Cosy room fragrances and candles
We spend a lot of time in our homes over the winter period, so we want them to be as cosy and warm as possible. Create this thing called ‘hygge’ – the on-trend, over-used, Danish word that means making something ordinary lovely – be that lingering over a coffee with friends, or lighting a candle with every dinner or every evening. And that’s where candles, fragrance sticks and room sprays come in.
I’ll stick with cosy, instead of hygge, and I love nothing more than creating a cosy corner with candles and scent in my home. I have a bit of a candle addiction, and I also love a rich room spray, especially at Christmas.
So, here are some lovely candles, fragrance sticks and room sprays to help you create your own cosy corner this winter.
Let’s start with room sprays, and if you want the best, then head straight to Jo Malone London. There’s always a fab festive room spray, but I can’t get past their classic Lime, Basil & Mandarin Scent Surround Room Spray (£42). It’s delicious. You only need to spray a little for a lot of scent.
L’Occitane’s Candied Fruits Home Perfume (£18), is sweet! It’s full of the rich flavours of a prune, or a festive date, as well as a hint of coffee, and fine Armagnac. It is very sweet, this one, so don’t overdo this one either. Finally, Next’s Festive Spice Room Spray (£5) is in fairly basic packaging, but it’s scent is deliciously Christmas, with notes of juicy orange, red berries and festive spices.
Neom’s Christmas Wish candle (£30, 1 wick, £45, 3 wick) is sprinkled with real 18ct gold and is a festive feel-good fragrance, with a stress-easing blend of 13 of the purest possible essential oils. It’s part of Neom’s Scent to Instantly De-Stress range for the Christmas season. It’s lovely, as all of Neom’s amazing natural blends are.
Space NK’s Shimmering Spice Candle (from £16) is a unique blend of cinnamon, citrus, cedar and vanilla, and this year comes in a modern, minimalist gold design. This smells so good, you will never tire of lighting it.
This Sweet Orchid Glow Elemis candle (£27.50) is an exotic floral aromatic with notes of Oriental Orchid, Jasmine and Sandalwood. It’s not overly festive, but it is absolutely lovely, and is a feelgood, pick-me-up fragrance – just what we sometimes need at this time of year!
L’Occitane Winter Forest Scented Candle (£15) has notes of pine needles, peach and cinnamon, to, L’Occitane say, ‘recall the scent of a yule log burning in a Provencal fireplace’. Not having smelled a yule log burning in a Provencal fireplace, I can only take their word for it! What I do know is, it smells lovely, and lasts for up to 20 hours – don’t burn it that long though!
I love the beautiful pattern on this Heathcote & Ivory Morris & Co Golden Lily Candle (£22) . It looks perfect against the orange wall of my office. William Morris said : “Have nothing in our house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”. On this occasion, I think this is going to be more beautiful than useful, because I am not a huge fan of the scent – it’s a wee bit fabric softener for my liking! If you do love the scent, this candle has a 50 hour burntime.
Shearer Candles have released the Limited Edition Textured Elements collection, of just two scented candles, in two sizes. In silver textured holders it’s Smoked Diamonds, and in the gold holders, Glowing Embers. I love the latter – it is a strange, yet addictive smell, and very more-ish. These are fantastic gifts, and are not expensive, at £10 and £15.
For a more traditional candle from Shearer, there’s the Highland Collection, inspired by the Highlands of course. Choose from Ae Fond Kiss, Red Red Rose, The Gathering, Ae Fond Kiss and Uisge Beatha. And not forgetting Hogmanay, which would be a perfect New Year gift! Each of the scents comes in a Tin candle (£7), a whisky goblet (£15), diffuser sticks (£20), and this three-wick Robert Burns Chalice (£25). This Ae Fond Kiss fragrance is a blend of white heather and Highland honey.
Cranberries seem to be fully part of our festive flavour these days – not just in the sauce for the turkey! They have a sharp and sweet scent, and make a great addition to any festive fragrance. Shearer Candles have lots of festive scents, but I like this one; their Cranberry & Ginger Tall Jar Candle (£25). Festive red berries with a splash of orange liqueur and a hint of fiery ginger spice create a super-sweet scent. Next’s Festive Fragranced 3 Wick Candle (£12) has berries, orange, and oher festive spices, and is a pretty decoration too. Also from Next, this cute little diffuser, from a set of three Festive Spice Diffusers (£10). This one is cranberries, the other two are cinnamon and pine. Lovely little bottles, these are a great gift.
Finally, also from Next, this cute initial candle. Perhaps a fab stocking filler, or table gift? The scent is white jasmine, blended with white lily, and honeysuckle, and at £4 a candle, they’re good for your budget too.
