To start off December I thought I would talk candles! Candles are nice any time of year... but Christmas really does feel the most perfect time for them. They can be homely, refreshing, remind you of a childhood memory or just make you relax and doze off a little in front of the fire.
Also candles of course can make lovely gifts at Christmas, to buy for others or to even ask for! So I thought I would share the ones I currently use and love...
Neom Luxury Organics - Refresh: Home Candle in Sicilian Lemon & Fresh Basil
(£37.50 - here)
Neom as a brand is just spot on for me. It's chic, organic and luxurious feeling! As I personally avoid certain chemicals in products and have done for some time I do find their products to be really lovely and of very high quality. But if you don't use organic products or aren't that concerned about different chemicals then they may not be a brand that you look at/notice. However if you are purchasing a large candle or one as a gift then choosing an organic candle may actually be a savvy option!
On just a purely aesthetic level organic candles do not produce any soot because they are made with natural products - which means no black stains up the wall or around the area you have been burning the candle! Also I find organic candles look prettier than normal candles after they have been burnt and have hardened as there is no charring on the glass or on the wax.
On the health side of it organic candles like ones from Neom don't contain paraffin wax which actually release pretty nasty/harmful chemicals into the air when burning. So if you are purchasing a large candle it is worth remembering this and you we be using it a lot. Plus organic candles that contain essential oils do create a much more stronger scent so you only need to burn them for a short while, which means they last a lot longer!
As for this specific candle it really does refresh you (well they all literally do what the name states!) and it just smells amazing. But as I mentioned above within 30 minutes I need to blow it out as it is enough which means this candle will last me forever as it has a burn time of 55 hours! Plus you can also smell it when it's not even burning.
Neom also currently have a very pretty Christmas 3-wick candle (here).. but make sure you head to the bottom of this post for a special discount!
Betty Crockers Sugar Cookie Candle
(out of stock - but other scents can be found here for £4)
Back to cheapy candles now with some yummy, cute Betty Crocker candles and oh, I have quite a few of these! These come in some lovely scents and are great for burning whenever (I normally burn them when blogging!) or giving as little gifts. My definite favourites are Sugar Cookie, Gingerbread Cookies and Candy Cane - all so perfect for getting into that festive mood with!
Also I love how these come in range of fun scents and the whole cute packaging and them being Betty Crocker is quite American-ish, which I really like! Also they remind me of the Jelly Belly candles but of course at half the price.
I may do a little giveaway of one of these candles next week...!
Pearl Lowe For DP London Scented Candle Mini Set
(£30.00 - here)
Oh my, Oh my what a luxurious gift set this is! The presentation of this really is just so, so beautiful and luxe looking.
This not so small set contains 3 x 50g DP London candles which are all 100% natural wax - again very nice to see! These currently sit on a floating shelf I have and look so pretty, definitely perfect for anyone that likes their interiors or is very house proud!
Spiced Punch - This has to be my favourite one, so warming and Christmas-y. I can really smell orange,cinnamon and all differnet fruits in this!
Spiced Punch - This has to be my favourite one, so warming and Christmas-y. I can really smell orange,cinnamon and all differnet fruits in this!
White Flowers - This is a fresh, clean scent that reminds me of clean linen! When this is burnt the smell of jasmine and spiced rose is really noticeable. Very lovely.
Citrus Fruits -The scent of this is such a mix of citrus scents with a hint of ginger. This also really reminds me of Christmas but also could be used in summer I think. Warm, but fresh... another lovely scent.
Citrus Fruits -The scent of this is such a mix of citrus scents with a hint of ginger. This also really reminds me of Christmas but also could be used in summer I think. Warm, but fresh... another lovely scent.
These are the only candles I have tried were I wish that they were also actual fragrances and the scents are just so nice especially the White Flowers one.
Next Black Fig Fragranced Candle
(£3.75 - available in-store)
Last week I went to Next Home to look at all the lovely Christmas decorations and discovered all their wonderful candles (I think there were around 5 different scents). After sniffing all of them for around 20 minutes I decided on two Black Fig candles - one for me and one as a Christmas gift. All the other scents were nice but this was just so strong and reminded me the most of Christmas. It definitely smells of figs and also cinnamon I would say!
Also what attracted me to this candle was the purple glass (which is actually darker in real life) so rich and wintry looking. Plus with the jar being glass this is quite heavy so does feel like a good quality gift.
I really wish I could remember all the other scent... I remember seeing one called Winter Wonderland that came in a lovely frosted glass jar with little etched Christmas trees on it. But they were all nice and definitely worth a look if you go in Next Home - especially at under £4.
Last but not least...
I hope this has inspired you to go out and sniff a few candles or think about giving a candle or candle set as a gift this Christmas.
Also I hope that some of you can take advantage of the special 25% off at Neom code which is on all full priced products, as they really do have some lovely products!
Fee xo.