Scented candles - am I the only person that hates the things?!

[Starlighter]

Christmas, birthdays, anything, people keep buying me scented candles?! I hate the bloody things!

I have young children, I don't have time for that shit!

Is it just me?? It seems like such a thoughtless gift, like buying someone air freshener as a present?!

Maybe they're trying to tell me my house stinks...

I like the ones that arent to nauseating. But some are sickly sweet.

I juat light one as I'm going about my day and keep it out the way.

I've never been given any smelly candles.

I hate Yankee candles they all have a similar stench and they're headache inducing. I don't understand anyone that would spend £20+ on a candle either.

Love St Eval candles. My fave is sea salt.

Don't light them often mind, but when I do they are lush

(Just been on the 'lush' thread )

Donate them to charity. Reclaim your cupboard space. Make it clear to friends & family who buy all these candles for you that you don't use them. Job done.

Absolutely loathe candles. The only ones we have in our house are the emergency ones in case of a power cut and religious ones (yahrzeit candles - Jewish memorial candles, and Chanukah candles)

Don't see the point of candles and they stress me out, terrified of something knocking over. And scented candles just give me a headache and stink to high heaven

Thankfully I can't think of anyone who's ever given me a candle. I'd have to carefully regift to someone who liked em!

I never saw the point until I read a thread on here about them and then happened to wander by a stall selling them at a local market, so I stopped for a sniff. They were cheapish (homemade) and so I bought one and it was delish. It really cheered me and made me feel good. Now I am a fucking addict and I blame Mumsnet. My house even tells a freaking poncy fragrance story. Bear in mind that I'm as frugal as can be and don't wear make-up or buy fancy anything (so this is unusual for me). I have lustful thoughts about Diptych, but I know that once I break that barrier I'm gone. For now, I'm sticking to the cheaper homemade ones (which are actually really lovely). I can't stand the sweet ones, though. I like the spicy, woody, more masculine ones - the deeper more mysterious ones.

OP - you could always ebay them? Or re-gift?

I'm an addict. I have so many candles, oil burners, tea lights etc. I even had a Yankee candle advent calendar. 😳

I know a lot of people that can't stand them though, and it is quite a waste of money when I think about it.

I love them. Once my toddler is in bed all the toys go away & my nice smelling candle comes out. I find them relaxing.

yanbu
in most cases they do stink not smell very pleasant and they are really not very good for you, esp if you have lung problems.

I used to love them but now they seem to give me massive headaches. So do fresh flowers. I don't know if it's my fibromyalgia or my advanced age (late 40's 🤣🎂) but it seems that any strong smell equals sinus and head pain these days.

Stinky scented candles ? No thanks. They're all stinky as far as I'm concerned.

Candles that float in a bowl with some petals in the water look nice - in a restaurant. Not at home.

Different food manufacturers have different ideas of what vanilla or orange or banana or chocolate tastes like. Same for scented candles.

The heat they give out can be sickly too. For me, candles are lit in my house for practical reasons when there's a power cut. Or maybe for romance or Christmas but they won't be scented.

Yep, they'll be the power cut candles. Not red wax candles, it looks like something out of dracula's castle ! Or an Italian restaurant circa 1971. Just without the old wine bottle in a wicker basket for a candle holder.

There's a big difference between cheap and expensive candles.

Totally don't get on with cheaper ones; they seem to smell noticeably synthetic and they get on my throat and chest and go straight in the bin.

Yanbu

Candles are the ultimate shit gift. I have asthma, so they kill me altogether.

My reference to food manufacturers having different ideas of what things tastes like mean that candle manufacturers can't even try to replicate that scent.

I'm with you OP.

I like candles, but I can't bear scented ones.

They make my nose itch & DH wheeze. Also some of the fragrances trigger my migraines, so they are banned from our house.

I just spent £150 in diptyque for MIL's Easter present and a birthday present and, er, a present for me. One of us is BU - I'll have to say you

I like a scented candle, but only the 'clean cotton/linen' ones. Fruit, vanilla etc all too sickly.

Village candles are my favourite.

I don't mind a scented candle but I absolutely hate those stick things you put in a jar of scented oil. What's that all about? Can't even remember what they're called. DH thinks they're called fascinators, but I'm sure that's something you wear on your head. I seem to take a bag load of the stinky things to the charity shop after every Xmas and birthday!

I love them and love receiving as gifts. I burn a candle everyday and feel they can calm me or lighten my mood. The most ive spent on one candle is £45 for Molton Brown, worth every penny and my home smelled like a spa, really relaxing. I dont tend to buy many as gifts as the scent is a very personal thing like choosing perfume for someone.

Yanbu, most are revolting synthetic chemical smells. The essential oil ones are really expensive.