Get in loser, we’re going to talk about candles
This week, Kate tagged the Affluent Detritus Instagram account with a photo of her candle collection to say “Does anyone want to start a candle club with me? Like a book club, but we talk about candles?” This is pretty much the reason I started this blog almost two years ago and honestly, why haven’t we done just that yet? I said yes and so did a bunch of you, so today is the inaugural meeting of Candle Club. Do you have a favorite candle? You are now in Candle Club. Pretend like it’s 2005 and we’re just going to have at it in the open comment thread. Let’s start with your current favorite candle, and then a candle you’re curious about but haven’t smelled yet. I’ll go first:
Truth: My Little Pony
My all-time favorite candle is Cafe Society by Frederic Malle. A candle I’ve always wanted to try was Tomb of the Eagles by D.S. & Durga, until I had a nice little Instagram chat with my new candle friend Kate and she said it smelled like “gardenia and some green/fresh, although it definitely leans sweet/white flowers a bit. There’s also some powder – reminds me of what a brand new My Little Pony smells like,” thereby helping me dodge a $65 bullet. So now my answer is: I’ve never smelled Slow Burn by Boy Smells, which is actually an embarrassment for someone running a candle blog in late 2021. Is it really that good or unique?
Go forth now and share your candle stories and make some candle friends — justify some purchases or save people some money!
Comments are closed.
kenny
December 8, 2021 at 8:32 amI had a DS & Durga disappointment recently as well. Their Portable Xmas Tree candle has some nice top notes of spruce but mostly smells chemically like citronella or something. I much preferred the Illume Balsam & Cedar candle or Thymes Frasier Fir, which combined were still less expensive than the Portable Xmas Tree. Buyer beware!
sarahbrown
December 8, 2021 at 8:36 amYes! I ordered that in the car scent just to trial because I’ve been burned by them in the past (no pun intended) and it just makes the car smell like there was an electrical fire recently. Thymes Frasier Fir is so good, I used to always give it as a candle to aunts at Christmas!
sarahbrown
December 8, 2021 at 8:36 amAlso Kenny, THANK YOU FOR BEING THE FIRST MEMBER OF CANDLE CLUB!
Eden
December 8, 2021 at 9:00 amCurrently burning: Trader Joe’s Cranberry Pine
I’m here to learn.
sarahbrown
December 8, 2021 at 9:02 amEden, tell the people about Montecito Money!
Eden
December 11, 2021 at 7:23 pmOh, Montecito Money. This candle smells like the inside of my high school boyfriend’s Volkswagen Bug, it’s whatever cologne he wore with an undertone of old car interior. It makes me feel like I’m definitely going to make out with someone tonight, and it might not be him.
https://sbapothecaryco.com/products/montecito-money
sarahbrown
December 13, 2021 at 2:06 pmSounds like YOU should be candle blogging!
Jennifer
December 8, 2021 at 9:18 amI shopped at TJs earlier this week and was DISMAYED that they didn’t have any candles. I’ll have to try the one on the other side of town to see if they have them in stock!
Erin
December 8, 2021 at 2:24 pmI’m in the same boat— went to TJ’s specifically for candles and they’d been ransacked.
sarahbrown
December 8, 2021 at 2:33 pmI call ahead at my TJ’s at certain times of year like a crazy person. They have a spreadsheet and can tell you when items are coming and when they won’t be refilled!
Jennifer
December 8, 2021 at 9:05 amBeauty Pie’s Gingerbread candle is a giant disappointment. You can barely smell it even when sitting right next to it. Maybe I just got a bad batch?
sarahbrown
December 8, 2021 at 9:06 amNo, I agree. I’m not a huge fan of gourmand candles to begin with, but I bought Gingerbread last year to give as a gift and was not impressed.
Jennifer
December 8, 2021 at 9:08 amAh that’s good to know. I’m pretty hot and cold on their candles in the first place but this was the first super bummer.
Jennifer
December 8, 2021 at 9:07 amAlso I just started making my own damn candles because my candle obsession left me with over 100 empty containers I hoarded away. I’m gonna use this discussion to crib scent ideas…
sarahbrown
December 8, 2021 at 9:09 amMy friend April started making her own candles last year too, I’m fascinated by this! What are you making first?
Jennifer
December 8, 2021 at 9:15 amI made some coconut milk mango candles this summer that were really nice and fresh. For christmas gifts I’ve got come gin/cypress/smoked oud earthy thing going and I’m also trying to match my favorite holiday candle of all time, a Target holiday candle by Mara Mi that was the most perfect mix of orange, clove, and cinnamon; it smelled way more spicy that foody.
sarahbrown
December 8, 2021 at 9:37 amI remember that Mara Mi candle!! Target gets rid of its inventory too quickly! I have so many past Target candles I loved that just stopped existing.
Beth
December 8, 2021 at 1:12 pmOk, that gin/cypress/smoked oud earthy thing sounds amazing.
Kevin
December 8, 2021 at 10:28 amOK I’m despondent b/c their site is down right now but for my the candle of the year was Lit by Melanin’s Morning PT. https://www.instagram.com/p/CSR1X3inTqN/
It somehow smelled like coffee AND morning, we went through at least 3 of them this year.
Amy
December 8, 2021 at 11:23 amFornasetti’s ‘Architettura’ is super duper expensive and super good. Too expensive for me to buy but smelled it at a friends house and it smells exactly as described… “ It’s scented with the label’s signature ‘Otto’ fragrance that recalls the smells of the Fornasetti house in Milan – think wooden floor boards, archival papers and Mediterranean herbs. Aromatic opening notes of Thyme and Lavender are balanced by an earthy blend of Orris and Cedarwood.”
sarahbrown
December 8, 2021 at 11:35 amOooh that sounds extremely my kind of scent.
Jennifer
December 8, 2021 at 12:34 pmOh god that sounds amazing.
sarahbrown
December 8, 2021 at 11:35 amI remember you talking about this and I meant to buy one and try it! It looks like it’s half off right now and everything!
Beth
December 8, 2021 at 11:39 amDS & Durga actually gifted me Tomb of the Eagles once and I liked it, but I was glad I didn’t pay for it. You know that feeling?
I recently splurged on a trio from Otherland and got Fallen Fir, Old Fashioned, and Sacred Dusk. Fallen Fir is great, but Old Fashioned is SO SWEET, and Sacred Dusk doesn’t really throw. I’m kind of sad and wishing I’d just stocked up on TJ’s trio, or a candle a friend recommended from TJ Maxx for $8.
My “Is it really that good?” candle: Cire Trudon. I’m also incredibly curious about this one: https://fielddayireland.com/rain-candle
sarahbrown
December 8, 2021 at 12:14 pmOne of mine is also a Cire Trudon, specifically the Amon one from this old Kelly Conaboy review: https://www.thecut.com/2018/11/the-perfect-candle-for-a-reflective-night-in.html
Beth
December 8, 2021 at 1:15 pmThat really does sound perfect. I’m so sick of sweet candles, or candles that smell like toilet cleaning products.
sarahbrown
December 8, 2021 at 12:15 pmOtherland is very hit and miss for me too, more misses than hits. They really tend to be overly sweet. Their packaging always looks good but that’s as far as it usually goes with me.
Kate
December 8, 2021 at 6:44 pmI just bought Cire Trudon Abd El Kader with some credit from TheRealReal, but I haven’t tried it yet. It got written up on intothegloss a while ago as the “salad candle,” and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It smells amazing in the box, but I imagine I won’t want to burn in for a few months. It is indeed very salad-y, caprese to be precise. I’ll report back at a future candle club meeting.
sarahbrown
December 8, 2021 at 7:51 pmOoh, is that the mint tea one? I remember reading that. Please report back once you burn it!
Jess
December 9, 2021 at 9:14 amThis reminds me that when my husband found out about the Warm Buttered Bread candle he said “someone should do a candle meal where you go through a whole seven-course candle experience” and this sounds like it would be a shoo-in.
sarahbrown
December 9, 2021 at 9:31 amMichelin starred candles!
Michaelpop
December 8, 2021 at 12:35 pmmy candle of the year is def “Shag” by Sanae Intoxicants. It’s the official candle/scent of a bar/hotel called Gold Diggers that’s in Hollywood and used to be a strip club. So it smells kinda exactly how you’d think? I generally prefer lighter/cleaner scents so it’s surprising how much I love the musky scent of this guy. Honestly though can’t go wrong with s.andalwood, vanilla, fig and cedar
https://sanaeintoxicants.com/shop/shag-candle
The candle that I really wanna try is that steakhouse candle!! A friend got it and looovves it too so I really need to just order it already.
sarahbrown
December 8, 2021 at 2:13 pmI love everything about this! This reminds me, I’m always curious about those Hotel Lobby scented candles: https://hotellobbycandle.com/ It looks like they have a “cozy” holiday selection now, but their Signature one (which is sold out) is the one I’ve heard raves about.
You have to get the Steakhouse candle. I think they’re doing a new batch!
michaelpop
December 9, 2021 at 4:26 pmOKAY bit the bullet and preordered steakhouse!! i will now promptly forget i had placed this order and then be EXTREMELY excited whenever it arrives!
Jess
December 8, 2021 at 12:53 pmI’ve been loving Steakhouse! Which I recommended to a friend based on your recommendation and then the friend put it in a gift guide and then Tuesday sent me a candle to say thank you. We don’t know each other! She’s just that nice!
I also got this one from my friend’s sister’s Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1072717076/pale-fire-10-oz-soy-candle-sandalwood and I’m not quite sure it would make Candle of the Year but it’s my other favorite NEW candle. Because we moved in October I spent a lot of the candle season burning down the ones we hadn’t quite loved enough to burn all the way through, but didn’t want to throw out, but didn’t want to schlep to another city.
The one I really want to try is not high-end at all—it’s the Village Candle “warm buttered bread” scent. Found out about this one when I tweeted “does anyone make a candle that smells like buttered toast” but we were still in the aforementioned “burning down the mediocre candle ends” phase so I haven’t actually bought it yet. https://www.amazon.com/Village-Candle-Buttered-Bread-Scented/dp/B00SBUHD38
sarahbrown
December 8, 2021 at 3:06 pmTuesday is SO nice! I love that you sent Steakhouse on its trajectory all the way to the New Yorker!
Pale Fire looks good – I’m such a sucker for clove.
Steph Kap
December 8, 2021 at 7:54 pmLove these recs! Thank you.
Kate
December 8, 2021 at 6:41 pmI really, really love Byredo Loose Lips. I’ve never smelled anything like it in a candle (although the Replica perfume “Lipstick On” gives me the same feeling). Although it’s described with a bunch of floral notes (rose, violet, iris root), I definitely wouldn’t describe it as floral. Rice powder might be the most prominent note – it really does what it says and smells like makeup, but in the best way possible. It reminds me of getting my “stage” makeup set with Coty powder before ballet recitals. Maybe a tiny bit of play-doh but minus any salt. It has no sharp edges; it’s super subtle, but it has a fantastic throw. I second the request for some thoughts on Boy Smells – I’ve given several of them a sniff in the store, but nothing has called out to me to buy yet.
Steph Kap
December 8, 2021 at 7:55 pmBoy Smells breakdown coming shortly aka when I’m not sitting in the parking lot of a Vietnamese restaurant.
sarahbrown
December 13, 2021 at 2:05 pmSteph Kap come through!
sarahbrown
December 13, 2021 at 2:05 pmKate, thank you for this description of Loose Lips, I feel like I get it now!
alisonofagun
December 9, 2021 at 6:01 pmAll I do is buy candles and then be disappointed in them and wonder why tf I just spent so much money to literally burn it away. Slow Burn was actually really good, but I didn’t feel compelled to repurchase it, I think because I prefer multi wick and they only do those seasonally and for an exorbitant price. I did want to rebuy the seasonals from Votivo but ended up blowing my candle money on Nest’s pine one during the Sephora sale. I REALLY LOVED Apothia’s “If” candle.
I still want to smell the tennis ball candle real bad but couldn’t bring myself to actually buy it.
Kate
December 9, 2021 at 8:42 pmThanks for the info on Boy Smells, I’ll have to give it a try in a few months. I spent my candle money for the year on Black Friday. Related/unrelated, I feel like the Sephora sale is a huge scam! So much hype, so many feelings of scarcity, then they go and give EVERYONE 20% off a month later. I’m vowing not to fall for it next year!
sarahbrown
December 13, 2021 at 2:04 pmI kept waiting and waiting for it, then forgot about it the week it happened. A month later and I’m still out of so many things I was planning to buy then!
sarahbrown
December 13, 2021 at 2:03 pmOoh, I’d never heard of If by Apothia but I can’t do anything with jasmine. It’s the one scent that rules everything out for me.
Have you ever in your life smelled Bath & Body Works’ Cucumber Melon line? There. you’ve smelled the tennis ball candle.
alisonofagun
December 13, 2021 at 2:38 pmI fell for it on Facebook ads because they said it was Jennifer Aniston’s favorite candle and I am not even a fan of her but my preferred flavor of #selfcare is buying the things within my budget that celebrities love, which is also why I have a tiny bottle of Rihanna’s favorite perfume despite knowing 0 of her songs that aren’t about umbrellas. Anyway, If smelled identical to something plastic from my childhood that I never could place, which kept me wanting more.
OH ALSO I bought a few from Penhaligons and they were great, even though they were single-wicks. I just checked the website and none of the ones I bought seem to currently exist though, so I can’t remember what they were.
So bummed about that tennis ball candle! I wasn’t wild about Otherland’s offerings in general; it seemed like the candle would be sooty no matter how low I trimmed the wick, and the amount of packaging they used was off-putting.
Kate Kessler
December 16, 2021 at 4:42 pmNew to the candle obsession (but MAN have I gotten obsessed in a few short months), but I will say my favorite scent this year was Hinoki Fantome by Boy Smells. Exactly the kind of smokey incense-y scent I hoped it would be.
sarahbrown
December 21, 2021 at 2:50 pmI’ve heard good things about Hinoki Fantome! I wish they did samplers!
Liz
December 21, 2021 at 2:46 pmYou turned me on to Champagne from Adler – is there anything like it that isn’t crazy expensive? Because, I’m addicted.
sarahbrown
December 21, 2021 at 2:51 pmIf you like Champagne by Jonathan Adler, you should check out Persephone by Redwood + Co. Not exactly the same but very similar, and not insane prices!
Top nine candles of 2021 – Affluent Detritus
January 5, 2022 at 6:05 am[…] this recommendation only came from my new candle friend Kate, after the inaugural meeting of Candle Club!!! Her description coupled with the fact that it was on sale at Bloomingdale’s spurred me to […]