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Atelier Lumira Collezione Bianca

January 24, 2016

I discovered Lumira candles a year and a half ago and fell in love instantly. The line is relatively new and founded by Almira Armstrong in 2013. Lumira candles are handcrafted and contain the purest, all-natural soy
wax available. If you’ve burned one you know how luxurious and exquisite they are. The traditional full size candles come in a hefty black glass jar (also available in travel size, introductory review here). She recently launched a new collection of white glass candles in her Collezione Bianca and they are incredibly chic yet simple. I’ve been burning these for almost over a month now testing them to evaluate their scent, throw and burn. Her line is based in Australia, but you can find them online at a variety of locations worldwide. Details where to find them on her website.

There are three candles in the Collezion Bianca. They retail for $75 AUD each which converts to a little over $50 USD.

Above: on the nails Formula X Color Curators in A Girl’s Best Friend
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La Primavera is something that I feel epitomizes spring. It’s a white floral with strong notes of rose and jasmine. The mix of lemon and patchouli give this one a more rounded feeling and tones down the floral notes so it’s not like a powdery floral. There is a noticeable powdery feel to this but it burns clean and bright. Throw is very good and the scent will fill the entire room in about 20 minutes time.
“Channeling springtime in San Remo, La Primavera boasts a gorgeous
bouquet of jasmine, rose leaf, lily and patchouli supported by a powdery
cashmere musk, creating a romantic tribute to Italy’s ‘City of Flowers’
and an alluring fragrance for all occasions.”

Notes
Top: citrus, lemon, rose leaf
Mid: floral, jasmine, lily
Base: patchouli, cashmere musk, vetiver, moss

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Sirocco is my absolute favorite of the three. The closest thing I can think of is Byredo Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum which is something I adore but have to wear with a super light hand (it’s one that can induce a severe migrane for me if I spray too much, although I can wear the Body Cream just fine without issue). Lumira Sirocco reminds me of a softer less sharp version of Byredo Gypsy water. It has the most incredible mix of citrus, pine, vanille, sandalwood and cedar. I rarely find candles where I love the scent so much that I would consider wearing it as a perfume, but if Lumira were to launch this in body products I would probably want to bathe myself in it daily.

“Named in honour of the great North African wind that extends across the
Mediterranean Sea and into Southern Europe, Sirocco boasts top notes of
tangerine and cumin, anchored by Moroccan cedar, vanille and sandalwood
to create a sultry, tempting scent reminiscent of Tangier’s bustling
souks laden with leatherware, spices, and sweet delights.”

Notes
Top: citrus, tangerine
Mid: herbaceous, pine, cumin
Base: Moroccan cedar, American cedar, vanille, sandalwood, moss

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Darsana is another one I’ve fallen in love with. It comes in close second to Sirroco. It’s difficult to describe but it has a sweet mix of amber and jasmine. I find amber home scents sometimes too spicy or earthy, but Darsana has a good mix of musk in it to round it out and make it have a slightly sweet feel. This is one of the most unique home fragrances I’ve smelled before – and it’s unique in a good way. There is a powdery floral undertone to counter the spice of the amber. Vetiver gives it a calming well rounded kind of feel that is very soothing.
“An ode to the Hindu temples of India and the divine visions they
inspire, Darsana marries precious ancient ingredients of amber,
frankincense and jasmine absolute to form a unique blend that is both
seductive and mysterious, transforming any space into a place of ritual
and spiritual transcendence.”

Notes
Top: aromatic cyclamen
Mid: powdery, floral, Indian jasmine absolute, frankincense
Base: amber, labdanum, vetiver, musk

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I’m head over heels in love with Sirocco as my favorite of the three with Darsana in close second. Lumira is a small but well curated line and I love the attention to detail she has with her candles and Paradisium fragrance line. Little things like the packaging (they come cased in beautiful boxes that I haven’t shown but you can see on her website www.atelierlumira.com). The design of the candle jars themselves are very simple and streamlined but there is beauty in simplicity and I love the clean look and feel of the jars. They make lovely decorative accents and I really love burning these at home. If you’re on Instagram – check out her page @atelierlumira for some of the prettiest home decor and workspace decor inspiration. She features a mix of her own styling along with some regrams from other super creative bloggers.

Bottom line, I love all three and I hope all of them are permanent. If I were to recommend one I think would be most universally appealing, I would say Sirocco is my top pick. Darsana is more unique and comes in close second though. These retail for $75 AUD each and have 350g/12.3oz | 70hr burn time. Prices may vary depending on the stockists that carry the line in your country due to conversion rates. You can find these online at Atelier Lumira and full stock listing here.

Many thanks to Lumira for sending these for review consideration.

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Diptyque Fragrance Gift Guide Home / Interiors

Diptyque Advent Calendar – Holiday 2015

December 8, 2015
Diptyque Advent Calendar 2015 Christmas

Beauty Advent Calendars have been around for years in Europe, the ones launched in the UK have been on my radar for many holidays and much to my dismay the good ones have never been available in the US. This year, Diptyque launched an Advent Calendar which sold out at lightening speed. By the time I called my local store they had sold through all the ones they received, but they put my name on a waitlist. I was thrilled to find they were able to find one for me and will be doing a reveal of the contents each week.

 

The Diptyque Advent Calendar this year is priced at a jaw-dropping $390, but the set is quite impressive. It contains a mix of 25 mini-sized Diptyque items including candles, fragrance and body products. A huge part of me cannot believe that I splurged so much on a single beauty set, but another part is giddy with excitement. The Advent Calendar comes in a beautiful large box and black bow. It’s taken a lot of self control for me to not open all the little doors at once time. They did list all the contents online, it contains:
  • 15 (1.2 oz) mini candles in Ambre, Feu de Bois, Santal, Genevrier, Opoponax, Vanille, Cypres, Noiseter, 34, Oud, Geranium Rosa, Pomander, Figuier, Rose, Benjoin
  • 1 (2.4 oz) small candle in Baies
  • 6 (0.34 fl oz) perfumes in Oud, Florabellio, Do Son, Tam Dao, Philosykos, 34
  • 1 (15 ml) mini Precious Oil
  • 1 (15 ml) mini Rich Body Butter
Here’s a look at the box with two items for scale:

Diptyque Advent Calendar 2015 Holiday
A look inside the box, each day has a little perforated door to open:

Holiday 2015 Diptyque Advent Calendar

Contents of Days 1 through 7:

Breaking down the price of the set versus individual items is a bit of a challenge since the minis aren’t usually sold separately. At $390 this Advent Calendar is the ultimate splurge. This is for the person who is a Diptyque lover, or for someone who wants to try a little bit of everything in mini-sizes. For a few reference points:
  • The 5 Piece Set is $75 and 10 Piece Set is $130. Both contain the baby candles that are also in the Advent Calendar, so the price per candle is either $13 or $15
  • The Eau de Parfume Set is $115 for 5 mini fragrances, although the size of each is 0.25 oz while the ones in the Advent Calendar are 0.34 oz
  • The 2.4 oz Baies is priced individually at $32
2015 Diptyque Advent Calendar

If you find this confusing, don’t worry, I did too, but bottom line is there doesn’t appear to be any price break by purchasing the calendar. Since it’s sold out and probably very difficult to find at this point, I would recommend the 10 Piece Candle Set as the next best alternative for someone who wants to experience as much Diptyque as possible for the best price.

Even though this Advent Calendar cost an arm and a leg (and then some) I do think it’s extra special. It has minis of candles and scents that you can’t usually buy separately at such a small trial size. I’m anxious to try them all over the next few months. I think it’s fun that they included so many different fragrances to try as well.

For fun, I’m going to be doing a few giveaways in the next few weeks. I’ll have a new giveaway with each weekly reveal. Ideally I wanted to giveaway a gift card to Diptyque so the winner could pick their own items, but their website doesn’t appear to sell them, so the next best thing is one to Nordstrom. For this one, I’m giving away 1 $100 e-gift card to Nordstrom. It’s open internationally, but you must be 18 years or older to enter. If you’re a selected winner via the Rafflecopter widget and are located outside of the US, you can opt to receive $100 via Paypal. Entries will be collected through the widget – you can comment below in the blogger comments, but note valid entries are through the widget only.

Terms and conditions are listed in the widget below – selected winner will be chosen randomly via the Rafflecopter widget and announced below. I will e-mail the winner directly. Entries will be collected through 12/12/2015 11:59 PM PST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Good luck!

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Diptyque Fragrance Home / Interiors

Diptyque Winter Holiday Collection 2015

December 7, 2015
Diptyque Candles Holiday © 2015 The Beauty Look Book

This holiday Diptyque launched three limited-edition scented candles in Sapin, Liquidambar and Oliban. The packaging is breathtaking and the special designs this year are the best ones to date. Diptyque partnered with painter Julien Colombier who lives and works in Paris to create this year’s holiday candle designs. As with previous holiday launches, there are several options in sizes and sets for the holiday scents. The price of these are slightly higher than the standard clear glass jar candles, but this is usually the case with any special-edition release. The options this year:

All 3 individually in the Small Size 2.4 oz / 30 hour burn time – $35
All 3 individually in the Standard Size 6.5 oz / 60 hour burn time – $70
Boxed Trio of Small Candles 2.4 oz x 3 – $100

If you are near one of the Diptyque boutiques, I highly recommend you visit one this time of year. The visual displays during Christmas are my favorite – everything is so beautifully put together and very festive. I stopped by the one at South Coast Plaza a couple weeks ago and every time I visit, I never want to leave.

Diptyque South Coast Plaza
Out of the three, my favorites are tied with Sapin and Liquidambar. I’m a huge fan of all the Diptyque pine scents. I started collecting a few years ago – as you can see below the packaging gets better and better every year. Below shown is Pine Bark (2013 edition), Résine (2014 edition) and Sapin (2015 launch). For inquiring minds, yes I bought backups each year and miraculously still had one of each kept in the original box. Out of all the holiday scents out there, I think Diptyque makes the best pine ones each year. Comparing the three, I do find the notes similar between the seasons. Pine Bark is the perfect mix of pine needles and bark, it’s earthy. Last year’s Résine is more green and smells more like the pine. This year’s Sapin is sweeter with noticeable citrus – the description says it has mandarin in it and it gives this an interesting sweet twist. Throw is very good on this one.

Diptyque Pine Bark, Résine and Sapin Candles © The Beauty Look Book

Liquidambar is another really good one. The packaging is simply stunning. This one is described as “liquid amber is spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon, then cloaked in the scent of muscovado sugar.” Compared to the regular Ambre candle, the Liquidambar is sweeter, not as spicy and has less of an incense feel. The sugar and cinnamon of the holiday candle makes for a festive but warm feel. Throw is really good on this one as well.

Diptyque holiday candle

Oliban is described as having ” sweet oriental vapors of incense and woody accents set against fresh notes and balmy tones.” It definitely has that balmy feel, almost like a misty ocean-like scent. There is wood and incense mixed in. It has a refreshing feel. This one has the weakest throw of the three. It does give the room a clean subtle lift, but compared to the other two, it’s more on the subtle side. Shown below next to the Oiseaux Photophore (boutique exclusive, also reviewed here).

Diptyque Oliban Candle Holiday 2015

One more look at the displays at the South Coast Plaza boutique:

Diptyque Boutique Display

Once again Diptyque has launched a beautiful collection for holiday that’s not to be missed. I’m always eager to see the special edition packaging with every launch and the designs get better and better every year.

Being the Diptyque fan that I am, I bought the Holiday Trio along with the full size options in each of the three scents. Before the season is over I will be backing up the Liquidambar and Sapin for our home. For holiday there are a number of other nice sets that have regular candles which include:

My husband asked me to buy him a few of the 5 Piece Mini Sets + several wick trimmers to give out as business gifts. I’ve posted comparisons before but in case you missed it, here’s a quick look at the size comparisons. The mini sets have the smallest candles that you can’t buy individually (at least note yet) and are usually the ones given in gift with purchases.

You can find Diptyque at a number of retailers now. I am really happy to see they’ve expanded over the past few years. My favorite place to shop for Diptyque is the South Coast Plaza store even though it’s a bit of a drive for me to get there. They have the best customer service and visiting the store is always a treat. The lovely people who work at the boutiques are also very knowledgeable about all the products in the line which is always nice if you have questions or need recommendations. Not to mention everything is always wrapped up beautifully if you have gifts to give. You can also find Diptyque online at Diptyque, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Space NK, Barneys New York and Net-A-Porter.

Have you checked out the holiday offerings at Diptyque this year?

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Diptyque Fragrance Home / Interiors

Diptyque Fall 2015: Oud, La Prouveresse and Oiseaux Photophore

October 26, 2015

When it comes to home fragrance, I’m a Diptyque lover at heart and the new releases for fall are beautiful. I stopped by a Diptyque Boutique a few weeks ago to check out the new fragrances, perfumes and photophores. There are a number of new perfumes that have been released as part of the 34 Collection (three are boutique exclusives in beautiful glass bottles). I picked up the new Oud Candle ($60), La Proveresse in the porcelain marbled jar ($85) and the Oiseaux Photophore ($160, boutique exclusive). These days I’m thrilled to see Diptyque available at more and more retailers, but if you want an exceptional experience I recommend you visit one of the free-standing boutiques. I’ve been to five different ones in San Francisco, Larchmont, Beverly Hills, South Coast Plaza and Paris – each one has been such a treat to visit. Someday I hope to visit all the stores.

Up first is the Oud Candle ($60 for 6.5 oz/ 190 g). This one falls into the woody category of scents. It’s described as, “mysterious, woody, slightly animal composition enhanced by incense, patchouli and sandalwood.” It is indeed woody with a smoky feel, to me it smells like a warmer more inviting version of Feu de Bois. I have been burning Oud for a few days off and on with other scents and I’m smitten. It’s on the masculine side so I don’t think it will be for everyone.

My current favorite is the La Prouveresse Candle ($85 for 7.3 oz/220 g). This one is more expensive than other standard sized candles but it is slightly larger in size for product. It’s also available in the Pillar Form as a Diptyque online and boutique exclusive. The La Prouveresse is part of the 34 Collection inspired by the first Diptyque store on 34 Boulevard Saint Germain in Paris. (See snippets of my visit in June in my Paris Beauty Shopping Guide.) This comes in a porcelain container pot crafted entirely by hand using the “terre mêlée” (mixed clay) technique and each piece is entirely unique. Last year Diptyque released Le Redouté (still available for purchase, reviewed here). I am hoping the fact they released another version this year means that they will release a new one each fall. I have the three 34 candles shown side by side:

  • 34 Candle ($80) as launched to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Diptyque, this is cased in a white matte porcelain container with the 34 embossed on the front. Out of the three, this is the most light feeling in terms of mood, it has extremely good throw, it has a fresh green feel. The 34 candle is described as being fresh, green with spicy accords, notes of damp mosses, crumpled blackcurrant leaves, sun-dried fig leaves. It smells very natural and raw.
  • Le Redouté ($85) is the spicy one. It has the most holiday-like feel with cinnamon, clove, orange, roses, cedar and amber. It’s quite complex and for me I only feel like I’m in the mood to burn it during the holiday season. I still have about 1/4 of mine left over from last year that I haven’t burned off.
  • La Prouveresse ($85) is my favorite of the three. It’s the perfect mix of feminine and masculine. If you find Feu de Bois or Oud too masculine, the La Prouveresse is softer with more green notes. This has a mix of fig tree, cypress and cedarwood. It has an earthy feel. It usually takes me forever to burn an entire candle but I’ve been burning this non-stop and am already 3/4 finished with it.
Last but not least is the Oiseaux Photophore ($160). This is beautiful decorative item to display candles and each Diptyque Photophore is a work of art. These are exclusive to the boutiques but during the holidays there are sometimes sets released at other retailers for the clear glass photophores (see one of them here). There are three new photophores in this year’s 34 collection. According to Diptyque:

“This photophore features an openwork metal design created by the French illustration and graphic design duo Anamorphée, who have developed this unique decorative piece whilst remaining true to diptyque’s graphic heritage. Inspired by the painted wooden birds found in the window of 34 boulevard Saint Germain during the 1960’s, the two creators imagined the feathers and beaks of a colony of mockingbirds, the contours of which can be made out when the candle is lit. It has its own unique wooden base.”

Measurements are: height 4.7 inches / 12.5 cm – base diameter 4.3 inches / 11.5 cm, it will fit the Diptyque Pillar Candles, a full sized Diptyque Candle, Byredo, Jo Malone and Henri Bendel (the new Cashmere Candle sounds amazing!!).

Overall I’m really happy with the three new Diptyque additions to my home. I suspect I will be repurchasing La Prouveresse soon, it makes the home smell amazing. A couple other new things that I’ve seen pop up that might be of interest include the introduction of Vanille in the mini size (review on this one here). Benjoin was an online exclusive last year and they’ve re-introduced it to all retailers (review on this one here). You can find the fall releases in stores and online at Diptyque retailers now. Certain items like the Photophores and special edition perfumes are exclusive to the Diptyque Boutiques.

Have you checked out the Diptyque fall releases yet? Or have you picked
up anything else for home fragrance lately? I’m always happy for
recommendations.

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Fragrance Home / Interiors

Diptyque Room Sprays in Baies and Figuier

April 10, 2015

Diptyque is my all time favorite for home fragrance. They are quite a splurge but once I tried one, nothing else seemed quite as good. I have quite a few loves from other lines including Henri Bendel, Jo Malone, Byredo and Cire Trudon, but my heart belongs to Diptyque. In addition to the candles, there are a number of other ways to enjoy Diptyque scents. I’ve been enamored with their room sprays which come in a selection of fragrances. Right now I have the Room Sprays ($65 each for 150 ml / 5.1 fl oz) in Baies and Figuier in rotation.

Both come in a sleek and sturdy glass jar with a black spray top. The scents are almost identical to the candle versions. The room spray version of Figuier is a bit more green compared to the candle and a bit stronger in scent. I find this one perfect year round but especially love it for spring. It lifts the mood and makes the entire room smell like lush sweet figs with just one spray. It’s very strong so you only need two spritzes.

The room spray version of Baies is slightly sharper and sweeter compared to the candle but still also very strong (in my experience it’s stronger than the candle). This one is more feminine to my nose but is still neutral enough that I can spray this without having to feel like it’s too girly. This one is has a more afternoon or evening feel. It’s not deep or dark, but it’s not quite as light as Figuier. I love this one and am on my third bottle.

The Diptyque Room Sprays are both strong in scent. The fragrance won’t last as long as burning a candle but the sprays will fill the entire room with just one spritz for a quick refresher and in my home I find the scent will linger and last for a few hours. Right now being a Diptyque fan, I can’t pick between the sprays or the candle, they are both quite beautiful. I do think the scent of a burning candle will last longer but the sprays are quite strong so they do last surprisingly well.

For those new to Diptyque, many have asked what my favorites are. My top picks for Diptyque rotate on an ongoing basis. Figuier remains at the top of my list almost always, but right now I’m also loving the Tomas Maier + Diptyque Palm Beach (review here), Cuir (boutique exclusive, reviewed here) and the classic Baies.

There are a number of different places to buy Diptyque. I purchase mine from several different stores depending on promos, gift with purchases or availability of special edition releases. My top picks to shop Diptyque are Nordstrom (for quick and reliable shipping) and also any of the Diptyque Boutiques because the staff at the stores I’ve visited are really helpful and know the line well. The customer service at the boutiques is truly phenomenal. They are always patient, very friendly and can answer any questions you have. Features on a few stores I’ve visited linked for Maiden Lane, South Coast Plaza (my favorite) and Larchmont. Each time I visit a store I always discover new things. I like that they don’t pressure you to purchase anything (although I always manage to leave with a purchase) and everyone is always pleasant to chat with.

If you’re a Diptyque fan I think you will really like the Room Sprays. I hope that Diptyque will carry more scents eventually, I know they did a long time ago. Right now you can find the room sprays in Baies, Figuier, Amber and 34. Available at Diptyque Boutiques and Diptyqueparis.com and Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Space NK.

What’s your favorite home fragrance right now?

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Fragrance Home / Interiors

Cire Trudon Odalisque

March 18, 2015

I purchased my first Cire Trudon candle a few weeks ago at Barneys in Beverly Hills. I have @wendyg_nyc to blame for this splurge (or rather thank) as she has been pleading that I check out Cire Trudon for months. I don’t have close access to the brand and although it’s been on my list for quite some time, every time I stopped by Barneys all the distractions on the beauty floor prevented me from looking into these candles.

If you’ve seen Cire Trudon candles in person at Barneys you will see they are all displayed on the counter covered with a glass dome to help retain the scent. These are the strongest candles I’ve ever smelled or burned and seeing all the options was quite overwhelming. Thanks to Wendy I had a list of three to narrow down my first purchase and I picked out Odalisque ($95 for 270 g / 9.5 oz).

Cire Trudon candles are made of vegetable-based wax. They come in several sizes, the Classic Size is a large brown-tinted class jar. The one I picked out has a mix of orange blossom and cinnamon. It’s quite complex and is extremely rich. It smells so rich it almost smells holy, like it belongs in a cathedral.The official description of Odalisque is:

“Enclosed in citrus and wood bark, the orange blossom weaves a painter’s dream from which escapes the pale volute of smoke from a narghile. As an orientalist painting, furiously romantic, the vigorous scent of the case, and solar splinter of citrus fruits, come out as a thin blade in the silky shadow of vanilla. Top notes of lemon and orange, heart notes of orange blossom, and base notes are cade and vanilla.”

top note : lemon, orange / middle : orange blossom / base : wild juniper, vanilla

The candles have a small label on the back:

Odalisque is a classic orange blossom scent amped up with spice and wood. I find traditional orange blossom candles to be very light and airy, there is a hint of citrus but there is a good mix of florals to prevent it from smelling too fruity. Odalisque is a unique orange blossom because the mix of wood bark and juniper add depth to it that is hard to describe but makes it complex.


This is my first time burning something from Cire Trudon and it’s pure love. Odalisque proved to be one of the strongest home scents I’ve burned, the scent fills the entire room within a few minutes and the scent lingers for a while even after you blow out the flame. It is a luxurious splurge so if you’re unsure about ordering sight unseen at all I highly recommend you try to visit a store first (locator by region here).

I bought mine at Barneys New York. Cire Trudon is also available online at Saks Fifth Avenue, Beautyhabit, Net-A-Porter, Lucky Scent and Ciretrudon.com.

Have you tried Cire Trudon yet? What are your favorites? Do I need the fancy scented matches?

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Fragrance Home / Interiors

Candle Care Tips

January 20, 2015

 

I’ve received a number of questions on candle care so today I’m sharing some simple tips on how I burn and care for your candles. Once you own a luxury candle you will want to burn it and care for it properly in order to get the most out of it’s life. I’ve burned quite a few candles in the past few years and didn’t realize until recently that I was burning some of my candles incorrectly.
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Question 1: Some of my candles don’t burn evenly and tunnel. How do you prevent this?
 

 

I just recently discovered the phrase “candle tunneling” which refers to an uneven burn where the wax of the candle near the center/wick melts but the edges do not. Some of my candles haven’ burned all the way to the edge for a smooth flat burn while others have – I did not know what caused this. I just found out at a recent trip to a Diptyque store that the first burn is extremely important to prevent tunneling. The reps at the store said that you want to make sure the first time you burn the candle you want to let it burn long enough to melt the entire surface of the candle which can take several hours. Depending on the size of the candle, they recommended about 1 hour per inch in diameter. I thought 30 minutes of burn time would be sufficient to melt the surface of my standard Diptyque candles so I timed it at a few intervals. At 45 minutes the surface was nowhere near being completely melted.

 

 

It took a full three hours for the surface of my standard size Diptyque candle to melt and liquify completely and evenly on the surface for the first burn. Jo Malone 7.0 oz candles and Diptyque 6.5 oz candles are very similar in size, after testing the timing for the initial burn, I found they both took about the same time for the surface to melt. Below is a Jo Malone Candle where the diameter is about 3 inches. So the 1 hour burn time per inch of diameter proved to be pretty accurate.

 

 

So what do you do if you burned the candle incorrectly the first couple of times? There are a lot of other resources online on how to fix it, but this depends on how deep the tunnel is. If the tunneling is minor I’ve been able to fix some of mine by burning for a few hours and scooping out the hard unmelted wax around the edges to even out the surface. Other recommendations on Scent Snob and Nouvelle Daily.

 

In addition to the first burn, to make sure you candle burns evenly, you also need to make sure the wick stays centered. It can migrate sometimes or burn at an angle. Use a sturdy object to re-center or straighten the wick – I’ve done this while the candle is burning with a small butter knife although I recommend you do this with caution to avoid burning yourself or anything else. It’s better to re-center the wick after you’ve blown out or snuffed the flame. Sometimes I’ll push the wick with the tip of scissors. Whatever you use, if you dip it in melted liquified wax, you’ll have to clean the item.
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Question 2: Why invest in a wick trimmer? Can I just use my regular scissors?

 

 

Trimming the candle wick after they burn is important to prevent them from smoking on the next burn or from burning the sides of the glass. It’s commonly recommended that you trim them as short as possible without cutting them too short. I trim mine after they’ve cooled just in case I don’t catch the end of the trimmed wick. Sometimes I accidentally drop it into the candle and it ends up getting the melted wax very messy or sinks to the bottom of the liquified portion.On wick trimmers vs scissors, I find they both work, but it is nice to have a dedicated tool just for trimming wicks. It took me a long time before I splurged on a Diptyque wick trimmer but I’ve found it well worth the investment and I use it all the time. Now I no longer have to worry about getting my scissors dirty. They also double as a decorative accessory. Wick trimmers are more aesthetically pleasing than basic scissors and I can leave them laying on the coffee table or desk. Also because of the beveled tip it cuts the wick straight versus scissors which will cut the wick at a slant if you have to insert it into the jar and a angled cut wick won’t burn straight.

 

 

Most wick trimmers have a beveled tip which makes it easy to catch the trimmed wick. This is perfect for people like me who find it difficult to balance tiny things on small surfaces.

 

 

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Question 3: Are accessories like lids or photophores really useful? Or worth it in general? What about candle snuffers?

 

 

Some candles come with their own lids. Henri Bendel Travel Candles and full-sized Jo Malone Candles come with lids. Diptyque carries candle lids you can purchase separately. I’ve received a couple Diptyque lids as gift with purchases before and also purchased several. I find that they work to keep out dust and debris and really help to keep the surfaces clean. Some have asked if it keeps the scent in the candle from fading – if you have input on this I’d be really happy to hear your thoughts. I have had several candles that I left open or in a box over 6 months and found they retained their scent and strength without a lid. With the lids that come from Diptyque, Jo Malone or Henri Bendel, they sit on top of the candle but it won’t seal them shut completely so air can still get in and out. I like my lids mainly to keep them clean and dust-free.

 

Photophores are decorative accents for me. They can be on the pricey side but I do think if you are willing to splurge on something to decorate your home these are very beautiful. I received one from Diptyque as a gift from my husband and really love it. Below is the Large Full Twist option.

 

One of the candle accessories I don’t own yet is a candle snuffer. I’ve looked at them numerous times at the stores but haven’t splurged yet.
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Question 4: How do you clean out the wax from the interior to recycle your candles?

 

 

If you google how to recycle or clean out candles, you will find a number of different methods. I’ve shared my personal candle recycling tips before. I don’t always get a completely clean burn and there is often remnants of wax on the sides so the freezer method doesn’t work for me. I don’t like using really hot water because it can impact the stickers on the sides of the jars. I like to use the warm water + dish soap with paper towels or a sponge to soften the wax and clean the interior.

 

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Question 5: What are your all time favorite candles?
I’ve purchased quite a few different candles, each time I go to a Diptyque store or visit Henri Bendel I discover something new. Personal favorites change depending on time of year. My most frequently repurchased candles include:

 

I also really like Frederic Malle, Byredo and Lumira candles as well, but for me they are harder to find so I don’t purchase them as frequently as I would like to.
I hope you found this candle care post helpful! If you have any tips you’d like to share please do so in the comments! What are your favorite candles or scents?
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