My Favorite Cold-Weather Candles
I am obsessed with scents. Perfumes, room sprays, incense, candles; I think there is just something so magical about how a scent can relocate you quickly to a nostalgic memory or put you in such a specific mood.
I’m perhaps a bit of a candle hoarder. I have my favorites: those fancy, expensive candles that I burn when guests are coming or while I’m reading a book. Then I have a whole separate stash of TJ Maxx candles (You know, those keg-sized $5 ones that burn for a year straight that are probably giving you asbestos-lung?) that I burn almost constantly because we happen to own a very stinky, very adorable rescue-dog. And this is not the list for those candles.
Here I present to you my favorite ~fancy~ candles to burn for the winter months. These are the woodier, sweeter, warmer scents that make you think of fireplaces, warm blankets, and christmas trees. So, without further ado, and in no particular order:
1) Aged Page by Hearth and Hammer
“The scent of worn pages,/ of long forgotten volumes/ the slant of sunlight on the page/ rich in tradition and fragrance: earthy sandalwood paired with cedarwood vanilla and clover leaf”
I loved the idea of this one, trying to smell like an old book. In practice, it’s maybe a little sweeter than that. The cedarwood-vanilla comes through strongly, but it doesn’t make you nauseous like a baked-cookie candle would. Comes across as a masculine sweet scent, like a professor’s study. I’m also excited to use the container when this one’s burned up!
2) Burned At The Stake by Burke & Hare Co.
“This candle smells like an evening bonfire, burning leaves and branches alongside hints of clove and spices. This scent will evoke the memory of a crackling campfire and snuggling under blankets.”
This little baby is maybe my favorite ever campfire-adjacent scent. It’s more sophisticated than most others I’ve smelled, probably because of the clove, but it also seems to have some green-scent to it that is so refreshing. If you’re like me and you primarily buy candles if they “smell like a greenhouse” or “smell like a fireplace”, this will do both jobs for you in one.
3) Fortune Teller by Blackjack Wax
“The smell of smokey vanilla, old pencil shavings, & hints of jasmine waft from behind the Fortune Teller’s curtain. All of the pleasures of incense without the smoky residue. A wonderful unisex scent.”
Of all the candles I’m writing about today, this is the hardest to describe. It definitely smells of heavily perfumed smoke, very evocative of the fortune teller story they set out to evoke. It’s sweet, complex, smoky, and I would argue a bit feminine. This was one I picked up in Salem, MA and as soon as I smelled it I knew I needed it for my collection. One of those unique “wild-card” scents you know you’ll never find again if you don’t grab it now.
4) Walk In Forest Park by Whiskey Wicks
“Let this wood wick soy candle steal your mind away to the majestic Forest Park sprawling across northern Portland, OR. Fresh rain makes the dirt and fir scents smell sweet and invigorating. Everything, including the surrounding air feels like it’s alive and breathing. Breathe in this living essence and let go of your daily stressors. Take a walk with us through Forest Park.”
Here’s your quintessential Christmas tree candle. I’ll admit it, I’m a total sucker for pine scents, but I usually am able to get my fix from less-expensive candles because it’s not the most complex scent in the world. However, the boon of this baby is the wood wick. Nothing beats the light crackling sound and slight sparking from a wood-wick candle while you’re relaxing with a loved one after a long day. It’s almost like having a fireplace! Almost…
5) Teakwood and Tobacco by P. F. Candle Co
“The one that started it all. Some call it the boyfriend scent, we call it the O.G.Top: orange, leather, tobacco, amber, musk Heart: black tea, black pepper Base: sandalwood, teak, cedarwood, patchouli”
Call me a basic bitch for this one, but there’s a reason it’s so dang popular. Here’s a truly unisex, and in my opinion all-occasion, scent for cooler months. I don’t have any of mine left to smell and review for you right now, I burned it all up and now the container is in my bathroom holding q-tips. Like a real basic. : ) I guess it’s time to re-buy this bad boy.