Apple & Cinnamon and Enchanted Night by Brise : Scented Candle Reviews

In this blog I’ve reviewed perfumes cheap and expensive, rare as well as common, never hesitated between the revered and the reviled and took pleasure in declaring my love even for those that were once well loved but now mocked by many (hello Joop!). But I have to tell you, I’ve been feeling quuuuuite sheepish about reviewing the cheapies I’m about to put under the spotlight today. In fact, I’ve debated with myself about it for more than a week already, often contemplating the eternal “But what will my readers think!?”. Silly huh? So anyway, as you see, I got over my inhibitions, cause I remembered you all love good scents as much as I do. I knew this couldn’t go wrong!

So, the subject matter today is cheap-thrill candles and I’ve chosen my two favorites: Brise Apple & Cinnamon and Brise Enchanting Night. If you’ve had bad run-ins with Johnson’s Glade/Brise products in the past, trust me, I completely understand. Not all of the line’s candles are created equal. In fact I’ve had my share of gag-worthy moments (I’m looking at you I Love You candle) with some of them. I think the line fails miserably when it comes to exuberant, fresh, fruity and fruity-floral smells altogether in fact. But the real surprise is how good it does gourmand, oriental and woody scents: real good. Exceptionally so, trust me. Two of my absolute favorites are Apple & Cinnamon (sold as Pomme & Cannelle in most European countries) and Enchanting Night.

Apple & Cinnamon is the candle I always, always have at home and my trusty standby for all those occasions when I invite people over for coffee or tea. I light it about an hour before my guests arrive and by the time they come in the whole house smells as though I’ve been diligently slaving over the oven to produce the perfect apple pie. It creates the warmest atmosphere and feels absolutely cozy and inviting. Importantly, it always manages to extract spontaneous compliments on how good the house smells. The scent is not only gourmand but beautifully spicy as well - aside from the obvious cinnamon it features a rich clove note that brings to mind festive winter treats.

Enchanting Night on the other hand is more of a private pleasure for me - I light it just for myself when I want to indulge in a quiet evening at home. The scent is probably my favorite in the line for it smells exactly how I wish my house would always smell: private, familiar, sexy. Enchanting Night indeed has an incredibly sensual scent, but the genius of it is that even though it has potent throw and as such adequately perfumes the area, it does so thoughtfully, quietly. It might sound like a contradiction, but yes, the scent it produces is both potent and subdued. How to explain this better? I guess what I mean to say is that it’s never in your face: you can pay attention to it if you like, or you can just ignore it and go about your business, only to notice it again later when it suddenly dawns on you how good the house smells. The actual smell is like an overdose of coumarin (think of newly mown hay and tonka bean sweetness) with beautiful, subtle accents of violet. Oh yes, you see now why this is totally me! Even more attractive is its heavy musky base which smells very much like the musks used in Gaultier’s Fleur du Male.

These candles burn beautifully and cleanly to the very end. They never smoke and I’ve never had to tediously trim their wicks. They just do their own thing and they do it well, and they do it for the cost of no more than four euro, no less. My only complaint is that since a few years ago SC Johnson decided to change the appearance of the pots and partnered up with Sleever International to produce the new designs, which change seasonally (well, at least here in Europe - I believe the U.S. candle holders look different). I am not impressed. I might be burning a cheap candle, but I sure don’t want it to look like I’m burning a cheap candle and these designs are… well. Let’s just say they don’t do it for me. I much preferred the old, clean, simple candle-holders. But alright, I’ll forgive you, Johnson, if only you bring the Pumpkin Pie and the Vanilla scent here in little Holland too! Will you? Please?

Do you have any favorite cheap candles? Most importantly, do they have a good throw? Before I discovered these I always considered cheap candles as worthless, cause nothing seemed to have the power to scent a room and only smelled good in the pot before lighting it… If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

Images: www.scjohnson.be and www.sxc.hu

Pears & Sugarcane by Blackwick’s : Scented Candle Review

It’s October and all the foodie magazines are filled with enticing recipes featuring the fruit of the season - pear. Referred to as “the last taste of the sun”, pear indeed manages to bring the cheer of the last rays of sunshine on our plates with its nectar. Absolutely perfect for the autumnal transition from summer to winter and while we’re enjoying the last of the blue skies even as the wind is getting chillier, I find myself indulging my senses with pear scented perfume (it’s pear, vanilla and sandalwood delight with Boss Orange for me again today), while my home has been scented with Blackwick’s Pear & Sugarcane candle all weekend long.



I tend to mentally divide the candles I choose to burn in three categories: The ones I burn to recreate a scent I miss or long for, the ones I burn to create a particular ambience before a gathering or party and the ones I use for sheer comfort, when I need that cuddly, warm feeling in the house. Pears & Sugarcane definitely fits the first and last category: It produces the scent I long to smell in this particular season and at the same time it is very comforting, creating a cozy atmosphere in the house. Its scent is a lot more complex than I’d expected from the name and official description. The overtone is fruity, featuring a refined sweet pear aroma blended with tart, berry-like accents, while the sugar is playful, having a lighthearted candy-floss feel to it. But what makes this home scent transcend its cheerful, autumn sun character is the cozy base which makes it utterly comforting: creamy, round vanilla flushing with spicy cinnamon and warm accents of nutmeg. Pears & Sugarcane burns slowly and evenly, producing a soft, sweet trail that efficiently perfumes the house with a beautifully cozy gourmand vibe. At the same time, its scent is gentle enough to not constantly demand your attention. It has great throw and its effect is long lasting, meaning that the house will still be pleasantly scented long after the candle has been put out. As has been the case with other Blackwick’s candles I’ve tested, I’ve found that the fragrance of the unlit candle can seem scary (overly strong or sharp), but that the effect it produces while burning is beautifully smooth.

If you wish to learn a little more about the company, please refer back to my first Blackwick’s review by clicking here and by visiting the official Blackwick's site where you can also peruse and purchase the different candles.
The prices for the different sizes of Blackwick’s candles are as follows:
2oz Travel Tin ($4.00)
5oz Small Square Glass ($12.95)
8oz Large Tin ($13.95)
14oz Large Square Glass ($20.95)

Image: Product shoot by Fragrance Bouquet. All rights reserved.

Scented Pillow Liners by Sleep Scentasations

Sleep Scentsations is a company based in Houston, Texas, founded by two sisters that like so many of us were tired of the sleepless nights afforded by the stresses of modern living. Their team’s research was based on the effects aromatherapy, but the areas they found lacking and wanted to improve upon were costs and application. Finally, the idea materialized and took form in a product that is easy to use, allows for individual taste, can be taken anywhere with ease and will not break the bank: the Sleep Scentsations Pillow Liners.

The 12 scented liners currently range six categories (Botanical, Wellness, Fresh, Aromatherapy & Exotic), while additional scents are expected to debut. All the scents are based on the belief that scents can induce moods or memories to ensure an indulging sleep experience. As such, each scent is very evocative of a particular pleasant olfactive memory.

I was sent three samples of Sleep Scentsations’ scented pillow liners to try out during what is (incidentally) a very stressful period. Upcoming exams, papers and an endless to-do list have left me with an overactive, ruminating mind with the result that I end up sleeping late at night and waking up much too early in the morning, never quite managing to get sufficient rest. While the Sleep Scentsations pillow liners did not actually manage to extend my total hours of sleep they did give me a lot of pleasure and helped me to unwind.

The lightweight, thin liners are easy to use: they come individually packaged and easily adhere to the pillow. The scent seems very strong when they are taken out of the packet, but these are meant to be applied directly to the pillow, under the pillow case and to my surprise, the scent that wafts through is just right: neither too strong as to interfere with sleep, nor subtle enough to not be detected.

The scents I received were Day at the Beach (belonging to the Fresh category), Ginger & Amber (Exotic category) and My Boyfriend’s Shirt (Sensual category).

Of these, Day at the Beach was easily my favorite. Its scent is a twin of Bond No. 9’s Fire Island and Bobby Brown’s Beach, meaning it too simulates the scent of Coppertone sunscreen, but without the harshness either of these two perfumes has. Using it as a pillow liner was extremely pleasurable, especially since all I dream about lately is summer vacation and an escape from all the have-tos in my life. With salty, breezy overtones and the deep, creamy, summery scent of Coppertone, I felt as if I was lying on my beach towel after a swim, saturated as it tends to be with salt and sun cream. I’d happily use this one again and again, just to relive the feeling of being on the beach. I am surprised however this is sorted in the Fresh category. To me this spells Exotic!

Ginger & Amber combines the scent of the fragrantly sweet, white-floral scent of white ginger lily and amber. The scent is smoothed out by powdery notes and a gentle aqueous, melon-like overtone (think the aquatic, melon top note of Allure Sensuelle to get an idea). While it did not awaken any particular memories or images, the exotic scent was very pleasing and the slightly fresh aqueous overtones did impart a cooling sensation, so much needed for a good night’s sleep.

I did not manage to fully test My Boyfriend’s Shirt. I hated it! The scent is strong and overwhelming and completely unfitting (in my opinion) to the purpose of unwinding due to its energizing nature. My Boyfriend’s Shirt smells like a blast of generic men’s cologne, like a spray of Axe deodorant in the face! Definitely not for me.

The other scents in the line are: Bliss (mandarin and vanilla) and Relaxing (lavender, bergamot, cedar) in the Aromatherapy category, White Tea & Lily and Wild Flower (tobacco flower, white ginger lily & freesia) in the Botanical category, Fresh Cut Grass in the Fresh category, Shanghai Nights (flowers & musks) in the Exotic category, Cold RX (A therapeutic blend of essential oils formulated to stimulate relief of sinus headache, chest congestion, coughs and other cold symptoms) and Snore RX (A therapeutic blend of essential oils formulated to suppress snoring and provide a more restful night’s sleep) in the Wellness category and Seduction (vanilla, mandarin, amber, honey) in the Sensual category. Each set of 8 costs $19.99 with the exception of the Wellness liners which retail for $24.99 per set of 8.

According to the company’s website, the liners in the Aromatherapy and Wellness categories should not be used by pregnant women as they contain essential oils.

Images: www.sleepscentsations.com and Flickr by B@ni

Harry Slatkin’s Home Scents for Fall

You all probably know about my obsession with pumpkin scents (yes, still looking for a pumpkin skin scent, by the way...) by now. A couple of weeks ago I included L’Occitane’s Pumpkin Chestnut candle in the Harvest Moon PFTO feature, the only product I know of from which I get my pumpkin kicks so far. The press release for Harry Slatkin’s brand new fall home scents has me all excited however! Finally pumpkin is getting a lot more attention! I can promise you that if these products come my way there’ll definitely be a review as I am very anxious to smell them, but until then I can at least introduce the line to you.

The product I am most excited about is this one, simply called Pumpkin. The scent sounds absolutely delicious, featuring notes of fresh pumpkin, ground cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla cream. Can I just say YUM? I also love the look of this product and imagine that it would look fantastic in the center of a decorative Fall centerpiece of fruits and nuts. (Yes, in my head I am a domestic goddess who regularly puts together beautiful seasonal centerpieces for her home. Don’t ask about the reality of the situation. Just know that if you actually are that woman, you have my envious respect. D’you hear that, mom?) Retails at 19.50 dollars.

I generally don’t get along very well with caramel notes, but if the fruity notes of this candle manage to cut the sweetness of the caramel, this should be very beautiful indeed. Caramel Pumpkin combines whipped pumpkin puree, buttery caramel and a succulent seasonal fruit medley of ripe plum, crisp apple and juicy nectarine. I love the look of this product as well, imagining it would sit just perfectly in a country-style kitchen. Retails at 12.50 dollars.

May I just re-assert for the third time that Harry Slatkin has done a beautiful job with the appearance of these new products? How cute and adorable as well as perfect for autumn is this acorn shaped candle jar? This one features notes of golden nectar, juicy mandarin and red delicious apple are paired with toasted cinnamon stick, mulled cider spices and freshly harvested red berries and retails for 12.50 dollars.

Harry Slatkin’s new fall line also includes autumnal leaf-scented bars of soaps and in anticipation of Halloween, a number of whimsical votives and wallflowers. If you are planning to decorate the house for the children, my favorite product is probably this Snow Globe, featuring a naughty light-up pumpkin and “snowflakes” shaped like bats! I tend to find many of the Halloween decorations out there pretty tacky, but this little object is truly delightful instead!

PS: If you hadn’t noticed, the first sentence of this post includes a cry for help. No, seriously. If you know of a fragrance featuring pumpkin, you have to tell me.

Eucalyptus & Peppermint by Blackwick’s : Scented Candle Review

It’s been a while since I last reviewed a candle, and seeing as the weather is getting colder and colder (I am positively freezing today – outrageous, considering it’s still August), it seems like the time to start lighting scented candles again to create a cozier atmosphere in the house is drawing near: Fall is in the air. In order to cheer myself this gloomy morning, I decided to break the chilly air in the house with the companionable scent of my brand new Blackwick’s candle, and I am glad to report that the results were successful – Instant mood lift! (And I’ll admit, busying myself with creating a tasteful composition for the photograph below helped too!)



Blackwick’s is a Dallas based company and having just launched in 2007, a new player in the luxury candle scene. It is very heartening that the company is throwing all of its creative efforts and passion into one area instead of branching into a myriad of things, to ensure the high standards of their products: beautiful, handcrafted candles of excellent quality. Too, unlike other candle webshops which are disappointingly cluttered and as a result too daunting and confusing to navigate, the Blackwick’s website is a joy: clean, streamlined and easy to navigate, it gives shoppers the ability to find what they are looking for in a quick and easy manner, and -at least in my case- the urge to browse, to see what else is on offer. Shopping for candles should, after all, be a calming experience. The one I chose to burn on this cloudy day was the Eucalyptus & Peppermint candle from their Botanical line, and quite unexpectedly, it has been an utterly uplifting experience. I say unexpectedly, because the scent emitted from the unlit candle in its jar misled me to think there was a sharpness in the scent I didn’t quite enjoy. I needn’t have worried though: the burning candle released a very smooth, tender aroma with no hint of sharpness whatsoever. The scent is breezy and light, leaving a weightless aura in the air. The subtle aroma will please tired senses without overwhelming, but even though subtle, this candle is indeed effusive: it has excellent throw and will comfortably perfume areas adjacent to the room in which it is burning as well. I am impressed! The fragrance is fresh, with peppermint being more dominant and eucalyptus adding its characteristic gentle sweetness. Leaving the nose, throat and chest feeling lightly refreshed, it almost feels like the scent is the equivalent of sucking on an old-fashioned mint candy, with all the sweetness that entails. Most wonderful however, is the fact that despite its freshness, there is something about this scent that strikes me as utterly fit for autumn: it is somehow warming and comforting, the perfect companion for slightly chilly weather.

The prices are excellent, ranging from 3.50$ for the smallest (2 oz) tin presentation, to 19.95 for the largest (13.5 oz) glass jars. Blackwick’s is also offering a 30 days satisfaction guarantee, free shipping for orders that exceed 40$, and most importantly, 50% off for first time customers who enter the code '50Off'.

Image: Product shoot by Fragrance Bouquet. All rights reserved.

Bois de Lune by Manuel Canovas : Scented Candle Review

On the day I returned from my holiday, just as I had closed the door behind me, the doorbell rang. Loaded with bags in the tiny corridor I whined loudly, believing the person behind the door to be my partner who had just dropped me off and was going to go looking for a parking spot. Tired, red faced with effort and with an expression just screaming “What?!” louder than words could, I opened the door to find my next door neighbor looking at me with a sheepish smile. Embarrassment. Seeing as I could hardly move my hands freely as it were, he gently plopped a large cardboard box on top of the teetering pile I was carrying and somehow made it balance. “This arrived for you before Christmas, but you were away.” he said. After apologizing for inconveniencing him, I closed the door with my foot and climbed up the stairs with more excitement than I had felt the whole day. Returning home after a gorgeous holiday is always a sad affair for me –even more so when the prospect of going home means Statistics Exams and inordinate amounts of studying- so finding a packet with mysterious contents upon my return was just the perfect antidote! To my great surprise, the packet was not from a friend or family but from TotalBeauty.com, an online beauty community I’d recently joined. A Christmas gift! No matter that I was receiving it with a slight delay due to my trip – in my opinion the timing could not have been better! Injected with a good dose of happiness, I opened the heavy, rectangular packet contained within to find a scented candle. My eyes instinctively closed, for the scent that reached me was pure bliss....

I adore scented candles – I have mentioned some of my favorites before, like L’Occitane’s Pumpkin Chestnut delight and Floris’ Lavender sweetness. However, I rarely splurge on scented candles myself. Why? Well... Alright, I’ll admit it: I find good candles too expensive. The cheaper alternatives do not smell nearly as good (as a matter of fact they most often smell terribly cheap) and their throw is practically non-existent. There is a single exception to this rule (you’d be shocked), but that is a story for another day! Instead, I prefer to burn scented oils. With a little research for the right quality and the perfect scent, I have everything I need in order to create a wonderful home ambience in the most economical way. One area I do not hesitate spending money on though, is buying presents for my friends, and for those that have a taste for it, a luxury candle is a great gift. And one, I have to say, I love receiving myself. Proof being the wonderful candle I received. Days later, I am still as overjoyed to have it as I was the moment I opened it. I pass in front of it on my way to a different room and somehow find myself lifting the lid to steal a whiff of the wonderful aroma. Like a child with a new toy it can’t resist, I find myself looking forward to lighting it when I come home, while I’d normally save the higher end candles for occasions when I am expecting friends. Yes, that’s how good it is.


I’ve gotten carried away, haven’t I? I haven’t even mentioned the name of this wonderful candle that has me waxing lyrically. Its rather poetic name is “Bois de Lune” and it is by Manuel Canovas. I’d never heard of Manuel Canovas before, but apparently it is a French fabrics and tapestries house, also offering a line of specially designed home fragrances. So far, the line is offering nine different candles and having smelled Bois de Lune I’ll admit I am most curious about the rest as well. Each time I smell Bois de Lune, I am slightly taken aback: I can’t help but wish to call this a dark, dark scent. The first impression is that of extremely fragrant, rich black tea and this is a note that remains predominant. It is however, tea engulfed in marvelous woody goodness: deep, dark, stately, like the paneling and furniture of a dimly lit lounge at a gentlemen’s club, where brandy and single malt whiskey is quietly sipped. The mental imagery is rounded off with the ever-present light smokiness of this candle’s scent, evocative of a yet unlit, expensive cigar. To me, this is a marvelously comforting smell, one that I am quickly becoming quite addicted to. A slightly scary thought, since this could turn out to be an expensive new habit. The packaging of the line is simple, understated luxury, adorned with the pattern of shagreen, in a different color for each scent. The candles themselves come in elegant frosted glass jars, and the large ones are capped with a golden lid that will help keep the dust away as well as extinguish the flame. The candles come in three sizes, Large (6.6 oz or 200 gr.), Medium (4.2 oz or 125 gr.) and Votive (1.2 oz or 35 gr.). The price for the large candle is 60$ (approximately 60 burning hours) and refills for the large size can also be purchased (5.8 oz for 45$).

Do let me know if you, like me, hesitate before buying an expensive candle, or whether you happily indulge and treat yourself and your home to luxury scented goodies! Also, have you smelled any of the other candles in the line? I am very curious, especially about Brune et Or.

Images: Author's Own