Yahoo Finance 13 best scented candles
As the nights start drawing in, nothing makes for a cosy atmosphere quite like a gorgeously-scented flickering candle.
We lit a range of this season's finest offerings to suss out which burnt the longest, smelt the most appealing and looked the most stylish on display, as well as taking into account how each was made and the quality of the ingredients used.
1. Rituals Under a Fig Tree: £19.50, uk.rituals.com
If Buddha reached his state of enlightenment while sitting under a fig tree as is written on Rituals’ stylish black packaging, the nearest thing to us achieving it might be lighting this earthy, exotic-smelling candle with subtle notes of sweet fig.
2. Wax Lyrical & Fired Earth Earl Grey & Vetivert: £34.99, ocado.com
A collaboration between Brit brands Wax Lyrical and Fired Earth, the aniseed, lemon and spearmint essential oils in this give it a fresh scent, and the grey-hued glass holder, inspired by Fired Earth’s Plumbago paint, makes it an elegant gift. With 90 hours of burn time, you get a lot of candle for your money, too.
3. Heir & Grace Orange & Chilli: £36 for 200g, heirandgrace.co.uk
Hand-poured in Windsor, this luxe candle is a mix of rich, natural oils and wax to give subtle black pepper undertones and hints of spicy chilli that bring warmth to zingy orange zest and cassis. The cream glass casing is sprayed with a 21-carat gold logo and it burns for 45 hours.
4. The White Company Sloe Gin: £28 for 200g, thewhitecompany.com
This is a match made in heaven for us. The ever-so-naughty smell of sloe berries and juniper evokes a celebratory vibe, while plum damson adds cosiness. A limited edition, it comes in a stylish ribbed glass wrapped with a deep-purple ribbon.
5. Rewined: £25, trouva.com
Rewined recycles glass wine bottles and fills them with natural soy wax scented to reflect their former contents. Stamped and inked with the date of the original ‘vintage’, the rustic-looking candles last up to 80 hours and come in smells ranging from Champagne to Cabernet.
6. Ashleigh & Burwood Escapology Moroccan Rose: £17.99, ashleigh-burwood.co.uk
Red rose, iris, carnation and calla lily make for a sensual bouquet here, complemented by gentle notes of amber and musk. Intricate gold patterning on the holder makes this one extra-special.
7. Willow & Honey Blackberry and Bay Leaf: £27, willowandhoney.co.uk
Combine blackberry aromas with a hint of herbal bay leaf and you get a distinctive autumnal offering reminiscent of the English countryside, where Willow & Honey’s natural soy wax candles are made. This one burns for 50 hours and comes with a useful rubber seal to help hold in the fragrance.
8. Potters Crouch Fireside: £8.50, potterscrouchcandles.co.uk
Autumn’s synonymous with roaring log fires. Potters Crouch has managed to capture the essence with this blend of ash, birch and walnut fragrances. It comes in a tin, which warms up and helps diffuse a stronger scent.
9. The Country Candle Company Wonderwick Noir, Black Pomegranate: £19.99, thecountrycandlecompany.com
Drawn to the soothing sounds of an open fire but favour fruity scents? Then this blend of mandarin and pomegranate is a winner. The candle’s wooden wick makes the noise of burning kindling when lit and is easily trimmed by carefully breaking off the charred tip before re-using.
10. Diptyque La Prouveresse: £55, selfridges.com
Victoria Beckham is a fan of the chic French brand known for its evocative scents. La Prouveresse’s named after a fig and cypress tree-lined lane near to Diptyque co-founder Yves Coueslant’s house near Grasse. Each porcelain pot is handcrafted to create a marbled effect reminiscent of an October breeze whirling up leaves.
11. Miller Harris Tangerine Vert: £40, millerharris.com
Miller Harris founder Lynn Harris has worked in the perfume industry for over 20 years, so you could say she knows her scents. This one is a gorgeous combination of sweet citrus tangerine balanced with the cedar wood and musk base notes. You get 40 hours of burn time, so this is a luxury treat (or one to put on the Christmas list).
12. Skandinavisk Ro: £25, johnlewis.com
We can’t get enough of Scandi interiors and that love affair extends to room fragrance. Skandinavisk was set up by two Brits who moved to Copenhagen and Stockholm respectively and wanted to create a brand that captured the essence of their new home. The candles are made from FSC-certified vegetable wax and the scents are evocative of the landscape. “Ro”, meaning “tranquility” in Danish, is more subtle than some on this list. Skandinavisk says it’s inspired by fresh grass, crumpled leaves and the woods of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. We say it really lives up to its name, well it certainly helped transform our London basement sitting room into a calm, cosy oasis, and the unobtrusive glass holder looks good, too. Expect it to last for around 45 hours.
13. Penhaligons Samarkand: £32, penhaligons.com
If you’re looking for a candle that should appeal to everyone in the house, this could be it. In a smart black glass jar, this hand-blended, soy wax offering is an invigorating blend of clove, jasmine and lily, with a warm-feeling sandalwood and vanilla base. From Penhaligon’s, the perfumer known for it’s out-of-the-ordinary scents, this is smaller than some on the list – expect around 30 hours of burn time – but it’s one that will transport you to exotic lands this autumn, whatever the British weather is doing.
Verdict
Diptyque is hard to beat for A-list quality but with an impressive burn time of 90 hours, Wax Lyrical's Earl Grey candle is both beautiful and great value. The White Company's Sloe Gin candle would make a lovely gift while our favourite scent is Ashleigh and Burwood's exotic Moroccan Rose.
