Light
up your life
By Danielle Schlass Saliman
October 6, 2008
I first discovered the amazing power of candles in high school when I started to
smoke and didn’t want my parents knowing what I had been doing in my room. There
was nothing like the influence of apple and spice to clear a room of
tobacco—fast! Nearly 20 years later, the latter 10 of them smoke-free, we had a
blackout in our suburban home, and again, the candles saved me. We had no light,
couldn’t open the windows since it was pouring rain, and the house had that
stale musty scent. I felt my way to the cabinets, found some candles, lit ‘em up
and thankfully, we could see a little better and the house had a more appealing
aroma wafting through. Truth be told, I’m not big on candles when it comes to
day to day, with young kids in the house, the last thing I need is open flames.
But the right candle, at the right time, whether it be to mask an odor or add
some flare (no pun intended) to your décor, there’s nothing like a lovely hunk
of wax!
Teacher’s Pet:
It’s still the beginning of the school year and we love a good school theme so
the
RedEnvelope Chalkboard candle fits right in this time of year. The Belgian
Berry scent and the whimsy of being able to
write your own little statement on the side of the ceramic holder with the blue,
pink, or white chalk that’s include make lighting up a lot more fun.
Pure Beauty:
If you want your candle to exude beauty and scent, Red Flower has the ultimate
in both. A flower fragrance that burns for up to 50 hours in an array of colors
and comes with real flower petals on top to add to the mystique and aroma of
these slim glass-encased candles. From Italian blood orange to Spanish
gardenia—there’s a scent (and flower!) for everyone. And while we love every
scent, October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, during this month, Red
Flower will donate $1 from the sale of each
Japanese Peony
Petal Topped Candle to the
R.E.S.T. Initiative,
an organization that utilizes the power of the human touch bringing free massage
therapies directly into chemotherapy treatment rooms to help alleviate the fear,
anxiety and stress of cancer treatment. Additionally, in the month of October,
they will donate to the organization 100% of proceeds from the sale of every
Japanese Peony Petal Topped Candle purchased at the NYC Red Flower store.
Retail Detail:
You may not expect the place where you buy your Fall sweaters and skirts to have
décor for your home, but keeping with their introduction of fragrances via their
scrumptious colognes and perfumes, Banana Republic now offers candles to boot.
Of the six scents they offer, encased in subtle frosted glass holders, we love
the
Chilled Sangria, our choice for a cocktail party, (or a great gift for a
dinner party host) the wax omits a flavor of smells from red currant to rhubarb
to fire musk.
Good for the Earth:
Nothing like burning a candle that’s good for the environment, and thanks to
Soybeam Scents, who’s complete line is environmentally friendly, you don’t have
to think twice about it. Their candles are made from sustainable plant
ingredients such as organic and wild-crafted essential oils, GMO free soy wax,
and pure cotton wicks, poured into reclaimed and reusable glass tumblers. Fire
up one of their
lavender &
geranium candles during a relaxing soak in the bath.
Travel Scents:
We love the idea that one candle can take you on a journey to another place and
time (whether you are stuck in your room studying for exams or sitting at home
waiting for the school bus to drop off your kids),
Le Cherche Midi luxury home fragrances try to bring an entire trip into one
little flick of a wick. From their 05 which smells like an English garden party
(fresh cut lawn, crisp white linens and pine), to 09 which is like a tour
around an exotic Middle Eastern spot (jasmine, soft amber, Patchouli) to our
absolute favorite, 21, which smells like a trip to a far off family land where
grandma’s bake tarts (ok, that’s Brooklyn, NY for me and it’s honey cake and
apple sauce but you get the point) with hints of grapefruit, cardamom, cinnamon
and leather.
Halloween Approaching:
No need to spend those messy hours carving out a pumpkin just to stick a plain
candle inside and perch it on your doorstep when it takes less than 30 seconds
to take this Slatkin & Co. pumpkin-scented and
pumpkin-resembling decorative candle out of the box and a quick swipe of a
match to get the thing going!
Girly Scents:
Pastel track suits and beachy halter dresses don’t necessarily bring candles to
mind, but Juicy Couture is cornering the market on all things light, airy, and
well, girly. Not only do we love the fresh scent of their regal-looking fruity
and floral scented (think passion fruit mingled with melon, marigold, apple,
water hyacinth, crushed leaves, wild rose, and princess lily, wrapped with
tuberose and just a hint of vanilla créme brulee, along with precious wood and
patchouli!)
candle, we covet the silver snuffer that it comes with so you can put the
flame out in true, feminine style.
Recipe for Perfection:
Invite friends over for brunch, run to the nearest bakery, buy some delicious
cupcakes, light up a
Jaqua Cocoa Buttercream Frosting Luxury Candle and voila! your house smells
like you baked the goods yourself, and you can sit back and accept the
compliments one by one!
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Pretty in Pink, encased in a glass holder,
Glowology’s Love Light Candle, subtly scented with their signature honey
sugar fragrance, gives off a soft glow and delicious scent that add instant
ambience to any room. The company will donate 50% of proceeds from the October
sale of Love Light Candles to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
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