Talk some sense into me: candles

[MangosteenSoda]

I, until recently, had an (ir)rational hatred of candles. If there was a thread about stuff people like that you hate, for me it would be candles (and massages and musicals.. but I digress. Just the concept of tea lights would make my eye twitch.

I had a few candles in my house gathering dust because they are the kind of thing that people gift. I don’t know what possessed me, but towards the end of last year, I lit one, an it smelled glorious. It looked pretty too. Anyway, I’ve ended up burning my way through the previously discarded candles - my fireplace looks like a shrine at Lourdes. My home smells divine. I have used several boxes of matches. I fear I am addicted.

I just went to replace the first candle (the gateway drug of candles) and I discovered it costs £15. And after a bit of googling, discovered that’s not even considered expensive in the candle-verse.

What advice do you have? Any recommendations for lovely smelling and pocket friendly candles? I can spend 15 quid on one, but at my burn rate that’s going to get pretty costly. Aibu to just crack on and burn, or should I extinguish my new found habit?

Aldi often do a rip off of Jo malone candles

@MangosteenSoda

QVC has a sale on NEOM this weekend. I believe you can sign up as a first-time customer for a £10 discount. There are three-wick candles at three for £90 with no p&p. These candles retail for £55 each in the likes of JL.

Thanks all for your suggestions. I will be checking out charity shops as soon as I can, but off the back of this thread I have had a little splurge on the St Eval website. I took a pps advice and got the tea light calendar so I can sample different scents. I also got some little straight candles and a couple of cute candle holders. That should keep me going for a while.

I also hunted through the drawer of doom and found a little SKOG candle. So it turns out my friends have been gifting me nice candles and I have been oblivious to it.

If you are candle-curious, I recommend you proceed with caution. My bank card is giving me the stink eye right now.

SKOG is by Skandinavisk, another natural wax brand. I’m wondering if your friends have been buying the JL candle advent calendar, given the Voluspa also?

Probably. These candles were given as part of a gift bag made up of numerous little things that we tend to do for each other at Christmas.

St Eval bay and rosemary is immense....sorry!

Cabaret is the slippery slope for haters-of-musicals. Then you realise you also love West Side Story and Little Shop of Horrors and Chicago and Kiss Me Kate and suddenly you've lost your grip.

You’ve never heard of a wax melt? 😮 they smell amazing

I love a room diffuser and I think they last longer than a candle.

Pintails candles (online) uk made by a woman owned company
Great scents
They do mystery boxes & subscriptions which are great value.

We had either a Home Bargain or B&m cracling wick candle in our bathroom. Smelled gorgeous.
I chucked it though when I saw the black soot across the ceiling and down the tiles. Took me ages to wash off properly.

Our DS lit it and went in the bath. When he got out he blew his nose and it was black with soot! A MENTAL amount of soot produced.

Aldi ... Home bargains... have lovely ones .
Buy tealight holders I have a wooden one in a black metal holder it holds 5 tealights looks lovely when lit .
100 tealights are a £4 in asda .

Yes, this is why I only use natural wax candles and not paraffin wax candles.

I think they are worth it but others may disagree! I have expensive taste.

I am also very into very posh incense that you put in a fancy holder (Astier de Villatte). It’s insanely pricey but smells amazing.

Haha welcome to candle world. Try diptique they are divine but cost a lot. I want the diptique advent calendar.
Also wax melts are very nice and don't cost a bomb. Try Village Wax Melts.

LADIES - help!
I normally prefer diffusers to candles as I love a strong scent. However, something has happened.. they've all gone weak.. I used to have lovely ones, a Cowshed one strong enough to blow your socks off (discontinued) a gloriously powerful peony one (never seen it since) so have switched to candles but meh.. it's not as though I've got an over-large room, they just seem so poor..

What can I get? I refer herby scents to flowery ones.. BIG scents..

Try a Yankee candle
wax melter they are amazing ….. https://www.yankeecandle.co.uk/yankee-candle/home-fragrance/wax-melt-burners/electric-wax-burners/kensington-wax-burner---reactive-glaze/SAP_1615763.html

You can burn scentless ones with a drop or two of essential oil in them.

Cannot recommend scents and scentsibility enough for wax melts, they smell divine, throw the scent really well and the smells last really well, for at least 2 good burns. They do a sample box too.

Oh I love a candle! If you can, get yourself to Tk Maxx. They have all sorts. Reasonable priced ones & some more expensive. Home Bargins do their own called Wickford and co & they do a gingerbread at Christmas is £3.99 & smells sensational. Lasts ages too.

A friend bought me one of these candle lamps for Christmas. I was sceptical but it’s bloody marvellous!
amzn.eu/d/9I0IFxw

I love wax melts, I’ve got a little melter shaped like a cottage, and the tea light sits in the open front door, and the melt goes in the roof, and the fragrance wafts through the chimney! Have it lit in my bedroom for a couple of hours and it permeates the whole upstairs.
Lots of candles, but my favourite is a NEOM that one of the doggies I walk bought me for Christmas, I lit it for an hour, couldn’t smell it, bit disappointed, but after I blew it out, OMG, the scent was absolutely beautiful. Thank you Smudge.

I love unburnt candles but lighting them is disappointing and for me, dangerous.
I might throw mine on a bonfire.

Apart from your rational dislike of musicals, you need therapy!

Can you make a simmer pot instead? Orange, cloves, cinnamon, etc. in a pretty ovenproof dish on top of the woodburner or a pan on the stove.

The chemicals in some scented candles aren’t good.

Where I do like candles are plain ones on the table alongside flowers.