Luxury Candles Worth the Splurge… or Not

I’ve always felt that candles bring an element of calm and luxury to every room. They create an ambience, their unique fragrance flows through your space and you just feel…boujee.

A few things I look for when burning them will determine whether I repurchase the brand or not. They’re as follows

- Good quality wax, I want it to burn evenly

- A wick that isn’t too long, produces soot or splits after each burn

- A decent burn time, I hate when they go too quickly

- A fragrance that travels when lit

Now, I’m no candle connoisseur but I’ve tried A LOT of candles. Candles of all price points. Here are some of my top trendy candles and my honest thoughts.

DIPTYQUE

It would be rude not to start with Diptyque. They’ve become huge in recent months and really made a name for themselves as the go-to on the market.”The French perfume house is world-renowned for exceptional fragrance, the most beautiful scented candles that stimulates the senses for a luxurious experience.”

My go-to is the Oud scent, very rich sandalwood and woody. To give you an idea of the strength of this candle, I had to move it to the living room as it was giving me a headache when it wasn’t even lit and in the bedroom.

I won’t buy an oud scented candle from any other brand. It’s perfect for a Saturday evening. The only downside is a soot release if you don’t take care of the wick properly.

With an average price of £50, there’s a reason they’re so renowned and I’d absolutely choose Diptyque every time, especially as a gift. You get 190g with 60 hours of burn time. I did find this to be shorter.

BYREDO

Byredo is a European luxury brand founded in Stockholm in 2006, with an ambition to translate memories and emotions into products and experiences.

I recently brought the infamous Bibliotheque candle, centred on romanticising a love for literature. With a composition of peach, plum, vanilla and patchouli with notes of peony and violet + base notes of leather and academia the fragrance is light with a sweet undertone.

I find this perfect for chilling after a long day at work, or whilst working at home if that’s an option.

For £60 you get 240g with approx. 60 hours burn time.

LE LABO

Le Labo has taken the fragrance market by storm in the last 5 years. Like Byredo, it was founded in 2006 in the heart of New York. Their philosophy; favoured reliance on pure ingredients and in-store perfume blending. This wasn’t an everyday experience back then.

Their exposure went through the roof when they were brought by Estee Lauder in 2014, launching in Liberty's, Selfridges and opening independent stores across the world.

Interestingly my everyday perfume is Le Labo’s The Noir 29, which isn’t available in candle form. Whilst this Soy wax-based, cotton wick candle has a scent that carries through to their candles before it is lit, I was disappointed once lit. They’re relatively small for the price and you don’t get that luxury experience compared to the rest.

Needless to say, I love the brand, its ethos (especially before EL). I think they take the lead when it comes to perfumes.

You get 245g (feels smaller). I couldn’t find a burn time claim online.

LIBERTY’S OF LONDON

It would be rude to add in a splurge about Liberty's. I’ll leave that to you to do your own research.

Their range of candles is the most recent addition to their own brand homeware. I’ll be honest, I was sceptical about the purchase up against some of the previously mentioned brands but I took the risk and boy did I not regret it.

These luxury candles are crafted in New York with soy coconut vegan blend wax, hand-poured into a reusable glass vessel that is coloured in homage to the age-blonded pages of Liberty’s archive books and presented in a corresponding box.

I went for the Faraway Palm Scented Candle. It combines rich oud wood and damask rose with sweetly spiced cassis, with notes of rose and cassis grounded by the intensity of oud wood. Faraway Palm is inspired by the spice markets and ornamental gardens.

You get 300g, 65–70 hours’ burn time. I’m yet to get to the bottom of this one. But I must say I am enjoying it more than I ever thought.

In final words, this candle is the epitome of luxury! The fragrance is perfect for every day; anytime, any occasion.

Other luxury candles I have on the go are Boy Smells which I spoke about in my February favourites article, as well as Glossier’s bath duo candle which I’m pleasantly surprised by.

Having tried Glossier’s fragrance and being really disappointed by the lasting power, their candle is the opposite. The fragrance stays in the room for a very long time after the candle has gone out. My only complaint is that it’s very small and I dread the day it runs out.

Other candles I tested that I really wasn’t impressed with were Jo Malone and The White Company. Their burn time and wax were highly disappointing, to the point they weren’t worth putting in this article. This is a real shame as their fragrance selections are great.