Our October top Facebook fan Caitlin Feener chose three candles carefully, and her list reads like a short portrait of her taste: warm, dark, and then one pure white lily.
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Caitlin Feener’s Favorite Products at Candles Off Main
NEST Wild Oats & Bourbon There is something about this blend that warms me in a way unlike any other fragrance I’ve encountered. It’s by far the most unique candle I’ve ever smelled. Upon first sniff, the ginger is prominent and entices you into wanting more. However once you light it, the oats and bourbon come into play and create an incredible atmosphere of old-fashioned class and sophistication. This candle is vintage elegance—a timeless blend that is layered so perfectly and simply cannot be replicated. Wild Oats & Bourbon stands alone as one of the most original fragrances on the market. It boasts the enormous talents of Laura Slatkin and her ability to create the most phenomenal blends.
Voluspa Ambre Lumiere I have been a Voluspa fan for many, many years and it’s hard for me to pick just one of my favorites. However if I had to pick one to burn for the rest of my life, it would be Ambre Lumiere. This blend is just magical to me. It’s oh-so sweet yet musky at the same time. I typically adore most amber blends, but the vanilla and patchouli work with this fragrance to create a gorgeous maple-like masterpiece. It’s sophisticated and gourmand, and you can’t go wrong with the dark packaging of the Maison Noir line.
Tocca Grace This third pick is very difficult for me, but I decided to branch away from my typical dark, gourmand palette and pick a classic. I’ve loved Tocca Grace for almost 12 years—it was the fragrance that actually introduced me to the wonderful world of luxury candles. One word for this blend—goddess. Grace is a Casablanca lily fragrance. The throw on this candle will literally blow you away. It engulfs you in it’s beautiful world of femininity and floral decadence, and I promise it smells unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. Tocca also just recently announced their Grace inspired perfume: Graciella. I’m sure it will be as beautiful as it’s candle counterpart.
What top Facebook fan Caitlin Feener’s three picks tell us
Two of her choices, the Nest Wild Oats and Bourbon and the Voluspa Ambre Lumiere, are warm, rich and a little gourmand. The third, Tocca Grace, is a floral she has loved for almost twelve years.
Together they show a fan who enjoys dark comfort but keeps one clean, classic scent close. I think that is a healthy way to build a collection.
It also answers a common question: do you have to stick to one style? No, because most people I know who love candles keep a favorite from each mood.
The list from top Facebook fan Caitlin Feener has a good balance of two dark gourmands and a floral. Read side by side, they would make a fine sampler for someone who has never bought a luxury candle.
Our top Facebook fan Caitlin Feener keeps her taste honest: three scents she would burn again.
Notes from top Facebook fan Caitlin Feener
Ginger up front, then oats and bourbon once lit: Caitlin describes that change better than I could. A candle that smells one way in the jar and another way burning is not misbehaving. Heat opens up the heavier notes.
Ambre Lumiere pairs amber with vanilla and patchouli for a maple-like effect. Amber in perfumery is a warm, resinous accord, and the Wikipedia page on amber explains the fossil resin behind the name.
Tocca Grace is a Casablanca lily, a big white floral. She loves its throw, which is how far a candle’s scent travels in a room.
Patchouli can scare people off, but in small amounts beside vanilla it behaves more like a dry, earthy spice than the old stereotype. That may be why she calls the Voluspa a maple-like masterpiece.
She also credits Laura Slatkin for the Nest fragrance, praising her enormous talent. Candle designers rarely get named, so I enjoyed that detail.
Top Facebook fan Caitlin Feener writes about candles like a perfumer, ginger first, then oats, then bourbon.
I trust top Facebook fan Caitlin Feener on gourmand candles, because she tells you what changes once the flame is lit.
Top Facebook fan Caitlin Feener also mentions a Tocca perfume called Graciella, inspired by Grace.
How to choose your own top three
Pick one fragrance from your comfort zone, one from your wish list and one that taught you something new. Burn them for a month and see which you reach for first.
Do not worry if two of them look alike. Her first two are cousins, and the third is the odd one out on purpose.
Write down why you like each one. A year from now you will be glad you did.
Here is my test for a true favorite: would you buy a backup before the first one runs out? The picks of top Facebook fan Caitlin Feener suggest she would, which is the best compliment a candle can get.
Do not overthink the list. Fragrance tastes shift with the seasons, so make a new one each year.
Follow the example of top Facebook fan Caitlin Feener and keep your list short.
More from our fan community
We love sharing what real customers choose, because their picks are more honest than ours. For another fan’s story, read about our November Top Fan, or the feature on Ryan Patrick Kelley.
Then tell us your own three. I always read the answers, and I always learn something.
Caitlin shared her picks as favorite products at Candles Off Main. If the picks of top Facebook fan Caitlin Feener tempt you, read each full description before you choose a size.
Thanks again to top Facebook fan Caitlin Feener for putting her list into words.
Header photo: oatsy40, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).
