Life
Smoky scents to survive winter
With sales of scented candles booming in lockdown, which are the best on the market?
February 17, 2022 16:10
With sales of scented candles booming in lockdown, which are the best on the market?
February 17, 2022 16:10
I’ve been testing a lot of candles recently — and it’s just as well, because I need them to get me through the dark days as winter rattles on. Their comforting glow has become less of a treat and more of a necessity since lockdown, accompanying me like cheery sidekicks as I go about my daily business, from when I get ready in the morning, to my evenings reading in bed.
I have a few perched on the side of the bathtub, as well as on the kitchen counter and every other surface imaginable. I even bought some bubblegum scented tea lights from Poundland (£1 — no surprise) and put them to float in a bowl of water as a stylish table centrepiece. It was only when my flat started to resemble a Celine Dion video that I had to start scaling it back.
I’m sure I’m not the only one waxing lyrical on their love of candles. Since lockdown, we’ve all been seeking solace in their comforting glow (sales of home fragrance in the US were up by over 30 percent in the first lockdown). And brands are catching on — perfume boutique Les Senteurs launched a bespoke candle range, while perfumeries Miller Harris and Penhaligon’s have revamped theirs. The Comoros Pearl candle from Penhaligon’s (£60) is seriously dreamy, with luxurious white floral notes of tuberose and spicy clove warranting its expensive price tag.
And American home fragrance giant Nest has recently made its way across the pond, with many stunning creations such as its popular Bamboo candle (£43), blissful and evocative and unsurprisingly their best-seller in Sephora.
Candles can be costly, but one great subscription service I discovered is Iggy Box, who will send you a different candle companion each month from £14.95. This is how I discovered the wonderfully-named brand Old Man & Magpie, whose ‘Fireside’ votive (£15) is a smouldering, smoky wonder and a cosy homage to its subject matter (especially when you play Fireplace For Your Home on Netflix, which is the closest many of us can get to the real thing).
I recently discovered an old photo of my grandmother in her mid-20s with her then-raven locks styled in a beehive adorned with a giant white flower à la Amy Winehouse. (Lily Levy clearly had the idea first.) I never knew her before she went grey —which she dyed a fetching shade of auburn— but she was the only other person in the family with naturally black hair like mine. So I feel like I carry that part of her with me. I’ve recently been maintaining my tresses with Paul Mitchell’s new ‘Everyday’ shampoo and conditioner (from £20.95). Having tried countless lotions and potions for curly and wavy hair, I was impressed with what this “no frills” range was able to achieve, with hydrating aloe vera and argan oil leaving my frizz-prone hair soft and easy to style. As Nanny Levy would have said, sometimes the best solution is often the simplest.