Malone Colognes. After dilly dallying for a really long time, I decided to treat myself to one. I got a mini size because they are quite pricey and I did not want to splash out on a full size without having tried it. I know I always say this every time but Jo Malone's packaging always gets me weak in the knees. I mean this candle was only £22 but the way it was packaged, one would think it costs so much more than that. I chose Red Roses because I had a little sample of the fragrance and I fell in love with it (although I have not purchased it yet). I thought they made candles for all their fragrances but they don't.  I am glad they have one for the Red Roses fragrance and I need to check if they have one with Tuberose in it as that's my other favourite fragrance.  Red Roses smells exactly like roses but it is quite subtle which I like because I find roses a little annoying if it is too strong. I call this my relaxing and zen candle (R'n'Z) because it just makes me really calm. It burns so well and there is also no tunnelling whatsoever. I am quite excited to use the jar for storage although I don't want this candle to run out. I am also pleased with the complimentary matchbox containing black long matchsticks. I would purchase this matchbox again in a heartbeat if it's sold separately.








Diptyque Tubereuse Candle (Mini)// Link //£20
What would be a candle collection post without Diptyque? It would just feel like something was definitely missing. The hype around Diptyque candles has been around for a good while and I am so pleased I own one now. If you are wondering if the hype is real and true, the simple answer is YES! Are they overpriced? Well, I think the full size is ( and same goes for the Jo Malone Candles). However, I feel they are indulgent candles that you buy as a treat to yourself. I chose the fragrance Tubereuse (It's not spelt like the usual Tuberose we know and love) because it is my favourite fragrance note ever. If a fragrance or anything at all contains Tuberose, I would definitely love it.  I call this my Feel Good candle. If I am having a bad day, I can guarantee that this candle would uplift my mood. There's just something about it that makes it so special to me. The way this candle smells and fills my room is phenomenal and it lingers even into  the next day after it was burnt. Would you believe it made my entire wardrobe smell amazing just because I stored it in there? I don't know if it's down to this particular fragrance or if all Diptyque candles smell like this but I am very impressed with it.  It burns so perfectly (super evenly), not a single tunnelling in sight and it sets back to solid wax in a jiffy after you put it out. What else can I say? I am plotting to purchase the full size. Don't get me started on what I intend to do with the jar when I run out *rubs palms together*.





Overall Thoughts
That's pretty much all the candles I am currently love. They are perfect for winter, valentine, pamper sessions, etc. I love all of them and I reach for them depending on my mood. Just to round up- The Cashmere Me Hug Me Candle is perfect for a relaxing session, the Rathbornes Candle is perfect for Autumn/Winter, Jo Malone Red Roses is perfect for a pamper and zen session and Diptyque Tubereuse is perfect for feel good pamper sessions. Have you tried any of these candles?
*Gifted PR Sample + Affiliate Links used, read my full disclaimer here

Candle Collection Loving

There is just something about bloggers and candles especially beauty bloggers. It makes your pictures look nicer especially if you have a blurry background but outside of all the blogging shenanigan, candles are beautiful and smell really nice. My love for candles has been heightened since I purchased my Desk. Although, I love them, I am not yet willing to splurge on it so I just purchased really nice, cheap and cheerful ones. I have always been intrigued with having candles around me because they just evoke a sense of calm and serenity that I can’t really explain. As much as I love candles, I cannot justify, especially at this point in my life, spending over £40 on a candle (Jo Malone and Diptique, I am looking at you!). That’s the reason why I settled with affordable candles which you can find in many places. Now, I prefer scented candles and I am willing to pay the extra £1 or so for a scented version and all the candles in my collection are supposedly scented. Yes, supposedly because not all of them actually give off their “so called” scent but I can’t really complain because I got the "culprit" very cheap (99p from IKEA).

IKEA Tindra Candle

Now this was a really tricky buy because I really like IKEA products but this candle did nothing for me to the exception of warming up my room which is of no use as I have a heater and it’s already Spring (allegedly). The packaging is a little deceptive as it has vanilla/ice cream on it which made me believe my room would have such a sweet smell. When you smell the candle itself, it actually smells really sweet but when it is burning, you get no smell whatsoever except  a normal candle smell but why on earth am I moaning? It cost only 99p so it’s very forgivable. Nevertheless, it serves its purpose as props for blog photos and I would use the glass packaging for storage when it is finished.

Yankee Candles

To me, these are the best affordable candles out there because they actually do what they say and you really don’t need an air freshener in your room after it has been burnt because the scent/fragrance actually lingers. I did not buy the larger sizes because I wanted to experiment with smaller ones first to decide what fragrance I preferred. I got the Sampler Votive Candles which cost only £1 in ASDA. The fragrances I got include Clean Cotton, Coastal Waters and Simply Home. I also got the cute candle holders from ASDA for £1 as well which is a perfect fit for the Yankee Candles. I will definitely splurge on the full sizes of Yankee candles because I believe they are worth it after testing out this little votive samples.

Sainsbury’s Tropical Fragranced Candle Set £7.99

I and my flat mate have been waiting for these candles to go on sales in Sainsbury’s because we love them but we have refused to splurge on it for its full price. One faithful day, our prayers were answered and this set of candles went on sales although it was just 1/3^rd off but it was better than full price.  The set contains Honey Papaya, Spring Meadow, Golden Fig and Wild Berry but Honey Papaya is my favourite and I think it lingers the longest after burning. The packaging looks so pretty and the dainty little candles look exquisite on my table but sadly, they do not give off their fragrance as well as the Yankee candles which is really sad as I had high hopes for it given the price. Don’t get me wrong, they do give off a nice fragrance but it is rather faint and if you want a stronger fragrance, you may have to light up at least 2 of these candles which is a sad waste!! However, they photograph beautifully and they actually burn really well. Some candles just burn so fast and it seems like you don’t get your money’s worth with their short lifespan but that’s not the case with this set. They are lovely and long lasting although they are just candles so they will eventually burn off and I will convert their glass packaging, as usual, to something useful.

Sainsbury’s Tu Fragranced Candles 

Last but not least are these ones also from Sainsubury’s. They went on sales shortly before Mother’s Day sales came on in full swing and I am pleased I grabbed me two of these. They cost £2.66 each which I think is a fair price for the quality. I can’t remember what their full price was; I think it may have been £5 but I am not quite sure. I chose the Orchid & Sweet Coconut and Wild Cotton fragrances because those were the ones that appealed to me the most. The Orchid and Sweet Coconut remind me of the beach and the Wild Cotton reminds me of a clean bed and laundry which I just love to have but hate to do the actual laundry L. I prefer this set of candles to the previous set because they are bigger, longer lasting and they leave a really nice fragrance that lingers in the room after burning it. That’s it folks. I love candles and ever since I got my table and organised my work space (I have a post on it here),I use different candles according to how I feel. I find that they just make my pictures look better especially as props when they are blurred out or even when they are in focus. I love them all including the naughty “faux fragranced ones”.  What’s your favourite candle?