10 Scented Candles for Winter Evenings

It's December, but you're still not in the New Year's mood? Scented candles will solve the problem: they will help you relax, warm up, and create a particularly cozy atmosphere (and this is important on New Year's Eve). In the first part of our review, Aromo's editor-in-chief Anastasia Kuznetsova selected 10 candles for every taste and budget.

How to use candles correctly?

Try to choose candles made of beeswax, soybean wax, coconut wax: unlike paraffin, natural raw materials are not harmful to health and give off a better aroma, evenly filling the room with it. It is desirable that the candle wick be made of cotton or wood. Often the wick has a metal base, in which case give preference to zinc, not lead. A little secret: the metal should not leave marks.

Keep an eye on the time: do not keep the candle lit for less than 2 hours or longer than 3 hours. In the first case, the wax will be distributed unevenly, and in the second case, the components included in the perfume composition will stop giving off their aroma after some time. Before lighting the candles, you can cool them to slow down the burning and make it more even. Do not blow out the candles, otherwise the smell of the smoldering wick will be mixed with the aroma itself.

Extinguish the flame using a special extinguisher. By the way, many brands produce candlesticks with tight lids: in this case, you can do without a flame extinguisher, and just cover the candle from above. In addition, the lids reliably protect the surface from dust.

It is important to remember that drafts, fans and open windows are harmful to the candle flame. Air currents will affect not only the combustion, but also the appearance of unsightly paraffin soot on the walls of the candlestick.

Don't be lazy, every time you light a new candle, trim its wick - the length of its visible part should be no more than 5 mm. This is done so that the flame is even and bright. Otherwise, when ignited, the wick begins to "bend" and the candle flame becomes dim. In addition, this will eliminate wax stains on the glass candlestick and an unpleasant smell in the first seconds of burning. You can cut the wick with ordinary scissors, but it is better to get a special trimmer: it is very convenient to trim the candle wick in any glass.

When the candle burns out for the required 8, 16 or more hours, the glass can be reused. For example, as a vase, a stand for combs or storage for any accessories.

Candle Wood Noelle B, Flame

Let's face it - Flame scents are seriously addictive: caramel-spicy Jackie, coffee-berry Varvara or honey-orange blossom Lina will help to quickly improve your mood. The spruce composition Wood Noelle B, attracting attention with its bright green candlestick, is from the new collection of candles with a wooden wick that crackles and crunches deliciously when burning. A mixture of spicy notes of ginger, cedar and eucalyptus warms, while notes of blackcurrant and strong tea soothe and ground. Notes of palo santo, birch and condensed milk give the aroma an unusual smoky-creamy sweetness.

Portable Xmas Tree, DS & Durga

Breathe deeply: DS & Durga 's Portable Xmas Tree candle was designed to smell like you have a Christmas tree, especially if you don't. Along with the wax, the glass is infused with the scent of an entire coniferous forest: blue and Pacific spruce, red cedar, and Siberian fir cones.

Sapin de Nuit, Diptyque

In total, the limited Christmas collection by Diptyque includes three candles in painted bottles, designed by Parisian artist Ugo Gattoni. According to the author, three magical animals escape from their pedestals to the streets of Paris on the evening before Christmas. Each of the three candles tells the story of their adventures. Fleur Majesté in a candlestick with an image of a lion smells of cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. The composition of the Ambre Plume candle, decorated with a swan, is declared by amber, orange, ginger and cinnamon. We chose Sapin de Nuit with a picture of a deer on the candlestick: the aroma with notes of fir, eucalyptus, rosemary and mint will remind you of a walk in a winter forest, where it smells of frozen pine needles, and snow crunches under your feet.

Orange Bitters, Jo Malone London

The rich aroma of Orange Bitters will perfectly complement the long-awaited holiday. A cocktail of notes of sweet orange and bitter orange is complemented by warm shades of sandalwood. The limited edition is not the first time it returns to the shelves on the eve of the holidays. Its main advantage is its absolute plausibility: as if someone is peeling a juicy Moroccan tangerine right behind your back.

Denmark Hygge, Smorodina

Denmark is one of the most comfortable countries to live in the world, and the hygge style, which has become a national treasure of the Danes, promises comfort and happiness to every home. A two-wick candle with an unobtrusive floral-spicy aroma will fill the room with the aromas of rose, orange and cinnamon. And the melted butter that appears on the surface in 5-10 minutes can be used for an anti-stress massage. An ideal choice in situations when you want to stay home, put on your favorite pajamas and make cocoa with marshmallows.

№6 Rosemary & cinnamon, Windsor`s Soap

The catalogue of Windsor`s Soap offers a wide range of interior fragrances to combat the pre-New Year rush. No. 6 Rosemary & Cinnamon smells like the best retreat imaginable; No. 9 Grapefruit & Pine, “arty and somehow very British”, according to the founder of the brand Yana Windsor, is ideal for December evenings; the cool and invigorating aroma of “Winter Berries & Cardamom” will help you come to your senses and give you a second wind after another rush at the home office. We chose No. 12 Pecan & Vanilla, because many people associate New Year with homemade baking. The dessert spicy-nutty scent is ideal for gatherings with friends and evenings when it’s snowing outside, and you’re alone at home with your favourite book or TV series.

Sugar Baby, Great Trotter

From maple pecan with vanilla we move on to even more exquisite desserts: the brand of Yulia Chekanova, former head of PR at Esterk Lux Parfum, offers in Sugar Baby the smell of a Parisian pastry shop, where the air is filled with the aroma of pistachio powder and almond marzipan. Warm, enveloping, and the most appetizing aroma in the brand's collection. In an hour of burning, the candle will completely fill your room with a gourmet aroma.

Persimmon & Chestnut, PaddyWax

PaddyWax candles in large apothecary jars are often featured in press collections, Pinterest photos, and Instagram bloggers. Persimmon & Chestnut combines notes of persimmon, roasted chestnuts, and pear, flavored with vanilla. The best part is that the jar can be used as a small vase or storage container.

Cedar Stack, Boy Smells

Boy Smells was founded in 2014 by Californians David Keane and Matthew Herman. Using their knowledge and experience in design and fashion, they released a line of scented candles with gender-neutral fragrances. The candles are made from beeswax and coconut oil and are vegan. One of the woody compositions in the line, Cedar Stack, smells of wood chips, tobacco, black pepper and ginger - cozy and warming.

Sweet Grapefruit, PF Candle Co.

Bitter grapefruits with white flesh and fleshy rind can be found in this soy wax candle. They are accompanied by other citruses, yuzu and lemon - a blend of tropical fruits with an abstract vanilla-apple undertone creates a particularly pleasant atmosphere. The collection of the candle brand founded by Kristen Pumphrey and Thomas Neuberger also has other fragrances worth checking out: for example, Tangerine & Vetyver and Sandalwood Rose.