Thoughts on Candles

I sort of fell into my fixation on candles by accident. I acquired some nice candles at a very inexpensive price on eBay simply because I liked the containers and found the candles themselves to be very nice. But up to that point, I thought of them as just a cheap affectation that you buy at "Bed, Bath, and Beyond". Awful Vanilla Cupcake/pumpkin spice smells. The candles I had purchased were very unique smelling, more complex, and not gourmand.

As for why men don't typically purchase them, I think that comes down to a matter of priorities. Culturally, men don't seem as fixated on the home interior - but enormously fixated on things outside the home: the size of the house, the grooming of the lawn, the car that sits in the driveway, and the pool/hot tub/bbq combo in the back yard. It's all about what you can see and appreciate from the curb.

Adding to the lines that interest you, I would suggest checking out Ex Voto Paris. I haven't purchased any of them yet. I discovered them at Interieurs NYC, loved the way the looked and smelled. They are next on the list.

Not really too fixated on them or anything. In all honesty, they seem a bit overpriced, for the most part. I do love having them around for decoration and because they give off a nice scent.

god, this will be the 3rd discussion that i praise Japanese incense in. whatever, they're great.

i used to work in an interior design firm and a lot of times we we would select candles in the brands you mentioned in addition to Diptyque, Le Labo, Santa Maria Novella, Costes (love!) etc for our clients. if you have the kind of cash to drop on one of those huge 9x8 inch Cire Trudon candles they are well worth it. we had one in the office and in 15 min our entire 4 room office would be filled with that candle's scent, and after letting it burn for a few hours, we didn't have to light it for an entire week bc the scent lingered that long.

but if you don't have $500 to burn on a candle (burn, candle - haha), another option we would leave with our clients in addition to candles was Japanese incense. as a matter of fact, before you drop $60 on a CDG Incense series candle i urge you to go out and buy a package of Shoyeido "Great Origin" incense. i wear Kyoto daily and this is what CDG was trying to recreate in the first place.

Japanese incense (mainly Shoyeido, i promise i'm not paid to endorse them, ha) are much more "clean" smelling. they have this really great smokiness that smells incredibly natural and sophisticated. if overly sweet Nag Champa is your only reference for incense, then just know these are a huge upgrade.

i think incense are perfect for bachelor pads bc there is a certain practical/functional characteristic to them that separates them from candles. nowadays i feel like scented candles are known exclusively for ambiance through the dim flickering lighting and the aroma they create ... whereas incense (at least for me) have historically been associated with a more cleansing/spiritual well-being frame of mind. they just seem less fussy and less affected which makes them great for the bachelor that strives to be an incredible host, but doesn't want to seem like he's trying too hard.

Love the Diptyque Candles. Every now and then my wife burns one in the house.

I'm a guy who loves interior design and deco. I love scented candles; they add a certain grace to homes if carefully partnered in a well curated vignette. Unfortnately I find them poor value for money as you can easily burn $100 worth of candles in a week! Perhaps I should look into the Cire Trudons...

Another vote for the Shoyeido incense line - well worth exploring, and you don't need to spring for the expensive ones to be able to experience something that in my mind constitutes an olfactory art form.

I am a fan of Cire Trudon (Nazareth), Malle (Saint de Saints), Amouage (Silk Road), Diptyque (Opoponax) - these all lean towards warm orientals and are great when the weather is cooler. These four lines all offer quality (at a price) and Diptyque are probably best bang for the buck and offer a lot of great aromas - their Galliano and Opoponax room sprays are also both terrific.

Always worth keeping an eye out for are Diptyque's two special Christmas Candles each year and L'Artisan Parfumeur's set of three 'mini candles' which I think is another Xmas special.

Cire Trudon - Nazareth

I'm leary about burning candles in my home because I have a few young ones and their friends always running around and throwing things in the house (yes it's out of control sometimes). I like the wax warmers but of course they don't make GIT wax chunks to use in them. I have purchased regular candles then cut chunks out of them to place in my warmers which works perfectly.