Everyone who burns candles regularly ends up with a short list of favorite luxury candles. This February 2012 Facebook Top Fan post shares the list of Kathy Richey, who has been collecting them since her teens.
My name is Kathy and I have an addiction to candles. I started burning candles in my teens. I wasn’t picky, whatever I could afford to buy. In my twenties while on vacation, I wandered into a store burning Root and Trapp and I was in love with luxury candles.
Have you ever thought of all the reasons people use candles – for celebrations, romance, spiritual purposes, to light up your dinner table or just for relaxing. It’s the whole ritual of either taking out a new candle or trimming an old one, lighting it and then savoring it. Light and fragrance are the most effective and easiest way to improve your home’s mood and ambiance.
Home interior candles allow you to provide both. They create elegant subtle lighting and beautifully decorate your home with texture and color. I cannot express the amount of peace and comfort I receive when lighting candles after a trying day; or the happiness I get on a great day.
Do you know what makes candles so fascinating? Everyone has a different opinion about what makes candles truly magical and what scents appeal to them.
I like a strong throw on a candle. Since I live in South Florida near the ocean and it’s warm a good portion of the year, I tend to gravitate to citrus, mint, ocean and clean scents.
I’m not a floral person although I grew up with a garden of peonies and lily of the valley under my window, so I love having them thrown into the blend as it brings back so many wonderful childhood memories. The sweet fascination for candles can be as simple as a memory triggered by a beautiful scent or the safety the light inspires.
My favorite candles:
Nest, Nest, Nest and Nest – I love every scent they make. They have a strong throw and burn beautifully. The three wick candles are a dream.
I have been burning Nest for years and have never been displeased. Grapefruit has to be my favorite closely followed by Holiday, Pumpkin Chai, Peony and every other scent they make! I can’t wait for Beach to come out.
Lafco – Beach House is my favorite . The scent is like being on the beach and the vessel reminds me of beautiful sea glass, which we like to collect. Wheat field is a wonderful addition for fall. It’s strong enough for me but the scent is not to heavy.
My surprise new candle this year is Aura Bubbly. Like so many other of you face book fans, I have fallen into it’s clutches. It is so crisp and clean and I enjoy the fact that I can burn it all year long and it burns beautifully. I can’t help to still be a little partial to a clear vessel and white wax combination.
My favorite Holiday Candles:
Votivo Icy Blue Pine, Nest Holiday, Nest Pumpkin Chai. Icy Blue Pine was new for me this year and it is up there with Nest Holiday for my must have Holiday candles. Two completely different scents that somehow still work well with each other. The Icy Blue Pine truly gave off a real pine scent, while still being crisp and clean.
And nothing compares to Nest Holiday, it is truly a perfect candle scent. Seeing that we have a limited fall season, I really look forward to burning Nest Pumpkin Chai. It is an amazing combination of pumpkin and spices that is close to perfection.
On a side note, I have been so pleased with Candles off Main through the years. I appreciate the time that Sue takes to post new candles and scents, her prompt response to questions and superb customer service. Reading the face book blog and viewing Sue’s video posts, give me so many new ideas and candles to try. It’s also nice to know that there are other fellow candle enthusiasts that truly understand the simple joy of lighting a new candle and enjoying the glow.
What shapes a list of favorite luxury candles
Kathy’s picks make sense once you know where she lives. Warm weather near the ocean pulls her toward citrus, mint and clean scents, while the peonies and lily of the valley from her childhood garden are the one floral exception she welcomes.
That is a useful way to shop. Before you buy, ask yourself which smells you already connect with a place or a season, and look for candles built around them. Her other test is a strong throw, meaning how well the candle fills a room while it burns.
Notice how her list mixes the practical and the emotional. A strong throw is practical, while the garden memory is emotional. Most favorite luxury candles earn their place by doing both, so it is worth asking what a candle does for you on a hard day, not just how it smells in the shop.
If you are starting your own collection, write down what your favorite luxury candles have in common. Kathy’s list shows a pattern of strong throw, clean scents and happy memories, and yours will show one too.
A short notebook of favorite luxury candles, with the date, the room and what you liked, is better than relying on memory. Over a year, it tells you which of your favorite luxury candles you reach for again and again.
Why she keeps coming back to Nest, Lafco and Votivo
Kathy has burned Nest for years and singles out the three wick candles. A wider, multi-wick candle generally melts across more of the surface, which is why it tends to scent a bigger room. It also means a longer first burn, so give it a few hours to reach the edges.
Her Lafco choice, Beach House, comes down to the vessel as much as the fragrance, since the glass reminds her of the sea glass her family collects. Packaging and scent are tied together for many collectors. Our own look at why NEST Holiday stays a favorite year after year shows the same kind of loyalty.
There is also a lesson in her loyalty. When a brand has never disappointed you, your favorite luxury candles are easier to choose, and you can try new scents from that maker with less risk. Buying one new fragrance a season from a trusted brand is a gentle way to widen your list.
That is the real appeal of a trusted brand. Her favorite luxury candles from Nest, Lafco and Votivo all burn well and smell the way she hoped, so she can shop with confidence. Reliable burn quality matters as much as scent when you choose favorite luxury candles for everyday use.
So when you shop for your own favorite luxury candles, borrow her method: pick a brand you trust, try one new scent a season and keep the ones that earn a second purchase.
Seasonal candles worth saving
Holiday and fall candles are the ones Kathy talks about most carefully. Votivo Icy Blue Pine, Nest Holiday and Nest Pumpkin Chai sit on her must-have list, and she says the pine one smells like real pine without losing its crisp, clean feel.
If you buy seasonal candles early, store them away from heat and direct sun so the wax and scent stay in good shape. You can read how another fan approached her own picks in our Facebook Top Fan May 2012 post. For background on how scented candles are made and used, the Wikipedia article on scented candles is a good starting point.
She ends by thanking Candles off Main for new scent posts, quick answers and helpful service. A shop that explains its candles makes it much easier to build a set of favorite luxury candles you will actually keep burning.
Think of the holiday group as favorite luxury candles for a short season. They come out once a year, which makes each burn feel special. Seasonal favorite luxury candles also make good gifts for friends who share your taste.
If you are curious how other fans choose, ask in the comments: what are your favorite luxury candles right now?
